Cards need spark rather than leader come lately
21 hours ago
Monday, August 4, 2008
Cards can't spoil Lidge's perfection, edged 5-4
Brad Lidge almost choked bigtime, but held on to close on the Cardinals and keep his perfect save record intact at 28. To be clear, this season, Lidge has never blown a save.
He allowed a run in the bottom of the ninth as Troy Glaus hit himself a birthday present, a solo blast that ricocheted off the facing of the second tier, down the left field line, to the left of Big Mac Land, the ball coming back to strike the foul poll.
The skyshot brought the Cardinals within one run at 5-4, and before the inning was over, the Cards would fill the bases. Lidge, however, bore down on a couple of rookies, Nick Stavinoha and Joe Mather, both of whom struck out on a steady diet of perfectly placed sliders on the outside corner and low and away as well.
Starter Brett Myers matched up well against Todd Wellemeyer, Myers pitching six innings, giving up only two runs on four hits. The Cards were leading 2-1 when Phillies' manager Jerry Manuel began going to his bullpen.
Wellemeyer also went six innings before Cards' manager Tony La Russa gave him the hook. The right-hander allowed four hits, struck out three, and gave up one run, a homer to Chase Utley.
Left-handed reliever Ron Villone started the bullpen parade for the Cardinals, as La Russa would be forced by game circumstances to rifle through several relievers. After Villone, in order of appearance: Kyle McClellan, Jaime Garcia, Russ Springer, and Ryan Franklin.
La Russa admitted in post game interviews that he made a mistake by using Springer too many days in a row (last three game and four out of the last five). In a Phillies' four-run, eighth inning, Springer gave up a three-run homer to pinch-hitting Shane Victorino in the eighth, the runs produced enough to provide the game-winning punch.
Ryan Ludwick hit a solo home run for the Cardinals in the fourth, keeping his bat hot since the All-Star break.
Chad Durbin (4-2) recorded the win for the Phillies while Garcia (0-1) absorbed the loss.
The Cardinals have today off, then start the last half of their six-game home stand versus the Los Angeles Dodgers tomorrow night at Busch Stadium.
Cardinal Nation will get a chance to see hitting standout Manny Ramirez, as he was recently traded to the west coast team from the east coast Boston Red Sox.
photo by Barbara Moore
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Sunday, August 3, 2008
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Redbird Randoms ... LIVEblog 8-2-08
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Redbird Randoms ... Looper, Phelps, Motte, UCB
On-Deck: The Cards take on the Philadelphia Phillies in the second game of a three-game set tonight at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Game time is 6:15 p.m.
Probables: PHL- Joe Blanton RHP (5-12, 5.13) vs. STL-Braden Looper RHP (10-8, 4.38)
Birds' Perch: Actually, the Cardinals are sharing a perch, sort of, with the Milwaukee Brewers again. Both the Cards and Brew-crew are tied for second, but in percentage points, Milwaukee's finest has a one-point lead with a winning percentage of .555 to the Cards: .554. Both teams are four full games behind the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central Division.
Cards' Minor Leaguers of the Month (July): Josh Phelps was named Player of the Month while Jason Motte was named Pitcher of the Month. Both are from the Triple-A affiliate Memphis Redbirds.
Whatcha done for me lately? Joe Mather another home run last night; Ryan Ludwick hit two.
Ankiel's tummy troubles: More accurately, an abdominal strain is yet keeping Rick Ankiel on the bench, except for pinch-hitting duties. Ankiel is expected to return to action during the upcoming home series versus the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Up-Down's: Almost a regular category now, the Cards activated lefthanded pitcher Jaime Garcia from Class AAA Memphis yesterday, optioning pitcher Kelvin Jimenez back to Memphis. Garcia pitched in last night's game versus the Phillies.
Duncan's disk: Chris Duncan is probably out for the season, according to the St. Louis Cardinals, his recent "pinched nerve" in his neck actually turning out, after further medical evalutation, to be a reported herniated cervical disk. Surgery has already been scheduled for this coming Monday.
