The Glimmer of Iz
No sweep for Cards as Manny goes deep again
Taking the rubber match, 4-1, on getaway day, the Dodgers got some quality innings out of their 20-year-old starter, Clayton Kershaw. Allowing only one run on three hits in seven full innings, Kershaw threw a boatload of pitches early, then settled down. His innings finished with four walks and seven strikeouts.
Lohse pitched well, but gave up all four runs early. Down one run in the third, Ramirez took Lohse for 412 feet worth of fly ball that, unfortunately, was much farther then the left field wall. The two-run blast put the Dodgers out in front by three.
Jaun Pierre would triple home a run in the next inning, the Dodgers going up 4-0.
The Cardinals wouldn't get on the scoreboard until the fifth inning, Cesar Izturis singling home Aaron Miles for the Redbirds' only run.
Redbird Randoms ... Lohse 8/7/08
Nieto and the Muckdogs blank Doubledays
Kernals blank Quads' finest in Iowa
Fiske Ks five in Missions shutout
Freese, Phelps' homers not enough for Redbirds
Johnson City R-Cards fall to Pulaski
- Alex Castellanos, a name we never seem to not see when reported on this St. Louis Cardinals' affiliate, went 2-for-4 and scored a run.
- Edgar Lara went 2-for-4.
- Ivan Castro had a 1-for-4 game, his hit a double.
Garceau, Parise, Samuel, one-two-three punch the Palm Beach win ticket
River Bandits shut out Kernals
Pineiro goes seven while Pujols slams and Ludwick solos
The St. Louis Cardinals took the three-game series as well, from the Los Angeles Dodgers, and have a chance to sweep today at 1:15 p.m., an afternoon game on "getaway day," before the Cards travel to Chicago for a three-game set in that city against the NL Central's leaders.
The Cards jumped on the board first, Adam Kennedy scoring on a wild pitch by Dodgers' starter Derek Lowe in the first inning.
Manny Ramirez would have none of it, however, blasting a solo home run in the next half-inning, teammate Angel Berrora tripling home a run in the same frame, flipping the lead over to the Dodgers, 2-1.
Ramirez then singled home Matt Kemp in the third inning, extending the Dodgers lead to 3-1.
Pineiro kept plugging away, as he has been for weeks, without a lot of good results usually. Just the same, he worked through the innings waiting for the Redbirds' offense to come alive.
Ryan Ludwick answered quickly, singling Pujols home in the third. Not long after, Yadier Molina singled home Ludwick, and the game was tied at 3-all.
Pineiro then got a real lift after holding the Dodgers scoreless in the fourth, Pujols launching a grand slam into the left field seats, the Cards suddenly up 7-3 with one swing. The next batter, Ludwick, belted a homer as well, solo, of course, since Pujols had just cleared the bases. Ludwick's team leading 29th homer added one, making it 8-3.
Pineiro did a lot to help himself get a win while helping his team keep pace with the Cubs and the Brewers when he went farther than the fourth inning. Both the fifth and the sixth innings were one-two-three's respectively. The Brewers managed to clip Pineiro for one run in the eighth, cutting the lead to four at 8-4.
When Joe Mather got a pinch-single in the seventh, then stole second, he needed only wait around for Skip Schumaker to single him home to inch the Cards ahead by five once more, 9-4.
Brad Thompson came on in relief for the eighth inning, giving up two runs before Cardinals' manager Tony La Russa brought in Chris Perez to see if he could pull off a four-out close. Perez was activated today, and although La Russa didn't say it out loud, it was obvious Perez was going to get a shot at closing if the game conditions dictated the opportunity. Well, the game conditions did, however early it occurred.
Perez worked his closing with a 9-6 lead, getting into a position in the ninth that found the Dodgers attempting to rally as they had the previous night. The closest Joe Torre's team got, however, was with the potential tying run on-deck in the form of Manny Ramirez. Perez, however, got Russell Martin to ground out on a slow-roller to third baseman Troy Glaus.
It was Perez's first major league save. He struck out four.
The Dodgers had a few offensive pains. One was Casey Blake, who went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Three other Dodgers' hitters had doubles, including Kemp, Angel Berroa, and James Loney. The aforementioned hitters were responsible for eight out of the Dodgers 11 hits on the night.
The Cardinals had 17 hits, 11 of them due to four hitters: Pujols, Ludwick, Kennedy, and Izturis. Pujols accounted for four of the team's nine runs, his grand slam taking care of those. Pujols also doubled and singled twice.
Ludwick went 3-for-5, Kennedy went 2-for-5, and Izturis went 2-for-3.
