baseballhasbeengoodtome

Baseball America names Cardinals' Top 10 prospects

2011-11-22T15:33:00.000-08:00

BY DERRICK GOOLD | Posted: Tuesday, November 22, 2011 10:45 am | (6) Comments

TOWER GROVE • When I finished one of the early drafts of the St. Louis Cardinals' top 10 prospects for Baseball America, there were two well-known and obvious names that I skipped over, completely forgot, didn't rank at all.

I blame October.

Having watched Lance Lynn work in the World Series and charted the availability for the postseason of Eduardo Sanchez, I took it for granted that the two relievers, like Allen Craig and Daniel Descalso, had torched their eligibility for the annual ranking of the top 10 prospects in the Cardinals' system. Not so. Both still qualify. Both just qualify. A rewrite was in order.

This morning, at Baseball America's official Web site, the Cardinals' Top 10 was released, under the headline "Flying High." Shelby Miller is the prospect featured in the picture, and naturally Miller is the top prospect on the list. The scouting reports that go with each player are behind the pay wall at BA. But here is the list, as compiled in a joint effort between the editors at BA, including Jim Callis, and myself:

1. Shelby Miller, rhp
2. Carlos Martinez, rhp
3. Oscar Taveras, of
4. Zack Cox, 3b
5. Kolten Wong, 2b
6. Tyrell Jenkins, rhp
7. Lance Lynn, rhp
8. Eduardo Sanchez, rhp
9. Matt Adams, 1b
10. Jordan Swagerty, rhp

The addition of Lynn and Sanchez to the list reorganized the top seven, of course, but also left some worthy prospects outside the top 10. A few of those considered for those spots were RHP Trevor Rosenthal, SS Ryan Jackson, 3B Matt Carpenter and newcomer OF Charlie Tilson.

You can see the list and the "top tools" survey from the organization -- best control? Boone Whiting! -- by following this link.

As usual, there will be a chat at BA's site at 2 p.m. today St. Louis time.

But the conversation won't be confined to BA.

Each year, I open the floor here to questions about the top 10, about the Cardinals' system, and, yes, about the top 30 that will appear in the forthcoming Baseball America 2012 Prospect Handbook. We'll do it in the style of those old pre-chat PostCards mailbags. There are three ways to submit a question:

Write dgoold@post-dispatch.com. Please include name and city, if you please.
Scrawl a question in the comments section below.
Visit Bird Land@Facebook and write a question on the wall.

Any question is fair. Comments are welcome.

These rankings always come with a caveat. Remember, the players are only compared against other prospects in the Cardinals' system. That means a top-10 prospect in the Cardinals system might not crack the top 20 in, say, the Kansas City Royals' system. There is no perfect way to rank prospects, and the attempt here is to offer a snapshot of the system through its prospects.

I find it helpful to use history as a lesson.

I've done the rankings for Baseball America for the past five years -- actually more, but whatever -- and each year I sit down and look through past rankings to see what went right and what went wrong. I want to fight Prospect Fatigue and correct any blindspots. I whiffed on Matt Adams last year, and the reasons he didn't crack the rankings are now ones I've reconsidered.

My goal each year is not to contribute to the hype of prospects, but to offer context for these prospects and illustrate what they've done, what they're capable of doing (if everything goes right), and what they have to improve to make it happen.

It's far easier to criticize the rankings than to do them.

That latter actually takes time, research, reporting, knowing the names of lower minor-leaguers, etc.

The rankings aren't "my" rankings. I write the scouting reports and make some suggestions for the order. The rankings truly are the blend of opinions from scouts from other teams, coaches, opposing managers, Cardinals' officials, reporters and, of course, the editors at Baseball America. I think in recent years all of that has resulted in some informed top 10s. Look back at the Cardinals' top 10 that came after the 2009 season, and consider the number of prospects ranked in that top 10 that contributed to the recent World Series title:

1. Shelby Miller, RHP
2. Jaime Garcia, LHP
3. Lance Lynn, RHP
4. Daryl Jones, OF
5. David Freese, 3B
6. Eduardo Sanchez, RHP
7. Allen Craig, OF
8. Blake Hawksworth, RHP
9. Daniel Descalso, 2B
10. Robert Stock, C

Jones was coming off his "player of the year season." In hindsight, Craig could have been higher, but his lack of position at the time held him (incorrectly) out of the top five. Still ... Eight out of 10 ain't bad. I bet there are some farm directors who would take that kind of return on their internal rankings.

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/birdland/baseball-america-names-cardinals-top-prospects/article_e691460a-152b-11e1-a669-0019bb30f31a.html#ixzz1eTq9NUhD

Can't Be Done (Cardinal's Remix) - The 12 to 6 Movement

2011-11-07T08:16:00.000-08:00

Albert Pujols: The 2009 National League MVP

2009-12-11T06:02:00.001-08:00

St Louis Cardinals Tribute

2009-12-09T06:35:00.000-08:00

Gibson scoffs at rest 'issue'

2009-11-04T06:06:00.000-08:00

By RICK HUMMEL
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Tuesday, Nov. 03 2009
PHILADELPHIA — One of the biggest issues raised during the World Series this
year has been the philosophy of employing starting pitchers on three days'
rest, which, in today's game, basically has gone the way of the dinosaur.

While the New York Yankees have had the baseball world abuzz by using CC
Sabathia and A.J. Burnett on three days' rest — with the potential of asking
Andy Pettitte to do the same and Sabathia to do it again — the Philadelphia
Phillies and manager Charlie Manuel have taken the more cautious approach.
Manuel wouldn't let Cliff Lee, who started Monday night's Game 5 for the
Phillies, talk him into pitching Sunday on three days' rest. The Phillies lost
to fall into a 3-1 hole.

The greatest starting pitcher in World Series history, Cardinals Hall of Famer
Bob Gibson, wondered from his home in Omaha, Neb., what all the fuss was
about.

"What's the big deal?" Gibson said Monday night. "I don't get it. I don't think
it's going to kill somebody.

"A pitcher can't pitch with three days' rest? Some of those guys make $8
million a week."

Gibson made nine starts in three World Series, winning seven of them and
pitching exactly 81 innings — 10 innings in one game, eight in another and
twirling complete games in the other seven.

Burnett didn't fare as well for the Yankees on Monday night. He was pulled in
the third inning after the first four batters reached base and was charged with
six earned runs in his start.

In the Cardinals' 1967 World Series victory over the Boston Red Sox, Gibson won
three games, starting Games 4 and 7 on three days' rest after opening the
Series.

In 1968, Gibson again pitched Games, 1, 4 and 7 with the latter two on three
days' rest as the Cardinals lost to the Detroit Tigers.

Earlier, in 1964, Gibson stretched his arm to the limit as the Cardinals
strained to win the National League pennant. On the last Friday of the season,
he worked eight innings in a 1-0 loss to Al Jackson and the New York Mets. He
then pitched four innings of relief on the last Sunday, gaining the win as the
Cardinals finally nailed down the flag, and three days later started Game 2 of
the World Series and worked eight innings in a win against the New York
Yankees.

On three days' rest, Gibson pitched a 10-inning win in Game 5 and then, on two
days' rest, pitched a complete-game victory in Game 7.

Even Gibson admitted, though, that five games in 17 days was a bit much.

"I didn't feel really dynamite after that," he said.

But, under normal circumstances, he doesn't see any problem with starters
working with three days' rest in postseason play.

"I don't imagine you'd want to do that all year," Gibson said. "But for
playoffs and World Series ... if you can't do it then, when the hell can you do
it? I don't quite get it.

"I just think they make a little too much about it. I don't know who it is — if
it's the media or what."

While Manuel discussed the rest matter with Lee, Gibson said he never had any
such conversations with managers Johnny Keane and Red Schoendienst.

"Nobody ever sat down with me and said, 'Would it be OK if I pitch with three
days' rest?' I told them, 'I'm going to pitch every fourth day.'

"I would have been disappointed if I hadn't."

CARDINALS STOLE FOUR AT ONCE

Johnny Damon's two steals at once for the Yankees on Sunday night was nothing
compared to what the Cardinals' Vince Coleman and Willie McGee pulled off in
the first inning Aug. 1, 1985, at Wrigley Field.

With Coleman at second and McGee at first, the two lit out on a double steal
with Scott Sanderson pitching. Coleman beat catcher Jody Davis' throw to third
but overslid the bag after touching it. Since third baseman Ron Cey had the
ball in his hand, Coleman decided going back to third had no virtue and set
sail for home.

A rundown ensued, with McGee trailing the play. Sanderson and Davis ultimately
got themselves out of position and Cey, nicknamed the Penguin, ended up
futilely chasing Coleman to a now unoccupied home plate. McGee wound up at
third.

"I knew I couldn't get back to the bag," Coleman said then. "I was still in
no-man's land. So my reaction was to go to the next base."

After conferring by phone with Seymour Siwoff of the Elias Sports Bureau,
official scorer Randy Minkoff awarded each runner two steals.

SIGN STEALERS?

Larry Bowa, a Los Angeles Dodgers coach who used to play for and manage the
Phillies, wondered on ESPN radio Monday if the Phillies were stealing signs at
Citizens Bank Park, prompting an unusual number of conferences involving
Yankees catcher Jorge Posada and Sabathia on Sunday.

"There are rumors going around," said Bowa on radio, "that when you play the
Phillies, there's a camera somewhere or bullpen people are giving signs, and
catchers are constantly changing signs."

Bowa concluded, "Any edge you can get, you take advantage of it."

The Cardinals and new generations

2009-10-15T13:36:00.000-07:00

By PH8 on STLToday.com

There was an excellent letter to the editor at STLToday.com yesterday that I felt obliged to share with you, not only because I think it’s a fitting tribute to this past season’s Cardinal team – despite the unsavory finish – but also because it sums up a lot of the sentimentality I feel toward the Cardinals as well.

I struggled to find one snippet I could quote here that would sum up the whole thing, so instead I’m going to pull out tinier bits and then you’ll just have to go read the whole thing yourself via the link above.

As a kid I remember my mom and dad putting everything on hold to watch playoff games.

…

This town did not just “happen” to be a great baseball town, it’s made of generations and generations of families putting life on hold to watch the Cardinals.

Yep, and actually, as I think I’ve mentioned here before – I still have the 1982 World Series program on my bookshelf. A gift from my father that I will always cherish (even if he didn’t take me to the game). You can bet I gave him my extra ticket in 2004 though, and I have the program from that one too. And save the rhetoric about the “best fans in baseball” because I’m not barking up that tree here. “Best fans” or not, it’s hard to argue that St. Louis is a great baseball town.

What we can be proud of (and Mr. Dewitt can be thankful for) is the legacy of love for the Cardinals that we have once again fostered. Because of my behavior over the last week my children will put their lives on hold for October baseball when they have families of their own. And although we do not get to watch ‘Albert Pujols do everything’ this post season, I can be proud that this great American past time has once again made a deeper notch into the hearts and minds of the next generation.

As someone preparing to welcome a new member into Cardinal Nation in the coming months, this really hits home. It’s how I grew to love the Cardinals, it’s how my folks grew to love the Cardinals – hell, it’s how my wife grew to love the Cardinals, if by default.

Every Cardinal fan on the planet was hoping for, almost expected, a trip to the World Series this year. That didn’t happen. Yeah, I’m (we’re) bummed. But gosh were they fun to watch in August. And in April. And every other dang month of the season. I’ll live and die with every Pujols at-bat and ninth inning pitch again next season, with a new fan in my lap. I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to it.

When do pitchers and catchers report?

Chopping Wood For The Hot Stove

2009-10-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

By Cardinal70

It's a cold, rainy morning here in Arkansas, which finely matches the mood of Cardinal Nation after the quick exit from the postseason. There's this kind of limbo that goes on when your team is out of the playoffs early. There are still games going (though the LDS have been pretty anticlimatic this year, save the fact closers can't seem to get the job done) but your team isn't a part of them. You can't go full bore into discussions and rumors of next year just yet, though.

What you can do is a little retrospection. At least, that's what Tony LaRussa did yesterday. I saw very little of this series, unfortunately, but I have to agree with LaRussa, I expected a better game on Saturday that what happened. Like I say, I didn't see a single pitch of that one, but just looking at the score and comments, it didn't seem like they had much fight in them. To score just one run in a game Vicente Padilla is pitching just doesn't seem right, though par for the course for this year's version of the Cardinals.

The link above notes that Troy Glaus, Rick Ankiel and Joel Pineiro are not likely to return next year. None of these are huge surprises. The focus on Mark DeRosa has knocked Glaus out of the picture, though many of us would be just fine with DeRosa walking and David Freese taking over the job. Either way, though, Glaus really isn't in the plans, especially after the injury problems this year.

Pineiro has really pitched too well for the Cardinals to keep him. They have Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright and Kyle Lohse already locked up and management has continually said they want to plug in at least one home-grown arm into the rotation in 2010. With John Smoltz around, most likely back if he decides he wants to pitch again, there's not much room left to keep Pineiro. Besides, we saw what happened the last time he signed after a contract drive.

Ankiel....oh, Rick. Amazingly, the separation between Ankiel and a fan base that has followed him, nurtured him, rooted for him through the good and the bad and the good is not likely to be as painful as was expected six months ago. A .233 average and a propensity for the strikeout will do that. As Pip notes, Rick leaves St. Louis with exactly the same number of strikeouts as a hitter as he had as a pitcher. I've always been a fan of Rick, but he doesn't make enough contact to make him worth a bench slot and the outfield is probably going to be full in St. Louis for some time to come.

Today actually will be a busy day around the front office, as a lot of the recap meetings and initial thoughts for next year will be happening. Don't expect a whole lot of public news out of that, though, unless LaRussa or Dave Duncan decide not to return. Bernie Mikalsz addresses that along with some other questions and he comes to the conclusion that I had, that TLR isn't leaving after that performance. He couldn't go out on that note and be able to rest in retirement, I don't think. It wasn't the loss, it was the lack of competitiveness.

Someone who probably won't be back next year, though, is hitting coach Hal McRae. Besides the fact that the offense just never clicked, even with Matt Holliday and DeRosa in the lineup, there's this quote from John Mozeliak:

"It did seem the way we were approaching things at the plate, obviously it wasn't successful," Mozeliak said. "When things aren't going right, you've got to change. Did we make the right adjustments or not? As we sit here today, we had not."

I'd suggest McRae start updating his resume, because that is not a vote of confidence.

The stove may not be heated yet, but the preparations are being made. It could be another active offseason for St. Louis, so you better get ready.

Cardinals' sideshow is quite an event

2009-08-29T13:33:00.000-07:00

By Bryan Burwell
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
08/28/2009

As you begin to trace the zephyr stream that has led the Cardinals onto this high perch among the National League's best and hottest teams, the trail eventually will lead you to some rather unlikely places.

The most obvious trail surely leads us to the spectacular personnel moves that still have the entire NL buzzing. For other clues to the Redbirds' late-summer success, you must, of course, search in the vicinity of the top of the starting rotation, where the Big Three of Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright and Joel Piñeiro have proved to be nearly unbeatable since the start of July.

But here's exactly where we veer from the obvious.

It was early Tuesday afternoon at Busch Stadium, when it was still full of the echoes of a near-empty ballpark. Batting practice was just cranking up, and the hitters were all just working up a good sweat when you saw all of the Cardinals starting pitchers come marching out of the bullpen slowly walking across the right-field grass. They were spread out, shoulder to shoulder, strutting together in a scene reminiscent of one of those classic, slow-motion scenes you see in old NBA championship highlight films.

It was 'Carp' and Wainwright, Piñeiro, John Smoltz and the injured Kyle Lohse and Todd Wellemeyer, and they had just completed one of the most significant, yet rarely noticed rituals for the starting staff — the daily bullpen side session.

Every team in baseball has a daily side session for its starting pitchers. But few teams do it quite like the Cardinals. Along with pitching coach Dave Duncan and bullpen coach Marty Mason, every starting pitcher comes out to observe his fellow starter's important between-starts shakeout session.

"When I first got here a few years ago and did my first side session, I went into the bullpen to start working, and 'Carp' and 'Waino' and all the other guys were out there too," Piñeiro said. "I was like, 'Oh man, why are they out here?' I was thinking, 'Shoot, why can't I just get out there, do my thing and be done as quick as possible?'"

It didn't take Piñeiro long to appreciate what was going on. It was the ultimate team thing. The Cardinal pitchers are big on sharing information and dispensing knowledge. This is one of the most interactive pitching staffs in baseball, with everyone practicing the simple philosophy of paying it forward.

As well-trained as Duncan and Mason's seasoned eyes are, it's so much better when an athlete also can hear vital information coming from the astute observations of another craftsman. "At first I thought it was weird," Piñeiro said, laughing.. "But now I love it. Those side sessions are great because the other guys are just picking up on stuff. They detect the slightest thing that you are doing."

So the side session that many pitchers probably use as a mundane workout to just stretch out the arm between starts, takes on a greater meaning with this Redbirds staff. It is a heightened film study session without any need for a laborious film breakdown, because the other pitchers are the ones breaking down even the most subtle tendencies of their teammates.

It all began a number of years ago at the suggestion of Duncan, when he asked veterans Matt Morris, the late Darryl Kile, Woody Williams and Carpenter if they would mind participating in the bullpen sessions on a daily basis. "We became a group inside a group," Carpenter recalled. "You had 'Dunc' and Marty down there, but you also had a bunch of extra eyes down there trying to learn, but also trying to help, and it just caught on. You get to watch and learn different things from different guys.

"Never mind that it can help you. You can help the other guys, too. And with the quality of pitching we have here, you can watch, you can ask questions, and everyone can learn."

Smoltz, the 42-year-old graybeard who has done it all and seen it all, couldn't believe how unselfish and generous — and also how darned observant — his new teammates could be. In his first side session a week ago in San Diego, Smoltz got an eye-opening experience on the value of the Cardinals all-for-one, one-for-all collective. He thought he had already worked out all the mechanical issues that led to his early-season struggles. But what Smoltz quickly learned with the help of the collective eyes was how badly he was tipping his pitches, too.

With each pitch Smoltz threw, Carpenter, Wainwright and the other starters were basically identifying each pitch before he threw it. "When 'Carp' and the other guys were down there and they knew every pitch I'm throwing, I didn't have to look at any film of what I was doing wrong," Smoltz said. "I knew if they figured it out that easily out there, then I had to be doing the same thing in a game."

Pujols’ 5,000 At-Bats into History

2009-08-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

Five thousand at-bats into his career, baseball great Babe Ruth had already shattered home run records and set the gobsmacking standard with his 60 homers in 1927. He had also been a two-time 20-game winner as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox.

Five thousand at-bats into his career, the Splendid Splinter Ted Williams had his .406-average season and two Triple Crowns. Five thousand at-bats into their careers, Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg had three seasons with at least 150 RBIs and Iron Horse Lou Gehrig had started his famous streak and had three seasons with at least 170 RBIs.

Otherwise, 5,000 at-bats into his career … Albert Pujols is right there with them.

The St. Louis Cardinals first baseman and reigning National League MVP had the 5,000th at-bat of his career in the first inning of Thursday’s victory. He grounded into a double play. But what he has done in the previous 4,999 at-bats of his career puts him in elite company. He walks with giants like Williams, Gehrig and Greenberg — all of whom share something that Pujols does not: They played their careers in the American League. What could arguably be the best 5,000 at-bats to start a career in the National League is where today’s 10@10 begins …

1. Pujols’ 744 extra-base hits in his first 5,000 at-bats rank fourth all time, and are the most ever by an NL player in his first 5,000 ABs. Last night, on MLB Network they ran down the top five extra-base totals in baseball history through the first 5,000 ABs in any career:

* Babe Ruth … 863 XB hits
* Hank Greenberg … 762 XB hits
* Lou Gehrig … 761 XB hits
* Albert Pujols … 744 XB hits
* Ted Williams … 743 XB hits

2. Attempted to run the numbers on each of the above hitters and what they had when they reached their 5,000th at-bat. Easier said than done in one morning. So, here’s what I did: I got their totals as close to 5,000 AB as possible. Greenberg, for example, had a career total of 5,193 at-bats. The others had natural breaks relatively close to 5,000 ABs. For context, then, here are where the above five hitters were across the back of their baseball cards as close to 5,000 ABs as possible with the numbers I had handy this morning (and remember slash lines go BA/OBP/SLG):

Ruth … 4,958 AB … .349/.480/.709 … 416 HR … 1,269 RBI

Greenberg … 5,193 AB … .313/.412/.605 … 331 HR … 1,276 RBI

Gehrig … 5,135 AB … .342/.442/.636 … 299 HR … 1,285 RBI

Pujols … 5,003 AB … .333/.426/.628 … 358 HR … 1,082 RBI

Williams … 5,096 AB … .347/.484/.634 … 324 HR … 1,264 RBI

Lou Gehrig Story (1956) - B&W - 58 min

2009-08-13T17:52:00.001-07:00

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Bang the Drum Slowly (1956) - B&W - 52 min

2009-08-13T17:50:00.000-07:00

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Jackie Robinson Story (1950) - B&W - 80 min

2009-08-13T17:48:00.001-07:00

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The 'leaked list' of baseball players allegedly linked to steroids

2009-07-30T18:04:00.000-07:00

1.Nomar Garciaparra
2.Manny Ramirez
3.Johnny Damon
4.Trot Nixon
5.David Ortiz
6.Shea Hillenbrand
7.Derek Lowe
8.Pedro Martinez
9.Brian Roberts
10.Jay Gibbons
11.Melvin Mora
12.Jerry Hairston
13.Jason Giambi
14.Alfonso Soriano
15.Raul Mondesi
16. Aaron Boone
17.Andy Pettitte
18.Jose Contreras
19.Roger Clemens
20.Carlos Delgado
21.Vernon Wells
22.Frank Catalanotto
23.Kenny Rogers
24.Magglio Ordonez
25.Sandy Alomar
26.Bartolo Colon
27.Brent Abernathy
28.Jose Lima
29.Milton Bradley
30.Casey Blake
31.Danys Baez
32.Craig Monroe
33.Dmitri Young
34.Alex Sanchez
35.Eric Chavez
36.Miguel Tejada
37.Eric Byrnes
38.Jose Guillen
39.Keith Foulke
40.Ricardo Rincon
41.Bret Boone
42.Mike Cameron
43.Randy Winn
44.Ryan Franklin
45.Freddy Garcia
46.Rafael Soriano
47.Scott Spiezio
48.Troy Glaus
49.Francisco Rodriguez
50.Ben Weber
51.Alex Rodriguez
52.Juan Gonzalez
53.Rafael Palmeiro
54.Carl Everett
55.Javy Lopez
56.Gary Sheffield
57.Mike Hampton
58.Ivan Rodriguez
59.Derrek Lee
60.Bobby Abreu
61.Terry Adams
62.Fernando Tatis
63.Livan Hernandez
64.Hector Almonte
65.Tony Armas
66.Dan Smith
67.Roberto Alomar
68.Cliff Floyd
69.Roger Cedeno
70.Jeromy Burnitz
71.Moises Alou
72.Sammy Sosa
73.Corey Patterson
74.Carlos Zambrano
75.Mark Prior
76.Kerry Wood
77.Matt Clement
78.Antonio Alfonseca
79.Juan Cruz
80.Aramis Ramirez
81.Craig Wilson
82.Kris Benson
83.Richie Sexson
84.Geoff Jenkins
85.Valerio de los Santos
86.Benito Santiago
87.Rich Aurilia
88.Barry Bonds
89.Andres Galarraga
90.Jason Schmidt
91.Felix Rodriguez
92.Jason Christiansen
93.Matt Herges
94.Paul Lo Duca
95.Shawn Green
96.Jeromy Burnitz
97.Adrian Beltre
98.Eric Gagne
99.Guillermo Mota
100.Luis Gonzalez
101.Todd Helton
102.Ryan Klesko
103.Gary Matthews
104.Oliver Perez

Ken Boyer - The Cardinals underappreciated All-Star

2009-07-09T06:22:00.000-07:00

By Rick Hummel
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
06/21/2009

In the late 1950s and early 1960s when I was growing up in Quincy, Ill., my best friend, Denny Campbell, and I almost daily played the APBA tabletop baseball game. He always had to manage the Cardinals, so I always provided the opposition.

I sat on the floor at his house and he sat at his desk, just far enough away to the point where I couldn't actually see him roll his two dice and I would have to take his word for it, as far as the result was concerned. Almost without fail, he would roll double sixes for his favorite player, Ken Boyer, signifying a home run.

After a highly unusual stretch of home runs by Boyer, I became suspicious, but when I arose to see what his dice looked like on the desk, they always said "66."

The late Ken Boyer wasn't quite that good, but he was good enough to be the only player whose number has been retired at Busch Stadium who isn't in the Hall of Fame — and probably won't be.

Boyer, the big, strong (6 feet 2, 200 pounds) third baseman, played in 10 All-Star Games, batting .348 with two home runs. Because they are facing premier pitching in every at-bat, many All-Stars don't come close to their lifetime averages while playing in the July classic, but Boyer seemed to thrive on the big stage.

The older parts of the reading public will not soon forget his third-inning grand slam off New York's Al Downing in Game 4 of the 1964 World Series at Yankee Stadium to rally the Cardinals from a 3-0 deficit and provide a 4-3 victory. That evened at two games apiece a Series the Cardinals eventually would win and stifled the Yankees' momentum — built from Mickey Mantle's gargantuan, game-ending homer the day before off a Barney Schultz knuckleball that didn't knuckle.

Boyer was the National League's Most Valuable Player that year, driving in a career-high 119 runs. He wound up hitting 255 of his 282 home runs for the Cardinals, for whom he played from 1955-65, before moving on to the New York Mets, Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. His career ended in 1969 with Boyer finishing at .287 with 1,141 runs batted in.

Boyer also earned five Gold Gloves at third base and was the National League counterpart defensively to the great Brooks Robinson in Baltimore.

But, perhaps because he died (of lung cancer) so young at age 51 in 1982 — the Cardinals, en route to the World Series title that year, wore black armbands for the last month of the season in Boyer's memory — Boyer's legacy seems small compared to the Hall of Famers who are represented in the outfield at Busch Stadium.

Not so to those who played with him.

"THE CAPTAIN"

Chicago Cubs third baseman Ron Santo, a rival of Boyer's for years, said, "What you didn't realize was how good a third baseman he was because he was a good hitter.

"And ... he played the game the way it should be played in those days. You walk across the white lines and nobody's your friend. When it's over, it's a different ballgame."

Perhaps part of Boyer's legacy is that, for so much of his time with the Cardinals, he wasn't their best or most well-known player. That honor correctly belonged to Stan Musial, and Santo said that Boyer "absolutely" was overshadowed by Musial.

"There's no doubt about it," Santo said. "But, in my opinion, (Boyer) would be in the Hall of Fame."

Cardinals broadcaster Mike Shannon was the right fielder on the 1964 World Series champions. And after Charlie Smith, acquired from the Mets for Boyer after the 1965 season, didn't really pan out, Shannon became the ultimate successor to Boyer as the Cardinals' third baseman.

Besides Boyer's estimable accomplishments on the field, he had another responsibility. "He was the captain," Shannon said. "He was the leader of that ballclub."

Indeed, when few baseball teams had leaders so dubbed, Boyer often was referred to simply as "The Captain."

Most who saw him play would agree that Boyer, who was born in Liberty, Mo., was an understated player. For instance, he didn't have to dive for a ball that often because with a quick first step, he already was there.

He didn't seem as if he was running fast, but he chewed up huge chunks of ground as he circled the bases.

"He wasn't a guy for show, at all," Shannon said. "He wasn't flashy.

"Everything he did, he did smooth. He just did the job. And if you look up his stats, those are pretty good stats.

"He was like the Clydesdale of third basemen. He was a great big, strong guy who had a lot of grace. He was the prototype third baseman."

PLAYING THE GAME

Hall of Famer Red Schoendienst was a teammate of Boyer's, a coach on teams Boyer played on, and then finally his manager in 1965, Boyer's last year with the Cardinals. Schoendienst, too, admired Boyer's ability to perform without need for histrionics.

"He caught the ball, threw (the hitter) out, put his glove down and then came out to hit. Boom, boom, boom," said Schoendienst. "It was nothing where he would do flip-flops or anything.

"That's just the way he played the game. The way he came up was probably the way he played on the schoolyard. He knew the game. He knew where to throw the ball and when to throw the ball."

Shannon thought that if Boyer had been able to appear in more than just one World Series "it would have really helped" his national acclaim.

But the Cardinals really contended for the National League title in only one other year, 1963, when Boyer played for them. That was the year the Cardinals ran off 19 victories in 20 games in late August and early September as they tried to reel in the league-leading Dodgers with announcer Harry Caray proclaiming nightly, "The Cardinals are coming, tra-la, tra-la."

Boyer sparked that surge by hitting .347 in the 20-game stretch, driving in 20 runs and hitting six homers. The Dodgers then came to the old Busch Stadium on Grand and Dodier and swept three from the Cardinals and went on to the league and World Series titles.

Boyer is the only Cardinal in history to have hit for the cycle twice — in 1961 and 1964. To illustrate the speed he had, Boyer, who also played center field in 1957, stole 105 bases in an era when there wasn't all that much basestealing going on. For instance, the Cardinals didn't steal more than 100 bases in a season from 1932-65.

"He was probably the best third baseman we've had here," said Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson. "He moved really well and had great range.

"And he ran well. He wasn't going to outrun guys in a 100-yard dash, but ... a couple of steps, and he was off to the races. A lot of guys run fast but it takes them awhile to get going."

BOYER THE MANAGER

After Boyer retired in 1970, he returned to the organization as a coach and minor-league manager before taking over from Vern Rapp as manager of the Cardinals in April 1978. Boyer couldn't do much with that team, which lost 93 games, but then directed the Cardinals to an 86-76 record in 1979.

The next year, Boyer lost control of his team and was fired, oddly, between games of a doubleheader in Montreal on June 8, with the Cardinals sporting an 18-33 record. General manager John Claiborne had meant to dismiss Boyer before the doublehader even began but was delayed by flight issues.

Whitey Herzog, who met the team in Atlanta the next night to take over as Cardinals manager, was born in 1931, like Boyer, and though he never played with him as they came up through the minor-league ranks and into the big leagues, was keenly aware of Boyer's reputation.

"He was The Captain," Herzog said. "He hit that home run in the World Series. And I know he was a hell of a fielder."

After Boyer went to the Mets in 1966, Herzog, then a coach on that team, remembered sharing a New York apartment with Boyer when the Mets were home. When the Yankees were home, Clete Boyer, Kenny's younger brother, and Roger Maris lived in the apartment. Maris would come to the Cardinals the next season.

Herzog, not liking the makeup of that Cardinals club he took over that June 1980 night, said, "Kenny Boyer was a hell of a player, but as a manager maybe he was too laid-back. He didn't have the makeup to get rid of some of those (troublemakers)."

HALL OF FAME ELUSIVE

Perhaps Boyer's relative lack of success as manager hurt his Hall of Fame chances. Or the fact that he has been dead for so long.

But Boyer never drew higher than 25.5 percent of the writers' vote when 75 percent was needed. In fact, he was off the ballot for five years, because of lack of support, but Post-Dispatch sports editor Bob Broeg led a movement to have Boyer's name restored to the ballot and he did much better, but not nearly well enough, in the 10 elections he had remaining.

In the Veterans' Committee, where Boyer's candidacy rests now, he normally makes the final 25 or even 15 but then falls well short of election.

Schoendienst said, "When I had a chance, I always voted for him. Look at his record and other records. He's right there.But like I say, he wasn't a flashy player. If he'd put on a little show or something ..."

Ken Boyer wasn't about show. To those who played with him and against him, he was about playing the game right. And that's one of the reasons No. 14 never will be worn again by a Cardinals player, whether Ken Boyer ever makes the Hall of Fame or not.

La Russa is must-see TV

2009-05-11T16:51:00.000-07:00

La Russa is must-see TV

By Bernie Miklasz
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
05/10/2009

After the Cardinals lost to the Reds on Friday night, it was time for another episode of Tony TV.

If you were watching the game on Fox Sports Midwest, and you're a fan who cares about strategy, then you probably were wondering why Joe Thurston tried to steal second base in the ninth inning.

The Cardinals were down by two runs. The tying run was at the plate. Thurston was thrown out, and a potential rally was doused. The Reds held on for a 6-4 victory.

Did Thurston run on his own, or did manager Tony La Russa order the steal attempt?

Natural questions. Joe Strauss, covering the contest for the Post-Dispatch, asked the question. And as always, the reporter-manager exchange was carried by Fox Sports Midwest.

La Russa clearly didn't like the question. He was curt and irritated, but he did provide an answer. And Strauss used it in his game story. And from that, readers were able to determine what had happened on the Thurston play.

All in all, no big deal.

But I knew what was coming.

There is always a strong reaction to Tony TV.

Sure enough, the e-mails came flying in.

Here's one: "When are you cowards going to stand up to La Russa?"

And here's another: "Why don't you guys leave La Russa alone after he loses a tough game? Nobody cares about your dumb questions."

A similar point, counterpoint took place among posters at Bernie's Press Box on STLtoday.com.

It probably will come up on the sports-talk radio shows, too.

For some reason, the La Russa vs. Media sessions are a source of considerable fascination among Cardinals fans.

On one side, there are the fans and observers who think the reporters are wimps because we sit there quietly when La Russa is being pushy or ornery. I call these folks the Jerry Springer crowd. They conclude that a reporter is a wimp unless he's yelling at La Russa or asking questions in an insulting, confrontational manner. These are the people who want to see us — metaphorically speaking — throwing chairs, the way it's done on the Springer show. This mind-set is apparently the byproduct of a dumbed-down culture.

On the other side, there are folks who don't think we should address La Russa at all. They don't know why we're allowed to speak to him, and they assume that we have sinister motives. If we ask a question about a failed move, then we're accused of trying to incite him. Of course, these dunderheads are usually the first to complain when they read a game story that doesn't include a direct explanation of La Russa's strategy. The hypocrites want to have it both ways.

