Make it Five
Written by Mike on September 27, 2008 – 10:40 pm -
Five! Five wins! Ah ah ah! The Cardinals kept the winning streak going with another win over the Reds tonight, and with only one more game in the season, have a chance to end on a positive note.
Pin this win on Todd Wellemeyer. The Colonel was good again, giving up just three runs over 6.1 innings, while striking out three. Wellemeyer finishes the season 13-7, with a 3.71 ERA. Go ahead and write his name into the starting rotation next season, and use pen.
The Cardinals were able to put up eight runs, which included a two run shot from Troy Glaus, and solo homers from Felipe Lopez and Albert Pujols. Here’s tonight’s box score.
Kyle Lohse will take the mound for the Redbirds tomorrow afternoon, hoping to put an exclamation point on the end of the season for St. Louis. He’ll be opposed by lefty Adam Pettyjohn. Let’s end it the right way boys. Sweep!
Cards Trying to Finish Strong
Written by Mike on September 26, 2008 – 10:29 pm -What’s going on with the Birds on the Bat? They stayed in the race all season long before an ugly, unmotivated, and injury plagued September. Now that they’ve been eliminated, they’re winning baseball games again.
Taking three of four and spoiling the playoff chances for the Arizona Diamondbacks was first, and now the Cardinals have stretched their winning streak to four games with tonight’s win over the Reds. They’re now 84-76, despite a September record of 10-13, with two more games to play in the ‘08 season.
You could argue that the games don’t count anymore, but in some ways they still do. Maybe the guys aren’t playing for October, but they could be playing for pride. Some could be playing for milestones. Some could be playing for next year’s paycheck, and some for next year’s opportunity. Whatever the reason, seeing the Cards play winning baseball is still fun, and much better than the alternative.
The latest win didn’t come until the bottom of the ninth, when Troy Glaus knocked in Felipe Lopez with a walk-off sacrifice fly. The final score was 7-6, with Ryan Franklin getting both the blown save and the win. It’s crap. Franklin was again the worst of the Cardinal pitching, and doesn’t deserve any more positive statistics. Here’s a quick recap of tonight’s action, along with the complete box score.
Tomorrow’s game features Todd Wellemeyer and Aaron Harang. Hopefully the Cardinals can continue to roll, and end this season on a high note.
In the other meaningful action, the Marlins beat the Mets 6-1, while the Brewers beat the Cubs 5-1. Milwaukee again leads the Wild Card race by a game, but I’m really hoping they blow it. If I have to see any more shirt untucking I’ll probably puke. Go Cubs!
Cubs Even the Series
Written by Mike on September 10, 2008 – 10:50 pm -
Ted Lilly is good, and that sucks. Really, he’s good. Seriously, that sucks. Lilly kept the Cardinal hitters off balance all night, lasting eight innings, giving up just one run on five hits. He was brilliant. To me, he looks hittable. I guess to Major League hitters, he’s not.
So you’d think that Lilly’s dominance was the difference in the game. You’d be wrong. Blame it on the Cardinals’ defense. The Cards committed two errors, both by Felipe Lopez at third, but they had several other defensive miscues, and it clearly cost them the game. Only one of the Chicago’s four runs was earned, and the Cardinals lost the game 4-3. Here’s the full recap and box score.
I took note of a few other things in tonight’s loss:
- Jason Motte still kicks ass.
- Josh Kinney was awesome. Welcome back.
- Ryan Ludwick now has 33 home runs.
- Cubs pitchers and balks go hand in hand.
- Josh Phelps shouldn’t play in left field.
Chances are, since you’re reading this, you follow the Cardinals as closely as I do. I’m sure you were scoreboard watching, and noticed that although the Phillies lost to the Marlins, both the Brewers and the Astros won tonight, which is bad news for the Redbirds. The Cardinals have now fallen to fourth place in the NL Central, trailing the Cubs by nine games, and 4.5 games back in the Wild Card race.
Yesterday was great. Tonight was horrible. That’s the way it goes, I guess. One thing is for sure, though, the National League Central can no longer be considered a weak division.
So, tomorrow is another day. It’s the rubber game of this heated rivalry. Todd Wellemeyer gets the ball for the Cardinals. Rich Harden will take the mound for the Small Bears. A Cardinal win is imperative for their playoff hopes. Go Cards!
Losing in High Definition
Written by Mike on September 5, 2008 – 11:09 pm -
As most of you regular readers know, I live in Miami, Florida, and since moving here from St. Louis, I’ve been reduced to watching Cardinal baseball via the Extra Innings package from Comcast, my local shitbox cable provider. At any rate, the games I get to watch in high definition are very few and far between. Other than the rare Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN, my only hope is when the Cards face the Marlins. I didn’t have to worry about the broadcast last month when the Birds were down here in Florida because I was at all the games, but now that I finally have another chance to watch my favorite team in HD, they pull an ‘08 Cards, and blow the save to lose the game.
