This piece, by BP Wrigleyville’s Editor-in-Chief Sahadev Sharma, first appeared at the Baseball Prospectus main site and is exclusively available to BP subscribers. We’ve posted a sneak preview here. The Cubs knocked Pirates ace Gerrit Cole out of the Wild Card game after just five innings, while their own dominating ace did what he’s done for […]
Tag: st. louis cardinals
Now Scouting: Jon Lester versus the St. Louis Cardinals
Give me the (four-seam) fastball and I watch what I do with it — Lil Bow Wow, paraphrased On Opening Night, Jon Lester struggled to find a rhythm against the St. Louis Cardinals. In failing to make it through five innings, Lester allowed eight hits, all on his four-seam and cut fastballs, while Cardinals left-handed […]
State of the NL Central: Cardinals and Pirates
With six weeks left in the season, there is little doubt that the NL Central is MLB’s best division. Even after the Cubs’ recent three-game losing streak, the division is home to three of baseball’s best four teams by winning percentage in the Cardinals (77-43), Pirates (71-47), and Cubs (67-51) (the other best team is […]
The Impact of Hitting the Pitcher Eighth
Joe Maddon stated he was going to bat his pitcher in the eighth slot in the batting order, and so far this year, he’s stuck to his guns. Regardless of the hitting abilities of the pitcher involved or the player slotted in the ninth spot, the Cubs pitcher has batted eighth in every game so […]