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Lackey dominates, Cardinals beat Cubs 4-0 in NLDS opener
Posted On Oct 10 2015
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St. Louis finished three games ahead of the Cubs, who had the third-best record in the majors and are making their first postseason appearance since 2008. Producing similar at-bats was almost impossible with the trifecta of Lackey, Molina and Cuzzi working against them. Now they are on opposite teams, neither with the Red Sox.
“I’m trying to win rings, and trying to be part of something special as a team”. They had little time to settle back into their seats before jumping with joy once more.
“I wouldn’t say flawless, but obviously sitting over there you know what Lack’s going to do”, Lester said after the St. Louis Cardinals cooled off the Cubs 4-0 in their NL Division Series opener Friday night. Catchers like these two veterans can and do help win close ball games, regardless of their bat. “This is what you play for”. They can hit the pillow knowing that 36 of the 40 teams to take a 1-0 lead in best-of-five NLDS advance to the NLCS. Kevin Siegrist struck out the two hitters he faced in the eighth inning and while Trevor Rosenthal made the ninth inning somewhat exciting no runs were surrendered. In the first inning, Piscotty looped a one-out double to right field, then scored on Holliday’s single up the middle. But the Chicago ace couldn’t keep it going in the eighth, conceding pinch hitter Thomas Pham’s solo home run. Piscotty had a two-run shot off Pedro Strop in the eighth. Lackey met the Cubs four times this season and allowed three runs on 19 hits in 21.2 innings.
Lackey’s fastball averaged 92.7 miles per hour, the highest in any of his starts this season.
Jon Lester will be facing a familiar face as John Lackey takes the mound for the Cardinals.
Lackey posted a 13-10 record with a 2.77 ERA in 218 innings and 33 starts this year.
[Related: ]. He makes incredible adjustments for a young player.”Piscotty had to overcome the mild concussion he suffered in a spectacular late-season outfield collision with teammate Peter Bourjos.”The doctors and trainers did a tremendous job getting me in good shape, enough so I could even get in a game in Atlanta, which I think was big for keeping in rhythm and timing and all of that”, Piscotty said“. Adding two more after that pretty much put the game to bed.
“He thrives in these situations and just takes it there and goes a step further”.
Lackey missed his spot by about a foot and a half, but hey, it worked. The 47,830 fans murmured in dissatisfied surprise.
“Man, was he good”, Matheny said. “Just win the game”. At the end of the series, the final two teams will advance to the National League Championship Series.
It’s October. It’s his time of year. Pham calls him “an original gangster”.
In a series between baseball’s longest-running rivals, with fan bases (especially in Chicago) that are ready to run through the streets naked with every rally, the Cardinals won the way they always do: methodically. The performance lowered his career playoff ERA to 2.90. “He comes from Texas, kind of does the John Wayne strut out there”.
