St. Louis Cardinals: Series Recap Against the Chicago Cubs

Game 1: Chicago 3-St. Louis Cardinals 2

In what was supposed to be a win for the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, turned into a flashback to the beginning of the season very quickly. Bad base running. Bad pitching. Stagnant offense. To make matters even worse, the Cardinals handed Cubs pitcher, Eddie Butler, his first win in almost a year.

WP: Eddie Butler

LP: Mike Leake

S: Wade Davis

The Cubs used the long ball to give Butler a nice cushion as he cruised through six innings of two hit ball. The star of the night for the Cubs, though, was their young catcher, Wilson Contreras. Contreras hit two home runs in his first two at bats against Mike Leake. Both homer runs were solo shots, so Leake did well to keep the damage to a minimum.

However, Contreras also almost cost the Cubs the game.

With a runner on second base, Kolten Wong struck out on a 3-2 pitch in the dirt. The pitch escaped Contreras just enough to rush a seemingly easy throw. The throw sailed on Contreras and the ball ended up in shallow right, allowing Randall Grichuk to score from second. Wong was able to advance to second on the play, but Wade Davis closed the door on the Cardinals.

However, you can’t overlook Contreras’ pick off of Dexter Fowler in the 7th inning. With runners on first and second, Contreras threw behind Fowler and nabbed him to end the scoring threat for the Cardinals. It was a great throw and great vision to nab Fowler. Remember that bad base running comment?

So what are the big takeaways from Game One?

Mike Leake continues to pitch well for the St. Louis Cardinals. His final line was 6 innings pitched, two earned runs, three walks, and five strike outs. This outing turned out to be his seventh quality start in seven tries this season for the Cardinals. It’s a little disappointing that the Cardinals were not able to score much for him.

Then one thing that I noticed from Leake’s performance was that he kept some balls up in the zone. The three walks stand out a bit, seeing as how well he has been able to control them. However, Leake did an excellent job of controlling those situations. He gave up two solo home runs and kept the game close.

My next take away was the stagnant offense.

It seems like the Cardinals really, really struggle when they face an unknown guy. It’s understandable at times, but, as I mentioned earlier, the guy had not won in almost a year. Plus, he had a six plus ERA going into this start.  The frustration from Cardinals fans is also understandable.

The Cardinals managed two get two hits off Butler, which were infield singles by Aledmys Diaz. The only other hits were Randal Grichuk’s home run in the seventh and Yadier Molina‘s single in the ninth. With the return of Dexter Fowler it’s interesting to see how Mike Matheny constructed his lineup. Even with Leake’s performance, the offense couldn’t muster any fight.

However, there was one last takeaway from this game that really had me upset.

Brett Cecil was brought on to be a left handed specialist and so far has disappointed in the twenty games he has appeared in for the Cardinals. He sports a whopping 5.79 ERA and has given up three home runs in the twenty games. To put that into perspective for you, last year he gave up six home runs in fifty-four games. Yeah, no thanks.

But, wait it gets worse. The home run Cecil gave up was to none other than Tommy La Stella (with respects to La Stella). La Stella, who hadn’t hit a home run in however long, was able to hit a home run off Cecil in the seventh inning. What’s that you ask? Why yes, he is left handed.

Game Two: Chicago 3-St. Louis Cardinals 5

After a painful Game One, the St. Louis Cardinals were able to put many at ease with a solid performance in Game Two. It all started with the man on the mound, Carlos Martinez. El Gallo went toe-to-toe with Jon Lester on Saturday and out dueled the Chicago starter for his third consecutive win of the season.

WP: Carlos Martinez

LP: Jon Lester

S: Seung-hwan Oh

You never like it when the opposing pitcher knocks in a run, especially if it’s Jon Lester. When he drove in the first run of the game with a towering double to center, my first thought was, “oh boy.” However, Martinez was able to keep the Cubs from scoring for the next four innings until Ian Happ hit his first homer of his big league career.

