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.
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.
