Game Forty-Four: Cubs (29-14) vs. Cardinals (24-21)
- Game Time – 6:10pm CDT
- Coverage – TV: Comcast SportsNet, ESPN – Radio: WSCR 670 The Score, Cubs Radio Network, XM Radio Channels 185, 844
- Location – Busch Stadium III, St. Louis
Jason Hammel, RHP (5-1, 2.31/1.20/3.35) vs. Michael Wacha, RHP (2-4, 4.03/1.46/3.48)
It’s game two of round two of Cubs-Cardinals
The Cubs turn to Jason Hammel tonight and will ask the veteran right-hander to put his team in position to snap the three-game losing streak.
The Cubs have a chance at salvaging the road trip with wins the next two games. But first the Cubs have to take care of business tonight and put a win on the board. The Cubs have struggled with doing the little things over the last week. One good inning early that ends with a crooked number could go a long way to help put the Cardinals away.
If anything the current road trip has shown is that the Cubs are not going to run away with the division as many so boldly predicted too early in a baseball season.
Tonight all starts with Jason Hammel …
Like a majority of his teammates, Jason Hammel struggled at Miller Park in his last start. Hammel lost for the first time in his career to the Brewers after allowing four runs on five hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in six innings. Hammel served up two home runs after giving up just one longball in his previous seven starts combined.
Prior to the dud against the Brewers, Hammel had allowed two earned runs or less in six of seven starts. Hammel is 2-1 in his last four starts with a 3.97 ERA and 1.37 WHIP.
Hammel is 3-1 in five road starts this season with a 2.48 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. And one of those wins was in St. Louis back on April 19. Hammel allowed one run on five hits with no walks and six strikeouts in six innings. The Cubs edged the Cardinals 2-1.
For his career, Hammel is 3-3 in eight starts versus the Cardinals with a 5.26 ERA and 1.38 WHIP.
Cardinals Career Numbers against Jason Hammel
- Matt Holliday: 5-for-16 with three doubles and two walks
- Matt Carpenter: 3-for-17 with one double
- Yadier Molina: 7-for-15 with three doubles, one triple and one walk
- Brandon Moss: 3-for-12 with one double
- Matt Adams: 4-for-9 with two doubles
- Randal Grichuk: 3-for-9 with one triple and one home run
- Jedd Gyorko: 1-for-8
- Kolten Wong: 1-for-5 with one double
- Stephen Piscotty: 2-for-4 with one triple, one home run and one walk
- Ruben Tejeda: 0-for-4 with one walk
- Jeremy Hazelbaker: 0-for-3
- Michael Wacha: 1-for-3
Michael Wacha is having a rough season and he’s not pitching anywhere close to expectations. Wacha is coming off back-to-back starts against the Dodgers and Rockies in which he lasted four innings and gave up six runs on eight hits in both outings.
Wacha is 0-3 in his last four starts with a 5.32 ERA and 1.64 WHIP. And at home this season, Wacha is 1-2 in five starts with a 3.60 ERA and 1.27 WHIP.
The Cubs missed Wacha last month. The Cardinals’ right-hander is 3-3 in eight career starts against the Cubs with a 4.86 ERA and 1.38 WHIP.
Cubs Career Numbers against Michael Wacha
- Anthony Rizzo: 10-for-24 with two home runs and one walk
- Miguel Montero: 2-for-16 with one double and two walks
- Kris Bryant: 5-for-13 with one double, one triple, two home runs and one walk
- Dexter Fowler: 2-for-8 with one walk
- Jorge Soler: 3-for-6 with one home run and three walks
- Addison Russell: 1-for-7 with one triple and one walk
- Javier Baez: 2-for-5 with two doubles
- Jason Hammel: 1-for-4
- David Ross: 0-for-3 with one walk
- Ben Zobrist: 1-for-3
Let’s Talk Cubs Baseball …