I hate to break it to you, but these postgame Q&A gatherings are standard stuff and I've been in hundreds of them during my career. Managers make themselves available after games. Sometimes they're in a good mood; sometimes they're in a crabby mood. It depends on whether they've won or lost. But it's part of their routine, 162 times a season. La Russa makes $4 million a year. I think he can handle it.

Other readers or viewers want to know why we don't ask more "tough" questions or press La Russa with follow-up inquiries. Here's my answer: I save it for later, so I can use the quotes for the piece that I am writing. I realize that the post-game news conference is being televised, so why provide material for other media? I'd rather have it for my column or blog.

Every now and then, there's an old-fashioned argument. I got into one silly confrontation with Tony after a game in 2007, and the TV cameras were rolling. But that's rare. And after our blowup on TV, we went to his office and discussed it. Everything was fine. But the TV cameras weren't there for that.

And some readers — bless them — think La Russa is too hard on the scribes and they believe he's being a bully without just cause. I'll have to stick up for La Russa on this count. TLR is the most intense competitor I've ever covered. He hates to lose. It ruins his evening. I wouldn't expect him to be amiable after a defeat. If I ever saw La Russa being Smiley Face after dropping a game, I'd think that something was wrong with the man.

It's Tony being Tony.

It isn't pleasant, but I don't take it personally. Besides, he hangs around Bob Knight and Bill Parcells, so what do you expect — Mister Rogers?

The next day, La Russa is fine. He'll even joke about it. La Russa has acknowledged that his wife, Elaine, has advised him to lighten up because his crankiness doesn't play well on TV.

Whitey Herzog was friendly to the scribes, but could be rude after games. But fans never saw Herzog barking at the media because the sessions weren't carried on live television.

So I blame this on the power of TV, and the normal business between La Russa and reporters is blown way out of proportion.

We've become part of some weird reality television show on Fox Sports Midwest.

Tony TV.

Wall 1 Rick Ankiel 0

2009-05-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

Catcher Jason LaRue, racing from the bullpen to the left-center field wall, was one of the first St. Louis Cardinals to reach Rick Ankiel as he lay on the warning track Monday night. He had a view of the catch, the stumble, the crash and then he was part of the dash of teammates to Ankiel’s side.

“The most significant part of what we all I saw, I think, is that is shows Ank doesn’t play with any fear of running into the wall. He’s going to make the play. He plays without fear. He’s a gamer.”

In the eighth inning, Ankiel made a running catch of Pedro Feliz’s drive to left-center field. After snagging the line drive, Ankiel stumbled as he transferred the ball to his throwing hand and rammed headlong the padded wall. Ankiel was strapped to a backboard and taken to a nearby hospital, where scans of his head, neck and back did not reveal any fractures. His recovery was “positive” as of Tuesday morning, according to an official.

“The only thing I know was that he was conscious when he got there. He was conscious when they took him off the field,” LaRue said. “That’s a huge sign. That was what we needed to see.”

There was a sense of relief in the Cardinals clubhouse late Monday as word reached a few players and the manager that initial exams of Ankiel were positive. Same will certainly be true this afternoon if he arrives at the ballpark as expected.

Cards Preview: National disaster?

2009-04-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

Cards Preview: National disaster?
By Jeff Gordon
STLTODAY.COM SPORTS COLUMNIST
Thursday, Apr. 30 2009

THE STAKES: By taking two of three games at Atlanta, the Cardinals improved to
15-7 -– which is the best record in the National League. These four games
against the 5-15 Nationals present an obvious opportunity to keep rolling
despite their myriad injuries.

OF SPECIAL INTEREST: The Nationals are leaning on two former Cards -– washout
Kip Wells and oddball Julian Tavarez -- to shore up their flagging bullpen.
Washington relievers have posted a 5.51 earned-run average so far this season.

Wednesday night Tavarez banked his first save since 2006. "Nothing against the
guys in the 'pen, but the guys who've been around, they see us different --
when Kip Wells is in the game and myself in the game,” Tavarez told the
Washington Post.

PITCHING FOR THE CARDS: Mitchell Boggs (1-0, 1.17 ERA): The reigning Pacific
Coast League ERA champion is filling in for the disabled Chris Carpenter. He
has won four of his seven career big league starts, including a solid 8-2
victory over the Cubs his last time out.

Can he earn a permanent rotation role down the road? Or will he fall into a
middle relief role instead? The next month could define his career course.

(Boggs’ big league resume is still thin. The only current National he has faced
is Adam Dunn, who is 0 for 1 with a walk in two plate appearances against him.)

PITCHING FOR THE NATIONALS: Daniel Cabrera (0-2, 4.42 ERA). He might be the
biggest pitcher in the major leagues, but he certainly isn’t the best. This
will be the Cards’ first look at him; only Jason La Rue (0-for-2) has faced him
before.

Cabrera is a basic fastball-slider pitcher who must pound the ball down in the
strike zone to succeed. He shows his curveball and he almost never throws a
change-up.

LINEUP INTRIGUE: With Khalil Greene battling a sore arm and Brendan Ryan out
with a strained hamstring muscle, the Cards brought shortstop prospect Tyler
Greene up from Memphis for his first big-league look. He was hitting .296 with
a .412 on-base percentage, so Tony La Russa should be able to put him right to
work. Tyler impressed La Russa during spring training, so there is a comfort
level there.

Brian Barden can also play shortstop when Khalil Greene sits, but that could
detract from his valuable platoon with Joe Thurston at third base. These
injuries also put more focus on second baseman Skip Schumaker, who is gaining
traction at his new position.

BULLPEN INTRIGUE: With Kyle McClellan unavailable Wednesday night, the Cards
needed Chris Perez and Jason Motte to come through. And they did, although Ryan
Franklin (7 for 7 in save opportunities) needed to step up with a four-out save
to preserve that victory.

Give Adam Wainwright credit for toughing out six innings against the Braves and
allowing the Cards to bypass struggling middle man Trever Miller. La Russa
turned the game over to reliable Dennys Reyes in the seventh inning instead and
the 'pen delivered three shutout innings.

DOWN ON THE FARM: The Cardinals aren’t surprised that Matt Pagnozzi is hitting
below the Mendoza Line at .160. He has never been much of a hitter and the
organization values him as a defensive catcher who works well with pitchers.

But Joe Mather (.123), David Freese (.148), Jarrett Hoffpauir (.164) and
catcher Bryan Anderson (.171) are also off to poor starts. Redbirds hitting
coach Mark Budaska must feel like Dr. Phil these days.

“You just have to keep them confident,” Budaska told the Memphis Commercial
Appeal. “Come out and do some early work with them, and tell them to be ready
and aggressive on good pitches because they all have good swings. It's not
usually a mechanical problem at all. It's usually what you get to hit, and how
you manage the pitches you get.”

Home-grown approach serves Cardinals well

2009-04-28T10:37:00.001-07:00

Home-grown approach serves Cardinals well
By Jeff Gordon
STLTODAY.COM SPORTS COLUMNIST
Tuesday, Apr. 28 2009
So much has gone wrong for the Cardinals in 2009.

The team opened the season without an established closer after whiffing on free
agent reliever Brian Fuentes, who took less guaranteed money to pitch in
Anaheim.

Ace starting pitcher Chris Carpenter made a compelling comeback from assorted
arm and shoulder injuries, only to tear his oblique muscle swinging a bat.
Since the team allowed reliable Braden Looper to depart as a free agent, this
was especially painful.

After letting valuable infielder Aaron Miles leave as a free agent, the Cards
waived second baseman Adam Kennedy and ate the last $4 million on his contract.
Skip Schumaker moved in from center field to take his place, despite having
zero professional infield experience.

Third baseman Troy Glaus aggravated his shoulder injury between seasons, then
suffered a major setback in his rehab. Would-be replacement Joe Mather didn’t
hit a lick during spring training.

Another possible replacement, David Freese, suffered a foot injury during an
offseason car wreck. He missed a bunch of spring training, then struggled
during his first look at big-league pitching.

Reliable set-up man Russ Springer left as a free agent. Would-be replacement
Josh Kinney suddenly lost command of his pitches.

Outfielder Rick Ankiel battled the Mendoza Line for much of April and didn’t
hit his first homer until the 23rd. He resorted to growing a tremendous
mustache to break the slump.

Todd Wellemeyer, a 13-game winner last season, won just one of his first four
starts this season while posting a 6.14 earned-run average. He seemed to forget
all Dave Duncan taught him.

Middle reliever Brad Thompson started badly. So did soft-tossing replacement
P.J. Walters. Lefty Trever Miller had a crummy start, too, and newcomer Blaine
Boyer proved ineffective.

Given all that, you might have expected the Cards to start the season 6-14.

Instead, the Cards are 14-6. How could this be?

Credit manager Tony La Russa, of course, for mixing and matching his lineup and
bullpen until his found roles that worked for everybody. Circumstances gave him
much to do this spring and that’s just how The Skipper likes it.

(Bobby Cox likes rolling out the same guys every game, but that has never been
Tony’s thing. He loves deploying journeymen like Brian Barden and Joe Thurston,
hungry players who hustle and play multiple positions. He loves moving pieces
on the chess board.)

But the real story has been the organizational strength the Cards have
developed over several years. That strength is buying the injured Cards time to
heal and general manager John Mozeliak time to explore all his options.

On sports talk radio and in the Internet forums, fans pound “Mo” for his
relative inactivity in the face of adversity. He made some good moves last year
when injuries decimated the team, but mostly he relied on players within the
organization.

The Cards faded late last year, but not before speeding the development of
several home-grown players.

Now you are seeing the payoff. Schumaker and Kyle McClellan, two breakout
players from last season, are playing big roles. Ankiel and Chris Duncan, back
from surgical repairs, are bracketing Albert Pujols in the lineup.

Rookie Colby Rasmus has to be the best fourth outfielder in the majors. Chris
Perez and Jason Motte are strengthening the bullpen. Brendan Ryan has matured
into a useful infielder. Mitchell Boggs is filling a hole in the starting
rotation.

The plan is working. An assortment of bad breaks put this plan to a severe test
this spring; so far, it has held.

Going forward, Mozeliak will have to deal from this strength when the right
opportunities arise. This team still needs another veteran starting pitcher,
preferably a lefty, to complete the rotation. The bullpen will need another arm
if something better doesn’t surface from Memphis soon.

But the accumulated depth has given Mozeliak the luxury of dealing on his own
terms instead of scrambling after help. Fans may keep doubting this approach,
but so far in '09, nobody can argue with the results.

Cards Preview: Test for Lohse

2009-04-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

Cards Preview: Test for Lohse
By Jeff Gordon
STLTODAY.COM SPORTS COLUMNIST
Tuesday, Apr. 28 2009
STLtoday.com sports columnist Jeff Gordon previews the Cardinals game every
Monday through Friday, exclusively in the Cardinals Update newsletter.

THE STAKES: The Cardinals have caught the Braves in an offensive funk. Atlanta
averaged just 3.7 runs per game on its recent nine-game trip, then left runners
all over the place Monday night. Timing means a lot in baseball. The Cards have
a real opportunity on this trip, since they head to Washington next to face the
horrible (4-14) Nationals.

OF SPECIAL INTEREST: The Cards feared Kyle Lohse would miss his next start -–
or several starts -- after tweaking his right knee while covering first base in
his previous outing. But he recovered quickly, to Tony La Russa’s considerable
relief. Lohse tests that wheel in this game.

PITCHING FOR THE CARDS: Lohse (3-0, 2.42 ERA). Braves outfielder Garret
Anderson saw plenty of him in their American League days and liked the view. He
has a career .360 mark against Lohse, with a 1.007 OPS. Chipper Jones (5 for 9,
homer, five RBIs) has been a nemesis, too. Yunel Escobar is 3 for 6 against
him. Jeff Francoeur, on the other hand, is just 1 for 10 against Lohse.

PITCHING FOR THE BRAVES: Jo-Jo Reyes (0-1, 7.94): Teams want to load lefties
against the Cards, who are short of righthanded power with Troy Glaus
sidelined. But Chris Duncan has hit .320 against lefties this season to defeat
that strategy. Leadoff hitter Skip Schumaker (.286) is also getting more
comfortable.

Against Reyes, Albert Pujols (4 for 7, homer, two RBIs), Khalil Greene (2 for
4, homer) and Yadier Molina (2 for 6, double, RBI) have had notable success
against Reyes in their careers.

LINEUP INTRIGUE: Rick Ankiel seems all the way back now. He decided Monday’s
game with a pair of RBI singles. La Russa would love to play rookie outfielder
Colby Rasmus in front of the home folks, but the .294 hitter was relegated to
late-inning defensive work Monday with Ankiel and Duncan producing runs.
Neither Ankiel or Rasmus has done great against lefty pitching, so that makes
tonight’s lineup a tougher call for La Russa.

Khalil Greene’s defensive slippage earned him a day off -– and Brendan Ryan
played spectacular shortstop in his absence. Looking forward, could Ryan and
Tyler Greene (hitting .284 at Memphis) fight it out for this job and Khalil
becomes a free agent?

The Brian Barden Insanity continued. His pinch-hit single Monday boosted his
season average to .438. Sports hernia surgery can do wonders for a man. The
red-hot utility infielder likely will start against the lefty Reyes.

BULLPEN INTRIGUE: The back end of the 'pen remains settled. Chris Perez
contributed an impressive punch out. Kyle McClellan barely survived the eighth
inning Monday, but he toughed out the “hold” when La Russa opted to rest lefty
Dennys Reyes. Ryan Franklin remained flawless as the closer (for now).

DOWN ON THE FARM: Brad Thompson’s third start for Memphis was more typical of
his career work. He allowed four runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings, boosting
his Redbirds ERA to 3.45. On the plus side, veteran lefties Royce Ring (1.08
ERA) and Charlie Manning (1.00) continue to post decent numbers.

Might the Cards add another veteran lefty to their bullpen mix at some point?

Offensively, the Redbirds continue to struggle. Offensive prospects Jon Jay
(.224), David Freese (.148), Joe Mather (.129) and Jarret Hoffpauir (.170)
appear to be in no rush to earn promotions to The Show.

Like it or not, La Russa gets credit here

2009-04-27T18:38:00.000-07:00

Like it or not, La Russa gets credit here
Bernie Miklasz bjmiklasz@ post-dispatch.com 314-340-8192
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Sunday, Apr. 26 2009
It's only April, not September, and baseball's long expedition always exposes
the counterfeit contenders.

So it is probably a bit premature to inform Cubs fans that they're only two
games out in the wild-card side of the National League standings. It is
probably too soon to declare that first place in the NL Central is pretty much
out of the question for the Cubs.

But the Cardinals are off to an impressive start, perched atop the division
with a surprising 13-5 record after Saturday's 8-2 demolition of the Cubs. The
Cardinals will go for the three-game sweep on Sunday at Busch Stadium.

It's not as if the opening month was set up as a carefree joy ride for the
locals. The Cardinals began the 2009 schedule with no established third
baseman, no set closer, and an outfielder playing second base.

After that launch came the detours: the Cardinals lost

rotation ace Chris Carpenter to the disabled list on April 14. They've
squandered three victories by immolating leads carried into the eighth inning.
They've committed 19 errors, the highest total in the majors.

All of that, and somehow it adds up to 13-5 and an early lead in the NL
Central. Having this Albert Pujols fellow batting third is a plus; a lightning
bolt of a grand-slam on Saturday jacked his April totals to seven homers and 25
RBIs.

After the game, I told manager Tony La Russa that he'd be foolish to retire and
walk away from the Cardinals as long as he can write the name "Pujols" on the
daily lineup card.

Every manager would covet Pujols as a weapon of choice, but it goes beyond
that. La Russa is scribbling a lot of other names onto those lineups. And he
wins with them, too.

I realize that La Russa will always have his critics, and they'll never declare
a cease fire. And that's fine. Your local heavyweight sports columnist (ahem)
has gotten into the occasional snit with the intense manager over the last
13-plus seasons.

But by now, isn't it obvious that the guy is pretty good at what he does?

No, it's not all about him, either. When I pursued this angle after Saturday's
game, an uncomfortable La Russa wanted to deflect compliments. He credited his
players, his coaches, the trainers, the equipment guys, the scouts, and key
front-office types.

Indeed the La Russa staff, anchored by pitching coach Dave Duncan, is terrific.
General manager John Mozeliak catches shrapnel from fans, but Mozeliak has
found some excellent bargains — Ryan Ludwick, Brian Barden, Joe Thurston —
during a phase of payroll reduction. (Walt Jocketty was the GM when Ludwick
signed, but Ludwick was scouted and recommended by Mozeliak.)

But La Russa's hard-driving personality and his two pillars of competition —
effort and execution — have created a winning culture here. And that's
undeniable.

Since La Russa became the manager in 1996, only Atlanta has won more
regular-season games in the NL, and only the NY Yankees have won more
postseason games. During this decade, the Cardinals lead the NL in
regular-season victories and have the most postseason wins by an NL team. Their
33 postseason victories since the start of the 2000 season are 14 more than the
NL team (Arizona) with the second-highest total.

One of the reasons for La Russa's success is that he consistently squeezes the
most from his roster. And he's doing it again this season. Not counting the
pitcher's spot, La Russa has used 18 different lineups in 18 games.

So far La Russa has gotten a combined .366 batting average, 17 RBIs and 14 runs
scored from Barden and Thurston, who are splitting time at third base. The
trauma of losing regular Troy Glaus to shoulder surgery has been lessened by
the surprising RBI production coming out of the third-base spot. So far in the
NL, only the Cubs and Dodgers have culled more RBIs from third basemen than the
Cardinals.

And these highly effective patch jobs are nothing new. Think of all of the role
players, bit players, who have delivered some of the best baseball of their
careers or experienced a revival — while working for La Russa here.

That roll call would include Barden, Thurston, Thomas Howard, So Taguchi, Aaron
Miles, Joe McEwing, Scott Spiezio, Abraham Nunez, Miguel Cairo, Marlon
Anderson, Craig Paquette, Eduardo Perez, Felipe Lopez, Bo Hart and John
Rodriguez. And I'm sure I've left a few out.

And La Russa's top lieutenant, Duncan, has done the same on the pitching side,
getting improved results from the likes of Kent Bottenfield, Woody Williams,
Garrett Stephenson, Jeff Suppan, Kyle Lohse, Jason Marquis, Todd Wellemeyer,
Daryl Kile, Chris Carpenter, Braden Looper, Andy Benes, etc.

I believe this is one of the reasons why ownership has trimmed payroll; La
Russa and Duncan are victims of their resourcefulness. It is now expected that
they'll get overachieving performances from players who come to St. Louis with
thin resumes or deteriorating form.

Whether he wants it or not, La Russa gets a lot of the credit. And I'll be
happy to argue with him over that.

Albert Pujos earns new nickname

2009-04-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

By Derrick Goold
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Pujols jokes that peers call him “The Invisible Man” for the way he steals bases and swipes extra bases on hits. He’s got a well-earned reputation for tagging up from first on fly balls if he thinks he has a chance to surprise the outfielded and take second. Last summer, he did what remains an unthinkable act — he scored from second on a groundout to Colorado’s second baseman. I was explaining how this happened to another writer Sunday and all he could do was shake his head: “He really is the best, isn’t he?” This past week Pujols stole a base in three consecutive games. He had never stolen two bases in two consecutive games before. But it’s not like he hasn’t stolen bases before. In 2005, he stole 16. La Russa said there’s one reason why Pujols may be stealing again: Health. Sore feet and that nagging hamstring ache kept Pujols fairly visible during the past couple seasons. “He’s feeling good running again,” La Russa said.

"Perfect Player" Keys Cardinal Victory

2009-04-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

As Cardinal fans, we've seen Albert Pujols for the last eight-plus years. We've seen him do astounding things at the plate, whether it's walk-off shots or multi-homer games. We've seen him be aggressive on the bases, famously scoring from second on an infield grounder last year in Colorado. Now, apparently, we are seeing the evolution of him from Ted Williams to Rickey Henderson.

There's a reason Tony LaRussa called him a "perfect player" after the last game with the Mets and Buster Olney tends to agree. Whatever needs to be done to win the game, Pujols is going to try to do. And, lately, that means adding to his repertoire the stolen base. Once that ball Ryan Ludwick hit passed the second baseman, there was no question Pujols was scoring. Ryan Franklin locked it down and that was that.

There were a few others that had strong games. Joe Thurston smashed a two-run double and went to second on the throw, scoring on a single by Skip Schumaker. Franklin pitched a pretty solid ninth, with only the walk to pinch-hitting Milton Bradley blemishing the record. Ludwick had two hits, counting the game winner.

Really liked the way Kyle McClellan looked last night before Franklin came in. His spring struggles appear to be behind him and he's one of the few St. Louis can rely on coming out of the pen right now, it seems.

The person that made the most impact, though, was Adam Wainwright. Wainwright hasn't looked like the ace he was becoming last year so far in 2009. His command has been shaky and he's been good enough to keep the team in the game, but only by a thread. Last night, though, he looked more like Adam Wainwright. His breaking ball was moving quite nicely, he didn't walk but one, He wasn't able to get a decision due to a breakdown behind him, but he'll take that kind of game just about every time.

Can someone explain, though, what is going on with the Cardinal defense? We knew going into the season that it was a little shakier than it has been in the past. Still, there was Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols, Rick Ankiel, likely Colby Rasmus, Khalil Greene, guys with good defensive reputations. So how come this team is leading not only the National League but the majors in errors? Seventeen in seventeen games.

If you said two weeks ago that Skip Schumaker would make a crucial error that would help blow a Cardinal lead, you'd have probably railed that the second base experiment just wasn't working and the Cardinals needed sure hands at the keystone. However, Schumaker makes this error after moving to left field to provide defensive support, replacing Chris Duncan.

The error virus seems to have infected everyone, with no real reason for it. Pujols has four, which is totally unlike him. Schumaker is supposed to be very strong in the outfield. Hopefully this is just a concentrated streak and things will hit the other end of the pendulum very soon.

The Redbirds opened the last Cubs series with a win as well. They hope to do better in the next two games than they did up in Chicago starting this afternoon. Mitchell Boggs goes against Sean Marshall. Marshall has done pretty well against the Redbirds in the past. If it wasn't for LaRussa's assertion earlier in the week in the Fox Midwest pregame that Ludwick was going to play five of the six games this homestand, only sitting out the second Mets game, I'd think he'd take a pass today with his .182 mark against Marshall. Rick Ankiel and Duncan seem to have good, if very small sample size, numbers against Marshall, so it's probably another day on the bench for Rasmus.

Boggs has a very small sample size against the Cubs, but the numbers are good for him. It'll be like a new experience for most of the Chicago batters since they've only seen him once. Hopefully he'll be able to show something to the national audience that will be tuning in on Fox!

A Boy Who Loves Baseball

2009-04-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

by Michael Riehn
Last night my son wanted me to tell him a story. We were in our car, driving home from dinner, so I didn’t have the benefit of a book to read him. I had to make up something on the spot, and this is not one of my strong suits. He is 5 years old though, and is at a great age for being interested in my limited story telling ability. Kids at that age haven’t had much experience in the world and are interested in learning and/or anything you find exciting.

After quickly going through my standards (Boy Who Cried Wolf, David and Goliath), I was running out of ideas. Yesterday’s Cardinal game was fresh in my mind, so I told him the story about a little boy from the Dominican Republic who loved baseball. The boy’s name was Albert and he went from a player that nobody wanted (barely being drafted) and the last man picked out of Spring Training his rookie year, to one of the best players to ever play the game. My son loved this story, and wanted me to tell it again and again. It made me realize what a remarkable journey this player has had and how lucky we are to watch it.

Albert Pujols crushed 2 home runs yesterday for his 25th career multi-homer game, and is now on pace for 60 Home Runs, 212 RBI, 182 R, 130 BB, 20 SB with only 40 strikeouts on the season. The man puts up sick statistics that you only see from the game’s all time greats, and he does it every year. He has already accumulated a .344/.458/.719 slash line (BA, OBP, SLG) on the young season and is coming off a week long SLUMP where he hit under .200 for 7 days. For the 9th season in a row, we can sit back and enjoy the ride. Can a player that puts up these type of Hall of Fame statistics year in and year out be underrated?

With Albert, it is the little things that go unnoticed. When your superstar works the hardest on the team and is probably the team’s best hitting coach you have something even more special than the numbers can illuminate.

How do players constantly have better seasons when they join the Cardinals? Khalil Greene was terrible last year, but seems to be taking a new approach to hitting (more walks, not chasing bad pitches). Is it a coincidence that he followed Pujols around during hitting drills in Spring Training? There is no secret that Pujols has helped Yadier Molina’s game, who at age 27 may be turning the corner as one of the best defensive AND offensive catchers in baseball. Pujols sets a great example for everyone and gives up his time in order to bring out the best in his teammates.

Pujols has no speed, yet stole a base the last two games and is one of the smartest baserunners in baseball. How many times does he take the extra base on a bad throw or score a run when a speedier runner would have stopped? When was the last time he was thrown out? On Wednesday, Duncan hit a line drive at Delgado a couple of feet from the bag with Pujols on 1st base. He is probably the only player in the majors that doesn’t get doubled off in this situation. Albert has this uncanny sixth sense that you can’t teach. His mind is always in the moment and he rarely makes a mental mistake. Contrast this to Manny Ramirez, who is in my opinion the second greatest right handed hitter in the game today. They may hit alike and have affable personalities, but that is where the similarities end.

Pujols is one of the best fielding 1st basemen year in and year out. He currently leads the National league in UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating) and is on pace for a 14.3 UZR/150. This measures the amount of runs a player saves above an average player over 150 games (thus Pujols would save over 14 runs on the season… this is a lot). This doesn’t even take into count his throwing ability. How many times has he cut a ball off from the outfield and throws out a runner trying to stretch a base? Remember, this is the man that has needed arm surgery for 5 years, but plays through the pain.

He’s the most competitive player on the team, yet he’s the guy picking up his teammates after they make a mistake. Most great players have a difficult time having patience for their lesser teammates’ mistakes. Some of the best players in sports are also the most competitive. Legends like Michael Jordan, Ted Williams and Ray Lewis are famous for constantly putting pressure on their teammates. Players with competitive fire, have trouble turning it off and can sometimes go too far. This is not the case for one of the nicest players in the game. Players love Pujols, pitchers fear him.

You know what is scary about the 2009 Pujols start? As good as he’s been, he has actually been unlucky. He only has a .292 Batting Average on Balls in Play. This is a measure of the number of batted balls that safely fall in for a hit (not including home runs). Over Pujols’ career he averages a .322 mark (which is 30 points higher than he is currently averaging).

How good can this man be? Adding in his community work, family involvement and faith, he is the total package. With all due respect to Stan Musial, are we watching the greatest Cardinal ever?

St. L ouis Cardinals' Jeff Luhnow faces an early test

2009-04-16T09:37:00.001-07:00

Bernie Miklasz
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Thursday, Apr. 16 2009
The early departure of Chris Carpenter to the disabled list is regrettable but
predictable. He's a great pitcher when healthy, but the breakdowns have been
too frequent to ignore. Hoping that Carpenter would go through an entire season
without suffering an injury was the equivalent of playing the lottery.

Cardinals management took that gamble, and declined to sign a veteran starting
pitcher, even after some bargain opportunities materialized through the
winnowing of the free-agent market.

For instance, the Cardinals could have re-signed Braden Looper before he went
to Milwaukee for a 2009 salary of $4.75 million. The Brewers have an option on
Looper for 2010, but can buy him out for $750,000. And Looper is capable of
starting or relieving; his flexibility and durability are pluses.

But after Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt reduced the payroll, general manager
John Mozeliak had little choice but to stick with that big ticket on Carpenter.
If Carpenter holds up, it's a winning proposition. But if he didn't last, the
Cardinals would be left scrambling for starters.

And that's exactly what's happening. With no veteran protection behind
Carpenter, the Cardinals have promoted rookie P.J. Walters from Class AAA
Memphis.

Walters will make his major-league debut on Friday at Wrigley Field. That's a
tough first assignment.

Is Walters ready? People in the organization genuinely like him, including his
Winter League manager, Cardinals third-base coach Jose Oquendo.

With Carpenter (strained side muscle) expected to be out for at least six
weeks, the Cardinals aren't likely to spend any money in pursuit of a starter.
They'll put their faith in the hyped player-development system instead.

This will be an instant credibility test for Jeff Luhnow, the VP of scouting
and player development.

Not that DeWitt wanted to dish out money for a veteran starting pitcher, but
the owner clearly felt fine about moving forward with no safety net under
Carpenter. DeWitt was assured by Mozeliak and Luhnow that the Cardinals had
attractive options at the minor-league level.

Walters, Mitchell Boggs, Adam Ottavino, Blake Hawksworth and Clayton Mortensen
were touted as solid Plan B possibilities should the major-league rotation take
a hit. And another graduate of the farm system — reliever Kyle McClellan — is
another alternative starter.

It's possible that Luhnow's confidence in his system will be validated here.
Cardinals fans certainly hope so; the team's ability to contend depends on it.
The Cardinals don't need Walters or the others to be spectacular or heroes; the
rookies just need to pitch well.

That said, the Cardinals are once again opting to cover a gap with youth
instead of more costly veterans. The same is true, at least in part, of the
effort to close out late-inning leads. (The courting of free agent Brian
Fuentes aside.)

DeWitt's Cardinals veered into a new direction several years ago — empowering
Luhnow and taking full control away from Walt Jocketty, the GM at the time —
and there's nothing evil about that shift in philosophy.

Unless you're demographically matched to have a New York, Boston, Chicago or
Los Angeles payroll, smart baseball people have little choice but to prioritize
the player-development system.

But here's the rub: At some point the prospects have to come through and play
important roles in upholding the franchise's winning tradition. They just can't
hold roster spots as fringe guys. A reasonable share of them must move to the
forefront and become front-line stars, the way Albert Pujols did in 2001, and
Yadier Molina did in 2005.

One of Luhnow's precious Fabergé Eggs, outfielder Colby Rasmus, appears to be a
special talent, worthy of the considerable hyperventilating that preceded his
arrival.

OK, so what about the pitchers? This is a vital area. Will Chris Perez or Jason
Motte develop into elite closers? When will the Cardinals' draft and farm
system harvest its first top-of-the-rotation starter since Matt Morris?

If the kids emerge and perform in a way that justifies Luhnow's enthusiastic
efforts in marketing and promoting them as legitimate links to a strong future,
then the Cardinals will grow and continue to win.

But if the youngsters don't have the right stuff necessary to fulfill Luhnow's
claims, the Cardinals will experience a substantial shortfall in talent.

One of the major challenges of a minor-league system is being pliable and
viable enough to present genuine solutions when a crisis strikes.

Losing Carpenter qualifies as an emergency.

And now we can reexamine the policy put in place over the winter. Rather than
invest in more expensive starting pitching to reinforce the rotation's depth,
DeWitt chose to invest in Luhnow.

So here we are.

We've arrived at the first 2009 checkpoint for Luhnow.

This is where hype meets the hard reality.

Wellemeyer Recovers; Let's Talk About the Bullpen

2009-04-14T12:09:00.000-07:00

Continuing the pleasant early trend of excellent starting pitching, Todd Wellemeyer recovered from a bad opening start with 7 innings of 1 run ball, enabling the Cardinals to take a 2-1 decision in the opener against Arizona.

This marks the fifth quality start in a row, which, naturally enough, led to the Cardinals fifth win in a row.

Albert Pujols and Brian Barden provided all the scoring with solo home runs in the third and eighth innings. D-Back starter Doug Davis was just as tough as Wellemeyer, scattering seven hits over eight innings. He made two mistakes. Wellemeyer made one, and wriggled out of a couple of other tight corners.

St Louis, San Diego, and Toronto currently share the best record in baseball at 6-2. You would have won a lot of money if you bet those three teams would have the best record in baseball at this point.

It's pretty obvious a major reason the Cardinals are off to a fast start is the starting pitching. Let's take a look at the relievers; are they holding up their end of the bargain?

From the first week, here's the usage grid for the first week.

Of course, if that were at all legible you'd see what I mean.

Couple of notes. What you're looking at is the inning the pitcher entered and how many outs they recorded. For instance, McClellan on 6 April entered in the seventh inning and retired one batter, then pitched the eighth.

Most of the high leverage innings so far have been thrown by McClellan and Franklin, the horses from last year's bullpen. Thompson has the lion's share of the innings (5 of the 18 bullpen innings through Sunday), but all of those have been in games the Cardinals won in a blowout, or lost in a relative blowout. Reyes seems to have worked himself into leverage situations. Miller hasn't been used since 8 April (and that includes last night).

The bullpen stats, which I don't post here, show an ERA of over 4.00 for the year; but that number is really driven by Motte's bad outing on Opening Day, and the fact Thompson has surrendered 2 runs in each of his last 2 appearances. I like Brad Thompson, but early returns indicate he's the worst pitcher on the staff; LaRussa is using him exactly as he should (long man/mop up man).

Anyway, I thought this would be an interesting thing to track throughout the year. Of course, if the starters continue to throw like Wellemeyer did last night, this will be a very boring exercise.

The First Cardinal Sweep Of The Year

2009-04-13T10:49:00.000-07:00

Hey, wonder who the Hero of Saturday's game should be? Joe Thurston went three for four with an RBI and two runs, maybe him? Colby Rasmus may have had his best game yet, with two hits and a walk and a couple of runs, does he get consideration? Rick Ankiel went three for five, is that enough? Adam Wainwright threw five scoreless innings--does anyone remember that?

Of course not. Because when Albert Pujols makes a statement, he gets the Hero award. I was listening to the game as I came back from a family outing and knew the slam must have been a monster when Mike Shannon said immediately, "Grand slam!" No "Get up, baby, get up" means that it's a no-doubter.

