One of the Cardinals’ (many) complaints during the series against the Brewers was an uneven strike zone. Part of their frustration seemed to stem from their belief that Brewers pitchers were getting a wider strikezone than Cardinals’ pitchers, and that frustration boiled over when Yadier Molina was called out on a third strike that wasn’t anywhere near the plate (although it was framed beautifully by Jonathan Lucroy).
So was this a legitimate complaint?
It does look like the Cardinals have a legitimate gripe with the umpiring during this series. Not only did the Brewers get the benefit of the doubt on more pitches outside of the strikezone, but the Cardinals appear to have been squeezed more often than the Brewers as well.
The Brewers did get fortunate in this regard, but they also outplayed the Cardinals for much of the series in just about every facet of the game. The Brewers were able to make defensive plays when they had to, got better starts from their starters, and got better efforts out of their bullpen. The Cardinals will have 9 more chances to prove they’re the better team (and quite honestly, I do think they’re the more talented group), but the Brewers won this round thanks to more than just wonky strikezones.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
