I’m not sure if the Cubs Carter Hawkins or the Cards John Mozeliak will slide into the Harry role or Lloyd role, but I know the four-game series at Wrigley is going to be more interesting than it looked to be 10 days ago.

The Cubs have bounced back to win the last two games of their home series with the Nats and St. Louis has a 5-game winning streak. It goes to show that bad teams can go on runs and play well-whether it’s against inferior opponents or someone a grade better.

As I’ve pointed out 2,318 times in the past 30 years, mini-surges often confuse front offices into believing their teams are better than they really are. Any Bears fan knows what I’m talking about. None of this is to suggest that teams like the Cubs and Cards shouldn’t rethink keeping or trading specific players.

The I55 rivalry is one of the better ones in the game and that both teams stink on toast doesn’t detract from it. And despite one friend’s claims, most fans don’t want to see the other team succeed. Both teams have the ability to spoil what little hope the other has for rising from the ashes. Yet, neither team benefits from a split.

Due to the wacky nature of the new balanced schedule neither team can afford to screw up the division games while they’re fighting for third place. This series evokes memories of Lynn McGlothen, Bill Bonham, Heity Cruz, Ken Reitz, and Andy Thornton. The biggest question; who is the worse manager, Vern Rapp or Ollie Marmol?