Cardinals vs Cubs Preview Article (Friday)

VirginiaCavs

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Cardinals Red With Anger in Opener Against Rival Cubs



The Cardinals begin a three-game home series with the hated Cubs on Friday at 8:15 ET on the MLB Network. This is the spot for the Cards to wake up from their slump. Let’s bet on it.



Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals




MLB Pick: Cardinals




When capping my favorite team, I use feel as my guide. On the one hand, bettors should intuit a low-scoring Cardinals loss in the game after they produce double-digit runs or experience some kind of dramatic win, such as a late comeback. On the other hand, Friday’s home opener offers a positive spot for them. After an ugly road stretch, they’ll be revived by an energized Friday night home crowd anticipating the rival Cubs. St. Louis is 4-1 in a home game immediately preceded by a loss on the road. This trend is especially meaningful considering their overall struggles at home. After leaving lots of runners on base in their last game, expect the Cards to buckle down with runners in scoring position.

Cardinal Luke Weaver (5-9, 4.79 ERA) showed rust in his first start after the All-Star Break, a five-walk outing against the Cubs. He had been enjoying a strong July, allowing three runs in 14 innings and producing a 7:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Although the young talent can be spotty with his command, he always bounces back after an unsharp performance. After each of the four starts in which allowed three walks or more, he yielded an FIP (like ERA, but factors out luck) of 3.33 or better. In his two starts against the Cubs before the last one, he yielded an FIP under 3.20. He was the victim of an unfortunately high opposing BABIP, (batting average of balls in play) despite inducing a high soft contact rate.

Weaver has performed better lately because he is throwing more strikes and inducing batters to chase his pitches more frequently. Weaver throws a 92-97 mph fastball with well above-average spin rate more than half the time and mixes in a change-up and curveball. In his stronger games, he has a feel for elevating his fastball. His change-up has gained horizontal and vertical movement throughout the season. He throws hitters off-balance with his curveball because of its strong velocity differential with his other pitches and because he often works backwards, starting off with his curveball and finishing the batter with his fastball.

He lives and dies with his favorite pitch. In his two unlucky starts against the Cubs, they batted .500 against his fastball. But, their average exit velocity against it was only 77 mph, meaning that they failed to make good contact with it. Based on the metric SLG-xSLG, which compares what a team’s slugging rate is with what it should be based on quality of contact, they strongly overachieved against his fastball.





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In his last start, Chicago’s Mike Montgomery (3-3, 3.73 ERA) benefitted from facing the Cardinals a day after they produced 18 runs. Before his last start, Montgomery yielded an FIP over 4.00 in four straight outings. He is a poor bet against division opponents, yielding -4.1 units against them.

The southpaw Montgomery relies on four different pitches with between 16 and 34 percent frequency. His favorite pitch is the sinker. He relies on it most in every scenario except with two strikes. It’s lost some velocity even since he switched into the starting rotation, averaging 91 mph in July. Four of his last seven opponents slugged .500 or better against it. St. Louis ranks second in slugging against the sinker from lefties and is metrically the most underachieving team against it.

Watch for Matt Carpenter, the NL player of the week. He had averaged a strong exit velocity, but suffered from an unluckily low BABIP and was due for statistical progression. In his past seven days, he is slugging 1.231. He slugs .631 against lefties. Yadier Molina and Tommy Pham are batting .300 in July.
 
Still don't have the salesman eating from palm of your hands eh??

Nah I was closer yesterday w the initial quote. All I did was ask for a color switch and he gets back to me $60 a month higher w all kind of options I don’t want or need. I ask about the “lower” model and it’s still more than my current and loaded w extras lol. I get you want to clear inventory but I’m not paying for things I deem unnecessary, if you want to include them ok, but I’m not paying for it ha
 
Nah I was closer yesterday w the initial quote. All I did was ask for a color switch and he gets back to me $60 a month higher w all kind of options I don’t want or need. I ask about the “lower” model and it’s still more than my current and loaded w extras lol. I get you want to clear inventory but I’m not paying for things I deem unnecessary, if you want to include them ok, but I’m not paying for it ha

