I’m Off to St. Louis!
Written by Mike on July 3, 2008 – 7:49 pm -As I write this, the Mets are crushing the Cardinals 11-1 in the seventh. It’s actually kind of a relief that it’s not a nail biter, because I’ve got to be at the airport at six o’clock in the morning. So if the lead holds (ha!), the Cards will have split the series. The three game set with the Cubs could be huge. I can’t wait!
Funny thing about my flight. It leaves here and connects in Chicago, before finally arriving in St. Louis at one. It’s not really my idea of a good time, so I’ll have to make the best of it. I figure maybe if I deck myself out in Cards gear, I’ll have a decent chance of getting into it with some Cubs fans during my layover. Whether I end up in a bar brawl or just do a little smack talking with the Cubbie faithful, I should have a nice story to share when I get back on Tuesday.
I’ll be sure to take a ton of pictures from the games, and will share them with everyone next week, assuming I don’t die of alcohol poisoning. Wish me luck!
In the meantime, you can still get your Cardinals fix from some of the other blogs listed in my blogroll.
Cubs suck!
Mets Take Game Two
Written by Mike on July 1, 2008 – 8:44 pm -Clearly, Cardinal starter Todd Wellemeyer was out of whack tonight in the second of four games against the Mets. He couldn’t command any of his pitches, and the New York hitters were sitting on his fastball. Wellemeyer labored through five innings on 98 pitches, allowing 6 runs on 12 hits.
Brad Thompson came in to pitch in the sixth, and promptly gave up a home run to David Wright. Later, Thompson popped up a sacrifice attempt that took the wind out of the rally sails. Just when I thought his suckiness would continue, Brad cruised through the final three innings unscathed, and has earned a temporary pass from my verbal hazing.
The Cardinals managed to score four runs, including a two-run homer from Rick Ankiel in the first. Unfortunately, it wasn’t nearly enough to overcome the weak showing from Wellemeyer. The final was 7-4. Here’s the complete box score.
The organization has signed their first round draft pick, Brett Wallace. He spent the day at Busch Stadium today, meeting some of the players and taking batting practice. I’ll have more on Wallace tomorrow, but for now, check out Brain Walton’s article on the young slugger.
Game three of the series tomorrow night, where it’s Joel Pineiro against Pedro Martinez. Should be a good one.
Lohse Brilliant Against Mets
Written by Mike on June 30, 2008 – 8:56 pm -
In the first home game in eleven days, a series opener with the New York Mets, Kyle Lohse led the Cardinals to a decisive win. Recall Lohse’s last start, in Detroit, when he lasted only 4 innings, and allowed 5 runs on 11 hits. It was his only poor outing in five June starts. Tonight, against the potent Mets’ lineup, Lohse turned in a very impressive 7 innings in his sixth and final start of the month. He earned his team leading tenth win on the season. His only run allowed was unearned. He struck out four and gave up only five hits, and now sports a 3.67 ERA on the year.
The Cardinal offense was able to plate seven runs, two of which were unearned gifts. Aaron Miles continued to impress with another three hit night, and Chris Duncan hit his fifth home run of the season.
The other big story of the night was the long awaited return of Cardinal pitcher Mark Mulder. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning, despite giving up a pair of singles. To his credit, one of the hits, a blooper to left, should have been caught. I really want to point out Tony La Russa’s decision on when to give Mulder his ‘08 debut. He played his Card perfectly, putting Mulder in a position to succeed, and boost his confidence. I think pitching the ninth inning to close out a game, especially for a guy looking to gain some traction, is far more beneficial than pitching some other inning. Besides the normal ovation from the crowd at Busch, when a guy closes out a game, he gets to line up for high fives and pats on the ass from his teammates. Sounds trivial, but for a guy that hasn’t been successful for as long as Mulder, it’s important to get the support of your comrades. Bravo Tony.
The win put the Cardinals at 48-36, and closed the book on June. 7-1 was the final. Here’s the full recap and box score. As I speculated yesterday, the Cardinals did in fact make a roster move today, swapping Nick Stavinoha for Brad Thompson to add a fresh arm in the bullpen. Todd Wellemeyer will get the start for the Birds tomorrow. A win will ensure a series split, and a possible stride toward the division leading Chicago Cubs.
You Can’t Put a Chain on a Junkyard Dog
Written by Mike on June 29, 2008 – 8:15 pm -
It’s a saying that I first heard from my good friend Jimmy, and there’s no better one that could describe the breakout game today from Cardinal backup catcher Jason LaRue. It was his performance, both offensively and defensively, that allowed the Cards to win the series today in Kansas City.
