Cards Lose In Houston

In one of the more forgettable losses of the year, the Cardinals were able to scatter only four hits against the Astros in game one of the series. Worse is the fact that the four hits came from just two Cardinal batters. Both Skip Schumaker and Adam Kennedy had two singles a piece. Although Albert Pujols returned to the lineup, he managed to strike out twice in an 0 for 4 effort.

Braden Looper took the loss. Although he wasn’t at his best, only two of his five runs allowed were earned, and he labored through six innings to give the bullpen a rest. The final two frames were handled by yet another Cardinal rookie, Mitchell Boggs. He took the roster spot of the demoted Mike Parisi.

Houston won it 6-1. Here’s the full recap and box score.

Off the field, there seems to be some trouble brewing. Both Rick Ankiel and Todd Wellemeyer weren’t with the club tonight in Houston. Instead, they were back in St. Louis having their ailing parts scoped by the doctors. Bernie Miklasz posted this update. Rotoworld is already reporting that Wellemeyer has been placed on the disabled list, which if true, is very bad news for the Cardinals. Matt Clement’s rehab has now taken him to Springfield, where he’ll start Sunday’s game for the AA Cardinals.

Tomorrow, it’s Shawn Chacon and Adam Wainwright in game two. Wainwright, along with some better defense, should be able to contain the Astros while the Cardinal bats come back to life.