Chicago defeated St. Louis 7-0.
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“It’ll be fun”, Anthony Rizzo said before leaving St. Louis on Wednesday.
By the time the teams meet next, eight days from now, the Cubs, barring a miracle, will have gotten their celebration out of the way and could be in hangover mode, resting starters and lining up their pitching for the postseason.
Moss bounced out of a three-week skid with a tiebreaking home run and Aledmys Diaz connected in his return to the starting lineup, leading the Cardinals to a 4-2 win over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night.
The Cubs improved their MLB-best record to 93-52 and their magic number is one to clinch their first National League Central title since 2008.
The talk of the city is the Cubs’ opportunity to clinch the NL Central on Thursday night when they host the Brewers.
“The fastball command wasn’t there”, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.
St. Louis remained a half-game behind the New York Mets for the second NL wild-card spot. Lester has allowed fewer than two runs in each of his last five starts. Cubs catcher David Ross threw out two Cardinals trying to steal second and Lester faced just two batters over the minimum. Lester has thrown himself into the National League Cy Young Award with a preposterous 1.02 ERA over his last 61 2/3 innings of work. He also helped his cause at the plate with an RBI single in the third.
“I’m just trying to give a good at-bat”, Lester said. “In ’13, I think he gave up a run in the (World Series), so that was pretty impressive, too”.
NEW YORK – Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw pitched five almost ideal innings and Justin Turner hit an RBI double off Dellin Betances in a two-run ninth in Los Angeles’ win. He is the second Cubs left-handed hitter in franchise history to post multiple 30 home run and 100 RBI seasons (Billy Williams did it in 1965, 1970 and 1972).
“It’s been the Cardinals’ division for many years now, ever since I gotten over here”, Rizzo said. In the last four games of the homestand, the Cardinals lost three times and scored six runs.
Cincinnati tied its longest winning streak of the season as Joey Votto homered and drove in two runs in the Reds’ fifth straight win, 6-4 over Milwaukee. Five of his nine strikeouts came on called third strikes. In two of the three games here, Cubs starting pitchers allowed a combined four hits in 16 innings.
NY has won eight of 10 and is a half-game ahead of St. Louis for the second NL wild card.
Maddon said that during his Tampa Bay days he’d watch Lester in a Red Sox uniform pumping 95 or 96 miles per hour fastball. “The sooner, the better. Then we can make our appropriate plans going forward and really set things up to make our best push”. Rivera had three RBIs and Noah Syndergaard held the Nats to a run and four hits while fanning 10 over seven innings. RHP Michael Wacha is expected to be activated off the disabled list tomorrow and could be headed to the bullpen.
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The pitching matchups for the first three games of the series are: Adam Wainwright (11-8, 4.45 ERA) vs. Johnny Cueto (15-5, 2.90 ERA), 9:15 p.m. Thursday; Luke Weaver (1-2, 3.48 ERA) vs. Matt Moore (3-4, 4.05 ERA), 9:15 p.m. Friday; and Mike Leake (9-10, 4.60 ERA) vs. Jeff Samardzija (11-10, 4.07 ERA), 8:05 p.m. Saturday.
