Chicago, IL- The Cubs and Cardinals face off today after a dominant win by the Cubs. Today, the Cubs will look to earn a 2-0 lead in this series, while the Cardinals will try to even the series at 1-1.
The Cardinals should be worried today, as they face a pitcher they don't have much success against in the past. Jake Arrieta has only faced the Cardinals twice in his career, but both performances have been dominant. Last year, he threw seven shutout innings against the Cardinals in Chicago. His second start against the Cardinals came this year, when he threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings. Something worth noting is that in 12 1/3 innings pitched against the Cardinals, Arrieta has struck out fourteen Redbird batters. On the other hand, Adam Wainwright, the Cardinals starter, has not had much success in his career against the Cubs. Against the Cubs, Adam Wainwright is 9-7 with a 4.49 ERA. The two time all-star will look to rub the chip off his shoulder against the Cubs, and continue the great start he has had this season. Currently, he is 6-2 with a 2.02 ERA so far this season.
Last night, the Cubs came alive on the offensive part of the baseball. Emilio Bonifacio fell out of his slump with four hits in five at-bats. Junior Lake came alive with three hits in six at-bat, and also drove in six. Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro hit a combined four hits with six RBI. One shocker was Darwin Barney, who actually had three hits in five at-bats. The second-basemen is not normally known for his bat, but last night he showed what he can do. Despite all the solid performances in the lineup, Wellington Castillo continued to struggle. The backstop only went one for five, and his average dropped to .241. Hopefully, Castillo gets a few hits in today's game, and raises his average back up. The Cardinals offense wasn't so hot last night, as they only mustered six hits. Matt Holliday, Allen Craig, Yadier Molina, and Mark Ellis were the only batters who collected hits for the Cardinals. The Cardinals are a young team just like the Cubs, and need the kids to produce in order to win ballgames.
- Daniel (DanielDoreCTC)
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