st. Louis Cardinals (50-24) vs. Chicago Cubs (39-34) Game #75 N Busch stadium N June 28, 2015 Carlos Martinez (8-3, 2.89) vs. Jason Hammel (5-2, 2.65) K BIRD WATCHING: The 2014 N.L. Central Champion St. Louis Cardinals are in the midst of their 124th season of TONIGHT’s GAME : The Cardinals continue a play with an 18-5-2 series record and are in 1st place in the N.L. Central, 8.0 games ahead of Pittsburgh...Xavier nine-game, 10-day homestand tonight with the Scruggs was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI sparking the offense to an 8-1 win over the Chicago Cubs last night. final game of a three-game series against the Michael Wacha pitched 6.0 innings to become the second 10-game winner in the National League...the Cardinals Chicago Cubs with the first pitch at 7:08 p.m., are a season high 26-games above .500 and own the Majors top winning pct. (.676) and top run differential (+95). televised on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball...all K sUNDAY NIGHT sUCCEss: The Cardinals have played four times on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball this season and three games of this series will have been broad - have posted a 4-0 record in those games outscoring their opponents 11-4 with the starting pitchers posting a 3-0 cast nationally...after an Open Date tomorrow, record with a 1.37 ERA in 26.1 innings...Adam Wainwright started the first two games (4/5 at CHI & 4/19 vs. CIN), the Cardinals welcome the Chicago White Sox for Lance Lynn the next two (5/17 vs. DET & 6/7 at LAD) and Carlos Martinez tonight. a two-game set on Tuesday and Wednesday, and K FLYING HIGH: The Cardinals 50-24 record is their best start since 1944 when the eventual World Champions conclude the homestand with a four-game series started 51-21-2 after 74 games...the 50 wins in 74 games marks the first time in MLB since the 2005 White Sox. against the San Diego Padres... the Cardinals are K CHAsIN’ JAsON: Jason Heyward is having a hot June, leading the team with a .333 batting average during this 28-7 at Busch Stadium and 22-17 on the month (27-81) and is tied for the team lead in home runs (4) and RBI (13) in June. road...the Cardinals have won each of their last K ROOKIE REINFORCEMENTs: Since being recalled on June 19, Xavier Scruggs and Greg Garcia have combined to eight home games are are looking for their 7th bat .542 (13-24) with a home run and six RBI, while smacking .556 (5-9) with runners in scoring position including home sweep of the season...they are trying to a game-tying pinch-hit home run by Garcia on Friday night and back-to-back three-hit games by Scruggs. become the first ML team to begin 29-7 or better K MOLTEN KOLTEN: Kolten Wong has posted four straight games with two hits including a double in each of the at home since the 1998 NY Yankees (30-6). last three games...the Cardinals second baseman has a team-high 9 RBI since June 19 and 28 extra base hits this CARDINALs vs. CHICAGO: season over 73 games, one shy of his total of 29 during 113 games of the 2014 season. season: 19 games; next meeting 7/6-8 at CHI BIRD BANTER... 2015 vs. CUBs: .278 (75-270) 4 HR HOMEsTAND: .279 (19-68) HR 2015: 6-2 (5-1 at STL, 1-1 at CHI) K #8 PETER BOURJOs: streak: 2G (2-4, .500) series: 2-4, .500 Homestand: 2-4, .500 [ Batting .255 (25-98) with 10 XBH in 27 Gs...scored winning run in 10th on Fri...4 of last 5 hits XBH (3-2B, 1-HR).. .324 BA vs. 2014: 10-9 (6-4 at STL, 4-5 at CHI) NL Central teams (12-37) in 2015...hit HR (#2) w/2 RBI at COL (6/9)...had 2 doubles 5/8 at PIT...HR, 3-2B’s & 2-3B’s among 19 All-Time: 1,142-1,191 (51-34 at Busch Std. III) hits in May...2nd on team w/3 triples (T6th, NL)...batted #1 in 8G (9-33, .273, 2-2B, 3B)...3rd on team w/4 sB’s, 3 as PR Last Time sTL sweep: 9/27-29/13 at STL K #13 MATT CARPENTER: streak: 1G (1-5, .200) series: 