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Matheny welcomes Reyes, Weaver to chase
- Updated: August 12, 2016
CHICAGO — Mike Matheny isn’t giving the Cubs advice. That’s the last thing he would do.
But when the Cardinals arrived at Wrigley Field for a four-game series, their manager could certainly relate to the position the Cubs have put themselves in.
This time last season, the Cardinals were 72-40 and deflating opposing hitters with the stingiest pitching staff in the game. So Matheny was asked how Joe Maddon and the Cubs should approach their final 50 regular-season games now that they’ve built a commanding lead in the National League Central.
The answer: Just keep doing what you’ve been doing.
“We just try to get it into its simplest form,” Matheny said before the Cards’ 4-3, 11-inning loss on Thursday. “You can try and put together some theories, some ideas, if we just do this, [but] I just don’t think you limit yourself. You can’t back off, start allowing anything except your very best every single night. I think you’re opening up the door for this game to humble you.”
Injuries and diminished performance have destroyed the plans that the Cardinals made in Spring Training. Their rotation has a 5.40 ERA since the All-Star break, leaving them battling for an NL Wild Card spot rather than making a run for a fourth consecutive division title.
Michael Wacha’s unstable shoulder is the latest blow for a rotation that lost John Lackey to free agency and Lance Lynn to Tommy John surgery. So Matheny will hand the ball to rookie Luke Weaver for his Major League debut in a Saturday afternoon showcase, hoping that Weaver and fellow rookie Alex Reyes can help the Cardinals survive what looks like a six-team fight for the two Wild Card spots.
This weekend’s series is one of those summertime classics that will have Wrigleyville buzzing all four days. The atmosphere should be wild on Friday afternoon, when Adam Wainwright faces defending Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta.
There weren’t many empty seats in the ballpark on Thursday when Jon Lester threw the first pitch to Matt Carpenter in the series opener, for …
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