May Takes the Ball as Cardinals Try to Stop the Bleeding
THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE
May Takes the Ball as Cardinals Try to Stop the Bleeding
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
The St. Louis Cardinals will try to stop a three-game losing streak tonight when they host the Chicago Cubs in the third game of their four-game series at Busch Stadium.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. CT.
Right-hander Dustin May will start for St. Louis against Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd. The game will be televised on Cardinals.TV and carried on KMOX and WIJR.
Chicago enters at 61-46 after winning the first two games of the series. St. Louis has fallen to 53-54, dropping below .500 for the first time this season. The Cardinals have lost three straight, five of six on the homestand and nine of 12 since the All-Star break. (MLB.com)
The Cubs have not simply beaten the Cardinals during the first two nights at Busch Stadium.
They have overwhelmed them.
Chicago collected 14 hits in Monday’s 7-3 victory and followed with 17 more in Tuesday night’s 10-2 rout. The Cubs have outscored St. Louis 17-5 during the series while producing 31 hits.
The Cardinals entered the series holding a 4-2 advantage over Chicago this season. After two nights, the season series is tied at four games apiece.
Whatever confidence St. Louis carried from its earlier success against the Cubs has disappeared quickly.
Tuesday’s game was essentially over before many fans had settled into their seats.
Michael McGreevy allowed two runs in the first inning and five more in the second. He was removed after recording only five outs, surrendering seven runs on eight hits and two walks in the shortest start of his Major League career.
Chicago sent consistent pressure through the entire lineup. Ian Happ opened the scoring with a two-run single in the first. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, Michael Busch and Nico Hoerner helped produce five more runs in the second.
The Cubs did not hit a home run.
They did not need one.
They reached base, moved runners, delivered with two outs and kept forcing the Cardinals to record difficult outs. Chicago finished with 17 hits, including three each from Alex Bregman, Suzuki and Pedro Ramírez. (Field Level Media)
Bregman has collected seven hits during the first two games of the series. The veteran third baseman has consistently placed himself in the middle of Chicago’s rallies, while Suzuki, Happ, Hoerner and Ramírez have made the lineup nearly impossible to navigate without traffic.
The Cubs have recorded at least 12 hits in four consecutive games and have scored 35 runs during that stretch. Since June 11, Chicago has averaged 6.4 runs per game while going 27-12. (Field Level Media)
That is the lineup May must slow tonight.
May enters with a 5-7 record, a 4.59 ERA and 103 strikeouts.
His last start offered some encouragement. May held Cincinnati to one run over six innings Friday night while striking out eight. He worked out of several difficult situations and looked more like the pitcher who threw a complete-game shutout against San Diego in June. (MLB.com)
The Cardinals wasted that performance, managing only one hit and allowing the Reds to rally after May left the game.
Tonight, they need May to be just as good — and preferably even better.
The bullpen was forced to cover 7⅓ innings Tuesday after McGreevy’s early exit. Gordon Graceffo helped prevent the game from becoming even uglier, but the Cardinals still used several relievers in a game that had escaped them almost immediately.
May must provide length.
He cannot allow the Cubs to establish the same early rhythm they found against Matthew Liberatore on Monday and McGreevy on Tuesday. Chicago has scored in the first inning of both games and has forced St. Louis to play from behind almost from the opening pitch.
May’s command will determine whether that pattern continues.
When he keeps his sinker and breaking pitches down, he can generate ground balls and uncomfortable swings. When his pitches remain elevated or he falls behind in counts, opposing hitters have enough time to choose which part of the strike zone they want to attack.
The Cubs are too disciplined and too hot to be given favorable counts.
May must challenge hitters without becoming predictable. He needs to control Crow-Armstrong’s speed, keep Suzuki and Bregman from extending innings and avoid placing runners aboard ahead of Happ and Hoerner.
This will be May’s first start against the Cubs since joining the Cardinals.
On the other side, St. Louis faces one of Chicago’s hottest pitchers.
Boyd is 6-1 with a 3.81 ERA and 55 strikeouts. He has not lost in his past 10 starts and has won six consecutive decisions. Over his past four outings, the left-hander has posted a 2.13 ERA. (MLB.com)
Boyd has helped stabilize a Cubs rotation that has dealt with injuries throughout the season. Since July 4, Chicago’s starters have combined for a 3.07 ERA, with Boyd, Shota Imanaga, David Peterson and Javier Assad leading the way. (MLB.com)
The Cardinals cannot approach Boyd as though patience alone will solve the problem.