In the first inning, with the Royals threatening to take an early lead, LaRue stood strong at home plate to endure a collision with David DeJesus. The Cardinal backstop was upended, but held on to the ball for the out. LaRue’s two-run homer in the second put the Cards on the board first. He wasn’t done there. Later, in the fifth, he knocked in two more with a ball hit to center that knuckled away from Joey Gathright for a triple. From Matthew Leach’s recap:
“My goodness,” marveled manager Tony La Russa. ”What more can you do? Big hits, big collision at the plate, and he got another couple balls that he hit well that were outs. He just had a terrific day.”
Braden Looper didn’t have it today, and left the game with the bases loaded and only one out in the fourth, clinging to a two run lead. Chris Perez came in to put out the fire and pick up the win. The Cardinals used five relievers, combining for 5.2 innings and allowing three runs.
Luckily, Junkyard LaRue and all of his facial hair showed up to play today. His action has been limited, but when you let him off the porch, LaRue has shown that he’s quite capable. Other notables from the game:
- Albert Pujols hit his 299th home run of his career.
- Former Cardinal Mark Grudzielanek went 4 for 5.
- Adam Kennedy was the only Cardinal without a hit.
- Mark Mulder warmed up, but didn’t get in the game.
The final score was 9-6. Here’s the complete box score.
Looking ahead, the Cardinals may be short handed in the relief department for the series opener tomorrow against the Mets. I would imagine that Perez, Jason Isringhausen, Kyle McClellan, and possibly Ryan Franklin, will all be unavailable due to their taxing workload. Now that interleague play is over, I think there will be a roster move made before the game, possibly sending down Nick Stavinoha for a pitcher.
Kyle Lohse will start the game for the Redbirds tomorrow night. He’s coming off a subpar outing in Detroit, but the talented Mets club is having a subpar season. John Maine gets the start for New York.
Finally, don’t forget to vote your favorite Cardinal players into the All-Star game. Only three days of voting left.
Fifth Time’s a Charm
Written by Mike on June 28, 2008 – 8:05 pm -
Finally. The Cardinals beat the Royals. Heading into tonight’s game, Kansas City had taken all four previous meetings between the two clubs, including a sweep of the Redbirds at Busch. With the win, the Cardinals are poised to take this series with a win tomorrow afternoon.
Mitchell Boggs was the story in this one. He got the nod over recently activated Mark Mulder, and after a shaky start, cruised to his third win of the season. He pitched six plus, on 96 pitches, allowing 1 run on just 4 hits, while striking out 6. The lone run scored after Boggs had departed with two on in the seventh. Kyle McClellan pitched two innings, and Russ Springer finished the game.
The Cardinals managed seven hits from seven different batters, including Rick Ankiel’s fifteenth home run of the season, a two run shot in the sixth. Only Troy Glaus and Brendan Ryan didn’t reach base. 5-1 was the final score. Here’s the complete box score.
Now back at ten games over .500, with a record of 46-36, the Cardinals trail Chicago by 3.5 games. After tomorrow’s finale in KC, the Cards will host the Mets for four, followed by a very important three games series against Cubs over the 4th of July weekend. I’ll be making the trip to St. Louis to see us kick some Baby Bear butt!
For now, it’s one game at a time, starting with Braden Looper against Brian Bannister tomorrow. Go Cards!
Take 5
Written by Mike on June 27, 2008 – 8:04 pm -Well the Cardinals couldn’t get it done against the Royals in their first four opportunities, so they’ll try again tomorrow.
Tonight was game one of the series in Kansas City, and although the action was a little different from the three games in St. Louis, the outcome was the same. The Royals won. Yeah, the Royals. Joel Pineiro pitched for the Cards, and wasn’t very sharp. On the plus side, he did go deep into the game, allowing some much needed rest for the relief crew. Pineiro lasted 7.2 innings, allowing 7 runs on 10 hits. The final score was 7-2. Here’s the full recap and box score.
The Cardinals made a roster move today. The long awaited return of Mark Mulder has finally arrived, although not as originally planned. Upon activation, Mulder was sent to the Cardinals’ bullpen, where we’ll wait to see his first ever relief appearance. Mike Parisi was sent back to AAA Memphis.
So the fifth take in the I-70 series is tomorrow night. After three straight losses, the Cardinals will look to rookie Mitchell Boggs to turn things around. Kyle Davies will pitch for Kansas City. How about a win?
Ankiel’s Two Homers Not Enough
Written by Mike on June 26, 2008 – 7:13 am -
In a battle of the bats at a rain soaked Comerica Park, the Detroit Tigers came out ahead after a lengthy delay to even the series. The Cardinal offense was potent, but their pitching left a lot to be desired.
The Cards took an early lead on a lead off home run by Skip Schumaker, and another solo shot from Rick Ankiel. Ankiel added a second bomb in the fifth. He now has fourteen. Seven runs were not enough, as the Tiger’s attack was even better. They out hit the Cardinals 19-10, and came out on top after a walk-off RBI in the ninth.
