The Cubs and Cardinals haven’t played since May 7th and the Cards are 4-2 against their NL Central rivals so far in 2015.
Things have changed since the beginning of May. Let’s run through some of the topics that you’ll be wondering about the Cubs as a Cardinals fan.
Kris Bryant
Mr. Bryant was only a few weeks removed from his much hyped debut when he faced the Cardinals for the first time. He managed 5 runs, 4 hits, 5 walks, a .500 OBP and 2 RBIs against the Birds in his first series.
And hasn’t looked back since.
He’s already got 10 HRs, 42 RBIs and an OBP of .383 for the season working and if Joc Pederson cools off substantially, he’s right in the thick of the ROY talk, even after “missing” the first 12 days of the season.
However, he’s hasn’t had the best week leading up to this series. Batting only 3/23 in the past 7 days, Bryant was removed from yesterday’s game against the Dodgers with ‘flu-like symptoms’. Even if he is in the line-up on Friday, he probably won’t be 100%.
Cubs Dad
Maybe you believe in omens. Maybe you don’t. But Cubs Dad has taken the city and the nation by storm.
Meet the dad from @BuzzFeedSports most amazing GIF ever http://t.co/Kx8W3ZDUnZ pic.twitter.com/W7MAkououL
— Lia Haberman (@liahaberman) June 24, 2015
What does it mean to this series? Absolutely nothing. But still – look at that snag!
Cubs Pitching
The Cardinals are going to have to get their work done against the Cubs starters this weekend.
https://twitter.com/CarrieMuskat/status/614201372112781312
The weekend starters for the Cubs:
- FRI – Arrieta
- SAT – TBD (probably Wada)
- SUN – Hammel
The bullpen has been just as good as the Cardinals has the past month, if not better. The games (like yesterday for the Dodgers against Lester) are being won against the Cubs in the first 3 innings.
Speaking of Cubs relievers…
Jason Motte
He’s coming around for the Cubs this season – and I think that we’re all happy for the guy. He recently did a player mailbag where he was asked about ‘the specific devil magic that the Cardinals use to win in the playoffs’ and gave this response:
It’s not devil magic. They just play hard. They have a belief they are going to win that game. We’re starting to have that as well but they’ve had it for a long time. That was the mindset when I was there. It’s all about the mindset.
Class guy. And pretty much nailed the difference between the Cardinals and most other MLB teams. BTW, he’s posted a 5-1 record with 2 saves and 18Ks thus far as a Cub.
Joe Maddon
Yup. Still Joe Maddon. Care to share your thoughts on instant replay in baseball, Joe?
Maddon: "I think you should get a bunch of nerds back there that know how to look at a video tape and then come to a conclusion."
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) June 25, 2015
What else?
Starlin Castro might be a bit distracted this weekend… in a good way.
https://twitter.com/CarrieMuskat/status/614186899859730432
This happened.
Angry Umpire Demands That Jon Lester Fight Him: Yesterday’s game between the Dodgers and Cubs was delayed for … http://t.co/3kbqnLSjHa
— Jola! (@Jola_Gbenro) June 26, 2015
So did this.
.@paddingtonbear celebrated his birthday by throwing out the first pitch at today’s @Cubs game. pic.twitter.com/LovWLWr6bI
— MLB (@MLB) June 25, 2015
It’s been an entertaining season on the North Side. Anything could happen this weekend. Best case scenario for the Cardinals is to open up a 11.5 game lead on the Cubs by JUL 1.
Worst case? 5.5 ahead.
This one is going to mean more for the Cubs. Cards will be OK either way.
Let’s get this started.
Photo: YouTube
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