It was the first of a three game series against the Fish, and to my surprise, turned out to be a pitchers duel for most of the contest. Braden Looper and Ricky Nolasco matched each other pitch for pitch deep into the game. Looper was fantastic, going 7.1 innings without allowing a run on only 4 hits. He struck out 6. Chris Perez blew the save, and Ryan Franklin continued down the road of suck, and the Cardinals lost the game 4-1. Here’s the full recap, along with the complete box score.
I guess I can’t blame the bullpen entirely, as the offense only put up one run, but it’s a shame nonetheless, as the Cardinals added to their Major League leading 30 blown saves. Yummy!
And for all of you other scoreboard watchers out there, Milwaukee beat San Diego in extra innings, and the Phillies beat the Mets. The only good news of the night was that the Cubbies got their asses handed to them 10-2 by Cincinnati. The Cards remain 6 games back in the Wild Card race.
Tomorrow’s game features Todd Wellemeyer and Scott Olsen. The Cardinals need to win. I’m already on suicide watch.
Looper Gets Shelled in Loss
Written by Mike on August 31, 2008 – 11:50 am -Ugly. Really, really ugly. After getting spotted a three run lead by Rick Ankiel’s homer in the first inning of game two in Houston, starter Braden Looper immediately put the Cardinals in a hole by giving up six runs in the bottom half. Manager Tony La Russa stayed with the pitcher into the fifth, but turned to his bullpen after a two run homer off the bat of Geoff Blum. Looper’s line: 4.1 innings, 8 earned runs on 11 hits, 3 walks, and 1 strikeout. Ugh! Here’s the box score.
It’s tough to watch the Cardinals lose games to lesser teams down the stretch. They’re now back down to only 12 games over .500, with a record of 74-62. What’s worse is they’ve gone 4-6 in their last ten games, and are now tied with the Phillies at 5.5 games behind the NL Wild Card leading Milwaukee Brewers.
Game three against Houston is later this afternoon. Todd Wellemeyer will try to keep the Astros hitters in check to prevent the sweep. He can’t do any worse than Looper.
A Frustrating Loss for the Cardinals
Written by Mike on August 26, 2008 – 11:10 pm -
The clock is ticking, and the Cardinals need wins. We would have liked to see a two game sweep to begin the home stand against Pittsburgh. But the Cards split. We would have liked to see a three game sweep against Atlanta. But the they could only take two. And in what seems like the most important series of the second half, we would have liked to see the Redbirds get redemption with a pair of wins against Milwaukee. Game one is in the books. Brewers 12, Cardinals 0.
From looking at the final score, you would think that starter Todd Wellemeyer had a bad game, and it got out of hand in a hurry. That wasn’t the case at all, as Wellemeyer was down by only three runs after six. He left the game after two batters in the seventh, on 112 pitches, finishing with a line of 6 innings, 5 runs (4 earned), and 5 strikeouts.
The Cardinals used four relievers to finish the game, the worst being Brad Thompson, who allowed four runs in his one-plus. Jaime Garcia allowed three more runs before finishing the top of the ninth.Nothing doing for the St. Louis offense. They managed seven hits, five of which were off of Ben Sheets, but couldn’t get anyone around, stranding eight runners on base. Here’s tonight’s full recap and box score.
So it’s another loss, moving the Cardinals record to 3-3 on this home stand and 73-60 overall. They now trail the Brewers by 4.5 games in the Wild Card race. Is it a more significant loss than any other? Depends on who you ask.
“I think, to us, these are our biggest games all year,” said Cardinal reliever Ryan Franklin.
Manager Tony La Russa knows these games are important, but also acknowledges that they won’t determine whether or not the Cards make the playoffs.
“The biggest thing is that this two-game series will not determine October chances for either club,” La Russa said.
So while we die hard Cardinal fans feel like the playoff bus is leaving the station, and we don’t have tickets, we have to remember a couple of things. First, these same two clubs play again tomorrow, and win for the Redbirds ensures no more lost ground. And secondly, there are still 28 more games after that one. A lot can happen.
Look for Adam Wainwright to lead the Cards to a win tomorrow night, and we’ll all feel better afterwards.
Offensive Outburst Earns Cards a Split
Written by Mike on August 21, 2008 – 11:17 pm -Just a quick post today, as the team has the day off. I’m working on a rather lengthy post for the weekend when the team hosts the Braves.
Last night the Cardinals were able to trounce the Pirates 11-2. They tallied 13 hits, and scored in five of their eight innings at the plate. Jason LaRue got the scoring started in the second inning with a sacrifice fly, and added a two-run homer in the seventh. Rick Ankiel also went deep with a two run shot in the third, his 24th.
Todd Wellemeyer earned his eleventh win of the season, pitching 5 innings, giving up a pair of runs on 5 hits. He also struck out five. Russ Springer, Jaime Garcia, Ryan Franklin, and Chris Perez threw a shutout for the remaining four frames. Here’s the complete box score.
The Cardinals could have used some of those runs on Tuesday, when the offense was silent until the ninth inning. The series split didn’t allow the team to gain any ground on Milwaukee in the Wild Card race.