UCB: 4thebirds... has been accepted into the network named United Cardinals Bloggers.
4thebirds...LIVE: 4thebirds...LIVE will be working tonight's game in St. Louis versus the Philadelphia Phillies. A game time of 6:15 p.m. will be published with the upcoming event, but the live blog may be opened much sooner and left open after the game, making it possible for pre-game comments and questions by viewers, as well as post-game comments.
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Friday, August 1, 2008
4thebirds...LIVE! reminder: tonight 7:15 p.m.
The live blogging event tonight is on for 7:15 p.m., right here on 4thebirds.
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chetthejet
Cardinals' farmhands to watch
4thebirds... is not a blog to go saber on you, and would prefer to analyze actions than numbers, but in order to map out a few of the more notable prospects amongst the Cardinals' minor league affiliates, we'll have to refer to pure data, and a little bit of selective eavesdropping.
Starting with Low-A ball, the River Bandits currently possess the Cardinals' number one draft pick, Brett Wallace. He has a couple hundred less ABs then most of the regulars, but his hitting is preceding his reputation. If you forgive the low quantity of plate appearances, Wallace leads the team in batting average at .341. He has accumulated 11 extra-basehits so far this season, four of those being home runs. His RBI tally is 51. He also has a respectable on-base percentage at .434 and decent .560 slugging percentage.
Stepping up a notch to High-A, Curt Smith of the Johnson City Cardinals is currently leading that squad with a .349 batting average.
Notable batsmen from the Class AA Springfield Cardinals include Brayn Anderson's .388 and Shane Robinson's .352. Unlike some of his teammates, Allen Craig did not get promoted, and remains on the AA-Cards with a .301 batting average and team-leading 19 home runs. Of the promoted, Jon Jay held a .306 batting average with the AA-Cards with 11 round-trippers. Tyler Greene had a lower .257 average, but displayed some extra-basehit power with 15 doubles and 16 homers.
Now on the Class AAA Memphis Redbirds, Jay has only 11 at-bats so far, but has five hits, one of them a home run to go with his .455 batting average. Anderson possesses a .313 batting average.
There are some other big hitters on the Memphis squad you might not be familiar with, unlike teh recent call-ups, Nick Stavinoha and Joe Mather, who are getting their respective shots at the Bigs right now.
Lesser known outside of Tennessee, perhaps, but carrying proven weight are hitters like David Freese and Josh Phelps. Both are hitting smidgen below .300, but their power is substantial, even on the Triple-A level.
Freese has accumulated 20 doubles, three triples, and 19 home runs, while Phelps has 24 doubles, one triple, and a team-leading 25 home runs. You might at least see Phelps on the parent squad when September rolls around, and possibly Freese as well.
There are also some pretty good arms besides those we've seen get stints with the St. Louis club.
Currently on the Springfield squad, Fernando Salas has tallied 19 saves while starter Jess Todd carries a 3.12 ERA. The records don't mean as much when sizing up minor league pitchers, but a couple stats that mean something for Todd are that he has only walked 21 while striking out 70, giving him a strikeout to walk ratio of almost 4-to-1.
Class AAA standouts are John Wasdin, P.J. Walters, and Jason Motte. Wasdin and Walters are workhorses, with about 90 innings pitched already. Wasdin is another hurler with a good strikeout to walk ratio, with 17 free passes to 84 strikeouts. Walters is bit higher on the walks with 40, but has 86 strikeouts. Maybe more impressive is Motte's 21 walks given to 88 strikeouts, accomplished in a little over 50 innings or work.
Who gets a September callup? There are clearly many to choose from, and in the case of the parent club Cardinals, a few of them may be in St. Louis for more then the splinters, considering how deep into the Triple-A squad they've been already.
Cawley, Lilley, Mitchell bats good, but R-Cards fall
Johnson City Cardinals (R): Lost 10-6 at home versus the Princeton Devil Rays yesterday.
JC R-Cards bats of note:
- Travis Mitchell went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and three RBIs.
- Osvaldo Morales had a 1-for-4 game with a home run.
- Alex Castellanos went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.