The next at-bat, I was on the street in front of my house. Knowing I couldn't hurry and get in to see it, I slowed down because I just knew he was going to do it again. (Apparently, I wasn't that subtle about it because the wife commented on that fact.) Sure enough, another long ball. A wonderful day for Pujols, though that won't cut down on the machine theory. (Nice coincidence--the two anchors in that spot were anchoring Saturday night's SportsCenter, which led off with Pujols's big day.)

So who do you give the Goat to on a day when the team pounds out 19 hits and doesn't allow any runs until the ninth? Almost every starter got at least two hits, so I think you have to go with Brad Thompson, who threw two innings but did allow those two in the ninth, unimportant as they might be. All Heros and all Goats are not necessarily created equal.

One other thing that was notable about Saturday's game was that Jason Motte came into the game in the sixth. After Friday's game, Tony LaRussa made this a possibility and didn't waste time having it happen, especially in a game where there was no pressure. It seemed to be effective, as he struck out two in his inning and I believe at least one of them was on the breaking ball. A few more outings like that and they may try him again in the ninth.

If the Hero was obvious on Saturday's game, it wasn't that much more difficult to find one on Sunday either. There was at least one solid alternate choice, with Khalil Greene having his first three-hit day in over a year, including a run, an RBI and a steal in a close ballgame, but I think you have to go with Kyle Lohse on this one.

Lohse was tremendous and, coupled with his first start, has invigorated the fan base that was a little tepid on his resigning. After seeing Kaz Matsui single on the first pitch of the ballgame, I wasn't sure what the Cards were in for. Lohse didn't falter, though, and didn't allow another hit until the ninth. So, in the first week, we've seen a pitcher twice thrown one-hit ball through at least seven innings. That's a good sign for the pitching staff, isn't it?

The interesting thing is that Houston had a lineup of hitters that had pounded Lohse in the past, though that was mostly in the not-so-recent past. It lends some credence to the theory that Dave Duncan has really changed his style and approach, that last year's career year could be relied on instead of seen as a complete outlier. If the first two starts of this year are any indication, last year was a sign of a new Lohse.

I was a little surprised to see LaRussa leave Lohse in after a runner got on in the ninth. I was really surprised to see Lohse face Lance Berkman as the tying run. That could have ruined the afternoon real quickly had he tied into one. I'm glad that it worked out, but I think I might have been tempted to bring in Ryan Franklin or Kyle McClellan to finish that off.

The Goat for this game would be David Freese, I think. 0-3 with two strikeouts and three left on base. Granted, there wasn't much offense against Wandy Rodriguez, but that seems to be the worst line. Rodriguez is reliving '08 again, where he holds the Cardinals in check but still can't get a win.

Various other things to talk about before we look at the Arizona series that start tonight. Chris Duncan is doing much better against lefties this season, part of which he attributes to seeing them more often. That's one thing I don't like about LaRussa pigeonholing these guys so early. I know he's playing for the advantage, but you don't know a guy can't do it until he gets a chance to do it. Once he gets a chance to get adjusted to lefties, he might be able to be an offensive threat, something that Duncan seems to be developing into.

Motte seems to have learned something in his outing against the Astros. At least, if his comments to the paper are any indication, he has. He didn't go out there and try to blow past people. He used the sinker and the cutter to mess with timing, which is so vital. If he can throw a regular second pitch, he'll be dominant. Of course, that's what we've been saying since his callup last year, if not before.

The Cards finish the week 5-2, tops in the NL Central and not too far off the pace of the best record in the NL. Birds In The Busch thinks this week was pretty critical when you look at the rest of the month. If the Cards are able to win 75% of those games, we might have something special going here. More likely we'll have to be happy to win half of them, especially since you've got trips to Arizona, Chicago, and Atlanta in there.
Wellemeyer has been a point of concern so far this year. His spring training was pretty rough and he didn't look good in the loss to Pittsburgh on Wednesday either. His numbers against the Diamondbacks as an organization or his career numbers against the hitters that he'll face tonight don't inspire much confidence either, even if those career numbers are pretty indicative of small sample size.

Wellemeyer noted in the paper that he was going to tinker with his hands, mechanics, etc. If he's successful, that may have something to do with it. When I hear tinker, though, I start worrying and thinking about a slide. Hopefully the Colonel will bounce back tonight.

Doug Davis, on the other hand, has struggled with the Cards as an organization but has decent career numbers against the current roster makeup. Albert's got a couple of homers off of him, which is not a surprise, but most everyone else has just been average.

Hopefully the Cards get off to a good start tonight and keep their winning streak going!

The Man and El Hombre

2009-04-12T05:13:00.000-07:00

Didn't We Just Leave This Party?

2009-04-07T13:47:00.000-07:00

Opening Day has come and gone for 2009. Cardinal fans will be forgiven if it seemed more like a continuation of 2008 than a new beginning.

As we return to another season, that means that the Heroes and Goats device returns for another year. Remember that this is just my personal opinion. It's not necessarily the person with the best or worst game, just the person that made the most difference (positive or negative) in my eyes.

For example, until the ninth, Josh Kinney was in the running for the goat. Walking the pitcher with two outs is just unacceptable and it led to Pittsburgh tying up the game, and they'd have likely taken the lead had Paul Maholm not been a little reckless on the basepaths.

Yadier Molina came under consideration as well. A rally-killing double play, a passed ball and a stolen base allowed (on a play where a stronger throw probably gets him) wasn't the way Molina really wanted to start his season.

However, with the ninth inning, there is no other place to go than Jason Motte. Allowing four runs after being staked to a two-run lead is just crushing, especially when last year's bullpen woes are taken into account.

Fungoes has a great illustrated piece on the problems Cardinal pitchers had in finishing off key hitters, mainly because they pitched to the hitter's strengths. You have to remember that, though they may play for a weaker team, Pittsburgh's hitters are still major leaguers. There's a reason they play in MLB. There are things they can do, so you should stay away from those things if possible.

Let me stipulate that yesterday's loss was crushing. Two outs, two strikes on Jack Wilson and the game gets away. All that said, let's not start screaming that the sky is falling. I was not shocked to log into CardsClubhouse last night and find a thread such as this. The football mentality of some fans, where one game makes or breaks a season and things are always so immediate, really can't be done in baseball. At least not if you plan on keeping your sanity.

For example, the Yankees went out and shored up their hitting and pitching by signing CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira. Are you going to say their offseason was a total flop because Tex went scoreless and failed to drive in key runs and Sabathia didn't have his fastball yesterday? Are you comfortable in saying that the Yanks should pack it in for '09?

I'd hope not. And the same should apply to the Cardinals and Motte. All closers are going to blow 4-6 games in a season, most likely. If Motte can do that, it doesn't really matter when the games come, does it? In other words, what if he'd saved 6 games before blowing one like yesterday. Would you still call the bullpen makeover a failure?

It's not what you want to see out of a revamped pen, I realize. Motte knows that as well and says he's shaken off the loss. It's sad to see people booing him this quickly. The instant gratification of our society seems to have infected the Cardinal Nation as well. It went wrong and it's frustrating, but there's no need to take it out on the players, especially not after one game.

It wasn't exactly the greatest of days for Adam Wainwright, either. He didn't actually give up any runs (though Trever Miller allowed the runners he put on to score), but five walks in less than six innings? He seemed to be missing low in the zone a lot early in the game. The weather may have had something to do with it and hopefully we'll see a better command of the zone in his next outing.

On the positive side, the Hero of the game has to be Ryan Ludwick, mainly for his tie-breaking home run in the 8th that should have won the game for the Cardinals. Nice to see that the late surge in his spring has carried over into the beginning of the season. Consideration was also given to Albert Pujols for his three hits and a walk and David Freese for getting a sac fly RBI in his first major league game.

As I said on the radio show Sunday night, this might be one of the rare times where the second game lineup is more interesting than Opening Day. Colby Rasmus makes his major league debut tonight, and you have to assume that Freese will start at third and Skip Schumaker at second. There is going to be a lot of interest in seeing what Rasmus can do tonight. Hopefully people won't declare his career over if he goes 0-4.

Troy Glaus is heading to Phoenix to continue working on his rehab. You continue to hope that he'll return this year, but the longer he goes without an estimated return date, the more it seems likely that he may not. If he's back before the All-Star Break, it'd be a major accomplishment.

Tonight, Kyle Lohse takes the mound against Ian Snell. Lohse has had pretty good success against the Pittsburgh batters in his career, though there's not a huge sample size on any of them. Chris Gomez has hit him at a decent clip, but no one just has great power numbers against the Cardinal hurler.

We all know that Snell has troubles with Pujols, but he actually had more success against the MVP last year, so perhaps he's made some adjustments. Still, the Cardinals as a whole have done some damage against Snell in the past. Last year, at least twice they piled on runs in the first inning, only to go quiet and lose the game. Let's hope in this regard that 2009 actually is different and they can put the game away.

CARDINALS 25-MAN ROSTER 2009

2009-04-03T10:10:00.000-07:00

04/03/2009

INFIELD

Albert Pujols, 1B

Skip Schumaker, 2B

Khalil Greene, SS

David Freese, 3B

Yadier Molina, C

OUTFIELD

Chris Duncan, LF

Rick Ankiel, CF

Ryan Ludwick, RF

ROTATION

Adam Wainwright, RHP

Kyle Lohse, RHP

Todd Wellemeyer, RHP

Chris Carpenter, RHP

Joel Piñeiro, RHP

BULLPEN

Ryan Franklin, RHP

Josh Kinney, RHP

Kyle McClellan, RHP

Trever Miller, LHP

Jason Motte, RHP

Dennys Reyes, LHP

Brad Thompson, RHP

RESERVES

Brian Barden, IF

Jason LaRue, C

Colby Rasmus, OF

Brendan Ryan, IF/OF

Joe Thurston, IF/OF

2009-02-25T18:51:00.000-08:00

Todd Wellemeyer

Joe Mather

Brian Barden

Cards' second base job up for grabs

2009-02-09T14:10:00.000-08:00

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals released Adam Kennedy on Monday, leaving the second base job up for grabs with just a week to go before spring training.

Kennedy
Kennedy

The team requested waivers on Kennedy that will expire Wednesday, when he'll become an unrestricted free agent. Kennedy is due to make $4 million next season, the last year of a three-year contract. His new club would only have to pay him the $400,000 minimum while the Cardinals would be responsible for the rest.

Several players from within the organization will compete for the starting job at second base, including Skip Schumaker, who has spent his entire professional career as an outfielder.

The 33-year-old Kennedy came up with St. Louis in 1999 before being traded to Anaheim, where he was part of the 2002 World Series championship squad. He is a career .276 hitter in 10 seasons.

The Cardinals signed Kennedy as a free agent before the 2007 season and he hit. just .219. He improved to .280 last season but never seemed to mesh with manager Tony La Russa.

When St. Louis acquired Felipe Lopez in August, Kennedy requested a trade. Lopez played 23 games at second base down the stretch.

"We have exhausted all trade possibilities for Adam, and have decided that it was within both the club and the player's best interests to give Adam his unconditional release," general manager John Mozeliak said in a written statement. "As we move forward, we feel that it is best to try and fill the second base position with other players from within our organization."

That's a bit of a risk as St. Louis tries to get back to the postseason for the first time since winning the 2006 World Series. The Cardinals did not re-sign Lopez, who instead signed with Arizona in December. Aaron Miles, the versatile backup infielder who hit .317 last season, signed a two-year contract with the Cubs.

Schumaker hit .302 in 540 at-bats last season, splitting time at all three outfield positions, and would be a good fit as a leadoff hitter. But he could be the odd man out of a crowded outfield.

The Cardinals have Rick Ankiel and Ryan Ludwick locked in for the outfield, along with Chris Duncan. And prospect Colby Rasmus could be ready this season. So La Russa has been open to seeing if Schumaker could handle second base.

Cardinals spokesman Brian Bartow said Schumaker is already in Florida working out in the infield. He said the team had no immediate plans to trade for a second baseman.

"Right now, going into camp, they're going to give people within the organization the chance to show what they can do," Bartow said.

The only returning Cardinals player with second base experience on the major league level is Brendan Ryan, who has played 40 games there during his two-year career. In 377 career at-bats he has hit .265 with four home runs.

Other candidates include minor leaguers Brian Barden, Joe Thurston, Jarrett Hoffmpauir and Tyler Greene. Greene, 25, was a first-round draft pick (30th overall) in 2005. Normally a shortstop, he hit .254 with 16 homers splitting time between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis last season.

Cardinals' Non-Roster Invitees

2009-01-24T19:04:00.000-08:00

Here are the Cardinals' non-roster Spring Training invitees, via a press release on MLB.com.

Pitchers Jess Todd, Adam Ottavino, Tyler Herron, Clayton Mortensen, Ian Ostlund, Fernando Salas, Francisco Samuel and P.J. Walters, catchers Bryan Anderson, Tony Cruz, Luis De La Cruz, Steve Hill, Justin Knoedler and Matt Pagnozzi, infielders Allen Craig, David Freese, Joe Thurston and Brett Wallace and outfielders Colby Rasmus and Jon Jay.

Glaus expected to miss 12 weeks

2009-01-22T12:21:00.000-08:00

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Troy Glaus is expected to be sidelined for three months after arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder.

Glaus will begin physical therapy next week following Wednesday's surgery in Los Angeles. Glaus, 32, hit .270 with 27 homers and 99 RBIs last season, his first with the Cardinals.

Glaus finished in the top 10 among NL third basemen in RBIs, doubles, home runs and slugging percentage last year. He set a Cardinals team record for fielding percentage (.982) by a third baseman, a mark that led the league.

Glaus has a career batting average of .258, with 304 homers and 877 RBIs in 10-plus seasons with Anaheim, Arizona, Toronto and St. Louis. He is entering the final year of a contract that will pay him $11.25 million in 2009.

It wasn't immediately clear why Glaus waited until late January to have the surgery, meaning he will likely miss Opening Day. Glaus appeared at the team's annual Winter Warmup event last weekend and made no mention of an injury or the need for surgery.

Glaus had two cortisone shots and missed a few games in September due to what was described as a strained right shoulder. But an MRI at the time showed no significant problems.

General manager John Mozeliak planned to address the matter during an afternoon news conference.

Without Glaus, it wasn't immediately clear who would start the season at third base for St. Louis. The Cardinals have two highly regarded prospects at third base in David Freese and Brett Wallace, the team's 2008 first-round draft pick out of Arizona State.

Freese, 25, is a St. Louis native who came to the Cardinals from San Diego in the Jim Edmonds trade in December 2007. He hit .306 with 26 home runs and 91 RBIs at Triple-A Memphis. Wallace, 22, hit a combined .337 with eight homers and 36 RBIs in Class A and Double-A after signing with St. Louis.

Backup infielder Brendan Ryan played five games at third base last season and 24 games in 2007. Outfielder Joe Mather played one game at third base in 2008.

Kenshin Kawakami

2009-01-04T19:38:00.000-08:00

The Cardinals are one of three finalists for the services of Japanese pitcher Kenshin Kawakami. If you'll take a look at this YouTube video, you'll see that he strikes out every batter he faces. He also throws a fastball at 142 km/hour and a curveball at 108 km/hour. I have no idea how fast that is, as I do not subscribe to the metric system.

Redbird Fever

2008-12-04T17:15:00.000-08:00

6 St. Louis Cardinals file for free agency

2008-10-31T13:27:00.000-07:00

By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
10/31/2008

Six Cardinals filed for free agency Thursday: shortstop Cesar Izturis, catcher Jason LaRue, righthander Braden Looper, infielder Felipe Lopez, righthander Russ Springer and lefthander Ron Villone.

Although filing is a formality, the players' return to the Cards likely will depend on the team's interest in keeping them.

The team has identified the middle infield as a place to improve offensively, and though open to Izturis' return will explore its options. Manager Tony La Russa has expressed in an interest in having Lopez back.

The Cardinals' interest in any starting pitcher, including Looper, will hinge on the health of Chris Carpenter. The team has five starters under contract already.

Springer recently told the Post-Dispatch he is leaning toward pitching again in 2009 and would prefer to return to the Cardinals. The team also will look at other lefthanded relievers on the market before deciding on Villone.

In Detroit on Thursday, the Tigers officially severed ties with shortstop Edgar Renteria, buying out his option for the 2009 season. That makes him a free agent after a relatively disappointing season with the Tigers in which he batted .270, after a .332 campaign in 2007.

Other intriguing or familiar players who filed for free agency on Thursday included:

* Shortstop David Eckstein, who will likely entertain offers to play second base.

* LHPs Will Ohman, Eddie Guardado, Brian Shouse, Jeremy Affeldt, Joe Beimel and Oliver Perez.

* OFs Jim Edmonds, Manny Ramirez, Bobby Abreu and Raul Ibanez.

* Cubs righthanders Ryan Dempster and Bob Howry.

* RHPs Derek Lowe, Ben Sheets and Jason Jennings.

* INFs Mark Loretta and Mark Grudzielanek.

Cardinals' upper management reminds me of those cheetahs on the Animal Planet.

2008-08-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

Big deal seems unlikely as Birds protect prospects
Bernie Miklasz
Sports Columnist Bernie Miklasz
[More columns]
By Bernie Miklasz
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
07/31/2008

Among my favorite channels is Animal Planet. I especially love those candid films, set in the wild, that give us a chance to observe the innate nature and survival instincts of assorted beasts.

The cheetah, for example, has a rough set of circumstances to deal with. That's something I learned while watching Animal Planet. To escape vicious predators, the cheetah must run fast, or climb trees, or hide in the thick brush.

The young cheetahs are really vulnerable. It is estimated that 90 percent of cheetah cubs are killed by lions, hyenas and more powerful stalkers. But at times the cheetah will be able to successfully fend off the predators. I was watching the Animal Planet one night and saw a cheetah chase off a lion. It was impressive.

OK, so what the heck does this have to do with sports?

I'll try to explain.

Cardinals' upper management reminds me of those cheetahs on the Animal Planet.

The bosses seem determined to keep the lions away.

Manager Tony La Russa and his staff and players are valiantly battling to stay in contention for a postseason spot. I would imagine that certain deals can be made to improve their chances. I mean, we've seen some big-name players get moved in recent weeks, from CC Sabathia to Rich Harden to Mark Teixeira and Pudge Rodriguez. To pull off a big deal, the Cardinals would have to sacrifice prime prospects.

Despite their spin to the contrary, team chairman Bill DeWitt and VP of player development Jeff Luhnow are resistant to trading away prospects. I know they insist otherwise, but frankly, I don't buy it.

And the likely reality is, unless Cardinals GM John Mozeliak picks up a lefthanded reliever for a nominal prospect before this afternoon's major-league trade deadline, the Cardinals will probably keep a safe distance, with DeWitt and Luhnow protecting their young cheetahs.
DeWitt and Luhnow have hidden top prospect Colby Rasmus in the thick brush, or placed him and other top prospects high up in that tree, where predators can't get to them.

This can't please La Russa.

Not that he's the enemy within, but La Russa sees all the baby cheetahs in Memphis, Springfield, Palm Beach, Quad Cities, etc. and wonders why the bosses are guarding them with such ferocity.

La Russa wants to win now. He's approaching senior-citizen age. His contract expires after 2009. And so far in 2008, La Russa has turned in one of the most resolute and impressive managing jobs of his distinguished career.

And La Russa has a feisty, undermanned team that won't curl up and fade to make it easy for Chicago, Milwaukee and other playoff hopefuls. But to complete this improbable journey, the Cardinals require some help from the outside and more than just a patch. At least some assistance appears to be arriving from the inside; Chris Carpenter's first start, Wednesday in Atlanta, was encouraging.

Do you think TLR is worrying about 2010, 2011, 2012 and how the young cheetahs will develop in St. Louis? Of course not. And why should he? TLR is on a different clock. His needs are more immediate, and pressing. His time is now. And I don't blame him; this is how La Russa is wired.

But look at it from the DeWitt-Luhnow view. They launched a major initiative to draft and develop players and have a legitimately good and deep farm system. They're only a couple of years into the project, so why plunder the system and then be left with little to build around in the not-distant future, after La Russa has moved on? Then again, we have to wonder if DeWitt and Luhnow have an inflated opinion of their prospects. I'm not sure other organizations — trade partners — are as keyed up.

If Mozeliak must pass up reasonable, non-crazy trades to protect the cheetah cubs that are tucked away in the thick brush, I just hope DeWitt and Luhnow are as smart as they think they are. I hope all of these STL prospects are as dynamic as advertised.

I don't know what the standings will look like in 2011.

I don't know if the Cardinals will have a chance to win in 2012.

But I can see the 2008 standings and I do know this: The Cardinals have a chance to win now.

Trade rumor updates: Bay, Sherrill, Ohman

2008-07-30T14:35:00.000-07:00

It's been an interesting day of rumors. In a surprising twist, the Cardinals are back in discussions for Jason Bay, George Sherrill may be unavailable after all, and MLB.com's Mark Bowman thinks Will Ohman will be a Cardinal. More after the jump.

First, the Bay news. The Tampa Bay Rays are having ongoing discussions for Jason Bay, with Reid Brignac as a critical piece. The Cardinals are going to have a tough time matching that package, but Pittsburgh writer Dejan Kovacevic says the Cards are still in it:

The Cardinals are interested in Bay, but not John Grabow (which surprised me to learn), according to a source there. They absolutely, positively will not give up outfielder Colby Rasmus, one of the best prospects in the game, but the Pirates probably would be able to pick off the list of pretty much any pitching prospect they have. But that is not nearly as enticing as it might sound: The Cardinals' system is basically Rasmus. Chris Perez, their No. 2 prospect, is a reliever in Class AAA Memphis. The top starter is the No. 4 prospect, Jaime Garcia, also in Class AAA. ... Be very sure that the Pirates would prefer to make a deal with Tampa, as it will be quality rather than quantity that they want in return for Bay, their biggest trading chip in years.

Remember, Jason Bay is signed for $7.5 million in 2009, so this wouldn't be a rental. It looks like the Tampa Bay discussions are going to dictate the Cardinals', but the Rays have been hard to deal with in the past and a Pittsburgh-Tampa deal is no sure thing. I could see this one going down to the wire. It'd be tough to give up Chris Perez and Jaime Garcia and, I'm assuming, someone else, but Bay is a bona fide bat. (Note: I take strong exception to the "system is basically Rasmus" comment, though. The Cardinals have certainly one of the top 15 systems in the MLB, with a plethora of outfield and pitching prospects.)

Joe Strauss has a related blip in his chat today:

That said, the Pirates may not be done making moves. The asking price for Jason Bay apparently has dropped within the last 48 hours. LH reliever John Grabow is also available. Colby Rasmus is not on the table for Bay.

The other surprising twist is the Cardinals are not interested in John Grabow, per Dejan. Either the asking price is too high or they have their sight set on another reliever, such as Will Ohman. Quoting Mark Bowman:

OK now back to the selling mode. Left-handed reliever Will Ohman will come to Turner Field as a member of a fourth-place team on Wednesday and find himself with a postseason contender by the time Thursday concludes. He will definitely be traded and the best guess now is that he'll land with the Cardinals.

The Braves might find a projectable starter like Tyler Herron attractive, but that's a guess. Signs are pointing towards a possible match here. The Braves are packing it in for the 2008 season, given Chipper's injury and the Teixeira sell-off. Ohman is definitely going somewhere.

The Orioles aren't finding the ML-ready shortstop they want, so it's looking like George Sherrill is off the market. They really have no reason to trade him other than selling high, but it's not selling high if you can't get players you value.

Finally, one last tidbit from the Joe Strauss chat:

Given the Atlanta Braves' looming purge, LH reliever Will Ohman will come cheaply. Asking prices for players can drop dramatically between now and tomorrow. I've already discussed Bay. The Colorado Rockies remain a major player if they come to their senses and position themselves as sellers. Fuentes fits what the Cardinals need and the Rockies are among the organizations who have appreciation for the Cardinal's minor-league system. Sherrill would be a nice contractual fit but I don't know if there's a fit there. The Orioles want a shortstop; I don't believe the Cardinals are going to kick T. Greene loose.

The Rockies like the Cardinals farm system and the Pirates are perpetually intrigued by some of our players, with the Braves having some outside interest too; three teams that could all match up well with the Cardinals. I think they are probably our best bets.

The Waiting Ends

2008-07-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

All the talk today is going to be about Chris Carpenter. Before we get into that, let's look at last night's game.

Hero: Albert Pujols. Tied it up with a home run and then took the lead with more of his infamous baserunning. You may hate it when he risks and loses, but when he gets it right (which seems to be most of the time), it really is a wonderful thing.

I also want to single out Ryan Franklin. I've been on him pretty hard as a closer, and, honestly, he scared me even when he was in the setup role. But the numbers don't entirely lie. He did a good job before in that role and was great in it last night, even getting a win out of it.

Goat: He's as streaky as they come, isn't he? Troy Glaus had another hitless night while everyone around him was pounding the ball. Save them for when we need you, Troy.

Cubs win again, so the Cards are within one of Milwaukee (and the wild card) while staying four back of the Cubs. The hope going in was that the Brewers and Cubs would split while the Cards won in Atlanta. It'd be real nice to see the Brewers take a game tonight.

OK, so Carpenter. How hard is it to believe that when he last took the mound, the Cardinals were starting their defense of the World Series title? Some things have changed since he pitched for St. Louis last, haven't they. That'll happen when 485 days pass.

Some people think he needs more rehab starts. But it's obvious that he's already better than what we have in the back of the rotation. So what if he only goes five innings? That's all those pitchers are doing anyway, and hopefully he can do it with less damage. He's not having pain or anything, it's just a question of stamina and control. Besides, now that Teixeira's gone from Atlanta, the Braves are pretty darn close to a minor league team anyway.

So what do we expect out of Carpenter tonight? It seems to span the spectrum from "It's Chris Carpenter! Cy Young!" to "Another broken-down has been." I think we'll see some good stuff out of Carp tonight, while he's out there. I'm terrible at predicting numbers, but I'd guess five innings, four hits, three earned, three walks, four K. Something in that neighborhood. Leave your predictions in the comments and we'll see who is closest.

It's not like the Braves will know what's coming. Carp doesn't have a whole lot of history with the current makeup of the squad. Which is what the Cardinals have been having lately, facing three pitchers in a row that no one had ever seen. Tonight, the streak continues, but this is no last-minute callup or rotation filler that they'll be facing. Jair Jurrjens is a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year. He was able to shut out the Phillies for eight innings in their own pitcher-hating ballpark. You aren't likely to do that on a fluke. The only NL Central team he has faced is Pittsburgh and has split the two starts against them with a 4.36 ERA against them.

And in other ace news, Wainwright isn't quite ready for a rehab assignment. Whether that is due to his results in yesterday's side session or not is a matter of opinion. Unfortunately, this means he won't be ready for the Cub series in Wrigley next weekend. Carpenter should get to pitch the series finale, though, so at least one of the big guns will be in use.

Folks, the season is over 2/3rds over and the Cards are still in the race. No matter what happens from here, it's been a darn good run.

Who Was That Masked Team?

2008-07-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

It was a game unlike many others this year. The Cardinals got out to an early lead and kept extending it. The starter pitched seven strong innings. And the bullpen--well, at least the lead was big enough to keep it from really worrying the fan base. (I'm not sure that everyone felt completely comfortable even with the nine-run lead.)

The Hero would have to be Joe Mather. Three for five, the two-run HR that put the Cards on the board, a double that drove in a run. Nice to see him finally get a breakout game in the majors, especially since Rick Ankiel's status is still up in the air. (My gut feeling is that they'll wind up putting him on the DL Wednesday when they activate Carpenter.)

I'm going to give the Goat to Troy Glaus for his 0-5, 4 LOB night. Ron Villone definitely was a consideration, but he wouldn't have been out there for that extended of an outing if the lead wasn't as big as it was. Villone really should be used for just one or two batters, something LaRussa's been good at doing but could be better.

Other stuff: Just a day after saying Ryan Franklin was the ninth inning guy, Jason Isringhausen has been reinstalled as closer. That's not a magical fix-it move--I was worried about Franklin even before he was the closer, this just may move the blowups to the eighth instead of the ninth--but I think that Izzy will cause less heartburn in that slot. He's had some good outings since he came off the DL. There will still be some bumps in the road, I'm sure. And that should mean that the Fuentes talk is probably dead.

Adam Wainwright's going on rehab. Sounds like it's going to be a short one so he can be ready for the trip to Wrigley. Whether that means he'll be a bullpen guy or not is not clear. I think, with this Izzy move, they'll probably put him back in the rotation. I'd rather have five good innings out of Wagonmaker than one every once in a while.

Cards catch a bit of a break in that Tim Hudson went on the DL yesterday, which means they don't have to face him tonight. Instead, they get Jorge Campillo. Which means it's another case of a pitcher the Cardinals have never seen before. If they treat him like they treated Morton last night, there's no worries there. Todd Wellemeyer goes for the Birds. The Braves haven't seen much of him either.

Cubs beat the Brewers, so the Cards stay four out in the divisional race but move to two out in the wild-card.

Reyes is dealt to Indians

2008-07-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
07/27/2008

NEW YORK — As the Cardinals have turned this season over to the next generation of pitching prospects to groom and use, it became apparent to the organization's last best prospect that his time had probably passed.

Anthony Reyes sought a change. Saturday, he got it.

The Cardinals traded Reyes, once considered the top prospect in the minor-league system, to the Cleveland Indians for Class AA reliever Luis Perdomo and cash. The deal ended several seasons of tease and torment for both the club and Reyes.

"I'm excited," said Reyes, who had been in the rotation at Class AAA Memphis. "When you see everyone else go up (to the majors) except for you, it's a little frustrating. When you get overlooked and you feel you're pitching well, you want to go to a place that's a better fit.

"It's nice to get a fresh start."

Perdomo, 24, is a righthanded reliever who was a High-A Carolina League All-Star this season as a closer and was 2-0 with a 3.52 ERA after a promotion to Class AA. He has been assigned to Class AA Springfield and projects as a setup man.

"Obviously, we were getting to a point where we had to make a decision with Anthony and what his future with us is," general manager John Mozeliak said. "We were looking to add some depth to the minor-league system (in the bullpen) and we wanted to do something that would have some implication for next year."

Reyes, 26, peaked as a Cardinal with his Game 1 victory in the 2006 World Series. He opened the next season by losing 10 consecutive decisions and finished the year 2-14.

Reyes, who will report to Cleveland's Class AAA Buffalo affiliate, was 2-3 with a 3.25 ERA in 11 starts for Memphis. He always had been successful there, but transferring his approach to the majors caused troubles; Reyes was able to excel with a high fastball in the minors that wasn't as effective in the majors.

"I think he needs a change of scenery," outfielder and friend Skip Schumaker said. "I didn't think it was working out real well for him at the end."

Added manager Tony La Russa, "I regret some of the nonsense that has been a distraction — that his style of pitching didn't match. I regret the fact that people mentioned he was not a (pitching coach) Dave Duncan-style of pitcher."

While both the Cardinals and Reyes downplayed the notion of a disconnect between pitcher and coaches, La Russa felt the prominence of the topic became a "distraction" for the pitcher. He even alluded to the undermining of Reyes' confidence when asked why Reyes didn't get one of the recent opportunities to start, which were given to rookies.

"He was already up here and has not been ready," La Russa said. "Why keep punishing him? Why not let him get it right?"

Duncan has long believed that the hype that comes with the prospect rankings created unfair expectations for Reyes, as it does for a lot of young pitchers.

Even traded, Reyes is a cautionary tale for the Cardinals.

The pitchers who leapfrogged Reyes for major-league starts this season are all being billed in similar fashion. Mitchell Boggs, Mike Parisi and Jaime Garcia are highly regarded prospects like Reyes once was.

"When they come in as the organization's savior, a key to the future, it adds ... the pressure of distraction," La Russa said. "It's important ... not oversell them as organizations are prone to do."

Miles drills walk-off slam for Cardinals

2008-07-21T00:32:00.000-07:00

Redbirds complete four-game sweep of Padres

ST. LOUIS -- Everything added up perfectly for the Cardinals on Sunday. They had a series win in hand before they even took the field. A definitively miserable St. Louis summer day sapped the energy of even the most dedicated players. A rookie pitcher put the Cards in a late-innings hole, and the club's deposed closer endured another disheartening day.

If ever a game were made to be mailed in, this was it. So, of course, the Redbirds rallied twice in the late innings for a thrilling 9-5 win over the Padres, capped by possibly the unlikeliest game-ending scenario of the year: an Aaron Miles walk-off grand slam.

Miles' homer gave St. Louis its fifth straight win and kept the Cardinals undefeated since the All-Star break. The shot capped a wild day in which the Redbirds rallied from two deficits, took an eighth-inning lead and gave away that lead in the top of the ninth. The Cardinals completed a series sweep of the Padres, their first four-game sweep of any opponent this season.

"Fantasy Island," manager Tony La Russa called the win.

Albert Pujols started the winning rally when he drew a one-out walk in the ninth. Padres catcher Luke Carlin's pickoff attempt sailed into right field, allowing Pujols to motor all the way to third base. The Padres issued intentional walks to Yadier Molina and Skip Schumaker, bringing up Miles, who delivered the game-ender.

It was his third home run of the year, the 15th of his career and his second Major League grand slam. Miles had never hit a walk-off shot in the Majors or, he said, at any other level. He became the 10th player in Cardinals history to hit a walk-off grand slam.

"That's a feeling I wasn't sure I was going to get to experience, that walk-off homer," Miles said. "But it happened to me. I'd never done it before, not in the Minor Leagues or anywhere, so it's a great feeling."

For whatever reason, the '08 Cardinals have seemed to make a habit of such games. Though their bullpen leads the Majors with 23 blown saves, St. Louis has 24 come-from-behind wins and 12 final-at-bat wins.

A team that has been discounted all year long reached the 100-game mark at a season-best 14 games over .500, and very much in contention. The Cardinals trail the first-place Cubs by two games in the National League Central and lead the Brewers by one game for the Wild Card berth.