The final line on Martinez’s day was 6.2 innings pitched, three earned runs, four walks, and seven strike outs. The Cardinals needed a solid performance from him, and that’s what they got. It helped that the Cardinals were able to respond right away in the bottom of third with a bunt from Martinez to score Tommy Pham.

The Cardinals were able to score the next four runs of the game. Jedd Gyorko continued his power stroke by hitting a solo home run in the fourth inning. Tommy Pham then drove in two RBI with a single in the fourth and then a double in the 6th. Magneuris Sierra drove in the final Cardinal run in the bottom of the sixth on a single to center.

Oh came into the ninth to put the game away. Although, I did hold my breath after Kyle Schwarber made contact with the ball. Initially I thought he hit it out. If you weren’t watching the game, the call on the radio didn’t really make you feel any better. However about five to six feet away from the wall, Dexter Fowler made the catch to seal the game.

So what are the big takeaways from Game Two?

I’ll start with Martinez on this one. Even though he gave up four walks in the game, Martinez was able to keep the Cubs scoreless for four straight innings. He limited any damage after walks and was able to pile on some strike outs. He again contributed with an RBI in the win after his performance against the Marlins last week.

In our first Redbird Rants Podcast episode, Martinez’s control was a topic of discussion. Prior to Saturday’s game, Martinez only issued three walks in his last two starts. His four on Saturday, while not damaging, raised a few eyebrows. I’d say don’t worry about it since no damage was done because of the walk, but I’d be lying.

His next start will come against the Giants, so look for him to improve on Saturday’s performance.

Related Story: Redbird Rants Podcast Ep. 1

The next take away from Saturday’s game is the continued success of Tommy Pham and Magneuris Sierra. In our second Redbird Rants Podcast episode we highlighted the success these two players are having now for the Cardinals. It seems neither of them are really wanting to go back down to the minors.

Tommy Pham is playing with a chip on his shoulder and it is causing many people to take notice. After Saturday’s two-hit game, Pham was batting .387. He contributed two more RBI in the win and now has eight RBI in twelve games. He certainly is making a case to stay on the team and if he continues to play like this, the Cardinals will have an interesting decision to make in the near future.

There is something about Magneuris Sierra that just seems right for the St. Louis Cardinals. He has gone far above anyone’s expectations for him in his short stint with the team so far. He had another two-hit game for the Cardinals and is batting .400 through eight games.

What makes him attractive to a team like the Cardinals is the speed and defense. So while the offensive production is nice, his speed and defense could be game changers for the Cardinals in the future.

Do I expect either of them to continue their torrid starts? No, but they will compete. As I said, Pham is playing with a chip on his shoulder and Sierra really has nothing to lose. He has proven he can play at this level, so it’s only a matter of time til he is with the team full time.

However, I wonder if Sierra’s stint is serving as an audition for a future trade. I’d hate to see it happen, but if there is something available for the right price…

Last takeaway from Game Two is beating Jon Lester. The St. Louis Cardinals were able to run on Lester and keep him from turning in a quality start for the Cubs.

Why is this important? The Cardinals are set to face Clayton Kershaw twice in the next two weeks. The at-bats taken on Saturday are important to look at heading into a match up with the best pitcher in baseball. Speaking of said match up, Mike Leake versus Kershaw on May 24th sounds fun.

Game 3: Chicago 0-St. Louis Cardinals 5

The big headline from this game will be, and should be, Adam Wainwright‘s pitching performance on Sunday. Wainwright, who has struggled to find consistency this year, threw his most complete game of the season in the 5-0 victory. He out-dueled his opponent, Jake Arrieta, who torched the Cardinals during his first start back in April.

WP: Adam Wainwright

LP: Jake Arrieta

No Save recorded.

I’ll get into Wainwright’s start a little later, but here is how the Cardinals scored their runs. The first two came off a Yadier Molina 2-Run home run off of Arrieta. Molina took the first pitch he saw and blasted one into left field. After going through a bit of a rough patch, Molina was able to put the Cards on top in the second.

