The Cubs earned a split with St. Louis which puts Chicago with home field advantage in now a best of three contest.
The Cubs struggled with the strike zone and scoring runs in Game 1. So Maddon used old school techniques and bad Cardinal fielding to manufacture runs in a big five run inning.
Safety Squeezes are passe in the era of long balls and sabermetrics. But back to back drops put pressure on the defense who failed to execute. Austin Jackson said after the game any time you can put pressure on the other team, that is good.
Pitching and defense win championships. The Cubs may have given Maddon enough comfort in the bullpen of T. Wood, Cahill and Rondon to close out any game. By pulling Hendrick after 4.1 innings, Wood came in for a brilliant 2.2 IP to get to the new set up man, Cahill. He was pumped up by his 1,2,3 8th inning performance. Rondon, who tended to overthrow a few pitches, settled in and closed out the game.
If Maddon knows he has three relievers he can count on, he does not have to try to ride a struggling starting pitcher. He should have no problems with Arrieta in Game 3, but he is looking forward into Game 4.
The big deal is that if the bullpen can perform like in Game 2, the Cardinals starting pitching strength vanishes for the rest of the series.
Showing posts with label victory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label victory. Show all posts
October 11, 2015
October 9, 2015
STATEMENT GAME
Today's Cubs-Cardinals contest is a statement game for the Series.
It may not be a "must win" for the Cardinals, who have home field advantage, but it is a key for the Cubs.
The Cubs are on a 9 game win streak. The performance over a Game 7-elimination game against the Wild Card Pirates is still foremost in their minds. It is possible to have an endorphin rush let down.
The Cubs paid Jon Lester $155 million just for this moment: post season Number 1 starter. This Cardinal series falls squarely on his shoulders, since Jake Arrieta will only pitch one game (Game 3 on short rest).
Lester is 1-3 against the Cardinals this year. St. Louis is well aware of Lester's problems holding base runners. The Cardinals are expected to put pressure on Lester's fielding issues.
But Lester has performed well in the postseason for Boston. In two divisional series, his record is 2-1, 1.63 ERA. In two world series, his record is 3-0, 0.43 ERA. His overall postseason record is 6-4, 3.57 ERA, 1.071 WHIP, 2.5 K/BB ratio.
It is also a statement game for the fans. The Cubs-Cardinals rivalry has never included a postseason series. The historic nature of this season is on the mindset of everyone. Even late night host Stephen Colbert took out his Chicago time to banish the Goat on national TV. This series is going to be the focal point for national attention. With it, comes growing expectations and bandwagon pressure.
Is Lester up to this monumental challenge?
It may not be a "must win" for the Cardinals, who have home field advantage, but it is a key for the Cubs.
The Cubs are on a 9 game win streak. The performance over a Game 7-elimination game against the Wild Card Pirates is still foremost in their minds. It is possible to have an endorphin rush let down.
The Cubs paid Jon Lester $155 million just for this moment: post season Number 1 starter. This Cardinal series falls squarely on his shoulders, since Jake Arrieta will only pitch one game (Game 3 on short rest).
Lester is 1-3 against the Cardinals this year. St. Louis is well aware of Lester's problems holding base runners. The Cardinals are expected to put pressure on Lester's fielding issues.
But Lester has performed well in the postseason for Boston. In two divisional series, his record is 2-1, 1.63 ERA. In two world series, his record is 3-0, 0.43 ERA. His overall postseason record is 6-4, 3.57 ERA, 1.071 WHIP, 2.5 K/BB ratio.
It is also a statement game for the fans. The Cubs-Cardinals rivalry has never included a postseason series. The historic nature of this season is on the mindset of everyone. Even late night host Stephen Colbert took out his Chicago time to banish the Goat on national TV. This series is going to be the focal point for national attention. With it, comes growing expectations and bandwagon pressure.
Is Lester up to this monumental challenge?
October 8, 2015
GAME THOUGHTS
Here are my game thoughts from the Cubs victory over the Bucs:
1. Enough with the Tommy LaStella in the line-up. The idea that Bryant is a liability at third
was clearly erased last night. And LaStella's contact bat was silent last night.
2. When Arrieta takes the mound, he does not think he could win - - - he expects to win.
And his team thinks the same thing which is an extremely powerful mental edge, something
that the Blackhawks have had in their championship runs.
3. Arrieta did not even have his best command. He looked like he got tired and hit the wall
in the middle innings. I was questioning why Maddon did not take him out for Rondon in the 9th,
but I guess Arrieta/Maddon wanted to make a statement to the rest of the pitching staff
that old school "give me the ball at first pitch and let me end it" is still alive in the modern game. This reminds me of the White Sox starters during their 2005 World Series run.
4. The Schwarber home run may still be in orbit. He crushed it. With a 3-0 lead, with Arrieta on
the mound, the Pirate fans were silenced for most of the rest of the game. At that point, very few
thought the Cubs would lose the game.
5. Why do the Wild Card winners do so well in the post season? The Wild Card game is played
like a Game 7 so that pressure and experience must have some carry over into the next series.
6. Next up is the litmus test of how well Theo spent $155 million. Lester is supposed to be the
proven post-season ace. He has the champion bulldog determination to carry a team. In the
St. Louis series, he will pitch twice. He is the key to the series.
1. Enough with the Tommy LaStella in the line-up. The idea that Bryant is a liability at third
was clearly erased last night. And LaStella's contact bat was silent last night.
2. When Arrieta takes the mound, he does not think he could win - - - he expects to win.
And his team thinks the same thing which is an extremely powerful mental edge, something
that the Blackhawks have had in their championship runs.
3. Arrieta did not even have his best command. He looked like he got tired and hit the wall
in the middle innings. I was questioning why Maddon did not take him out for Rondon in the 9th,
but I guess Arrieta/Maddon wanted to make a statement to the rest of the pitching staff
that old school "give me the ball at first pitch and let me end it" is still alive in the modern game. This reminds me of the White Sox starters during their 2005 World Series run.
4. The Schwarber home run may still be in orbit. He crushed it. With a 3-0 lead, with Arrieta on
the mound, the Pirate fans were silenced for most of the rest of the game. At that point, very few
thought the Cubs would lose the game.
5. Why do the Wild Card winners do so well in the post season? The Wild Card game is played
like a Game 7 so that pressure and experience must have some carry over into the next series.
6. Next up is the litmus test of how well Theo spent $155 million. Lester is supposed to be the
proven post-season ace. He has the champion bulldog determination to carry a team. In the
St. Louis series, he will pitch twice. He is the key to the series.
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