Beginning this five-game series with a win is substantial. Not that youre believing in this manner precisely, now even if the Cubs were to lose the next 4 games, they d still be a half-game ahead of the Cardinals. Thats offers me a little extra comfort this Friday night.
Mostly, however, Im simply thinking about how dominant Yu Darvish was for his 7 innings of work:
. @faridyu struck out 11 of the 22 batters he dealt with tonight! pic.twitter.com/dClv1Hdmks
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 5, 2020
The man is the Cy Young leader for a factor– he has all his pitches working, and hes got 11 of em. If he doesnt make a big error, hitters have no opportunity.
Offensively, Willson Contreras led the method for the Cubs, which was so nice to see after weeks of battles.
The Cubs bats made Jack Flaherty work from the outset, with Kyle Schwarbers seven-pitch strikeout setting the tone for an inning that ended up seeing Flaherty toss 43 pitches. He didnt make it through 3 innings. When the Cardinals are trying to survive a five-game series, including a doubleheader tomorrow, that aint good.
So great, therefore, on the Cubs bats, with specific marks for Jason Heyward and Willson Contreras who each ground Flaherty down in the third and first, each with 2 outs, and each reaching base. Contrerass 2 at bats ended in RBI songs.
Contreras likewise went deep later in the game to provide the Cubs their 4th run, all thanks to his bat:
Its a 3-hit, 4-RBI game for @WContreras40! @BinnysBev pic.twitter.com/GPsiGRtokl
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 5, 2020
As for Darvish, the only thing he allowed through 7 dominant innings was a nearly regular fly ball to best center that caught the wind and then captured the basket. It was the very first and just baserunner he enabled after five ideal innings:
Full box score.
Not that youre believing this way precisely, but now even if the Cubs were to lose the next 4 games, they d still be a half-game ahead of the Cardinals. Mainly, though, Im just believing about how dominant Yu Darvish was for his seven innings of work:
. The Cubs bats made Jack Flaherty work from the start, with Kyle Schwarbers seven-pitch strikeout setting the tone for an inning that wound up seeing Flaherty throw 43 pitches. When the Cardinals are attempting to get through a five-game series, consisting of a doubleheader tomorrow, that aint excellent.
