numbers game

With a 3.17 ERA, 11 wins and 153 strikeouts in 156 innings this season, ex-Ole Miss standout Lance Lynn has good numbers. But the Chicago Cubs have had his number. The St. Louis Cardinals right-hander is 0-3 with a 7.53 ERA against the Cubs heading into today’s big game at Wrigley Field. Lynn was KO’d early by the Cubs 11 days ago, leaving in the third inning down 6-0. He must be aching to strike back. The Cubs’ Chris Coghlan, a fellow ex-Rebel, is 2-for-5 career against Lynn. Starlin Castro has a .351 average and five RBIs against Lynn, Anthony Rizzo a .296 with two homers and seven RBIs. Those could be key matchups, but the wild card at Wrigley is always the wind: Which way is it blowing? Cardinals-Cubs has a lot of history, but it’s special when they meet in September with both in playoff contention. St. Louis leads the Cubs by 7 games in the National League Central, with second-place Pittsburgh 5 games out. The division title isn’t settled yet. “Do we have it in us? I think we do,” Coghlan said in a recent ESPN article. … Mitch Moreland was just 3-for-16 in Texas’ four-game series against Houston, but the former Mississippi State star certainly did some damage. He hit two homers and drove in six runs as the Rangers swept the Astros and jumped 2½ games up in the American League West. Moreland’s three-run homer ignited the Rangers’ 8-2 win on Thursday night. He is batting .283 (career mark .259), with 21 homers (career-best 23) and 77 RBIs (career-best was 60). Yes, it’s a career year.