The written preview lands about a day and a half before the game, once the lineups, the injuries and the market have settled. Until then the boards below carry the matchup: recent form, how the two sides compare, and where each of them sits.
The full preview, matchup keys, probable starters and the storylines to watch, posts closer to game time, once lineups are set.
Where each side sits in its own division, with both clubs marked. These two are in different ones, so the tables are separate and the records are not directly comparable.
Milwaukee Brewers91-56.619W3
Chicago Cubs81-66.551L4
Pittsburgh Pirates73-73.500W3
St. Louis Cardinals72-75.490L3
Cincinnati Reds69-77.473L3
Los Angeles Dodgers89-57.610W7
San Diego Padres78-68.534W4
Arizona Diamondbacks78-69.531L1
San Francisco Giants62-85.422W3
Colorado Rockies55-90.379L3Taken from each club's most recent lineup. The official cards post 2 to 3 hours before first pitch, so a name here can still be scratched, and the batting order is the likelier thing to move than the nine men in it.
St. Louis Cardinals
Jordan Walker#18RHB.281coldPinch hitter
Iván Herrera#48RHBDesignated hitter
Alec Burleson#41LHB.283coldFirst base
Leo Bernal#13SHBCatcher
Joshua Báez#22RHBRight fieldSan Francisco Giants
Brett Harris#29RHBThird base
Turner Hill#52LHB.270Designated hitter
Bryce Eldridge#8LHB.268hotFirst base
Jonah Cox#53RHB.277Center field
Jung Hoo Lee#51LHB.281coldRight field