Bleed Cubbie Blue - Cubs vs. Cardinals Sunday game threadsA Chicago Cubs Fan Community Since February 9, 2005https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47557/cubbieblue.png2019-06-03T09:00:00-05:00http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/rss/stream/184133372019-06-03T09:00:00-05:002019-06-03T09:00:00-05:002019 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 57
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<figcaption>Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The slide continues as Cubs lose 2-1</p> <p id="jBDmqq">The <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> appear to be sliding downhill the wrong way and the brakes are out. They lost Sunday for the third straight day, for the sixth time in seven games and the eighth time in 10 games. It’s all pretty awful right now. </p>
<p id="K0s45S">For a very bad team, these slides are usually talent finding its level. The team gets bashed day after day. The pitching gets bombed and the offense just isn’t able to put big crooked numbers on the board. It usually becomes demoralizing though rather than frustrating. This Cubs streak is right out of the world of frustrating. One day, the bats will score several runs like May 28 in Houston when they scored six. But on that day, the pitching got bombed and gave up nine. But then twice in this past weekend the pitching was very good, allowing only two runs in those two games, but the Cubs offense mustered only a single run in each.</p>
<p id="Rn8sgE">The Cubs have allowed 12 runs total over the last four games. A team that is averaging five runs per game over the whole season managed to lose three of four. It’s just been that way. The bats have gone silent at a time when the pitching had been struggling. <span>Kyle Hendricks</span>, <span>Yu Darvish</span> and <span>Cole Hamels</span> have each had a good start this time through the rotation. <span>Jose Quintana</span>’s wasn’t bad. Hopefully, the pitching is getting back grooved in. The offense is going to come back around. </p>
<p id="vzH987">It may turn, but this team has largely been pretty bad on the road. They are just 13-16 on the road and that includes a three-game sweep of the <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Marlins</a> and a two-game sweep of the <a href="https://www.lookoutlanding.com/">Mariners</a>. They also won two of three from the <a href="https://www.federalbaseball.com/">Nationals</a>, but the Nationals do not look like they will compete this year either. The Cubs only other road series win was against the .500 <a href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Diamondbacks</a> who had been playing better at that time. They’ve been much better at home where they own an 18-10 record and own a series win over the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> who have a pretty secure hold on the best team in the NL label. </p>
<p id="GCH8TO">The Cubs won’t have another off day until June 17. In that stretch, they will play their whole season series against the <a href="https://www.purplerow.com/">Rockies</a>, a home series against the <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Cardinals</a> and a four-game set against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. On top of the snowed out makeup game against the <a href="https://www.halosheaven.com/">Angels</a> this afternoon, this stretch of games could make or break the Cubs season.</p>
<p id="EBTatN">I picked a fine time to be away for a little while. As I’ve noted, I’ll be on hiatus after tomorrow’s recap of the Angels game. I’ll have a large recap and some thoughts about the two weeks of baseball on the off day on June 17. </p>
<p id="fWzU65">With that, we turn our attention to yesterday’s game as we look at what WPA had to say about Heroes and Goats. As always the Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA (Win Probability Added — <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2018/3/28/17159170/cubs-heroes-and-goats-2018-season-primer">here’s a good explanation of how WPA works</a>) and are not in any way subjective. Many days WPA will not tell the story of what happened, but often it can give at least a glimpse to who rose to the occasion in a high leverage moment or who didn’t get the job done in that moment. Also note, for the purposes of Heroes and Goats, we ignore the results of pitchers while they are batting and hitters while they are pitching. With that, we get to the results.</p>