The next couple of runs came off the bat of Matt Carpenter. Carpenter going into the series was 0-28 against Arrieta, something well documented. I have some opinion on that as well, but I’ll save it for my takeaway section. Carpenter pushed the lead to 4-0 with a 2-Run home run of his own.

The third inning blast was a no doubter as well. Carpenter was able to deposit the ball into right center, and with the way Waino was pitching, the game seemed to be out of reach. The last of the Cardinal’s runs came off another Molina home run. The homer came off Brian Duensing in the bottom of the eighth inning. Kevin Siegrist shut the door and capped off the series win for the Cardinals.

So what are the takeaways from Game Three and the series win?

First off, and probably most important, Adam Wainwright’s performance was exactly the kind of game he needed. His final line on the day was: 7IP, 0 ER, 4BB, and 3K’s. Much like the other two Cardinal starters on Friday and Saturday, walks were an issue. But, again, no damage was done with those men on base.

This kind of start is important to Adam Wainwright because he has been searching for some consistency this season. Sunday’s start was the furthest into a game he has pitched, and he has only gone into the sixth inning one other time. So for him to be able to get to seventh inning and complete is a huge boost to him.

With as many fans hating on Waino’s performances, maybe it’s possible he came out with a chip on his shoulder. Here at Redbird Rants a few of us have suggested Wainright she be in the bullpen. So kudos to Wainwright for delivering a vintage performance. I’m sure he would tell you that he’d like to limit those walks and pick up a few more strike outs. Sorry, Adam. This will do just fine.

Related Story: What to do With Adam Wainwright

Second thing to takeaway from this series is beating Jake Arrieta. The Cardinals were able to prove to themselves that they could beat both Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta in back to back games. Sure, we were in St. Louis, but don’t let that stop you from doing it again. If the Cardinals are going to win the division they have to be able to put up runs against those two guys.

Now don’t get me wrong. The Cardinals should have beat Eddie Butler Friday, but as a consolation for the sweep I’ll take beating Lester and Arrieta for a series win. Speaking of beating Arrieta, hats off to Matt Carpenter.

As I mentioned he broke his 0-28 with a home run to right center, but I want to point something out to fans. Before the game and in many games before, while Carpenter was on this 0-28 streak, many fans were pleading with Matheny to take him out of the lineup when Arrieta pitches. I can’t blame them, but really?

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Matt Carpenter is your best hitter. I understand he was 0-28, but not playing him isn’t an option. He was bound to break the streak eventually, and he did so in style. Arrieta has had a rough start to the year, so Matheny might have been playing that scenario in his head. Matheny’s decision to roll with Carpenter should put a lot of confidence in Matt. Also, Carpenter has been one of the hottest hitters in the lineup over the last few weeks.

Or did you forget the three straight games with a home run against Atlanta?

My last takeaway is pretty simple. By taking the series, the Cardinals were able to not only to stay in first place in the highly contested NL Central, but also push the Cubs under .500 and 3.5 games back. All week I have been mentioning how important this series was.

It was important for two reasons. The first reason is that the Cardinals needed to continue playing good baseball. Friday’s mishap was quickly overlooked by the series win. The team is continuing to build confidence and they are going to need it when they face LA and Colorado.

The second reason is about kicking your opponent while they are down. The Cubs haven’t been playing their best baseball. You know it. They know it. But, surely they won’t continue like this? So it is better to beat them now and widen your lead on them while you get the chance. It would have been nice to take all three, but two will do.

Next: Redbird Rants Podcast Ep. 2

By Sunday night, the Cardinals were still in first place. That is a great feeling to have, but there is more to be done. The one thing the Cardinals need to continue to work on are those middle relievers. Brett Cecil has to be better for the team. If he continues to struggle, the Cardinals need to act quickly to shore up the bullpen. For now, though, let’s keep this momentum going. Go Cards!