Houston Astros take on St. Louis Cardinals in three-game series – MLB Update
Houston Astros' interim manager Tony DeFrancesco said on Sunday, September 23, that the club will try to knock out the St. Louis Cardinals in the three-game series, beginning from Monday. The Cardinals, it is pertinent to mention, are competing for a potential Wild Card spot.
While winning the series is important for the Cardinals, the Astros want to thwart that march, creating trouble for the Redbirds. However, given the fact that the Cardinals have won all six games played against the Astros as DeFrancesco manages the latter, Houston want to reverse the tide.
"They've beaten me six times already since I've been here," DeFrancesco said. "It's frustrating for me to see that we're one hit away from beating that team. I know they're a Wild Card contender. That's our goal. I want to hopefully knock them out and move on to the next series."
Stakes are higher for the Cardinals, though. They cannot afford losing too many games at this point in time given the extraordinary efforts they have been putting lately to hold strongly to the Wild Card for the second consecutive year.
They had managed to make it to the playoffs through Wild Card last year and eventually went on to win the World Series. Chances are bright this time as well, but for that to happen, the series against the Astros has to send a clear message to the rivals of the Cardinals’ strength and capability.
"Everyone knows what's at stake now," said Cardinals outfielder Jon Jay, whose club has won two straight and six of the past seven. "We want to get back to the playoffs. We got a taste of it last year, and we definitely think we have the team to do it. We just have to do it."
Lance Lynn will make start in the opener of the three-game series. The Redbirds are entering into the competition against the Astros a day after they beat the Chicago Cubs, also clinching the series to maintain their hold on the Wild Card.
It will be interesting to see if the Cardinals go ahead with the same winning momentum to gain the upper hand against all contenders.
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