By Greg Halbleib

The Cubs welcome the Mets to Wrigley Field for a Monday night series opener. Right-hander Noah Syndegaard is on the mound for the Mets while the Cubs counter with lefty Jon Lester. The Cubs shut out the Reds on Sunday 9-0.

The White Sox open a set in New York tonight as lefty Carlos Rodon is on the hill for the South Siders against Yankees right-hander Masahiro Tanaka. The Sox finished their series in Detroit on Sunday with a 7-2 win.

The Cardinals take Monday off after routing the Rockies 12-3 on Sunday in Denver. Matt Carpenter tied a Major League record with four doubles. The Cards are home Tuesday night to begin a series with the Pirates.

The CornBelters have a rare two days off before resuming play with a Wednesday doubleheader in Florence, Kentucky. The Freedom are in second place in the Frontier League West, a half-game ahead of the CornBelters for the last playoff spot with six games remaining. The Belters conclude the series with a single game in suburban Cincinnati on Thursday before returning to the Corn Crib for the final three regular season games this weekend against the Evansville Otters, another team with post-season hopes currently a half-game behind the Belters.

In women’s soccer from Sunday, Illinois blasted Northern Illinois 8-0 while Illinois State and Tulsa played to a 1-1 draw.