Let's look forward to the Cardinals Methocalypse

[Quality Start Machine]

Is no one else jacked for this series? Yes, it's April. Yes, it's just another series out of many. Yes, the Cubes just dropped a series to Colorado. But it's still the shit-ass Kyardnulls. I want fucking blood, damn it. Sweep sweep sweep. I want multi-HR games from Heyward and a no-hitter for the "trader" mouthbreather. Let's do this.

Sweeping while Jake and Lester watch? I can get on board with that.

[Saul Goodman]

#STLCards shut off music as #Cubs take BP and have their rolling NL Central title banners from 2013, 2014 and 2015 on the jumbotron. #subtle

Wow.  Pretty pathetic.

[SKO]

#STLCards shut off music as #Cubs take BP and have their rolling NL Central title banners from 2013, 2014 and 2015 on the jumbotron. #subtle

Wow.  Pretty pathetic.

Only the fucking Cardinals would brag about their 2015 division championship to the team that rendered it completely moot by kicking their sorry asses right out of the division series.

[SKO]

I keep seeing the Cardinals fans saying "it's okay, we have way more favorable pitching matchups in the rest of the series", which I will maybe concede in the case of Hammel/Garcia (although Hammel has been better so far this year and First Half Hammel is a different beast entirely), but Carlos Martinez isn't any better than Kyle Hendricks no matter how hard he throws.

Last year:
Hendricks 3.28 xFIP, 3.4 fWAR
Martinez 3.25 xFIP, 3.4 fWAR

This year:
Hendricks: 2.26 xFIP, 0.5 fWAR
Martinez: 3.64 xFIP, 0.2 fWAR.


Small sample size this year but it's pretty safe to say that Martinez is not a DECIDED advantage over Hendricks.

[Eli]

I keep seeing the Cardinals fans saying "it's okay, we have way more favorable pitching matchups in the rest of the series", which I will maybe concede in the case of Hammel/Garcia (although Hammel has been better so far this year and First Half Hammel is a different beast entirely), but Carlos Martinez isn't any better than Kyle Hendricks no matter how hard he throws.

That's all assuming Garcia doesn't somehow injure himself between now and the game tonight.

[Slaky]

I keep seeing the Cardinals fans saying "it's okay, we have way more favorable pitching matchups in the rest of the series", which I will maybe concede in the case of Hammel/Garcia (although Hammel has been better so far this year and First Half Hammel is a different beast entirely), but Carlos Martinez isn't any better than Kyle Hendricks no matter how hard he throws.

Last year:
Hendricks 3.28 xFIP, 3.4 fWAR
Martinez 3.25 xFIP, 3.4 fWAR

This year:
Hendricks: 2.26 xFIP, 0.5 fWAR
Martinez: 3.64 xFIP, 0.2 fWAR.


Small sample size this year but it's pretty safe to say that Martinez is not a DECIDED advantage over Hendricks.

At some point we're going to have to concede that Hendricks is a really good option for the back of the rotation. Any rotation. By we, I mean me.

[SKO]

I keep seeing the Cardinals fans saying "it's okay, we have way more favorable pitching matchups in the rest of the series", which I will maybe concede in the case of Hammel/Garcia (although Hammel has been better so far this year and First Half Hammel is a different beast entirely), but Carlos Martinez isn't any better than Kyle Hendricks no matter how hard he throws.

Last year:
Hendricks 3.28 xFIP, 3.4 fWAR
Martinez 3.25 xFIP, 3.4 fWAR

This year:
Hendricks: 2.26 xFIP, 0.5 fWAR
Martinez: 3.64 xFIP, 0.2 fWAR.


Small sample size this year but it's pretty safe to say that Martinez is not a DECIDED advantage over Hendricks.

At some point we're going to have to concede that Hendricks is a really good option for the back of the rotation. Any rotation. By we, I mean me.

