Cardinals’ Hit or Miss Offense Is Missing Again

“That’s kind of been the story of our season, really,” first baseman Matt Carpenter said. “Our offense, at times, has been hit or miss. We’ve had stretches where we’ve struggled to score and we’ve had stretches where we’ve just poured it on. Hopefully we can get one where we pour it on here in the next couple of days, get some confidence back and get some guys rolling.”

But the Cardinals could not solve the soft-throwing Anibal Sanchez on Friday night, or the hard-throwing Scherzer in the shadows on Saturday afternoon. Now Stephen Strasburg awaits them in Game 3 on Monday at Nationals Park, with Patrick Corbin to follow in Game 4.

Strasburg has 21 strikeouts and one walk in 15 October innings, with a 2.40 earned run average. Corbin, a two-time All-Star, was 8-2 with a 2.40 E.R.A. at home in the regular season.

“I feel like we’re road warriors,” Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong said. “We’ve found our niche on the road; we know how to play on the road. We know the pitchers we’re up against, the odds we’re up against. But that’s what we’re all about. That’s what we love.”

The Cardinals are an unlikely underdog. They are playing in their 10th N.L.C.S. in the last 20 seasons, and their 11 World Series titles are second only to the Yankees’ 27. But they missed the playoffs the last three seasons as the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers took over the N.L. Central, and needed an all-around effort to return.

Source: The New York Times

Powered by NewsAPI.org

Keywords:

St. Louis Cardinals • First baseman • Matt Carpenter (baseball) • Aníbal Sánchez • Max Scherzer • Stephen Strasburg • Rick Monday • Nationals Park • Patrick Corbin • Strikeout • Innings pitched • Earned run average • Patrick Corbin • Major League Baseball All-Star Game • Earned run average • Major League Baseball schedule • Pennsylvania Road Warriors • St. Louis Cardinals • Second baseman • Kolten Wong • What We're All About • St. Louis Cardinals • Underdog (term) • National League Championship Series • World Series • Second baseman • New York Yankees • Major League Baseball postseason • Chicago Cubs • Milwaukee Brewers • National League Central •