<p id="qyYemG"><strong>Game 57, June 2: </strong>Cubs 1 at Cardinals 2 (31-26)</p>
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<iframe src="https://www.fangraphs.com/graphframe.aspx?config=0&static=0&type=wins&num=0&h=450&w=450&date=2019-06-02&team=Cardinals&dh=0" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" height="450" width="450" style="border:1px solid black;"></iframe><br><span style="font-size:9pt;">Source: <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/wins.aspx?date=2019-06-02&team=Cardinals&dh=0&season=2019">FanGraphs</a></span>
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<p id="rdbGFO"><strong>THREE HEROES:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="ly5sGz">
<strong>Superhero: </strong><span>Cole Hamels</span> (.183). Cole gave the Cubs the kind of start they needed on Sunday to stop the bleeding. He allowed just two hits and two walks in seven very efficient innings. He allowed one run that was unearned. He struck out four. This start should win a huge percentage of the time for this Cubs team. On Sunday, it was a loser.</li>
<li id="AcRBpm">
<strong>Hero: </strong><span>Kyle Schwarber</span> (.099). Kyle had a hit and two walks in four plate appearances Sunday. The other one was a strikeout.</li>
<li id="TN6iCG">
<strong>Sidekick: </strong><span>Daniel Descalso</span> (.061). Daniel came off the bat with a key pinch hit appearance for the second straight day. This time, he got on via the walk. He does at least appear to be responding to the just get on base in any way you can role.</li>
</ul>
<p id="r61moT"><strong>THREE GOATS:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="MfHJ9q">
<strong>Billy Goat: </strong><span>David Bote</span> (-.190). David was hitless in four at bats. He made the first out of the eighth inning with it still a 1-0 game (-.053) and then the last out of the game with the tying run on first (-.075).</li>
<li id="cQemiR">
<strong>Goat: </strong><span>Javier Baez</span> (-.182). Javy was hitless in four at bats with two strikeouts. He lands here because he grounded into a double play with runners on first and second and one out in the first. (-.085)</li>
<li id="RrXPNw">
<strong>Kid: </strong><span>Anthony Rizzo</span> (-.177). Anthony had just one walk in four plate appearances. Anthony was the victim of two nice defensive plays that very likely took away two hits. The first was a line drive that turned into a double play in the sixth (-.083). Then, Kolton Wong made a fine running catch on Rizzo with two on and two outs to end the eighth (-.103). If either one of those land, this was a totally different game.</li>
</ul>
<p id="B9dwy9"><strong>WPA Play of the Game: </strong><span>Kris Bryant</span> batted with runners on first and second and one out in the eighth, just in front of the Wong play on Rizzo. He struck out in a particularly bad spot. (-.106).</p>
<p id="hfN612">*Cubs Play of the Game: <span>Jason Heyward</span> singled to left after <span>Willson Contreras</span> had drawn a one out walk. The Cubs had runners on first and third with only one out, trailing by two. (.089).</p>
<p id="hmh5Bv"><strong>Cumulative Standings Top/Bottom 3:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="72CGeq">Anthony Rizzo 14.5</li>
<li id="3xvZRT">Willson Contreras 8.5</li>
<li id="YBNaBB">
<span>Kris Bryant</span> 6</li>
<li id="aAkyT6">
<span>Jason Heyward</span>/<span>Yu Darvish</span> -7</li>
<li id="ySiaZU">
<span>Carl Edwards Jr.</span> -10</li>
<li id="JroPMo">Kyle Schwarber -11.5</li>
</ul>
<p id="Oz9sKK"><strong>Up Next: </strong>The Cubs will look to put a stop to this streak of losing as they come back home to Wrigley Field. The two teams split their two games back in April with the Cubs winning game one 5-1 and then losing the second game 6-5 after a questionable checked swing call. The Angels have won seven of 10 and are only one game under .500 now for the season. That has them sitting in third place in the AL West, though they are 10 <sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>2</sub> games back in the division. Still, the Angels are sitting just two games behind the second wildcard spot (with three other teams) currently being held by the <a href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Texas Rangers</a>. </p>