"It's a gritty group," said Troy Glaus. "We've got a lot of guys trying to perform for more playing time, things like that. Everybody's trying to give their absolute best when they're on the field, and I think the result of that is they play a hard nine innings -- or 10 innings, or whatever it takes."

Glaus had put St. Louis ahead, 5-3, in the bottom of the eighth with a monstrous three-run homer. Glaus had two home runs as of the morning of May 31, and has ripped 16 since.

Jason Isringhausen, called on for what would have been his first save since May 5, retired the first batter of the ninth on a ground ball. But Scott Hairston singled and Edgar Gonzalez doubled, cutting the lead to a single run. After Brian Giles singled, Isringhausen was removed for Brad Thompson, who allowed a game-tying double to Kevin Kouzmanoff, but no further damage.

Isringhausen's struggles cast the only shadow on an otherwise encouraging day for the Cardinals.

"No matter how clutch a veteran he is, he's trying to do more, and today was less," said La Russa. "It's hard to stay in a groove. And he really wants it so bad."

Still, because he was removed with a lead, Isringhausen was not charged with a blown save. And his successor, Thompson, emerged as a hero and the winning pitcher -- with plenty of help from Pujols.

Thompson surrendered a game-tying double to Kouzmanoff, then walked Chase Headley intentionally. But Carlin's screaming chopper was right at Pujols, who threw home for the force play and the second out. Adrian Gonzalez hit the next ball even harder, but on a line at Pujols, and the inning was over.

Rookie Jaime Garcia held his own in his first Major League start but did not receive a decision. Garcia allowed three runs on five hits over five innings, striking out four and walking one. He permitted a two-run homer to opposing starter Cha Seung Baek, but otherwise pitched a fine game. Garcia retired 10 in a row at one point.

Rick Ankiel hit an RBI double and Pujols drove in a run with a pinch-hit sacrifice fly before the fireworks really got going.

Wellemeyer, Cards bounce back

2008-07-20T02:44:00.000-07:00

Starter shakes off rough first two innings to earn win
ST. LOUIS -- What looked like a favor for the Cardinals bullpen, at the expense of Todd Wellemeyer, turned into something very different on Saturday. By leaving Wellemeyer in after a rugged first two innings, it turns out that manager Tony La Russa actually did his starter a solid.

Wellemeyer righted the ship after the second, lasting 6 1/3 innings for a 6-5 Cardinals win over the Padres, Wellemeyer's first win since he sustained an elbow injury on June 5. He didn't permit another tally from the third until he was removed in the seventh, retiring 14 of the final 16 batters he faced.

That effort, combined with an eventful but ultimately successful showing by the bullpen, allowed Albert Pujols and the Cardinals offense to climb out of a 5-0 hole. St. Louis has won four straight and remains one game ahead of Milwaukee for the National League Wild Card lead.

"Down five runs in the first two innings is tough, but we've got a lot of outs left," Pujols said. "I think in the third inning, Todd really found himself out there and felt comfortable and started making some pitches, and gave us an opportunity to come back in the game and win."

Pujols had the game's two biggest hits -- a three-run double in the fifth that got St. Louis on the board, and an RBI infield single in the sixth that put the Redbirds ahead for the first time. But without Wellemeyer's recovery, and the bullpen's high-wire act, Pujols' efforts would have come in a loss.

Wellemeyer was drilled for five runs in the first two innings as he struggled mightily with his location. He left fastballs up, fell behind in counts and couldn't get swinging strikes with his slider.

"I wish I could have taken back those first two innings, because I figured it out after that," Wellemeyer said. "I wasn't getting through the pitches, leaving them up."

He knew, though, that whether he figured it out or not, he would be sticking around for a while. A night after Braden Looper lasted three-plus innings, Wellemeyer was going to have to soak up some innings. Even if the game got out of hand, it was Wellemeyer's job to take one for the team.

So he made the most of it.

"I made a huge adjustment," he said. "Last game, I was going too hard and then I had to back it down a little bit in Pittsburgh. This time, I went out there thinking, 'Nice and easy, hit my spots.' And it didn't really go that way the first two innings, so then I said, 'You know what? Here we go. Here it is, right here.' And that helped me. That got me right on track."

Even in the third and fourth, Wellemeyer was still yielding some hard contact. By about the fifth, though, he truly started settling in. He ended the sixth by striking out Nick Hundley on a slider, the pitch that has been inconsistent, at best, since his injury.

"The third inning through the seventh, [my slider] felt great," Wellemeyer said. "I was keeping all my fastballs down at the knees, in and out. And then you throw that slider. It helps out a ton if you keep the ball down."

Randy Wolf worked around three Cardinals singles in the first, a walk and a hit batter in the third and a leadoff double in the fourth, all the while keeping a shutout bid intact. In the fifth, though, he found himself in a pickle he couldn't escape -- bases loaded, one out, Pujols at the plate.

Pujols was first-pitch swinging, and he smoked a deep liner to center field to make it a 5-3 game. Rick Ankiel's RBI single later in the frame pulled the Cards to within a run. Skip Schumaker drove in a run with a groundout in the sixth to tie the game. Two batters later, Pujols poked a single deep in the hole at shortstop, and the Cardinals led.

The RBIs were Pujols' first since July 12, and with four runs driven in, he surpassed his previous total for the entire month of July. He hadn't had more than one RBI in a game since June 30, and had gone since April 14 since he had more than two.

"Albert's having a great year," manager La Russa said. "You just watch what he gets to hit every day and you'll understand why he gets his base hits but some of the other production drops off."

Solo blasts lift Lohse, Cards to victory

2008-07-18T00:40:00.000-07:00

Glaus (two), Ankiel, Mather collect homers; righty wins No. 12
By Lee Hurwitz
ST. LOUIS -- The $4.25-million man and the fiery-hot third baseman struck gold again.

The Cardinals rejoiced in a 4-3 win on Thursday night at Busch Stadium, led by two of their hottest players. Behind the strong arm of Kyle Lohse and the power of Troy Glaus' lumber, the Cardinals' second half is off to as good a start as it gets.

They may have played the Padres, owners of the second-worst record in the Majors, but the Cardinals had to face two-time All-Star Jake Peavy after a three-day rest.

The Cardinals had their equalizer in Lohse -- unwanted at the beginning of the year by 29 teams due to his asking price, only to become arguably the best free-agent signing of the offseason.

Lohse (12-2) won his ninth straight decision while giving up two runs over seven innings. May 8 was the last time Lohse walked off the field a loser, and he has only lost two decisions in his past 32 starts, dating back to July 20, 2007.

"It's one of those years, I don't want to talk about it," Lohse said. "It's a good run."

While Lohse was not perfect, he was able to make the adjustments throughout the game -- adjustments he may not have made in past years.

Lohse's 4 1/2-month marriage to catcher Yadier Molina and pitching coach Dave Duncan has done wonders for him, as he is now using his entire arsenal and changing speeds frequently.

"I didn't really feel like I had the best control," Lohse said. "In years past, I would just keep pumping fastballs and sliders in there. Today, I topped some curveballs, changeups and kept them off balance, really."

With Lohse dominating like usual from the mound, the Cardinals turned to Glaus -- who has been on a torrid pace offensively.

Since June 25, Glaus has hit .366 and slugged .746. Don't forget his seven home runs, either, in that time frame -- two of which he tagged off Peavy on Thursday night.

"Phew," manager Tony La Russa said. "He's not just piling up the stats, he's piling up clutch at bats. He's getting hits when we've really needed them."

Down 1-0 in the second inning against one of the premier pitchers in the game, Glaus took a Peavy curveball and sent it 404 feet into left field. After Rick Ankiel knocked his 21st home run of the season in the bottom of the fourth, Glaus followed suit with one of his own.

Glaus' 17th home run gave the Cardinals back-to-back home runs for the second time this year, and handed Glaus his 27th multihomer game.

"You face a guy like that, you've got to take advantage of every opportunity you have," Glaus said. "He made some mistakes to guys with nobody on and we took advantage of a few of them."

But as well as Lohse and Glaus played, the game started out relatively slowly and not in the Cardinals' favor.

Edgar Gonzalez singled and scored in the first for the Padres. However, with runners on first and second and only one out in the third inning, Albert Pujols snagged a line drive and tagged out Kevin Kouzmanoff for an unassisted double play.

But in La Russa's eyes, down one run to Peavy, the Cardinals might as well have been dead in the water.

"As soon as they got one, you think, 'Man, this guy on the mound can beat us 1-0,'" La Russa said. "He doesn't make many mistakes."

Yet, uncharacteristically, Peavy did make his mistakes, and the Cardinals took advantage.

After the Padres opened up a 2-1 lead on Gonzalez's homer in the third, Ankiel and Glaus went back-to-back in the fourth. In the seventh inning, Joe Mather pinch-hit for Lohse and provided an all-important insurance run with a home run of his own.

It proved to be more than just an insurance run.

Ryan Franklin allowed back-to-back doubles to open the top of the ninth inning and trim the score to 4-3. But Franklin bore down to retire the next three batters in order.

"The guy's got great guts and that was a clutch recovery," La Russa said.

Winners in three of their past four games, and now only four games behind the first-place Cubs, the Cardinals are in the driver's seat for their destiny as the second half begins.

Whether they make something out of it remains to be seen.

"At this point, we just need to tally wins -- regardless who's on the other side," Glaus said. "Whether it's in our division, outside our division, whatever -- we just need to tally wins."

Cards' record this season defies logic

2008-07-14T04:59:00.000-07:00

By Bernie Miklasz
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
07/14/2008

In their final competition before the ever-so-late All-Star Game, the Cardinals won Sunday at Pittsburgh in an effort that defined their first-half character.

It was undoubtedly a challenge to rebound so quickly from Saturday night's disastrous loss, the worst of the season. Sunday, the Cardinals didn't always play well. They had to overcome turmoil. But they battled through and prevailed 11-6 despite blowing two leads.

The Cardinals salvaged a 3-3 record on the Pennsylvania trip. They made sure that they'd go into the break with a 53-43 record, or 10 games over .500. They gained ground on the first-place Cubs, and trail by 4 1/2 games. They warded off Milwaukee in the wild-card standings and lead the Brewers by a half-game.

Manager Tony La Russa has said often this season, probably because it's so true: He doesn't know if his team will be good enough to make it to the postseason, but he's convinced that it's tough enough.

This team has problems.

The bullpen has frequently imploded. The relievers have been shredded for the most blown saves (22) in the majors and have the second-highest loss total (20).

Because of injury issues — and more on that later — nine pitchers have started games.

Partly because of shortages, rookie Cardinals pitchers have been called upon to make 91 appearances, and start seven games.

The St. Louis offense is streaky. Its on-base percentage has suffered a 21-point drop since May 20, going from .371 to .350. The slugging percentage is rising, and that's good, except for the increasing dependence on homers to supply runs.

It is an offense that scores 5.2 runs a game on the road but only 4.1 a game at Busch Stadium, which wasn't much of a firewall in the late stages of the first half. The Cardinals have lost seven of their last 10 at Busch and must reverse that trend.
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The Cardinals are 31-31 since May 7, and their competitors have taken advantage. The Cubs are 15 games over .500 since May 9, and the Brewers are 13 games over .500 since May 20.

And unlike the Cardinals, the Cubs (Rich Harden) and Brewers (CC Sabathia) have reinforced their rosters.

Now, let's rewind, back to March.

How many among us would have honestly predicted that the Cardinals would be 10 games over .500 at the break and possess the NL's second-best record?

Or that the Cardinals could make these advances despite having to put 17 players on the disabled list, including team MVP Albert Pujols, No. 1 starter Adam Wainwright and all-time franchise saves leader Jason Isringhausen?

The rehabbing former Cy Young award winner, Chris Carpenter, hasn't thrown a pitch. Offseason signee Matt Clement (shoulder) hasn't surfaced because of decreased velocity. Mark Mulder sadly unraveled again.

And yet the Cardinals have defied the adversity and the forecasts to grind their way into postseason contention. And this was supposed to be a season of rebuilding, retooling, revamping, etc.

Why?

Several reasons, in no particular order:

1. Pitching coach Dave Duncan's rotation has surprisingly held up for a 40-23 record and a 4.13 ERA. Year after year, Duncan squeezes terrific results from makeshift rotations.

2. Kyle Lohse, who hasn't lost since May 8, is 11-2 with a 3.39 ERA.

3. Breakout power seasons from Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel, who have combined for 41 homers and 115 RBIs. Last season Cardinals outfielders produced 68 homers in 162 games. This year, through 96 games, the outfielders already have launched 53 homers.

4. Third baseman Troy Glaus has 15 homers and 59 RBIs in 94 games played. Last season the Cardinals received only 12 homers and 77 RBIs from seven players who manned the third-base position over 162 games.

5. Dramatically improved defense.

Don't forget Aaron Miles, batting .317. Or Skip Schumaker, who has done a fine job as a leadoff man and is hitting .339 against righthanded pitching. Or catcher Yadier Molina's impressive development as a hitter; he's batting .339 since April 23.

Of course, La Russa is the fixed axis. All things Cardinal revolve around him. He gives this team its toughness, its personality.

At the break, the Cardinals should exhale and take a bow.

And then it's back to work.

Cards Blank Bucs

2008-07-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

Kyle Lohse is at it again. In game one of the final series before the All-Star break, Lohse shutout the Pirates for seven innings, allowing six hits and striking out three, before handing it over to the bullpen. Lohse now sports an 11-2 record, and lowered his ERA to 3.39, putting him neck and neck with the best pitchers in the National League. If he keeps this up, the Cardinals should look very seriously at a long-term extension for him.

Following Lohse was left-handed rookie Jamie Garcia, making his Major League debut. Garcia just turned 22 three days ago, and the kid made a nice first impression. He allowed just one hit and a walk in the final two innings. He also struck out a pair. The Cards have now had 10 players make their big league debut with them this season. As George Von Benko points out, that’s a staggering number for a team in contention.

Thanks to the stellar pitching, the Cardinals could have won with just a single run. Instead, they plated six, including home runs from Rick Ankiel and Ryan Ludwick. Both Ankiel and Troy Glaus had three hits a piece, while Yadier Molina chipped in with a pair of RBI. The Redbirds had 13 hits in all.

So a well played game on both sides of the ball ends in a Cardinal victory. Here’s the complete box score. The win puts the Cards back at 10 games over .500, but still trailing the Cubs by 4.5 games. If Milwaukee can hang on to win tonight, they’ll remain a half game ahead of St. Louis.

In game two tomorrow night, the Cardinals will face yet another left-handed starter. Phil Dumatrait will start for the Bucs, making it the seventh consecutive game the opposing team started a lefty. The last right-hander the Cards faced was Carlos Zambrano, back on July 4. Todd Wellemeyer will start for the Redbirds tomorrow.

An interesting trade rumor popped up today. According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, both the Cardinals and Diamondbacks are looking at Pittsburgh outfielder Jason Bay. Apparently, top prospect Colby Rasmus is the target for the Pirates. Hat tip to Tim Dierkes from MLB Trade Rumors. I think Rasmus for Bay would be an asinine move, but luckily, I’m sure John Mozeliak does too.

The end seemed so sudden

2008-07-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

By Bryan Burwell
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
07/11/2008

The end is rarely pretty. For most of his or her competitive life, an athlete's pride hinges directly on the familiar sensation of playing a game at a level most of us only dream of. From the famous professional icon to the small-time local high school hero, they seek comfort in that extraordinary athletic awareness, which makes the fall from that narrow plateau all the more abrupt and intolerable.

So here was the perfect athletic metaphor for the apparent end of Mark Mulder's major-league career. On Wednesday night in the middle of Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park, the once smooth and elegant superstar descended from the pitcher's mound as a mere mortal. The Cardinal lefthander fired a perfect first-inning pitch toward home plate, striking out Philadelphia shortstop Jimmy Rollins. And just like that, he could feel that awful electric shock of pain tingle in his left shoulder. The same left arm and shoulder that once produced some of baseball's most dominant lefthanded pitching, was now an empty sleeve.

The end seemed so sudden. One moment he was throwing hard and smooth, the next moment, he was pained and defeated. This was another uncomfortable farewell to arms for the Cardinals. On Thursday morning, Mulder was placed on the disabled list, a move that probably will prove to be the final indication to the club that its two-year gamble on Mulder's injured left shoulder is done.

That was strictly the cold and impersonal business side of this story that grumbling and insensitive hard heads will harp on. They will see this only in one-dimensional terms, that Mulder's time as a Cardinal was solely a failed baseball transaction.

I prefer a different take. I saw that look on Mulder's face as he came off the mound and realized his pitching arm was lifeless again and his athletic life was probably over. No one likes to face that moment when the last fumes of their athletic talent have dissipated, and Mulder's pained expression suggested that he was coming to grips with that reality.

It hurts under any condition when athletic talent runs out, whether it's a kid getting cut in little league or an aging veteran being forced into retirement. But imagine for just one moment what Mulder must be facing. He will be 31 on Aug. 5, and his professional career is probably over.

Mulder has spent the better part of the past three seasons searching for the physical and medical magic that would help him recapture the form that made him the third-winningest lefthander in baseball from 2001 through 2006. It has been highlighted by so many hopeful ups and depressing downs. It has been a lot of trips to doctors and frustrating teases when you saw glimpses that he had recaptured that elegant pitching motion.

Yet for every one of those teases, there was the predictable disappointment of another white hot-stab of nerve endings in his shoulder. I remember the annoyance in his voice every time he had to stand in front of media as they chronicled another aborted comeback. He wasn't mad at the questions. He was aggravated by the circumstances.

So for all the stupid and irrelevant angst the chat room grumblers and call-in nitpickers claim they are experiencing, none of it measures up to what Mulder has suffered. "I just keep getting let down. I don't know really what to do," Mulder told the Post-Dispatch's Joe Strauss after Wednesday's crash and burn.

I can't tell you how annoying it gets to read the narrow-minded stupidity of "fans" who claim some sort of victimization from Mulder's medical misfortune. Mulder didn't cheat anyone. He tried to come back repeatedly, but his shoulder wouldn't let him. He visited more doctors' offices than a pharmaceutical salesman. He tried to relocate that metronome pitching motion, and when he couldn't do it, he tried every sort of uncomfortable and unnatural new arm slot. He pitched when he probably had no business picking up a baseball.

He kept getting back on that mound even when he probably knew deep down inside awhile ago that he never could reclaim that extraordinary athletic awareness that used to make him so comfortable, but now only made him depressed.

The fact that he failed doesn't deserve our derision. The fact that he tried so hard does deserve our admiration.

Ankiel's walk-off single caps rally

2008-07-05T18:17:00.000-07:00

Outfielder drills two-run hit off Cubs closer Wood in ninth
ST. LOUIS -- They were down two runs in the ninth against fireballer, Kerry Wood who does not cave in. They had no business beating their archrivals. But you know what? They did.

Rick Ankiel's remarkable climb continued Saturday afternoon, as the Cardinals stole Game 2 from the Cubs, 5-4. Relying on Ankiel's two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the ninth, the Cardinals moved within 2 1/2 games of the first-place Cubs. It was the eighth time in the last nine games of the series that two runs or less determined the score.

By the time Ankiel turned first base, his teammates mobbed him in a joyous celebration fit only for a victory seen on a day like this.

"I didn't like our chances once [Wood] retired the first two guys," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "He's got so many weapons. ... That was a hellacious comeback considering the quality of the pitcher."

"He throws so hard and I was really looking for a pitch to drive up the middle," Ankiel added. "It's unbelievable. It's a big series for us -- a big game. To come back like that, it's a lot of fun."

No matter how good Wood had been -- he'd converted his previous 12 save opportunities -- the Cardinals didn't care. They approached the inning as if they were never out of it, and the logic paid dividends.

Ryan Ludwick and Yadier Molina both walked to open the inning, and Adam Kennedy followed with a double. La Russa said he thought about bunting to advance the runners, but did not do so because "it wasn't the winning play."

He was right.

The winning play came four batters later, when Ankiel stepped up to the plate against Wood -- a pitcher he had only faced once before.

On a big stage, in an even bigger cathedral, the new Busch Stadium entertained the largest crowd in its brief history, as 46,865 fans witnessed Ankiel deliver and send the Cardinals into bliss.

"He's dangerous," La Russa said of Ankiel. "He comes to play defense every day, he gives you everything and never takes an at-bat off. ... Ankiel is a very talented guy and, as he adds more experience, he's going to get better."

It has been a long road for Ankiel, who struggled with injuries and command problems before he switched to making his Major League comeback as a hitter. Last year, the persistence paid off, and now Ankiel has become one of the Cardinals' offensive leaders.

"Certainly right now, it seems things are going well," Ankiel said. "Hopefully I can continue to get better."

It's hard to get much better than the way Ankiel has played the last couple of weeks. Since June 15, Ankiel is batting .284 with seven home runs and is slugging .649.

It was another win for the Cardinals, and they continue to play for the benefit of the team rather than the individual. Very few teams win 50 games by the All-Star break with one or two All-Stars. The Cardinals could be one of those exceptions.

Now, back to 11 games over .500, the Cardinals continue to impress and prove wrong those who wrote them off three months ago.

They impress with the likes of Ankiel, who also homered in the sixth inning and finished the day 3-for-4 with four RBIs. They do it with Kyle McClellan (1-3), a St. Louis native who gave up only a hit in the final two innings to earn his first career win.

They win with Ludwick, who was written off over the past few years, only to enjoy a career year. If not for Ludwick's strike of a throw to Molina in the eighth inning with the bases loaded, Jim Edmonds would have scored on a sacrifice fly to make the score 5-2.

But as they say, "Not in our house."

"I kind of double-clutched," Ludwick said. "I reached in and couldn't find the ball at first. After I double-clutched, I just let it fly. Thank God it was on target."

Asked why the Cardinals continue to win, Ludwick simply replied that they keep fighting. "We're always fighting, no matter how much we're down," he said.

Down, 2-0, until the sixth inning, the Cardinals kept fighting behind starter Kyle Lohse, who continued his dominance in his first year in St. Louis. Lohse pitched seven innings, gave up two runs, struck out five and never let the Cubs rally.

"It was tough," Lohse said. "I just knew I had to keep it close and hope for some heroics like we got."

He had to wait until the sixth and ninth innings, but Lohse saw those heroics. Ankiel's solo shot made the score 2-1, and Albert Pujols followed with a double. After stealing third, he scored when Ludwick doubled.

Though Ryan Franklin served up a two-run home run in the eighth to Aramis Ramirez, who broke out of an 0-for-28 slump, it set the stage for one of the Cardinals' more dramatic wins of the year.

"That's unbelievable," McClellan said. "But Fourth of July weekend against the Cubs, around here we come to expect that."

Pujols' power not enough vs. Cubs

2008-07-05T18:09:00.000-07:00

Slugger's 300th homer accounts for Cards' only run
ST. LOUIS -- Troy Glaus dug in on a 3-1 count while leading off the bottom of the ninth. Kerry Wood's 98-mph fastball sat just a bit outside and Glaus trotted to first base.

"Strike two."

Clearly disagreeing with the call, Glaus settled back in for another try. When the ball sailed slightly outside, Glaus made a stride to first before home-plate umpire Ted Barrett spoke up again.

"Strike three."

It was that kind of night for the Cardinals, who lost to the Cubs, 2-1, at Busch Stadium in a pivotal midseason series. Catching the outside corner throughout the ninth inning, Wood shut down the Cardinals and prevented any sort of late-inning heroics.

"I was having a good at-bat in the ninth inning, and the at-bat was taken out of my hands," Glaus said. "That's really all I can say about it."

Manager Tony La Russa questioned the consistency of Barrett's calls during the postgame press conference, saying the Cardinals had a legitimate reason to complain. After Glaus' at-bat, catcher Yadier Molina and pinch-hitter Ryan Ludwick also had some strikes called on the outside corner that La Russa disagreed with.

"Check the tape," La Russa said. "I think they'll see there's a legitimate gripe."

La Russa quickly added he was not blaming the result of the game on the umpire, just wondering "what if?"

So, on a night when Jim Edmonds made his first return to Busch Stadium as a member of the Cubs, and when Albert Pujols hit his 300th career home run, the Cardinals' Independence Day joy was squashed by the team they love to hate.

And for a second straight night, they were dominated by an opposing pitcher who threw gas all night long.

Carlos Zambrano, coming off the disabled list on Friday, threw 87 pitches, and only four of them resulted in hits for the Cardinals. Zambrano iced the Cardinals, who only scored after he left the game.

"He's been throwing the ball outstanding all year," Pujols said. "We weren't facing a piece-of-cake pitcher. Zambrano's one of the best pitchers in the league, and he's got our number."

The loss spoiled a superb effort from starter Braden Looper, who was hurt by two mistake pitches. In the first inning, Cubs right fielder Kosuke Fukudome worked the count to 3-2 before taking Looper's fastball and sending it over the right-field wall.

Three innings later, Cubs catcher Geovany Soto took a changeup that was left out over the middle of the plate for the second solo home run of the night.

"I made a couple of other mistakes, but those were the two that cost me," Looper said. "I'm not saying I was perfect for the rest of the game, but those cost me."

Looper threw 120 pitches over his seven innings of work. Allowing just four hits, Looper battled a tough Cubs lineup only to see his effort spoiled.

Also spoiled was Aaron Miles' 15-game hitting streak. Having hit safely for the past two weeks, Miles went 0-for-4 and was unable to extend what was a career-high streak.

"You're thinking about getting on any way you can," Miles said. "This is a big series. It's fun to have a 15-gamer, but you turn the page and go ready to go at it tomorrow."

Pujols ended the Cardinals' scoreless streak when he homered in the bottom of the eighth inning off Bob Howry. The milestone home run was a laser to left field that energized the Cardinals briefly.

For Pujols, the joy from hitting home run No. 300 quickly escaped him following the loss.

"To me, it's just another homer that goes out of the park," Pujols said. "I'm happy to do it in front of our fans -- they were waiting for it."

While the Cardinals were battling their archrival, a former Cardinal sat in the opposing dugout admittedly nervous. Edmonds' return to St. Louis was marred by the misunderstanding he wanted to distance himself from his former team.

Still, Edmonds received a standing ovation in his first at-bat. And though he battled through his first plate appearance, he did not have the grandiose return he would have liked, striking out three times. The support the fans gave Edmonds early ultimately changed to boos in his final at-bats.

Now 3 1/2 games behind the Cubs, the Cardinals will have the opportunity to win their 10th series of the year after losing the opening game.

Boggs falls for first time in loss to Mets

2008-07-04T04:22:00.000-07:00

Despite tough outing, Cards rookie goes six to save 'pen
ST. LOUIS -- Mitchell Boggs' ERA won't look too pretty in the morning after jumping more than two runs: from 4.37 to 6.59.

For that, he can thank the New York Mets.

Boggs came into Thursday night's game with a 3-0 record in four starts since he joined the rotation to fill in for an injured Adam Wainwright. But against the Mets in the series finale at Busch Stadium, Boggs looked more like a rookie than a candidate for the Rookie of the Month.

Losing 11-1 at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals suffered one of their worst losses of the year and at an incredibly inopportune time. While the Cardinals split their four-game series with New York, they now play host to the Cubs, who come into St. Louis with a 2 1/2 game lead in the National League Central Division.

"My take is I'm disappointed," Boggs said. "I didn't pitch well. I let it get away from us early. Anytime you go out there and put your teammates in a hole like that, it's tough to come back from.

"I'll be all right, but the biggest problem was I let my teammates down. I didn't give us a chance."

It was easily the worst start of Boggs' young career. In his first four starts in the Majors, Boggs showed electrifying stuff and fared well against several tough lineups. What Boggs lacked on Thursday, however, was anything resembling command.

Through six innings, Boggs gave up six walks. Five of them lead to runs. He threw two wild pitches and left balls out over the middle of the plate for the Mets to tee off.

"You walk guys anywhere they're going to score," Boggs said. "You walk guys in Little League, and they're going to score. You can't do that here. You can't do it anywhere."

Rather than pull Boggs after a forgettable third inning -- one which saw him give up six runs and the Mets take a 9-0 lead -- manager Tony La Russa left his young pitcher in to spare the bullpen from what would have been six innings of relief.

La Russa wasn't thinking of Boggs' ERA, with the Cubs coming to town on Friday.

"I would have rather saved him the beating, because it's not his night," La Russa said.

On the other side of the diamond, the Cardinals faced Mike Pelfrey, a pitcher only Jason LaRue had seen before. He walked in his one at-bat. Even though Pedro Martinez pitched the night before, Pelfrey did his best to imitate a young Pedro and dominated the Cardinals' lineup from top to bottom.

Through his seven innings, Pelfrey scattered six hits and gave up one run, which came long after the game was decided.

"His ball, when he throws it in the middle of the plate, it has a lot of run and sink to it on a righty," outfielder Ryan Ludwick said.

The sinker baffled the righties and the fastball kept everyone honest. Averaging more than six runs entering the game, the Cardinals put up a doughnut until the sixth inning.

Even though the Mets took a big lead early, Pelfrey never let down his guard.

"You get out to a big lead, and he wasn't going to let him beat himself," said infielder Aaron Miles, who extended his hitting streak to a career-high 15 games. "That was the key. He threw well."

With Boggs never settling in, the Mets were able to establish an insurmountable lead starting in the first inning.

Boggs loaded the bases on a single and two walks, gave up a sacrifice fly and an RBI single. The final run came when Boggs misplayed a ground ball that rolled in between the mound and third base.

After getting shut down in order in the second, the Mets erupted in the third and batted around to plate six. Boggs gave up two walks, two singles, a double and a triple in the frame.

"When you create that kind of situation, you're asking for trouble," La Russa said.

Once again the Cardinals passed up on an opportunity to cut into the Cubs' first-place lead, making the upcoming three-game set that much more important.

"It was just bad all around game," Ludwick said. "It was just one of those games. We've had a couple this year, but fortunately for us, we haven't had a ton of them. We just have to throw it away like we have in the past and be ready to play tomorrow."

Carpenter encouraged by progress

2008-07-03T16:04:00.000-07:00

Recovering Cards righty taking it slow to avoid another setback
ST. LOUIS -- When he prepared to throw a simulated game on Monday, Chris Carpenter had a problem -- he didn't have any hitters to face.

So Derek Lilliquist, the Cardinals' rehab pitching coordinator, ran over to the Marlins and borrowed a couple of the younger players for the session.

"It was a fun morning," Carpenter said. "I enjoyed it, and I know that they did, too. It was more game-like than a normal simulated game."

Carpenter threw another session on Wednesday, this time out of the St. Louis bullpen before the Cards' game against the Mets. With manager Tony La Russa, pitching coach Dave Duncan and others watching, Carpenter threw roughly 60 pitches and used his full arsenal.

It was the best he has felt since he had Tommy John reconstructive surgery on his right elbow last July.

"It's exciting, because I feel good," Carpenter said. "But I try not to get too excited, because I've already gone through what I went through a few weeks ago, where I was feeling good and had some issues."

With Carpenter having had a setback already, the Cardinals will be cautious in bringing him back. Whether he will pitch out of the bullpen, ala Mark Mulder, or simply rejoin the starting rotation is still up in the air.

Carpenter's itch to get back to full health and pitch during games has nagged him lately, but he said he can't get ahead of himself.

"It's hard," Carpenter said. "That's one thing that's hard. With the way that I threw on Monday and the way that I feel today, I feel like I'm close. But you don't want to get ahead of yourself, because you don't want to get sore and send yourself back."

Glaus' long ball a walk-off winner

2008-07-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

Homer in ninth gives Cards thrilling victory over Mets
ST. LOUIS -- Just when it looked as if they were dead in the water, the Cardinals found a way.

Then again, that has been their mantra all year long -- never quit and keep a short-term memory.

By beating the Mets, 8-7, on Wednesday night, the Cardinals escaped from what could have been their second straight loss at home. And with the National League Central-leading Cubs coming to town over the weekend, keeping close to their rivals becomes that much more important.

Troy Glaus became the latest hero for the Cardinals, a list that has grown to include someone new nearly every day. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Glaus capped off another fantasy-driven ending when he hit his fifth career walk-off home run.

Even as an 11-year veteran, games like this never get old for Glaus.

"It's been awhile for me to be on the receiving end," Glaus said. "After that, it all feels good."

It was an odd night for the Cardinals. They sat through a 47-minute rain delay in the third inning -- the game lasted three hours and 21 minutes -- took an early lead only to see the bullpen blow it and knocked around one of the all-time great pitchers.

Whatever the case, they'll take it.

"A win is a win," as they say, but boy do the Cardinals like to keep it close. Now 18-14 in one-run games, 37 percent of the club's first-half contests have been decided by a lone run.

"I'm getting too old for this," manager Tony La Russa said.

Compounding the level of strangeness, St. Louis faced Pedro Martinez -- a pitcher known for dominating every single player that plays for the home team at Busch. Coming into Wednesday night, the Cardinals had batted a combined .182 with one home run against Martinez.

The one home run was by Glaus, hit when they both played in the American League. It took five batters into the game for him to add home run No. 2.

Glaus, who went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs, took a 3-2 pitch and sent it 411 feet over the center-field wall for a three-run homer. Martinez, who once averaged sub-3.00 ERAs and 18-plus wins a year, still had Glaus paying homage.

"He knows how to pitch, he knows what he's doing," Glaus said, "He's changing speeds, working the ball in and out. The velocity wasn't as high as probably the last time that I faced him, but he's still Pedro."

Up, 4-0, after the first inning, all St. Louis needed was a solid outing from Joel Pineiro.

But when Pineiro left the game in the fifth, the score was tied at 4 after the Mets knocked 11 hits off the Cardinals' starter.

"It was just one of those nights where I missed 50 percent of my spots," Pineiro said.

Rick Ankiel bailed out Pineiro, who is now winless in his past nine starts, with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth.

But with a 5-4 lead in the seventh inning, the St. Louis bullpen faltered. Inheriting a runner, Mark Mulder gave up two singles and a sacrifice fly in his second appearance since returning from the disabled list.