Maybe not just clear inventory, probably enough people just want to get the deal done with and in the excitement of it all blindly pay more cash for extra shit they don't need lol. I can see how that's annoying when you're trying to just bring price down and get what you want lol
 
Maybe not just clear inventory, probably enough people just want to get the deal done with and in the excitement of it all blindly pay more cash for extra shit they don't need lol. I can see how that's annoying when you're trying to just bring price down and get what you want lol

True. Plus the guy knows my price point so the initial was workable, only like $20 higher, then I felt insulted w the higher offer and when i said no that’s clearly not in the ballpark, how can we lower that and he comes back w “you can put more money down. That’ll lower your payments”. Um no jerkwad that’s not lowering my price. I’m prob gonna tell him I’m gonna look around as the 3 offers he gave me one was workable the other two not but he’d had the swap the color
 
True. Plus the guy knows my price point so the initial was workable, only like $20 higher, then I felt insulted w the higher offer and when i said no that’s clearly not in the ballpark, how can we lower that and he comes back w “you can put more money down. That’ll lower your payments”. Um no jerkwad that’s not lowering my price. I’m prob gonna tell him I’m gonna look around as the 3 offers he gave me one was workable the other two not but he’d had the swap the color

Lmao are you kidding me. How do we lower that you pay more money. What a dick response. I woulda threatened to walk away right there but you prob got a better temper and less of a chip on the shoulder than I do!
 
Lmao are you kidding me. How do we lower that you pay more money. What a dick response. I woulda threatened to walk away right there but you prob got a better temper and less of a chip on the shoulder than I do!

Thats why I’m emailing him. I’m not wasting my time and actually going in until we are close. I was shocked he said that. I’m pretty close to walking and going back to Audi tho
 
Thats why I’m emailing him. I’m not wasting my time and actually going in until we are close. I was shocked he said that. I’m pretty close to walking and going back to Audi tho

Yeah don't take any shit! E-mail him a pic of the audi you buy :D I'm a huge opponent of taking the high road. I say fuck the high road. Be as petty as you need to hurt your opponent!
 
Mike Montgomery (3-3, 3.73) gets the ball for Chicago. He's 3-2 in 10 starts since replacing injured Yu Darvish in the rotation, including a good six innings Saturday night in a no-decision against the Cardinals. Montgomery yielded just five hits and a run with two walks and three strikeouts.
In 10 career outings against St. Louis, four of them starts, Montgomery is 1-1 with a 1.25 ERA, permitting only 13 hits in 21 2/3 innings.Weaver enters this start with a 5-9 record and 4.79 ERA, and was a 7-2 loser at the Cubs on Saturday, permitting three runs, seven hits and five walks in four-plus innings. Weaver, who fanned two, has failed to last six innings in eight of his last 10 starts.Weaver has taken a step back after being the team's best starting pitcher for most of the last six weeks of 2017. Weaver's fastball command has been lacking, and he has not been able to make up for it by pinpointing his offspeed pitches.
 
14 mil down the shitter. 25 mil less than the cubs blew on chatwood.

Chatwood disaster a lesson about putting too much faith in high spin rate. Not sure Holland shit was forseeable. Mo was under pressure to sign a big reliever and Holland had been one. Rox were clearly seeing something and were right to dump him
 
@2daBank You got an opinion amigo? :)

Not yet. My brother just text me and said it looks like they started cleaning house like I was calling for. Holland Lyons, Cecil, traded tuey which I don’t get he was one of few I liked. But whatever at least the dumping has begun! Don’t let door hit you losers on way out!! Lol
 
Not yet. My brother just text me and said it looks like they started cleaning house like I was calling for. Holland Lyons, Cecil, traded tuey which I don’t get he was one of few I liked. But whatever at least the dumping has begun! Don’t let door hit you losers on way out!! Lol

They killing Lyons and Cecil as well?? I friggin hope so!! Pen such a shit show Surprised about Tuey as well. Brebbia staying right? I look forward to our youth developing! Bring back Poncedeleon!
 
