This is a moment, an opportunity for the Cubs to both create a little more breathing room between themselves and their most formidable divisional rival, and to get themselves out of the funk they’ve been in for almost a fortnight. If they miss that opportunity, it’d hardly be calamitous. The Cardinals can’t catch the Cubs […]
Tag: st. louis cardinals
Series Preview: St. Louis Cardinals, April 18-20
It was a disappointing weekend on the North Side, as the Cubs dropped two of three to the lowly Rockies, replete with a shutout Sunday and a lonely run scored on Friday. The good news: the starting pitching has been sterling. The Cardinals are on the docket this week, with as much tension and excitement […]
Know Your (2016) Enemy: St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals have been the model of consistency for as long as can be remembered by most fans. They went through a lull in the 1990s, making just one playoff appearance on the back of an 88-win season in 1996 and posting a winning percentage of just .488 for the decade. But Walt Jocketty took […]
Playoff Prospectus: Party Time in Wrigleyville — NLDS Game Four
This piece, by BP Wrigleyville’s Editor-in-Chief Sahadev Sharma, first appeared at the Baseball Prospectus main site and is available to everyone for free. We’ve posted a sneak preview here. The plan all along was for this Cubs team to be built on offense. After clinching a trip to the club’s first NLCS in a dozen years, […]
Jason Hammel and Why Sometimes There Isn’t a Definitive Answer
In baseball, there are a lot of things that go beyond the numbers. Mechanics. Injury history. State of mind. And a general good old-fashioned feel for the game. While the numbers paint a large portion of the picture, they aren’t the only thing contributing to it. There are exceptions to the sabermetric rule, and I would […]
Playoff Prospectus: Homers, Homers, Homers, Homers — NLDS Game 3 ($)
This piece, by BP’s Mike Gianella, first appeared at the Baseball Prospectus main site and is exclusively available to BP subscribers. We’ve posted a sneak preview here. Game Three of the NLDS between the Cardinals and the Cubs shifted to Wrigley Field on Monday night, with the advantage tilting to the Cubs not only because […]
NLDS Game Three Recap: Cubs 8 Cardinals 6
Top Play (WPA): Think anyone is busy writing Kris Bryant service time stories now? The Cubs’ superstar third baseman hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning (+0.252) off of Cardinals starter Michael Wacha—one of six the Cubs hit on the night, setting a new major-league record—and helped the Cubs go up two games to one in […]
Playoff Prospectus: Cubs Do Simple Better — NLDS Game 2 ($)
This piece, by BP Wrigleyville’s Rian Watt, first appeared at the Baseball Prospectus main site and is exclusively available to BP subscribers. We’ve posted a sneak preview here. It was 54 degrees on October 3rd in Milwaukee, and the Cubs were bunched around the batting cages, working on their bunting. Manager Joe Maddon, who spent […]
Cubs, Cardinals Writing New Chapter in Old History
The Cubs have had a captivating history. Granted, the story is often like a Shakespearean tragedy. But each time they pop up with a great season, it gets ingrained into Cubs lore and the hearts and minds of their fans in a way that few other franchises in the sport can claim. This season has been […]
On Eve of History, Momentum on the North Side
Editor’s Note: This piece, by BP Wrigleyville’s Stan Croussett, isn’t the kind of thing you’ll usually find on the site—you’ll see no numbers here. But we think it captures this moment in a way that numbers can’t, and we hope you enjoy. Look up your favorite Cardinals blogger or columnist and take a deep breath. Now […]