"That was really a tough bloop to give up," La Russa said of the go-ahead run. "The seventh run was another one. ... But we gave up some tough runs on less than good contact."

With most of the fans having left due to the rain and needing a jolt to get the Cardinals back in the game, La Russa called on Chris Duncan to pinch-hit in the eighth.

Duncan, who appears to have turned around his struggles from the beginning of the year, hit a line-drive home run to right field to tie the game.

"That was the game-changing at-bat, more than anything else," Glaus said. "That was a lift. First pitch, boom."

Wellemeyer struggles in loss to Mets

2008-07-02T08:36:00.000-07:00

Righty yields 12 hits over five frames; Ankiel hits 16th homer
ST. LOUIS -- Ever since he was named May's Pitcher of the Month, Todd Wellemeyer has endured some trying times.

Against the Mets on Tuesday night, his fourth start since winning the award, Wellemeyer struggled through five innings on a tranquil night at Busch Stadium in a game the Cardinals lost, 7-4, to the visiting Mets.

Wellemeyer faced a myriad of problems, though he believed he pitched well enough to win. The Mets benefited from good placement on most of their ground balls.

"It was a battle tonight," Wellemeyer said. "Nights like tonight, you hope those ground balls find an infielder. Seven or eight times, they didn't find anybody. They hit some good pitches tonight, they really did."

By the end of the night, Wellemeyer's line read five innings, 12 hits, six earned runs and 98 pitches. Not exactly the type type of outing he had consistently over the first two months of the season.

Since returning from soreness in his right elbow, Wellemeyer has not been the same pitcher. In his last two starts at Busch Stadium, he has allowed 14 runs over 8 1/3 innings, for a 15.12 ERA. Going 1-3 since he was awarded for his domination of hitters, Wellemeyer admitted something is up.

"I don't want to say it, but I could probably use a couple of more bullpen sessions and get back to where I need to be," Wellemeyer said.

"I don't know if it's the fact that I haven't pitched enough. But I'm not going to have all three pitches working every single start."

Wellemeyer managed to get ahead of hitters and had Mets batters facing two-strike counts on a regular basis. But he couldn't put them away when it counted, as hitters fought off tough pitches for seeing-eye singles.

After falling behind early, the ground balls started to roll through holes and spur rallies for the Mets. Even though the Cardinals knocked Tony Armas around early, they couldn't strike a deadly blow, let alone touch him, for the rest of his outing.

Armas, who was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans on Monday, is 3-0 at the new Busch Stadium in his career. Asked why Armas is so good in St. Louis, second baseman Aaron Miles struggled to find a reason.

"I can't put a finger on it, no," Miles said. "I don't have an answer for that."

While no team takes solace in a loss, Miles' hitting streak has to be the silver lining. For 13 straight games, Miles has hit safely and is one game short of tying a career high.

In the first inning, Miles doubled to the right-field corner -- his lone hit of the night. Two batters later, Rick Ankiel gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead when he hit his 16th home run of the year.

Picking up a run in the second on a Skip Schumaker double, the Cardinals gave Wellemeyer a sufficient 3-1 lead, which he surrendered in the fourth inning.

Then the hits started falling for the Mets.

In the fourth, Carlos Delgado and Damion Easley singled to open the frame off Wellemeyer. Ramon Castro then hit a double deep into the gap in left-center field, scoring both runners easily.

An inning later, the Mets took advantage of Wellemeyer again. Endy Chavez singled and David Wright doubled to start the inning. Chavez scored on a sacrifice and Wright scored on a double from Ryan Church, who later crossed the plate on a single from Castro.

Brad Thompson entered in the sixth and gave up a solo home run to Wright, but it was his only blemish on the score sheet. Making his first appearance since he was recalled on Monday, Thompson gave up only two hits in four innings.

"He kept us in the game," manager Tony La Russa said. "Four innings, one run --- he gave everybody in the bullpen a break."

Lohse beats Mets, picks up 10th victory

2008-06-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

Cards righty tosses seven stellar frames; Duncan goes deep
ST. LOUIS -- Behind a few gifts from the visiting Mets on Monday night, the Cardinals took advantage early to win their first game at home in two weeks, 7-1.

The Cardinals scored at least one run in each of the first five innings. Aided by three errors -- two led to runs -- St. Louis rattled John Maine early and never trailed.

Coming off a poor start in which he only lasted four innings, Kyle Lohse shined through seven innings to win his 10th game of the year. Lohse struck out four batters and walked two.

Albert Pujols, who went 2-for-4, singled in Skip Schumaker in the first and later scored on a double play. That was enough breathing room for the Cardinals the rest of the way. Chris Duncan, who had not homered since May 16, hit a two-run shot to right field in the fifth inning.

The Cardinals have now won at least 15 games in June for the past four years and five of the last six.

LaRue, Pujols power Redbirds to victory

2008-06-30T14:48:00.000-07:00

Catcher, designated hitter team up for two homers, six RBIs
KANSAS CITY -- In the first inning on Sunday, Royals outfielder David DeJesus barrelled toward home plate, trying to score on Jose Guillen's single to left field. DeJesus lowered his right shoulder and plowed into Cardinals catcher Jason LaRue, who had caught Skip Schumaker's laser-beam throw.

The impact revealed plenty about LaRue, who relishes such confrontations. The aftermath, even more.

LaRue held on to the ball and tagged DeJesus out, helping Braden Looper escape from the inning without allowing a run. An inning later, LaRue hit a 399-foot home run to right field, sending the Cardinals on their way to a 9-6 win over the Royals in the final game of a grueling nine-game Interleague road trip. LaRue also added a two-run triple for his finest game as a Cardinal.

"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."

La Russa speculated that the collision got LaRue going, and the catcher didn't deny it.

"It's part of the game," LaRue said. "It's my job to block the plate. In a situation like that, I'm going to take the plate away if I know I have a chance to get the guy out."

Looper struggled on a difficult day for pitchers, allowing six hits, four walks and three runs -- two earned -- in 3 1/3 innings. The manager had a quick hook with his starter, seeing that Looper simply wasn't sharp. The stiff wind out to right field didn't help any, but Looper had far from his best game.

"It was tough for a lot of different reasons," Looper said. "[The weather conditions] were part of it, but it's still not an excuse. When the team gives you a lead like that, you've got to be able to pitch six or seven innings. I didn't do that today, so I'm just glad the guys could pick me up."

Chris Perez relieved Looper and escaped from a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fourth, keeping a two-run Cardinals lead intact. Overall, St. Louis' bullpen bent but didn't break. Perez was credited with the win, though he ran into trouble in his second inning. Jason Isringhausen struck out four in 1 2/3 innings but also permitted a run. The story for the club's relievers was consistent, with impressive escapes followed by difficult second innings.

LaRue got the Cardinals on the board in the second, launching his wind-aided, opposite-field home run into the Royals' bullpen. It was his third homer of the year, all of them coming in the past 19 days.

After Kansas City cut a five-run lead down to two, LaRue lashed a line drive into center field with two on in the fifth. The ball hooked hard to center fielder Joey Gathright's right and rolled all the way to the wall for a two-run triple.

The two extra-base hits just continued a hot streak for LaRue, who has been raking for more than a month and a half. On the morning of May 11, he was batting .067 with no extra-base hits. Since then, he's batting .333 and slugging .579.

"I haven't changed anything from Day 1," he said. "Going into it, when, obviously, I didn't have much of an average, it never bothered me. I never did anything different, never changed anything. My goal is to go up and have a good at-bat."

Albert Pujols added a double and a two-run homer for the Cardinals. Pujols came about a foot from a second home run as he kept up a career-long trend of hitting well in Kansas City.

The Cardinals went 5-4 on a trip to three American League cities, winning two of their three series. They've now enjoyed three consecutive winning trips, and have endured just one losing trip all season.

Boggs, Cards down Royals

2008-06-29T03:19:00.000-07:00

Right-hander superb in start, picks up third win of season
KANSAS CITY -- All consolation prizes should shine so brightly.

Mitchell Boggs, the Cardinals' second choice to start on Saturday, pitched the finest game of his young career en route to a 5-1 St. Louis win over Kansas City at Kauffman Stadium. Boggs struck out a career-high six over six-plus innings, allowing a single run on four hits.

As recently as Wednesday, the Cardinals held out hope that Mark Mulder might be their starting pitcher on Saturday. On Thursday, Boggs was listed as an available reliever for an afternoon game in Detroit. Had he been needed in that game, Boggs might even have been sent to the Minor Leagues the next day -- never mind actually starting in Kansas City on Saturday.

But Mulder was not sharp enough in a Thursday bullpen session to convince the club he was ready to start. And Boggs didn't have to pitch in relief later that afternoon. In his fourth career big league start, the University of Georgia product showed that he was a superb choice. He pushed aside the uncertainty, and turned in the kind of start that likely will earn him more chances.

"It's not hard," Boggs said of the unusual week. "I'm in the big leagues right now, and they've showed a lot of confidence in me to keep sending me out there. I'll show up every day and do whatever they ask me to do. It doesn't matter."

Odds are, the next thing they'll ask is for him to start again in five days.

Boggs got off to a bit of a rocky start, walking three of the first eight batters he faced. A double play got him out of a two-on, one-out situation in the first. Around two walks in the second, he picked up a strikeout and two ground balls, surviving if not exactly thriving.

In the third inning, though, he began to pick up steam. Boggs allowed a single, but struck out the side in the third, and he got two Ks and a grounder in the fourth.

"I was a little erratic there in the first couple of innings," he said. "I was fortunate to get out of that unscathed. Any time you walk guys to start innings, you're playing with fire. But the guys behind me made great plays, and that allowed me to get into a little bit of rhythm."

Boggs had an exceptional curveball against the Royals, using it both to get ahead and to finish batters off. But in the eyes of one of his mentors, the key was simpler. Boggs got his power sinker down in the strike zone, opening up the rest of his repertoire.

"I thought he did a better job trying to get the ball down," said Braden Looper, who has fielded plenty of questions from the rookie as Boggs learns to pitch in the Majors. "I think he went into the game with that mind-set. I've been talking to him a lot about that. He's got a good enough fastball that if he just has fastball command, the rest is going to be there."

After six nearly spotless innings, Boggs did get into a little trouble in the seventh. He walked the leadoff man and then permitted a single, and that was all for his evening. Kyle McClellan surrendered a double that brought home one of the runs, but Miguel Olivo was thrown out trying to score on the play. Kansas City did not score again.

Boggs and the bullpen received offensive support from Rick Ankiel, who hit a two-run homer, and Chris Duncan, who struck an RBI single. Two Cardinals runs scored as the result of Kansas City errors.

But even without the help from the Royals defense, Boggs pitched plenty well enough to get his third Major League win.

"He's nasty," said outfielder Skip Schumaker. "He really is nasty. He throws 95 mph with sink and cut, and a big curveball. [Adam] Wainwright told me to watch out for this guy, because he's known him for a bit. I had no idea who he was, but he said this guy's got really good stuff, watch out for him.

"Boggs impresses me more and more every time he steps on the mound."

Mulder activated from disabled list

2008-06-28T04:26:00.001-07:00

Veteran pitcher will return to Cardinals as a reliever
KANSAS CITY -- The never-ending Mark Mulder saga took another twist on Friday. A day after it was clear that the left-hander would not be ready to start for the Cardinals this weekend, he was activated -- to pitch in relief.

Mulder, who has never made a relief appearance in his career, will pitch out of the bullpen for an indeterminate amount of time. The Cardinals were down a left-handed reliever because Randy Flores is on the disabled list.

"I think we'll see how it goes," Mulder said. "I've never done this before, so let's go give it a shot."

Mulder has not pitched in the Major Leagues this season and has scarcely pitched in the big leagues since the first half of 2006. He underwent shoulder operations in September of that year and again in September '07. Mike Parisi was optioned to Triple-A Memphis to make room for Mulder on the roster.

"You might be able to get something to work in a shorter period of time than trying to stretch it out," said general manager John Mozeliak. "Just getting him back in a competitive environment and seeing where he's at makes a lot of sense for us right now."

Early this year, all indications for Mulder were positive as he tried to come back from the second operation. He threw well in Spring Training and gave the club reasons for optimism early in his Minor League rehab. But as the rehab went on, he didn't progress the way he hoped.

Mulder went back on the DL with shoulder trouble, and he began using a different arm slot. With the new delivery, he made one start on a second rehab assignment, and though the results were subpar, the reports were that he pitched well.

That led the Cardinals to hope for a start for Mulder this weekend in Kansas City, preceded by a short outing on Monday night at Memphis. But a minor back injury intervened, and Mulder did not make that appearance. He threw a bullpen session in Detroit on Thursday, with mixed results.

"I probably hoped for a little better," he said, "but it wasn't. That's kind of the way this whole process has gone."

On Friday, the decision was made to try a different tack.

"I would say it's open-ended, but my hope is that it's viewed as a step forward, and one that would be one that can grow," Mozeliak said. "And if it evolves to where he gets back in the rotation, I think that's great."

Mulder is just happy to be on a Major League roster in any capacity. He has made five big league appearances since late June '06.

"I'm definitely excited," he said. "Obviously there's a need for it, with Flo going down. I always liked facing lefties. We'll see what happens."

Isringhausen could be placed on DL

2008-06-28T04:24:00.000-07:00

Cardinals reliever felt 'pop' in right knee while stretching
KANSAS CITY -- Cardinals manager Tony La Russa wrote Jason Isringhausen's name on the lineup card Friday, but he did so belatedly and hesitantly.

Isringhausen is dealing with a right knee injury and could be placed on the disabled list this weekend. He felt something "pop" in the joint on Thursday, in between innings of his 2 1/3-inning stint against the Tigers.

"They said it's a strained ligament, a strained tendon and a strained capsule," Isringhausen said.

The right-hander underwent an MRI exam in Kansas City on Friday. However, the Cardinals are waiting on their own head team physician, Dr. George Paletta, to review the results before they decide whether to make a roster move.

"There's clearly some reason for concern at this point," general manager John Mozeliak said.

Isringhausen felt something when he was trying to stretch between innings on Thursday. He retired Gary Sheffield to end the sixth, and as he was trying to stretch out his hips, he evidently knocked something in his knee out of place. He pitched two more innings, however, and, in fact, turned in some of his best pitching of the year after sustaining the injury.

"I'm not a doctor, but to me, I'm like, if I was able to pitch two innings on it, then it's a pain issue," Isringhausen said. "If they can get rid of the pain, I can pitch. Now, they might say if I go out there and try to pitch on it, it could tear it. I don't know. I'm going to talk to the doctor about it."

Cards drop opener to Royals

2008-06-28T04:22:00.000-07:00

Glaus' two RBIs provide only runs; St. Louis loses third straight
By Matthew Leach
KANSAS CITY -- The Cardinals limped to the halfway point of the season on Friday night, dropping game No. 81 of the 2008 season to the Royals, 7-2, at Kauffman Stadium.

The Redbirds' 45-36 record, still second best in the National League, nonetheless, carries as many questions as answers even at this late date. It's unclear whether they should receive extra credit for making the most of an injury-decimated roster, and thus potentially becoming a force when everyone is healthy. Or, on the flip side, whether they're hanging on by the slimmest margin, taking on water as fast as they can bail.

It's ultimately a question of perception. In March, a 45-36 halfway record would have looked great. But after the Cardinals reached 13 games over .500 twice, plus-nine has a little less luster.

"I look at nine, when we were 13," manager Tony La Russa said. "We've got to reverse this, get a win tomorrow and have a chance to win the series."

Friday night's defeat certainly presented evidence for the cracks-in-the-foundation side of the argument. An offense that has sputtered for much of June was held down once again. A starter who has pitched better than his record turned in his rockiest showing in nearly two months, while taking one for the team. And a bullpen that has been sorely overtaxed simply wasn't called upon until it could no longer be avoided.

And yet ... take away one hit from Kansas City and give one hit to St. Louis, and it's a drastically different game. Alex Gordon's three-run double with two outs in the second inning was a game-changer, giving the Royals a 4-0 lead. Meanwhile Troy Glaus, who laced three hits later in the evening, popped up with runners on second and third to end the first inning.

Gordon, whose double was part of a four-run Kansas City second inning, then added a solo homer in the fifth. That was enough against Joel Pineiro, who was reached for a good bit of hard contact, but avoided serious trouble in most innings. Pineiro earned plaudits for leaving only one out to the Cardinals' stretched-to-the-limit bullpen.

"He got deep in the game, but he made a couple mistakes," La Russa said. "Two of them to the third baseman [equaled] four runs. You compliment him for staying after it and almost completing the game, but those early mistakes gave them a lot of momentum."

Pineiro is winless in eight straight starts, despite pitching well enough to get a "W" on several occasions. He's gone seven or more innings in three consecutive games, but hasn't won since April 29.

"You can't go out there and expect the guys to get 10 runs every time," Pineiro said. "They're out there battling the same way I'm battling on the mound. So you've just got to keep on pitching, and hopefully good things will happen for us."

Glaus stroked a solo homer in the seventh inning, but it was otherwise a quiet night for the Cardinals' offense. Royals starter Gil Meche worked around some early danger to take control of the game in the middle innings. St. Louis has averaged under four runs per game over the past 14 games.

The Cards lost their third straight game to remain 4 1/2 games behind the first-place Cubs in the National League Central, but they still lead the Brewers by a game for the NL Wild Card. St. Louis must win the final two games of its series in Kansas City to avoid having its second losing road trip of the season.

Momentum mounts under Mozeliak

2008-06-27T05:28:00.000-07:00

By Bernie Miklasz
When John Mozeliak took over for the deposed Walt Jocketty last October, he inherited something of a mess: a tired, worn and aging ballclub that needed a transfusion after sputtering to the end of an era in 2007.

Moreover, Mozeliak was replacing a popular general manager who mapped out the plans that landed the Cardinals in the postseason seven times from 1996-2006.

Mozeliak would be working with manager Tony La Russa, a Jocketty loyalist.

And Mozeliak would have to find a way to solder an organizational split that aligned director of player development Jeff Luhnow's sabermetric-based approach against hardened old-school philosophies.

Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt insists that the GM post was offered to no outside candidates. Mozeliak was promoted from inside the organization.

But this wasn't a coveted job, because of the perplexing roster issues and hazardous political minefield that awaited the new GM.

As it turns out, the Cardinals found the right guy, anyway. He was there all along. Mozeliak has done a fine job so far as a rookie GM, deliberately steering the Cardinals to a new direction. And as the season nears the break for the All-Star Game, the Cardinals are outperforming predictions and expectations.

The stale roster was pepped up by the appearance of nine rookies, including Rule V draftee Brian Barton. Unproven veterans who longed for a shot — Ryan Ludwick, Skip Schumaker and Rick Ankiel — were plugged in for their career opportunities. Unhappy, unhealthy and/or disruptive players — including Scott Spiezio, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen and David Eckstein — were moved out or set free.

Veterans such as third baseman Troy Glaus, starting pitcher Kyle Lohse and shortstop Cesar Izturis were presented with fresh starts in baseball's most supportive environment.

The disconsolate Rolen, who despised La Russa, was traded for Glaus in a swap of third basemen. Glaus has played outstanding defensively, is a positive clubhouse influence, and is on a pace to drive in 100 runs. Izturis has upgraded the defense at shortstop. And though Lohse got smacked around by the Tigers on Wednesday night, he entered the game with a 9-2 record and 3.63 ERA. Where would the Cardinals be without him?

Mozeliak signed Lohse at the bargain, one-year rate of $4.25 million in March, after many other GMs passed.

Mozeliak was criticized in some circles for giving starting pitcher Joel Pineiro a two-year $13 million contract extension, but given the limited options (and absurd cost) of available starting pitching, the deal made sense. Mozeliak also signed lefty reliever Ron Villone. While Villone's overall ERA is poor (5.65), lefthanded hitters are batting only .159 against him. And that's the role Villone was recruited for; to suppress LH batters.

If you want to harangue Mozeliak for taking one gamble that blew up — spending $1.5 million on rehabbing pitcher Matt Clement — then go right ahead. But it's inconsequential.

Mozeliak had a plan. To shed old layers, stimulate energy and growth and clear the way for younger, rising talent. The strategy was endorsed by La Russa, who recognized the advantage of having a hungry, eager mix of players who must compete with each other for playing time.

In all, Mozeliak has moved the Cardinals into a surprising position: that of a contender. But to get the team into a postseason, he has some work to do:

— Acquire a lefthanded reliever.

— Search for an effective starting pitcher. And let's be fair here; that's probably unrealistic.

— Put an end to the Mark Mulder farce. Mozeliak didn't sign Mulder to this bad deal; that was Jocketty's doing. Unless Mulder can prove soon that he's capable of pitching respectably at the big-league level, it's foolish to block the path of the organization's younger starters (or Brad Thompson) in a stubborn attempt to squeeze something from the Mulder investment.

— Assume tighter control of the roster. Players who aren't producing shouldn't be on the roster at the expense of others who are more deserving of a chance. Example: If Chris Duncan continues to be lost at the plate, he needs to find his swing in the minors. The majors aren't the place for remedial training. As La Russa always is quick to remind us: these games count in the standings.

And so far, Mozeliak has the winning touch.

Flores goes on DL

2008-06-27T05:26:00.000-07:00

DETROIT — Lefthander Randy Flores has given up six runs and six walks over five innings in his past 10 appearances and hasn't retired a hitter in his last two outings. And to make room for the return of first baseman Albert Pujols, who served as the DH Thursday, Flores was placed on the disabled list with what the club called peroneal tendinitis in his left ankle.

Flores said he had been bothered by the ankle for several days after he had been running and that it had swelled on Wednesday. But he said that had nothing to do with how he has pitched lately.

"The few games I was ineffective, I was pitching a little too careful for the situation. It had nothing to do with my leg," said Flores, who has a 5.12 earned run average. "I just wasn't getting the job done."
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But pitching coach Dave Duncan said, "It's his push-off leg, and he said he was having trouble pushing off the rubber."

Manager Tony La Russa said Flores would have been out five to seven days anyway, but the club decided to put him on the DL even though he'll miss series against Kansas City and the New York Mets, both of which have lefthanded power in their lineup. Ron Villone is the only lefthander on the team's roster.

PUJOLS SERVES AS DH

After the two talked before the game, La Russa and Pujols decided that Pujols, recovered from a left calf strain, should be the designated hitter in his first game back from the disabled list. Pujols had four hits and an intentional walk in five plate appearances in that role.

"It was a decision that he made, and I went with it," said Pujols, whose preference had been to come back as a full-time first baseman. "Either way he went, it was fine."

Pujols said he hoped to play in the field in Kansas City this weekend, but that depended on if his legs felt as good as he said they did after Thursday's game.

"If I have to DH again, then I'll do it," he said. "No need to rush when you have the advantage of being the DH."

BOGGS, NOT MULDER

After watching a bullpen throwing session of lefthander Mark Mulder, who has had back spasms on top of his long recovery from two shoulder surgeries, La Russa has determined that rookie Mitchell Boggs will be the starter Saturday in Kansas City.

"He's not ready yet," La Russa said. "He made some good pitches and some that were up. Boggs will pitch."

MISSED CHANCES

The Cardinals were two for 11 with men in scoring position Thursday with Troy Glaus and Ryan Ludwick, the Nos. 4 and 5 hitters, 0 for six in those spots, with each going 0 for three. Glaus twice failed to get a runner home from third with under two out, and he hit into a double play to quell a ninth-inning rally.

"Opportunities abounded," Glaus said. "I'd rather have the opportunities than not. However, today was one of those days. We couldn't get that hit to drive in the guy in. We just couldn't get it done."

WELLEMEYER'S BOOST

Righthander Todd Wellemeyer, making his first start in 13 days after suffering some renewed elbow inflammation, worked five shutout innings, giving up four hits among 76 pitches.

"It was good to get my elbow back where it needs to be," Wellemeyer said. "My arm was dropping, and everything was flat."

Cards can't get relief in Pujols' return

2008-06-27T05:24:00.000-07:00

Slugger goes 4-for-4 after coming off DL; bullpen slips late
DETROIT -- The operation was an unqualified success. As for the patient, well, he didn't die, but he's not feeling too good.

Two welcome additions gave the Cardinals a huge boost on Thursday afternoon, but they weren't enough to deliver a win in the finale of a three-game Interleague series at Comerica Park. The Cardinals fell to the Tigers, 3-2, when Mike Parisi walked in the winning run in the 10th inning.

Still, Albert Pujols and Todd Wellemeyer thrived in their returns from injury, giving the club reasons for optimism even in the wake of their second road series loss of the year.

"Those are two big positives," said Aaron Miles, who had three hits. "You can't not look at them. Albert looked good; that was great. And of course Welly was lights-out. So that's a big plus."

Still, Parisi's second extra-innings loss in five days underscored a truth about the Cardinals. Even with 12 pitchers currently on the roster, they could use some relief help.

A bullpen that held together well in the early going has frayed at the edges in recent weeks, and it could surely use a boost on the order of what Pujols gave the offense and Wellemeyer gave the starting rotation.

Parisi walked Clete Thomas after the Cardinals chose to go after the rookie rather than struggling superstar Miguel Cabrera. Curtis Granderson led off the inning with a single and took second on a sacrifice bunt.

Carlos Guillen was intentionally walked and Magglio Ordonez flied out, with Granderson taking third base. Cabrera was intentionally walked, loading the bases and bringing up Thomas -- who had drawn an RBI walk off Ron Villone in the sixth.

"You have Cabrera and you have the rookie," manager Tony La Russa said. "And you have to walk in the clubhouse if you get beat. Which one are you going to get beat [by]? And I picked the rookie, even though it's loading the bases."

Pujols, activated from the disabled list prior to the game, rapped four base hits, including a go-ahead RBI single in the top of the ninth. He had been out 15 days due to a strained left calf, and though the slugger appeared to move carefully on the bases, he did not look to be suffering any lingering effects from the injury.

"It's tough when you come off the DL," he said. "You don't see too many live pitches. The worst thing when you come off the DL is to go out there and hack at every pitch you see. I was pretty patient at the plate, just getting a good pitch to hit."

Wellemeyer, who started just once in the previous three weeks, also looked like he'd never been gone. He shut out the potent Tigers for five innings, allowing four hits, striking out three and not issuing a walk. The right-hander had been battling elbow discomfort since a brilliant outing on June 5 in Washington.

He might have pitched longer if he weren't coming back from injury. Wellemeyer needed only 76 pitches to get through five innings, but the Cardinals elected not to push the recuperating righty.

"I felt good," Wellemeyer said. "[My] fastball felt good. I got a hold of my slider in about the fifth inning. I still need to work on the changeup. ... I felt like I was rushing on a few. I'm still working on getting my delivery back to where I want it. But my arm and my elbow felt fine."

Still, their showings weren't quite enough to overcome a gutsy game by Nate Robertson and another bullpen slipup. Robertson allowed 11 hits over 6 1/3 innings, but just one run, as the Cards repeatedly threatened, but rarely converted.

"We had them on the ropes a bunch, but we couldn't push it across like we'd like to," Miles said. "It was a tough game for both sides, after last night, coming in early for the early game. We banged out 14, but we couldn't string them together. Just not enough."

Ron Villone walked Thomas for the first Detroit run in the sixth inning, and Ryan Franklin was charged with a blown save when Gary Sheffield hit a game-tying solo homer in the ninth. Four of St. Louis' past five losses have been charged to relievers.

Rain puts more of a damper on loss

2008-06-27T05:23:00.000-07:00

Following lengthy delay, McClellan allows game-winner
DETROIT -- The Cardinals tied a club record and likely at least threatened another on Wednesday night, but neither was the type you want to commemorate. St. Louis relievers equaled an all-time franchise high with two blown saves on the night, and the Cardinals let a total of four leads get away en route to an 8-7 loss to the Tigers at Comerica Park.

Gary Sheffield's ninth-inning RBI single off Kyle McClellan ended the marathon game, sending the Cardinals to a frustrating defeat on Wednesday night -- or, more accurately, Thursday morning. The game didn't finish until nearly 1 a.m. local time.

Clete Thomas doubled to right field to open the ninth against McClellan, who had surrendered a game-tying single one inning earlier. The next batter, Sheffield, lined a 3-2 pitch into center field to end the game. McClellan fell behind Thomas, 3-0, before working a 3-2 count, and was behind Sheffield, 3-1 before getting to a full count.

"You can't fall behind hitters in that situation," said McClellan. "Then you've got to make pitches after that. You've got to let them put the ball in play. It's tough to pitch from behind. I got back to 3-2 and it was kind of the same thing. It's tough to pitch around leadoff doubles."

Rick Ankiel hit a pair of homers and Skip Schumaker also went deep, but time and again the Cardinals could not make a lead stick. They were up 2-0, 4-2, 6-5 and 7-6, but every time, Detroit came back to tie or lead.

Kyle Lohse was hit hard and often over four innings, as he saw a six-start winning streak come to an end. Lohse allowed five runs on 11 hits, four of them for extra bases. Lohse, long of the Minnesota Twins, has a 5.95 lifetime ERA against the Tigers.

"I was all over the place tonight," Lohse said. "I was leaving a lot of balls out over the middle. They were down a lot of times, but you can't throw it down the middle and miss the corners. I never got anything going. It seemed like I was constantly pitching from behind and with guys on base. It makes for a long night. I almost got out of it a couple times, but bottom line, I just didn't make good enough pitches."

Chris Perez tossed two shutout innings, but the Tigers rallied repeatedly against the remainder of the St. Louis bullpen.

Jason Isringhausen allowed a run on a bases-loaded double play in the seventh, letting a 6-5 lead get away. After Aaron Miles' RBI single delivered a 7-6 advantage in the eighth, Magglio Ordonez singled off McClellan to tie it once again. The run was charged to Randy Flores, who had allowed the leadoff man to reach base.

Though the visitors scored seven runs, they still left plenty on the table. St. Louis went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left the bases loaded in a pivotal top of the seventh.

A game that was plenty lengthy without help from Mother Nature nonetheless got some help. Play was stopped for two hours and 25 minutes in the fifth inning due to heavy rain in downtown Detroit.

"We had a chance to get the runner from third a couple times and didn't do it, no doubt about it," manager Tony La Russa said. "We also made some mistakes. Lohse threw a ball [numbers-high] for a three-run homer. We did good things, and we made mistakes -- exactly the way the Tigers played."

Offense propels Cards past Tigers

2008-06-24T19:45:00.000-07:00

Stavinoha collects first big league RBI; Looper garners ninth win
DETROIT -- The Cardinals put to rest their only bad memory from the 2006 World Series when they beat Kenny Rogers and the Tigers, 8-4, at Comerica Park on Tuesday night.

In a five-game Fall Classic win over Detroit in '06, Rogers' eight-inning scoreless gem was the Redbirds' only blemish. On Tuesday, Rogers held no such hex. His command wasn't sharp, and the Cardinals waited him out for their third win in four games.

Brian Barton doubled, homered and drove in two runs for St. Louis. And when Detroit called on a right-handed relief pitcher, Skip Schumaker pinch-hit for Barton and drove in two more runs with a single to center field. Nick Stavinoha drove in the first run of his big league career with a seventh-inning single, and Brendan Ryan racked up three hits and two RBIs.

It was plenty of offense for Braden Looper, who ran into some trouble but still pitched well enough for his ninth win on the season.

Looper surrendered three home runs after going four straight starts without one. One blast, however, was controversial. Miguel Cabrera's shot in the fourth inning appeared on replay to have hit off the top of the right-field wall, which by rule should not be a homer.

We Would Have Played for Nothing

2008-06-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

Edited by Fay Vincent
(Simon & Schuster, 327 pages, $25)
Ex-Baseball Players Recall Life
In the Big Leagues of the 1950s and '60s
Fay Vincent was the Herb Score of baseball commissioners, a man who brought presence and brilliance to the game only to be struck down by an outside force. In the case of Score, the Indians' sensational lefthander, it was a line drive off the bat of Gil McDougald in 1957 that curtailed his career. In the case of Mr. Vincent, who became the commissioner in 1989, it was a 1992 power play by team owners who wanted to pick a fight with the Players Association and felt that he was too accommodating to the union. Two years later, the owners got their confrontation. A strike forced cancellation of the 1994 postseason and, some would argue, helped usher in the steroid era.
Fortunately, Mr. Vincent has not abandoned the game that abandoned him. With the financial assistance of investment banker Herbert Allen, he has been conducting the Baseball Oral History Project, the fruits of which are two books of remembrances: "The Only Game in Town" (2006), in which stars of the 1930s and '40s told their stories; and now "We Would Have Played for Nothing," a gathering of pull-up-a-chair conversations with 11 players from the 1950s and '60s.

Ralph Branca willingly reopens the wound from serving up the Shot Heard Round the World at the Polo Grounds in 1951. Bill Rigney, who died in 2001, regrets not shaking Jackie Robinson's hand to welcome him to the major leagues. ("Why I didn't do that, I don't know, because he was standing right there.") Robin Roberts traces his pitching career, most of it spent with the Philadelphia Phillies, from dreams to dominance to desperation. Duke Snider talks about what it was like, as a Brooklyn Dodger, to be the third member of New York's centerfield triumvirate, along with the Giants' Willie Mays and the Yankees' Mickey Mantle.
The simple eloquence of Carl Erskine is on full display -- whether he is chatting about staying at the Brooklyn YMCA as a rookie pitcher with the Dodgers or describing what it was like to raise a son born in 1960 with Down syndrome, a year after his retirement. Erskine credits Jackie Robinson's breaking of the color barrier with helping to make society generally more accepting of people who are different, including "mongoloid" children who might have been ostracized in earlier generations: "There's a momentum in life and in sports. And I think Jackie kicked off a momentum of change that had a sweeping effect."

