Series 15 Cubs at Cardinals

    Game 1

     The Cubs started as best they could with Pederson hitting a leadoff homer to get an early lead. The Cardinals would tie the game in the third as Edman doubled home, Sosa. Both starters continued to be solid as the Cubs would scratch up another run on a double by Hoerner and two sacrifices by Hendricks and Pederson in the fifth. The Cardinals would tie it in the bottom of the sixth but Hendricks would get out of a bases-loaded jam afterward to keep it tied. The Cubs would get the lead right back as Hoerner singled and was moved over on another sacrifice by Hendricks and scored on a wild pitch. The Cubs would get another in the seventh when Bryant doubled home Pedersonafter he walked. The Cardinals would get a run back in the bottom of the inning as a Rizzo error opened the door for them to climb back into the game. The Cardinals would strand men on first and third though as the Cubs preserved the lead. The Cubs would blow the game open in the eighth as the Cardinals bullpen struggled mightily. The Cubs would plate 8 runs as an error by Arenado loaded the bases with no outs. Sogard would single home a run while Bryant and Contreras both walked with the bases loaded to get 2 more across the plate. Rizzo would double in 2 more runs as Contreras got caught in between third and home for the second out. Baez would single in Rizzo followed by Bote would single in Happ and Baez before being thrown out trying to advance to second on the play. The bullpen would shut the Cardinals down as the Cubs cruised the last 2 innings to an important game 1 win.

    Game 2

     The Cubs got off to a great start again in this one. After Pederson was hit by a pitch Baez would drive him in with two outs to grab an early lead. Alzolaay was cruising and looking strong in this one as well. The Cardinals would plate a run in the fifth with a 2 out rally. Sosa would hit a shot into the right-field corner that turned into a triple as he was just safe at third on a close play. Thomas would rip a hanging slider into center field and the game was now tied. Alzolay would not leave for a pinch hitter in the top of the seventh and stay in as his pitch count wasn't to 80 at that point. He had a battle with Molina to start the inning and Molina blasted a solo shot down the left-field line to give the Cardinals their first lead of the series late in game 2. The Cubs would threaten in the top of the eighth with two men on with one out. Gallegos would get Rizzo to strike out and Baez to fly out to left field to strand the runners. A fortuitous fair call on a Hoerner dribbler couldn't help the Cubs plate a run in ninth as the Cubs lost another 1 run ballgame.

    Game 3

     Another tight game in the rubber match of the series. The Cardinals were hitting early with 4 doubles in the first four innings. Davies was excellent at getting out of jams as the Cardinals didn't manage to plate any runs on him in the 5 innings he went. The Cubs' offense was non-existent though. With a horrendous strike zone and Wainwright having great stuff, they didn't stand a chance. Wainwright would throw 8 scoreless innings for the Cardinals. The Cubs bullpen would match that even though the Cardinals created more chances. After not reviewing a clear miscall at third base the Cardinals had the bases loaded and no outs in the seventh. Tepera would work his way out of it with a groundout, a foul out, and a strikeout to get out of the inning unscathed. The game would go to extras still scoreless. Rizzo would ground out to get Contreras to third to start the inning. Baez would get the big hit as he launched a 2 run homer to dead center to give the Cubs all the runs they needed. The Cardinals would get a run back in the bottom of the tenth as Goldschmidt advanced on a wild pitch and Arenado hit a deep sacrifice fly to plate him. That would be all they got as Kimbrel walked Molina and then struck out both Bader and Williams to end the game and the series.

    The good

    The starters were impressive in all three games. Hendricks and Alzolay worked deeper in the game and Davies worked out of trouble multiple times to keep the game scoreless. The bullpen continues to shine as the only run they gave up in the series was in extra innings so it was unearned. It has been the next man up as the IL continues to take relievers but the bullpen continues to be pristine. The offense wasn't stellar especially in games 2 and 3 but did tally 12 walks which is 4 per game and did enough to win the series. Getting early runs happened in 2 games and that is a nice trend that helps pitchers settle down and pitch well early. The Cubs also are showing grit as they have had a lot of players out with injuries throughout the year but continue to stay competitive.

    The bad

     Losing another one run is hard especially against your rivals. Not converting opportunities in that game was also frustrating. The lack of hitting against Wainwright is troublesome as well. Being in that game was fortuitous and the offense needs to be more consistent. Also, the umpires in Game 3 were bad. The strike zone was awful and influenced the game as Ross was ejected early but the strike zone continued to be awful. The umps also clearly missed an out at third as Bote was on the base and tagged the runner before he got there and was called safe. They also decided not to review it for some reason which is what review is here for anyway.

    Looking ahead

     The Cubs get 2 series against the divisions cellar-dwellers before 3 tough series against some NL west competitors. Hopefully, another couple of good series will keep the Cubs in the chase before being challenged. The West Coast trip needs to be a split or better and that will show that this team is here for the long haul this season. As the trade deadline will eventually come I hope this team makes it as difficult as possible to trade any contributors and hopefully that leads to more re-signings in the offseason than trades in the summer.