Ugh. Did Kyle Schwarber’s would-have-been-game-tying two-out fly ball to center field really have to come so close? Why you gotta tease us?
The Cardinals (and the Cubs’ continued inability to come through with runners on base) put a damper on Ian Happ’s debut, and the Cubs dropped game two of this weekend set in St. Louis.
Jon Lester was solid again today, though some just-barely-missed calls early in the game cost him enough pitches that he couldn’t make it through six innings. Of the three runs he gave up, unfortunately two of them were aided by the Cardinals’ ability to be aggressive on the bases against him (including a stolen base by Yadi Molina, age 34, who has averaged 2 stolen bases a year for the last five years).
As for the other two runs the Cardinals scored, you almost don’t need to ask when it happens against the Cubs’ bullpen in Busch Stadium – it was probably Pedro Strop. God love him, the guy just gives up runs in St. Louis (now up to 13 runs in 18 games). I don’t know what it is, but it’s probably time to really curtail his usage there.
The story of the day – other than the loss – was Ian Happ’s debut, complete with a homer and a controversial slide rule call at second base that cost the Cubs a run. It was a good one, all in all, and it remains to be seen how long his sojourn in the big leagues will last.
Get ’em tomorrow. A series win in St. Louis would be a very good thing.