- Brett Lilley had a 3-for-5 day.
- Jack Cawley went 2-for-4 and scored a run.
Ingram credited with walk-off beanball in Bandits win
Quad-Cities River Bandits (Low-A): Won 3-2 at Modern Woodmen Park, edging the West Michigan Whitecaps on a walk-off beanball as the game-winning at-bat.
With the game tied at 2-apiece in the bottom of the ninth, D'Marcus Ingram was beaned by a pitch, forcing in Thomas Pham with the game winning run.
Jonathan Stambaugh, now 2-2, was credited with the win.
Lance Lynn was the starting pitcher, getting a no decision in his first time to the hill for the Bandits. Lynn threw five complete innings, giving up one run on five hits. He walked one, struck out three, and now carries a nifty 1.80 ERA.
River Bandits bats of note:
- Thomas Pham went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
- Peter Kozma went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs.
- Francisco Rivera went 1-for-1 with a double.
Source: Quad-Cities River Bandits Official Website Read more...
1-2-3 plate punch from bottom of Muckdogs' lineup
Batavia Muckdogs (A-short season): Won 8-5 in an eighth inning comeback at home over the State College Spikes behind good hitting at the bottom of the lineup.
Frederick Parejo (2-for-4), Charles Cutler (2-for-3), and Xavier Scruggs (2-for-4) contributed a combined six hits (four of them doubles), five runs scored, and five RBIs to lead the Class A Muckdogs offense.
Hector Cardenas was credited with the win, upping his perfect record to 3-0.
Descalso's perfect plate day for A-Cards not enough
Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A): Lost 5-4 yesterday at Space Coast Park in Viera, Florida to the Brevard County Manatees.
In the loss, starting pitcher Mark Diapoules went four innings, getting no decision. Diapoules gave up one run on four hits, walked three and struck out five.
Casey Mulligan suffered the loss, now 1-1.
PB Cards of note:
- Daniel Descalso went 3-for-3 with a double and one run scored.
- Brian Cartie went 1-for-4 with a double and one run scored.
- Brandon Buckman went 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Fiske strikes out nine as AA-Cards blank Travelers
Springfield Cardinals (AA): Won 7-0 yesterday, shutting out the Arkansas Travelers at Dickey-Stephens Park in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Pitcher Justin Fiske got credit for the victory, his first against no losses and carrying a 3.00 ERA.
Fiske had a tremendous outing, giving away only one hit in seven innings. He walked only won, but struck out nine Travelers during his time on the hill.
Luke Gregerson breezed through two innings of relief in the non-save situation, giving up three hits, but striking out three, giving AA-Cards' pitchers 12 strikeouts for the game.
AA-Cards bats of note:
- James Rapoport went 1-for-5 with a triple.
- Andrew Brown hit a double and scored a run.
- Isa Garcia went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and scoring a run.
- Brandon Yarbrough had a double, an RBI, and scored a run.
Phelps continues to bomb away for Redbirds
Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Won 6-4 yesterday over the Fresno Grizzlies at Chukchanse Park in Fresnon, California.
In the victory, Josh Phelps went deep yet again, a two-run shot, his 25th this season. He wasn't alone in the longball category, either, fellow Redbirds Brian Barton (1) adding a solo shot, and David Freese (19) hammering a two-run homer.
The Phelps' dinger in the fifth inning with Jon Jay on base proved to be the game-winner.
John Wasdin notched the victory, now 8-6 with a 4.04 ERA. Wasdin went five full innings, allowing three runs (all earned) on six hits. Wasdin walked three and struck out five in the effort. He also gave up one home run, but continues to be a force for the Class AAA club.
Pitching one inning and earning his third hold was Matthew Scherer. He struck out two, giving up one hit.
Spliting an inning were relievers Ron Flores and Mark Worrel. For Flores, this was his 10th hold; Worrel earning his 12th hold. Flores only pitched a third of an inning, recording the out as a strikeout. Worrell pitched 2/3, giving up two hits and one run.
Chris Perez came on to close, gaining credit for his 11th save, striking out two.
