The NLDS is all set after the Chicago Cubs prevailed over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, marking the team’s first playoff victory since 2003.
While the spirits are certainly through the roof for Cubs right now, there’s really little to no time to celebrate, as they now have to prepare for their showdown with fellow NL Central postseason stalwarts, the St. Louis Cardinals. Can Chicago keep its stellar play going against MLB’s winning-est team of 2015?
Read on as we break down this much-awaited clash between two of the National League’s best clubs. Be on top of the rest of the baseball playoff action by checking out our previews for Mets vs. Dodgers and Astros vs. Royals right after this.
Neither a raucous Pittsburgh crowd nor a wild pitch that led to a bench-clearing tussle could faze Jake Arrieta’s career-defining game.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Arrieta, the Chicago Cubs’ best starter in its rotation – and arguably the best pitcher in the majors since the All-Star Break – threw a four-hit complete game for the 4-0 shutout of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Wild Card knockout game on Wednesday. The five-year pro scattered 11 huge strikeouts through nine hard-fought innings to keep the Bucs at bay for the duration of the evening.
While Arrieta’s heroics certainly take the cake, clutch offensive production from a couple of the Cubs’ unlikely players proved to be as monumental as their starters’ outing. Lead-off man Dexter Fowler had a solo home run and drove in three runs on 3-of-4 hitting, while rookie Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run blast off of Pittsburgh’s Gerritt Cole to for an early 3-0 Chicago lead that the team would never relinquish.
Now comes the hard part for the Cubs: a best-of-five series against 2015’s only 100-win team in the St. Louis Cardinals. Arrieta’s hot hand will not be available for Game 1 of the series on Friday, but the team still has tested veteran Jon Lester (11-12, 3.34 ERA) as the probable starter to take the mound in the opener.
Lester pretty much had a solid 2015 in his first year in Chicago, pitching over 200 innings for over 200 strikeouts for the second-straight season. The lefty has relatively fared well against St. Louis’ top hitters his entire career as well by containing the likes of Yadier Molina (3-for-13) and Matt Carpenter (4-for-14).
On offense, expect first baseman Anthony Rizzo to deal the most damage against the Cards on Friday. The standout first baseman, who led his team in virtually all main offensive categories in the regular season, has four homers, 16 RBIs and drew nine walks in 65 at-bats this season against St. Louis.
Chicago is 6-3 in its last nine games against the Cardinals.
What’s an NLDS series nowadays without the St. Louis Cardinals? Year-in and year-out, this team is always primed to be in the hunt for the World Series title. And this 2015, their bid for the championship is as strong as it has been in the recent past.
One key factor for the team’s success has been the resurgent John Lackey (13-10, 2.77 ERA), who finished with his first-ever sub-.300 ERA season of his 13-year career. The 36-year-old righty has been phenomenal at Busch Stadium this season, going 9-4 with an ERA of 1.93 in his 17 home starts.
His deep postseason experience – primarily as a member of the 2013 Boston Red Sox championship squad – will also give the young Cubs roster plenty of fits in Game 1. The Cubs failed to hit a home run and only managed to get just six RBIs in 121 at-bats against Lackey this season.
Meanwhile, St. Louis’ outfielders in Jason Heyward and Matt Holliday will likely put up some timely hits and runs in Friday’s game, as they have had the most success hitting against Chicago’s upcoming starter. Heyward has four doubles and one homer on 10-of-24 hitting lifetime against Lester, while Holliday has gone 5-for-9 with a double and 3 RBIs in his career against the lefty.
The Cards are 6-2 in their last eight games played in Busch Stadium.
