AP Sports Preview: Cubs at Cardinals ST. LOUIS (Interstat) — The Chicago Cubs look to continue their dominance of the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday afternoon at Busch Stadium III, where the National League Central rivals meet for the final game of a four-game series. First pitch is set for 1:15 p.m. under clear skies and a temperature of 86 degrees. The Cubs (61-46) have won two straight in the series, including a 10-2 rout Tuesday and a 7-3 victory Monday. Chicago has taken three of the last four meetings overall, improving to 5-4 in the season series. The Cardinals (53-54) have dropped four of their last five games and are trying to avoid a sweep on their home field. Right-hander Colin Rea is scheduled to start for Chicago. Rea (8-5, 3.67 ERA) earned the win in Tuesday’s contest, allowing one run on four hits over six innings with two strikeouts. He has posted a 3.00 ERA over his last three starts, though he suffered losses in his previous two outings against Detroit and Minnesota. Rea owns a 1.42 ERA in two starts against St. Louis this season. For St. Louis, right-hander Gordon Graceffo (2-6, 4.02 ERA) will work in a bullpen role after primarily serving as a reliever. Graceffo took the loss Tuesday, surrendering one run on one hit in 2 1/3 innings. He has allowed at least one earned run in three of his last four appearances, but has struck out 10 over 8 1/3 innings in July. Graceffo has not recorded a win since July 25. The Cubs offense has been productive in the series, scoring 17 runs over the first two games. Ian Happ drove in two runs Tuesday, and Seiya Suzuki added three hits and two RBIs. The Cardinals have managed only five runs in the last three games combined. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-2 victory for the Cubs, who are listed as a -1.5 run favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Chicago opens a homestand Friday against the New York Yankees. St. Louis begins a road trip Friday at Toronto. The game marks the final regular-season meeting between the clubs in St. Louis until 2027.