Two of Major League Baseball’s biggest rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs, will play Friday afternoon for the first of 19 times this season. The rivalry has persisted even though the teams have rarely been good at the same time, but this season they’re battling (along with the Milwaukee Brewers) for the NL Central crown. Elsewhere, Noah Syndergaard had an incredible performance, and the Nationals fired their pitching coach even as Stephen Strasburg reached a milestone faster than any pitcher before.
The Cardinals are 20-11 and in first place. The Cubs are 16-12 and in second. Both are red hot. Let the games begin.
It’s @Cubs @Cardinals today! #Cubs #Cardinals pic.twitter.com/kxQtsD3tPE
— Doug Glanville (@dougglanville) May 3, 2019
Noah Syndergaard went full Thor on Thursday, becoming the first pitcher to throw a shutout and hit a solo home run in a 1-0 victory since before he was born.
.@Noahsyndergaard is the 1st pitcher to homer and throw a shutout in a 1-0 win since Bob Welch did so for the Dodgers on June 17, 1983.
(h/t @EliasSports) pic.twitter.com/lEkBg1hYc1
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) May 2, 2019
The Washington Nationals have a team ERA of 4.82, and their bullpen is even worse. They made a move Friday, ironically after beating the Cardinals 2-1.
Nats fire pitching coach Derek Lilliquist. With Baker/MikeMaddux Nats were 2d and 6th in MLB in ERA. With Lilliquist, 15th last yr, now 25th.
— Thomas Boswell (@ThomasBoswellWP) May 3, 2019
Speaking of irony: Lilliquist’s final game with the Nationals was one of Stephen Strasburg’s better performances. In it he reached 1,500 strikeouts, becoming the fastest player to that number.
Fewest IP to reach 1,500 K in @MLB history:
1. Stephen Strasburg (1,272.1 IP)
2. Chris Sale (1,290 IP)
3. Kerry Wood (1,303 IP)
4. Pedro Martinez (1,337 IP)
5. Randy Johnson (1,356.2 IP) pic.twitter.com/k7Hec9omwe— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) May 2, 2019
One of the storylines surrounding the Red Sox’s run to the World Series title last year was their camaraderie, specifically around the video game Fortnite. That’s no longer a part of, at least for now, Boston’s winning ways.
“Maybe if we were doing a little better maybe we would be doing it, but you can’t be losing and playing Fortnite in the clubhouse.” – Nathan Eovaldi https://t.co/PaWlMdAFO6
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) May 1, 2019
TOP STORIES
• Why the Cubs-Cardinals rivalry matters again | ESPN.com
• Noah Syndergaard puts the Mets on his back, single-handedly beats Reds with shutout, solo homer | CBS Sports
• Nationals shake things up, fire pitching coach Derek Lilliquist | Washington Post
