Series Preview: Cardinals Take Their Winning Ways to Philadelphia
The Cardinal Chronicle
Series Preview: Cardinals Take Their Winning Ways to Philadelphia
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
The Cardinals are headed to Philadelphia with some momentum — and straight into one of the tougher pitching assignments on their remaining schedule.
St. Louis opens a three-game series Friday night at Citizens Bank Park after taking four of five in Cincinnati, capped by Thursday’s remarkable 10-9 comeback victory. Down to their final strike, the Cardinals scored six times in the ninth inning to steal the finale and secure their fifth consecutive series win.
Now comes Philadelphia.
The Cardinals enter the weekend at 66-63 while the Phillies are 70-58. St. Louis has won seven of its last 10, but Philadelphia has been even hotter, winning six straight and eight of 10.
And although the Cardinals have yet to announce their starting pitchers, Philadelphia has its rotation lined up.
Friday — 5:40 p.m. CDT
Cardinals: TBD vs. LHP Jesús Luzardo (11-5, 3.23 ERA, 185 K)
There is no easing into this series.
Luzardo has been one of Philadelphia’s best starters, striking out 185 batters in 150 1/3 innings while allowing opponents to hit just .227. His combination of velocity and swing-and-miss stuff gives the Cardinals another significant test after a difficult five-game series in Cincinnati.
With a left-hander on the mound, St. Louis should have opportunities to lean more heavily on its right-handed bats, including Iván Herrera, Jordan Walker, José Fermín and Joshua Báez.
Saturday — 5:05 p.m. CDT
Cardinals: TBD vs. RHP Andrew Painter (2-8, 6.43 ERA, 71 K)
Painter’s record and ERA suggest this is the most favorable matchup of the weekend.
The Cardinals know better.
They saw Painter on Aug. 10 at Busch Stadium, when the highly regarded young right-hander carried a no-hit bid into the sixth inning and earned the victory in Philadelphia’s 6-5 win. St. Louis eventually got into the Phillies bullpen, but Painter controlled the game for much of his outing.
Saturday could therefore be the swing game of the series. The Cardinals cannot afford to look at Painter’s season numbers and assume this is the soft spot between two outstanding left-handers.
Sunday — 12:35 p.m. CDT
Cardinals: TBD vs. LHP Cristopher Sánchez (16-4, 2.51 ERA, 187 K)
The toughest assignment may come Sunday.
Sánchez has emerged as one of the National League’s top starting pitchers, going 16-4 with a 2.51 ERA and 187 strikeouts over 161 2/3 innings. He has allowed just 13 home runs all season.
There is at least some recent history working in the Cardinals’ favor.
Sánchez faced St. Louis on Aug. 11, and Andre Pallante matched him pitch for pitch as the Cardinals found a way to win. St. Louis ultimately took two of three from Philadelphia at Busch Stadium despite facing Painter, Sánchez and Zack Wheeler in succession.
These Teams Are Closer Than Their Records Suggest
One of the more interesting numbers entering the series is the run differential.
Philadelphia has scored 574 runs and allowed 559. St. Louis has scored 572 and allowed 562.
That is remarkably close.
The Phillies have scored only two more runs than the Cardinals this season and allowed only three fewer, yet Philadelphia owns a four-and-a-half-game advantage in the standings.
Kyle Schwarber remains the most obvious danger in the Philadelphia lineup. He enters the series with 37 home runs, 74 RBIs and an .888 OPS, providing enormous power in a lineup that also features Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Luis Arraez.
The Cardinal Chronicle Take
The first question is how the Cardinals line up their rotation after a demanding five-game series in Cincinnati. Until those starters are announced, it is difficult to handicap the individual pitching matchups.
What we do know is this: the Phillies are giving the Cardinals no favors.
Luzardo and Sánchez give Philadelphia two high-end left-handers bookending the series, while Painter already showed St. Louis firsthand that his 6.43 ERA does not tell the entire story.
But the Cardinals aren't arriving in Philadelphia simply trying to survive the weekend. They have won five consecutive series, they just took two of three from these Phillies at Busch Stadium, and Thursday's comeback in Cincinnati added another chapter to a club that continues to find ways to hang around.
Take two of three in Philadelphia, and that five-series winning streak becomes six.
More importantly, with September approaching, those games in the standings start getting awfully expensive to give away.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: LHP Jesús Luzardo, Philadelphia Phillies | MLB