The Battle for the Central at the Deadline: Cubs at Cardinals, July 30-August 1, 2019

Well isn’t this a big series?

MLB is knocking at the door of the (only) trade deadline as the Cubs and Cardinals get set to square off in St. Louis with the division up for grabs. And as if that weren’t enough, the Brewers are just 1.0 game out of first with a weekend series against the Cubs coming up.

If the worst case scenario happens, this is what the top of the NL Central standings could look like for the start of the Brewers series:

Worst-Case Scenario:

  1. Cardinals: 59-49
  2. Brewers: 59-51 (1.0 GB)
  3. Cubs: 56-52 (3.0 GB)

I don’t know why I did that. I think I thought it was going to make me feel better. It … did not. Maybe the best-case scenario will do the trick.

Best-Case Scenario: 

  1. Cubs: 59-49
  2. Cardinals: 56-52 (3.0 GB)
  3. Brewers: 56-54 (4.0 GB)

Ah … can’t you just imagine how relaxed your life would be if the Cubs and A’s swept the Cardinals and Brewers heading into this weekend? I never read “The Secret,” but maybe it’s time. Go Cubs.

Wow. I made it through that entire intro without saying St. Louis Is Boring. Oops.

We’re Going Streaking

The Chicago Cubs (56-49) probably could have swept that series in Milwaukee, twice carrying (ultimately blown) late leads, but it wasn’t to be. Now, they are exactly tied for first in the NL Central with the Cardinals with the Brewers just 1.0 game back.

The St. Louis Cardinals (56-49) have won 7 of their past 10 games and are 12-5 in the second half of the season. They did, however, just drop two of three to the Astros (and were nearly swept). Maybe this princess is turning back into a pumpkin or … how does that go?

Game Times and Broadcasts Info

  • Tuesday, July 30th at 7:15 CT on NBCSCH, MLBN, 670 The Score
  • Wednesday, July 31st at 7:15 CT on WGN, ESPN, 670 The Score
  • Thursday, August 1st at 6:15 CT on NBCSCH, MLBN, 670 The Score
  • Pitching Matchups

    Game 1: Yu Darvish (R) v. Adam Wainwright (R)
    Game 2: Kyle Hendricks (R) v. Miles Mikolas (R)
    Game 3: Jon Lester (L) v. Jack Flaherty (R)

    Chicago Cubs

  • C – Willson Contreras
  • 1B – Anthony Rizzo
  • 2B – Robel Garcia(?)
  • 3B – Kris Bryant
  • SS – Javy Baez
  • LF – Kyle Schwarber
  • CF – Ian Happ(?)
  • RF – Jason Heyward
  • Bench: Albert Almora Jr., David Bote, Victor Caratini, Martin Maldonado
    Unavailable: Xavier Cedeno, Daniel Descalso, Cole Hamels, Brandon Morrow, Allen Webster, Ben Zobrist

    St. Louis Cardinals

  • C – Matt Carpenter
  • 1B – Paul Goldschmidt
  • 2B – Kolten Wong
  • 3B – Tommy Edman
  • SS – Paul DeJong
  • LF – Tyler O’Neill
  • CF – Dexter Fowler
  • RF – Jose Martinez
  • Unavailable: Matt Carpenter, Jedd Gyorko, Yadier Molina, Brett Cecil, Jordan Hicks

    Keep An Eye Out For …

    Cubs Pitcher: Yu Darvish hasn’t been great this season, but he has given the bullpen some legitimate rest.

    So you can just about pencil him in for an inning and two-third tonight.

    Cubs Player: Anthony Rizzo has been scorching hot since the All-Star break, with a .352/.429/.556 (157 wRC+) slash line. Let’s hope he keeps that going this weekend in St. Louis.

    Cardinals Pitcher: Jack Flaherty will face the Cubs on Sunday and he has been HOT in the second-half of the season: 3 starts, 17.1 IP, 3ER, 12H, 6BB, 24Ks. That’s a 1.56 ERA, 2.42 FIP.

    Cardinals Player: Paul Goldschmidt has a seven-game hitting streak brewing and, until yesterday, a six-game homer-streak. Yeah. His season-numbers aren’t too impressive, but he’s been as hot as it gets here lately. Avoid him.

    written by

    Michael Cerami began covering the Chicago Cubs for Bleacher Nation as a part-time contributor in 2015. One year later, he joined Bleacher Nation full-time, covering the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball. Today, Michael runs Bleacher Nation, contributing as a writer (Cubs, MLB) and an editor for all sections of the site, including the Chicago Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks, as well as MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL. In 2019, Michael was the co-host of NBC Sports Chicago's Cubs Post-Game Show Outside the Ivy. You can find him on Twitter/X @Michael_Cerami

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