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ST LOUIS ( LYNN )
WASHINGTON ( GONZALEZ ) |
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| 953 | ST LOUIS | +105 | Ov 7,-115 | +110 | Ov 7,-110 | | 954 | WASHINGTON | -115 | Un 7,-105 | -120 | Un 7,-110 |
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| All Games | 8-3 | +4.2 | 4-7 | 3.9 | 0.250 | 0.308 | 0.370 | 0.678 | 2.2 | 0.206 | 0.261 | 0.302 | 0.563 | | Road Games | 3-2 | +0.8 | 2-3 | 3.6 | 0.234 | 0.302 | 0.354 | 0.656 | 2.6 | 0.178 | 0.254 | 0.318 | 0.573 | | vs Left-handed Starters | 1-0 | +1 | 0-1 | 3.0 | 0.278 | 0.350 | 0.361 | 0.711 | 0.0 | 0.156 | 0.206 | 0.250 | 0.456 | | Past 7 Games | 6-1 | +4.4 | 3-4 | 4.6 | 0.263 | 0.321 | 0.401 | 0.722 | 2.3 | 0.232 | 0.286 | 0.312 | 0.598 | | Grass Games | 8-3 | +4.2 | 4-7 | 3.9 | 0.250 | 0.308 | 0.370 | 0.678 | 2.2 | 0.206 | 0.261 | 0.302 | 0.563 | | Night Games | 4-1 | +2.8 | 2-3 | 3.8 | 0.255 | 0.298 | 0.366 | 0.665 | 1.8 | 0.202 | 0.257 | 0.301 | 0.558 |
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| All Games | 3.9 | 0.250 | 0.308 | 11 | 368 | 92 | 26 | 0 | 6 | 0.370 | 42 | 31 | 74 | 7 | 76 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 5 | | Road Games | 3.6 | 0.234 | 0.302 | 5 | 175 | 41 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 0.354 | 18 | 17 | 44 | 5 | 38 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | | Lefty Starters | 3.0 | 0.278 | 0.350 | 1 | 36 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.361 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
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| All Games | 1.88 | 1.186 | 28.7 | 6 | 6 | 21 | 0 | 13 | 34 | 1-1 | 6 | 1 | 85.7% | | Road Games | 2.45 | 1.227 | 14.7 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 23 | 1-1 | 2 | 1 | 66.7% |
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| All Games | 6-7 | -3 | 7-5 | 4.1 | 0.226 | 0.293 | 0.380 | 0.674 | 4.0 | 0.239 | 0.294 | 0.326 | 0.620 | | Home Games | 4-3 | -0.4 | 4-3 | 3.6 | 0.224 | 0.292 | 0.364 | 0.656 | 2.9 | 0.199 | 0.253 | 0.250 | 0.503 | | vs Right-handed Starters | 4-6 | -4 | 5-4 | 3.6 | 0.220 | 0.280 | 0.351 | 0.631 | 4.2 | 0.240 | 0.296 | 0.311 | 0.607 | | Past 7 Games | 4-3 | +0.4 | 6-1 | 5.7 | 0.252 | 0.326 | 0.433 | 0.759 | 4.6 | 0.238 | 0.292 | 0.351 | 0.643 | | Grass Games | 6-7 | -3 | 7-5 | 4.1 | 0.226 | 0.293 | 0.380 | 0.674 | 4.0 | 0.239 | 0.294 | 0.326 | 0.620 | | Night Games | 3-3 | -0.7 | 3-3 | 4.0 | 0.231 | 0.295 | 0.392 | 0.687 | 3.3 | 0.243 | 0.285 | 0.322 | 0.607 |
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| All Games | 4.1 | 0.226 | 0.293 | 13 | 439 | 99 | 20 | 3 | 14 | 0.380 | 51 | 42 | 110 | 2 | 88 | 4 | 14 | 11 | 9 | | Home Games | 3.6 | 0.224 | 0.292 | 7 | 228 | 51 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 0.364 | 24 | 22 | 59 | 0 | 49 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 4 | | Righty Starters | 3.6 | 0.220 | 0.280 | 10 | 336 | 74 | 13 | 2 | 9 | 0.351 | 34 | 28 | 87 | 1 | 69 | 2 | 11 | 10 | 9 |
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| All Games | 2.27 | 1.121 | 35.7 | 12 | 9 | 30 | 2 | 10 | 30 | 1-2 | 4 | 4 | 50% | | Home Games | 1.15 | 0.893 | 15.7 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 0-0 | 3 | 0 | 100% |