Redbirds bats of note:
- Josh Phelps went 1-for-5 with his 25th home run, gathering two RBIs.
- Brian Barton had a 2-for-5 game with his first home run of the season.
- David Freese went 2-for-5 with his 19th home run, collecting two RBIs.
- Tyler Greene went 1-for-4 in the leadoff spot with a double.
- Jon Jay had a 2-for-3 game with two runs scored.
- John Wasdin was 1-for-3 with a double.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Redbird Randoms ... Lohse, Izturis, gamechat live
On-deck: The Cards start a six-game homestand, three against the Phillies, a day off, then three against the Dodgers. Tonight's game with the Phillies starts at 7:15 p.m. CT, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
Probables: PHL-Cole Hamels LHP (9-6, 3.27) vs. STL-Kyle Lohse RHP (12-3, 3.68)
Birds' Perch: The Cubs won again, completing a sweep of the Brewers at Miller Park, so there was no need for Ryan Braun to yank his shirt out. But the Cubs increased their NL Central lead on both the Brew-crew and the Cards, by five full games. The Cards and the Brewers are now tied for second place with .550 averages.
Izturis hot as righty: Cesar Izturis faced a lefty and batted righty in the leadoff spot, going 3-for-5 and scoring one run.
4thebirds...LIVE!: We have live blogging for you tonight at game time, 7:15 p.m. You don't need to register or download anything, just type in your comment and post. Moderation is fast, less than 10 seconds on average. (A longer wait when between some of the innings.)
There are a few bugs, but mainly, the live blog isn't interrupted. The right sidebar is, and we're trying to fix that, the non-techies that we are.
The live blog sort of fell in our lap, and nobody knows it's on tap. We only had six or seven fans on board last night, but we had a lot of fun with the chat, even though the Cards got handled by the Braves.
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Designing 4thebirds LIVE tonight at 6 pm
4thebirds... will be designing and testing a new feature we're ran across today.
If it works without too many bugs, you will be able to post LIVE during tonight's Cards' game versus the Atlanta Braves.
If the design needs more adjustment, we will cut it off and post a notice letting you know of its status.
Thanx for trying out all of our big ideas.
Redbird Randoms ... Glaus, Carpenter, Mather
On Glaus: Whenever a pull hitter can accomplish hitting a ball to the opposite side, it can open up the plate for him, the pitchers not able to freeze him up on the outside corner. If you recall, when the Glaus-streak was hot, his non-homers were drives through the box. (Pujols suffered the same dilemma for a while, but he has recently remembered that the middle and opposite side of the field are still there, and now seems very dialed in.)
On Carp: Don't worry about the 67 pitches last night. Letting him head into the fifth might've created an overage on the "planned pitch count," and it seems much wiser, since he was going to be limited anyway, to pull him after a successful inning and keep him psychologically sound for his next appearance. Taking a pitcher out in the middle of an inning, even when done so for a pitch-count limitation, still has that air of "you ain't gettin it done."La Russa, in my opinion, did it right.
On Mather: Wow, does this guy ever look gangly at the plate, like he's trying to stand up straight inside a kid's clubhouse. For awhile, it seemed as if he could never get around on a fastball, his swing somewhat loopy and long and with what looks like a telephone pole for a bat. Yet he was somehow getting that bat around with authority on a few fastballs. Hopefully, Mr. Mather remains locked in, as the more ABs he mounts, the more he will be studied by opposing pitchers, who will counter with various pitching strategies. Time will tell for Mather in this regard. One thing is for sure, however. While some of the dead pull hitters like Ankiel and Duncan, and at times, Glaus, are highly susceptible to the off-speed speed stuff, Mather sees the spinners as well as anyone, it seems, and knows exactly how to drive those "swervy" slow-balls through the middle third of the field. If he doesn't continue to start due his hot bat, he can still be a great match-up pinch hitter versus hurlers who prefer to pull the string, even right-handed hurlers.
photo by Barbara Moore
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Deal, or no deal?
With the trade deadline hours away, every blogger in baseball is throwing out predictions like candy at a parade. It's just too fun not too.
