Hunt and Peck

The Cardinals are three games ahead of the Cubs - A Hunt and Peck

... an article by Captain Obvious

By lil_scooter93 Sep 4, 2019, 1:00pm EDT

San Francisco Giants v St Louis Cardinals

The sky is blue. Water is wet. Matt Carpenter’s walk rate is above 10%. The Cardinals are leading the National League Central.

Wait. Let’s look at that last one.

The Cardinals leading the Central was “a given” — more accurately a heavy favorite — for a few years in a row. Then it was not. The Cubs started trying to win and win they did. Then the Brewers put some skin in the game in 2018 and they too, began to win. The Cardinals saw themselves the odd man out for three straight seasons.

As of now they are back on top.

The reason I bring this up is because the Cubs broadcast did first. The delightful VanHicklestein captured it for our enjoyment:

Cubs broadcast talks Flaherty and their position in the division pic.twitter.com/4wpjZqW6x9
— VHS (@VanHicklestein) September 4, 2019

The exchange is pretty complimentary of the Cardinals and Jack Flaherty. Here is a transcription:

LEN KASPER: ... a chance to gain some more ground on the Wild Card leading Nationals. They trail ten to four in the ninth. The other two teams ahead and behind them [the Cubs] in the division are leading their games. The Cardinals one-nothing in the ninth — that just went final. The Cardinals beat the Giants one to nothing. Milwaukee leading four — two at home against Houston in the eighth.

JIM DESHAIES: Jack Flaherty is out of control.

LK: Let’s see what he did tonight — eight innings, one hit, no runs. Carlos Martínez with a quick one-two-three ninth. Let’s see JD... the Cardinals have won... twenty of their last twenty-five.

JD: Yeah, so depending on whether you’re a ‘glass is half full’ or ‘glass is half empty’ Cub fan: ‘uh oh’ or ‘they’re due... they’re due to go south for a while’.

LK: (Rolled into left!) You like having seven of your final ten against them that is for sure.

With possibly large playoff implications at stake, the Cardinals upcoming games against the Cubs are sure to be something. Whether that is something good or bad for the Cardinals, though, remains to be seen.