Carlos Martinez, the best pitcher on the Cardinal staff and only reliable stopper in the rotation, had always been undone by the incomprehensible, unstoppable force known as the 2016 Chicago Cubs; a wildly talented team seemingly chosen by the baseball fates themselves for victory. It was Rizzo’s second home run o. His nine home runs this season are more than in his previous two seasons combined. Rookie Gary Sanchez added an eighth-inning blast, his 14th home run in 36 major league games. Chicago Cubs, May 19-21 vs. San Francisco, June 9-11 vs. Philadelphia, June 23-25 vs. Pittsburgh, June 30-July 2 vs. Washington, July 7-9 vs. Their magic number is just 1 to clinch the National League Central after Jon Lester, one of three Cy Young candidates on the staff, suffocated the Cardinals’ lineup with only three hits over eight innings. They can wrap up the division crown Thursday night with a win at home over Milwaukee or a St. Louis loss in San Francisco.
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All-Star arms are on the mound at AT&T Park for the opener of a critical, four-game series between NL wild-card contenders.
Lester joked that he couldn’t really remember far back enough to determine whether this his best stretch. Not only did he throw eight shutout innings, allowing just three singles and two walks and striking out eight (104 pitches/67 strikes), but his looping line-drive single up the middle in the second inning with Javier Baez on second base (after a double) brought in the only run he’d need. And, they move to 41 games over.500, matching the season high.
“This place is gonna be ‘BOOM, ‘” said one man.
And Lester is peaking at the right time, as he possesses a 5-0 record and 0.63 ERA in his last six starts. 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”. It’s his second straight 100-RBI season. Sep.
“Billy Williams, his numbers speak for himself and he’s done it so many years, so it’s a really good feeling”, Rizzo said. Ross has a home run every 17.3 at-bats this season, a career-best frequency.
St. Louis scored just one run in its two losses this series, managing just four hits in those games. A win Thursday not only would clinch the division title, but would put the Cubs at 42 games over for the first time for the franchise since the last day of the last pennant-winning season, 1945 (98-56).
NY has won eight of 10 and is a half-game ahead of St. Louis for the second NL wild card.
While clinching at least a wild card spot is nice, the Cubs look forward to wrapping up the division at home this weekend, preferably tomorrow.
“I let my team down”, Garcia said. Reyes walked two and with a wild pitch had runners on second and third with one out in the third but got out of the jam. OF Matt Holliday (fractured right thumb) is expected to take live batting practice later this week.
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Mike Montgomery will start for the Cubs Thursday evening and Jimmy Nelson goes for the Brewers. RHP Johnny Cueto (15-5, 2.90) will start for the Giants.