<p id="mrB9NY"><span>Jon Lester</span> will be on the mound for the Cubs. After a terrific start to his season, Jon has lost his last three starts and hasn’t looked good in any of them. He’s thrown only 14 innings in the three starts and been hammered for 19 runs (16 earned). Still, Jon is 3-4 on the season with a 3.59 ERA over 52⅔ innings. He hasn’t faced the Angels since 2016. For what that’s worth, he went seven innings in that one to collect a win. He allowed four hits, no walks and one run. The Angles have just 100 career plate appearances against Jon and the huge majority of that is held between five players. <span>Zack Cozart</span> is the most familiar face (19 PA with an .845 OPS). <span>Mike Trout</span> has seen Jon for 15 total PA with just a .343 OPS. </p>
<p id="Ac3HQc">The Angels have won seven of 10 and are only one game under .500 now for the season. That has them sitting in third place in the AL West, though they are 10½ games back in the division. Still, the Angels are sitting just two games behind the second wild card spot (with three other teams) currently being held by the Texas Rangers. </p>
<p id="AXbd9e">The Angels will be sending an “opener” to the mound in <span>Cam Bedrosian</span>. Cam has appeared in 26 games, four of them in the opener role. He hasn’t pitched even two innings in a single appearance. Cam is a 27-year-old right handed pitcher. He’s 2-3 with a 3.08 ERA. He does have one loss in the opener role (which is a minor peril of the role since you can lose but never win). </p>
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https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/3/18650315/2019-cubs-heroes-and-goats-game-57Thomas Smith2019-06-02T16:40:32-05:002019-06-02T16:40:32-05:00Cardinals 2, Cubs 1: The sleep-deprived game
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<figcaption>Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Cubs got swept out of St. Louis.</p> <p id="GNgrYh">This is exactly the kind of game you would expect to see after a long, rain-delayed contest finished at nearly 1 a.m. and the players needed to be back on the field 12 hours later.</p>
<p id="Oz4saW">Quick (2:38, tied for seventh-fastest <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> game this year). Pitcher-dominated. And the first team to make a mistake, or to make more mistakes than its opponent, would lose.</p>
<p id="bWbkTU">That’s exactly what happened in <a href="http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2019_06_02_chnmlb_slnmlb_1">the Cardinals’ 2-1 win over the Cubs</a> Sunday afternoon. <span>Cole Hamels</span> actually outpitched <span>Adam Wainwright</span>, but the Cubs made too many mistakes and the Cardinals kept turning double plays and making fantastic defensive plays. </p>
<p id="sllVj0">Hamels kept the Cardinals down in the early innings, but the Cubs had no hits off Wainwright. They did keep drawing walks, though. Unfortunately, they couldn’t make anything of them, as they hit into double plays in the first and second innings. When Kris Bryant finally broke up any thought that Wainwright would throw a no-hitter with a one-out single in the sixth, <span>Anthony Rizzo</span> followed with a screaming line drive that should have been a base hit into right-center.</p>
<p id="nvXjy1">But Kolten Wong leaped and snared Rizzo’s drive and doubled Bryant off first base to end the inning:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Just another boring double play. <a href="https://t.co/61N0EEwETm">pic.twitter.com/61N0EEwETm</a></p>— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1135271810910556162?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2019</a>
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<p id="pzE7ID">Oh, and while we’re talking about the sixth inning, let’s look at the pitch <span>Kyle Schwarber</span> took for “strike three”:</p>
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<p id="ExMsz3">Pitch 7, which was called “strike three,” was in almost the precise location of pitch 1 (obscured), which was ball one. Seriously, umpires: Get these calls right. These things are being missed more and more often, especially on Schwarber, who has elite pitch-judging skills. Either that, or let’s get that automated strike zone implemented. Like, now.</p>
<p id="PpOgXI">The Cardinals had taken a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth off the Cubs’ first mistake. <span>Jedd Gyorko</span> singled with one out. Seriously, Gyorko is about the last guy on the Cardinals you’d expect to steal a base, but he did (that was just the 20th SB attempt of his seven-year career), and <span>Willson Contreras</span>’ throw went into center field, allowing Gyorko to take third base.</p>