But I can only hearken back to former post on the Deal or no deal? theme.
And that particular question can only direct itself toward Cards' GM John Mozeliak. Can't imagine how much smoke is pouring out of his ears as his wheels turn today. You have to admit that even if the Cards are not hot on any certain deal, the possibilities have to be studied and kept on top of, so to speak, down to the wire, just in case something changes.
We don't want to "should" all over the Cards, but everyone is going to have an opinion on what the Cards should do.
Maybe,
- trade for an "impact" bat
- trade for a reliever, lefty, is at all possible
- trade for another starter
But of course, there isn't a ball club around that couldn't use another light's out closer, or an impact bat, or another great starter. No duh.
Actually, just about anybody with true talent is a good fit for the Cards, so the best deal may be simply to make a great acquisition, if, there's one out there.
And if not, don't do anything. Ride with what you've got, meaning, the Cardinals should ride with what they have, and what they hope to have as far as the return and re-sharpening of Adam Wainwright and (now on the scene) Chris Carpenter. The same goes for Randy Flores and Chris Duncan.
Keep in mind one more item not hit upon as the Cards come down the stretch: Once the rosters can be expanded in September, realize that the Cards will have one of the better benches in the bigs. Suddenly, all these hitters and pitchers that have travelled back forth from Memphis are not only going to be available, but will have that invaluable experience of having been there.
Read more...Redbird Randoms ... Pineiro, Mather
On-deck: The Cards go for a sweep tonight at Turner Field against the injury-riddled Atlanta Braves. Gamie time is 6:00 p.m. CT.
Probables: STL-Joel Pineiro RHP (3-4, 4.79) vs. ATL-Mike Hampton LHP (0-0, 13.50)
Birds' Perch: With the Cubs knocking off the Brewers yet again, the Brew-crew got a taste of their own sweeping medicine, but more importantly for the Cards, the Brewers are now only one percentage point ahead of them in the NL Central, .556 over .555.
The Cubs remain four full games ahead of both the Cards and the Brewers as we head into the last third of the season.
Whatcha done for me lately? Joe Mather has played in six games since being called up from Triple-A Memphis, and this is what he has contributed to the parent club.
- 21 ABs
- 4 runs
- 7 hits
- 2 doubles
- 2 home runs
- 4 RBIs
- .333 on-base percentage
- .714 slugging percentage
- .333 batting average
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Carp off to good start, Mather doubles, goes deep to lead offense
Chris Carpenter went to the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals for the first time in nearly two years. Needless to say, all of Cardinal Nation was anxious.
The former Cy Young winner had the difficulty with command one might expect, using a lot of pitches and making it easy for the Braves to take a lot of balls. In the second inning, the Braves compiled three successive hits, the last off the bat of Jeff Francouer, who singled home Omar Infante to take a 1-0 lead.
The Cardinals would have to grind away at Braves' starter and rookie standout Jair Jurrjens into the fifth inning before Cesar Izturis singled home Joe Mather in a Redbirds' rally. Later in the rally, Adam Kennedy would double Izuris home to turn the tables on the lead, the Cards now up one at 2-1.
Brad Thompson came on in relief of Carpenter to start the fifth, having a rough inning out of the chute, giving up a couple walks and singles that culminated into the Braves tying up the game at 2-all.
Thompson settled down in the sixth, matching Jurrjens one-two-three inning.
In the seventh, more inefficient defensive play by the Braves combined with good base running by Adam Kennedy and a stubborn at-bat by Albert Pujols gave the Cardinals the go-ahead run at 3-2. Pujols ran a full count on Jurrjens and continued to foul off pitches with aggressive but control.
In the bottom of the seventh with two outs, Thompson gave up a single to Infante and Cards' manager Tony La Russa brought in Russ Springer. Just like the previous night's game, Springer only needed one pitch to get out of the jam.
