Wainwright wins as Cards pound D'backs

Not even the mighty David Eckstein could hold off the Cardinals tonight at Chase Field in Arizona tonight as Adam Wainwright earned his eighth victory, now 8-3, striking out seven Diamondbacks hitters in an 8-2 Cardinals victory.

Wainwright pitched only 5.1 innings, but allowed only three hits and one run.

And even while Wainwright was busy holding off the Diamondbacks' offense, the Cardinals once more provided some decent production. Yadier Molina and Felipe Lopez each hit two-run homers, each of them round-tripping in as many games. The added touch for Lopez was that he has hit his two homers in two days with one bomb from each side of the plate.

Cards' manager Tony La Russa went on to use a lot of pen, now, with a few extra arms since the September callups have been put on the roster. La Russa brought in Ron Villone and Russ Springer for an out each before bringing on Chris Carpenter to pitch the seventh inning. Ryan Franklin would pitch the eighth, and Chris Perez would close out in the ninth, throwing to call-up catcher Mark Johnson.

Troy Glaus came out of the low end of his streakiness, for lack of a better expression, but one that fits the tall drink of third baseman. Glaus went 2-for-4 with a home run, a two-run blast in the third inning that put the Cards on the board first.

Yadier Molina was 1-for-three with a double, now hitting .310.

Adam Wainwright also doubled with the bases loaded, driving home two runs and helping himself toward a victory.

The Cardinals looked good a team that has been recently written off by the bulk of the media, showing good offense against some good pitching and a good team. But the performances of all the pitchers tonight boded well, especially when the comebacks of Wainwright and Carpenter seem to be going better than expected.

It is possible that Carpenter will not be available again until the Cardinals get back to St. Louis this weekend, as he threw 24 pitches in his one inning of relief. In a post-game interview, La Russa stated Carpenter would most likely be available on Friday in St. Louis if needed. Wisely, the Cardinals are not pushing Carpenter's comeback.

The Cardinals will attempt to win the Diamondbacks series tomorrow night at Chase Field, game time, 2:40 p.m., CT.

Kyle Lohse is slated to pitch for the Cards while Doug Davis will get the nod for the D'backs.

Adam Dunn photo by SD Dirk

Yadier Molina/Troy Glaus photo by Barbara Moore

Chris Carpenter photo by Barbara Moore

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4thebirds...LIVEcast Cardinals vs. Diamondbacks 9/2/08

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Call-ups, St. Louis Cardinals

According the St. Louis Cardinals Official Web Site, these players have been added as part of the expanded roster:

• Brendan Ryan -- IF
• Josh Phelps -- IF
• Brian Barden -- IF
• Mark Johnson -- C
• Jason Motte -- P
• Josh Kinney -- P
• Kelvin Jimenez -- P
  

Randy Flores had already been called up yesterday.

This may not be a complete list.

photo by Barbara Moore

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Redbird Randoms...9/2/08 Wainwright, Mather

On-deck: The Cards take on the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field tonight at 8:40 p.m. CT.

Probables: STL-Adam Wainwright RHP (7-3, 3.04) vs. ARZ-Yusmeiro Petit RHP (3-3, 3.83)

Birds' Perch: The Cardinals remain in third place in the NL Central, 11.0 games behind the division-leading Cubs, and 6.5 games behind the second place Brewers.

Wild Card: The Cardinals are currently in third place in the NL Wild Card race. The Brewers lead, with the Phillies 5.5 game behind them, followed by the Cardinals, 6.5 games back.

Carpenter bull: Pitcher Chris Carpenter, for the moment, is to be utilized in the bullpen.

Mather hurt: Outfielder Joe Mather is likely out for the rest of the 2008 season after injuring his left wrist while checking a swing in last night's game. The recovery time is approximately two weeks at best, which pretty much sidelines him for the remainder of the year.

Call-ups: The Cardinals are now able to expand their roster, and tonight you may see several minor league players on the bench, most of whom have been with the club already this season.

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C.A.R.D. 9/1/08 Memphis Redbirds

Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Lost 4-2 to the Oklahoma RedHawks.

• Brendan Ryan went 1-for-4 with a double
• D'Angelo Jimenez went 2-for-3
• Mark Johsnon went 2-for-3 with a double
• Mitchell Boggs pitched 7.0 innings, walked two and struck out six RedHawks

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C.A.R.D. 9/1/08 Springfield Cardinals

Springfield Cardinals (AA): Lost 3-2 to the Arkansas Travelers.

• Andrew Brown was 1-for-4 with a double
• Brandon Buckman was 2-for-4 with a double
• James Rapoport was 3-for-4
• Justin Fiske pitched 6.2 innings

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C.A.R.D. 9/1/08 Quad-Cities River Bandits

Quad-Cities River Bandits (A): Lost 5-0 to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

• Domnit Bolivar was 1-for-3, collecting the only River Bandits hit

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C.A.R.D. 9/1/08 Batavia Muckdogs

Batavia Muckdogs (Low-A): Won 13-0 over the State College Spikes.

• Alex Castellanos went 1-for-1 with a triple
• Jermaine Curtis went 2-for-4 with a double
• Colt Sedbrook went 3-for-6
• Shane Peterson went 2-for-6 with a double and a home run
• Xavier Scruggs went 1-for-3 with a double
• Chris Swauger went 1-for-4 with a home run
• Scott Gorgen pitched five scoreless innings, allowing only two hits, while walking one and striking out one Spike
• Angel Tapia pitched three scoreless innings, allowing only one hit while striking out four Spikes
• LaCurtis Mayes pitched one shutout inning, allowing no hits while striking out two Spikes.

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Eckstein shows former team how to be hungry

Odd, how a single can overshadow eight home runs, but the sight of former Cardinal David Eckstein singling home what would be the game-winning run sort of sticks with you, especially if you where one of those who still wishes the Cardinals had never cut him loose in the first place.

It was Ecksteins' seventh inning single that brought home Jeff Salazar that broke a 6-6 tie. Stephen Drew would advance to third on the play and score during the next at-bat when Cardinals' reliever Russ Springer would throw a wild pitch, creating the final 8-6 score.

The Arizona Diamondbacks had made a deal to obtain Eckstein from the Toronto Blue Jays, where the shortstop who had been the Cardinals 2006 World Series MVP had been working out his defensive shortcomings in obscurity in Canada. Yet Eckstein had never lost one of his best attributes: to be hungrier than the "other guy" when it comes to playoff spots and big games. The St. Louis Cardinals got to see that quality yesterday afternoon, got to experience what other teams had when Crunch Time came a calling. Of course, last night, it was the Cards that got crunched.

One thing Eckstein was always a better than average hitter, especially when it counted, and not just against "beat upon" teams. Eckstein went 2-for-4 last night with two RBIs.

Not that the Cards made a bad deal for Eckstein's replacement, either, because Cesar Izturis has filled the shortstop position quite well, and not without some decent hitting of his own. But it makes one wonder why Eckstein couldn't have been moved to second place, where he played for the Diamondbacks last night, and where he'd played much of his earlier career. That he didn't have a shotgun arm probably accounted for most of his fielding errors, as those with actual playing experience can tell you, can put the pressure on you before the ground ball ever reaches you, for instance. But whatever the reason, at least some of Cardinal Nation is still a bit miffed about the Eckstein trade.

And to prove the Eckstein deal was never all that great to begin with, those who didn't much care for the diminutive shortstop, instead of hoping the Cards will play good, have to submit to hoping Eckstein has a bad game, to make themselves feel better, if only for an inning or two. Doesn't help the Cards, either way.

Joel Pineiro and a bevy of relievers couldn't hold a lead for the Cards, which also had quite a bit to do with yesterday's loss. Before Eckstein taught the Cardinals why you don't deal away your MVP just because he has a tough post-WS season in the field, the Cardinals had their chance to prove they could do without him, launching homer after homer, four in all, off the bats of Yadier Molina, Joe Mather, Albert Pujols, and Felipe Lopez. Five out of the Cards' six runs came as a result of home runs.

The home run derby in the desert wasn't limited to Redbirds, however, as the Diamondbacks' Adam Dunn, Chris Young, Stephen Drew, and Mark Reynolds all went long. And if that wasn't enough offense before the Eckstein touche, Drew went 5-for-5, hitting for the cycle with a spare double while scoring three Diamondbacks' runs personally.

The loss was the Cardinals fourth in a row, further dimming their hopes of an NL Wild Card spot, as they now trail both the Brewers and the Phillies, the WC-leading Brewers by 6.5 games.

At a time when the Cardinals are setting their September roster, it appears Joe Mather, who suffered what is believed to be a wrist strain, may be a write-off for the rest of this season, figuring that even under a best case scenario on his alleged injury, that he will miss at least a couple weeks anyhow.

The Cardinals play again at Chase Field in Arizona tonight, the second game of their three-game set with the Diamondbacks. Manager Tony La Russa sends Adam Wainwright (7-3) to the mound versus Yusmeiro Petit (3-3).

