Here are six players to watch as the St. Louis Cardinals take on the Chicago Cubs in the National League Division Series.
3B Kris Bryant, Cubs:
You know about the Rookie of the Year offensive numbers — only Ted Williams had a better first year — and the fact that he will get some lower-level most valuable player votes on BBWAA ballots. But as Bryant showed in the wild-card win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, it is his ability to defend that allows him to keep body and soul together on a team managed by Joe Maddon. The Cubs have a callowness about them and with Cardinals manager Mike Matheny aggressively pressing them, how the kids will respond will be vital. Plus, these two teams hate each other; there will be beanballs and all manner of nonsense.
RF Jason Heyward, Cardinals:
The Cardinals aren’t much offensively, but Heyward has crushed the Cubs even when he was with the Atlanta Braves, hitting .293 with eight home runs against them in 200 career plate appearances and is .311 at Wrigley Field. He’s 10-for-24 with two doubles and a home run off Game 1 starter Jon Lester, and the chattering classes say the Cubs might be players for him this winter in free agency. He might be the Cardinals’ most complete offensive player.
LHP Jon Lester, Cubs:
With Jake Arrieta not available until the third game because of his work in Wednesday’s wild card, it will be up to the veteran free-agent signing and Game 2 starter Kyle Hendricks to out-pitch their opponents. Lester has the postseason pedigree, but memories linger of the Cardinals stealing three bases off him in the season opener after he allowed three stolen bases to the Kansas City Royals in the Oakland Athletics’ American League wild-card loss last season. The Cardinals were 8-for-12 in steals against him although he and catcher David Ross worked on adjusting his delivery from the stretch and caught two Cardinals baserunners on Sept. 20.
C Yadier Molina, Cardinals:
So, the Cardinals have made the playoffs in nine of Molina’s 12 seasons, and since he took over as catcher in the 2004 World Series they have won two titles. Molina missed the final 13 games of the regular season with a torn left thumb ligament, robbing him of a chance to pass Ted Simmons’ franchise record for games caught and surpassing his career high of 1,176.2 innings caught.) He’s a .290 hitter in the postseason who usually comes up big in the World Series or NLCS, but with the Cardinals rotation and bullpen looking more threadbare than usual it will be his brain and heart that are vital. Former teammate and ex-Blue Jay Marc Rzepczynski won a ring with him, and told me: "Yadier is perfect. Always. Every time … every pitch."
RHP Pedro Strop, Cubs:
Not a big name, to be sure, but as manager Joe Maddon’s primary right-handed setup man, the nine runs, 10 hits and six walks in 7.1 innings against the Cardinals could represent a soft underbelly for a Cardinals team that might be scraping for runs. This series could be decided by the bullpens.
RHP Adam Wainwright, Cardinals:
The opening day starter tore his Achilles in late April but is in the bullpen for this series. Who does he think he is, Marcus freaking Stroman? At any rate, he made three one-inning relief appearances during the final week and was pronounced as being good to go out of the bullpen – likely taking Seth Maness’ role in the eighth inning. This is a gut call, but expect to see Wainwright in high leverage situations.
THE CALL
Cubs in five
