St. Louis Cardinals vs Chi. Cubs Cubs Picks and Predictions July 13th 2024

Ascending Cardinals Take Aim at Shota Imanaga, Cubs

Match Overview

The resurgent St. Louis Cardinals have move out of the National League Central basement by winning eight of their last 10 games. Nonetheless, they face an overwhelming test Friday night in the opener of their three-game series against the meeting Chicago Cubs, highlighting newbie sensation Shota Imanaga (5-0, 0.84 ERA).

Chicago Cubs and Shota Imanaga

The Cubs are 8-1 in the games Imanaga has started this season. The left-hander has tossed 12 scoreless innings in his last two starts, striking out 15, strolling four, and permitting 11 hits. As per MLB.com, no pitcher in baseball history has posted a lower ERA through his first nine profession starts – – barring openers – – since that statistic became official in 1913.

“At the point when you start getting an in this area, you must be somewhat shocked, without a doubt,” Cubs supervisor Craig Counsell said. “We’re lucky to watch it.”

“If I’m being honest, I’m not really too interested in my own stats like that, or any historic value,” Imanaga said via his translator. “But just knowing that there are so many good pitchers that came before me … is a good learning experience.”

St. Louis Cardinals and Miles Mikolas

The Cardinals will counter on Friday with right-hander Miles Mikolas (3-5, 5.77 ERA), who is falling off of his best start of the time. He procured the triumph in a 7-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday in the wake of permitting one sudden spike in demand for two hits in five innings. Mikolas has yielded no less than five sudden spikes in demand for four events during his all over season.

Last season, he was 0-1 with a 6.30 ERA in three starts against the Cubs. Mikolas is 5-4 with a 2.58 ERA in 19 vocation appearances (17 starts) versus Chicago.

Cardinals’ Bullpen Strength

While the Cardinals feature an upgraded rotation with newcomers Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson, and Lance Lynn, their re-tooled bullpen has been the strength of the pitching staff.

“You definitely have answers,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “Right, left. Guys who aren’t overly splitty. Swing and miss. Guys if you need a ground ball. There are definitely more answers, for sure. There are more answers and more depth.”

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Closer Ryan Helsley has 15 saves, and set-up men Andrew Kittredge (14 holds) and JoJo Romero (17 holds) have also led the way.

“That three-headed monster is crazy,” Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “They’re different. For those guys to go out and give us quality innings, that’s great for their confidence. That’s great for our confidence. We don’t have to use Helsley, JoJo, Kitt every night. It would be nice if we could. It’s nicer to know we’ve got other guys to fall back on … to have a bullpen that is lockdown shutdown.”

Cubs’ Recent Struggles

The Cubs, who have lost seven of their last 10 games, mustered just four hits against the Atlanta Braves in a 3-0 loss on Thursday. Chicago needed three relievers, including converted starter Kyle Hendricks, to cover five innings in that game.

“Ultimately we didn’t do enough offensively,” Counsell said. “The answer is to just come back tomorrow and have good bats and swing at the right pitches. And that’s how you have to move forward with it.”

Recap: Cubs-Cardinals Series Opener Postponed by Rain

The first game of the season between National League Central rivals the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals will have to wait a day after Friday’s scheduled matchup in St. Louis was postponed by rain. The game was rescheduled as part of a split doubleheader in St. Louis on July 13.

Pitching plans for Saturday were not yet known. The Cubs had wanted to send left-hander Shota Imanaga (5-0, 0.84 ERA) to the hill Friday, while the Cardinals were supposed to go with right-hander Miles Mikolas (3-5, 5.77 ERA).

Conclusion

As the Cardinals plan to proceed with their noteworthy run, they face a huge test against the Cubs and their standout youngster pitcher, Shota Imanaga. With the two groups adjusting their pitching plans following the rainout, the series vows to offer convincing matchups and high-stakes baseball as they fight for position in the National League Central.