If Wainwright cannot cool the Diamondbacks' bats, all the Cardinals seem to have to hope for is to hit another pile of homers and hope that David Eckstein still isn't ticked about getting bumped off a team to which he contributed heavily in winning a World Series.

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Astros blank Cards in complete sweep

Despite some pretty solid pitching by Todd Wellemeyer, the Cardinals got shut out yesterday by the Astros at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Wandy Rodriguez picked up the win, now 8-6, while throwing less inning than Wellemeyer, who battled, down 1-0 for 7.0 innings, giving up that one run, walking no one, and striking out four.

With first place pretty much out of sight, the Wild Card is the next obtainable goal, and even that is beggining to slip away, both the Brewers and the Phillies ahead of the Cardinals. The Phils are only one game ahead, but are tough competitors. The Brewers, leaders for the Wild Card, are 6.5 games ahead, and there aren't a whole lot of games left before the Cardinals will have to depend on others to beat the Brewers for them. When that occurs, you know you're not of a playoff caliber, although teams of this status have made it before.

Momentum off the last win in St. Louis didn't carry over, either, and La Russa's getting tossing on ball-strike call arguing sure didn't fire anybody up. Point is, when Pujols and Ludwick struck in the sixth, you always have to go back to what properly taught youth league players are taught: With two strikes, if it's close enough to get called a strike, it's close enough to swing at. All the theories about how the great hitters know the strike zone so well doesn't hold a cup of water, because having such a high knowledge of such matters should also tell a hitter that you can't rely on a home plate umpire to make the right call in that situation. In other words, if you're so smart as to know the zone to a high degree, how comes you ain't so smart as ta know a poor ball-strike callin ump isn't someone y'all can rely on.

The only real wrap-up for the Astros series is to travel over to Arizona and take your shot at winning some games against the Diamondbacks. Doesn't matter how difficult that might be, not at this point. It's just the next chance at getting closer in the race.

According to the St. Louis Cardinals Official Web Site, you're probably going to see Randy Flores back on the roster today, with more Class AAA Redbirds on the way Tuesday as their season ends today. La Russa may not fill his roster with minor leaguers, however, he does have several that have already played on his big league team.

Joel Pineiro will get the start today, versus left-hander Randy Johnson. Game time is 3:10 p.m. CT.

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Redbird Randoms...9/01/08 Pineiro

On-deck: The Cards start the second half of a six-game road trip today in Arizona, playing the Diamondbacks at Chase Field at 3:10 p.m. CT.

Probables: STL-Joel Pineiro RHP (6-5, 4.83) vs. ARZ-Randy Johnson LHP (10-9, 4.02)

Birds' Perch: The Cardinals hold third place in the NL Central, 11.0 games out of first place behind the Cubs and 5.5 games behind the second place Brewers.

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C.A.R.D. 8/31/08

Batavia Muckdogs (Low-A): Won 5-3 over the Jamestown Jammers.

• Ramon Delgado struck out seven Jammers in 5.0 innings
• Jermaine Curtis went 2-for-2
• Frederick Parejo went 2-for-3
• Chris Swauger went 2-for-3

Quad-Cities River Bandits (A): Won 11-10 over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

• D'Marcus Ingram went 2-for-4 with a home run
• Jonathan Edwards went 2-for-4 with a home run
• Francisco Rivera was 2-for-5 with two doubles
• Roberto Espinoza was 2-for-3 with two doubles
• Nicholas Peoples went 2-for-4 with two doubles

Springfield Cardinals (AA): Lost 5-3 to the Arkansas Travelers.

• Isaias Garcia was 2-for-4 with two doubles
• Allen Craig was 2-for-3

Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Lost 10-7 to the Oklahoma RedHawks.

• P.J. Walters struck eight out RedHawks in 4.2 innings
• Brendan Ryan went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a home run

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Redbird Randoms...8/31/08 Wellemeyer

On-deck: The Cards attempt to avoid a sweep today when they finish up the last of a three-game series with the Houston Astros. Today's game is at Minute Maid Park in Houston, at 1:05 p.m. CT.

Probables: STL-Todd Wellemeyer RHP (11-5, 3.87) vs. HOU-Wandy Rodriguez LHP (7-6, 3.94)

Birds' Perch: The Cards remain in third place in the NL Central, 11.0 games out of first place and 5.5 out of second place.

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Redbird Randoms...8/30/08 Looper

On-deck: The Cards play the second game of a three-game series at Minute Maid Park in Houston versus the Astros tonight at 6:05 p.m. CT.

Probables: STL-Braden Looper RHP (12-10, 3.94) vs. HOU-Brian Moehler RHP (9-5, 3.99).

Birds' Perch: The Cards currently hold third place in the NL Central, 11.0 games behind the first place Cubs and 4.5 games behind the second place (and Wild Card leading) Brewers.

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C.A.R.D. 8/29/08

Batavia Muckdogs (Low-A): Won 4-2 over the Williamsport Crosscutters.

• Hector Cardenas struck out six Mets in 5.0 innings

Quad-Cities River Bandits (A): Lost 6-2 to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

• Deryk Hooker struck out six Timber Rattlers in 5.2 innings

Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A): GAME #2 -- Lost 8-1 to the Vero Beach Devil Rays.

• Mike Diapoules struck out five Devil Rays in 5.0 innings

Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A): GAME #2 -- Lost 6-3 to the Vero Beach Devil Rays.

• Antonio DeJesus went 2-for-2

Springfield Cardinals (AA): Lost 6-5 to the Tulsa Drillers.

• Donovan Solano went 3-for-5
• James Rapoport went 3-for-6

Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Won 1-0 over the Oklahoma RedHawks.

• David Freese went 3-for-4
• Shane Robinson went 2-for-3 with a triple
• Blake Hawksworth struck out six RedHawks in 6.1 innings

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C.A.R.D. 8/28/08

Batavia Muckdogs (A): Won 11-7 over the Williamsport Crosscutters.

• Charles Cutler went 4-for-5 with a home run

Quad-Cities River Bandits (Low-A): Won 1-0 over the Burlington Bees.

• Carlos Pupo went 2-for-4 with a double

Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A): Lost 1-0 to the St. Lucie Mets.

• Antonio DeJesus went 2-for-4

Springfield Cardinals (AA): Lost 11-4 to the Tulsa Drillers.

• Allen Craig went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run

Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Lost 8-3 to the Iowa Cubs.

• Rico Washington went 2-for-4 with two home runs

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Redbird Randoms...8/29/08 Lohse

On-deck: The Cards start a six-game road trip with a three-game series at Minute Maid Park in Houston, playing the Astros tonight at 7:05 p.m. CT.

Probables: STL-Kyle Lohse RHP (13-6, 3.96) vs HOU-Randy Wolf LHP (8-11. 4.86)

Birds' Perch: The Cardinals are in third place in the NL Central, 10.0 games behind the first place Cubs and 3.5 games behind the second place and Wild Cards leading Brewers.

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4thebirds...LIVEcast Brewers vs. Cardinals 8/27/08

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Redbird Randoms...8/27/08

On-deck: The Cards play tonight in St. Louis at Busch Stadium versus the Milwaukee Brewers at 7:15 p.m. CT.

Probables: Manny Parra LHP (10-6, 4.10) vs Adam Wainwright RHP (7-3, 3.04)

Birds' Perch: The Cardinals remain in third place in the NL Central, 10.0 games behind the Cubs in first, and 4.5 games behind the Brewers in second place.

LIVEcast blog tonight for Cards: A limited livecast will be open during tonight's ball game, but not attended at all times. The blog is left open so that viewers can leave remarks for later review, which will post at various intervals.

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Cards shellacked dozen to donut

The St. Louis Cardinals lost more than just the game to the Milwaukee Brewers last night. They also lost ground to everyone that counted in their race to obtain a playoff position, be it the distant dream of first place in the NL Central, or the chance at the NL Wild Card spot.

In their 12-0 loss last night a Busch Stadium, the Cards squandered potentially rallies with almost every inning, trying to pick on Brewers' hurler Ben Sheets, who, for all his success, has not done well against the Cardinals. Until last night, that is. And even after the flood gates had opened on the latter of the Cards' relievers, Brian Hall, Mr. Recurring Nightmare of the 9th, returned to haunt Busch Stadium yet again, clobbering a two-run homer to push the Brewers score well out of reach.

At one point, Sheets had thrown more pitches than Cards' starter Todd Wellemeyer, but received some offensive backing at the right times, and somehow found his way out of jam after jam.

Wellemeyer didn't exactly do badly himself, his only real mistake pitch to Ryan Braun, who clocked a two-run homer on a full-count pitch. Actually, that gopher ball itself wasn't the worst pitch in the world, but the slipping to a full count was the problem. Wellemeyer ended up throwing 112 pitches on the night, giving up five runs, four of them earned.

