While the odds favor NY and San Francisco, both of whom have easier schedules, St. Louis is getting some key reinforcements for the final three weeks.
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Hendricks (15-7) is the major league ERA leader at 2.03. He gave up two runs and three hits, including Fowler’s seventh leadoff homer of the season. The Giants, Marlins and Rangers have also had no-hit bids broken up in the ninth inning this season. “They’ve got professional hitters”.
The St. Louis Cardinals have ensured they won’t watch their arch-rivals celebrate clinching a division title on their own field, but they’re more concerned about keeping pace in the National League wild-card race.
Joe Maddon hadn’t heard from Major League Baseball’s NY headquarters by the time he met with reporters before Tuesday night’s rivalry game at Busch Stadium. “The way we’re losing games is not right”. And they won’t come close to last season’s franchise-record mark of 1,518 strikeouts last season, as they have whiffed 1,199 times with 18 games left.
The Cardinals relief corps was needed as the Cubs pounced on Jaime Garcia for two runs early.
Bottom Play (WPA): When a Cardinal hits the go-ahead home run in the 6th inning, odds are that will be the bottom play by WPA and this game was no different. Besides his 1-for-12 showing against Garcia over the past five years, he’s 2-for-14 against Adam Wainwright. Yasiel Puig and Justin Turner homered for the Dodgers. Now that we’re pounding out our 21st century game stories on all manner of portable devices, there is a decent chance the bitter foes will clash again in the National League Division Series. Souza spoke with Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin before leaving the field. Chicago has a second consecutive 90-plus win season, the first time the Cubs accomplished the feat since an eight-season run from 1904-11.
Kansas City remained four games out of the second AL wild-card spot.
In Houston, Rougned Odor had three hits and three RBIs, including a solo homer in the 12th inning.
Odor launched his 31st homer off James Hoyt (1-1) in the 12th.
The Cardinals are 75-68 and 32-40 at home.
Elsewhere, Detroit topped Minnesota 4-2, San Diego shut out San Francisco 4-0, Seattle defeated the Los Angeles Angels 8-1, Philadelphia beat Pittsburgh 6-2, Arizona edged Colorado 12-9, Atlanta defeated Miami 12-7 and Cincinnati blanked Milwaukee 3-0.
Last season, when the Chicago Cubs met the St. Louis Cardinals for the first time ever in the postseason, it was perhaps the high point of a rivalry that began April 12, 1892, the same day the portable typewriter was patented. After Hendricks lost his no-no to start the ninth inning, catcher Miguel Montero immediately went to the mound to talk to his pitcher.
The tour came to a close August 1 in Phoenix as the Arizona Diamondbacks hosted the Washington Nationals.
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In upping its record to 76-68 and staying within a half-game of the New York Mets, a 4-3 victor in Washington, for the National League’s second wild-card spot, St. Louis tightroped through the Chicago lineup as Reyes made a series of clutch pitches.
