Cardinals Weekend Takeaways 6-5-15 thru 5-7-15

The Cardinals wrapped up their series with the L.A. Dodgers this weekend, going a healthy 3-1 against a very good ball club. Here are the scores:

Friday: 2-1 (W)

Saturday: 0-2 (L)

Sunday: 4-2 (W)

The Takeaways:

  • Pitching, Pitching, Pitching. The starting pitching in all three games was excellent for both clubs. First, the good guys: Carlos Martinez (7 IP, 1 ER, 11K, 4 BB, 3 H), Jaime Garcia (7 IP, 2 ER, 6K, 0 BB, 6 H) and Lance Lynn (5 IP, 2 ER, 5 K, 1 BB, 6 H). For the Dodgers: Brett Anderson (7.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 K, 3 BB, 4 H) Clayton Kershaw (8 IP, 0 ER, 11 K, 1 BB, 1 H), Zach Grienke (6.2 IP, 1 ER, 8 K, 1 BB, 6 H).
  • The back of the Cardinals rotation beat the front of the Dodgers. The Dodgers have seen their rotation depth depleted with season-ending injuries to Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy, but they had two Cy Young winners and a former top prospect on the mound.
  • In a lot of ways, Brett Anderson and Jaime Garcia are similar players, as talented lefties who have struggled for years to stay healthy. Both deserved a win in their respective games, and both were let down by no run support. Garcia is now 1-3, when he should be 3-1, at least.
  • Jhonny Peralta is on fire. Peralta had a homer and a double in Sunday’s win, and continues proving his contract a bargain.
  • Late-game rallies were the difference in both Friday and Sunday’s games, both in the 8th inning.

On Yonder Horizon…

The Cardinals are climbing a mile high, opening a series with the Rockies at Coors Field. The Cardinals will start John Lackey (4-3, 2.93 ERA) while the Rockies counter with David Hale (1-0, 4.26 ERA).

Cardinals Takeaways 6-4-15

The Cardinals played a late, late game for fans here in the central time zone as they opened a four game set with the Dodgers in Los Angeles. The bats kept cracking, and Wacha kept rolling as the Cardinals won 7-1.

The Takeaways…

  • Michael Wacha put a rough start (or more accurately, a rough inning) against the Dodgers last weekend behind him with a quality start, 7 innings, 5 strikeouts, and 1 walk with 7 hits. Wacha’s season record now stands at 8-1 as the young gun makes a serious bid for an All-Star selection.
  • The entire lineup chimed in again. Like in Wednesday’s game, the Cardinals lineup contributed top to bottom. Every starter but Molina had a hit, and Molina still got on with a walk. Heyward and Wong both had multi RBI games. Peralta, Reynolds, and Holliday got in on the action and Matt Carpenter hit his 18th double. Depth is how the Cardinals score, and depth is how the Cardinals win.
  • Randal Grichuk has pop. With his pinch hit double, Grichuk now has 9 doubles…in 72 at bats scattered across 25 games. That’s impressive. He also has 2 homers and 2 triples to go with it. That and stellar defense has made Grichuk worth a whopping 1.3 WAR in those 25 games, according to Baseball Reference

On Yonder Horizon…

Carlos Martinez (5-2, 3.13 ERA) and Brett Anderson (2-3, 3.42 ERA) will do battle in a rematch from last series. It’s another midnight oil game, starting at 9:10 central time.