A three game series against Atlanta starts tomorrow night, with Adam Wainwright scheduled to take the mound for the first time since his finger injury. Charlie Morton will pitch for the Braves. With the regular season winding down in hurry, hopefully the Cards feel a sense of urgency, and can string together a nice winning streak. Who better to start the streak than Wainwright?
Series Preview - Pirates @ Cards
Written by Mike on August 18, 2008 – 8:55 pm -
The Cardinals enjoyed only their second day off since the All-Star break today, but it’s just one of four off days scheduled in the next eleven days. We knew the schedule makers were out of their minds when they had the Cards traveling to Detroit for the third consecutive year this season, but this makes me believe that they really do just throw darts at a calendar.
Tomorrow at Busch Stadium, the Cards will play the first of a short, two game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates before taking another day of rest. Braden Looper (11-9, 4.07 ERA) will face Ian Snell (4-10, 5.91 ERA). On Wednesday, it’s a battle between Todd Wellemeyer (10-4, 3.79 ERA) and Jason Davis (1-2, 1.80 ERA).
St. Louis needs to start this seven game home stand off with a bang, and I wouldn’t be satisfied without a sweep of the Bucs. With only 35 regular season games remaining, and the Cardinals trailing the Brewers by 2.5 games in the Wild Card race, playing .500 or slightly better baseball isn’t going to get them playing in October.
Pittsburgh comes to town with an abysmal 56-69 record, while the Redbirds, at 70-57, are only eight wins from matching last year’s total. The Cards haven’t been as good as expected at home this season, only five games over even, but that needs to change, starting tomorrow.
This is the last visit of the year for Pittsburgh. Remember the final visit the Pirates made to St. Louis last season? It was a four game series beginning on September 3rd. The next night was the debut of the famous rally squirrel, and the Cards won 6-4. Maybe we’ll see him again!
Lastly, a programming note. I finally got the pictures from the series with the Marlins uploaded. There’s quite a few horrible shots, but here’s the link anyway, and it’s also now listed in the photos section of the sidebar.
[Image Credit: Cardinals Clubhouse]
Cards Pummel Zambrano, Cubs
Written by Mike on August 9, 2008 – 9:32 pm -
YES! You know him. You hate him. The ace of the Chicago staff, Carlos Zambrano, and all of his cockiness, were at the center of some extremely entertaining television this afternoon when the Cardinals’ offense put on a hitting clinic.
After losing game one of the series with a subpar showing from the offense, the Redbirds showed up at Wrigley today ready for redemption. Facing Zambrano in Chicago is no easy task. Before today’s game, he was unbeaten at home in ‘08. The Cards were able to chase him out of the game after only 4.1 innings, in which he gave up 9 runs on 10 hits. Yep. 9 runs! Let’s count them:
- 1st inning: Ludwick singles in Schumaker from second
- 3rd inning: Schumaker hits a solo home run
- 3rd inning: Pujols hits a solo home run
- 4th inning: Glaus hits a two run homer
- 5th inning: Lopez singles in Pujols
- 5th inning: Glaus hits a three run home run
And Big Z was done. His nine earned runs were the most he’s ever allowed. The Cards continued to pile on, winning the game 12-3.
With all of the thunder from the Cardinal bats, it’s easy to forget just how important the strong outing from Todd Wellemeyer was. Making his first career start at Wrigley against his former team, the Colonel was impressive. With excellent command, Wellemeyer lasted 6.2 innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits, while striking out 5. The bullpen was able to get the final seven outs without incident, which is an accomplishment in itself. Here’s the complete box score.
Game three of the series is tomorrow night, with Chris Carpenter facing off against Ryan Dempster. A win would certainly add some momentum heading into the four game set in Miami.
Falling Off the Pace
Written by Mike on August 8, 2008 – 7:50 pm -
Dammit Jimmy! Stupid Cubs! This is no way to start a road trip. Even though it took 11 innings, the Cardinals came up on the short end today at Wrigley, and now sit seven games back in the NL Central standings.
Braden Looper turned in a fine performance, allowing just two runs in seven innings. Ironically, the two runs came off the bat of Looper’s former teammate, Jim Edmonds, via a pair of solo home runs. What a kick in the nuts. The bullpen turned in three scoreless innings before losing it in the eleventh. The culprit: Ryan Franklin. Again.
This is a loss that we can’t really pin on Franklin. I suppose most of the blame could fall on the offense, for their lack of timely hitting and base running blunders. Scoring only two runs against the Cubs is never going to get a win. That said, I still can’t seem to stop hating on the bullpen, especially the back end. I know that somebody had to take the loss today, but why does it seem like it’s always the same one or two guys?
I’ve changed my stance on Adam Wainwright’s return. I’m now in favor of him pitching in relief after his rehab assignment. What we’ve been doing isn’t working. I’m still hopeful that rookie Chris Perez gets more and more crucial innings, and I think having Wainwright right there with him could be a big plus.
Here’s some links:
- Today’s recap and box score.
- More on Wainwright’s status, from Derrick Goold.
- The Rick Ankiel story on FSN.
- Ryan Ludwick for MVP?
Game two of the series is tomorrow afternoon. Carlos Zambrano against Todd Wellemeyer. Let’s go Cards!