Another Cardinals's hitter of interest was newcomer Felipe Lopez, who went 1-for-3.
The game time was 2:56.
Game attendance was 42,581.
photos by Barbara Moore
4thebirds...LIVEblog Daytime Session 8/6/08
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Thanks for helping us develop the way Cardinal Nation is addressed.
Redbird Randoms ... 8/6/08 Lopez, Phelps, Kozma
On-deck: The Cards take on the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight at Busch Stadium in St. Louis at 7:15 p.m. This is the second game of a three-game set. This series will finish a six-game home stand before the Cards take to the road on a 10-game trip.
Probabes: LAD-Derek Lowe RHP (8-9, 3.70) vs. STL-Joel Pineiro RHP (3-5, 5.04)
Birds' Perch: The Cub and Brewers both won yesterday, the Cardinals keeping pace in the NL Central with their 11-inning win last night. The Cubs keep a firm grip on first place, the Brewers 5.0 games behind in second place; the Cardinals 5.5 games out and a 1/2-game behind the Brew-Crew.
Wainwright's finger: Rehabbing Adam Wainwright threw a bullpen session at Busch Stadium yesterday, about 30 pitches. He may pitch one or two rehab starts, and most likely, will throw for the Memphis Redbirds, the Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate, Saturday.
Phelps' accolade: Class AAA Memphis Redbirds' Josh Phelps continues to impress, named the Pacific Coast Leagues' Batter of the Week.
Kozma to Palm Beach: Peter Kozma has been promoted to the Cardinals' High-A affiliate, Palm Beach Cardinals.
Tummy taking longer: Rick Ankiel's abdominal strain has kept him out of the regular lineup a little longer than expected. He will continue to be available for pinch-hitting duties versus the Dodgers in their current series, but is under orders not to lay on the after-burners when it comes to running.
Lopez the Nat now Lopez the Card: The Cardinals have signed Felipe Lopez, who was recently released from the Washington Nationals. Lopez was an All-Star in 2005, and has plenty of major league experience. He plays middle infield, mostly second base.
Ryan down: In order to make room on the roster for recent pickup Felipe Lopez, the Cardinals have optioned infielder Brendan Ryan to Triple-A Memphis.
Whatcha done for me lately? These minor leaguers in the Cards' system have done something lately, in fact, yesterday.
Johnson City Cardinals (Rookie League)--Jose Mateo went 5-for-6, scoring one run and tabbing one RBI.
Johnson City Cardinals (Rookie League)--Osvaldo Morales went 1-for-4, scoring four runs, hitting a home run and collecting two RBIs.
Quad-Cities River Bandits (Low-A)--Brett Wallace went 3-for-4, scored one run, hit one double, and notched one RBI.
Memphis Redbirds (AAA)--Tyler Greene went 1-for-4, scoring one run, hitting one double, and grabbing one RBI.
Memphis Redbirds (AAA)--Josh Phelps went 1-for-4, scoring two runs and hitting one double.
Cards pick up Lopez, drop Ryan
A middle infielder hailing from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Lopez has major league experience, and in fact, was an All-Star in 2005.
According to the St. Louis Cardinals Official Web Site, Lopez is 28 years old. He is a switch hitter.
According to statistics compiled on the Washington Nationals Official Web Site, Lopez had played in 100 games this season. He had 76 hits in 325 at-bats for a batting average of .234 and started 76 games at middle infield positions, 69 of those at second base.
Lopez has played with Toronto, Cincinnati, and Washington.
This season, he has 20 doubles and 25 RBIs.
The Cardinals are bringing Lopez straight to the major league ball club, optioning Brendan Ryan to Triple-A Memphis since, according to manager Tony La Russa, he will get more at bats and playing time then he was likely to currently.
What hasn't been explained is what the Cardinals are going to do with yet another infielder.
The obvious difference to the club, however, is that Lopez brings much more experience to a team that is still in the hunt for a division title, if not the Wild Card spot in the NL.
The Cardinals have some pretty good talent in their minor league system in a variety of positions, but the time for testing them at the major league level has slipped away with less than a third of the season remaining and two bonafide contenders ahead of the Cards right now in the Brewers and the Cubs.
Lopez eliminates at some of the anxiety of "new meat" on the field. Regardless of Lopez's current level of play, one thing is for sure: he won't be out on the field trying to figure out how the Bigs works.
Ludwick hits walk-off homer in 11th
Cards can't spoil Lidge's perfection, edged 5-4
Redbird Randoms ... LIVEblog 8-2-08
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Redbird Randoms ... Looper, Phelps, Motte, UCB
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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
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.