<p id="TEcLst">When Wong hit a fly ball to medium-deep center field, Gyorko scored. A popup ended the inning, so if not for the error, no run likely would have scored.</p>
<p id="DWX83z">With one out in the eighth, the Cubs mounted a rally again. <span>Daniel Descalso</span>, batting for Hamels, walked and Schwarber blooped a single to left. Bryant struck out, bringing up Rizzo again. And he blooped a ball into short right field that looked like it was going to be a run-scoring single... but Wong leaped and grabbed it, robbing Rizzo for the second time in the game:</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">LET'S GO! <a href="https://t.co/1cTwQRDHAP">pic.twitter.com/1cTwQRDHAP</a></p>— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1135280038360862721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2019</a>
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<p id="0weFnw">And just to show you it doesn’t matter how hard you hit the ball:</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Schwarber bloop single: .050 expected batting average.<br><br>Rizzo looping liner (caught): .940 expected batting average.<br><br>Baseball, man.</p>— Tony Andracki (@TonyAndracki23) <a href="https://twitter.com/TonyAndracki23/status/1135280585507790850?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2019</a>
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<p id="4UkPKP">Wainwright was allowed to throw a ridiculously large number of pitches in this one, 126. It’s the second-most pitches thrown by anyone this year, the only starter who threw more: <span>Mike Fiers</span>, who threw 131 in his no-hitter <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/OAK/OAK201905070.shtml">May 7</a>. But even in that no-hitter, Fiers walked just two. Wainwright walked seven, which hasn’t been done in a long, long time:</p>
<div id="w0eiH3">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Before Adam Wainwright, the last major-league pitcher to throw at least eight shutout innings with seven or more walks: Edwin Jackson, in his no-hitter for Arizona on June 25, 2010.<br><br>It's been almost nine years!</p>— Jared Diamond (@jareddiamond) <a href="https://twitter.com/jareddiamond/status/1135282968946237440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2019</a>
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<p id="wR4Xc7">And for a Cardinals pitcher, even longer:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The last Cardinals pitcher to pull off this funky feat was Kurt Kepshire on Sept. 26, 1984, against the Expos. <a href="https://t.co/N2MizwdTsC">https://t.co/N2MizwdTsC</a></p>— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBastian/status/1135284379679432705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2019</a>
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<p id="Jq8Pyf">Still, it’s only 1-0 and <span>Brad Brach</span> allowed a one-out single to Wong, then retired rookie catcher <span>Andrew Knizner</span>. <span>Matt Carpenter</span> stepped in to bat for Wainwright, so Joe Maddon called on the only lefty he had available, <span>Mike Montgomery</span> (<span>Kyle Ryan</span> had thrown 20 pitches sometime north of midnight).</p>
<p id="eKJA3E">This was a really bad idea, and here’s why:</p>
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<cite>baseball-reference.com</cite>
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<p id="tbCPdQ">Small sample size, to be sure, but did the Cubs really want Montgomery, who had those numbers vs. LHB going into this game, facing the lefty-hitting Carpenter? Especially since Carpenter is actually doing somewhat worse vs. RHP this year:</p>
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<cite>baseball-reference.com</cite>
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<p id="xd8zXb">Well, if you didn’t see it, you can guess what’s next. Wong stole second and Carpenter singled him in, making it 2-0.</p>
<p id="3F0kVH">That’s what made the ninth inning so frustrating, because the Cubs did rally against tired (35 pitches Friday night) Cardinals closer <span>Jordan Hicks</span>. Contreras walked and <span>Jason Heyward</span> singled him to third, putting the tying run on base. <span>John Gant</span> relieved <span>Hicks</span> and <span>Addison Russell</span> hit a slow grounder, not fast enough for a double play, and Contreras scored. If not for the extra run, the game would have been tied.</p>