The one unearned run came after Albert Pujols made a rare defensive error. His throw to second was the error, but in fact, what made the goof-up so rare was that Pujols attempted to make a throw to force out a base runner at second base when he had a much easier toss to Wellemeyer covering first base right in front of him. Needless to say, the inning went on until it cost the Cardinals a run. Although that one run by no means became the deciding factor in the ball game, it pointed out the type of night the Cards were having.

On a line drive into left field, Rick Ankiel either misjudged or misread or flat out lost the ball, the drive striking him on the arm, it appeared, no where near his glove.

The Cubs won in a come-from-behind victory, as did the Phillies, and of course, the Brewers beat the Cardinals, so the St. Louis squad lost ground on all fronts; first place and the Wild Card.

As for the NL Central lead, the Cardinals are now 9.5 games out.

A more realisitic goal at this point is the Wild Card spot, which is not out of reach, but is slipping away at the moment. The extra-inning victory by the Phillies allows them to slip into first place in the east, putting the Mets back in the Wild Card and tied with the Cardinals in that category. The Brewers increased their lead in that race, the Mets and Cardinals both 4.5 games behind.

For a team that "talked down" the importance of last night's game, the Brewers sure played like a team hungry to take that Wild Card spot, not content to wait around for the Cubs to self-destruct in the last month of the season, as they have been known to do in the past. The Mets and the Phillies were scrapping pretty good in their extra-inning affair, and the Cubs re-saddled their horse to race on to a big win after falling behind the Pirates.

Which leaves the Cardinals, who played as hard they ever had, but maybe just don't have the same horses, at least not at this point. They seem to be a better team than they show at times, but the mark of the winner is still not showing. Beating up on weaker teams seems to make them appear as good as anyone, but folding against the competitors is more telling at this point.

Still, the Cards can reverse the disheartening feeling and the momentum if they can find a way to split this mini-series with the Brew-Crew. Just playing well, at this point, though, won't cut it, as it might've early in the season. And big secret to the Cardinals having success is really no secret at all, but rather, that they simply go out and play as they usually do, as hard as ever. That's all any team can do, and for that, a true Cardinal Nation cannot find fault with the team from St. Louis.

photo by jodie and larry

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4thebirds...LIVEcast Brewers vs. Cardinals 8/26/08

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Pujols named NL Player of the the Week

Albert Pujols was named by Major League Baseball as the NL Player of the Week after he went on an 11-for-19 tear, batting .579.

Pujols has been bestowed the NL Player of the Week before, six times, making this the seventh. He had four games in which he had more than one hit, tallying 10 RBIs.

Currently, Pujols is in a battle with Atlanta Braves' Chipper Jones for the league lead in batting average, but Pujols has stated (more than once) that regardless of this fact, or whether he is playing against the Braves or anyone else, he does everything he can to help his team win.

photo by Barbara Moore

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C.A.R.D. 8/24/08

Gulf Coast League Cardinals: GAME #1 -- Lost 7-4 to the GCL Nationals.

• Devin Sheperd went 3-for-3

Gulf Coast League Cardinals: GAME #2 -- Won 9-8 over the GCL Nationals.

• Devin Sheperd went 2-for-4
• Rainel Rosario was 1-for-4 with a home run

Johnson City Cardinals (Rookie): Won 6-2 over the Bluefield Orioles.

• Joseph Hage went 2-for-4
• Jose Mateo struck out three Orioles in 5.0 innings

Batavia Muckdogs (Low-A): Won 4-3 over the Williamsport Crosscutters.

• Colt Sedbrook was 3-for-4
• Xavier Scruggs was 1-for-3 with a home run

Quad-Cities River Bandits (A): Lost 5-3 to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

• Domnit Bolivar went 2-for-4 with a home run
• Adron Chambers was 1-for-4 with a home run
• Deryk Hooker struck out six Timber Rattlers in 6.0 innings

Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A): Lost 9-3 to the Brevard County Manatees.

• Tyler Henley went 2-for-3 with a double

Springfield Cardinals (AA): Won 6-5 over the Arkansas Travelers.

• Daryl Jones went 3-for-5 with a home run
• Daniel Descalso was 3-for-4
• Brett Wallace went 2-for-4 with two home runs
• Brad Furnish struck out six Travelers in 6.0 innings

Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Lost 5-4 to the Omaha Royals.

• Nick Stavinoha was 3-for-5
• David Freese went 2-for-4 with a home run

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Redbird Randoms...8/25/08 Wellemeyer, Pujols, Molina

On-deck: The Cards start a two-game set tomorrow night with the Milwaukee Brewers. Game time is 7:15 p.m. CT at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

Probables: MIL-Ben Sheets RHP (11-7, 3.16) vs. STL-Todd Wellemeyer RHP (11-4, 3.79)

Birds' Perch: The Cards hold steady in third place, 8.0 games out of first place and 3.5 out of second place, behind the Cubs and the Brewers, respectively.

Whatcha done for me lately? Over the last 5 games, these are the Cards with the most hits:

• Albert Pujols -- 11 hits
• Yadier Molina -- 8 hits
• Skip Schumaker -- 7 hits
• Cesar Izturis -- 6 hits
• Ryan Ludwick, Felipe Lopez -- 5 hits

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Back on the job

4thebirds... will be back on the job tomorrow, Monday, August 25. We were called away on feature business over this weekend: northeast Indiana; Hebron, Valparaiso; and in Lynwood, Illinois.

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C.A.R.D. 8/22/08

Dominican Summer League Cardinals (DSL): Lost 6-4 to the DSL Mariners.

• Michael Avila went 1-for-4 with a home run
• Tharick Martines went 1-for-3 with a home run

Johnson City Cardinals (Rookie): Lose 4-2 to the Princeton Devil Rays

• Edgar Lara went 2-for-4 with a home run
• Jack Cawley went 3-for-4 with a double
• Yunier Castillo went 2-for-3

Batavia Muckdogs (Low-A): Lost 4-2 to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.

• Chris Swauger went 2-for-3
• Alex Castellanos was 2-for-3 with a double
• Edwin Gomez was 1-for-3 with a double
• Scott Gorgen struck out seven Scarppers in 5.0 innings

Quad-Cities River Bandits (A): Won 5-3 over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

• Nico Vasquez went 2-for-5 with a double
• Francisco Rivera went 2-for-5 with a double
• Domnit Bolivar went 2-for-4
• Blake Murphy was 1-for-4 with a double
• Oliver Marmol went 2-for-4 with a double
• Ryan Kulik struck out nine Timber Rattlers in 7.0 innings
• Matt Spade struck out four Timber Rattlers in 2.0 innings

Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A): GAME #1--Lost 6-2 to the St. Lucie Mets.

• Steve Hill was 1-for-3 with a home run

Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A): GAME #2--Won 6-0 over the St. Lucie Mets.

• Brian Cartie went 2-for-2 with a home run

Springfield Cardinals (AA): Won 5-4 over the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.

• Casey Rowlett went 2-for-4 with a double
• Andrew Brown went 1-for-4 with a double
• Brett Wallace was 2-for-4
• Kyle Mura struck out four Naturals in 4.0 innings

Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Won 5-0 over the Omaha Royals.

• Cody Haerther was 1-for-4 with a double
• Mark Johnson was 2-for-2 with a double

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Redbird Randoms...8/21/08 Wainwright, Schumaker, LaRue

On-deck: The Cards start a three-game weekend series home stand at Busch Stadium tomorrow versus the Atlanta Braves. Tomorrow night's game starts at 7:15 p.m. CT.

Probables: ATL-Charlie Morton RHP (3-7, 5.95) vs. STL-Adam Wainwright RHP (6-3, 3.14)

Birds' Perch: The Cards are currently in third place in the NL Central Division, 8.0 games behind the first place Cubs and 2.5 games behind the second place Brewers.

Wild Card: The Cardinals are 2.5 games out of the NL Wild Card spot, behind the Brewers.

Whatcha done for me lately? These Cards got hits in last night's rout of the Pirates.

• Skip Schumaker -- 3 hits
• Ryan Ludwick -- 2 hits
• Albert Pujols -- 2 hits
• Jason LaRue -- 2 hits
• Rick Ankiel -- 1 hit
• Troy Glaus -- 1 hit
• Felipe Lopez -- 1 hit
• Todd Wellemeyer -- 1 hit

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C.A.R.D. 8/20/08

Dominican Summer League Cardinals (DSL): Won Game #1, 2-1 over the DSL Athletics (Team #2).

• Jorge Lopez was 2-for-4
• Eduard Estalis stuck out five Athletics #2 in 4.0 innings
• Charlian Jimenez struck out three Athletics #2 in 6.0 innings

Dominican Summer League Cardinals (DSL): Lost Game #2, 4-2, to the DSL Athletics (Team #2).

• Michael Avila went 2-for-4 with two doubles
• Pedro Peno stuck out five DSL Athletics #2 in 4.1 innings

Johnson City Cardinals (Rookie): Lost 7-6 to the Bluefield Orioles.