There was some doubt about Joe Mather's ability to catch up to heat due to his awkward-looking stance and somewhat lengthy swing, but with Yadier Molina on base in the eighth, Mather turned on a low-90s fastball from Braves' reliever Blaine Boyer, launching it into the left field seats, the two run blast increasing the Cards lead to 5-2. This was Mather's second round-tripper in the Atlanta series.
La Russa brought in Kyle McClellan to face the Braves in the eighth. McClellan seemed close to being overworked, the first two batters reaching. With two outs, McClellan walked Escobar. La Russa yanked McClellan for Ron Villone, who secured the inning's last out to get the Cards out of another jam.
Ludwick and Glaus both had back to back RBI-singles in the ninth to push the Cards lead to 7-2.
Villone stayed in to close, giving up a double but taking down the other three Braves' batsmen.
Carpenter's start, under the microscope, went for 67 pitches, during which he allowed the one earned run. He walked two and struck out two, giving up five hits. For his short stint, he now carries an 2.25 ERA.
Thompson gave up the only other Braves' run in his 2 2/3's innings, walking two and striking out one. His role in middle relief was expected, and he came through with some stellar defensive work from first baseman Pujols, who robbed the Braves' leadoff hitter in the seventh. Casey Kotchman ripped a hard grounder down the first base line that Pujols dove on, whirling around form his downed position and hitting Thompson covering first base, preventing a sure leadoff double.
Offensive standouts for the Cards:
- Joe Mather went 2-for-5, scoring two runs on a double and a home run.
- Also doubling were Skip Schumaker, Albert Pujols, and Kennedy.
- Joe Mather, Yadier Molina, and Adam Kennedy went 2-for-5.
- Ryan Ludwick went 2-for-4.
- Brad Thompson earned the victory, improving his record to 4-2.
The Cards ensured a series win with the victory and have a chance to sweep tomorrow afternoon before returning to Busch Stadium to start a homestand on Friday.
photo by Barbara Moore
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Flores optioned to Memphis, Carpenter activated
In order for Chris Carpenter to pitch tonight, the Cardinals had to make room the roster. Randy Flores got bumped to accomplish Carpenter's activation.
The left-handed reliever has been having a hard time for most of the season. To add injury to insult, Flores had an ankle injury that landed him on the 15-day DL. Since rejoining the active roster, he struggled as much as before, and even tried an alteration in his mechanics with the help of pitching coach, Dave Duncan. It didn't work.
The demotion doesn't have to be a bad thing, however. Flores can now work at the Triple-A level in Memphis and deal with mechanical issues with less pressure to perform. It would be surprising if Flores didn't return to the parent club at some time before September. He would certainly make it back to St. Louis after September begins, when rosters expand.
Flores's departure continues to emphasize the point that the Cardinals could not only use a reliever currently on his game, but a lefthanded talent as well.
With the trade deadline within a day, the Flores move to Class AAA might be a hint at a possible direction of any trade deals, especially when the Cards could have sent down Nick Stavinoha. Joe Mather was another possibility, but he has been hitting of late, catching La Russa's eye, who often rewards production with further playing duties.
In any event, this Flores deal is done (for now), and Chris Carpenter's first mound appearance on a major league field in almost two years is sure to overshadow, at least to some degree, the speculation of an eleventh hour trade.
Then again, if Carpenter should run into major difficulty on the hill tonight, the Howie Mandel analogy will come to the fore: Deal ... or no deal!
photo by Barbara Moore
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Poll results: Wish-List 5, starting rotation
Thanks to all of you who participated in the selection of your Wish-List 5 regarding who you wanted as the Cardinals' starting rotation.
Here's the starting rotation:
- Chris Carpenter
- Adam Wainwright
- Kyle Loshe
- Todd Wellemeyer
- Braden Looper
Other notables:
- Mark Mulder came in sixth.
- Aaron Miles beat out Mike Parisi and Mitchell Boggs
Redbird Randoms ... Carp returns tonight
On-deck: The Cardinals go for an early series win in game three of a four-game set with the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia. Game time is 6:00 p.m. CT.
