NEWSLETTER
I can’t say I’m upset that it’s taken until the end of May to finally get a series against the Cardinals given the way the Cubs were playing early on. But I am excited it’s finally here. The Cubs are far from perfect (or even fully healthy) at the moment, but they have settled in and I feel like they’re in a good place to take on the NL Central leaders.
Speaking of which, the Cardinals have a 3.0 game lead on the Cubs with three games set up for the weekend. But don’t let yourself start dreaming about a first-place tie by the time you go to bed on Sunday night. Let’s just shoot for 2 out of 3 and enough health to enjoy the off day on Monday? (Brett: SPEAK FOR YOURSELF, MICHAEL. SWEEP ON THE WAY!)
After that, it’s the Pirates and the Reds before a very tough slate against those West Coast teams (9 straight game against the Padres and Giants, plus another 3 against the Cardinals).
It may still feel early in the season, but the way the Cubs perform over these next three weeks might define the next three months. And it all starts tonight.
We’re Going Streaking
The Chicago Cubs (22-21) won only 11 games in all of April, but are already 11-6 in May after just 20 days. They’ve made up some ground in the division, and are now in sole possession of second place, 3.0 games behind the Cardinals. The St. Louis Cardinals (25-18) are an equal 11-6 in May and are in first place … for now.
Game Times and Broadcasts Info
• Friday, May 21st at 7:15 CT on MARQ, 670 The Score
• Saturday, May 22nd at 6:15 CT on FOX, 670 The Score
• Sunday, May 23rd at 6:08 CT on ESPN, 670 The Score
Pitching Matchups
Game 1: Kyle Hendricks (R) vs. Carlos Martinez (R)
Game 2: Adbert Alzolay (R) vs. Miles Mikolas (R)
Game 3: Zach Davies (R) vs. Adam Wainwright (R)
Chicago Cubs
• C – Willson Contreras
• 1B – Anthony Rizzo
• 2B – Nico Hoerner
• 3B – Matt Duffy
• SS – Javy Baez
• LF – Joc Pederson
• CF – Ian Happ
• RF – Kris Bryant
Unavailable: Trevor Megill, Shelby Miller, Rowan Wick, Austin Romine, Jake Marisnick, Alec Mills, Jason Heyward, Justin Steele(?)
Washington Nationals
• C – Yadier Molina
• 1B – Paul Goldschmidt
• 2B – Tommy Edman
• 3B – Nolan Arenado
• SS – Edmundo Sosa
• LF – Justin Williams
• CF – Harrison Bader
• RF – Dylan Carson
Unavailable: Andrew Miller, Paul DeJong, Tyler O’Neill
By the Numbers:
Run Differential:
Cubs: +7 (13th)
Cardinals: +20 (9th)
Runs Scored Per Game:
Cubs: 4.60 (9th)
Cardinals: 4.49 (12th)
Runs Allowed Per Game:
Cubs: 4.44 (17th)
Cardinals: 4.02 (11th)
Keep An Eye Out For …
Miles Mikolas is scheduled to make his first start since 2019 tomorrow night at Busch Stadium. He’s pretty much owned the Cubs over 8 games from 2018-2019 (1.61 ERA), but he’s got a whole lot of dust to shake off. Hopefully, the Cubs are ready to pounce.
Time for the defense to shine. The Cardinals have the 5th lowest strikeout rate in MLB this season, and they don’t really walk much. So you should expect a lot of balls in play, which means the Cubs defense needs to be on top of their game (something they have not been for most of the season). This all goes double with Kyle Hendricks and Zach Davies scheduled to pitch.
Hot Cardinals. Nolan Arenado has been red hot over the last two weeks, slashing .378/.417/.800 (227 wRC+). Tyler O’Neill (139 wRC+) has bee their second best hitter lately, but he’s on the injured list. Lucky break for the Cubs. Somehow, Yadier Molina is slashing .297/.324/.554 overall (138 wRC+), and he’s got a five game hitting streak going.
Hot Cubs. Ian Happ is slashing .348/.375/.957 (253 wRC+) over his last two weeks, but Joc Pederson (163 wRC+), Anthony Rizzo (151 wRC+), Willson Contreras (145 wRC+), Kris Bryant (145 wRC+), and Javy Baez (115 wRC+) have all been solidly above-average, as well.