1-9, .111 Homestand: 1-9, .111 Last Time CHI sweep: 9/13-15/10 at STL [ Has 5 career HR vs. CHI, most vs. any opp...T2nd on team w/36 RBI...ranks 6th in the NL in BA w/RIsP (19-48, .396, HR)... ranks T9th in NL runs (43); T5th in walks (39); 10th in NL OBP (.378); T4th in doubles (20); T3rd in multi-hit games (26)...has 16 games RECORD BREAKDOWN with at least 2 H & 1 2B... .256 BA w/2 strikes (6th NL)...scored 2+ runs in 8G (sTL 8-0)...missed 4 Gs w/extreme fatigue 5/7- By Day By Month 10...12G hit streak 4/12-25 (.423 BA)...had 7 str. multi-hit G’s (4/12-19); 5 str. G’s w/2B (4/13-18)...NL Player of Week for 4/13-19. By Day By Month K Monday 3-5 Spring 13-11-3 #48 TONY CRUZ: streak: 0-4 series: 0-1, .000 Homestand: 0-1, .000 [ Has 2 RBI this season both vs. CHI... .364 BA in Close & Late (4-11)...season-high 2 hits in start at LAD (6/7)...2-15 as PH Tuesday 8-2 April 15-6 ...hit GW-RBI double (2 RBI) vs. CHI (5/4)...has GW-RBI in his last 3Gs w/RBI...sTL is 4-4 in his starts in ‘15 Wednesday 8-4 May 18-11 K Thursday 7-2 June 17-7 #35 GREG GARCIA: streak: 2G (2-2, 1.000) HR series: 1-1, 1.000, HR Homestand: 1-1, 1.000, HR Friday 9-3 July 0-0 [ Hit 1st MLB HR on Fri., PH solo HR in 8th...hit safely in 4-of-5 games w/AB...3-4, HR as PH...recalled from Memphis-AAA Saturday 7-5 August 0-0 (6/19) w/2 H off the bench ...batted .312, 0 HR, 25 RBI in 61 G at Mem (.405 OBP)...sTL May Minor Leag. Player of the Month Sunday 9-3 Sept./Oct. 0-0 K #15 RANDAL GRICHUK: streak: 3G (4-11, .364) series: 2-7, .286 Homestand: 2-7, .286 [ Has 11 extra base hits in June (T9th NL)...scored 16 runs in 23 June games (T8th NL), after scoring 6 R in 21G Apr./May...hit 5th triple on Fri (2nd in NL; 1st NL rookies)...tied for sTL lead w/4 HR in June...22 of 39 hits have been for extra bases (11-2B; By Seriies 5-3B, 6-HR)...batting .281 (36-128), 10-2B, 5-3B, 5-HR, 18 RBI in 34 Gs...career high 2 HR & 4 RBI at PHI (6/20), was 3-5 w/2B; 2G 3G 4G 5G 3rd 3-hit game of season... was 6-14 (.429) w/3HR in PHI series...2nd start as leadoff hitter on sun. (2-8 in that role)...batted Won 2 13 3 --- .302 (16-53) in May...came off DL (lower back) 5/16 after missing 27 gms...tied for team-high 6 def. gems Lost 1 4 --- --- K #22 JAsON HEYWARD: streak: 1G (2-3, .667) series: 2-7, .286 Homestand: 2-7, .286 Split 1 --- 1 --- [ Was 2-3, 2 BB, 2 R, last night; hit safely in 9-of-last-10 games (5 multi-hit Gs)...batting .500 (6-12) in No. 4 spot (1.183 Sweeps 2 4 --- --- OPs)...batting .333, 4 HR, 13 RBI in June; leading sTL in BA, tied in HR & RBI...tied his season-high with 8G hit streak (6/17- 25)...HR in 3 str. (6/21-24), tied career high...four 3-hit games this season...batting team-high .362 vs. LHP (21-58, 1 HR), 6th Opp. Sweeps 1 --- --- --- NL...team-high 4 OF ast. (T11th NL)...8 infield hits T1st on team...raised BA from .211 to .278 since 5/3...hit game-tying HR in 9th 5/27...had 2-2B’s 4/5 & 5/9...had 2 sB vs. PIT (5/1)...tied career high w/3 BB (4/28 vs. PHI). MIKE MATHENY: Mike Matheny is in the midst of K #19 JON JAY: streak: 2G (2-8, .250) series: 1-4, .250 Homestand: 1-4, .250 his 4th season as the Cardinals manager, having [ Ranks T5th in NL w/7 HBP...his 27 HBP, 2nd-most in MLB 2014-15 (Rizzo 30)...is 4-9 w/RBI as PHer this season...4 IBBs taken his teams to the postseason in each of his (T12th NL)...1st triple of season 6/12 & 1st HR 6/8...came off DL 5/29 after missing 16 gms w/left wrist tendinitis. first three seasons and becoming just the 15th K #38 PETE KOZMA: streak: 0-1 series: 0-1, .000 Homestand: 0-1, .000 manager in MLB history to record 275 or more [ Has 6 XBH & 9 career RBI vs. CHI, most vs. any team...season-high 3 hits (3-3, RBI) at MIA (6/25) snapped 0-21...has starts wins in his first three years...won his 300th game at 2B (5), ss (5) & 3B (2) in 12 Gs...46-155 (.299) career w/RIsP...had GW-run vs.