​ST LOUIS, MISSOURI – JULY 30: Dansby Swanson #7 of the Chicago Cubs steals second base against Masyn Winn #0 of the St. Louis Cardinals in the seventh inning at Busch Stadium on July 30, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images The St. Louis Cardinals looked to be going the wrong direction after the All-Star break, but the resilient Redbirds continued to show this rebuild is unlike most others. A tough end to July knocked the Cardinals out of the Wild Card spot and under .500, but the team battled in the last three series to remain in the postseason race.The Cardinals are coming off three straight series wins, two of which came against favorites to be playing in October. After taking care of business against the Yankees, Rockies, and Phillies, the Cardinals hit the road to take on postseason contender and NL Central rival Chicago Cubs at Wrigley field. The series kicks off with an Apple TV afternoon game on Friday and concludes on Sunday afternoon on ABC.Another series win could put the Cardinals back in the thick of postseason contentionThe two teams meet as both are in the middle of a little hot streak in the dog days of summer. With 41 games remaining, the Cubs are where they expected to be, in the middle of a playoff race, while the Cardinals are continuing to exceed preseason expectations. With most outlets putting the Cardinals as a 67 win team, St. Louis can surpass that total with another strong couple of weeks. The Cardinals will also be putting their three series winning streak on the line at the Friendly Confines, where St. Louis won the series when they last met in Chicago over the July 4th weekend. View this post on Instagram*Projected pitchers are be subject to change*GAME ONE (1:20) : MATTHEW LIBERATORE VS. CLAY HOLMESGAME TWO (1:20) : MICHAEL MCGREEVY VS. MATTHEW BOYDGAME THREE (2:15) : HUNTER DOBBINS VS. SHOTA IMANAGAIn the first game, Matthew Liberatore will look to show he belongs in the rotation for another handful of starts despite the down year. The Opening Day starter has struggled for much of the season and looked to turn a corner with a dominant showing two starts ago. Unfortunately, he followed up his seven strikeout, six shutout inning start with another blow up as he gave up five runs for the sixth time this season. We will likely see Libby taking the ball every fifth day for the rest of the season, but he will have to impress the staff to be written into the starting rotation next year.In game two, Michael McGreevy will attempt to end a five start winless streak as his command has faltered a little in the second half. The increase in free passes has also been met with more hits allowed, so McGreevy will have to find ways to limit a powerful Cubs lineup to give the Cardinals a chance to win. He will be opposed by lefty Matthew Boyd who currently sits at 8-1 despite a middling ERA. The last time he faced the Cardinals, though, he was dominant. Boyd threw seven shutout innings, a