Probables: STL-Chris Carpenter RHP (0-0, -.--) vs. ATL-Jair Jurrjens RHP (10-5, 3.02)
Birds' Perch: Still in third place in the NL Central, and still four games behind the first place Cubs, the Cards are gaining ground on the Brewers, who lost to the Cubs again last night at Miller Park. The Brewers are currently only one game ahead of the Cards.
No rehab yet: The media ran away with itself again, when it collectively suggested that injured Adam Wainwright would get a rehab start on Friday. According to manager Tony La Russa, the report was bogus, and cautioned the media and fans not to put so much speculation into the status of the recovering pitcher.
Jay promotion: Jon Jay has done a good job for the Class AA Springfield Cardinals, good enough to get called up to play for the Class AAA Memphis Redbirds. According to the Springfield New Leader, Jay hit .306 for the AA-Cards, including 11 home runs and 47 RBIs. A roster spot opened up when Shane Robinson went on the DL.
Whatcha done for me lately? Albert Pujols has hit three home runs in his last four games.
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Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Pujols goes deep again, Cards pounce on Braves
Todd Wellemeyer struggled and battled for six innings, during which time the Cardinals fought in a one run game for five. And for the sixth and seventh innings, they fought in a tied game, Ryan Franklin relieving from the latter, and extending on through the eighth.
Brendan Ryan got the Cards on the board first with an RBI single in the second inning, bringing home Yadier Molina.
The Braves' starter, a last minute insertion, Jorge Campillo, didn't give the Cards much. He would baffle the Cards most of the time with more off-speed than fast balls. He also got to work with a lead, although a slim one, when the Braves put together a two-run third inning, taking the lead at 2-1.
Campillo, would work longer than Wellemeyer by an inning, going seven complete. Both Wellemeyer and Campillo walked one and struck out five. Wellemeyer threw 98 pitches while Campillo tossed 100.
Before Campillo was through, however, he would give a home to Albert Pujols, who has hit a home run in three out of his last four games.
The 2-all game found Franklin pitching when the Cards took the lead in the eighth, Pujols working is way around the base in phases, getting on with a double into the right field corner, then stealing third base, and able to scrambled to his feet when an errant throw zipped into left field, dashing home with the lead run at 3-2.
A five-run ninth all but sealed the fate of Bobby Cox's Braves, an inning that got away from reliever Mike Gonzalez before he knew it.
Cesar Izturis singled home Ryan for the fourth Cardinals' run. Nick Stavinoha hit a sacrifice, Aaron Miles tagging up at third and scoring. When Troy Gluas walked with the bases loaded, forcing home Izturis, Cox replaced Gonzalez with reliever Blaine Boyer.
Molina would hit a two-RBI single off of Boyer, Pujols and Ryan Ludwick scoring, bring the Cards into a commanding lead at 8-3.
Instead of using Jason Isringhausen in his return to the closer's role, Cards' manager Tony La Russa brought in Kyle McClellan due to the big lead.
Franklin would obtain the victory, improved to 4-4. Rafael Soriano would take his first loss, now 0-1.
- Yadier Molina went 3-for-5 with a run scored and two RBIs.
- Pujols went 2-for-4, scoring three runs and collecting one RBI.
- Ryan went 2-for-5, scoring a run and recording one RBI.
- Cesar Izturis went 1-for-4, scoring one run and getting credit for one RBI.
- Ludwick went 1-for-4, scoring a run.
photo by Barbara Moore
4thebirds...Mediacast 7-29-08
All the basics in less than minutes: 4thebirds in 4.
And if you can stick around, more Cardinals tidbits to chew on.
As always, post comments. I'll try to include responses in upcoming mediacasts.
Rapoport, Craig homers not enough for AA-Cards
Springfield Cardinals (AA): Lost 10-4 to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals last night.
Starter Jess Todd had one of those nights, allowing eight runs in his five innings of work. He walked three and struck out six, giving up three longballs that acounted for all but one of the Naturals' runs. A grand slam was part of the nightmarish equation.
Notable hitting in the loss for the AA-Cards:
- Allen Craig went 2-for-4 with a home run.
- James Rapoport went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer.