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| 4/8/2015 | LYNN(R) | @ CHICAGO CUBS | ARRIETA(R) | 0-2 | L | 105 | 6.5 un | U | 3 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | | 4/10/2015 | LACKEY(R) | @ CINCINNATI | MARQUIS(R) | 4-5 | L | -125 | 8 un | O | 10 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | | 4/11/2015 | WACHA(R) | @ CINCINNATI | CUETO(R) | 4-1 | W | 105 | 6.5 un | U | 8 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 2 | | 4/12/2015 | MARTINEZ(R) | @ CINCINNATI | IGLESIAS(R) | 7-5 | W | -115 | 8 un | O | 10 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 15 | 0 | | 4/13/2015 | WAINWRIGHT(R) | MILWAUKEE | GARZA(R) | 4-5 | L | -160 | 7.5 un | O | 9 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 2 | | 4/15/2015 | LYNN(R) | MILWAUKEE | PERALTA(R) | 4-2 | W | -150 | 7 un | U | 10 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 1 | | 4/16/2015 | LACKEY(R) | MILWAUKEE | FIERS(R) | 4-0 | W | -140 | 7.5 un | U | 11 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 1 | | 4/17/2015 | WACHA(R) | CINCINNATI | CUETO(R) | 6-1 | W | -120 | 6.5 ov | O | 7 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 1 | | 4/18/2015 | MARTINEZ(R) | CINCINNATI | BAILEY(R) | 5-2 | W | -140 | 7.5 un | U | 10 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 1 | | 4/19/2015 | WAINWRIGHT(R) | CINCINNATI | LEAKE(R) | 2-1 | W | -185 | 7 ov | U | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 0 | | 4/21/2015 | LYNN(R) | @ WASHINGTON | GONZALEZ(L) | | | 4/22/2015 | LACKEY(R) | @ WASHINGTON | FISTER(R) | | | 4/23/2015 | WACHA(R) | @ WASHINGTON | SCHERZER(R) | | | 4/24/2015 | MARTINEZ(R) | @ MILWAUKEE | GARZA(R) | | | 4/25/2015 | WAINWRIGHT(R) | @ MILWAUKEE | PERALTA(R) | | | 4/26/2015 | LYNN(R) | @ MILWAUKEE | FIERS(R) | | | 4/27/2015 | | PHILADELPHIA | | | | 4/28/2015 | | PHILADELPHIA | | |
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| 4/8/2015 | ZIMMERMANN(R) | NY METS | DEGROM(R) | 2-1 | W | -135 | 6 ev | U | 7 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 0 | | 4/9/2015 | STRASBURG(R) | NY METS | HARVEY(R) | 3-6 | L | -110 | 6 ev | O | 7 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 1 | | 4/10/2015 | GONZALEZ(L) | @ PHILADELPHIA | WILLIAMS(R) | 1-4 | L | -155 | 7.5 un | U | 6 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | | 4/11/2015 | FISTER(R) | @ PHILADELPHIA | HAMELS(L) | 2-3 | L | -110 | 6.5 un | U | 7 | 8 | 1 | 13 | 12 | 0 | | 4/12/2015 | SCHERZER(R) | @ PHILADELPHIA | O'SULLIVAN(R) | 4-3 | W | -175 | 7 un | P | 9 | 9 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 0 | | 4/13/2015 | ZIMMERMANN(R) | @ BOSTON | PORCELLO(R) | 4-9 | L | 125 | 8.5 ov | O | 4 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 9 | 2 | | 4/14/2015 | STRASBURG(R) | @ BOSTON | MASTERSON(R) | 7-8 | L | 115 | 8 ov | O | 10 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 8 | 1 | | 4/15/2015 | GONZALEZ(L) | @ BOSTON | MILEY(L) | 10-5 | W | 110 | 9 ov | O | 12 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 0 | | 4/16/2015 | FISTER(R) | PHILADELPHIA | HAMELS(L) | 5-2 | W | -135 | 6.5 un | O | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 0 | | 4/17/2015 | SCHERZER(R) | PHILADELPHIA | O'SULLIVAN(R) | 7-2 | W | -250 | 7 ev | O | 10 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 2 | | 4/18/2015 | ZIMMERMANN(R) | PHILADELPHIA | HARANG(R) | 3-5 | L | -170 | 7 ov | O | 9 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 0 | | 4/19/2015 | STRASBURG(R) | PHILADELPHIA | BUCHANAN(R) | 4-1 | W | -230 | 7.5 un | U | 9 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 1 | | 4/21/2015 | GONZALEZ(L) | ST LOUIS | LYNN(R) | | | 4/22/2015 | FISTER(R) | ST LOUIS | LACKEY(R) | | | 4/23/2015 | SCHERZER(R) | ST LOUIS | WACHA(R) | | | 4/24/2015 | ZIMMERMANN(R) | @ MIAMI | LATOS(R) | | | 4/25/2015 | STRASBURG(R) | @ MIAMI | KOEHLER(R) | | | 4/26/2015 | GONZALEZ(L) | @ MIAMI | HAREN(R) | | | 4/27/2015 | | @ ATLANTA | | | | 4/28/2015 | | @ ATLANTA | | |
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| |  | ST LOUIS: ST. LOUIS (AP) - The Cardinals hope Michael Wacha is ready to stand alongside ace Adam Wainwright at the top of their rotation.
Wacha was the NL Championship Series MVP as a rookie but just 5-6 with a 3.20 ERA in 19 starts last year. He was sidelined for most of the season's second half by a stress reaction in his shoulder, and was rusty in October before giving up Travis Ishikawa's series-winning homer in Game 5 of the NLCS.
Now he feels healthy.
''It's very encouraging, the long term of what this kid could be and the short term of how he feels, somebody every fifth day that can bring the kind of stuff he does,'' St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. ''He feels good about himself and we feel good about what we're seeing.''
The 23-year-old Wacha has long insisted the injury is behind him.
''Ever since I came back last year, I haven't thought about it when I was on the mound,'' Wacha said. ''As far as I know, it was a rare injury. I'm not sure where it came from.''
If it stays away, the Cardinals figure to again have one of the deeper starting staffs despite trading 15-game winner Shelby Miller for outfielder Jason Heyward. Wainwright was a 20-game winner for the second time, and Lance Lynn has averaged 16 wins during three years in the rotation.
John Lackey is a proven late-season talent. Jaime Garcia's resurgent spring following surgery to relieve nerve compression may cause promising Carlos Martinez to be related to the bullpen again.
Lackey expects to be more comfortable in his first full NL season, saying ''It's different for a lot of reasons.''
Things to watch for with the Cardinals, who open April 5 at Chicago:
LEFT-HANDED HEAVY
There are five lefty bats in the lineup, a potential downside. But there also figures to be more power on the bench. Mark Reynolds, who has hit 20 or more homers each of the last seven seasons, was signed as a free agent. He could factor in as a semi-regular, especially at first base, where Matt Adams has struggled against lefties.
HEYWARD TIME
Only 25, Heyward is a potential future core member of the franchise. His is eligible for free agency after the World Series, and the wooing began not long after the trade with Atlanta - which also brought set-up man Jordan Walden.
''He fits in very well with how our guys work, how seriously they take the game,'' Matheny said. ''He's mixed in very well to this point.''