• Luis Mateo went 3-for-6 with a home run
• Edgar Lara was 2-for-4
• Matt Rigoli went 1-for-3 with a double
• Jon Bravo struck out four Orioles in 3.0 innings

Springfield Cardinals (AA): Lost 6-5 to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.

• Daryl Jones went 1-for-4 with a home run
• Donovan Solano went 2-for-3 with a double
• Brett Wallace went 1-for-4 with a double
• Jose Martinez went 3-for-4 with three doubles
• James Rapoport went 1-for-4 with a double

Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Lost 7-6 to the Omaha Royals.

• Nick Stavinoha went 2-for-5 with a home run
• Josh Phelps went 1-for-3 with a home run
• Jarrett Hoffpauir went 2-for-4 with a double

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Frontier Communications drops the ball

Due to connectivity issues with our local ISP, 4thebirds has was unable to run the LIVEcast of yesterday's Cardinals/Pirates game.

As well, there are other problems this ISP has caused, and we will have to make up for their inability to keep us "on the air."

We will take this weekend to retool the damage Frontier has caused our business, and will continue to blog the Cardinals as much as we can, as often as we can, in the interim, and should be back to our regular schedule by next week.

We may have posts over this weekend as the Cardinals take on the Atlanta Braves in a weekend homestand, but cannot promise so at this time.

Thank you for your patience.

Frontier Communications has no explanation for the problem, and as yet, has offered only continued billing instead of a make-good.

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4thebirds...LIVEcast Pirates vs. Cardinals 8/20/08

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Redbird Randoms ... 8/20/08 Carpenter, Isringhausen, Waiwright, Wallace

On-deck: The Cards play the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Game time: 7:15 CT.

Probables: PIT-Jason Davis RHP (1-2, 1.80) vs. STL-Todd Wellemeyer RHP (10-4, 3.79)

Birds' Perch: The Cards remain in third placed in the NL Central, 8.5 behind the first place Cubs and 2.5 behind the second place Brewers.

Wild Card: The Cards are currently 2.5 games behind the Wild Card leader, Brewers.

Izzy done: Chances are, reliever Jason Isringhausen is finished for the 2008 season with tendenitis.

Carp continues to mend: Former ace Chris Carpenter will be handled with care by the Cardinals, who are rehabbing him on-site. "Carp" is now throwing, but not yet pitching off a mound.

Waino ready: Rehabbing pitcher Adam Wainwright has proclaimed himself ready to face big league hitters, but admits he doesn't know what role the Cardinals wish him to pitch in. Wainwright has stated he will accept a role as reliever or starter, whichever the club needs him to do more.

Wallace adds an A: Brett Wallace has been promoted from Class A Quad-Cities River Bandits to Class AA Springfield Cardinals.

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C.A.R.D. 8/19/08

Johnson City Cardinals (Rookie): Won 8-1 over the Bluefield Orioles.

• Luis Mateo went 3-for-5
• Jack Cawley went 2-for-5 with a double and a triple
• Osvaldo Morales went 1-for-5 with a home run
• Rickey Noland went 2-for-4 with a home run
• Scott McGregor struck out five Orioles in 5.0 innings

Quad-Cities River Bandits (A): Lost 5-1 to the Burlington Bees.

• Francisco Rivera went 2-for-4

Springfield Cardinals (AA): Lost 8-4 to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.

• Mark Shorey went 4-for-5 with a double
• Jose Martinez went 2-for-3

Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Lost 4-3 to the Albuquerque Isotopes.

• Josh Phelps went 2-for-3 with a double
• David Freese went 2-for-4 with a double
• Jesse Todd struck out six Isotopes in 6.0 innings

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Izzy latest wrinkle in hardluck hurlers

Jason Isringhausen, according a news feature on the St. Louis Cardinals Official Web Site, is likely done pitching for the balance of the 2008 season. Medical staff report "right elbow tendinitis and a partial tendon tear in his flexor group."

It is highly likely that "Izzy" will be able to return to action next season.

As for former ace Chris Carpenter, he had a throwing session (not pitching) yesterday, and will throw again today at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals are taking plenty of time with Carpenter to be careful of his health.

Yet another former ace, Adam Wainwright, threw a bullpen session yesterday, and has announced that he is once more ready for major league action. The big question now is whether the Cardinals need him more in a reliever's role or back in the starting rotation.

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4thebirds...LIVEcast Pirates vs. Cardinals 8/19/08

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C.A.R.D. 8/18/08

Dominican Summer League Cardinals (DSL): Won, shutting out the DSL Phillies 1-0.

• Michael Avilia went 2-for-4

Johnson City Cardinals (Rookie): Won 4-2 over the Bluefield Orioles.

• Nico Vasquez went 3-for-4
• Jack Cawley went 2-for-3 with a double

Quad-Cities River Bandits (A): Lost 1-0 to the Burlington Bees.

• Thomas Pham went 2-for-4 with a double

Springfield Cardinals (AA): Won 5-2 over the Chorpus Christi Hooks.

• Brandon Dickson struck out five Hooks in 5.0 innings
• Mark Shorey went 2-for-3
• Daryl Jones went 2-for-4 with a home run
• Brandon Buckman went 1-for-4 with a home run

Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Won 6-5 over the Albuquerque Isotopes.

• Brendan Ryan went 2-for-4
• David Freese went 1-for-4 with a home run
• Blake Hawksworth struck out six Isotopes in six inning.

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Redbird Randoms...8/18/08 Looper

On-deck: The Cards are off today. They will start a seven-game homestand tomorrow that will feature day's off after each set. Tomorrow night the Pittsburgh Pirates come to town for a 7:15 p.m. CT game. It will be the first of a two-game set before a day off on Thursday.

Probables: PIT-Ian Snell RHP (4-10, 5.91) vs. STL-Braden Looper RHP (11-9, 4.07)

Birds' Perch: The Cards currently hold third place in the NL Central, 7.5 games behind the division-leading Cubs. The Brewers are in second place, 5.5 games behind the Cubs.

Wild Card: The Milwaukee Brewers are currently the NL's leader for the Wild Card, the St. Louis Cardinals two games behind them.

Competition on tap: The Cubs are idle today, but the Brewers play tonight in Houston.

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Reds ace too much for Redbirds' ace

The Cincinatti Reds' ace Edinson Volquez sailed through some innings and overcame obstacles in other innings that the Cardinals could only hope to, Dusty Baker's non-offensive club hammering the Cards for seven runs in a 7-3 troucing in the series and road trip closer.

Kyle Lohse wasn't sharp, but wasn't so bad, either, the Cards leaving the bases loaded in one inning when they had Volquez on the ropes, failing to support Lohse at the same time. But you can't ask an offense to put up the six or seven runs the Cards usually need to win in every game. Today simply wasn't that day.

The Cards' offense came in spurts, Tory Glaus singling home a run, then, in anoher inning, Schumaker doing the same, and then, in yet another inning, Ryan Ludwick doubling home a run. Volquez gave up only three hits in his 7.0 innings of work.

At one point, Volquez threw a pitch high and tight to Cards' hurler, Kyle Lohse. The next inning, Volquez led off, Lohse playing him some chin music, the home plate umpire then warning both teams. An inning later, Volquez drilled Felipe Lopez in the back, but Volquez was not ejected from the game, making the warnings a somewhat stupid way of doing things for major league baseball.

The loss, combined with a Cubs rout of the Marlins, pushed the Cards back to 7.5 games out of first place in the NL Central. Milwaukee was just getting started on the west coast at the time of this post. A Brewers win would send the Cards three games back of the Wild Card spot, while a loss by the Brewers would allow the Cards to keep pace at two games out of the Wild Card.

Today's game ends a 10-game road trip that found the Cardinals playing tough but losing the series that kicked it off in Chicago, then taking three out of four for the "middle" series with the Florida Marlins, then taking the series against the Cincinatti Reds, failing to sweep today.

Now it's back to St. Louis where they will enjoy tomorrow (Monday) off, then start a home stand with two games with the Pittsburgh Pirates, then a day off, then a three-game series over the next weekend at Busch Stadium versus the Atlanta Braves, then a day off, then another two-game set, this time against the Milwaukee Brewers (also at home), then a day off, then another road trip. So plenty of days off, a good thing with a pitching staff that will need every rest day it can get, especially with the currently DL-pitchers, Wainwright and Carpenter.

photo by Barbara Moore

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4thebirds...LIVEcast Cardinals vs. Reds 8/17/08

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Pineiro wins again as Cards touch-4 four times

Plenty of round-trippers in the Great American Ballpark helped Joel Pineiro pitch through another great outing as the St. Louis Cardinals ensure a series win against the Cincinatti Reds tonight, winning 9-3.

Pineiro gave up seven hits, but some of them were ground ball hits, which as much as summed up his seven complete innings of effectiveness with his sinker. He did give up two solo dingers and one other earned run, but walked no one and struck out six Reds. The right-hander threw 81 pitches, 57 for strikes.

