The Chicago Cubs climbed from last place to second in the NL Central after consecutive wins over the Pirates. The standings show a four-game gap between first and second, while the gap between second and fifth is smaller. The Cubs begin a series against the Cardinals, who sit directly behind them with two fewer wins and one fewer loss. The Cardinals started strongly but slowed in May, including struggles against NL Central opponents. Chicago’s offense appears to be improving, but pitching remains a concern. Shota Imanaga starts after two poor outings driven by home runs, while Ben Brown follows and Jordan Wicks pitches the finale. Imanaga’s velocity stayed near 92 mph, suggesting underlying performance may be steadier than results indicate, and the Cardinals’ offense is weaker.
"Starting tonight, the Cubs will face the team directly behind them in the standings, the Cardinals, who have two fewer wins, but also one less loss. The Cardinals have definitely been a surprising team this year, already increasing their projected season-win total by five games with a hot 18-13 start. However, they've slowed down lately, going 11-12 in May, with some particular trouble against their NL Central foes lately."
"Of course, Imanaga has had two HORRIBLE outings in a row, with 15 earned runs spread over just 10.1 IP. The reason? You gussed it: Homers. The Astros launched three off Imanaga on May 24, and six days before that, the Brewers hit two. Those five homers allowed match the total number of homers he gave up in his first nine starts this season. His ERA before those two starts? 2.32. His ERA today? 4.04."
"The good news here, however, is that his velocity isn't hurting. Imanaga was sitting at (or very close to) 92 MPH in each of his last two starts, which is where he was early in the year, too. And perhaps more to the point, that's nearly 2 MPH higher than most starts last season, when he was consistently a problem. The other good news for both Imanaga and Wicks, for that matter, is that the Cardinals are a much weaker offense"
Read at Bleacher Nation
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]