As for the Rockies’ team he managed to their only World Series appearance in 2007, Hurdle wishes better days ahead. Lefty specialist Randy Choate has been in 68 games and closer Trevor Rosenthal has pitched 65 times.
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Hitting Notes *The Washington Nationals lead the major leagues in runs scored in September, batting.288 so far this month. The Cardinals are 12th in the National League in scoring, and their number of above-average hitters depends on whether Randal Grichuk and Matt Holliday are healthy enough to join Matt Carpenter and Jason Heyward in the lineup, though Tommy Pham also has a 132 OPS+ in 43 games filling in. That could mean they hit a wall in October.
They really have to complete the 162-game National League schedule? His next start comes Wednesday at home versus Cleveland, and he’s 1-2 with an 8.44 ERA against the Indians this season.
Last year’s AL Cy Young victor has been one of this year’s biggest disappointments, with a record of 8-14 with a 3.44 ERA.
Lance Lynn does not have the same innings concerns, but he does have a 4.81 ERA in his last nine starts, with opponents posting a.905 OPS against him since the beginning of August.
Friday, the Cubs will face the rival Pittsburgh Pirates, who clinched an NL playoff berth Wednesday night.
On the other side of the National League bracket are the Dodgers and Mets, who are in a heated battle to see which team will host the divisional series. That is a dastardly combination. Playoffs are just around the corner.
Every game the Cubs play from here on out is important.
Want to know which series, pitchers and players you should try to get tickets to see this week?
All three NL Central teams have 10 games remaining in the regular season and would need to go 19-11 in those games to top what the top three teams in the American League West produced in 2002 when Oakland (103-59), Anaheim (99-63) and Seattle (93-69) combined to win 295 games and finish a collective 104 games over.500. Then there would be whoever wins the AL.
And now, unless the Pirates can make up four games on the Cards with 12 to play, Hurdle is confronting the real possibility of having to beat Arrieta in a one-or-take-all playoff game. But the Cardinals have been slowly wearing down as the season has gone on. They’re doing quite well for themselves this season and are nearly guaranteed a wild card spot.
The first-place Blue Jays try to hold off the Yankees while facing Atlanta, which is in the running for the first-overall pick in the 2016 draft.
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This year’s NL Central has been a fight, exemplified by the Cardinals being 40 games over.500 and still being chased this late in the season by Pittsburgh and the Cubs.