The Cards pounded out 13 hits on the night, four of them round-trippers. Skip Schumaker hit a three-run shot in the second inning after the Cards had already scored two runs to take a 2-1 lead. Schumaker's blast capped off a five-run second inning, leaving Pineiro a commanding 5-1 lead with which to work the hill.

Albert Pujols hit a solo homer in the third to add on, something the Cards are not always capable of doing.

In the fourth inning, Ryan Ludwick hit a two-run shot to left, making it 8-1. Pujols made it a back to back affair, hammering a 400+ foot drive over the center field wall, giving the Cards a 9-1 lead.

The Reds had their turn at long ball, Andy Phillips with a solo shot in the fifth and Brandon Phillips copying the at bat in the sixth.

With a 9-3 lead, manager Tony La Russa brought in Jason Isringhausen for the seventh inning, Russ Springer for the eighth, and Ron Villone for the ninth, each of them giving up one hit, but no runs.

Pineiro improves his record to 6-5, and with Chris Perez putting in two good closing performances, the chances of Adam Wainwright returning to the starting rotation instead of the bullpen is probably getting more consideration.

The Cardinals have a chance to sweep the Reds tomorrow afternoon at 12:15 p.m. Kyle Lohse (13-5) is slated to throw against the Reds' Edinson Volquez (14-5).

photo by Iscan

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4thebirds...LIVEcast Cardinals vs. Reds 8/16/08

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Redbird Randoms...8/16/08 Pineiro, Barton, Glaus

On-deck: The Cards play the Cincinatti Reds tonight at the Great American Ballpark in Ohio. Game time is 6:10 p.m. CT.

Probables: STL-Joel Pineiro RHP (5-5, 4.82) vs. Aaron Harang RHP (3-12, 5.17)

Birds' Perch: The Cardinals are in third place in the NL Central Division, 7.5 games behind the first place Cubs and 2.0 behind the second place Brewers.

Wild Card: The Milwaukee Brewers currently lead the Wild Card race, the Cards two games behind. The Phillies are 4.5 games behind the Brewers, right on the Cards' heels.

Carp on DL: Chris Carpenter is one the 15-day DL with an expected return of August 26.

Waino in Memphis rehab: Injured pitcher Adam Wainwright will make another rehab start for Triple-A Memphis, tonight.

Whatcha done for me lately? These are the Cards with the most hits over the last 7 games:

• Troy Glaus -- 10 (in six games)
• Felipe Lopez -- 9
• Ryan Ludwick, Albert Pujols, Cesar Izturis -- 8

Barton activated: Brian Barton has been activated, the Cardinals finding room for him on the roster when Chris Carpenter was placed on the DL.

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C.A.R.D. 8/15/08

Gulf Coast League Cardinals (GCL): Lost 11-8 to the GCL Mets.

• Jose Rada struck out eight Mets in 5.0 innings.

Johnson City Cardinals (Rookie): Lost 11-1 to the Kingsport Mets.

• Edgar Lara went 2-for-3

Batavia Muckdogs (Low-A): Lost 5-1 to the Auburn Doubledays.

• Colt Sedbrook went 3-for-4

Quad-Cities River Bandits (A): Lost 11-4 to the Beloit Snappers.

• D'Marcus Ingram went 3-for-5
• Domnit Boliver went 4-for-6 with a double and a homer run
• Carlos Pupo went 2-for-4 with a home run

Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A): Lost 10-1 to the Brevard County Manatees.

• Antonio DeJesus was 2-for-4

Springfield Cardinals (AA): Won 3-2 over the San Antonio Missions.

• Brandon Yarbrough went 2-for-4
• Adam Ottavino struck out six Missions in 5.0 innings.

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Poll results: 25 by 15th

In a recent 4thebirds poll, you were asked which Cards would reach the 25-home run mark by August 15th. Last night, Rick Ankiel hit a home run at the Great American Ballpark, but that wasn't enough for him to reach 25.

In fact, only one Redbird elevated is round-tripper stats to the 25-homer level: Ryan Ludwick.

Ludwick now has 30 home runs on the season.

Next is Pujols with 24, one shy of our poll's ceiling. Ankiel has 23, and Troy Glaus has 21.

You were allowed multiple votes on the 4thebirds poll and 94% of you were correct in choosing Ludwick.

Eighty-eight percent picked Pujols, who didn't quite make the mark. Other who you were less sure sure about, and rightfully so, were:

• Rick Ankiel 47%
• Troy Glaus 17%
• Yadier Molina 1%

photo by Barbara Moore

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Thompson stands in as Cards beat Reds

Brad Thompson of the St. Louis Cardinals added significant innings in the stead of injured starter Chris Carpenter in a 5-3 win in the opening game of a three-game set with the Cincinnati Reds, 5-3.

Thompson threw 5.0 innings, not as deep as manager Tony La Russa would've like for a starter, but certainly a good contribution considering Thompson has been working middle relief for some time now. The Reds scored three runs on Thompson, who struck out four in his service tonight at the Great American Ballpark.

Jaime Garcia come on to work a couple innings before La Russa went to the shorter bullpen hurlers. Abscent in that group once more was Jason Isringhausen, but Kyle McClellan worked, then Ron Villone, who performed his specialty of facing one left-handed batter. Chris Perez closed once more.

While the Cardinals' pitching staff has been of major concern, the offense produced well again, scoring five on the night.

Rick Ankiel put the Cards out in front in the first inning with a two-run shot into the right field seats.

The Reds' Chris Dickerson answered one of those runs in the bottom of the frame with a leadoff solo blast of his own, cutting the Cards' lead to 2-1.

Back came the Cardinals in the second, Skip Schumaker singling home Felipe Lopez to inch ahead 3-1.

Another answer by the Reds, Corey Patterson sending home Javier Valentin with a sacrifice fly.

Now up 3-2, the Cards would take their turn at scoring, Pujols scampering home from third base with the bases loaded and Jason LaRue grounding into a fielder's choice. These runs were all against Red's starter Bronson Arroyo, who threw a hefty 106 pitches in his 6.1 innings of work.

Patterson scored on a fielder's choice in the fifth, cutting the Cards lead to one at 4-3.

LaRue would contribute with the bat again, hitting a sacrifice fly that brought home Lopez to put the Cards up 5-3, the final score in the game.

Thompson improves to 5-2 while Garcia, McClellan, and Villone all earn holds. Perez notched his fourth save.

Hot hitters of the Cards tonight:

• Lopez went 2-for-3, scoring two runs with a triple
• Albert Pujols went 3-for-5 with two doubles
• Ankiel was 1-for-4 with a home run
• Ludwick went 1-for-5 with a double

The Cardinals play the Reds tomorrow night at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinatti, Ohio, game time 6:10 p.m. CT.

Joel Pineiro is slated to pitch for the Cardinals, pitching against the Reds' Aaron Harang.

photo by Barbara Moore

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4thebirds...LIVEcast Cardinals vs. Reds 8/15/08

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Carpenter back to DL

Chris Carpenter has been placed on the 15-day DL, according to a Matthew Leach article posted on the St. Louis Cardinals' Official Web Site today.

A medical diagnosis of a "right posterior shoulder strain" will cause Carpenter to miss not only today's spot in the rotation, but at least one more as well. He is expected to be re-activated on August 26. At that time, the Cardinals will be in St. Louis taking on the Milwaukee Brewers.

Brian Barton has just returned from the DL and will now be activated, solving a dilemma of what to do about the Rule 5 player at this juncture.

Brad Thompson has been slated to pitch in Carpenter's spot today versus the Cincinatti Reds in Ohio, but there is no word on how the team will "fill" the Carpenter vacancy the next time it comes up in the rotation.

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4thebirds...LIVEcast Reminder

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C.A.R.D.

Gulf Coast League Cardinals (GCL): Game #1:Lost 9-2 to GCL Nationals; Game #2: Lost 8-1 to the GCL Nationals.

• Braulio Hirlado went 2-for-3 with a double
• Ted Obregan went 2-for-3

Johnson City Cardinals (Rookie): Lost 6-4 to the Kingsport Mets.

• Paul Cruz went 2-for-4 with a double

Batavia Muckdogs (Low-A): Lost 2-1 to the Tri-City Valley Cats.

• Colt Sedbrook went 2-for-4
• Pitcher George Brown struck out four Valley Cats in 5.0 innings

Quad-Cities River Bandits (A): Lost 6-1 to the Beloit Snappers.

• Domnit Bolivar went 3-for-4 with a double
• Pitcher Charles Fick struck out five Snappers in 4.0 innings.

Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A): Lost 6-4 to the Brevard County Manatees.

• Tyler Henley went 4-for-7 with two doubles

Springfield Cardinals (AA): Lost 6-5 to the San Antonio Missions.

• Donovan Solano went 3-for-5 with a double
• Jose Martinez went 3-for-4 with a double

Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Lost 3-0 to the Round Rock Express.

• Josh Phelps went 2-for-3 with two doubles
• Pitcher P.J. Walters struck out nine Express in 6.0 innings

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Redbird Randoms...Thompson, Ludwick

On-deck: The Cards take on the Red in the first game of a three-game series at Cincinnati tonight. Game time is 6:10 CT.

