The Cardinals are at Wrigley Field for a doubleheader today.
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The Diaspora:
Craig Kimbrel had a bit of a wild outing for the White Sox, walking two but avoiding letting anyone score. Yu Darvish had an…ok outing for the Padres, allowing four runs over five and a third off of seven strikeouts, three walks, and one home run. Tommy La Stella doubled in that one for the Giants.
Around the Division:
The Cardinals came back this time to beat the Brewers, extending their winning streak to twelve games and further delaying Milwaukee clinching this thing. Meanwhile, the Reds’ elimination number is down to five.
Avisaíl García hit the number of plate appearances necessary to turn his option into a mutual one for next year, meaning he’ll likely be a free agent after the season. That is good for the Cubs. Get him out of Milwaukee (or at least make them pay him more).
Up Next:
Four with the Cards.
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Whom:
Cubs vs. St. Louis
Where:
Wrigley Field
When:
Game 1: 1:20 PM Chicago Time
Game 2: 7:05 PM Chicago Time
Weather:
A storm will likely move through tonight, but it might be after the second game’s over. Temperatures in the 70’s and then 60’s before that, with winds blowing out towards left-center at 15 to 20 miles per hour.
Starting Pitchers:
Game 1: Justin Steele vs. J.A. Happ
Game 2: Zach Davies vs. Jack Flaherty
The Opponent:
Flaherty’s returning from the IL and is only expected to be an opener. Happ’s at a 5.73 xERA and 5.28 FIP on the season, but his FIP’s down at 4.97 since being traded to the Cardinals.
Nobody too notable’s out for the Cards, and with Flaherty returning, I don’t think anyone’s out who has a chance at returning for the postseason.
The Numbers:
In Game 1, the Cubs are +120 underdogs with the Cards at -145 for an implied Cubs win probability of about 43%. In the second, the Cubs are at +140 with the Cards at -170 for an implied Cubs win probability of about 39%. The over/under is each game is 8½ right now. In the latter, it favors the under; in the former, it leans towards the over.
Cubs News:
Robinson Chirinos is done for the year after hurting his oblique on a check swing Wednesday. Greg Deichmann is coming up to take his place on the roster.
Jason Adam, last seen with bones sticking out of his ankle after a terrible freak injury down at AAA, is back. He’ll be the extra man today for the doubleheader, and is someone else to put on the list for the looming 40-man questions.
Cubs Thoughts:
The most likely outcome is that the Cubs win one today, which means the expectation is there that the Cubs will end the Cardinals’ winning streak.
That’d be nice.
