9/16 GDT: Cardinals(Wacha) @ Cubs(Hendricks) 3:05 PM CT

[CardsofSTL]

St. Louis Cardinals (77-70)
3rd in National League Central
Saturday, September 16, 3:05 PM CT
TV: FSMW; CSN+
Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois







NL Central Standings



NL Wild Card Standings

[CardsofSTL]

[CardsofSTL]

[CardsofSTL]

Things to know about this game

• Though both clubs have a plethora of extra arms because of expanded rosters, several key late-inning relievers may still be unavailable on Saturday. Chicago's Hector Rondon (right elbow) and Koji Uehara (right knee) are both battling injuries, while St. Louis' Seung Hwan Oh hasn't pitched since Sept. 7 due to right hamstring tightness.

• Wrigley will be buzzing with activity before a pitch is thrown on Saturday, as the Cubs' Jake Arrieta and the Cards' Adam Wainwright are scheduled to throw pregame bullpen sessions. Those sessions could be the final hurdles for both veteran starters before they're cleared to return. Arrieta has been sidelined since Sept. 4 with a right hamstring injury. Wainwright is recovering from a right elbow impingement that has kept him out since Aug. 18.

• How Wacha fares on Saturday may come down to how he navigates through the Nos. 2 and 3 hitters in the Cubs' lineup. Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo are a combined 25-for-61 with five homers and 14 RBIs against Wacha.

[CardsofSTL]

Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong exited the game midway through the fifth inning due to lower back tightness. Wong, who has been dealing with the nagging injury for the better part of two weeks, was 0-for-2 with a run before being replaced by Greg Garcia. His availability for the rest of the weekend is questionable.

"It is what it is," Wong said. "It tightened up. I didn't want to get taken out of the game, but there comes a point where you've got to accept the fact that you're not going to help the team."

[Jocephus]

Shades of 2011? How the Cardinals again are sneaking up on everyone

http://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post ... yone-again

[CardsofSTL]

Shades of 2011? How the Cardinals again are sneaking up on everyone

http://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post ... yone-again

Nice read...we can only hope.

I did read this though

There was the wacky Matt Adams experiment in left field

And it is not that I disagree with that statement; but have the people that report on Braves baseball talked about it in the same way? The Cardinals aren't the only ones at this point that tried to find playing time for Adams' bat by trying to hide him in the outfield. Of course; then his bat falters and it becomes more of an embarrassment to have him on the field.

[JoeMcKim]

If the Cardinals get swept this weekend you can probably put a fork in them.

[CardsofSTL]

If the Cardinals get swept this weekend you can probably put a fork in them.

They wouldn't do that to me.

[obucard]

Shades of 2011? How the Cardinals again are sneaking up on everyone

http://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post ... yone-again

Thanks for ensuring it won't happen, ESPN.