NEWSLETTER
Beggars can’t be choosers, but I wish we could. If it were up to me, the Cubs would have gotten a chance to clinch the division on their own terms (i.e. an active clinch with their own on-field victory), but after the Tigers lost late last night, that opportunity was taken away by the Brewers.
Now, the best the Cubs can hope for is winning their game this afternoon, watching the Brewers lose tonight, and coasting through a game #162 tomorrow with nothing on the line. You know what? When I put it that way, it doesn’t sound too bad. In fact, watching the Brewers lose the division as Ryan Braun swings through the final strike of his at-bat in the 9th might be just as sweet. That’s my new favorite.
It’ll be a tough afternoon though, because despite the presence of Cole Hamels, Miles Mikolas has been terrific for the Cardinals all season (2.94 ERA, 50.3 GB%). He doesn’t strike many batters out (18.0%), but he doesn’t walk ANYBODY either (3.7%) and he’s coming off a stellar start against the Giants, wherein he lasted 7.0 innings of one-run ball with 8Ks and 0 walks.
The last time he faced the Cubs (7/28), he went 6.0 innings allowing just 2 earned runs. The time before that, he shut the Cubs out for 7.0 innings. So hopefully they’ve learned a thing or two, because today is pretty darn close to a must-win.
Game Info
Chicago Cubs (94-66) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (87-73) – Saturday, September 29th at 12:05 CT on FOX, 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: Cole Hamels (L):Â 3.87 ERA, 4.56 FIP; 2.86 K/BB
versus
Cardinals: Miles Mikolas (R):Â 2.94 ERA, 3.34 FIP; 4.83 K/BB
St. Louis Cardinals Lineup:
- Matt Carpenter, 1B
- Jose Martinez, RF
- Paul DeJong, SS
- Marcell Ozuna, LF
- Jedd Gyorko, 3B
- Yadier Molina, C
- Harrison Bader, CF
- Yairo Munoz, 2B
- Miles Mikolas, P
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Daniel Murphy, 2B
- Ben Zobrist, RF
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Javy Baez, SS
- Jason Heyward, CF
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Ian Happ, LF
- Victor Caratini, C
- Cole Hamels, P