Probables: STL-Brad Thompson RHP (4-2, 4.34) vs. CIN-Bronson Arroyo RHP (10-9, 5.44)

Birds' Perch: The Cards remain in third place in the NL Central Division, 7.5 games behind the division leading Cubs, and 4.0 games behind the second place Brewers. The Brewers are currently the leaders in the Wild Card race.

Whatcha done for me lately? Ryan Ludwick has done it all lately for the Cards in the RBI department, batting in all three of the Cards runs in last night's 3-0 shutout over the Marlins.

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Wellemeyer goes into eighth as Ludwick drives home three

Todd Wellemeyer joined the current trend of Cardinals' pitchers going deeper into ball games tonight as the St. Louis Cardinals blanked the Florida Marlins 3-0 at Dolphin Stadium.

Wellemeyer gave up only three hits during 7.2 innings of work, throwing 112 pitches, about half and half on balls and strikes. He walked four and struck out three.

While Wellemeyer was grinding it out on the mound, Ryan Ludwick was collecting RBIs. He owned all three of those tonight, the first of which came on a stand-up double in the third inning that scored Cesar Izturis. Later, in the seventh inning, Ludwick blasted his 30th homer of the season, this one to left field and sending home Izturis for the second time, with himself trotting in for the third Cards' run of the game.

Three runs would prove to be two more than needed, an unusual scenario for the Cardinals, who normally have to score at least six or seven to come out on top. But the bullpen held up again tonight, manager Tony La Russa choosing three relievers to keep the Marlins scoreless for the last four outs of the game.

With two outs in the eighth, Russ Springer got the call, striking out Jorge Cantu with two Marlin's runners aboard.

La Russa went to left-handed specialist Ron Villone to start the ninth inning, to face left-handed clean-up hitter Mike Jacobs. Villone got Jacobs to pop out to Albert Pujols at first base for the first out.

Once more, La Russa went to the bullpen, this time for Ryan Franklin, who would fulfill the role of closer, whether or not he currently carries that title. (Since La Russa has refused to name anyone as the Official Closer, each reliever in that role has done well.) Franklin struck out Dan Uggla, then gave up a single to Wes Helms. After a wild pitch sent Helms scrambling to second base, Franklin ignored him even more, concentrating on batter John Baker, who grounded out to second baseman Aaron Miles to end the game.

The victory gave the Cardinals a series win over the Marlins, three games out of four. Cincinatti is the next stop, tomorrow night, when the Cardinals start a three-game set.

Chris Carpenter will miss his turn in the rotation tomorrow; Brad Thompson is slated to take his place in the starting role.

photo by Barbara Moore

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4thebirds...LIVEcast Cardinals vs. Marlins 8/14/08

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C.A.R.D. (Cards' Affiliate Radar Display)

Dominican Summer League Cardinals (DSL): Lost 6-1 to the DSL Phillies.

• Santo Sandoval went 2-for-4 with a double
• Luis Pimental went 2-for-3

Gulf Coast League Cardinals (GCL): Lost 7-6 to the GCL Marlins.

• Steve Hill went 3-for-4 with three home runs and four RBIs

Johnson City Cardinals (Rookie): Won 1-0 over the Greenville Drive.

• Jarred Bogany went 3-for-4
• Edgar Lara went 3-for-4 with two doubles
• Osvaldo Morales went 1-for-3 with a double

Batavia Muckdogs (Low-A): Won 5-2 over the Tri-City Valley Cats.

• Brett Lilley went 2-for-5 with a double
• Beau Riportella went 2-for-4 with a double
• Edwin Gomez went 1-for-4 with a double
• Scott Gorgen stuck out four in 3.1 innings

Quad-Cities River Bandits (A): Won 5-3 over the Beloit Snappers

• Brett Wallace went 3-for-5
• Francisco Rivera went 2-for-3 with a double
• Oliver Marmol went 2-for-4 with a double

Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A): Won 4-3 over the Brevard County Manatees.

• Luke Gorsett went 1-for-5 with a home run

Springfield Cardinals (AA): Won 6-2 over the San Antonio Missions.

• Brandon Buckman went 4-for-5 with a double
• Brandon Dickson struck out four Missions in 4.1 innings.

Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Won 2-1 over the Round Rock Express.

• Jarrett Hoffpauir went 1-for-3 with a double
• Mark Johnson went 1-for-3 with a double
• Jess Todd stuck out six Express in 6.2 innings

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4thebirds...LIVEcast reminder

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Method to Mather's Madness

When someone is said to be climbing the walls, it's usually not a good sign. And if someone does so on a regular basis, you might say he's mad. But when you suddenly realize after an eye-opening event that there may have been a method to such madness, it might make you nod your head in agreement and tap your lips with an index finger while sounding: Hmmmm.

Joe Mather's sensational catch in last night's ball game that took away a home run from Luis Gonzalez of the Florida Marlins just may have been the proof that there is a method (and a result) to what seemed like madness, and may have actually been a well-rehearsed play for the rookie outfielder.

Through the season, Cardinal Nation has probably watched more fly balls leave the park while the Redbirds were on defense then anyone would like to admit. And not that the likes of Ryan Ludwick, Skip Schumaker, and Rick Ankiel have done something wrong in their travels through the outfields, but Mather does something a lot more than they do that may have trained him to make great catches like the one seen at Dolphin Stadium last night.

There have been times when fly balls to left field (where Mather normally plays) have hit the wall, landed on the warning track, just made it over the wall, and have carried pretty far over the wall or fence, as the park may be.

But here's the thing: Mather attacks every one as if he is going to make the catch, even if the ball is well out of reach. This rookie outfielder has taught himself how to approach, attempt, and make catches on all types of wild fly balls that may or may not be headed out of the park.

What might seem goofy looking to see him running up the wall on a home run that is twenty rows up actually becomes the best training on fly balls that might not quite make it. Knowing how to handle the walls and fences and judging the fly balls just can't be accomplished without, well, trying it out.

Success on fielding tough fly balls that would otherwise skip over the top of the wall or narrowly make it over is within reach of the outfielder that knows how to make a bonafide attempt. Learning this can feature some embarrassing bumbling miscues, but those are quickly forgotten after a few grabs like Mather made last night.

To be sure, all the Cardinals' outfielders are quite talented out there, maybe the best group of outfielders in the league.

But now, we know that when Mather goes up, an out may come down.

photo by Iscan

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Looper and unnamed closer Perez muddle Marlins

Seven solid innings from St. Louis Cardinals' starter Braden Looper and two rookie relievers managed to take the respectable output of their team's offense and turn it into a win versus the Florida Marlins last night.

In a 6-4 victory, Looper improved his record to 11-9, allowing five hits and two runs in 7.0 innings. Reliever Kyle McClellan, the rookie who doesn't seem like a rookie, did get knocked around a bit last night, giving up a couple runs. McClellan's appearance was uncharacterisitic of his usual performance, and he looked somewhat tired, as if his pitches didn't have the movement they usually do.

Reliever/sometimes closer/but never named as official closer/closer Chris Perez went the last two innings under what appeared to be a La Russa strategy that says, if it ain't broke, don't take him out of the darned game. This, even though Perez walked the first batter he faced. He pitched through the hindrance, still relying heavily on his mid-90s fast ball, which he threw at 97 mph five times in a row at one point.

The offense came through with probably just enough support for a Cards' win on a day when starter does okay and goes beyond five innings. Six runs was the tally, with Jason LaRue delivering what was probably the biggest impact swing of the game, a 2-RBI double to right-center in the seventh inning, a tie-breaker at the time, putting the Cards up 4-2.

Adam Kennedy probably couldn't wait to get back in a game after an atypical error on a ground ball a few games ago that cost his team a big inning. Last night, Kennedy went 2-for-2 and scored a run, but also contributed two sacrifice flies that accounted for two RBIs.

Other big offensive games were turned in by Skip Schumaker, who was 3-for-5, and Troy Glaus, who suddenly went perfect again with a 4-for-4 game.

Joe Mather, who by now is probably a hero in both St. Louis and Memphis, made a spectacular leaping grab to steal away a Marlins' home run late in the game.

The Cardinals have taken two out of three games from Florida so far as they attempt to win the four-game series tonight at Dophin Stadium.

photo by Barbara Moore

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Redbird Randoms...8/14/08 Wellemeyer, Thompson, Kennedy

On-deck: The Cards play the Florida Marlins at Dolphin Stadium in Florida at 6:10 p.m. CT. This is the last game of a four-game set, in which the Cards lead 2-1.


Probables: STL-Todd Wellemeyer RHP (9-4, 4.01) vs. FLM-Scott Olsen LHP (6-7, 4.04)

Birds' Perch: The Cardinals are in third place in the NL Central Division, 7.5 games behind the first place Cubs and 4.0 games behind the second place Brewers.