IMPROVED POP
St. Louis hit just 105 homers last season, second-fewest in the majors. They Cardianls are anticipating more out of right field from Heyward, who had a career-low 11 last year while forced into the leadoff spot with Atlanta. Jhonny Peralta followed his drug suspension with a 21 homers, a franchise record among shortstops, and the smooth-swinging Adams is capable of hitting a lot more than 15.
HEALTHY CHOICES
A full return by Garcia would be an unexpected bonus after two injury-filled seasons. Wainwright and Lynn are recovering from health setbacks early in spring training. Center fielder Jon Jay made a delayed exhibition debut following wrist surgery. ''I said the whole goal was to be ready April 5,'' Jay said.
MORE SPEED
Along with increasing the power profile, there will be an emphasis on manufacturing runs. The Cardinals stole 57 bases last year, third-fewest in the major leagues, but are primed for at least a little more thievery with both Wong and Heyward capable of swiping 20-plus.
''I want to see bigger leads. I want to see more aggressive chances with balls in the dirt,'' Matheny said. ''I want to see us take a first-and-second double steal because we have the kind of players to do that.'' | | WASHINGTON: WASHINGTON (AP) - Bryce Harper's reaction to the news that the Washington Nationals added Max Scherzer to an already-talented starting staff drew quite a lot of attention.
''I just started laughing,'' Harper famously said. ''I was like, `Where's my ring?'''
Yes, that pretty much sums up where the expectations are for the 2015 Nationals - as expressed by them and by others.
On the first day of full-squad workouts at spring training, reigning NL Manager of the Year Matt Williams posted these words of wisdom in the clubhouse: ''The road to the World Series begins today.''
''We're here to get to that ultimate goal,'' Williams said. ''We're not alone. There's 29 other teams that have the same thought. So that being said, I want to make sure that we understand that that's our goal. That is our goal: to be the last one standing at the end of it.''
The main reason many folks think the Nationals are capable of achieving that goal, even if the team has yet to win a playoff series, is the rotation.
Scherzer, the 2013 AL Cy Young Award winner with Detroit, came aboard with a $210 million contract, joining a group that led the majors in ERA last season - right-handers Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister, and lefty Gio Gonzalez.
''There's no break'' for an opposing team, new reliever Casey Janssen observed.
It's such a formidable quintet that a guy who won 15 games, had a sub-3.00 ERA and threw nearly 200 innings a year ago, Tanner Roark, is moving to the bullpen.
In 2014, the Nationals won a league-best 96 games and finished atop the underwhelming NL East by a whopping 17 games, but then bowed out in four games in a Division Series against the eventual champs, the San Francisco Giants. Washington's starting pitching wasn't the problem in the postseason; its bullpen and hitting were what led to a second quick playoff exit in three years.
And yet general manager Mike Rizzo allowed those two areas to lose important pieces, trading away the man he called ''maybe the best eighth-inning setup man in the history of the game,'' Tyler Clippard, and letting first baseman Adam LaRoche (team highs of 26 homers, 92 RBIs) leave via free agency.
The hope, presumably, is that hitters such as Harper, Ryan Zimmerman (who replaces LaRoche at first) and Wilson Ramos, who each missed significant chunks of last season, will deliver the numbers they're capable of producing, while opponents have a really hard time scoring much against all the aces Williams will send to the mound.
''It's hilarious having to go in there and face them. It's absolutely stupid,'' Harper said. ''We have the best staff in baseball. I don't care what anybody says.''
Actually, Bryce, that's exactly what pretty much everybody IS saying.
Here are other things to know about the Nationals, who open the season on April 6 at home against the New York Mets:
HEALTH MATTERS: Half of the everyday lineup - outfielders Jayson Werth and Denard Span (both recovering from offseason surgery), third baseman Anthony Rendon and new second baseman Yunel Escobar - missed extended periods of spring training, as did fourth outfielder Nate McClouth. Rendon, Span, Werth and McClouth might all miss opening day. ''You can be as good as you want on paper, but that doesn't mean anything until the end of the year,'' Scherzer said. ''We've got to stay healthy.''