There are no lurid or scandalous revelations in "We Would Have Played for Nothing," although Whitey Ford does reveal that he and Mantle won a big bet with Giants owner Horace Stoneham when Ford struck out Willie Mays in the 1961 All-Star Game. Lew Burdette credits Burleigh Grimes, the last legal spitball pitcher, with teaching him the value of making the other team think you're throwing a spitball. Harmon Killebrew recounts how an actual senator, Herman Welker of Idaho, talked the Washington Senators into signing him. Brooks Robinson speaks glowingly of his friendship with Frank Robinson, and Frank Robinson circles the bases again in describing the inside-the-park homer that he hit in 1975 in his first at bat as the Cleveland Indians' player-manager -- and baseball's first black manager. And Billy Williams relives the day in 1959 that the Cubs sent scout Buck O'Neil down to Mobile, Ala., to talk him out of quitting baseball.
Jackie Robinson, Casey Stengel, Ted Williams, Yogi Berra, Mays, Mantle -- they're in the book, too, as recurring characters. Whitey Ford recalls that, unbeknownst to him, Mantle called the pitches in one particular game, signaling them to Berra from centerfield. Turns out that Mantle had been kidding Berra about how easy it was to call a game and Berra dared him to do it himself. So Mantle did just that for seven innings. And Ford pitched a shutout.

Certain themes also run through the personal narratives: racial integration, westward expansion, the growing resentment at the take-it-or-leave-it salaries that players were offered before free agency. All the players recall, with surprising detail, the first professional contracts they signed. Roberts goes back to a three-day tryout he had with the Phillies in Chicago, when the offer kept escalating: "Well, when the signing bonus got to $25,000, I said, 'Is that enough to build a house?' And the guy said, 'Yeah, that'll build it.' I said, 'That's enough.' " Despite earning what now seem laughable sums for putting on the uniform, the former players each express a deep sense of gratitude to the game and to the people who helped them along the way. Erskine relates how a thoughtful minor-league manager named Jack Onslow on an opposing team told him that he was tipping off his pitches. To his sorrow, Erskine says, "I never thanked Jack Onslow."

With Mr. Vincent's assistance, he now does. But that's just one of the services that the former commissioner provides. He is donating his proceeds from the books' sales to the Hall of Fame, which will also get the tapes of the interviews. In his introduction to "We Would Have Played for Nothing," Mr. Vincent pays tribute to "The Glory of Their Times," Lawrence Ritter's 1966 collection of reminiscences from baseball players in the early 20th century. Mr. Vincent's own volumes are worthy sequels, time machines that allow the players -- and us -- to relive their days on the diamonds.

Don't assume that their era was any simpler than ours; these men had to deal with war, politics, racism, alcohol abuse. Perhaps in future years, someone will produce a similar volume on the stars at the turn of the 21st century who had to wrestle with the dilemma presented by performance-enhancing drugs, a struggle that might have been eased by a commissioner willing to work with the union. Oh, well.

As gentle and as loving as this volume is, Mr. Vincent does use his dedication to jab at the people who have closed the doors of the Hall of Fame to a certain union leader: "To the estimable Marvin Miller -- whose contributions to baseball continue to be ignored by those blinded by their own ignorance."

Cards show moxie in 13-inning loss

2008-06-23T18:18:00.000-07:00

La Russa impressed by team's refusal to give in to Red Sox
BOSTON -- The Cardinals showed as much in defeat on Sunday as they did in rousing wins on Friday and Saturday. And their manager wanted to make sure they knew that.

So when St. Louis players trudged into the visiting clubhouse at Fenway Park, still smarting from a 5-3 defeat in 13 innings against the reigning World Series champions, Tony La Russa led all of the club's support staff in a round of applause.

"All of us that complement this team -- the trainers, equipment guys, the coaches, myself, traveling secretary -- we tipped our caps and clapped for these guys," La Russa said. "You can't watch that kind of effort for three days and have that kind of game at the end without giving them some kind of special recognition.

"We made a point to say what a privilege it was to be in the same uniform and watch that competition, and we gave them a round of applause and tipped our caps. That was really a great effort."

It was that kind of showing, in victory and defeat, for three days for the Cardinals at Fenway. A team that had grave regrets after the 2004 World Series -- not so much about the outcome, but about not showing what they were capable of -- harbored no such disappointment after a return trip to the historic stadium.

"We got beat," said starting pitcher Joel Pineiro, "but it was a great series and a great game. Today's not one of those games where you're walking with your head down and kicking stuff."

Had the game ended four innings earlier, it might have been viewed in a much different light. The Cardinals let a 2-0 lead in the seventh inning slip away, and they entered the ninth with a one-run deficit. But a down-to-the-last-strike rally against Jonathan Papelbon forced extra innings and ultimately helped cast the game with a memorable glow.

"Just a hellacious game," La Russa said. "That's one of those things that makes you enjoy this level of competition. Both clubs had chances. Lot of heroics to get something going, a lot of heroics to stop them. What a great competition."

The Cardinals took a two-run lead into the seventh, but the game turned against them over the final frames. Pineiro, who had been impeccable for 6 2/3 innings, missed badly with a fastball to Kevin Youkilis in the seventh, and Youkilis tattooed it for a solo homer.

In the eighth, Pineiro was betrayed by his defense when Rick Ankiel overran a Coco Crisp fly ball to center. Ankiel wasn't able to correct himself in time, and Crisp had an easy triple, chasing Pineiro.

"I just got to where I thought it was going to be, and when I got there, it wasn't," Ankiel said. "I just misplayed it, I guess. I think it cut, because I was right there. I was calling it, and all of a sudden, it was behind me."

Julio Lugo's sacrifice fly against Chris Perez tied the game. Perez walked the bases loaded, then Mike Lowell for the go-ahead run. Perez retired Jacoby Ellsbury for the second out, and Dustin Pedroia poked a single to right field.

Requiring only one out to escape with a tie intact, Perez couldn't deliver. He walked J.D. Drew to put the winning run in scoring position, loaded the bases with an unintentional-intentional walk to Manny Ramirez and walked Lowell for the deciding run.

"I just didn't make the pitches," Perez said. "I fell behind, tried to come in and missed inside. And the last one wasn't close either -- four bad pitches. Our game plan was to attack him with the fastball away, because he tries to pull everything, and my stuff matched up good for that situation. It just didn't work out that way."

Yet the Redbirds showed life in the ninth, mounting a mini-rally to force extras. After Papelbon struck out the first two batters of the inning, Chris Duncan walked and Adam Kennedy lined a game-tying double.

As regulation time turned to extra innings, the game continued to get more memorable. The Red Sox knocked leadoff doubles in the 10th, 11th and 12th, but never got the run home. The Cardinals, meanwhile, put a runner into scoring position with fewer than two outs in the 10th, 11th and 13th, but likewise never delivered.

Their best shot came in the 13th, when Duncan doubled and Kennedy singled to right field. Third-base coach Jose Oquendo sent Duncan home, but Drew made a tremendous throw and Jason Varitek held onto the ball as Duncan barreled into him. Skip Schumaker flied out to end the inning, and two batters later, the game was over. Mike Parisi allowed a leadoff single to Lowell, and Youkilis followed by crushing a pitch from Parisi over the Green Monster.

Game over. But point made, just the same. Facing a playoff-caliber opponent, the Cardinals played playoff baseball.

"You look back and it's an 'L,' but the tenacity that each one of our pitchers showed in going after those guys and getting the big outs when we needed them, and to come back in the ninth on Papelbon, it shows the heart and the reason this team is as good as it is," said Aaron Miles, who had five hits. "A lot of tough guys in here."

Cards power up, poised for sweep

2008-06-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

Backed by Glaus' slam, Boggs' solid outing bests Red Sox
BOSTON -- It's not one of them. It's all of them.

After a stagnant week, the Cardinals' offense continued to find its way on Saturday, thanks to another multi-pronged attack. Three different Cardinals hit home runs, making it six Redbirds with a long ball in two games, as St. Louis steamrolled the World Series champion Red Sox, 9-3, at Fenway Park.

For more than a week, the Cardinals had scuffled in the absence of Albert Pujols, who is sidelined with a left calf strain. Batters appeared to get away from the patient approaches that served them so well for the season's first two months, and it seemed that nearly everyone in the lineup tried to be a hero.

Through two games at Fenway, that has all changed. The Cards have tallied 14 runs against a quality pitching staff. They've rapped 22 base hits, including those six long balls by six different players. They even drew five walks on Saturday, their most since June 11 -- the day after Pujols went on the DL.

"You take the best hitter out of any lineup, it's going to leave a big mark," said Troy Glaus, whose grand slam was the biggest hit of the game. "I don't care what team it is. But the last two days were examples. The home runs are great, but we moved runners, we got hits when we needed to get hits, we drew walks, we did things we needed to do to be successful."

Cardinals batters recognized quickly on Saturday that they were facing a diminished pitcher, and they adjusted. Daisuke Matsuzaka, making his first start since a disabled-list stint due to shoulder troubles, had a terrible time throwing strikes. Matsuzaka needed 35 pitches to endure a four-run first, and it got even worse from there.

He didn't even retire a batter in the second, leaving with the bases loaded and nobody out. Rookie Chris Smith set down the first batter he faced, but surrendered Glaus' slam, which doubled the Cards' advantage to 8-0 and turned the game into a laugher.

"We caught a break," manager Tony La Russa said. "[Matsuzaka] was coming off the disabled list, and you could tell he was rusty. He'd fall behind and had to throw the ball down the middle. Sometimes you pop it up. We didn't today."

Aaron Miles' first home run of the year, a two-run shot, highlighted a four-run first. Rick Ankiel also hit a homer, a solo blast in the seventh. The Cardinals' run total was their highest since that same June 11 game, and they scored more than three runs on consecutive days for the first time without Pujols.

"I guess you could say we were in a little bit of a lull there that last series we had at home, but I think it's normal for teams to do that," Miles said. "Any team -- the Yankees, the Red Sox, the Cardinals -- anybody can have lulls like that. I think we've been a pretty good offensive team that's been able to get on base regularly, and we took a bunch of good at-bats today."

Handed the lead, rookie Mitchell Boggs made it stand. Boggs allowed plenty of hard contact, but minimized the damage and survived for his second win in three big league starts. Boggs permitted three runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings, striking out one and walking two.

It made for a perfect day for Boggs, who also celebrated a big College World Series win for his alma mater, the University of Georgia. The 'Dawgs have secured a place in the CWS championship series.

"I was excited about this opportunity," said Boggs, who improved to 2-0. "This is one of the great places in sports. I wanted to control my emotions. I didn't want to get too hyped up for it, because it's still my job to go out there and get guys out, but it was a special day for me."

In a matchup of the National League's best road team and the American League's best home team, the road warriors won out again. St. Louis improved to 21-15 away from Busch Stadium, while Boston dropped to 28-9 at Fenway. By taking the first two games of the three-game series, the Cardinals sent the Red Sox to their first series loss at home since April 22-24 and their second all year. St. Louis remained 3 1/2 games behind the Cubs in the National League Central.

Late blasts give Lohse sixth straight win

2008-06-21T13:58:00.000-07:00

Schumaker, Molina back Cardinals right-hander's quality start

BOSTON -- Three guys who are not supposed to deliver home runs did for the Cardinals on Friday night. More importantly, three players who are supposed to for the Red Sox, did not.

Skip Schumaker, Jason LaRue and Yadier Molina all went deep for the visiting Redbirds as they snapped a three-game losing streak and beat the Red Sox, 5-4, at Fenway Park in the opener of an Interleague series between the past two World Series champions. Entering the game, Schumaker, LaRue and Molina had combined for eight dingers on the year.

Meanwhile, three different Cardinals pitchers escaped scary situations with the menacing heart of the Red Sox order at the plate. Kyle Lohse, Russ Springer and Ryan Franklin all walked a highwire, and all three made it to the other side. Lohse won his sixth straight start, while Franklin picked up the first two-inning save of his career.

"We had a lot of heroes," manager Tony La Russa said.

The list started with Lohse, who made it seven consecutive solid starts. After breezing through a 1-2-3 first, he found himself in trouble in the second thanks to a walk and a Cesar Izturis error. Loshe struck out Kevin Youkilis, gave up a one-out bloop single and a sacrifice fly, and got out of the inning when Kevin Cash hit into a force play.

But that was just a warmup for Lohse's true Houdini act. In the fifth, two balls fell in for singles that at least arguably could have been turned into outs by the St. Louis defense. With the bases loaded and one out, Manny Ramirez strode to the plate -- and Lohse struck him out, looking. Mike Lowell followed by grounding into a force, and Lohse had preserved a 1-1 tie.

"That's where I really had to bear down and not think about the situation I was in," Lohse said. "Just think about what pitch I needed to make. It's clichéd, but I really had to take it one pitch at a time and not get ahead of myself. Because if you don't have complete concentration one on of those pitches, it's a home run easily."

After the Cardinals took a 2-1 lead in the sixth, Lohse surrendered a Julio Lugo homer, but six innings with one earned run is a spectacular effort against the Red Sox at Fenway.

"Loshie pitched, for me, probably the best game of the year," Schumaker said. "That lineup is one of the best in all the big leagues. He was so impressive and dominant. I'm not surprised anymore, because I've seen him do it again and again, time after time."

It was in the next half-inning when Schumaker gave the Cardinals another lead, one they would not give up. He cranked a two-run homer off Tim Wakefield, who had gotten three easy outs against Schumaker earlier in the evening.

"I was trying to throw strike one and work from there," said Wakefield, "and the ball didn't do anything."

Even then, nothing was safe for the Cardinals. Randy Flores loaded the bases on a single and two walks to open the seventh, once again presenting Ramirez with a perfect RBI chance. This time, Springer retired the future Hall of Famer, inducing a double-play grounder, before striking out Lowell. The Red Sox got a single run, but the lead was intact.

"To me, that was the key to the game," Lohse said.

Molina's homer in his first start after missing three games due to a concussion made it 5-3, and Franklin put away the Red Sox in the bottom of the eighth. He got into trouble in the ninth, though, and once again the Cardinals had to face those sluggers. A Dustin Pedroia double brought the tying run to the plate, and an unintentional-intentional walk to Ramirez made Lowell the potential go-ahead run. This time Lowell singled home a run, but Franklin retired Youkilis to end the game.

"We're making pitches when we have to," Franklin said. "Those are outstanding hitters up there, and they've proved it for a long time."

Cardinals drop three in a row to Royals

2008-06-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

Only three Redbirds reach base off Kansas City pitchers

ST. LOUIS -- The few blotches of Royals fans brought the brooms to Busch Stadium on Thursday and had good reason to celebrate.

All the while, the 44,000-plus Cardinals fans had to sit and watch their team get swept for the first time ever by the Royals, losing, 4-1, in the series finale. It was the sixth time in the last seven games that the Cardinals have scored three runs or fewer.

"They did a good job," said right fielder Ryan Ludwick. "Just shut us down."

The flight to Boston on Thursday night cannot be too pleasant as the Cardinals experienced one of their worst three-game stretches this year. For the first time this season, a team swept St. Louis and no club had accomplished that feat at Busch Stadium since April 1-4, 2007.

Only three runners reached base for the Cardinals all game while Zack Greinke threw seven innings and struck out seven batters for the Royals. Greinke relinquished a walk to Cards starter Brad Thompson, a solo home run to Rick Ankiel and a single to Aaron Miles.

Greinke's two hits allowed on Thursday were the fewest the Cardinals have recorded in a game this year.

"He's spotting that fastball down and away all day long," Ludwick said. "Then he'll come in and keep you honest and he's got that hard slider, too. He did a good job today, but then again, that's no excuse."

And that was it for the Cardinals at home in June. They now have nine Interleague games in a row, traveling to Boston, Detroit and finishing in Kansas City.

"How much tougher can it get?" said manager Tony La Russa, brushing off the tough schedule ahead. "[Four] runs in three days is tough."

But the hitting woes have gone on longer than the past three games, longer than Albert Pujols' departure to the disabled list. Since May 21, the Cardinals are batting .251 and are 15-10 over their last 25 games.

When Pujols hit the DL, that only worsened the issue. St. Louis has scored fewer than four runs a game in its past seven games, a number inflated by a 10-0 victory the day after Pujols' injury.

Good teams go through their rough stretches, but with their upcoming schedule, the Cardinals had better figure out something quick on the offensive end. Their next six games come against teams that can score a flurry of runs in no time.

"You're going to have stretches when the offense isn't clicking, but you still have to find ways to win," Ludwick said. "Unfortunately, we didn't do that this series."

The pitching has been there for the Cardinals. Following two superb performances from Joel Pineiro and Braden Looper, Thompson returned to pitch his first game in the Majors since April 22.

Thompson fared well through his five innings of work, giving up only two runs and scattering five hits. In the fourth, facing the heart of the order, Thompson gave up three straight hits to put the Royals up, 2-0.

"We had a couple ground balls that just found their holes and they did some damage that inning," said Thompson, who was told he would be optioned to Triple-A Memphis following the loss. The Cardinals have not announced who they will call up for him.

Jason Isringhausen made his second appearance since rejoining the club. He pitched 2 1/3 innings in relief of Thompson -- the longest Isringhausen has thrown in a game for the Cardinals.

Since recalled, Isringhausen has looked like the Izzy of old, giving up only one hit in 3 1/3 innings.

"All it is, is just getting comfortable again," Isringhausen said. "Seems like the more I throw, the more comfortable I get."

But as well as the pitching has been this year, too many times great outings have been spoiled by a lack of offense -- several of those coming in the last few games. So far, however, the slump is not a cause for concern.

"Yeah, we had a couple of bad days, but it's three games," Ludwick said, citing the Cardinals' two wins over the first-place Phillies earlier in the week. "It's not fun losing, by any means."

Another Series Opener, Another Loss

2008-06-18T17:44:00.000-07:00

Cards lost to the Royals 2-1 last night. No big deal. They'll just win the next two. They've only done that eight times this year. Why not nine?

With Davies being so unfamiliar to the Cards (and with no Pujols or Molina) it's not terribly surprising the offense struggled. Great pitching performance, though, by Hero Joel Pineiro. Too bad the Goat Ron Villone lost it for him. Granted, the Cards should have put up more runs, but giving up a HR in a situation like that is unacceptable.

VEB runs down the problems with the left side of the bullpen today. There's no doubt that something that was such a strength for the Cards just a couple of years ago is now there most glaring weakness. I mean, does anyone want to see Villone or Randy Flores in a game anytime soon, especially a close one? I don't think so. Not sure what the team will do about it, but with an offense that's likely to sputter, the Cards can't afford to give away games with a weak bullpen.

Good to see Jason Isringhausen back, though. The sooner he is healthy and ready to go mentally and can take the closer slot away from Ryan Franklin, the better in my book.

Todd Wellemeyer is going to miss his next start, meaning Anthony Reyes will take the mound. First, does anyone not think Wellemeyer is going to wind up on the DL? A missed start, a terrible outing, and then another missed start. Second, I'm excited to see what Reyes can do. I'd like to see him make the decisions coming up tough. Third, it is very interesting that Mulder is pitching on the same day at AAA Memphis. If Reyes flops, Wellemeyer is still hurt and Mulder dominates, I'd expect Mulder to be pitching in Detroit when that rotation spot next comes up.

Chris Carpenter's pain problem isn't really a problem, which is great news. They may take it a little easier on him for a while, but it's one of the few times where this situation comes out positive instead of more surgery being required. I personally feel much better about it when Dr. Andrews says it's fine. Not that we don't trust the Cardinal staff, it's that we don't trust the Cardinal staff.

Mulder on Thursday and Clement on Friday. Memphis is the place to be at the end of this week! Plus Carpenter, rematches of the last two Cardinal World Series and another skirmish with the Royals. I'm sure Mike will have plenty to talk about when he fills in. (Though you are stuck with me for another day!)

Praise Be To Whatever God You Pray To

2008-06-18T17:41:00.000-07:00

here is joy in Cardinal Nation. Chris Carpenter is ok. Well, pretty much ok. After a surprisingly smooth and speedy road to recovery (as far as Tommy John surgery is concerned), Carpenter hit a speed bump. But at least it wasn’t a brick wall. There was speculation that a second surgery would be required after the former Cy Young winner complained of soreness in his newly reconstructed elbow. After a few different medical opinions and a few mild heart attacks by passionate Cardinal fans, it turns out that one surgery was enough and the soreness is merely a minor setback. Carp will be backed up a couple of days and his pitch counts will likely be reduced, but after a few simulated starts he should be right back to where he was before this new scare came into play.

His projected return to the rotation, barring any other setbacks of course, should be somewhere between late July and early August. And Chris Carpenter isn’t one to mess around with his health. You can bet your sweet caboose that he won’t come back unless he is fully healthy, or at least at a point where he can be effective and help the team win. Basically the opposite of what we’ve seen so far from Mark Mulder since his inexplicably frail arm crapped out in 2006.

So, with Carpenter’s return and assuming Wainwright and Wellemeyer recover on schedule, the Cardinals rotation for the final 2 months of the season will look something like this:

1. Chris Carpenter

2. Adam Wainwright

3. Todd Wellemeyer

4. Kyle Lohse

5. Braden Looper/Joel Pineiro

Not too shabby eh? The above rotation represents quite a formidable jump from a patchwork of rookies and reclamation projects that have gotten by on guts and spot starts, to one of the most imposing groups in the National League, if not all of baseball. There can’t be a manager in the game that would look forward to facing a healthy Carpenter, Wainwright and Wellemeyer in a 5-game series.

La Russa’s card tricks keep St. Louis afloat

2008-06-16T04:03:00.000-07:00

By Jeff Passan, Yahoo! Sports Jun 14, 10:48 pm EDT

ST. LOUIS – It was the middle finger, of course, as though the baseball gods were pulling some kind of a joke at the expense of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Here you go, boys. Let’s see you handle this one.

Oh, that was only the beginning, the pop on starter Adam Wainwright’s right bird that sent him to the disabled list. Next to come up lame was Albert Pujols, only the National League’s best hitter, with a strained left calf that put him on the DL for at least three weeks. Then pitcher Todd Wellemeyer getting battered around after missing a start with elbow pain, the two perhaps intertwined. Followed by former Cy Young Award winner Chris Carpenter complaining of pain in his own elbow on the way back from Tommy John surgery.

And still, here they are, the Cardinals, the little team that could, sporting the NL’s second-best record halfway through June with a makeshift lineup and thrown-together rotation. No longer can it be passed off as an illusion. The Cardinals – when healthy – are legitimately a good team, enjoyable to watch, easy to root for, the antithesis of what pundits, yours truly included, figured they’d be.
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Then again, that caveat – when healthy – is imperative, because their NL Central rivals, the Chicago Cubs, are playing like the best team in baseball. The Cardinals, at 41-29 after a 3-2 victory Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies, face their toughest days ahead without Pujols, their rock, Wainwright, their ace, and perhaps Wellemeyer, their panned gold.

“Lately it’s gotten a little unfair,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. “You lose Albert, you lose Wainwright, (Joel) Piñeiro was missing. All that stuff gets to be a little unfair.

“If it gets excessive, it kind of pisses you off.”

La Russa is a lot of things. A whiner isn’t one of them. He has taken a team of two stars, a few veterans and a cache of retreads and fringe prospects and turned them into a team intent on winning. His ability to so marry the group to one cause ranks among his best managing jobs yet in a career now in its 30th season.

“There’s a lot of fight in us,” said outfielder Ryan Ludwick, one of the retreads who might have played himself onto the All-Star team with a virtuoso performance as a 29-year-old. “I don’t see a whole lot of guys worried about what’s going on.”

Ludwick glanced around the clubhouse.

“Like, Skip Schumaker,” Ludwick said, referring to the 28-year-old playing his first full major-league season. “Watching him, I knew he was a good player, and it was a matter of time for him to play every day. He’s a .300 hitter. You’ve got Rick Ankiel. Guy’s a good player. He’s only going to get better. And I got hurt at 23 and fell through the cracks, but I always felt like I could play.”

On Ludwick went, covering half of the Cardinals roster – literally, he trotted out a dozen names – before stopping himself. Let the record speak for the team instead of the team for the record.

“We just have to stay afloat,” Ludwick said. “You lose Albert and Waino, and, yeah, you get really upset, but I don’t think our season’s over. If you look at it that way, you’re done.”

Admit defeat? Now that isn’t La Russa’s style. For more than two months, the NL Central and others around baseball have been waiting for the other spike to drop, and it hasn’t. The Cardinals have played three-card monte with their rotation, somehow cobbling it together out of eight starters, three of whom have been on the disabled list, with Wellemeyer perhaps making a fourth.

Two more are scheduled to be activated, though Cardinals brass realize that counting on a healthy Mark Mulder and Matt Clement is like believing the cable guy’s going to show up when he says so. Yes, it would be nice to slot either in the rotation and replace rookie Mitchell Boggs, who replaced Mike Parisi, who looked like an ant versus a shoe.

La Russa knows better than to count on anyone, Pujols – his iron man with a like threshold for pain – included.

“Every day you look at who’s available,” La Russa said. “You compete with what you have. It’s counterproductive to say, ‘Boy, we don’t have, we don’t have.’ We’ve got plenty here to compete and have a chance to win. It’s who’s playing, not who’s missing. That’s how you survive.”

The Cardinals would make Gloria Gaynor proud. It’s not just the Ludwicks and Wellemeyers, the ones in whom new general manager John Mozeliak had such faith. It’s the Cardinals’ remarkable ability to cover the field, Ankiel and Pujols and Cesar Izturis and, yes, even Troy Glaus making a nifty number of plays out of their zone. And it’s pitching coach Dave Duncan, Leo Mazzone without the self-promotion, molding a suspect staff into a strength.

One of the starters, Kyle Lohse, pitched eight great innings Saturday. He missed most of spring training angling for a big-money contract and settled for one year at $4.25 million. Now, having bought into Duncan and the Cardinals, he’s primed for that extension.

“We’ve shown the whole time we can scrap out wins like we did today,” Lohse said.

And that’s the right word: scrap. The Cardinals are not the most talented team and they’re not the prettiest and they’re not the most athletic or fastest or smartest or even best. They’ve just won, and they’d like to keep doing so, injuries be damned.

“We’re trying to stay alive,” La Russa said.

Later on, La Russa stared at the wooden podium in front of him, curled up his fist and rapped it twice. He turned it toward his face and gave an additional pair of knocks. He knows that the Cardinals’ success isn’t due to luck. But he doesn’t want to take any chances.

Rotation situation

2008-06-16T03:12:00.001-07:00

Rotation situation

The Cardinals have tentatively listed Todd Wellemeyer as Thursday’s starting pitcher against the Kansas City Royals but will wait until Wellemeyer completes a Tuesday bullpen to make it stick.

Wellemeyer cited elbow stiffness after Friday’s abbreviated outing within a 20-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, prompting a Sunday conversation with general manager John Mozeliak and team trainers. The club is reluctant to start Wellemeyer if any question lingers about the elbow. Friday’s start came on seven days’ rest following elbow tightness in Washington.

One option the club apparently will not consider should Wellemeyer need more time is Mark Mulder.

"He needs to pitch enough to where he really feels good about coming to the big leagues," manager Tony La Russa said after Sunday’s 10-inning win. "There is no way to know that yet."

Asked for a potential timetable, La Russa said, "I think he’ll pitch one more, for sure, then maybe another one and another one. I don’t know. We need him to come up and be Mark Mulder."

Mulder reported no negative side effects Sunday from Saturday’s five shutout innings in a rehab start at Double-A Springfield. Special assignment scout Alan Benes filed a positive report citing Mulder’s improved command and consistent velocity from a lower arm slot. However, the outing was Mulder’s first since a previous rehab was shut down last month.

Matt Clement started the second game of Springfield’s Saturday doubleheader but apparently is considered an emergency option only. Clement’s velocity remains a concern almost two years after he required shoulder reconstruction.

After working Sunday’s 10th inning, Anthony Reyes could be available Thursday, or La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan could also install Kyle Lohse on regular rest.

Given today’s off day, Lohse is now scheduled to start Friday’s opener at Fenway Park against the defending world champion Boston Red Sox.

Brad Thompson, disabled since April 23 with a right elbow condition, earned Saturday’s win for Triple-A Memphis by throwing five innings at Round Rock. Thompson allowed four runs, including a solo home run.

Joel Pineiro is scheduled to start Tuesday’s series opener followed by Braden Looper on Wednesday.

Lohse Significance

Kyle Lohse (8-2) was among the last free agents pitchers to sign last winter. He is also one of the most effective.

Lohse’s eight-inning appearance Saturday afternoon made him one of only two pitchers to win at least eight games this year after switching teams last offseason. The Cincinnati Reds’ Edinson Volquez (9-2) has emerged as the league’s second-leading winner after coming over in a trade from the Texas Rangers. The deal sent MVP candidate Josh Hamilton to the Rangers.

Lohse has earned six wins this season in which he lasted six innings or less. Only the New York Yankees’ Mike Mussina (7) and Cardinals teammate Braden Looper (6) have as many, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

Lohse leads the major leagues in win percentage (.857) since last July 25. Saturday marked Lohse’s fifth consecutive win, making him the first pitcher since Camilo Pascual in 1959 to win five straight starts after enduring a losing record each of the four previous years.

Roster Move Cometh

The Cardinals are likely to promote a catcher from Memphis to back up Jason La Rue while Yadier Molina recovers from what the club reported Sunday as a mild concussion.

Molina is not likely to be disabled; however, the Cardinals are likely to revert to 12 pitchers for at least several days to give themselves insurance. Prospect Bryan Anderson and veteran Mark Johnson are catching at Memphis. Neither is on the 40-man roster but Johnson may rate the edge due to four-plus years’ major-league service. Johnson, 32, was with the Chicago White Sox for full seasons in 1999, 2000 and 2002. He last appeared in the major leagues for seven games with the 2004 Milwaukee Brewers.

Carpenter to be Examined

Birmingham, Ala., orthopedist Dr. James Andrews will examine Chris Carpenter today and offer a second opinion regarding persistent near the former Cy Young Award winner’s right forearm. A nerve problem is suspected but Andrews’ opinion is being sought regarding whether corrective surgery is needed.

The club shut down Carpenter after a bullpen throw last Wednesday. Carpenter reported particular problems when he attempted to throw breaking pitches. He is rehabilitating from shoulder surgery last July 25.

Miles Deals Again

Infielder Aaron Miles is understandably proud about Friday’s shutout ninth inning against the Phillies.

Miles has made three relief appearances the last two seasons, allowing three this without a walk or a strikeout in three innings. (He has hit a batter.) Miles took damage last season when Houston Astros catcher J.R. Towles reached him for a home run at Busch Stadium but sports a 6.00 ERA.

Miles warmed up Friday in the indoor batting cage by throwing to third baseman Troy Glaus. He never attempted a breaking pitch but admitted to throwing a change-up

"I took everybody’s advice and didn’t try to throw as hard as I could," Miles said. "If it has some movement I’ve got a chance."

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Molina's toughness defines '08 Redbirds

2008-06-16T03:05:00.000-07:00

By Bernie Miklasz
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
06/16/2008
Bernie Miklasz
Sports Columnist Bernie Miklasz
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Yadier Molina was face down in the dirt, not moving or stirring, as the silent thoughts and prayers came down from every corner of Busch Stadium to cover him.

The Cardinals' catcher, the hardest steel of their inner core, was collapsed in a heap.

And at this accident scene, no one knew what to do, what to think.

The catching gear couldn't provide the armor to protect Molina from the blind-side hit at home plate, with Philadelphia's Eric Bruntlett crashing into Molina's back in the top of the ninth inning and the score tied 6-6.

Bruntlett had nowhere to go. There was no other path leading to the go-ahead run and a series win for the Phillies. But you knew that Molina wasn't about to concede an inch of territory. You knew he would not flinch as he reached for and handled first baseman Chris Duncan's low throw to the far side of the plate. Molina had to sense what was coming, even if he couldn't see it. He had no time to turn and brace for the impact. So Molina held his ground and put his body in harm's way. He knew he'd get clobbered.

As manager Tony La Russa said, Molina's a tough man.

Bruntlett did what he had to do, except bring the tank required to dislodge the baseball from Molina's vise. And when these cross purposes met at the intersection of Blood and Guts on Sunday afternoon, Molina still had an unbreakable grip on the baseball and the 6-6 tie.

Before Molina put his head down, before his brain began spinning in the throes of a mild concussion, he raised his hand to show the ball to umpire Tim McClellan.

And over the next few minutes, the fans didn't breathe much as they watched Molina get fastened to a stretcher and carted off the field.

"How he held onto the ball, I don't know," said pitcher Ryan Franklin, who watched from the mound. "But I do know there's no way he was going to let go of it."
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Molina wasn't around to see the Cardinals win it for him in the bottom of the 10th, taking advantage of a Philly error, a Troy Glaus single and another error to prevail 7-6. The home team had blown a 5-1 lead. And their beloved catcher had been relieved of his senses — if not the baseball.

And still, they won.

They won to improve to 42-29. They won to make their record 15-3-5 in series played. They overcame Friday's 20-2 loss to the Phillies to win the series. And when Molina wouldn't budge, that was the play of the summer, the play that told you all you needed to know about what drives the 2008 Cardinals.

Maybe, just maybe, down deep the Phillies knew it was time to go home instead of trying to outlast La Russa's stubborn maniacs. You had the feeling that it would have taken a few more ambulance rides to the hospital to get the Cardinals to back down.

"We've taken some hits, but we can't curl up and die," reliever Kyle McClellan said. "We've got to fight and that's what we're going to do."

Even after Molina's last stand, the Cardinals had work to do. Franklin had two outs and the bases loaded and squared to face the excellent Chase Utley. Franklin thought of Molina.

"I mean, just seeing that happen right there, that gets my adrenaline going even more," he said. "... That kind of builds more fire inside of me and I want to get him out."

Utley was retired on a routine fly ball.

Then prodigal son Anthony Reyes returned from the minors to retire Ryan Howard, Pat Burrell and Geoff Jenkins on 10 pitches in the top of the 10th. And then the Cardinals watched the Phillies defense break down, plating the winning run.

La Russa was almost folksy afterwards He said he wanted to go "pat the boys on the back" for winning the game, the series.

