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7:15 p.m.
RHP Miles Mikolas (3-5, 5.77) vs. Shota Imanaga?
MLB Network // BSM // KMOX // WIJR
Also BS Southeast and Southwest ExtraTaking a gander at the Wednesday night out-of-town scoreboard:
The Marlins down the Brewers 1-0 in Miami. Cards pick up 1.5 games on the Brewers.
The Padres win over the Reds 7-3 at Riverfront Stadium. Cards pick up 1.5 games on the Reds.
The Braves lead the Cubs 8-1 at Wrigley in the 8th. Cards about to pick up 1.5 games on the Cubs.
The Giants just scored with two outs in the top of the 9th at Three Rivers Stadium. Cards will pick up a half game or 1.5 games on the Pirates.
Time to hit the shower, grab a bite, moisten a couple of cigars, get Whitey Herdog’s treat for her, and then hit the couch for the Arizona and Los Angeles game from Doyer Stadium.
r/Esteemed Rat
Here’s a piece of hope for the Cubs series . . .
The Cardinals bats began to finally come alive on May 11 (despite losing that game, that’s the day I noticed a change). Since that date:
– The Cardinals are 3rd in baseball and tops in the NL in WRC+ at 131.
– The Cardinals are 3rd in position player WAR at a total of 3.0.
– The Cubs are 29th in WRC+ at 75.
– The Cubs are 29th in position player WAR at -.3.
– The Cubs are 29th in pitching WAR at .2 (although they did now move Hendricks out of the rotation, which was their main problem).
We have to hope Mikolas isn’t a rally killer here.
This is a great chance to rip off the 7-8 game winning streak we need
Looking at the batting averages and on base percentages it still feels like the Cards are doing this with smoke and mirrors but winning is winning
Yeah, coming in to the season, we were probably expecting at least 5 guys to have an OPS over .800 and nobody under .700.
Right now, we have one over .800, and he is on the IL. Half the team is under .700, including Arenado, Goldschmidt & Donovan.
Yeah, it’s really odd looking at the offensive numbers for this team and seeing Donovan as the team leader in RBI’s with 23 and Goldschmidt leading the team with 23 runs scored.
That’s a bit easier to explain.
Donovan has 214 PA’s this year, Gorman has 165.
Goldschmidt has 208 PA’s this year, Contreras has 128.
It seems our club is taking better at bats of late – staying back more and putting the ball in play – jumping on pitches in hitter’s counts, and on first pitches.
I am not sold that we have turned the corner and are suddenly “good”. I think it is probably just a good streak and we will resort back to our normal “win 7, lose 9” play soon.
But hopefully I am wronger than Wrongy Wrongington as a local sports talk show host used to say. This series is one you really want to get, although if Imanaga is going against Mikolas in game one, that is a big mismatch that favors the road club.
Looking forward to hearing Caray and Buck in the booth, and a lot of memories of their grandfather and father sprinkled in between the action.
The thing that concerns me about this series is that we only have one of our good starters going, which will be Gray on Sunday. With Mikolas and Libby going in games one and two the bats had better be hot for us to have a chance.
Yeah, the Cubs have won 8 of 9 of Imanga’s starts and the one game that they lost he didn’t allow an ER in 5 IP’ed against the Braves. All 9 of his turns in the rotation have been outstanding. Hopefully the law of averages will intercede and he’ll have a bad one against the Cardinals.
The thing that concerns me about this series is that we only have one of our good starters going, which will be Gray on Sunday. With Mikolas and Libby going in games one and two the bats had better be hot for us to have a chance.
So, that’s depressing. Based on pitching matchups, we likely only have one chance to win a game in the series. But that is the game that Marmol goes with his Sunday Special lineup.
Taking a gander at the THURSDAY out-of-town scoreboard:
The Reds fall to the Padres. 6-4 San Diego in 10 innings at Crosley Field.
The Pirates blow a 6-2 lead and lose to the Giants. 7-6 San Francisco the final at Forbes Field.
The Braves come away with a 3-0 win at Wrigley.
Milwaukee is idle tonight.
r/Esteemed Rat
So, that’s depressing. Based on pitching matchups, we likely only have one chance to win a game in the series. But that is the game that Marmol goes with his Sunday Special lineup.
Relax LA. It’s a marathon so there’s always next week, and we don’t want the guys getting fatigued like happened to Gray.
Mikolas is coming off a season high game score of 62. We have won his last two starts. His May (4 GS) has been better than his first 6 GS. He hasn’t allowed multi-HR’s in his last 5 starts.
Tough road trip for the Cubs. Lets wreck another one.
I sincerely doubt we use the substitute lineup with Gray on the mound.
They’ve been running it out there all season.
What reasons are there to think a win this Sunday is seen as more important than a win any other Sunday? What reasons are there to think resting guys this Sunday is seen as less important than resting guys any other Sunday? HAL will not factor in non-existing things like momentum and rivalries and psychology.
I looked back. Last Sunday was the all in white flag day with Libby on the mound. The 3 Sundays before that were 1 reinforcement in the form of Crawford or Fermin playing. I’m thinking we see the latter. But I’d rather we see that Saturday night and try to maximize our chances with Gray (or that we don’t see it at all because this is the Cubs and some wins are just worth more than others).
We need to be going all in for this series. If we were to sweep the Cubs we would actually be tied in the standings with them. Not likely to happen but would be very sweet indeed.
Gscottar, I agree about the positives of sweeping this series, but I haven’t seen anything from the org to suggest a pull out the stops hunger to win in the moment. I think they will proceed just as they have. Besides, Sunday is about dressing up in the funny uniforms.
No matter what happens, it should be fun to see the rookie Cubs pitcher, “Shogun” take a turn in StL. Sporting that 5-0 record along with the microscopic 0.84 ERA, he reminds me a little of “Fernandomania” which I’m sure many of you recall. When he emerged on the scene with the Dodgers, he was all the rage for a while and sold a lot of tickets both in LA and on the road when he was slated to pitch. He’d look skyward during that delivery of his and then offer up a scroogie that most times made Big League hitters look foolish.
And the Weather Channel shows a chance of rain in St. Louis tonight.
Anybody got any info regarding meteorological conditions for tonight in downtown St. Louis?
Oh, and today is NOT a CCFF. CCFF as in Cardinal Catfish Fiddler Friday. Rained yesterday and I couldn’t mow so I have to mow today. Always got to have the yard mowed for Memorial Day weekend and the Indianapolis 500.
r/Esteemed Rat
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