MIGHTY `PEN?: Given their aspirations, October is what really matters for the Nationals, and Drew Storen blew save chances in the 2012 and 2014 playoffs. Still, the closer's job is his entering the season, and Clippard is no longer around to shut down foes in the eighth - or provide ninth-inning backup if needed. Worth watching: Will Aaron Barrett set aside the yips that hit him in the NLDS?
LAST HURRAH: A couple of homegrown franchise cornerstones, Zimmermann and shortstop Ian Desmond, can become free agents after the season, as can Span and Fister. Rizzo could try to sign one or more to long-term deals. He could trade one or more. Or he could decide to let things play out with this group, then move on next offseason. ''With this group of guys,'' Werth said, ''this might be it.'' |
| | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PA SPORTSTICKER NL PREVIEW (ST LOUIS-WASHINGTON) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Cardinals-Nationals Preview* =============================
By JACK CASSIDY STATS Writer
St. Louis (8-3) at Washington (6-7), 7:05 p.m. EDT
A disappointing start to the season seems considerably less of an issue for the Washington Nationals following wins in four of their last five games.
That momentum, however, could certainly be derailed during their upcoming series with the red-hot St. Louis Cardinals, whose sterling run of quality pitching has them atop the NL Central.
No team has been suffocated by St. Louis' rotation quite as thoroughly over the past two years as Washington (6-7). The Cardinals have won 11 of 13 meetings while posting a 1.24 ERA, including 0.89 from their starters. The Nationals have not scored more than three runs in any of those games as two-through-five hitters Ian Desmond, Jayson Werth, Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman combined to hit .119.
St. Louis' next-best ERA versus an NL opponent in that span is 2.55 against Atlanta.
Comparable performances have the Cardinals (8-3) currently enjoying a five-game winning streak, with their starters allowing four runs while helping lower the team's ERA to a league-best 1.91.
Lance Lynn (1-1, 1.64 ERA) began that stretch by allowing one run in five innings of Wednesday's 4-2 win over Milwaukee. The right-hander has a 2.06 ERA in his last 18 starts dating to July 4, and that doesn't include wins in both matchups with Washington last season as he yielded one run in 13 2-3 innings.
The Nationals similarly struggled through seven games this season, managing only 17 runs while hitting .194, but seem to have found the right approach in their last six with 6.0 runs per game.
Desmond has keyed that stretch by going 13 for 25 with one home run, six runs and four RBIs, trying to atone for his major league-worst eight errors on the season.
"He's swinging at strikes and he's disciplined up there," manager Matt Williams said. "He's hit some balls to his pull side, which is important for him to aggressive. I don't think he's changed anything, I just think he's recognizing well and laying the bat on it."
Zimmerman also has been productive, driving in eight runs over his last five contests. He went 2 for 4 with two RBIs in Sunday's 4-1 win over Philadelphia.
Gio Gonzalez (1-1, 5.11) hasn't been as effective. He surrendered five runs in six innings of Wednesday's 10-5 win at Boston after opening the season with a loss to Philadelphia, where he issued four walks and hit one batter.
Still, Gonzalez has been excellent in three career starts against St. Louis, touting a 1.17 ERA with 21 strikeouts and four walks through 23 innings.
St. Louis' Matt Carpenter has tallied two hits in seven straight games, batting .467 with eight runs and nine RBIs. He opened Sunday's 2-1 victory over Cincinnati with a home run to deep center - the fifth leadoff homer of his career.
"He's just taken the challenge and he's not just going to be a guy that goes up there to take a lot of pitches," manager Mike Matheny said of Carpenter, who led the NL with 4.37 pitches per plate appearance in 2014. "He works into deep counts all the time ... He's got the kind of power where he can let it go early in the count, and if he gets a good pitch to drive, he shouldn't be letting it go in the advantage counts."
Matt Holliday has also been a tough out in the Cardinals' lineup, hitting safely in all 11 games. However, he's 0 for 6 against Gonzalez.
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| | Last Updated: 4/16/2024 4:22:12 PM EST. |
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