He throws strikes, changes speeds and understands how to disrupt timing. St. Louis must make him work, but hitters also need to be ready when he leaves a fastball or breaking pitch in a hittable location.
Too often during this difficult stretch, the Cardinals have watched good pitches pass early in counts and then chased pitchers’ pitches after falling behind.
That formula produces exactly what the Cardinals have produced lately: isolated baserunners, weak contact and very few sustained rallies.
St. Louis scored only once through the first eight innings Tuesday.
The Cardinals loaded the bases with one out in the fourth, but their only run came on Nathan Church’s sacrifice fly. Masyn Winn added an RBI double in the ninth after the game had long been decided.
Colin Rea held the Cardinals to one run on four hits over six innings. With a seven-run lead after two frames, he could attack the strike zone without fear.
That is another reason the Cardinals must avoid falling behind tonight.
An opposing pitcher’s job becomes much easier when he receives a large early lead. He can challenge hitters, avoid nibbling and trust that one mistake will not change the game.
The Cardinals must force Boyd to pitch under pressure.
JJ Wetherholt needs to reach base near the top of the lineup. Jordan Walker, Alec Burleson and Iván Herrera must provide damage in the middle. Lars Nootbaar and Winn need to extend innings rather than leaving the offense dependent upon one swing.
St. Louis has scored only five runs in the series. Chicago has nearly matched that total in individual innings.
That is not sustainable baseball.
The Cardinals also need to stop giving opponents additional opportunities.
Walks, wild pitches, defensive mistakes and poor situational at-bats have repeatedly turned manageable situations into damaging innings. Chicago is already hitting too well to require any assistance.
There is a time for evaluating young players and learning from mistakes.
There is also a time to win the baseball game in front of you.
The Cardinals are no longer in a position to grade themselves solely on process, development or teaching moments. They are below .500, 2½ games behind Arizona for the final National League Wild Card position and surrounded by several clubs in the standings.
The Aug. 3 trade deadline is approaching, and the direction of the season is becoming increasingly clear.
A strong start after the All-Star break might have strengthened the argument for adding to the roster or at least maintaining the current group. Instead, the Cardinals have lost nine of 12 and are sliding in the opposite direction.
Each defeat makes the postseason argument weaker.
Each poor performance gives the front office more reason to move short-term pieces and focus entirely on the future.
That does not mean the players should surrender the present.
There are still games to play, and the Wild Card race remains close enough for a quick turnaround to matter. But turnarounds do not begin with explanations.
They begin with a starting pitcher taking control of a game and an offense giving him something to protect.
May has already shown he can dominate when his full assortment of pitches is working. His complete-game shutout in June was one of the best performances by any Cardinals pitcher this season. His six strong innings against Cincinnati suggested he may be finding that form again.
The Cardinals need it tonight.
They also need to manage the game with urgency.
If May provides six competitive innings, Oliver Marmol must use his best available relievers when the Cubs’ most dangerous hitters are due, regardless of whether that moment occurs in the seventh, eighth or ninth.
There is little value in preserving a reliever for a save opportunity that may never arrive.
The same urgency should apply offensively.
Move runners. Take the extra base when it is available. Put the ball in play with runners in scoring position. Stop waiting for one swing to repair an entire night of empty at-bats.
The Cubs have already guaranteed themselves at least a split in the four-game series.
To earn a split, the Cardinals must win tonight and again Thursday afternoon.
A third consecutive loss to Chicago would turn Thursday into little more than an effort to avoid a four-game sweep at home.
That should be motivation enough.
The Cardinals entered this series believing their previous success against the Cubs demonstrated that they could compete with one of the National League’s better teams.
The first two games have demonstrated something else entirely.
Chicago has looked deeper, sharper and more prepared.
Tonight, Dustin May has the first opportunity to change that story.
Stop the Cubs early. Give the bullpen a break. Score enough runs to create some breathing room.
Most importantly, play a complete baseball game.
The Cardinals have spent too many nights lately explaining what went wrong.
It is time to give everyone something better to discuss.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Dustin May, St. Louis Cardinals | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Image