The game ball goes to Molina. Just don't try to take it from him.

Cards win after Molina takes blow at plate

2008-06-16T03:01:00.000-07:00

They walked home two runs to blow the remnants of a four-run lead.

They endured yet another run of more than five innings on a well-worn bullpen and were only four for 26 at the plate after the third inning.

Along with a silenced Busch Stadium crowd of 45,391, they witnessed catcher Yadier Molina get steamrolled on a ninth-inning tag play that quashed a potential game-losing rally.

Once more for the Cardinals on Sunday, reason had less to do with an outcome than persistence and an unwillingness to bend. Moments after watching Molina carted from the field, they built a game-winning rally upon a pair of two-out errors sandwiched around a single to take a 7-6 decision over the Philadelphia Phillies.
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Rick Ankiel scored the winning run when reliever Tom Gordon, covering first base, whiffed

on second baseman Chase Utley's throw. Two batters earlier Ankiel had reached on a nearly identical play, this one a throwing error charged to Utley.

"Somebody might look at these games we're winning and wonder how. But we're doing small things that add up to a lot. Hopefully, we can continue to do it," said infielder Aaron Miles.

The Cardinals improved to 8-0-1 in nine series since May 15. They took down the big-swinging Phillies while being outscored 28-12.

On Sunday they used a barrage of extra-base hits to take a 5-1, third-inning lead against Phillies righthander Brett Myers before the visitors rallied against scatter-armed relief.

Said manager Tony LaRussa: "If you get to October and you've made the playoffs, you look back and say, 'Man, that's how we got there.' But we can't celebrate now. We've got to keep going."
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The Phillies left 15 runners on base and had 16 at-bats with runners in scoring position. The Cardinals stranded six and took only nine at-bats with runners in scoring position. The Phillies committed three errors, the Cardinals none.

"We didn't do some things very good today," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "That game was sitting there for us and we didn't get it."

A 42-29 club has lost pitcher Adam Wainwright, first baseman Albert Pujols and possibly Molina during the last 10 days.

"The last couple weeks our big guys have been dropping like flies," noted left fielder Skip Schumaker, who contributed a double and a home run to the team's first two rallies. "We're still winning games. But if we're going to do anything later on this year we're going to need those guys back. That's no secret. But the fact we're winning games like this without our big guys says a lot about what we have going on here."

Molina was carted from the field after being strapped to a backboard and was taken to Missouri Baptist Hospital, where he remained overnight with what the team said is a mild concussion.

"He's one of our key guys we need out there every single day," backup catcher Jason LaRue said. "As far as pitching, he's probably the most important guy on this team. … You cringe anytime you see a play like that."

With the bases loaded and one out in the fifth inning, Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard chased rookie starter Mitchell Boggs with a two-run single. Kyle McClellan limited the Phillies' rally to one more run before pitching a scoreless sixth. Ankiel's leadoff triple to right field led to a run on first baseman Chris Duncan's RBI grounder.

Chris Perez, who entered in the seventh inning, was within one pitch of closing the eighth when shortstop Jimmy Rollins tripled. Perez left after walking the potential tying run and a near-calamity ensued.

Consecutive walks by Randy Flores forced home one run and left the bases loaded for Russ Springer. Springer walked left fielder Pat Burrell to force home Jayson Werth for a 6-6 game.

The Phillies placed runners on first and third with one out against Franklin in the ninth inning when Rollins grounded to Duncan, whose throw short-hopped the plate to the home dugout side. His back to the runner, Molina picked the throw and continued to turn as Bruntlett collided with him. Molina held on to the ball despite staying motionless for several minutes. The threat ended when Franklin got the dangerous Utley to fly out.

Anthony Reyes (2-1) inherited a tie game barely 24 hours after being promoted as the team's 13th pitcher and recorded the only 1-2-3 inning by a Cardinals reliever.

Wellemeyer re-examined

2008-06-15T08:26:00.000-07:00

Starting pitcher Todd Wellemeyer was examined Saturday morning after admitting to elbow and forearm discomfort during and after Friday night's 10-out appearance against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Wellemeyer described himself as "gator-arming" the ball in his last two innings as he found it impossible to straighten his elbow. He said the condition had eased Saturday but that some of the tightness that radiated from the elbow remained.

Wellemeyer is scheduled to throw a side session Tuesday, but his next start could be in question if the condition does not improve significantly.

"If it doesn't improve, I'm telling them I can't pitch," he said. "I'm not going out there to be a hero."

Elbow irritation caused the team to postpone Wellemeyer's start three days before Friday's debacle. He needed 90 pitches while being tagged for eight earned runs in 3 1/3 innings. After the first inning, Wellemeyer said he found it impossible to rotate his wrist, leaving him incapable of throwing his slider.

"It wasn't very fair," manager Tony La Russa acknowledged.

FRIDAY FOLLOW-UP

Minus his favorite pair of sunglasses, La Russa reiterated his dissatisfaction Saturday with plate umpire Larry Vanover's ejection of reliever Russ Springer for hitting Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard with an eighth-inning pitch in Friday's 20-2 drubbing. La Russa was also ejected after voicing his displeasure to Vanover and crew chief Tim McClellan.

"The guy (Vanover) made a big mistake," said La Russa, who at one point threw, kicked and broke his shades. "It was not intentional in any way, shape or form. I had a big problem with that. I had a bigger problem when a guy throws behind our infielder and that's not intentional."

Vanover did not toss Phillies reliever Rudy Seanez when he threw behind shortstop Brendan Ryan in the bottom of the inning. Vanover's inaction drew an argument from Jose Oquendo that led to the Cardinals third-base coach's ejection.

Howard had homered twice before Springer plunked him on the right thigh with a fastball. Springer insisted there was no intent to hit Howard; La Russa said his pitcher was merely following orders to attack Howard inside after the Lafayette alum connected on an outside pitch and another over the plate's middle third.

"We have a reputation for protecting our players, but we don't instigate (stuff)," La Russa said. "If a guy's hitting good, you pitch him differently. That really (hacked) me off."

La Russa and Mozeliak planned to speak to supervisor of umpires Rich Rieker on Saturday in an attempt to soften or avoid any potential discipline for Springer, who could face a fine and a suspension for the incident.

"They may look at it and say, 'Wait a minute. It didn't look good, but we took the action,'" La Russa said, adding, "I didn't cuss anybody. I threw my glasses. I didn't cuss them about it. Games like this happen every day in baseball. There wasn't anything that went over the line (Friday night)."

Mulder sees progress with a new delivery

2008-06-15T08:19:00.000-07:00

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — In a fit of frustration, Mark Mulder may have found his salvation.

The Cardinals' eternally rehabbing starter was so fed up with the inconsistencies of his delivery that he told trainer Keith Sanders three weeks ago that he'd had enough. Over. Done. He was "going to come back as a sidearm reliever," the lefty joked.

From aggravation came invention.

Introducing a delivery one tick above sidearm, Mulder started his fourth rehab assignment in the past three seasons with five shutout innings Saturday for Class AA Springfield. He not only threw freer and easier in his first time facing hitters with the new arm slot, he also threw consistently with considerably more velocity than he's had in other rehab starts. The new delivery is no longer a joke.

"It was night and day compared to what I was doing a month ago," Mulder said. "I feel myself getting closer, compared to where I've been. It's that release point, the way the ball comes out of my hand. Before it just wasn't there. Is it perfect? No. Not yet. But it's closer than it ever has been."

Mulder started the first game of a rehab double-dip. In the nightcap, righthander Matt Clement, making his third start of a rehab assignment, pitched five innings in what he called a "fine" outing. He allowed three runs on five hits and struck out three, but his velocity hung in the mid-80s. The mending major leaguers pitched the Cardinals to a sweep at Hammons Field against Northwest Arkansas, the Royals' affiliate.

In his five innings of a 4-0 shutout, Mulder threw 73 pitches, 56 of which were strikes. He held the Naturals to five hits, and eight of his 15 outs were groundouts. He described himself as "encouraged."

Mulder's return from two shoulder surgeries has been a prolonged tease for the team — and the pitcher. Since his first surgery in September 2006 and signing a two-year, $13 million deal, Mulder has made 13 rehab starts and three big-league starts. In 2006 and 2007, Mulder returned to the majors from rehab assignments only to find his shoulder uncomfortable and unable to perform.

"Definitely, I would hope this is different. It better be," Mulder said Saturday. "I feel closer. Things are definitely moving in the right direction. Before, yeah, they would get a little better. But then they'd go back to the old ways. I couldn't really break it."

Saturday was different from his first pitch.

In his final start of his rehab assignment earlier this year, Mulder pitched mostly in the 86- to 87-mph range. He topped out at 89 mph, getting two fastballs there. His first pitch Saturday was 89 mph. He threw a 92 mph fastball to the second batter he faced, and he sat consistently at 90 to 91 mph with his sinker throughout his five innings.

"I can finally make pitches, that's what it feels like," he said.

In late May, Mulder took two cortisone shots to the shoulder and one blow to his patience. Through two years of rehab he has been trying to get his arm up, extend it through the delivery, and the shoulder has resisted. His elbow would buckle and a hitch developed in his mechanics. After the shots, Mulder decided to try dropping his arm down, going "natural" and where the shoulder allowed.

Consider a delivery like the face of a clock with the pitcher's head at 12 o'clock: Mulder, a lefty, had been trying to throw at 1 o'clock. On Saturday, his delivery was close to 2 o'clock. The concerns he had about his control at that angle vanished quickly. He threw most pitches successfully with the exception of his splitfinger, which the new arm slot complicated. Mulder froze the only lefty he faced with a curveball for strike three and got him to bounce another curve to first base.

He splintered two bats with 87-mph cutters and got a first-pitch strike on 12 of 19 batters.

Mulder will throw a bullpen session in St. Louis early this week and then head back out for a second rehab start. He has 30 days to complete the rehab assignment, though he'd rather not need the whole month.

"If I were to need 30 days, things didn't get better from here," Mulder said. "I do feel better about it. I'm trying to get myself ready to go back and help this team."

Notes on Saturday’s Scorecard: Rasmus Time?

2008-06-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

- It isn’t going to happen anytime soon, but top prospect Colby Rasmus is making a move atMemphis after a slow start in his transition to AAA ball. Rasmus entered Saturday night’s game at Round Rock with these splits for June: .340 / .426 / .574. The Cardinals are carrying 13 pitchers now, to keep the bullpen fresh, so there’s no room for Rasmus. in the major-league outfield.

But …

- Since May 16, Rick Ankiel has only 8 hits in 57 at-bats (.140) with a .210 OBP and a .386 slug. Though Ankiel did homer in consecutive games in Cincinnati earlier this week, the results haven’t been there on a consistent basis for a while. So it’s not crazy to suggest that Rasmus might be able to supply some offense at the CF position.

- Of course, the Cardinals could have kept Chris Duncan in Memphis, where he was batting only .160 upon the time of his recall. They could have used a committee at 1B, and plugged Rasmus into the outfield. Since last July 29, here are Duncan’s major-league splits in 272 plate appearances: .213 / .316 / .315. Other than Dave Duncan, does anyone of sound baseball aptitude see much value in those splits? But I’ll say this: Chris seems to be taking better cuts. Maybe he’s getting closer to finding it.

- Since last July 25, Kyle Lohse is 12-2 with a 4.06 ERA. The winning percentage (.857) is the best of any MLB starter during that time. Lohse likes the new Busch Stadium; in 12 starts here during his career, he’s 5-2 with a 3.06 ERA.

- Skip Schumaker is 11 for 59 against LHP this season (.186) including 0 for his last 12. But as usual, there are two sides to the story. And against RHP this season he’s .340 / .426 / .574. And since April 29, a span of 104 plate appearances, Schumaker is .381 / .423 / .557 vs. RHP.

- Has Brad Lidge finally recovered from Albert Pujols? Looks like it. Before Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS, Lidge had a 1.80 ERA and a 91.6 percent save rate for the Astros. After Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS, Lidge had a 4.54 ERA and a 77.3 percent save rate for the Astros. But since being traded to Philadelphia this past offseason, Lidge has an 0.93 ERA and 100 percent save rate. He’s back in form.

- This wasn’t a factor in Saturday’s game, but Cardinals’ relievers are near the bottom of the NL rankings (13th) in allowing inherited runners to score this season — 31 of 84, or 36.9 percent.

- I open this to the floor … after a strong rehab start by Mark Mulder on Saturday night for Class AA Springfield (five shutout innings) do we dare start to think that maybe, just maybe, he has a chance to resurface in a positive way for the Cardinals this season? Honestly, I’d written the guy off.

Carpenter to get second opinion

2008-06-15T08:11:00.000-07:00

By Joe Strauss
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
06/15/2008
Cards Carpenter
Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter stretches at spring training camp earlier this season in Jupiter, Fla.
(Chris Lee/P-D)

Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter will seek a second opinion from Birmingham, Ala., orthopedist Dr. James Andrews on Monday regarding his problematic right elbow, club and industry sources confirmed Saturday.

The club has not confirmed the findings of an examination performed Friday by team medical supervisor Dr. George Paletta, but a source familiar with Carpenter's situation said Paletta focused on a potential nerve condition that could result in additional surgery to move, or transpose, a nerve near Carpenter's surgically repaired elbow.

General manager John Mozeliak spoke Saturday to Carpenter's agent, Bob LaMonte, to determine the pitcher's choice of doctors. Carpenter opted for Andrews, one of several orthopedists who examined the 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner before he submitted to ligament transplant surgery last July 25.

The club apparently suggested that Carpenter seek an outside opinion after Friday's examination, which ruled out structural damage to the elbow or to the transplanted ligament.

Four doctors, including a neurosurgeon, examined Carpenter in St. Louis on Friday. Results were "inconclusive" enough, according to Mozeliak, to warrant an additional consultation.

Lingering uncertainty about Carpenter's condition and treatment has caused the club to modify earlier projections that Carpenter could return to the rotation around the All-Star break.

"That's a tough break for him, a tough break for us," manager Tony La Russa said. "I've been saying based on the progress he'd been making that he would pitch before the first half was over. But the guy that's going to take it the hardest is Chris. Whatever it takes to get him 100 percent, he's got plenty of a great career left. I'm plenty disappointed for him and a little bit for us."

Yet the prospect of additional surgery is not enough for the club to scrub the righthander's potential return later this season.

"If this is something they determine does not need to be moved, then he likely can pitch through this," Mozeliak said. "If it does have to be moved, we estimate it as a two- to four-week setback for when he might be able to return."

If Andrews recommends a procedure, it will not be performed immediately. Carpenter and LaMonte are expected to meet with Mozeliak and the team's medical consultants before finalizing his decision and a time for potential surgery.

The suspected condition is common among pitchers who have required ligament transplant surgery. Transfer of the ulnar nerve is performed in a significant percentage of so-called Tommy John surgeries, but not in Carpenter's case.

The condition derailed what team medical and training staff considered a seamless progression. Carpenter threw with impressive velocity with only moderate effort during spring training and had continued to progress until experiencing what one club source called "a hiccup" last month at the team's spring training headquarters in Jupiter, Fla. Carpenter resumed after a brief shutdown, only to endure forearm discomfort within the last two weeks. After another brief hiatus, Carpenter experienced more discomfort following Wednesday's throw and returned to St. Louis to be seen by the medical team.

Cardinals relievers Russ Springer and Kyle McClellan had required nerve transfers following elbow ligament replacement.

Springer threw within two weeks. McClellan's more elaborate procedure followed a 2005 ligament replacement. He made only three starts for Rookie League Johnson City in 2006 before returning last season to work 40 games, all but one in relief.

Carpenter has made only one start since signing a five-year, $63.5 million contract extension in December 2006.

Fellow starting pitcher Mark Mulder and Matt Clement appeared in opposite ends of a Saturday doubleheader for Double-A Springfield, and Mozeliak confirmed that Clement is in the mix to start this week should Todd Wellemeyer be bumped with elbow discomfort. Mulder also helped his case with a strong showing in the first game.

Devastation?

2008-06-15T02:34:00.000-07:00

A team that has made something out of virtually nothing all season just received a stifling punch to the gut. As if chasing the red-hot Chicago Cubs wasn’t difficult enough, now the Cardinals will have to soldier on without their superstar 1st baseman and ace of the staff. Albert Pujols (strained calf) and Adam Wainwright (sprained finger) are on the shelf for a minimum of 3 weeks each, and have subsequently created a noticeable limp in the Cardinals run for a Central Division title.

The offense provided by Ryan Ludwick, Rick Ankiel and Troy Glaus has been surprisingly potent to this point, but production will certainly dip without the great Pujols in the lineup. One of the reasons for the successful starts of Ludwick and Ankiel is that they are essentially a product of Pujols’ talent. Sandwiching him in the the lineup, they see a barrage of more hittable pitches (namely fastballs) due to opposing hurlers’ fear of King Albert’s looming bat. It’s not to say that the Redbirds offense can’t get it done without the big first baseman, but the task will be exponentially more difficult. Someone needs to step up in Albert’s absence and put this team on their shoulders (don’t look to Chris Duncan), or the 3.5 game deficit in the standings could easily slip to double digits by the time Pujols is healthy.

Here’s something Cardinal fans never thought they would hear: This is Ryan Ludwick’s team now.

As for the starting rotation, it’s been an effective mess of patchwork arms strewn together over the last two months. Injuries to not only Wainwright, but Joel Pineiro and the surprise of the year, Todd Wellemeyer, have caused the Redbirds to trot a number of unproven youngsters to the mound. So far the glue has been Kyle Lohse. The former Philly castoff has been marvelously effective for the Cardinals, giving the team a chance to win nearly every time out. But it’s going to take a quick recovery by Wellemeyer, some consistency from Pineiro and the Dr. Jekyll version of Braden Looper to keep this team afloat while Wainwright mends his bird-flipping finger.

This will be Tony LaRussa and Dave Duncan’s greatest challenge to date. Underarmed and curse with a shortage of big name bats, they will have to work some miracles until this team gets healthy. Fortunately they are blessed with a group of ball players that seem to never say die and give it their all every time they step on the field. The infusion of youth in this organization has a lot to do with that, and it’s a comforting feeling to know that even if the Cards do slide out of contention this season, their future still looks very bright.

Looper delivers well-timed gem

2008-06-11T20:55:00.000-07:00

Righty shuts out Reds in face of mounting injuries for CardsCINCINNATI -- Amidst a road trip with many lows, Braden Looper offered up something spectacular.

He was as good as Reds starter Johnny Cueto was bad, as controlled as Cueto was wild and as poised as the Cincinnati youngster was rattled. All of that, and he didn't second-guess a single pitch he threw until the last batter he faced.

Injuries or not, the Cardinals, after Looper's first career shutout and a 10-0 throttling of the Reds on Wednesday night, are winners of four straight.

"Not only did our team need it, but the bullpen needed it," Looper said. "And for me personally, it's an achievement I can look back on and always have. Obviously, it's not a no-hitter, but I only gave up three hits in a nine-inning shutout. That's pretty good, I'd say."

Very good, actually.

Looper needed just 98 pitches -- a plateau Cueto reached in the fifth inning -- to complete his gem. He struck out four, walked none and retired the first 11 and final 11 batters he faced.

"He's pitched really good games in his two years [as a starter], but that's as well as he's pitched against that lineup in this ballpark," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "He made so many good pitches. It was very impressive. He deserves a ton of credit."

Looper's performance comes one night after slugger Albert Pujols aggravated a strained left calf and four nights after starting pitcher Adam Wainwright sprained his right middle finger. Both were sent to the 15-day disabled list, dealing major blows to the Cardinals.

"It's important for each guy to do [his] part," Looper said. "You can't try to do more and be something you're not. You've just got to do your part, go out there and lay it on the line. Whatever happens, happens. It's not like we're going to fold up shop because Albert and [Wainwright] aren't here."

And so far, there's been no reason to. St. Louis got a stellar performance from Triple-A Memphis callup Mitchell Boggs in a convincing victory on Tuesday. Through two games at homer-happy Great American Ball Park, the Cardinals have held the Reds to just two runs.

Offensively, Ryan Ludwick has homered himself out of a mini-slump that's plagued him throughout the road trip. Former Reds player Jason LaRue has hit his first home run of the season.

Rick Ankiel has shown no signs of rust since returning from a five-game absence in which he was nursing an infection in his right knee. Even Chris Duncan, who was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on May 30 to iron out struggles at the plate, is hitting.

"We've got some guys, who are the core of the club, who aren't participating in Albert and Wainwright, but the game still counts," La Russa said. "The guys are still playing and we have a chance to compete."

Looper (8-5) went to his fastball more often than not. Such could be a dangerous strategy in Cincinnati against a lineup with power hitters like Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn, but Looper's command kept the ball down in the zone and the Reds off the basepaths.

"I slowed everything down -- my whole pace," Looper said. "It's basically helped me get on top of the ball better and more consistently. To be honest with you, when [Javier] Valentin [the last batter in the ninth] walked up -- I know he's a good hitter -- was the first time in the game that I was second-guessing my pitch selection."

Looper didn't allow a hit until Griffey's two-out double in the fourth. He allowed two more hits in the sixth.

Ankiel keyed a monster first inning for St. Louis when he hit a three-run home run. It's Ankiel's second homer in as many games since returning to the lineup on Tuesday.

Cueto (5-6) struggled mightly in the loss, lasting just five innings and putting up a career-high eight walks. Three of the five Cardinals runners who scored in the first inning reached on walks.

St. Louis made it 5-0 in the first when LaRue's two-run home run plated Troy Glaus three batters later.

Ludwick made it 6-0 with an RBI double in the fourth and 7-0 with a solo home run off Danny Herrera in the seventh. It was Ludwick's second home run of the series and third in four games.

The Cardinals scored three more runs in the eighth. LaRue scored on Looper's double, Looper scored on a sacrifice and Brendan Ryan scored from second when Jay Bruce muffed Ludwick's fly ball to right.

"Looper was unbelievable," Ludwick said. "We had a great rhythm working. We kept coming in inning after inning ready to hit. We were fortunate to get some runs for [Looper] early, and that's all he needed. I can't give him enough credit."

Bittersweet victory for Cardinals

2008-06-11T16:07:00.000-07:00

Ludwick, Boggs star, but Pujols likely headed to DL after injury

CINCINNATI -- The Cardinals got production from their slumping big hitters, solid pitching by a rookie making his first Major League start and even a convincing win, but still managed to do themselves harm.

Go figure.

The Cardinals' Nos. 2-4 hitters combined for three home runs, six hits and seven RBIs, and rookie Mitchell Boggs was solid in his first start, but Albert Pujols' strained left calf put a severe damper on St. Louis' 7-2 win over the Reds on Tuesday night.

Pujols, who will be examined by team doctors on Wednesday in St. Louis, is likely headed for the disabled list after aggravating an injury he sustained last Tuesday in Washington. After hitting a grounder to first in the seventh inning, Pujols took one step and fell to the ground in pain.

He had to be helped off the field by teammates.

"That one thing kind over overrides all the good things, long term," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said of Pujols' injury. "But we've just got to deal with it. Normally, you try to enjoy the moment [after a win], but it's pretty tough to enjoy when now there's no way he's not going on the disabled list."

If that indeed happens, Pujols will be the second Cardinal to be placed on the DL this week. Starting pitcher Adam Wainwright was placed on the 15-day DL on Tuesday after spraining his right middle finger. He is one of 10 Cardinals -- including nine pitchers -- on the disabled list right now.

"It's a really sick-stomach feeling," right fielder Ryan Ludwick said. "[Wainwright], and now him. That's two of our heavy-artillery guns right there."

Ludwick, Pujols and Rick Ankiel did the damage early on for the Cardinals and gave Boggs plenty of room to work with in his first Major League start. Ludwick hit an RBI double, Pujols hit a monster home run to center and Ankiel followed with a line-drive homer to right to give St. Louis an early 4-0 lead in the third inning.

Another RBI double from Ludwick, who finished 4-for-5, in the fourth made it 5-0.

"I thought I gave us a chance to win," Boggs said. "We were up 4-0 and 5-0, and my job was to just get outs and go as deep in the game as possible. I was able to get through five, and the [bullpen] came in and slammed the door. It was a good starting point for me."

Called up from Triple-A Memphis on Friday, Boggs (1-0) pitched five innings and gave up just two runs on four hits. Boggs also kept a childhood favorite, Ken Griffey Jr., from doing any damage. Griffey, who hit his 600th career home run Monday, went 0-for-2 with a walk against Boggs.

"You've got to give Boggs a lot of credit," La Russa said. "We got the runs, but [the Reds] have such a dangerous lineup. He got the outs he needed to get, and he earned it. He's been one of the most consistent starters in this organization the last couple years. He had a lot of good things working for him heading into this game, and he added to it."

Boggs, who debuted with a two-inning relief performance at Houston on Friday, anchored the rotation at Memphis before his callup, going 5-1 with a 3.28 ERA.

"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't different [than the Minor Leagues]," Boggs said. "There are a lot more people here and the guys are really talented. But Tony told me the day I got here not to do anything extra, that I'm good enough to be here and if I weren't, I wouldn't be here. He told me to pitch to my strengths, and I did that tonight."

Boggs' only mistake came in the fourth inning, when he gave up a two-run homer to Reds rookie Joey Votto. Votto sent the fastball up in the zone deep into center and drove in Adam Dunn, who Boggs had walked in the previous at-bat.

But the Cardinals responded when Ludwick, who entered the game 5-for-25 (.200) on this road trip, hit a home run deep into left-center in the seventh to make it 6-2. He drove in Brendan Ryan with an RBI bloop single in the ninth.

Ludwick, Pujols and Ankiel finished a combined 6-for-13 at the plate.

"[Ludwick] can beat you every at-bat," La Russa said. "Even if he's not quite right, he's got a chance to do something good. Today he had some huge hits."

And with Pujols gone, the Cardinals are going to need a lot more.

Five-run seventh lifts Redbirds to win

2008-06-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

Lohse sharp for six frames as Cards take series from Astros

HOUSTON -- In the eye of one beholder, St. Louis outfielder Ryan Ludwick, it was "a beautiful inning."

With St. Louis trailing, 3-0, Ludwick opened the seventh inning by getting hit by a pitch, and the Cardinals ended up scoring five runs on just two singles, combined with ample help from Houston, to overtake the Astros, 5-4, on Sunday afternoon at Minute Maid Park.

"That was a crazy inning," said St. Louis shortstop Brendan Ryan, who struck the key blow with a two-out, two-run single up the middle.

Houston left-hander Wandy Rodriguez looked untouchable for the first six innings, giving up only two singles. He had retired 14 in a row entering the seventh.

"He was wearing us out all day long," manager Tony La Russa said.

But the Cardinals took advantage of two Houston errors, two hit batsmen and a wild pitch as they scored five unearned runs in the inning.

Rodriguez hit Ludwick with a fastball inside to start the bizarre frame.

"It's like getting a base on balls," Ludwick said.

Troy Glaus reached on an error by third baseman Ty Wigginton, and Yadier Molina singled to load the bases.

Brian Barton delivered the first St. Louis run with a sacrifice fly, as Glaus tagged and went to third. Rodriguez then hit pinch-hitter Cesar Izturis to reload the bases.

Aaron Miles struck out for the second out of the inning, and Rodriguez went 0-2 on Ryan. The next pitch was a curveball in the dirt to score Glaus with the second run. Ryan hit the following pitch up the middle to score two more runs for a 4-3 Cardinals lead.

"We were pretty fortunate," said Ryan, who started in place of Izturis and batted leadoff. "Wandy was throwing a great game, moving the ball inside and out, painting the inside corner. The last changeup he threw wasn't his best, and a ball found its way up the middle."

The Cardinals hadn't run out of luck yet.

Ryan hustled to second after the throw went home. Joe Mather hit an easy fly ball to right-center. Houston center fielder Michael Bourn and right fielder Hunter Pence pulled an Alphonse and Gaston, allowing the popup to fall, plating Ryan with the fifth run. Bourn was charged with an error.

"We both called it at the same time," Bourn said. "I'm the center fielder; I take blame for it. I should have taken charge of it, so it's my fault."

The Astros answered with a run in the bottom in the seventh off Ron Villone, but the St. Louis bullpen shut them down the rest of the way.

Russ Springer replaced Villone, gave up an immediate double to Brad Ausmus, then retired the next three hitters to preserve the one-run lead.

"Springer gives up a double, and they didn't score [another run]," La Russa said. "That was huge."

Christopher Perez and Randy Flores got the Cardinals through the eighth, and Ryan Franklin struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth for his eighth save.

Franklin retired 8-9-1 in the order, avoiding the meat of the Houston lineup.

"As soon as a guy gets on, you've got [Kazuo] Matsui, [Miguel] Tejada ... ," La Russa said.

Franklin said he felt a little sore warming up.

"When I get out there, the adrenaline starts going," Franklin said. "It's good to get the bottom of the order. The middle of their order [Tejada, Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee] is the best in baseball."

Berkman did hurt St. Louis in the third inning when he hit a three-run homer off starter Kyle Lohse.

"He made one mistake," La Russa said of Lohse. "He got a changeup up to Berkman, and it was three runs. But he did a very good job. He hung in there and gave us enough to win."

Lohse (7-2) pitched six innings to win his fourth start in a row.

"I felt I was pitching pretty good and stayed under control," Lohse said. "After the home run, I got in a groove. I was basically out there with a fastball and slider."

Lohse pitched 3 2/3 innings without allowing another hit after the Berkman homer.

Cards ride seven-run second to victory

2008-06-08T20:14:00.000-07:00

Early offensive outburst seals the deal for St. Louis in Houston
HOUSTON -- With nine pitchers already on the disabled list and Todd Wellemeyer's next start in doubt, the last thing the St. Louis Cardinals needed was another injury to a pitcher.

Adam Wainwright left Saturday night's 8-4 victory over Houston in the bottom of the sixth with a sprained middle finger on his right hand. He is listed as day-to-day.

"I felt it a little bit warming up in the bullpen," Wainwright said of the injury at the upper joint of the finger. "I didn't feel anything until the third or fourth inning."

Lance Berkman led off the inning with a double for the Astros, and Wainwright departed after throwing 73 pitches with a 2-2 count on Darin Erstad and the Cardinals in front, 7-1.

"It felt like it needed to be popped or cracked," Wainwright said of his finger. "I threw a curveball to Erstad, and I couldn't squeeze the ball after that. [Catcher Yadier Molina] called a curveball on the next pitch, and I couldn't throw it. I threw a fastball about four feet outside." Wainwright then called on trainer Barry Weinberg to come to the mound.

"I knew if [Wainwright] called the trainer out, something was wrong because he's a tough guy," center fielder Skip Schumaker said. "That's not good."

Wainwright said he hoped the finger would heal with a couple of days of rest.

"It's not swollen that much," Wainwright said. "It's weird."

"It's enough to concern you," manager Tony La Russa said. "I don't want to think about it and spoil the night."

Wainwright (6-3), who beat the Astros for the third time this season, was pitching another superb game against Houston.

"I knew I had a least seven innings [in me]," Wainwright said. "That was the bad thing about it. I wanted to give our bullpen some rest."

The bullpen was just good enough.

Kyle McClellan replaced Wainwright and gave up four more singles in the sixth, including a bloop and a bleeder, and two runs, the first charged to Wainwright.

Fortunately for the Cardinals, they began the inning with a six-run lead.

"Yadier came out and calmed me down," McClellan said. "'We're going to get some breaks here. It will turn around.' You're trying to zone out the score. That was an intense situation. You give up a long ball or double in the gap, and they're right back in it."

McClellan did give up a long ball, to Miguel Tejada leading off the seventh, and La Russa had to use Randy Flores, Christopher Perez and Ryan Franklin one inning each to put away the Astros.

"That's a character game for us," La Russa said of the victory.

The Cardinals hitters, after taking Friday night off, rebounded with a seven-run second inning on Saturday night. Schumaker led the way a single, double and triple, all in the first four innings.

The Cardinals hit in the cages before the game, but skipped the usual batting practice on the field.

"Sometimes you need a break," said Schumaker, who has five hits in the first two games of the series. "The Astros didn't take batting practice before [Friday] night's game, and they scored five or six runs early."

Troy Glaus started the big second inning with a homer, and Ryan Ludwick put the exclamation point on it with a three-run shot.

Adam Kennedy walked with one out, Wainwright followed with a single and then Schumaker unloaded a triple to dead center that landed on Tal's Hill about 425 feet from home plate to make it 3-0.

"That's about all I got," Schumaker joked about his power.

Brian Barton doubled in Schumaker, Albert Pujols was walked intentionally and Ludwick hit a three-homer, his 14th, to left-center to made the score 7-0, with all seven tallies coming against Houston starter Shawn Chacon (2-2).

"I don't think that affected the game one way or the other," Glaus said of the Cards skipping BP. "I'd prefer to hit outside [rather than in the cages].

"Last night, everybody got a good night's sleep. It felt like we were recharged."

The Cardinals arrived at their hotel at 3:30 a.m. after playing a day-night doubleheader on Thursday in Washington.

"Yeah, I was dragging," Glaus said of Friday's 6-1 loss to Houston. "I know the guys were dragging."

Cards Lose In Houston

2008-06-07T07:02:00.001-07:00

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.

Cards promote righthander Boggs from Memphis

2008-06-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

Cards promote righthander Boggs from Memphis
By Derrick Goold

Cardinals pitcher Mitchell Boggs throws during a Florida workout in February.
(Chris Lee/P-D)

One start removed from a complete-game victory against the Chicago Cubs' affiliate, Cardinals pitching prospect Mitchell Boggs' next appearance will be in the major leagues.

The Cardinals have promoted the righthander and expect Boggs to join the team tonight in Houston. The move was made after Thursday's doubleheader taxed the bullpen of available arms and Mike Parisi struggled in his second consecutive major-league start.

Parisi was optioned to Memphis to make roster space for Boggs, 24, who will be the eighth rookie to make his major-league debut for the Cards. He will wear uniform No. 68.