Even though Cardinal starter Kyle Lohse got knocked around for 5 runs on 11 hits in 4 innings, it was the bullpen that couldn’t hold leads late in the game. After Chris Perez threw a pair of shutout innings, Jason Isringhausen, Randy Flores, and Kyle McClellan each allowed a run. 8-7 was the final. Here’s the complete box score.
The Cards will try to take the series this afternoon with Todd Wellemeyer on the mound. Nate Robertson gets the start for Detroit.
Albert Pujols should be in the lineup today. Rick Hummel reports that he’ll come off the DL today and be thrown right back into the action. No word yet on who gets moved to make room for Pujols. Here’s the full story.
Cards Tame Tigers
Written by Mike on June 24, 2008 – 8:07 pm -For some bizarre reason, the schedule makers for MLB have the St. Louis Cardinals visiting Detroit for the third straight year. It’s pretty ridiculous. Regardless, the Cards were able to win the first game of the series, despite getting swept out of Tigertown the past two years.
The Cardinal bats were able to peg Detroit cheater starter Kenny Rodgers with 5 runs through 5.1 innings. I guess he forgot the pine tar this time around. Every Cardinal batter reached base at least once during the game. Five different Cardinals contributed with RBI, including the newest Redbird, Nick Stavinoha, who picked up his first in the big leagues.
Braden Looper pitched effectively, collecting his ninth win. He lasted 6 innings, allowing 4 runs, all on 3 home runs (although the replay showed that one of the homers didn’t actually leave the yard). He also struck out three. The bullpen shut out the Tigers the rest of the way. 8-4 was the final. Here’s the full recap and box score.
The latest news on disabled slugger Albert Pujols is good. According to Matthew Leach, it’s likely that Pujols will be activated in time for Thursday’s game. So far, the Cardinals are 6-6 without Albert, which considering the schedule, is far better than I imagined they would be. It’ll be nice to get El Hombre back. Even though they’ve held their own, I would prefer not to see Yadier Molina or Adam Kennedy play any more first base. But, as Tony La Russa says, you play with what you have, and the Cardinals are doing that quite well.
Tomorrow’s match up should be a good one. Kyle Lohse gets the start for the Cards. He’s 9-2, with a 3.63 ERA. Armando Galarraga will start for Detroit. He’s 7-2, with 3.03 ERA. Hopefully, the Cardinals can continue right where they left off.
Play Like A Cardinal - Part 4
Written by Mike on June 23, 2008 – 6:34 pm -This is the montage that’s played at Busch Stadium, featuring all of your favorite St. Louis Cardinals. Enjoy!
What a Game!
Written by Mike on June 22, 2008 – 9:28 pm -After rolling Dice K in yesterday’s romping of the Red Sox, the Cardinals were going for the sweep today at Fenway. With Joel Pineiro and Jon Lester as the scheduled starters, and Albert Pujols and David Ortiz on the DL, who’d have guessed we were in for such an entertaining game.
The two starting pitchers matched each other frame after frame, shutting out the offenses for five innings a piece, before Brian Barton and Ryan Ludwick each drove in a run for the Cardinals in the sixth. The Sox took the lead in the eighth after a lead-off triple, a sac fly, a base hit, and three walks. Chris Perez was charged with the blown save. I remember feeling bad for Pineiro, and thinking that was the end. Surely, the Cards wouldn’t stand a chance in the ninth against Jonathan Papelbon.
A pinch hitting Chris Duncan drew the first walk of the season issued by Papelbon at home. Then perhaps the most unlikely candidate for heroism, Adam Kennedy, drove in Duncan with a pinch hit double. Game tied!
The relief team of Russ Springer, Kyle McClellan, Jason Isringhausen, and Ron Villone each pitched a scoreless inning despite giving the Red Sox plenty of opportunities for a walk-off win. The ninth through twelfth innings had a desperate, playoff feel. I was on the edge of my seat for each of the bottom halves.
Kevin Youkilis hit a two run homer off of Mike Parisi in the bottom of the thirteenth to win it for Boston. It was his second home run of the day. 5-3 was the final. Here’s the complete box score.
Sure, it would have been much nicer if the Cardinals would have won it, but I enjoyed the loss more than any other loss in recent memory. The game was intense. Very intense. Here we are still a few weeks away from the All-Star break, and an interleague game feels like game seven of the World Series.
This one had everything. From great pitching, too poor pitching. From spectacular defense, to some routine misplays. From small ball to long ball. All day, both managers tried to outwit one another. It had that October excitement throughout.
Up next, the Cardinals head to Detroit to start a three game series with the Tigers. I don’t know what’s in store, but it’s going to be damn near impossible to top this one.
