I leave for one weekend and the Cubs have already lost two against the Cardinals? Come on, guys. Hopefully, now that I’m home, they can salvage the weekend with a win tonight.
It’s Jon Lester getting the ball in today’s finale, and I’m particularly interested to see how he does. Lester has allowed just a combined three earned runs over his past three starts and just seven in his past five, but has walked ten guys during that stretch, while dealing with, at times, depressed velocity. Frankly, at this point in the season, I’d take a sharp-looking Lester with command and every ounce of his regular velocity over a perfect start. The rotation might not be leaning on him like they used to, but he still means a great deal to their chances this season.
Against Lester and the Cubs, the Cardinals are sending the righty, Michael Wacha. The results for Wacha have been pretty good this season, though his strikeout rate has fallen and his walk rate has climbed considerably compared to his career. Hopefully, that holds up tonight and the Cubs get back on track.
Game Info
Chicago Cubs (16-14) at St. Louis Cardinals (19-12) – 7:15 CT on ESPN, 670 The Score
Game Thread and Series Preview
Your game thread is down in the comments, so let’s have some good, clean (safe-for-work) fun today.
Starting Pitchers
Cubs: Jon Lester (L): 2.73 ERA, 4.55 FIP; 4.65 K/BB
versus
Cardinals: Michael Wacha (R):Â 3.27 ERA, 3.76 FIP; 3.18 K/BB
St. Louis Cardinals Lineup:
- Harrison Bader, CF
- Dexter Fowler, RF
- Jose Martinez, 1B
- Marcell Ozuna, LF
- Jedd Gyorko, 3B
- Paul DeJong, SS
- Kolten Wong, 2B
- Francisco Pena, C
- Michael Wacha, P
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Willson Contreras, C
- Kyle Schwarber, LF
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Addison Russell, SS
- Ian Happ, CF
- Javier Baez, 2B
- Jason Heyward, RF
- Jon Lester, P