<p id="OV1sHL"><span>David Bote</span>, who’s had some late-inning heroics in his career, was next, but he grounded out to end it, and the Cubs, who swept the Cardinals at Wrigley four weeks ago, had the “favor” returned to them.</p>
<p id="e89L9A">I’m going to steal a page from Thomas Smith’s Heroes & Goats page and remind you that no team is as bad as it looks when it’s on a losing streak. The Cubs allowed 26 runs on this six-game road trip, which isn’t awful... but they scored only 19, which is where the real problem lies. This team is too good to hit like this for long, and soon, <span>Carlos Gonzalez</span> will join the ballclub. He certainly would have been sent up to pinch-hit at some point in this one if he’d been on the roster. Not saying CarGo is the answer to the Cubs’ offensive drought, but he’ll be a better bench player than <span>Jim Adduci</span> (no offense, Jim).</p>
<p id="IiBvxZ">One last note on the KB/St. Louis is boring kerfuffle. The WGN broadcast did this during the game:</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Cubs broadcast throws some shade upon St. Louis... <a href="https://t.co/HEi1i04Wc9">pic.twitter.com/HEi1i04Wc9</a></p>— Cut4 (@Cut4) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cut4/status/1135269099733475328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2019</a>
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<p id="X1lDXb">Well, ha ha ha, but can we let this go now? Bryant, according to the WGN broadcast, said he was getting tired of being asked about this every day by the beat writers, and at the very least, maybe they ought to stop doing that. The Cubs will get their chance for revenge on the Cardinals in less than a week, as the Cards will be at Wrigley Field for a three-game set starting Friday.</p>
<p id="02I3R1">In the meantime, there are other home games to be won. The <a href="https://www.halosheaven.com/">Angels</a> visit Wrigley Monday afternoon for the makeup of their April 14 snowout. <span>Jon Lester</span> will start for the Cubs and our old buddy <span>Trevor Cahill</span> will be on the mound for the Halos. Game time Monday is 3:05 p.m. CT and TV coverage will again be via WGN.</p>
<p id="PTmhg5">Hang in there. The recent losing is just part of the ups and downs of a normal season. This team will be just fine.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/2/18649707/cubs-cardinals-recap-cole-hamels-anthony-rizzo-mlb-scoresAl Yellon2019-06-02T15:15:00-05:002019-06-02T15:15:00-05:00Overflow thread 2: Cubs vs. Cardinals, Sunday 6/2, 1:15 CT
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<figcaption>Photo by Michael B. Thomas /Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="G43Thp">——</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/2/18647150/overflow-thread-2-cubs-vs-cardinals-sunday-6-2-1-15-ctAl Yellon2019-06-02T14:15:00-05:002019-06-02T14:15:00-05:00Overflow thread 1: Cubs vs. Cardinals, Sunday 6/2, 1:15 CT
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<figcaption>Zach Dalin-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="G43Thp">——</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/2/18647149/overflow-thread-1-cubs-vs-cardinals-sunday-6-2-1-15-ctAl Yellon2019-06-02T13:10:00-05:002019-06-02T13:10:00-05:00First pitch thread: Cubs vs. Cardinals, Sunday 6/2, 1:15 CT
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<figcaption>Photo by David Banks/ Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="G43Thp">Go get ‘em, Jon.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/2/18647145/first-pitch-thread-cubs-vs-cardinals-sunday-6-2-1-15-ctAl Yellon2019-06-02T11:30:00-05:002019-06-02T11:30:00-05:00Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals preview, Sunday 6/2, 1:15 CT
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<figcaption>Photo by Michael B. Thomas /Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Cubs kind of need this one.</p> <p id="Wobj5x">Hey, here’s some good news: <a href="https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-90.19279651343822&lat=38.622395324499536">The St. Louis weather forecast for today!</a></p>
<blockquote><p id="Vvxlvo"><strong>Today </strong>Sunny, with a high near 80. North wind 8 to 10 mph.</p></blockquote>
<p id="w6OBre">Absolutely perfect weather for baseball.</p>