Wild Card: The Cards are 4.0 games out of the Wild Card leader right, who happens to be the Brewers.

Carp's return: Chris Carpenter has a mild injury to his pitching arm, and will miss his regular spot in tomorrow's rotation. He will return to the rotation after on the next time around.

Thompson fills vacancy: Pitcher Brad Thompson will fill in the vacancy of starter Chris Carpenter tomorrow in Cincinatti.

Whatcha done for me lately? Last night's game...

• Skip Schumaker went 3-for-5, scoring a run
• Jason LaRue went 1-for-4 with a 2-RBI double
• Albert Pujols went 2-for-5 and scored a run
• Felipe Lopez went 1-for-1 in a pinch-hitting role with a triple and scoring a run.
• Adam Kennedy went 2-for-2 and scored a run
• Troy Glaus went 4-for-4, hitting a double and scoring a run
• Joe Mather made a great catch at the left field wall
• Braden Loope went 2-for-3

photo by Barbara Moore

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4thebirds/UCB...LIVEcast Cardinals @ Marlins 8/13/08

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C.A.R.D. (Cards' Affiliate Radar Display) 8/13/08

Gulf Coast League Cardinals (GCL): Lost 4-3 to the GCL Dodgers.

• Rainel Rosario went 2-for-3
• David Medina went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run
• Braulio Horaldo went 1-for-2 with a triple
• Pitcher Chris Notti struck out five in 3.1 innings

Johnson City Cardinals (rookie): Pounded the Greenville Drive 19-8 in a slugfest.

• Curt Smith went 3-for-5 with a double and a triple
• Travis Mitchell went 3-for-5 with a double
• Ivan Castro went 2-for-4

Batavia Muckdogs (Low-A): Won 3-2 over Tri-City Valley Cats.

• Charles Cutler went 2-for-3
• Beau Riportella went 2-for-3 with a double
• Pitcher Adam Veres struck out eight Valley Cats in 5.0 innings

Quad-Cities River Bandits (A): Lost 4-2 to the Clinton LumberKings.

• Domnit Bolivar went 1-for-5 with a double
• Oliver Marmol went 1-for-3 with a double
• Pitcher Richard Castillo struck out seven LumberKings in 6.0 innings

Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Won 7-4 over the Round Rock Express.

• Nick Stavinoha went 3-for-5 with a double and a home run, collecting 3 RBIs
• Jarrett Hoffpauir went 3-for-4 with a double

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Redbird Randoms ... Looper, Izturis, Carpenter

On-deck: The Cards will play the third game of a four-game series with the Florida Marlins tonight at 6:10 p.m. CT at Dolphin Stadium in Florida.


Probables: STL-Braden Looper RHP (10-9, 4.20) vs. FLM-Ricky Nolasco RHP (11-7, 3.92)


Birds' Perch: The NL Central hasn't changed in the last few days, the Chicago Cubs atop the division, three full games ahead of the second place Milwaukee Brewers and seven games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals.


Carp's quandry: May not be as bad as Cardinal Nation had feared. Chris Carpenter underwent further medical scrutiny in St. Louis yesterday by Cardinals' medical staff, affirming the strain to his right triceps. Carpenter will miss a turn in the rotation, but is expected to return to action on the next time around.


Whatcha done for me lately? In the theft department, these are the Cards' team leaders:

1. Cesar Izturis -- 15
2. Skip Schumaker -- 8
3. Adam Kennedy -- 7
4. Albert Pujols, Felipe Lopez, Brendan Ryan -- 6
5. Ryan Ludwick -- 4
6. Brian Barton -- 3
7. Rick Ankiel, Chris Duncan -- 2
8. Joe Mather, Aaron Miles -- 1

photo by Barbara Moore

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You might say, the Cards just couldn't hang

You might say the Florida Marlins hung on, for seven innings, to edge the St. Louis Cardinals.

Or, you might say, the Cards were stifled by a gutsy Marlins' pitching staff.

Or, you might say, the St. Louis bats went to sleep, again.

Or, you might say, the Cardinals just couldn't hang.

Actually, all of the above might apply, and then some, but however you say it, the Cards fell to the Marlins, 4-2, in a game that saw a rain delay of almost two hours.

Unfortunate for the current Cardinals' ace, Kyle Lohse, who, although made one mistake pitch that led to a Hanley Ramirez three-run blast in the second inning, was pretty much on his game. Lohse hurled for just 4.1 innings, allowing six hits, and four runs. He struck out five.

Lohse had the lead in the first inning, before he even took the mound, when Ryan Ludwick clear a loaded set of bases on a double. The Marlins got one of those back in the first, and then, the rocket shot from Ramirez in the second inning to reverse the lead.

And that's how the lead remained for seven more innings, both squads getting into their bullpens due to the lengthy rain delay.

Cards' manager Tony La Russa used Russ Springer, Jason Isringhausen, and Ryan Franklin, most of his more experienced relievers, as the Cards were within one run. The offense never got anything going, however. The only good part about the pen usage was the Cards did save one inning's worth of work due to the Florida home team advantage, not having to bat in the ninth.

Marlins' manager Fredi Gonzalez used more of his pen than La Russa, replacing starter Chris Volstad with Mark Hendrickson, Matt Lindstrom, Arthur Rhodes, and closer Kevin Gregg.

Every reliever in the game did well, evidenced by the fact that no more runs were scored since the starters were forced to depart.

The loss evens the four-game series at Dolphin Stadium at a game each.

The series continues tonight at 6:10 p.m. CT at Dolphin Stadium. Braden Looper is slated to take the hill for the Cardinals, matched against Ricky Nolasco of the Marlins.

photo by Barbara Moore

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4thebirds...LIVEcast Cardinals vs. Marlins 8/12/08

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C.A.R.D. (Cards' Affiliate Radar Display)

Dominican Summer League Cardinals (DSL): Lost 11-3 to the DSL-Mariners.

• Wader Perez went 2-for-4 with a walk and a double
• Jaun B. Cabrera went 1-for-4 with a home run

Johnson City Cardinals (Rookie): Won 7-2 over the Greenville Drive.

• Joseph Hage went 4-for-5
• Curt Smith went 3-for-5
• Kevin Thomas pitched 5.0 innings, striking out three
• Reynier Gonzalez pitched 4.0 innings of no-hit ball, striking out six

Batavia Muckdogs (Low-A): Lost 2-1 to the Brooklyn Cyclones.

• Arquimedes Nieto pitched 3.0 innings, allowing no hits and striking out four

Quad-Cities River Bandits (A): Won 4-2 over the Clinton LumberKings.

• Domnit Bolivar went 1-for-4 with a home run
• Jared Bradford pitched 5.0 innings, striking out four
• Jameson Maj pitched 4.0 innings of no-hit ball, striking out four

Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A): Won 5-1 of the St. Lucie Mets.

• Daniel Descalso went 2-for-5 with a double and a home run, tallying four RBIs
• Paul Vasquez went 3-for-4 with a double
• Luke Gorsett went 3-for-5
• Shaun Garceau pitched 7.0 innings, allowing only one run on four hits, walking three and striking out seven

Springfield Cardinals (AA): Won 4-3 over the Chorpus Christi Hooks.

• Casey Rowlett went 4-for-6 with a double
• Donovan Solano went 3-for-5 with a double
• Justin Fiske struck out three
• Fernando Salas struck out five

Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Lost 3-2 to the New Orleans Zephyrs.

• Brian Barton went 1-for-4 with a triple
• Jon Jay went 2-for-4 with a double
• Adam Wainwright struck out two
• Mark Worrel struck out four

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Redbird Randoms...Lohse, Wainwright, Carpenter

On-deck: The Cards will play the second game of a four-game set tonight in Florida at Dolphin Stadium versus the Marlins at 6:10 p.m. CT.

Probables: STL-Kyle Lohse RHP (13-4, 3.80) vs. FLM-Chris Volstad RHP (3-2, 2.67)

Birds' Perch: The Cardinals remain in third place in the NL Central, 6 1/2 games behind the division leading Cubs, who were idle yesterday. The Brewers won their game, however, and are three games ahead of the Cards in second place.

Waino's #'s: Rehabbing Adam Wainwright threw 3.0 innings for the Memphis Redbirds at Autozone Park last night. Wainwright threw 48 pitches, 29 of them for strikes. He allowed two runs on seven hits, walking one and striking out two New Orleans Zephyrs. He faced 13 batters, throwing no fly outs and seven ground outs.

Mulder done for '08: Injured pitcher Mark Mulder will not pitch again this season, but will reportedly undergo an alternative rehabiliation process involving much stretching in an attempt to come back to pitch again in the 2009 season.

Parisi finished for the season: Pitcher Mike Parisi, who had pitched a stint with the parent Cardinals this season, was injured in a Triple-A game for Memphis and will not throw again this season. It has not been determined whether Parisi will need any type of surgery to recover from injury to his right arm.

Whatcha done for me lately? Joe Mather and Yadier Molina both hit home runs in last night's 4-2 victory at Dolphin Stadium.

