Cards hope to shake out of malaise vs. Cubs
The Cardinals didn’t think their home woes could get much worse. Then last night happened.
Helpless to stop the sensational Kyle Hendricks, St. Louis suffered a 4-1 defeat to Chicago. The sinker specialist didn’t allow a hit until Jeremy Hazelbaker’s solo blast in the ninth. Aroldis Chapman proceeded to slam the door, however, earning his 14th save in 16 opportunities with the Cubs.
Mike Matheny’s squad will try to avoid falling further behind in the National League wild-card race this evening, with an 8:15 p.m. ET first pitch at Busch Stadium III. Oddsmakers at online sports book Bovada.lv prefer the visitors, though, whereas the Redbirds represent -105 underdogs. The over/under run figure sits at 8.5.
If the hosts are to have any hope of performing a quick about-face, Jaime Garcia (10-12, 4.58 ERA) must step up in a major way. The lefty is 1-4 with a 1.56 WHIP in his past five starts. On June 20, the Cubbies reached him for two runs in six-plus innings.
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Meanwhile, Joe Maddon turns to veteran righty Jason Hammel (14-8, 3.50). The 34-year-old struggled in his last appearance, surrendering 13 base knocks and nine runs to the fourth-place Brewers. Yet Hammel’s recent track record vs. the Cards suggests a bounce-back outing shortly. He boasts a 2-1 mark with a 2.84 ERA in three meetings with Chicago’s archrivals this season.
St. Louis has consistently underachieved at Busch III throughout 2016. Why would the middle match of a critical September series be any different? Look for Kris Bryant (.298/.393/.569), Anthony Rizzo (.291/.388/.546) and the rest of the North Siders to extend Garcia’s misery.
TUESDAY MLB FREE PICK: CUBS/CARDINALS OVER 8.5 RUNS