<p id="yc0xh5">Fun fact of the day, after <span>Anthony Rizzo</span>’s homer Saturday night:</p>
<div id="pUgN9s">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cubs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cubs</a> career HR list<br><br>6. Aramis Ramírez 239<br>7. Gabby Hartnett 231<br>8. ANTHONY RIZZO 206 (one tonight)<br>9. Bill Nicholson 205</p>— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) <a href="https://twitter.com/ckamka/status/1134966032454602755?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2019</a>
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<p id="DpGpJO">Rizzo has 16 home runs this year. He’s on pace for (about) 45. If he gets there, he’ll pass Gabby Hartnett into seventh place on the all-time Cubs list. He’ll pass <span>Aramis Ramirez</span> next year. Fifth place: Ryne Sandberg (282).</p>
<p id="eLL8Xx">More Rizzo: He now has 456 extra-base hits with the Cubs, 15th-most in franchise history and six behind Wildfire Schulte for a tie for 14th place (462). </p>
<p id="8SEOZI">Other Sunday notes:</p>
<ul>
<li id="EubEUJ">Here’s one reason why the Cubs have struggled recently: They hit .284 (76-for-268) with a .393 OBP, a .515 slugging mark and a .325 BABIP with runners in scoring position in its first 32 games of the season through May 6. But over the last 24 games, the team has hit .167 (27-for-162) with a .297 OBP, a .309 slugging mark and a .175 BABIP with runners in scoring position. </li>
<li id="SfiPIq">The Cubs need more baserunners for their home runs. Since <span>Albert Almora Jr.</span>’s grand slam May 22 vs. the <a href="https://www.thegoodphight.com/">Phillies</a>, the Cubs have hit 23 home runs: 18 solo homers and five two-run shots. Of the 18 solo homers, seven have come to start a game or inning and three have been on the tail end of back-to-back efforts.</li>
<li id="0tyDNj">Since being recalled from Triple-A Iowa, May 6, <span>Carl Edwards Jr.</span> has three holds and a 2.61 ERA (three earned runs in 10⅓ innings), walking just one, striking out 10 and holding opponents to a .118 average (4-for-34) in 11 outings. Maybe he’s ready for more high-leverage appearances.</li>
</ul>
<p id="U2LSvl">Here are today’s particulars.</p>
<p id="3IvQgQ"><a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> lineup:</p>
<div id="7B5i50">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here is today's <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cubs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cubs</a> starting lineup in St. Louis.<br><br>Game preview: <a href="https://t.co/wXE7TFQYpw">https://t.co/wXE7TFQYpw</a> <a href="https://t.co/Twhcr0PewY">pic.twitter.com/Twhcr0PewY</a></p>— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1135207391459520512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2019</a>
</blockquote>
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<p id="ao1n2Y"><a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Cardinals</a> lineup:</p>
<div id="tbk4WV">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Andrew Knizner is getting his first <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MLB</a> start! <br><br>⚾: <a href="https://t.co/DeEeGevVUK">https://t.co/DeEeGevVUK</a> <a href="https://t.co/m0hUEjVr4P">pic.twitter.com/m0hUEjVr4P</a></p>— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1135211689983578113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2019</a>
</blockquote>
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<h2 id="V5jSYv">
<span>Cole Hamels</span>, LHP vs. <span>Adam Wainwright</span>, RHP</h2>
<div class="c-float-left"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DAkyvxbLAL5RqPxp2JdyDpVYCB4=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/16011054/usa_today_12381334.jpg">
<cite>Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</cite>
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<div class="c-float-right"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pWSSn2zcNwKpf8FGBXzHSnItUsU=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/16207769/usa_today_12381828.jpg">
<cite>Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports</cite>
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<p id="6Y8mwd">Hey, look! Here’s a pitching matchup straight out of 2010.</p>
