The St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs are playing this weekend across the pond (Atlantic Ocean for those not geographically inclined, marking another historic moment in this legendary rivalry.
The two teams have met more than 2,400 times on the baseball diamond, yet on Saturday June 24th, they will face off for one of the first times in a place other than St. Louis or the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. London Stadium, a multi-purpose outdoor facility at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the Stratford district of London, England is the site for this historic moment.
Coming into this series, the Cardinals and Cubs are currently trending in opposite directions. The Cubs are 8-2 in their last 10 and just 3.5 games back of the division leading Cincinnati Reds. With St. Louis 13 games below .500 and uncharacteristically last in the National League Central Division, this might be the historic moment the Cardinals need to jumpstart their season.
Over the past few seasons, Cardinals’ fans have become used to their favorites getting off to a slow start but 2023 has been egregiously languid. Over time, the Cardinals have spent time at the bottom of the standings but have never finished the season in last place since 1918. In fact, it has been 24 years since a St. Louis squad finished under .500 for the season.
Maybe the change in time zone will do them some good or maybe they just need bangers and mash to get them moving up the standings. This series has all the makings of a monumental moment for both teams because as the old cliché goes throw the records out the window when this rivalry gets between the lines.
Pitching is where the Cardinals have fallen off the proverbial cliff. They rank 22nd overall in the majors in large part because of just 20 quality starts (six innings or more with no more than three runs allowed) all season. Only six teams are teams are worse than St. Louis in that category. The Cubs come in hitting .247 as a team. St. Louis starters Adam Wainwright and Jack Flaherty are going to have to attack them. They are going to have to pitch better than their 5.56 and 4.95 ERA say they are. They can ill afford to let Chicago impose its will at the plate.
Offensively may be where the Cardinals find the silver lining in this series and a season adjusting turnaround. The St. Louis side has more doubles and more home runs 74 games into the season then their Chicago counterparts. Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman are going to have to come out swinging the sticks against a Cubs staff that boasts 34 quality starts, fifth best in the major leagues. Chicago starters Justin Steele and Marcus Stroman, both with sub-3 ERAs, are expected to start in the series. Steele is 3-2 in his last seven starts with a 3.93 ERA. He could be the key to how well the Cardinals do because Stroman has been almost unhittable with a perfect 7-0 in his last seven starts and a minuscule 1.29 ERA.
Finally, if there is a moment for former Cubs catcher Wilson Contreras to win over fans both in St. Louis and abroad, this would be the time. Over his last five games, the Cardinals backstop is hitting an even .300 with three extra base hits and four RBI.
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