At Chicago, Justin Germano hopes a strong finish can earn him the chance to pitch for the Cubs next season.

“I know the opportunity [for 2013] is there but I’ve got to worry about what I’m doing now,” Germano said after the Cubs 6-3 loss to the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. “I’ve had a couple starts where things didn’t really go my way and I got into a rough patch.”

Kyle Lohse and the short-handed St. Louis Cardinals won for the sixth time in seven games, holding their lead in the NL wild-card race with a 6-3 win Sunday over the Cubs.