The St. Louis Cardinals opened this four-game set at Wrigley Field with a 6-0 win Monday but suffered a pair of losses to the Chicago Cubs yesterday. I think they'll salvage a split of the series with win tonight though in what should be a straight-up pitchers duel.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Pitching - The Cubs hand the ball to Jason Hammel (5-4, 2.89 ERA) who's 0-2 with a 3.25 ERA in his last five starts. The 32 year old ace conceded four runs on six hits in four innings of a 4-1 loss at Busch Stadium on June 28 and the Cubs have lost four of his last five starts as a home favorite of -110 to -150. The Cardinals will counter with Michael Wacha (10-3, 2.66 ERA) who'll seek a third consecutive quality start. He held the Cubs to one run on six hits in six innings in a 8-1 win on June 27 and he's 3-1 with a 2.87 ERA in six career outings against the Cubs.

2. Batter vs. Pitcher - There are several Cardinals batters with good numbers against Hammel, among others Jason Heyward (9-for-16) and Jhonny Peralta (9-for-22).

3. X-Factor - The Cardinals have won eight of Wacha's last 10 road starts.

Selection: This is a play on the St. Louis Cardinals (10*)