Cardinals rookies help clinch win over Cubs

A crafty veteran pitcher got them to the brink and a pair of rookies sealed the deal in Game One of the National League Division Series before 47,830 at Busch Stadium.

Overall in Game 1 the Cardinals pitchers allowed just three hits in total, and the Cubs will have to try and find a way to break free and let loose in Game 2 if they are to turn things around. The Cardinals start Jaime Garcia (10-6), and the Cubs go with Kyle Hendricks (8-7). Lester shut down the Cardinals until the eighth, when Tommy Pham added a pinch-hit solo home run in his first postseason plate appearance.

John Lackey willed himself to yet another playoff win, and that was enough to get the St. Louis Cardinals off to a flying start in yet another postseason journey. In the left-hander’s last four postseason starts, all against the Cardinals, he is 0-4 with a 7.15 ERA.

Lester figured he’d be matched against 17-game victor Michael Wacha, but the right-hander was 2-3 with a 7.78 ERA the final month and will start Game 3. The Cubs advanced by eliminating Pittsburgh in the National League wild-card game.

Lester went toe to toe with Lackey most of the night. Piscotty doubled with one out and scored on Holliday’s single. Rosenthal, though, had allowed 12 hits, six earned runs and two home runs in 8⅓ September innings.

R.I.P. DARRYL KILE: In 2002, a Cardinals-Cubs game was tearfully postponed after St. Louis ace Darryl Kile was found dead in a Chicago hotel room. Kris Bryant immediately – and I mean immediately, it happened on the first pitch – hit into a double play to end the inning.

Yes, he has two home runs and 11 RBI against lefties, but he is batting just. Doing so would not only give both an excellent chance of going up 2-games-to-1 in Game 3, but would effectively steal home-field advantage by turning the Division Series in to a best-of-three with the “first” two games coming in Chicago and New York.

Brandon Moss has replaced Randal Grichuk in the Cardinals’ lineup Saturday for Game 2. It’s no coincidence this team won over 100 games and is playing in its fourth-straight NLDS under their young skipper.

Cardinals: Matt Adams was left off the division series roster because he’s still rounding into form following surgery for a torn quadriceps.

St. Louis acquired him from the Red Sox on July 31, 2014. Unfortunately, he did hit two batters during his innings pitched.

As much as Cubs fans like to hate on Matheny, there’s no doubt he’s one of the better managers in Major League Baseball today. Castro did not appear to bother the throw to first after the forceout was converted but, as Wong tried to relay to first, the ball squirted out of his hand and into the first-base camera well near the Cardinals’ dugout.

Reigning NL rookie of the year deGrom allowed five hits in seven innings to win the pitching duel with Kershaw, who finished with 10 strikeouts. It was the allure of where October can take him and his baseball team.

This was a game they felt they had to win, not only giving them confidence, but stopping the Cubs’ steam-rolling momentum, having not lost a game for 13 days.