The St. Louis Cardinals host the San Francisco Giants for a four game series starting Thursday night.
These two teams have been the class of the National League over the last four years, combining to win all four NL Championships (two apiece) and three World Series titles (Giants two, Cardinals one) during that span.
As the calendar approaches June, the Giants and Cardinals once again find themselves battling at the top of the National League, owning the best and third-best records respectively.
Records:
Cardinals: 29-24, 2nd place in NL Central, 2.5 games behind Milwaukee.
Giants: 34-19, 1st place in NL West, 5.5 games up on the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Season Series: First meeting of 2014; the Cardinals won last year's season series 4-2.
St. Louis Outlook: The Cardinals have continued to close the gap on the first place Brewers, sitting just two and a half games out of first place.
The pitching staff has played a big role in the Cardinals surge, and boasts an impressive 3.18 ERA for the season.
Not surprisingly, the staff has been anchored by Adam Wainwright, who has been unscored upon in his last 20.2 innings, including back-to-back shutouts over the Diamondbacks and Reds.
With the recent return of Jaime Garcia, St. Louis now has a fully healthy rotation for the first time this season, backed up by one of the strongest bullpens in baseball with flamethrowers Carlos Martinez, Kevin Siegrist and Trevor Rosenthal.
San Francisco Outlook: Coming off a 5-1 homestand, the Giants currently own the best record in the majors.
Brandon Belt, Matt Cain, Tim Hudson, Angel Pagan, Santiago Casilla and Marco Scutaro have all missed time due to injury at some point this year, yet San Francisco hasn't missed a beat on their march to first place.
Their record seems even more improbable when you factor in former MVP Buster Posey's struggles at the plate. He has been almost non-existent over his last 10 games, hitting .121 (4-33) with no home runs and six RBI's.
However, the Giants have received contributions from some unlikely sources, like second baseman Brandon Hicks and outfielder Tyler Colvin, to help bolster one of the best offenses in the National League.
What to watch for: This series will showcase two of the best pitching staffs in baseball, with a few stellar matchups on tap. Adam Wainwright (8-2, 1.67 ERA) and Madison Bumgarner (6-3, 3.15 ERA) duel on Friday night, with Lance Lynn (6-2, 3.13) and Tim Hudson (5-2, 1.92) wrapping up the series on Sunday.
Neither team has been a slouch offensively either. Posey's struggles haven't hurt the Giants much because of Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence's torrid production as of late.
The Kung-Fu Panda has hit .304 with five home runs and 17 RBI's in the month of May, while Hunter Pence has posted a .330 average, with four home runs and nine RBI's during that span.
The Cardinals have enjoyed solid production from young first baseman Matt Adams, who has a team-high 63 hits, aiding his .326 batting average (also a team-high).
Perennial contributors Yadier Molina and Matt Holliday are at it again, as they anchor the offense. Molina is hitting .323 with 23 RBI's, and Holliday leads the team with 28 RBI's and a .378 on-base percentage.
Cain on track after solid bullpen session (SFGiants.com)
Morse's defensive versatility a boon for Giants (SFGiants.com)
Is Lance Lynn finally putting it all together? (SBNation)
A confident Wong helping Cardinals (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
For more content by Chris Kersevan, check out his writer’s page and on Twitter @cker7
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