<p id="6FhQqf">Cole Hamels and Adam Wainwright have faced each other four times previously, twice in 2010, once in 2013, once in 2014. If you think that matters (and granted, it probably doesn’t), in those previous four starts, Hamels threw 30⅓ innings, allowed 19 hits and 10 walks for a 0.956 WHIP, gave up six earned runs for a 1.78 ERA and struck out 31.</p>
<p id="6wF8dA">So... let’s hope Hamels channels that previous performance tonight.</p>
<p id="kkZc8B">Cole Hamels was going along, having a fine, consistent year, then ... whoops, let’s not talk about his last start, which was pretty bad. Hopefully that’s a one-off.</p>
<p id="TsuPDa">He has not faced the Cardinals this year. His last start against them was <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN201809290.shtml">September 29, 2018 at Wrigley Field</a>, when the Cubs really needed a good game in a tight playoff race. Hamels gave them seven outstanding innings, although the Cubs lost the game because they couldn’t score off <span>Miles Mikolas</span>.</p>
<p id="vw1cz7">Current Cardinals are hitting .221 (33-for-149) against Hamels with three home runs, all of those by <span>Marcell Ozuna</span>. So — maybe stop Ozuna today, and good things will follow.</p>
<p id="u3hS1K">Adam Wainwright allowed six runs in five innings to the Cubs <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN201905050.shtml">May 5 at Wrigley Field</a>. Since then: 5.32 ERA, 1.591 WHIP, three home runs in 22 innings. This is likely Wainwright’s last year and he’s not really having too good of a sendoff. </p>
<p id="6FXDZk">Wainwright’s last start was his 37th against the Cubs, his most against any team <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/5/5/18524329/chicago-cubs-st-louis-cardinals-preview-sunday">as I mentioned the last time he took the mound against them</a>, and with today’s 38th start vs. the Cubs for him, only eight pitchers in the divisional-play era will have made more against the Cubs (Steve Carlton, Bob Forsch, Phil Niekro, Steve Rogers, Tom Seaver, Jerry Reuss, Jerry Koosman and Dwight Gooden). If he makes two more starts vs. the Cubs this year (seems likely), he’ll pass Koosman and Gooden on that list.</p>
<p id="V6LI8J">Today’s game is on WGN. It’s also on MLB Network (outside the Cubs and Cardinals market territories).</p>
<p id="cxuSIp"><a href="https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/2019/06/02">Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.</a></p>
<p id="Xe5URc"><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2019_06_02_chnmlb_slnmlb_1">MLB.com Gameday</a></p>
<p id="iDRiK8"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/previews/2019/SLN201906020.shtml">Baseball-reference.com game preview</a></p>
<p id="AScVZw"><span>SB Nation game preview</span></p>
<p id="c01E3n">Please visit our SB Nation <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Cardinals</a> site <a href="http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Viva El Birdos</a>. If you do go there to interact with Cardinals fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.</p>
<p id="4R9cxt">The 2019 Game Thread procedure will be the same as the one used in previous years. Here’s how it works.</p>
<p id="uNrOo7">You’ll find the game preview posted separately on the front page, two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).</p>
<p id="Jy7Er2">At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page. The First Pitch Thread and all the overflow threads will be published in that stream, as well as the recap. The recap will also live on the front page as a separate post, and at the time I write the recap I will rename the stream “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of Week) Game Threads” so you can go back and find every thread related to that particular game.</p>
<p id="F5ehVY">You will also be able to find the preview, First Pitch Thread, all the overflow threads and recap in the box marked “Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page (you can also find them in <a href="http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/chicago-cubs-game-threads">this section link</a>). They will also appear in the game’s StoryStream as noted above.</p>
<p id="pjBR1E">The First Pitch thread will post at five minutes before game time, then an overflow thread at one hour, two hours and 2:45 after the scheduled game time.</p>
<p id="cWIBoH">Discuss amongst yourselves.</p>
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https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/2/18644297/chicago-cubs-st-louis-cardinals-preview-sundayAl Yellon