Call to the pen
Fansided

St. Louis Cardinals take two of three from Chicago Cubs, and the NL Central is officially a race

By Steve Herl

May 14, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (4) follows through on a two-run home run during the second inning against the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kane-USA TODAY Sports
May 14, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (4) follows through on a two-run home run during the second inning against the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kane-USA TODAY Sports /
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In front of another record crowd at Busch Stadium, the St. Louis Cardinals shut out the Chicago Cubs 5-0 on Sunday. The National League Central is now officially a race.

After losing two of three in St. Louis (21-15) the defending World Series Champion Chicago Cubs (18-19) are 3.5 games behind the Cardinals. More than that, they trail the Milwaukee Brewers (21-17) by 2.5 games and the Cincinnati Reds (19-18) by 1.0 game.

The Cubs have lost seven of ten games while playing short-handed. Kris Bryant missed all three games in St. Louis due to a stomach virus. Jason Heyward has been on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to May 6 while Brett Anderson has been on the same list since May 7.

St. Louis has won eight of nine, Milwaukee has won seven of ten and Cincinnati has won six of ten even after losing three in a row. Within the division the Cardinals are 12-9, the Brewers are 12-11, the Reds are 11-11 and the Cubs are 11-10.

The Stats

Milwaukee leads the National League in home runs, Cincinnati’s pitchers lead the National League in Batting Average Against and their hitters are 4th in hitting. St. Louis is 2nd in ERA, 4th in stolen bases and 3rd in On Base Percentage, while the Cubs pitchers are 3rd in strikeouts and 4th in ERA.

The Chicago Cubs as a team are hitting .236 for 12th in the National League. On Sunday in St. Louis their offense was held to 4 hits in the shutout. As a team they have hit 42 home runs in 37 games while the Brewers have hit 63 home runs in 38 games.

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St. Louis used the long ball on Mother’s Day with both Yadier Molina (.270, 3 HR, 14 RBI) and Matt Carpenter (.252, 8 HR, 24 RBI) hitting two-run home runs in the second and third innings respectively. Molina closed out the scoring with a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth.

Adam Wainwright (3-3, 5.31, 1.75 WHIP) got the win by going 7 innings allowing 4 hits while fanning 3 and walking 4. Jake Arrieta (4-3, 5.44, 1.46) took the loss while pitching 6 innings giving up 7 hits, with five strikeouts and one walk.

Going Forward

The Cubs open a ten game homestand on Tuesday night against the Reds. John Lackey (3-3, 4.29, 1.31 WHIP) will oppose Bronson Arroyo (3-2, 5.94, 1.32 WHIP) for Cincinnati. Kris Bryant will likely be ready for the homestand.

The St. Louis Cardinals welcome the Boston Red Sox to Busch Stadium on Tuesday night. Lance Lynn (4-1, 2.75, 1.13 WHIP) will oppose Eduardo Rodriquez (1-1, 2.80, 1.13 WHIP) for the Red Sox.

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Milwaukee heads to San Diego for a Monday night game against the Padres.  Chase Anderson (2-0, 2.97, 1.32 WHIP) will take the mound for the Brewers and will be opposed by Luis Perdomo (0-0, 4.13, 1.38 WHIP) for San Diego.

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