Matt Garza hits form as Chicago Cubs blank St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 – MLB Update
Matt Garza showed hints of genius from the mound for the Chicago Cubs as they blanked the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois on Saturday, August 20.
Garza pitched seven top-quality innings and went for just five hits, striking-out eight batters in the process. He threw 110 pitches and managed 78 strikes to bring his earned-run average for the season down to 3.62.
Before this game, Garza had managed just four decisions in his nine previous starts, three of which were losses. His performance in this game earned him his sixth win of the season, improving his win-loss tally for the season to 6-9. His eight strike-outs
in this game took him past the 150 strike-out mark for the season.
Cubs’ manager Mike Quade was all praise for the right-handed pitcher and said that his performance and return to form has relieved him of the stress of finding an ace pitcher for the next season. He said, “To see him pitch that well and get some run support
made it even better for me.”
Cardinals’ starting pitcher Edwin Jackson could not impress and his lacklustre pitching in the fourth inning cost his team a game which could have easily gone to the wire. Jackson showed lack of precision from the mound and this resulted in his second loss
for the season with as many wins to his credit thus far.
The Cubs managed to score only in the fourth inning helped by an Aramis Ramirez two-run homer and Carlos Pena’s run helped by Marlon Byrd’s RBI effort towards the centre-field. Other than this, there was not much to the batting from either side.
This loss did not help the Cardinals as they slipped 8.5 games behind division leaders Milwaukee Brewers in their attempt to make it to the postseason. This now seems a distant possibility for the Cardinals.
The Cubs are already out of contention this season but this win was a good confidence booster for the struggling team. The Cubs, with this win, have got an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-game series with the third game scheduled for Sunday, August 21.
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