Bring on the Cubs

By Mike on Wellemeyer
With April in the books, and the Cardinals sitting alone at the top of the NL Central standings, a half game up on Chicago, one couldn’t have scripted a better a time for the Baby Bears to come to town. The Brewers are one and a half games out, so the upcoming series really is a battle for first place. The Cubs will be just the second Cardinal opponent with a winning record.

The pitching match-ups leave a sense of optimism, as the Cardinals won’t face Carlos Zambrano. Tomorrow night’s game features Adam Wainwright and Rich Hill. Saturday it’s Kyle Lohse against Ted Lilly, and Todd Wellemeyer faces former Redbird Jason Marquis in the series finale on Sunday. At first glance, you might be haunted of seasons past with the thought of facing two left handers. So far this year, the Cards have been pretty balanced at the plate, whether facing a righty or lefty. Here are the splits (avg/obp/slg):

* vs RHP .282/.372/.417
* vs LHP .272/.378/.409

Tony La Russa knows how to mix and match his lineup to give the offense a chance. This series won’t be any different.

The rivalry between the Cardinals and Cubs is one of the best in baseball (although lately the Astros are trying to squeeze into the fight). It’s always a series that I pay close attention to, and I get a kick out talking smack with Cubs fans. Something about 100 years. This season, many picked Chicago to win the division, and St. Louis to finish near the bottom, which is why Bernie Miklasz, of the St. Louis Post Dispatch feels the pressure is on Chicago. Find his article here.

This weekend, as you’re keeping tabs on the first match-up between the two clubs, also look for a first of its kind breakdown of Saturday’s game with combined coverage from ten different Cardinal blogs, including this one. C70 has all the details. It should be a lot of fun.

Beat the Cubbies!