With the Chicago Cubs back in the postseason for the first time since 2003, they get set to take on the St. Louis Cardinals starting tomorrow night at Busch Stadium as the NLDS gets underway. 

With Game 1 just hours away, Chicago will send veteran left-hander Jon Lester to the bump against his former teammate, right-hander John Lackey, who the Cardinals have selected to start against a newly developed lineup who are ready to prove why October baseball should be back in the windy city.

The Cubs claimed the final spot in the playoffs last night with a 4-0 win over RHP Gerritt Cole and the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Wild Card game, backed by RHP Jake Arrieta who threw a complete game on four hits, becoming the first to do in a postseason game since Claude Passeau who threw a one-hitter against Detroit back in 1945. Arrieta's outing also included 11 strikeouts. 

In the final weeks of the 2015 regular season, it was ultimately a nail biter each and every day as the Cubs and Pirates stood close together upon the league's official standings chart, numbered second and third behind the eventual division clinching Cardinals. Not only did St. Louis win the NL Central, they captured home field advantage through the National League side of the draw with a record of 100-62. Chicago and Pittsburgh both won over 97 games but were forced into a one-game playoff in the Wild Card round.

Lester, 31, had a solid 2015 season in his first year in a Cubs uniform, posting a record of 11-12 with a 3.34 ERA. In 205 innings, the left-hander struck out 207 batters.

Lackey, 36, played his second year in a Cardinal uniform and had one of his best seasons of his career. The veteran right-hander finished with a 13-10 record and 2.77 ERA, while striking out 175 batters in 218 innings pitched.

As for Game 2, it will get going on TBS at 5:30 PM EST with 25-year-old RHP Kyle Kendricks going at it for the Cubs against 29-year-old Cardinals LHP Jaime Garcia.

Kendricks, 25, owns a 3.49 ERA for his career alongside a 2015 record of 8-7. He struck out 167 hitters over 180 innings pitched.

As for Garcia, 29, he owns a 3.31 ERA for his career, alongside a 2015 record of 10-6. Garcia is not a big strike out pitcher as he struck out 97 hitters over 129.2 innings pitched.

When Game 3 heads to Chicago, there will be a must-see pitching matchup as the Cardinals will hand the ball to Michael Wacha and the Cubs will send Jake Arrieta to the bump once again. Wacha, 24, has been a constant in the Cardinals rotation as he went 17-7 with a 3.38 ERA. Arrieta is coming off his aforementioned complete game shutout against the Pirates, and will have the Wrigley faithful fired up as he takes the mound.

With a quick look at the Cardinals side of things, they clinched the NL Central title on the 30th of September with an 11-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. St. Louis is back in the postseason for the third consecutive year, looking once again to bring a World Series trophy back to the city with their fans backed behind them every step of the way.

This could be a very tense series, yet a very entertaining one, as we see a completely rebuilt team under the management of new manager Joe Maddon go up against a club that has done more than enough to see themselves back in October under Cardinals manager Mike Matheny. Chicago looks to put an end to a terribly miserable drought full of misery, showing what every little bit of what they are made of, looking to kick start a new era full of nothing but promise.

Tomorrow's game will begin at 6:30 PM EST and will be televised on TBS.