NEWSLETTER
You know all the caveats by now, given that the St. Louis Cardinals COVID-19 outbreak has produced positive tests stretched out over a sufficient time period that they’ve now missed more than two weeks of action. In fact, it was just one week ago that the Cardinals were supposed to resume play against the Cubs in St. Louis when a new batch of positives shut them right back down.
So, here we are again, with the Cardinals supposed to resume play this weekend, this time against the White Sox. From there, the Cardinals would head to Wrigley Field to play the Cubs in what was previously scheduled as a three-game set. But now it’s to be five games in three days:
Like Cardinals prez Mozeliak told Post-Dispatch, Cubs also anticipating as they await official word from league that upcoming three-game series at Wrigley will become a five-gamer with doubleheaders Monday and Wednesday.
— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubCub) August 14, 2020
Mozeliak says this will be finalized Friday, from #MLB. This is what they're expecting. Lots and lots of baseball. https://t.co/cC4pTnhOPl
— Derrick S. Goold (@dgoold) August 14, 2020
That’s a brutal stretch for the Cardinals, of course, but that’s to be expected if you want to max out games in the remaining time. I do have sympathy for the Cardinals, but it’s also kind of like, well, the outbreak happened, and this is the outcome. I would feel the same if it were the Cubs: this sucks, but deal with it.
On the flip side, though, the Cubs didn’t have an outbreak, and now they’re going to have to play five games in three days, which is not going to be fun. Yes, the doubleheaders being reduced to seven innings will help (instead of 27 scheduled innings in the series, there will now be 37), and yes having an off-day after the series will help, but you’re talking about a situation where your best reliever – for one example – might wind up available to pitch in only ONE of FIVE games, depending on how the games play out. Having a “29th man” available for those days isn’t exactly going to make a huge production difference.
Moreover, you’re talking about having to coordinate your rotation – with no real advance warning – to cover five games in three days.
And on that point, this really sucks for the Cubs, who’ve had the best starting group in all of baseball this year. So now, now, unless someone is going to pitch on short rest (highly unlikely), you get to start only three of your starting pitchers in a five-game stretch. Normally, obviously, they’d get their main guys in all five of those games. If the rotation holds, the Cubs will have Kyle Hendricks, Yu Darvish, and Tyler Chatwood making the normal starts in that series (Darvish in the 9-inning game), with the need for either a bullpen game in the other (how could you possibly do that TWICE in a three-day stretch, while playing FIVE games?), or TWO DIFFERENT fill-in starters. Woof, man. Just woof.
I wonder if the Cubs will try to have Jose Quintana available and ready to make one of those starts. He made his simulated start on Tuesday, which would mean his next would track to Sunday, which would mean he doesn’t line up for that series. So if he proceeds on that schedule, you’ll know the Cubs aren’t planning to have him back at that point. If, however, Quintana throws something less than another full sim game this weekend, you might suspect he’s being reserved to start in one of the doubleheaders.
Otherwise, the Cubs could let Colin Rea go like three innings as a “start,” or could call up a guy like Adbert Alzolay, Jharel Cotton, or Tyson Miller to take a start. Personally, I’m kinda hoping this series turns into an excuse to let Alzolay come up and pitch a few innings, because what the heck. I want to see how he’s looking right now.
So, yeah, next week could be ridiculous for the Cubs.
If the Cardinals can play at all, that is. Stay tuned.
