Cardinals need to send a message to Cubs: We’re still here
You don’t need us to tell the Chicago Cubs are good. That’s fairly obvious. Just look at the NL Central standings. They’ve got an 11.5 game lead over the second-place St. Louis Cardinals — and that’s after the Cardinals won the first of their three-game set at Wrigley on Monday night.
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The Cubs are 47-21. They’ve got the most wins in baseball, the highest run differential (by a lot) and the biggest gap of any division leader. That lead, actually, should be viewed in historical context rather than against the best teams of 2016. Consider this factoid, which was true before the Cardinals won Monday:
Yep. This Cubs start is that good. Heck, Cubs fans have already been joking about wrapping up the division. But, as we well know, the season doesn’t end July 1. Beyond that, a double-digit lead in June isn’t exactly the recipe for postseason dominance (ain’t that right, 2001 Mariners?) So that’s why, as their series continues Tuesday, the Cardinals need to keep sending a message to the Cubs: We’re still here. And we’re not going down without a fight.
You can stream Tuesday’s game right here on Yahoo Sports. It’s our MLB Free Game of the Day with first pitch at 8:05 p.m. ET. You can watch the game on Yahoo’s Sports Home, MLB index, video home and right here in this very post. Local blackouts apply, per MLB rules.
This particular series obviously won’t change the standings in the NL Central. But the Cardinals at least have an opportunity to let the Cubs know winning the NL Central won’t just be a cakewalk from now until September.
Monday’s game was a good example: The Cardinals (now 36-33) won 3-2. They scored three runs in the first three innings and were able to hold off that potent Cubs offense the rest of the game. It was only one game, sure, but it was a good tone-setter for a series that is important for St. Louis. The Cardinals would be well served to remind the Cubs that they, for so long, were the tenacious team to beat in the NL Central and that hasn’t changed, respective records be damned.
Once this series ends, the Cubs and Cards won’t see each other again until mid-August, so the task for the Cardinals becomes catching a team they won’t see for two months. Get walloped by the Cubs now and that just feels tougher. Sweep a series — heck, even win a series — and that big Cubs lead feels at least a little less insurmountable heading into the summer.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
