Wacha was supposed to start tonight, but is being scratched for September call up Tyler Lyons. Nothing is wrong, they just want Michael to get extra rest. He should make his next start in five days.

I think he has15 Win now.

15-4 on the season with a 2.69 ERA.

Wacha scheduled to start tonight at Busch at 7 PM against the Cubs.
Weather tonight:

Good news and bad news. The weather has held off in STL, but Wacha just surrendered a home run to Rizzo. 2-0 Cubs after 1/2 inning.

Michael getting raked tonight. Middle of the 2nd inning, and he's already thrown 53 pitches.

Cubs - 6 5 0
Cards - 0 0 0

Middle of 2nd

Out number 3 was caught against the wall and was almost a two run homer to make it 8-0.

Ouch...had Wacha in a three game parlay tonight with kershaw and hammels....oops

Just made a two teamer with hammels and kershaw, hopefully they can come through for me.

Ties his career high for earned runs in a game at 6.

It happens...he will come back next outing and shut em down!

Had control trouble all night, and when he hit the middle of the plate, the Cubs knocked the cover off the ball. Still 6-0 Cubs in the top of 6. Look to be a lot of Cubs fans at Busch tonight on TV.

Cardinals put up 5 in the 7th but lose 8-5 to the Cubs. Michael drops to 15-5 on the season.

win #16 today

I didn't even realize that he was starting today. We spent the day at Six Flags in St. Louis, and there were just a crazy number of people in Wacha jerseys (more than Molina or Wainwright). Now I know why.

fun to look back at the 2012 MLB draft:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Major_League_Baseball_Draft#First_round

Wacha was the 8th pitcher taken in the draft that year --- #19 overall

if that draft could be re-drafted...perhaps Carlos Correa still goes #1, but Wacha would go at worse #2 overall

Wacha current record 16-5

Wacha is projected to start tonight. Go Michael!

Yep and against t-supper, Taylor Jungmann.

Let's go Wacha! Last leg of my three team parlay which included kershaw!

Wacha's start tonight is an hour earlier than normal - @6:15 CDT.

I am guessing it's a national broadcast of some type. They're always on FS Midwest where I live, so I don't always know when there's a bigger audience.

Control problems early. Radio color pipsqueak Rick Horton thinks he's rushing his pitches (for the second consecutive start).

28 pitches in the first inning - 15 were balls


3-0 Brewers in the Middle of 1

Perralta hits a 3 run HR, and it's tied 3-3 in the Middle of 4.

Piscotty goes deep and it's 4-3 Cards!

wrong board

love that run support

I'm liking it!! His pitch count his high, prolly his last inning

Wacha was lifted after throwing 5. He was pretty good after the first. With a pitch count of 90 and the score currently 7-3 Top 8th, he stands to get a relatively easy win.

Cards win 7-3, and Wacha gets win #17 to improve to 17-5. Cards are 97-56 on the season.

there it is!

Doug Rau's aggie record for most wins in an MLB season has been broken

Good Job Michael.

Bad outing today for Michael in Pittsburgh. Four innings, 86 pitches, six earned runs. Cards are down 6-1 in the middle of the 5th. Wacha has been pinch hit for and is on the hook for the loss.

He had control problems all day and gave up two more home runs. He's now surrendered 19 on the season. One of the HRs was a grand slam into row 5 of the LF bleachers. OUCH

EDIT: Wacha is hit with the loss today and falls to 17-7 on the season.

I've not heard anything about Yadier Molina other than he won't return in the regular season, but IIRC, the starters' combined ERA was about 0.60 higher during his long stint on the DL in 2014. Man I hope he's ready in time for the playoffs!

which playoff game will Wacha start?

Wacha seeks timing as Cards return to field
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinal-beat/wacha-seeks-timing-as-cards-return-to-field/article_0cad558b-9f99-59c1-ab68-6e7d06fc1e0a.html

quote:

---

As the Cardinals return to the field Wednesday at Busch Stadium for the first official workout as a team since the end of the regular season, Wacha awaits his starting assignment while trying to use side work to find his starting rhythm.

Wacha has been beset with control concerns in his past five starts, walking 18 batters and allowing 45 baserunners in 24 innings this past month. His inability to locate his fastball has reduced the effectiveness of his changeup, the sinister pitch that helped him win the MVP award during the 2013 National League championship series. Wacha finished this season 17-7 with a 3.38 ERA, adding run to it in September.
He intended to use bullpen sessions this week to work on things he doesn't have a game to correct. Since taking a break to limit his workload, Wacha has been searching for the rhythm of his delivery that coordination between when his foot lands and the pitch releases.

"It can definitely be a timing issue," Wacha said. "I would say whenever you get a little out of whack, sometimes you can't get (the delivery) where you want it, and that causes you to lose control and lose your timing out there. I definitely don't like walking guys. That's something I have worked on attacking the zone early. Throw some strikes. I can get it done."

---

Wacha draws Arrieta on Monday night in Game 3

Hopefully this is a sign that Wacha will have a lot of run support!

Cards' Reynolds breaks Cubs fan's window with BP blast
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinal-beat/cards-reynolds-breaks-cubs-fan-s-window-with-bp-blast/article_95523336-6cd4-5d32-98a5-959423d18510.html

quote:

---

Brown, a 24-year-old engineer who relocated from Philadelphia to Chicago (he has adopted the Cubs after rooting for the Phillies growing up) had spent his morning with friends at the Chicago Marathon, and was headed to the beach later that afternoon. In between, he decided to watch some of the Cardinals' batting practice from a window of his second-story apartment on West Waveland Avenue. It's one of the benefits of living in a place that overlooks the park.

Meanwhile, Reynolds and his teammate Matt Holliday had turned their batting practice session into a bit of a battle. Twice, Holliday sent a ball over the green bleachers and into the street. Twice, Reynolds came up after him and hit back-to-back pitches out of the park as well.

One of Reynolds' swings ended in a crash. And some minor cuts on Brown's arm.

Brown and his roommates have lived in the apartment for a little over a year. To their knowledge, this is the first ball that hit their place on the fly.

"Sammy Sosa hit one in the downstairs apartment, I believe, before we were here," Brown said over the phone.

---

Gametime has been set, and it's 5:07 PM CDT.

Arrieta shuts down the Cards in the 1st, and the Cubs are up to bat. Cards radio guys say that the ball was jumping off the bat in BP, so Wacha needs to keep it down.

Wacha 4.1 in , 6H, 4R

What's happened to him? Plus going up against the horned frog that's about to win the cy young doesn't help