By Chris Brown / STL Baseball Today | @cbrown_STLBBT | Oct. 12, 2015, 2:00 pm CT

Image via the St. Louis Cardinals on Twitter

Hoping for Michael Wacha to return to his early season form as they look to rebound from a Game 2 loss, the Cardinals will have their hands full against NL Cy Young Candidate Jake Arrieta as Game 3 of the National League Division Series kicks off at Wrigley Field Monday evening just after 5 pm CT.

Manager Mike Matheny is going with the same lineup he used in Game 1 of the series, with one major difference: Tommy Pham, who homered in his first postseason at-bat as a pinch hitter in series opener, will draw the start in center field and bat sixth. With the move,  Jason Heyward will shift over to start in right field, bumping Randal Grichuk out of the lineup.

Starting Lineups:

Cardinals – Matt Carpenter 3B, Stephen Piscotty 1B, Matt Holliday LF, Jason Heyward RF, Jhonny Peralta SS, Tommy Pham CF, Yadier Molina C, Kolten Wong 2B, Michael Wacha SP

Cubs –  Dexter Fowler CF, Jorge Soler RF, Kris Bryant 3B, Anthony Rizzo 1B, Starlin Castro 2B, Kyle Schwarber LF, Addison Russell SS, Miguel Montero C, Jake Arrieta SP

Pitching Matchup:

Coming off a complete game shut of the Pirates in the NL Wild Card Game, Arrieta will look to lead the Cubs to their 14th consecutive victory when he gets the ball. In his last 13 starts, the Cubs’ ace has been nothing short of stellar, allowing just four earned runs while striking out 100 over 97 1/3 innings. The 29-year-old’s 0.41 ERA over the final two months of the regular season was the lowest by any pitcher since ERA became a measured statistic back in 1912.

The Cardinals will counter with Michael Wacha, who’s looking to right the ship following a shaky second half. After posting a 2.93 ERA while collecting ten wins prior to the All-Star break, the 24-year-old slumped down the stretch, pitching to a less-inspiring 4.01 ERA in his final 13 starts.

Prior to the redbirds’ trip to Chicago for games 3 and 4 of the series, manager Mike Matheny expressed his confidence in the young right-hander.

“We’ve seen him. We know that he’s been good on this stage before, so that’s not one of those uncertainties,” Matheny said. “He’s proved it to himself and now we just go watch him compete against a very good team.”

Read more on matchup: Cards set to face Arrieta as Game 3 moves to Wrigley; Game 4 SP TBD

Game Details:

NLDS Game 3: St. Louis Cardinals @ Chicago Cubs

First Pitch: 5:07 pm CT

Broadcast: TBS, KMOX/Cardinals Radio Network, ESPN Radio

Pitching Matchup: Michael Wacha (17-7, 3.38 ERA) vs. Jake Arrieta (22-6, 1.77 ERA)

STL Basball Today NLDS Coverage:

• Early Game 3 Preview: Cards set to face Arrieta as Game 3 moves to Wrigley; Game 4 SP TBD

• The Story Continues: Wainwright shines in first playoff relief appearance since 2006

• Rough Outing: Despite illness, Garcia says there’s “no excuse” for poor Game 2 performance

• Game 2 Recap: Cubs put squeeze on Cardinals, even series with 6-3 victory

• Game 2 Video Recap: Cards fall to Cubs 6-3 in NLDS Game 2

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NEWS – Game 4 Starters:

2:37 PM — As Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports, the Cubs have announced that veteran right-hander Jason Hammel will get the ball to start Game 4 of the NLDS, as expected. Hammel, 33, posted a 10-7 record with a 3.74 ERA during the regular season.

Meanwhile, at his pregame press conference, Mike Matheny declined to name the Cardinals’ Game 4 starter:

Matheny doesn't name Game 4 starter: "We are going after tonight's game with just about everything we have" #12inSTL pic.twitter.com/c7Ey9ta6JO

— FOX Sports Midwest (@FSMidwest) October 12, 2015

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Series Reset (all times central):

*if necessary

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