- Daryl Jones went 2-for-4 and scored a run.
Fick pitches 7 1/3 in Bandits loss to Loons
Quad-Cities River Bandits (Low-A): Lost 6-2 to the Great Lakes Loons.
When the River Bandits tied the game at 2-all in the eighth inning, they thought they were in a position to make a last inning comeback.
In the Bandits' eighth, Francisco Rivera came up with a two-out, two-RBI basehit, Adron Chambers and Peter Kozman scoring.
But the gutsy rally must've woke up the Loons, because they got crazy in the bottom of the frame, doubling the answer, scoring four of their own to set what would be the final score at 6-2.
Bandits' starter Chuckie Fick fell to 3-3 after 7 1/3 innings of work. He allowed three runs on seven hits, but also struck out three.
Reliever Matt Spade got bum-rushed for three runs on two hits. Spade also gave up two walks and worked only one out.
Brandon Garner came on in relief, but gave up two hits before he could secure the last out of the eighth.
Curtis powers Muckdogs to win over Crosscutters
Batavia Muckdogs (A-short season): Won 5-4 over the Williamsport Crosscutters.
Ramon Delgado was the winning pitcher, going five innings. Delgado improved to 2-1. He allowed six hits and one run, striking out four.
Earning his first save, Jameson Maj had to work four full innings to do it. He allowed a couple runs on four hits, also striking out four. He gave up one home run ball.
Jermaine Curtis starred at the plate for the Muckdogs with a three-run homer.
Christian Rosa went 2-for-4, scoring a run.
Poll reminder: Rotation Wish-List 5
There is one day remaining for you to make selections of your Wish-List 5.
Of the listed Cardinals' pitchers on the poll on the sidebar to your right, you get to choose five starters to fill out your wish-list of a starting rotation, regardless of any pitcher's availability at this time.
It's free and it's fun.
Results will be posted after the poll closes
Phelps may be too much for Memphis
Memphis Redbirds (AAA): The Redbirds displayed a ton of offense in a 13-11 win over the Tacoma Rainiers at Autozone Park, but Josh Phelps outdid every hitter in the game.
Phelps hammered two three-run homers and an RBI single in a 3-for-5 night, grabbing seven RBIs can carrying his weight on the St. Louis Cardinals' Class-AAA team.
According to an article by Matthew Leach, Phelps has homered five times in his last eleven games. He has seen action at the major league level, and has been on several different minor league squads for different organizations. He claims the trade and moves don't bother as much, that he concentrates on playing well. Not only is he playing well, he might be getting to be too much bat for the Triple-A level.
He wouldn't be alone in that department, with players like Joe Mather and Nick Stavinoha pounding away for the Redbirds. Unlike these outfielders, however, Phelps is a first baseman who hasn't had a hot with the parent club yet. Phelps realizes Albert Pujols is not someone he's simply going to replace at this point.
It probably wouldn't surprise Phelps if he was traded because of the the coverage the Cardinals have at first base (Pujols, Duncan). Phelps does have value in the player market, however, up to 20 homers and 72 RBIs this season.
The Redbirds outlasted the Tacoma Raineirs, who kept answering the Redbirds' big innings early in the game. After adding one more in the sixth, it suddenly became a pitcher's duel, each team holding through to the end.
The game featured 31 hits, Tacoma tallying 16 or those.
Six Redbirds' pitchers split up the inning, but according the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Jason Motte was the most effective, striking out five Rainiers' batsmen in a row.
Redbird bats of note:
- Josh Phelps went 3-for-5 with a pair of three-run homers and an RBI single while scoring three runs.
- David Freese went 3-for-5, including a home run, scoring three runs and collecting three RBIs.
- Brian Barton was 1-for-4 with a triple and scoring two runs.
- Tyler Greene, just called up from Double-AA Springfield when Brian Barden departed for the U.S. Olympic team, went 1-for-5, scoring a run and nabbing one RBI.
- D'Angelo Jimenez went 3-for-5, scoring two runs and hitting one double and one triple.
- Mark Johnson and Cody Haerther both went 2-for-4.
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