The Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals renew their rivalry

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The Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals renew their rivalry

The Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals have one of the fiercest rivalries in all of baseball and it heats up again this week.

Ryan Theriot was one of the Chicago Cubs’ more popular players during his five-plus seasons with the team, but he might not get a warm reception in his return to Wrigley Field.

The St. Louis Cardinals shortstop’s critical comments about his former club during the offseason has added some spice to the fervent rivalry, which resumes with a three-game series that begins Tuesday night.

With his consistent hitting and hustle, Theriot was a beloved member of a pair of NL Central-winning teams and Cubs fans were often seen sporting T-shirts with his nickname, “The Riot.”

Some of those shirts might have ended up in the trash after he told a St. Louis radio station in December that he was now “finally on the right side” of the rivalry and questioned his former team’s commitment to winning a long-awaited World Series title.

In response, Chicago’s Carlos Zambrano said Theriot was now “the enemy” during the team’s annual convention the following month.

Coincidentally, Zambrano (4-1, 4.23 ERA) is scheduled to start Tuesday, but manager Mike Quade said he expects Theriot’s words to have little bearing on the series.

If the sometimes-volatile Zambrano can keep his cool, he’ll likely have a better chance to win a season-high third consecutive start and third straight outing against the Cardinals (20-15). The right-hander, who has posted a 1.93 ERA in his latest two outings, has gone 11-1 with a 2.47 ERA in his last 15 starts. He is 10-2 with a 3.79 ERA in his last 16 starts versus St. Louis, with the Cubs going 14-2 in those games.

The Cubs were 9-6 against the Cardinals last season, but 4-5 at Wrigley.

The Cubs strike first as they get revenge in game one.

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