Really not sure if it will change this season but certainly can’t be a bad thing and getting these kids experience should only help for the future.
 
It not over, if they started playing golf ball they could win a wild card or even catch scrubbies. I mean it prob over cause they won’t play good ball but certainly more than enough time to catch them.

Between an inconsistent, power-dependent lineup, garbage pen and garbage d and baserunning, where‘s the hope?
 
Between an inconsistent, power-dependent lineup, garbage pen and garbage d and baserunning, where‘s the hope?

Never said I had any hope. We do have one of best starting rotations in the NL tho, 3rd best starters era I believe even w all the injuries, so that is a start. Appears we cleaned house of all the overpaid dog shit in our pen. If you have one of best starting rotations and what could become one of the better pens than sure there is some hope. Not as if the lineup is void of talent, carp has to be among leaders in the nl mvp discussion, yadi has become one of the better offensive catchers in nl, dejung could become one of better offensive shortstops, ozuna has proven capable of monster numbers at the plate. Ya can’t tell me this team isn’t just as talented as any of the others competing for the wild cards.
 
Never said I had any hope. We do have one of best starting rotations in the NL tho, 3rd best starters era I believe even w all the injuries, so that is a start. Appears we cleaned house of all the overpaid dog shit in our pen. If you have one of best starting rotations and what could become one of the better pens than sure there is some hope. Not as if the lineup is void of talent, carp has to be among leaders in the nl mvp discussion, yadi has become one of the better offensive catchers in nl, dejung could become one of better offensive shortstops, ozuna has proven capable of monster numbers at the plate. Ya can’t tell me this team isn’t just as talented as any of the others competing for the wild cards.

Starting rotation is a huge talent gotta wonder about its youth tho. Martinez still has control issues, Weaver is inconsistent, really a bummer that Wacha had to get injured. Its a great starting point, lineup talented for sure gotta love Bader and even Munoz as young talents, I hope Ozuna picks himself up to remotely what he was last year
 
Starting rotation is a huge talent gotta wonder about its youth tho. Martinez still has control issues, Weaver is inconsistent, really a bummer that Wacha had to get injured. Its a great starting point, lineup talented for sure gotta love Bader and even Munoz as young talents, I hope Ozuna picks himself up to remotely what he was last year

I like Bader cause he plays balls to the wall but he has some of same glaring weaknesses Grickuk showed in his swing, way too much swing and miss and has really struggled w rhp, he gonna have to fix some those holes to be a everyday player. Kinda same w Munoz, lot of holes in his swing, we might have got taken giving piscotty up for him although that was best move for everyone so piscotty could be close to his mother.
 
I like Bader cause he plays balls to the wall but he has some of same glaring weaknesses Grickuk showed in his swing, way too much swing and miss and has really struggled w rhp, he gonna have to fix some those holes to be a everyday player. Kinda same w Munoz, lot of holes in his swing, we might have got taken giving piscotty up for him although that was best move for everyone so piscotty could be close to his mother.

We traded Piscotty when he couldn‘t like get a single hit in the entire second half right?
 
Lineup cant be good with just Carp and Yadi producing. Idk how to evaluae Paul‘s swing but his hitting needs to outweigh his shit D same with Gyorko
 
We traded Piscotty when he couldn‘t like get a single hit in the entire second half right?

Well I’m pretty sure we traded him cause he had family problems with his mothers health being really bad and her living in the Oakland area. He was def struggling at the time but believe it was more to do with getting him close to home .
 
Well I’m pretty sure we traded him cause he had family problems with his mothers health being really bad and her living in the Oakland area. He was def struggling at the time but believe it was more to do with getting him close to home .

Yea you‘re right. But Diaz and Grichuk also
 
Yea you‘re right. But Diaz and Grichuk also

Well Diaz just sucked, straight one hit wonder who once teams made adjustments he couldn’t readjust. Grichik just has too many holes in his swing and we just had lot of guys he was holding back in minors. I’d like to see O’neal Get a chance with his great minor league power numbers.
 
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