Once a quarterback in college, Boggs ditched football after just a couple rushes and went to Georgia to pursue a pitching career. He steadily climbed the ranks of the Cardinals' minor-league system and was always something of a favorite among the minor-league instructors.

Mark Riggins, the Cardinals former pitching coordinator, lauded Boggs as far back as 2006, telling a reporter that the righthander's easy motion and choice of pitches was going to put him in the majors on time.

Boggs' slider was also mentioned by scouts and officials as the kind of pitch that could make him an effective reliever -- and a few felt that his future at the major-league level was pitching setup for Chris Perez.

His present is the ace of the Class AAA staff.

Boggs is 5-1 with a 3.28 ERA in 12 starts for the Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate Memphis. He has struck out 44 and walked 24 in 71 1/3 innings pitched. In a telling statistical category for minor-league pitchers, Boggs has allowed fewer hits (59) than innings (71 1/3), something only a few Cardinals' minor-league starters could say two seasons ago.

Boggs is unbeaten on the road, going 4-0 in seven starts. In the complete-game shutout of the Iowa Cubs, Boggs struck out five and allowed five hits.

Earlier this season, he had a 10-strikeout game against Oklahoma, pitching seven shutout innings and allowing two hits in a no decision.

Boggs was selected in the fifth round of the 2005 player draft. When he makes his debut he will be the first member of that draft -- headlined by outfielder Colby Rasmus and catcher Bryan Anderson -- to reach the majors.

Saint_Louis_Cardinals_Baseball_2008] Cards get Sun Devil's star, Brett Wallace, for their 1st Round pick!

2008-06-05T13:12:00.000-07:00

The Pick: Brett Wallace, 1B, Arizona State
2007 PAC-10 Player of the Year
The buzz: Wallace is one of the best pure hitters in this class and his advanced approach at the plate could lead to gaudy Minor League numbers before a very productive Major League career.
2007 (Sophomore): The Pac-10's Triple Crown winner and Player of the Year, Wallace had one of the best seasons in Sun Devil history...finished the season with a .404 average and 107 hits...led the conference in batting average, slugging percentage (.687), runs scored (75), hits, RBI (78), homers (16) and total bases (182)...finished third in the conference in OBP at .484 and tied for fourth in walks (38)...was a consensus First Team All-American, earning the distinction from Baseball America, NCBWA, Rivals.com and Collegiate Baseball...was a Second Team ABCA All-American...named the District IX Player of the Year by the NCBWA...was a member of the All-Houston College Classic team...was a semi-finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, the Howser Trophy and the Wallace Award...led the team with 35 multiple hit games and 21 multi-RBI games...also stole 12 bases...was named the National and Pac-10 Player of the Week on March 27th...became the 12th Sun Devil to win the Pac-10 Player of the Year and the first since Dustin Pedroia shared the award in 2003...played for Team USA during the summer, winning a silver medal in the Pan-Am Games...batted .312 (34-109) in 29 games with Team USA, hitting two home runs and totaling 26 RBI...was second on the team in hitting.

**2007 Pac-10 Player of the Year**

2006 (Freshman): Had a fantastic freshman season, leading the team with a .371 (56-151) average...saw action in 48 games, starting 38 as a designated hitter, first baseman or outfielder...named All Pac-10 Honorable Mention...was named to the Houston All-Regional Team...finished fifth in the Pac-10 in average...had the seventh highest slugging percentage (.583) in the conference...had 32 RBI and 31 runs scored...belted seven homers...also stole three bases...hit .395 and slugged .605 in Pac-10 play...went 5-12 (.417) in the Houston Regional...finished the year on fire, ending the season on a ten game hitting streak...had 16 multi-hit games and 10 multi-RBI games...played for the Fallmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod League over the summer...hit five home runs and knocked in 22 runs while being named to the All-Star Team.

High School: A 2005 graduate of Justin-Siena High School in Napa, Calif... earned four varsity baseball letters for head coach Allen Rossi... also lettered once in basketball... played summer baseball for NorCal Baseball (2001-05)... helped lead Justin-Siena to a 97-9 record during his prep career, including a perfect 27-0 senior season... three-time CIF North Coast Section Class A champions... shattered nine school records during his prep career... also holds single-season school records for walks, runs, hits, RBI, home runs and slugging percentage... combined to hit .464 with 141 runs, 143 hits, 30 home runs (23 in last two seasons), 123 RBI, 72 walks, 26 hit-by-pitch, .889 slugging percentage and .636 on-base percentage... also had a 5-0 record with eight saves on the mound... during his senior year he hit .520 (39-for-75) with 12 home runs and 40 RBI... named a Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger All-American... 2005 first-team All-State (CalHiSports.com) and 2005 California Small Schools Player of the Year... a four-time All-Marin County Athletic League selection... 2004 and 2005 All-Napa County Offensive Player of the Year... as a junior hit .526 (41-for-78) with 11 home runs and 34 RBI... named first-team All-State Small Schools by CalHiSports.com... rated as the No. 4 High School 3B prospect in the nation by TeamOneBaseball.com... played in the 2004 AFLAC All-American game in Aberdeen, Md., and had three stolen bases... also played in the 2005 High School All-American Baseball Game in Albuquerque, N.M... played in several national showcases, including Team One National , Area Code Games and USA Baseball Tournament of Stars... competed in the 2002 Junior Olympics in Tucson, Ariz.

MLB Draft: Selected in the 42nd round (1,253 overall) by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2005 MLB Amateur Draft.

Personal: Undecided on a major... parents are Larry and Patricia Wallace of Sonoma, Calif... has two older brothers, Larry and Jared... Larry played baseball at Albertson's College... favorite team is the Oakland A's and favorite player is Eric Chavez...enjoys playing cards and video games, watching TV and spending time with friends...favorite movie is The Natural... full name is Brett Alexander Wallace... born August 26, 1986 in Marin, Calif.

Career Stats at Arizona State:

Year Avg. GP GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OBP SB SBA PO A E F%
2006 .371 48 38 151 31 56 11 0 7 32 88 .583 17 3 26 3 .439 3 5 145 6 3 .981
2007 .404 63 63 265 75 107 17 5 16 78 182 .687 28 7 38 1 .484 12 17 579 34 4 .994
Totals .392 111 101 416 106 163 28 5 23 110 270 .649 55 10 64 4 .468 15 22 724 40 7 .991

Wellemeyer named Pitcher of the Month

2008-06-03T04:17:00.000-07:00

One year after release, hurler goes 4-0 with 2.19 ERA in May
ST. LOUIS -- When the Cardinals picked up Todd Wellemeyer off waivers on May 15, 2007, they could not have known what they were getting. They might have had an idea of how good Wellemeyer was, but likely not the level he has pitched at this year.

Based on his achievements in May, the media voted Wellemeyer as the National League Pitcher of the Month.

"I never thought I would get that," Wellemeyer said.

What the Cardinals got in Wellemeyer was a man who has put it all together through the first two months of this season. At 6-1 on the year, Wellemeyer has arguably had the best season of any starter in the Cardinals' rotation.

Wellemeyer owned hitters over the past month, going 4-0 in six starts with a 2.19 ERA. In only one outing -- his first start of the month -- he was unable to go six innings. Wellemeyer gave up only 28 hits in 37 innings, while striking out 12 batters and walking 12.

In honor of his achievement, Wellemeyer will receive a specially designed trophy and a flat screen TV.

"A little more pumped about that," Wellemeyer joked when told about his new TV.

Drafted in the fourth round by the Cubs in 2000, Wellemeyer lasted three years with Chicago in the Majors before stops in Florida, Kansas City and ultimately St. Louis.

Last year, Wellemeyer began the year to a slow start with the Royals but began to see success with the Cardinals. In 2007, Wellemeyer went 3-2 with a 3.11 ERA for the Cardinals.

Having consistent work is what has propelled Wellemeyer to the next level, he said -- just going out and pitching gets him in a groove.

Before he joined the Cardinals, Wellemeyer showed flashes of what his ability, but not for long stretches of time. Now, mainly relying on his fastball and slider, Wellemeyer has become a force within the National League.

"It's really an achievement when you think about him," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "It's really a neat story."

Wellemeyer beat out six other players to win the award. Astros closer Jose Valverde (1-0, 1.20 ERA, 10 saves), Reds starter Edinson Volquez (3-2, 1.63 ERA, 50 strikeouts), Braves starter Tim Hudson (4-1, 2.25 ERA, 31 strikeouts), Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley (3-0, 2.45 ERA, 23 strikeouts) and Cubs starters Carlos Zambrano (3-0, 2.45 ERA, 23 strikeouts) and Ryan Dempster (3-2, 2.35 ERA, 41 strikeouts).

Great outing spoiled by grand gaffe

2008-06-03T04:15:00.000-07:00

Wainwright dominates Bucs until seventh-inning unraveling
ST. LOUIS -- Sometimes flirting with the baseball gods gets you into serious trouble. Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright felt the blunt end of that Monday night after throwing 6 1/3 innings of three-hit baseball, only to fall apart.

Falling to the Pirates, 5-4, at Busch Stadium, Wainwright surrendered a four-run lead in the seventh inning, and another superb start.

Through the first 3 1/3 innings, Wainwright threw no-hit baseball, and through the first 5 2/3 innings, he gave up only one hit. For awhile, it looked like he was going to do something special.

Then he pitched the seventh inning.

"I was probably cruising too much," Wainwright said.

With a 4-0 lead in the seventh, Wainwright retired Freddy Sanchez before the Pirates turned on the jets. Jason Bay doubled, and Xavier Nady and Jose Bautista walked, setting the stage for pinch-hitter Jason Michaels.

Michaels belted a first-pitch fastball and put it over the left-center-field fence, making it the Pirates' first pinch-hit grand slam since 2003.

After the game, a dejected Wainwright fielded questions from the media, agonizing over the fateful seventh.

"I feel like I've been kicked in the wrong place right now," Wainwright said.

Having unraveled in the seventh, Wainwright stepped out to pitch the eighth inning. Manager Tony La Russa elected not to go to his bullpen because it was Wainwright's game to lose.

For the first time all night, Wainwright allowed the leadoff batter to get on base when Nate McLouth singled. Jack Wilson grounded out to advance McLouth to second. With two outs, Bay gave his team the go-ahead run when he singled to score McLouth.

"I don't really know why that happened," Wainwright said. "The wheels completely came off. ... There really was no reason for it, and it was totally uncalled for. I just completely let my team down today."

Over the past year, Wainwright has pitched as well as the top aces in the league. For two innings Monday, he lost that edge. Up until that point, he was throwing some of the best baseball in his career.

Wainwright's dominance through the first half of the game cannot be overstated. Through the first five innings, he threw 46 pitches, 35 strikes, and faced the minimum number of batters into the top of the sixth.

Having won four of his previous six starts from his mound at Busch Stadium, Wainwright baffled hitter after hitter through the first 5 2/3 frames. It was almost as if he had picked up where he left off from his last start -- an eight-inning, three-hit gem.

"Through five innings you look up, and it's 51 pitches and we hadn't even put up a fight," Bay said. "He was in control of the game. I'm sure there was a point where some people were thinking that it's not looking good."

As bad as Wainwright's mistakes in the seventh and eighth were, the offense was unable to pick him up and give him any additional run support beyond the third inning.

La Russa has said throughout the year that one of the team's problems is its inability to add runs to its lead -- something that came back to bite the Cards on Monday.

The Cardinals only had four runners on base after the third inning, only one of which was in scoring position.

"We've done that before," La Russa said. "It's not a lack of trying. We add a run or two, it's a different game. We had innings to add them and kept making zeroes. That stung us again."

Rookie Joe Mather and slugger Albert Pujols led the offense for the Cardinals early in the game.

Mather singled in the first inning and Pujols doubled him home to make the score 1-0. Pujols later scored on a Ryan Ludwick single.

In the third, the offense kept on rolling. Aaron Miles led off with a double and Mather singled him home. A sacrifice fly from Ludwick that scored Mather made the score 4-0, and gave the Cardinals the early command of the game.

But as quickly as the offense exploded off Pirates starter Tom Gorzelanny, he settled down to limit St. Louis the rest of the way.

"The first and the third, we took advantage of some of the mistakes [Gorzelanny] made," Mather said. "Judging by the other innings, you've got to say he made his pitches."

Now 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Cubs, the Cardinals will travel to Washington D.C. for a three-game series with the Nationals.

Insider: Team's investment in Mulder is not paying off

2008-06-01T18:55:00.000-07:00

By Joe Strauss
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
06/01/2008
Barry Weinberg Mark Mulder
Cardinals trainer Barry Weinberg (right) talks with disabled starting pitcher Mark Mulder in the dugout during a game between the Cards and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium. In background is assistant trainer Greg Hauck.
(Chris Lee/P-D)

Mark Mulder wants nothing more than to guarantee that he will pitch again in the major leagues, preferably this summer for the team that signed him to a two-year, $13 million contract in January 2007.

Except Mulder can't say that now, three weeks after insisting he would be starting for the Cardinals before the All-Star break. His left shoulder won't let him.

"I sit on my couch and all I can do is think about what I can try the next day to make it better," Mulder said before the Cardinals began a weekend series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team he beat six times without a loss before labrum and rotator cuff issues derailed him in 2006. "That's not the way to go about it. I want to get better. I want to get healthy. I want to go pitch. But whatever I try throwing-wise isn't working."

Mulder has not pitched effectively since mid-May 2006.

He has had two shoulder surgeries and got married and started a family since winning his last game, a five-inning outing against the Pirates on June 15, 2006.

It's been far longer since he pitched without physical distraction.

Asked how he managed 16 wins for the Cardinals in 2005 when he had a deteriorating delivery, Mulder says without hesitation, "Smoke and mirrors."

Mulder has invested four seasons in St. Louis. To get him, the Cardinals invested a talented package consisting of rising star Dan Haren, middle reliever Kiko Calero and former first-round draftee Daric Barton to acquire him from the Oakland A's in December 2004, less than two months after their World Series wipeout against the Boston Red Sox.

Mulder's velocity dropped dramatically before joining the disabled list with shoulder fatigue in June 2006. After allowing 22 baserunners in 4 2/3 innings that August, Mulder underwent surgery.

Hoping to save face in a deal that cost them a future All-Star, Haren, the Cardinals committed $13 million to Mulder for 2007-08.

"We understood the risk. When you go down that path, you're hoping for a good recovery and a good outcome. It hasn't gone as well as planned," said general manager John Mozeliak, then assistant to Walt Jocketty. "The player and the club are frustrated. I'm not convinced he's done yet. I think he can get back to where he once was."

The Cardinals wanted so badly to justify the investment (and find lightning within a pennant race) that they allowed Mulder three starts last September before admitting that, yes, he was still damaged and would require additional surgery.

Mulder's three outings consisted of 29 baserunners and four home runs in 11 innings pitched for a 12.27 ERA and three losses.

Surgery revealed that one of two rows of sutures from the initial procedure had failed. A portion of his rotator cuff was dead tissue and had to be shaved off.

Just as the first surgery was declared a success, so was the second. Mulder insists he is pain-free but acknowledges that it is impossible for his arm to be in the proper throwing position within his normal delivery.

Mulder says he views tapes of himself from his 21-win season in 2001 and doesn't recognize the motion. He describes his shoulder then as loose and "oiled," a good thing.

As he averaged more than 206 innings and almost 30 starts the next three seasons, Mulder's throwing motion became less fluid and more choppy.

"I don't know why. It just happened," he said.

Mulder, still two months shy of 31, does not recall experiencing shoulder pain earlier in his career, but there was a mysterious change in arm angle. As he racked up 88 wins from 2001 to 2005, no one cared to question why Mulder's throwing form was changing. He and the Los Angeles Angels' Bartolo Colon tied for the major leagues' most victories during the five years.

Mulder acknowledged before 2007 spring training that he wasn't right when the Cardinals traded for him. However, two surgeries and a 30-day rehab assignment were intended to change that.

"I was supposed to be healthy. So why aren't I?" he said.

The Cardinals say a recent MRI revealed no new damage to the rotator cuff. Yet no one can explain why Mulder's shoulder joint fails to properly rotate within its socket.

"So far, it hasn't worked. That's not to say there's not some different stretching or something else we haven't tried yet," Mulder said. "There are things that haven't been discussed because we don't know exactly why it's not rotating right."

Mulder mentions an attempt may be made to stretch the socket in order to allow him greater movement. But he told a group of reporters last week he would retire rather than submit to additional surgery. Two days later, he amended what had sounded like an ultimatum.

"What I meant was, I should be better by now. Having to go through the mental grind and arriving at the realization that I'm not better now, it's tough to take," Mulder explained. "You invest so much in getting back and then it doesn't happen. If they were to tell me, 'This procedure will do it. You'll be back.' I'd do it in a heartbeat. But if it's what they 'think' might improve it, I'm over that."

Sunday, Mulder is scheduled to throw in the Busch Stadium outfield, not off a bullpen mound. It's part of starting over, again.

"When you work this hard and do everything you can do, I can't beat myself over it," he said. "I've tried."

Looper pitches, hits Cardinals past Pirates

2008-06-01T18:49:00.000-07:00

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Braden Looper continued his torrid hitting to help earn himself a win in the St. Louis Cardinals 7-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

Looper had two singles, scored twice, and drove in a run to raise his batting average to .429 -- tops among pitchers in the majors. On the mound, Looper (7-4) allowed eights hits and three runs in 5 2-3 innings.

Ryan Franklin, the fifth Cardinals pitcher, got three outs for his sixth save in eight attempts.

Skip Schumaker drove in a career-high three runs to help the Cardinals.

Ian Snell (2-5) lost his fifth consecutive decision and is 0-5 in his last nine starts. His last win came on April 12. Snell pitched to one batter in the fifth before being lifted. He allowed six runs and eight hits.

Looper got some defensive help from Rick Ankiel. The center fielder made a highlight-reel catch when he turned his back to home and drove headfirst at the warning track to catch a deep fly hit by Xavier Nady in the second.

The Cardinals broke the game open in the second inning when they scored five runs off Snell.

With the bases loaded, Adam Kennedy singled up the middle to score Troy Glaus, who led off with a single. Looper followed with an RBI single.

Yadier Molina, who singled, scored on a fielder's choice. Schumaker ended the scoring with a two-run single to left field. St. Louis made it 6-1 in the fourth on an RBI double by Schumaker.

Pittsburgh scored in the second on an RBI single by Jose Bautista and in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Freddy Sanchez.

The Pirates loaded the bases with two outs on two singles and a walk to chase Looper in the sixth. Reliver Kyle McClelland hit Nate McLouth before ending the inning on a ground out by Luis Rivas. McLouth also was hit by Looper to lead off the game.

A one-out homer by Troy Glaus gave St. Louis a 7-3 lead in the seventh.

Pittsburgh scored its final run in the eighth on an RBI double by Bautista.

The game was delayed 13 minutes in the fifth when a sign in center wouldn't close.

Wellemeyer cruises in win vs. Pirates

2008-05-31T11:14:00.000-07:00

Bullpen holds on after allowing three runs in the ninth
ST. LOUIS -- Joe Mather provided the pregame excitement for the Cardinals, but it was Todd Wellemeyer who struck the Pirates like a bolt of lightning Friday in a 5-4 win at Busch Stadium.

Not that the recently recalled rookie failed to impress, but Wellemeyer turned in the second gem of the week for the Cardinals. Following in Adam Wainwright's footsteps, Wellemeyer threw seven strong innings to lead the Cardinals to their third straight win.

Throughout the year, Wellemeyer (6-1) has been a pleasant surprise for the Cardinals, going six or more innings in 10 of 12 starts. Wellemeyer struck out four hitters, lowered his ERA to 3.16, and the Cardinals continued to roll.

"He just got better and better," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said.

Since becoming a starter, Wellemeyer said he is using a little less of his repertoire due to the effectiveness of his two main pitches -- his fastball and slider. Because he is deceptive with his slider, he only goes to his changeup and cutter when he has to.

"Just simplifying it, you know," Wellemeyer said. "I'm not trying to think too much or do too much out there. I'm just pitching."

As simple as it sounds, "just pitching" is what Wellemeyer and Co. have done on the mound for the Cardinals.

Two months into the season, the Cardinals' starting pitching has dominated the Majors. The starting staff is the only National League group to average more than six innings per start (6.05), and it has the second-best ERA in the league (3.77) and the second-most wins in the NL (25).

"They've consistently given us a chance to win as a group," La Russa said.

"They're doing all the things to get themselves ready, and when they go out there, they compete. High class."

While Wellemeyer dominated on the mound, Mather, making his Major League debut, aided him on a fabulous dive in right field in the second inning.

With Xavier Nady on first, Adam LaRoche ripped a line drive towards the right-field corner. Leaping in full extension, Mather robbed LaRoche of an extra-base hit and likely saved a run. Once he stood up, Mather could hardly hold back his Cheshire grin.

"I couldn't help it," Mather said. "It was one of those things where, that's what you dream of. ... That doesn't happen often."

Wellemeyer said he thought Mather had no chance at making the grab, and he was on his way to back up catcher Yadier Molina for a throw to the infield. Instead, Mather came up with what he said will go down as one of the best catches he's ever made.

The rookie looked slightly nervous in the batter's box early, but with Cesar Izturis on third in the seventh, Mather gave the 42,791 fans at Busch Stadium a glimpse of why he tore up the Minors.

On a 1-1 count, Mather's swing connected with a fastball that turned into a single, his first big league hit. The RBI turned out to be the difference after the Cardinals nearly fell apart in the top of the ninth inning.

Entering with a 5-1 lead, Randy Flores retired two of the first three batters he faced, but left two on when he exited the game. Ryan Franklin came in, gave up a bloop single and a three-run double into the left-field corner that fell just short of a grand slam.

"It got very scary there at the end," La Russa said.

Nate McLouth had a chance to extend the game, but tapped out to Franklin to get the Cardinals to 10 games over .500 for the second time this year. At 33-23, the Cardinals are tied for the second-most wins in the Majors. La Russa's club has been a winner in nine of its last 12, and it allowed three runs or fewer in seven of those games.

In the first, Wellemeyer gave up a two-out home run to McLouth, but Albert Pujols answered with a two-run blast of his own -- his 14th long ball of the year. Wellemeyer added a sacrifice fly to help out his cause in the second, and Izturis singled home Rick Ankiel, who tripled to open the seventh.

Pujols is just fine — and so are the Cardinals

2008-05-30T18:37:00.000-07:00

Ryan Fagan

ST. LOUIS -- Apparently the elbow is fine.

Those red flags that were waving across the Midwest this spring weren't St. Louis Cardinals banners; they were warning hankies foretelling that superstar Albert Pujols' elbow was about to burst. "Have the surgery," the flags screamed into the breeze that would inevitably blow the Birds into the NL Central's second tier. "Your team's not going to be any good this season anyway."

Pujols didn't listen, and those concerns now seem like they were raised years ago.

Right now, Pujols is as locked in as he's been at any point in the past two seasons -- he's hitting .359 with 13 homers and 35 RBIs.

The Astros, another surprising team this season, were in town for a key three-game series, which featured teams within a game-and-a-half of the first-place Chicago Cubs in the Central. All Pujols did was go 6-for-10 with two homers and four runs scored as the Cards took two of three.

It's not like the Astros suddenly decided it would be a good idea to challenge the big fella, either. In the second game of the series, they elected to walk Pujols with runners on second and third and no outs in the first inning. Didn't really work in the Astros' favor; the Cards scored three times, on a bases-loaded walk, a wild pitch and a weak groundout.

Pujols walked two more times in that game as the Cardinals won 6-1 behind another strong performance -- eight innings, three hits, eight strikeouts -- from starter Adam Wainwright. It was the eighth time in 11 starts that Wainwright -- who is bearing more of a resemblance to injured ace Chris Carpenter with every start, in terms of both production and mannerisms on the mound -- has thrown at least seven innings.

Pitching was the key to this series. In the opener, Shawn Chacon turned in another excellent game as the Astros won 8-2 to pull into a second-place tie with the Cardinals.

Chacon has had a rather odd season. Despite eight quality starts (defined as at least six innings, no more than three earned runs), he has a 2-0 record. "He's pitched well for the most part all year," manager Cecil Cooper told reporters after the game. "He just had one, I thought, shaky outing about three starts ago but other than that he's kept us in every ballgame and given us a chance." Hunter Pence was 5-for-5 and the Astros jumped on starter Braden Looper for four first-inning runs and never looked back.

Wainwright was the story in Game 2, and the Cards won the rubber game behind another strong starting performance, this time from Kyle Loshe. He took a shutout into the seventh before Carlos Lee opened the inning with his 12th homer. Lance Berkman hit a solo shot for his 17th homer, but it wasn't enough as the Cards held on for the 3-2 victory on Thursday.

The Cardinals are two games ahead of the Astros in the battle for second place.

If this series is any indication, both teams figure to fight the good fight the entire season. And that doesn't just mean they'll hang around. Both teams can get better, and both are capable of winning the Central.

For the Astros, Roy Oswalt has been a shell of his normal self, though he did look sharp through most of Thursday's game.

For the Cardinals, there's the promise of a return by Carpenter sometime in the second half.

And, most importantly, there's a sense of confidence that neither team was expected to have this deep into the season.

La Russa: 'Totally my decision'

2008-05-30T17:56:00.000-07:00

Although he is among Chris Duncan’s biggest defenders, manager Tony La Russa said it was "totally my decision" Friday to send the lefthanded-hitting outfielder to Class AAA Memphis to make room for righthanded-hitting Joe Mather.

Mather will make his major league debut tonight at Busch Stadium when he bats second ahead of Albert Pujols against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

"The front office didn’t say a word," said La Russa of the move to send Duncan out so that Duncan could get some consistent at-bats. The Cardinals will face five lefthanded pitchers in the next week, so Duncan, who is two for 18 against southpaws, wouldn’t have played much.

"I just look at it as, 'What’s the best chance to get this guy right?’’’ said La Russa. "And I think it’s playing. He needs to play.

"But what I think the fans need to remember is that here’s a guy who sparked us in his first two years. I don’t understand their impatience with this guy. It’s atypical for the way they act. They cheered him in the second half of ’06 when he saved us and the first half last year before he got hurt (double hernia). Now he’s hitting .260 (actually .252) and he’s struggling. How much more do you need to know that this guy’s for real?"

Duncan is required to stay in the minors at least 10 days on the option assignment. Mather, La Russa said, would play with some regularity, but the Cardinals also must find time for Ryan Ludwick, Skip Schumaker, Rick Ankiel and Rule 5 draftee Brian Barton.

Mather had been told late Thursday night in Des Moines, Iowa, by Memphis manager Chris Maloney that he was coming to the big leagues, but La Russa said he still wanted to sleep on his decision overnight Thursday.

"It was a real tough call because (Duncan’s) not hitting under .200. But it’s really hard to play him against a lefty right now," La Russa said.

Duncan had 43 homers in the previous two seasons, and La Russa said, "You take our current group of outfielders, which includes Mather and (Colby) Rasmus, and Chris has as much or more potential to be a productive, impact guy. He’s already demonstrated it."

La Russa said the decision as to when to send out Duncan was also tied to the recent media speculation that he should be optioned. "You don’t want to appear to be responding to other people being unreasonable," La Russa said.

La Russa said he told Duncan of his decision this afternoon and La Russa said, "He was not pleased. He could see that he may not be prospering but he was surviving."

Duncan had made several good defensive plays and had the game-winning hit off Houston righthander Roy Oswalt in a 3-2 Cardinals win on Thursday night. He is expected to join the Memphis team in Albuquerque on Saturday night and La Russa told Maloney the latter could play Duncan at either first base or the outfield.

The 26-year-old Mather, a third-round draft pick in 2001, was hitting ,.315 with 12 homers, 10 of them this month. "This guy’s a good player," La Russa said. "He plays the whole game -- defense, runs bases, takes tough at-bats."

La Russa said that one of the things he told Mather in an afternoon chat today was, "You don’t have to feel guilty about Chris not being here. There are going to be a lot of games when you guys are on the same roster."

Mather, who will wear No. 62, talked to the media some 3 ½ hours ahead of the game and said, "I’m hope I’m this calm when I get in the box."

Clutch Duncan lifts Cards past Astros

2008-05-30T05:40:00.000-07:00

Outfielder breaks out of slump with two-run single in first
ST. LOUIS -- Persona non grata during player introductions, Chris Duncan quickly turned hero to the fans at Busch Stadium on Thursday night.

Duncan lined a two-run single in the first inning and played a fine defensive game, as the Cardinals beat the Astros, 3-2, to win the three-game series between the National League Central rivals.

With one swing, Duncan equaled the RBI total from his previous nine games. With five putouts in left field, he began to mollify some of the criticism of his defense, which flared up again after a ball dropped in front of him in Los Angeles on Sunday.

On Thursday, though, Duncan contributed in both phases of the game. Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse settled to pitch six-plus quality innings, but he surrendered quite a bit of hard contact in the first couple of frames. Much of that contact was directed at Duncan, and each time he made the play. Of the five putouts Duncan registered on a busy night in left field, two of them were on hard liners in the first inning.

"That was humongous," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "He made the plays in the first and came up against Roy Oswalt, behind in the count, [and] fight that [at-bat]. That shows you what he is. This guy's a champion."

Oswalt retired the first two batters of the first inning, but an Albert Pujols single started the rally. Oswalt walked Ryan Ludwick and Troy Glaus, bringing up Duncan, whose single gave the Redbirds a 2-0 lead. Pujols later added a solo home run.

One hit doesn't get Duncan out of a slump, as he's still 13-for-61 (.213) in May. But for a player inclined to be an extremely harsh critic of his own play, one big hit could get him turned in the right direction. Duncan left after the game without speaking to reporters, but his teammates were happy to talk for him.

"I think that was a huge hit for him," said Skip Schumaker, one of Duncan's better friends on the team. "Everybody knows around here how hard he works to get his swing back. He's constantly looking at video, constantly hitting early, constantly in the cage. Nobody pulls more for Chris than his teammates, because every guy in the clubhouse knows how hard he's working to get out of his funk."

Lohse allowed a run on five hits during his six-plus innings. He didn't strike out a batter and was helped out by an outfield defense that didn't let much of anything drop. The only run against him came on a leadoff homer in the seventh inning by Carlos Lee.

"They've got a lot of power, and you don't want to make a mistake," Lohse said. "That was the main thing. Even though I didn't have great location, I wasn't allowing myself to miss back over the middle of the plate. A lot of misfires off the plate, but those are better than the ones you throw down the middle when you're struggling."

Houston, which entered the series with one of the league's hottest offenses, was held to three runs over the final two games. Kyle McClellan, Ron Villone and Chris Perez combined to shut out the Astros in the seventh and eighth, and Ryan Franklin allowed a solo homer in the ninth but picked up the save.

The Cardinals moved back to nine games over .500, one game shy of their season high-water mark, as they won their fourth straight series. They are still 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Cubs in the NL Central.

Ace gives Cards a sterling eight

2008-05-29T17:14:00.000-07:00

Wainwright allows a lone run; Izturis hits a two-run triple
ST. LOUIS -- Adam Wainwright continues to make his case as one of the best pitchers in the bigs.

In his second year starting for the Cardinals, the 26-year-old tossed another gem -- an eight-inning, eight-strikeout masterpiece -- to lead his team to a 6-1 win over the Astros. It was the second such performance of the year for Wainwright against Houston; he threw a complete game victory on April 26.

"I think there are certain teams that you get kind of geared up for and mentally lock it in better," Wainwright said. "It's kind of a fault in me that I don't mentally lock it in like that against every team."

But on Wednesday, he certainly was locked in. Between the third and eighth innings, Wainwright retired 15 straight batters. He only gave up three hits, one of which was a solo shot to Ty Wigginton, on the picture-perfect night.

Manager Tony La Russa said it might not be Wainwright's best start of the year, but against a Spartan offense in Houston, La Russa was more than impressed.

"That was a very tough lineup and he made so many good pitches," La Russa said. "To shut them down as good as they're swinging, outstanding."

With a fastball averaging 90-92 miles per hour, Wainwright said his command of that pitch enabled him to have such success.

"It's a shame I can't command my stuff every time like that," Wainwright said.

Yadier Molina said it was not just the fastball that put Wainwright in great position.

"He's one of those pitchers where he can throw any pitch for a strike," Molina said. "He's got that slider, it's nasty. He's got one of the best sliders in the league. He's got a big curveball, one of the best curveballs in the league. He's got a great sinker -- he's got everything.

"He's one of the best pitchers in the league, I can tell you that."

Wainwright's eight strikeouts tied a career high that he set on Aug. 16, 2007, and it was the first time this year he won consecutive starts.

Over the past 12 months, Wainwright has developed into one of the premier pitchers in either league. In 33 starts since May 28 of last year, he has accumulated a 15-10 record, 224 1/3 innings pitched, 152 strikeouts and only 64 walks. But it is his eye-popping 2.93 ERA -- second-best in the Majors during that time frame -- that stands out the most.

"That's what I expect of myself," Wainwright said. "I expect to be right there, whether it's No. 2 or top 10 or whatever ... That's where I need to be. That's where this team needs me to be, and that's where I expect to be."

Having an early cushion certainly helped Wainwright settle into his groove that lasted the whole night.

The offense manhandled Wandy Rodriguez, fresh off the disabled list and starting for the first time since April 19. Rodriguez allowed the first three batters of the game to get on base and then walked in a run with the bases loaded. Molina drove in another run with a groundout, and a wild pitch gave the Redbirds a 3-0 lead after the first inning.

"It was huge," Molina said. "Every time you got a game like last night, a tough game, tonight coming in the first inning with three runs, it makes you feel good."

From then on, Wainwright cruised. Cesar Izturis tripled in two runs in the fourth and Molina singled in another run in the fifth.

"We just played well," La Russa said, "but I guarantee you we got a little extra juice because of the way our starter pitched."

With the win, the Cardinals ended a two-game losing skid and stayed within one game of the Cubs in the standings.

2008-05-28T09:08:00.000-07:00

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