Veteran hurlers collide in Cubs-Cards opener
Neither the Cubs nor the Cardinals are playing their finest baseball, but that does little to dampen the excitement surrounding tonight’s series opener in the Gateway City.
The two National League Central rivals square off at 8:15 p.m. ET, presenting a tough call for oddsmakers. Online sports book BetDSI favor the visitors by a tad, whereas Mike Matheny’s squad enters as a +104 underdog. The over/under figure rests at 7.5 runs.
St. Louis’ respectable status clearly correlates with growing confidence in Adam Wainwright (4-3, 5.92 ERA). Following a horrendous beginning to the season, the longtime ace has recently made great strides. He just limited Colorado to six hits across 6 2/3 shutout innings last week. Think about Wainwright’s recent track record vs. Chicago, too, and expectations rise even more. The Cubs (29-11) haven’t scored off the righty in 20 frames, encompassing three starts.
Joe Maddon’s choice of hurler this evening inspires a lot of confidence, too. Ex-Redbird John Lackey (4-2, 3.31) returned to Busch Stadium in the initial contest of the previous set between the nemeses and promptly rocked the scene, yielding a mere four base knocks in a 5-0 shutout. He also fanned 11 in one of the campaign’s most memorable pitching performances so far.
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Lackey’s clearly locking it in right now, as evidenced by that 1.86 ERA since May 1. The same, however, cannot be said for the Cubbies’ offense. Kris Bryant and the rest of the crew got blanked by Madison Bumgarner’s Giants yesterday, and Jason Heyward’s rib injury now forces reserve Matt Sczur to see extended action in right field. We’re not insinuating that Chicago is suddenly vulnerable, but the Cards (23-21) need to strike in such a spot. That seven-game deficit in the standings doesn’t disappear overnight.
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