I have long accepted that I am fine with Kyle Hendricks so long as the Cubs are not in a position where he's starting an elimination game in the playoffs. As far as back of the rotation people go, especially with Joe having so many long guys now in the bullpen and a willingness to pull Kyle as soon as he gets in trouble the third time through the order, he's about as good as it gets. For 18 batters, he's an ace.

[SKO]

I keep seeing the Cardinals fans saying "it's okay, we have way more favorable pitching matchups in the rest of the series", which I will maybe concede in the case of Hammel/Garcia (although Hammel has been better so far this year and First Half Hammel is a different beast entirely), but Carlos Martinez isn't any better than Kyle Hendricks no matter how hard he throws.

That's all assuming Garcia doesn't somehow injure himself between now and the game tonight.

Indeed. Cardinals fans are desperately clinging to this idea that their pitching is still better than ours, and that wasn't even actually the case last year (Cubs led in FIP, xFIP, FIP-, DRA and all the other advanced run prevention statistics beyond just simple ERA, I believe), let alone this year with Lackey in Chicago and Wainwright looking like he has nothing left.

[Quality Start Machine]

#STLCards shut off music as #Cubs take BP and have their rolling NL Central title banners from 2013, 2014 and 2015 on the jumbotron. #subtle

Wow.  Pretty pathetic.

Their troll game is clearly on point.

[Slaky]

I keep seeing the Cardinals fans saying "it's okay, we have way more favorable pitching matchups in the rest of the series", which I will maybe concede in the case of Hammel/Garcia (although Hammel has been better so far this year and First Half Hammel is a different beast entirely), but Carlos Martinez isn't any better than Kyle Hendricks no matter how hard he throws.

That's all assuming Garcia doesn't somehow injure himself between now and the game tonight.

Indeed. Cardinals fans are desperately clinging to this idea that their pitching is still better than ours, and that wasn't even actually the case last year (Cubs led in FIP, xFIP, FIP-, DRA and all the other advanced run prevention statistics beyond just simple ERA, I believe), let alone this year with Lackey in Chicago and Wainwright looking like he has nothing left.

I was extremely impressed with Lackey last night.

[morpheus]

Stay Classy, St. Louis.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/jason-heyward-blitzed-n-word-taunts-cardinals-fans-article-1.2606853?cid=bitly

[Powdered Toast Man]

Stay Classy, St. Louis.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/jason-heyward-blitzed-n-word-taunts-cardinals-fans-article-1.2606853?cid=bitly

The guy only played a season there. Why on earth are they so mad? And they'll be the first ones to point out that the contract the Cubs gave him was terrible.

[Tony]

Stay Classy, St. Louis.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/jason-heyward-blitzed-n-word-taunts-cardinals-fans-article-1.2606853?cid=bitly

The guy only played a season there. Why on earth are they so mad? And they'll be the first ones to point out that the contract the Cubs gave him was terrible.

And they traded for him. It's not like he went there on his own and then left years later.

[SKO]

Stay Classy, St. Louis.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/jason-heyward-blitzed-n-word-taunts-cardinals-fans-article-1.2606853?cid=bitly

The guy only played a season there. Why on earth are they so mad? And they'll be the first ones to point out that the contract the Cubs gave him was terrible.

Because someone picked the Cubs over the Cardinals, and that's unthinkable to them, because their entire world falls apart if they aren't better than the Cubs. Gonna be a rough decade for them.

[Bort]

Stay Classy, St. Louis.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/jason-heyward-blitzed-n-word-taunts-cardinals-fans-article-1.2606853?cid=bitly

The guy only played a season there. Why on earth are they so mad? And they'll be the first ones to point out that the contract the Cubs gave him was terrible.

Because someone picked the Cubs over the Cardinals, and that's unthinkable to them, because their entire world falls apart if they aren't better than the Cubs. Gonna be a rough decade for them.

Honestly, can anyone think of one way St. Louis has really EVER been better than Chicago outside of baseball success? If the Cubs are appreciably better than the Cardinals for a sustained period of time, their entire city has no reason to exist.