The long-standing rivalry between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals was renewed once again today at Busch Stadium in St. Louis as the two National League Central foes faced off on a sunny summer afternoon. While both teams entered the game near the bottom of the division standings, the intensity and competitiveness that has come to define this rivalry was still very much present.
The Cubs sent right-hander Kyle Hendricks to the mound to face off against Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright. Hendricks has had a solid but unspectacular season, going 6-6 with a 3.78 ERA through his first 18 starts of the year. Wainwright, meanwhile, continues to defy Father Time at 38 years old, boasting a 7-6 record and 3.32 ERA in what is now his 16th major league season, all spent with the Cardinals. Both pitchers came ready to battle in this much-anticipated matchup.
The Cardinals jumped out to an early 1-0 lead against Hendricks in the bottom of the 2nd inning. With one out, Dylan Carlson singled to center and came around to score two batters later on a double off the bat of Nolan Arenado, the big free agent acquisition for St. Louis over the offseason. Arenado has fit in seamlessly with his new club, batting .288 with 17 home runs and 59 RBI on the year.
The Cubs responded quickly to tie the game in the top of the 3rd. After Patrick Wisdom led off the frame with a double, Frank Schwindel brought him home with a line drive single to right, scoring Wisdom easily. Schwindel has been a breakout player for the Cubs in his first full major league season at the age of 29, batting .286 with 13 home runs in only 69 games played.
From there, the game remained tied until the bottom of the 6th inning. Wainwright cruised through the Cubs lineup, allowing only the one run on five hits through the first five and two-thirds innings while striking out six. But with one out in the bottom of the 6th, Tommy Edman smoked a double into the left field corner and came around to score all the way from second on a bloop single to shallow right by catcher Andrew Knizner, putting the Cardinals back on top 2-1.
That would prove to be the decisive run, as Wainwright shut the Cubs down the rest of the way while the Cardinals bullpen took it from there. Wainwright finished with a quality start, allowing just the one run on six hits over seven innings of work while striking out seven against no walks on 103 pitches. The 38-year-old continues to amaze with his consistent excellence, now boasting a 15-7 career record against the Cubs with a 2.36 ERA in 33 starts against their biggest rival.
In the 8th inning, the Cardinals provided an insurance run, as Edmundo Sosa led off with a single, stole second base, and came around to score on a two-out single by Lars Nootbaar, the rookie outfielder who has impressed in his first taste of major league action. Nootbaar’s clutch two-out RBI gave the Cardinals a 3-1 lead heading into the final frame.
From there, Giovanny Gallegos took over on the mound and worked a perfect 8th inning to keep the Cubs off the board. In the 9th, Gallegos ran into a bit of trouble, allowing a one-out single to Ian Happ and walking Patrick Wisdom, but the flame-throwing righty was able to induce a 6-4-3 double play from Frank Schwindel to end the game. Gallegos earned his 10th save of the year, preserving a 3-1 Cardinals victory in the rivalry matchup.
While not necessarily a pitching duel for the ages given the offensive struggles of both teams, Wainwright and Hendricks battled admirably in what was ultimately a well-pitched game by both starters. Wainwright came away the winner thanks to key run support from Edman, Knizner, and Nootbaar, improving his record to 8-6 while lowering his ERA to 3.28 on the season. For the Cubs, the loss drops Hendricks’ record to 6-7 as they continue to tread water near the bottom of the division.
With the win, the Cardinals improved to 49-48 on the year and remain within striking distance of the division-leading Brewers. While not an easy road ahead, St. Louis remains in playoff contention thanks to solid starting pitching and timely hitting. They’ll look to build on this rivalry victory with another win in the series tomorrow afternoon. For the Cubs, it’s simply about playing spoiler at this point and trying to develop younger players as they eye a rebuild. But the intensity and drama of this historic rivalry was on full display yet again today at Busch Stadium.
In summary, Adam Wainwright continued his stellar career against the Cubs by outpitching Kyle Hendricks to lead the Cardinals to a 3-1 victory in the rivalry matchup at Busch Stadium. Key hits by Arenado, Edman, Knizner and Nootbaar helped provide just enough run support for Wainwright and the St. Louis bullpen to come away with the win, keeping the Cardinals in the NL Central race. While the standings may say otherwise, the Cubs and Cardinals rivalry showed it remains as competitive as ever with another hard-fought battle between the longtime division foes.
