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 Lackey and two relievers outdueled Cubs starter Jon Lester and the
Cardinals took the wind out of the Cubs' sails at least for one
night with a 4-0 victory in the first playoff meeting between the
rivals in the best-of-five series.
The Cubs had won eight straight to finish the regular season and
were riding high after wild-card victory in Pittsburgh on Wednesday
night. But they couldn't solve Lester and now they'll have to figure
out Jaime Garcia, the Cardinals' starter on Saturday in Game 2 (5:30
ET on TBS).
Garcia will be making his first start against the Cubs this season
and looking for his first postseason. He finished with a 10-6 record
and a 2.43 ERA in 20 outings after thoracic surgery but is 0-2 with
a 4.23 ERA in six playoff starts.
"Every time I take that mound, basically take it as if it's your
last time ever to pitch in a major league game," Garcia said.
The left-hander, who has persevered through injuries the past few
years, is prepared to take the ball knowing that he can give the
Cardinals a 2-0 lead before the series moves to Chicago's Wrigley
Field. He has not faced the Cubs since 2012 but has a 2-1 career
record against them.
"No matter the situation, the team you're facing or whether they're
playoffs or not playoffs, I'm just going to try to prepare myself
the same way I would in any regular-season game," Garcia said. "It's
just worrying about the things that I can control, and whether we're
up or down or whoever I'm facing, just going out there and try to
worry about executing pitches and keeping us in the ballgame.
"That's it, you know. Other than that, it's just basically out of my
control."
The Cubs will send 25-year-old Kyle Hendricks (8-7, 3.95 ERA) to the
mound for Game 2 in his postseason debut.
Hendricks finished strong with a 2-1 record and a 3.03 ERA in
September as Chicago won five of his six starts during the month. In
each of the right-hander's last two outings, he pitched six
scoreless innings.
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"I felt a lot better in my last two starts, was finally getting the
ball down with some angle," Hendricks said. "So I'm just trying to
build off that, stay in that same zone, stay in my lane and just
make good pitches tomorrow."
Hendricks, who set a franchise record with 17 no-decisions this
year, will be ready for the big stage against the Cardinals in the
biggest game of his young career.
"It is a postseason game, but I'm still going out to the mound, 60
feet 6 inches away, doing my same game," he said. "I've faced these
guys a few times, so just gotta get my game plan together and do my
same routine going into tomorrow."
NOTES: The St. Louis bullpen ranked second in the National League
with a 2.82 ERA in the regular season. ... Cardinals leadoff hitter
is 6-for-10 with a homer in his career against Cubs starter Kyle
Hendricks. ... The Cardinals might start Brandon Moss at first base
and move Stephen Piscotty from first to the outfield for Game 2. ...
The Cubs have played their last nine games on the road.
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reserved.]
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