Lou Piniella announced this week he would retire at season’s end.
The Chicago Cubs had an off day on Thursday to fully digest the news that Lou Piniella is retiring at the end of the season. But the Cubs will need to regain their focus fast as they host the surging St. Louis Cardinals on Friday afternoon in the first game of a three-game series.
St. Louis enters Wrigley Field as the hottest club in baseball, winning eight in a row through Wednesday. The Cardinals are 13 games above .500 for the first time this season and have overtaken Cincinnati for the lead in the National League Central.
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The floundering Cubs are 10 games below .500. They are even worse in division play, going 16-27 against NL Central foes for a .372 winning percentage. That is the third-lowest mark in the majors for any team inside its own division.
Chicago, 3-8 following an off day, has dropped five of its last seven games against the Cardinals.
However, St. Louis could have a difficult time winning Friday’s opener with a pitching matchup of Jeff Suppan versus right-hander Randy Wells. The Cardinals are 2-7 in their last nine road contests when facing a right-handed starter.
It’s also the Cardinals’ first away matchup since July 11. St. Louis plays three games at Citi Field against the New York Mets following its three-game series with the Cubs.
Suppan is 0-5 with a 6.05 ERA and 1.85 WHIP. The Cardinals are 1-4 in Suppan’s last five road outings. They are desperately seeking pitching help for the bottom of their rotation.
Suppan is coming off his best game of the season this past Sunday. He held the Los Angeles Dodgers to one run on five hits in six innings with a strikeout and a walk while throwing an economical 79 pitches.
Suppan didn’t get a decision in the 5-4 victory as a 140 home ‘dog against Vicente Padilla. The combined nine runs landed directly on the nine-run closing total.
The 35-year-old righty has a career-mark of 6-9 versus the Cubs with a 3.92 ERA.
Wells is 4-7 with a 4.33 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. However, Wells has been pitching much better lately to approach last year’s form when he won 12 games and had a 3.05 ERA.
The 27-year-old has a 1.69 ERA during his last four starts with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 23-to-8 in 27 innings. Wells is 1-1 with a 1.66 ERA in three July starts.
Wells was in line to get a victory in his last start, but closer Carlos Marmol allowed four runs in the ninth inning during a 4-1 loss to Philadelphia this past Saturday. Wells held the Phillies to no runs on seven hits in seven innings with five strikeouts and two walks, throwing 105 pitches.
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Wells was a 110 home ‘dog to Cole Hamels. The combined five runs dipped well ‘under’ the nine-run closing total.
Wells has worked on some mechanical adjustments and cut his walks down in turning around his season. He’s issued just four walks in his last three starts spanning 21 2/3 innings. He’s also recording more ground ball outs than fly ball outs, with a ratio of 33-to-20.
The ‘under’ has cashed in Wells’ last four starts at Wrigley Field. The Cubs are 2-8 in Wells’ past 10 starts.
Wells will have to deal with a streaking Matt Holliday, who is 17-for-44 (.386) with seven home runs and 18 RBIs in his last 12 games through Wednesday.
The ‘over’ has cashed in seven of the last 10 times the Cardinals have met the Cubs in Wrigley Field.
The early weather forecast is for temperatures to be in the high 80s, southwest winds blowing 13 mph and a 35 percent chance of rain and possibly thunderstorms.