Ankiel off the pine: Rick Ankiel was recovered enough from an abdominal strain to play in last night's contest in Florida. He played left field, was told to play tentatively, and did, allowing a flare single that Ankiel commonly would have dove for. He did accomplish an RBI with an infield single in the first inning to put the Cards on the board first.

Barton back on board?: Rehabbind Brian Barton reportedly has departed the Memphis Redbirds and will return to the parent club in Florida. As of this posting, Barton has not been named to the DL nor activated.

Carp back to St. Louis: Possibly injured Chris Carpenter returns to St. Louis today to check with medical personal regarding soreness in the right triceps. In Chicago on Sunday, he left the game after feeling the soreness, and it is possible he will miss his next start in the rotation as a precautionary measure. (source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

LIVEcast tonight: 4thebirds will run a LIVEcast during tonight's game at Dolphin Stadium. Readers of the 4thebirds blog are welcome to post comments at any time. No downloads or registration is necessary. You simply type your comments in a provided box and hit "Send."

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Plea to avoid "chaw"

Recently, a comment was left with a post:

"I love baseball, my husband hates crowds. Our Daughter bought us tickets
for our anniversary on Aug. 23. I have had cancer of the tongue twice, and I
wish the young players wouldn't use that chaw, because their at risk."

This is a great reminder of sorts that the tobacco products used orally by ballplayers (or anyone!) can lead to bad medical situations.

The good news about the observation made is that many of the "yound players" are actually using bubble gum, which is supplied by the barrel in the dugouts. For those others, we can only hope they abstain from the nasty habit, and though it is not their job to role model for youthful viewers, it is that very audience that is likely to follow the players' example.

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LIVEcast reminder for Cards/Marlins tonight

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Waino's #'s in Memphis

Adam Wainwright faced 13 batters in a rehab start at Autozone Park for Triple-A affiliate Memphis Redbirds tonight.

Wainwright earned no decision in the Redbirds' 3-2 loss to the New Orleans Zephyrs, pitching three complete innings.

Wainwright gave up two runs on four hits, walking one and striking out two Zephyrs. He threw 48 pitches, 29 of them for strikes. He now has a 12.27 ERA with Memphis.

Of the 13 Zephyrs Wainwright faced, he threw no fly outs but seven ground outs.

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You picked So

Seventy-five percent of respondents chose So Taguchi as the former Cardinals' player they would most like to see back in a St. Louis uniform.

Twenty-five percent chose David Eckstein.

No one chose Scott Rolen or Anthony Reyes.

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Pineiro notches victory, Molina, Mather homer in Cards win

Pitching was the order of the night for the Cardinals in a 4-2 series opener win versus the Florida Marlins tonight. Cardinals' starting pitcher, Joel Pineiro earned a victory, now 5-5, his first in some time.

Pineiro went 7.0 innings, allowing seven hits and giving up two runs, only one of them earned. Pineiro walked two and struck out four, giving up the long-ball once. All in all, a successful start for Pineiro, one in which the starting pitching has gone seven innings, a definite plus for an embattled staff.

Pineiro had some help from teammate's Yadier Molina and Joe Mather, who both homered to account for three of the four Cardinals' runs. Rick Ankiel batting in Felipe Lopez from third base for the initial Cards' run.

Ankiels RBI came in the first inning. The Marlins answered in the bottom of the first on a wild pitch by Pineiro, Hanley Ramirez scoring from third base to tie the game at 1-1.

The Marlins took a 2-1 lead on a Cody Ross solo home run in the second inning.

Molina hit his two-run shot in the fourth inning, flipping a one-run deficit into a one-run lead at 3-2. That score would hold until the ninth inning, when a pinch-hitting Mather hit his solo shot to add a run to the Cards' lead, making it 4-2.

As big a story for the Cards as the homers, however, was the relief pitching, Kyle McClellan coming on in relief for Pineiro to start the eighth inning. Ramirez hit a flare single that dropped a step in front of Ankiel playing left field. Ankiel muffed the catch, then threw wildly to second base, the ball shooting past Miles and Pujols to go all the way to the first base side dugout, a lazy-running Ramirez getting a reprieve and able to go all the way to third base on the play.

McClellan then had a super-jam on his hands, at the time, the tying run on third base with no one out. McClellan threw a ground out, strike out, and fly out to make the eighth a scoreless inning, protecting the lead.

Mather had pinch-hit for McClellan to hit his solo shot, Chris Perez coming on as closer in the ninth with a two-run lead.

Perez walked Dan Uggla to lead off the ninth, a no-no for a closer on a tight budget. Uggla dished an out over for the Cards however when assumed an easy steal of second base. Molina's arm had something to say about that, firing a strike to second base to erase a potential rally starter for the Marlins.

Chucking 90-mph fast balls, Perez got Wes Helms looking for the second out. Cody Ross couldn't catch up to the Perez fastballs either, striking out swinging to end the game.

The much-needed victory came on a night when the Milwaukee Brewers had already won their game earlier, the Chicago Cubs idle. The Cards remain in third place in the NL Central, now 6 1/2 games out of first and three games behind the Brewers in second.

photo by Barbara Moore

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4thebirds...LIVEcast Cardinals vs. Marlins 8/11/08

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C.A.R.D. (Cards Affiliate Radar Display)

Gulf Coast League Cardinals: Lost 6-5 to the GCL Mets.

• Rainel Rosario stole three bases
• Pitcher eric Fornataro struck out five in 5.0 innings pitched

Johnson City Cardinals (Rookie League): Won 4-3 over the Greenville Drive.

• Travis Mitchell went 2-for-4 with one triple
• Paul Cruz was 2-for-4
• Curt Smith went 2-for-4
• Pitcher Brett Zawacki struck out eight Drive in 4.2 innings pitched

Batavia Muckdogs (Low-A, short season): Lost 6-5 to the Brooklyn Cyclones.

• Jose Garcia went 4-for-5

Quad-Cities River Bandits (Low-A): Won 7-6 over the Clinton LumberKings.

• Domnit Bolivar went 3-for-5
• Thomas Pham was 2-for-3 with one home run and four RBIs
• Pitcher Ryan Kulik struck out six in 6.0 innings pitched

Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A): Won 13-3 over the St. Lucie Mets.

• Matthew Arburr went 3-for-4 with three home runs and six RBIs
• Peter Kozma was 2-for-6 with one double and three RBIs
• Tyler Henley went 2-for-4 with a triple

Springfield Cardinals (AA): Lost 7-3 to the Chorpus Christi Hooks.

• Mark Shorey went 2-for-4 with a home run
• Brandon Buckman went 2-for-5 with a double

Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Lost 3-0 to the New Orleans Zephyrs.

• Jon Jay went 2-for-3
• Pitcher Mitchell Boggs struck our four in 6.0 innings pitched.

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4thebirds...LIVEcast email reminder

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Cards drop series to Cubs, fret over Carp

Losing the three-game series to the Chicago Cubs by dropping the rubber match last night at Wrigley Field was only one of the worries befalling the Cardinals. When starting pitcher Chris Carpenter called for his catcher, Yadier Molina, to visit the mound, then the Cards' trainer and manager, all of St. Louis held their breath.

Cardinal Nation had witnessed this scene before, with Carpenter long ago, and with Mark Mulder long ago, and more recently, with Adam Wainwright and Mulder. Each scenario ended badly for the pitchers, respectively, and the hopes of the Cardinals' in terms of losing the services of some of their best pitchers.

And while the Cubs were busy making great defensive plays and with their pitching staff turning in solid performances on the whole, the Cards were having a bad night, or at the least, unable to have a good night. Worries over Carpenter's condition must have been running through every Cards' player's mind, with worry over a their chances for success on the field without yet another former staff ace, but worry over a teammate simultaneously.

As for the game, important enough, seeing how the Cards were taking on the NL Central's leaders, well, it was just something that slipped away once Carpenter suddenly left the field. Later, it was determined that Carpenter had a mild strain of the right triceps. But no one will completely buy that one until "Carp" gets to throw again and can find out if that's all there is to it. Cardinal Nation is hopeful.

Ryan Dempster pitched a great game for the North-siders, extending his record to 13-5. Dempster seems overshadowed in Chicago by the big salaried Carlos Zambrano and a great season by left-hander Ted Lilly, but make no mistake, Dempster is every bit a pitcher as anyone on that Cubs' staff.

Throwing 73 strikes in a 113-pitch night, Dempster went 6.2 innings, allowing six hits and only two runs. He walked three but struck out six.

By the time Dempster was pulled by Cubs' manager Lou Piniella (who had made an "I'm winning" mound visit earlier), the Cubs were up 6-0.

The lopsided score came on a five-run sixth inning, that was a bit worse than it might've been when Adam Kennedy, who is normally very solid at second base, let a ground ball shoot between his legs to open the floodgates of a Cubs' bum rushing of relief pitcher Brad Thompson.

The Kennedy error was quite costly, but as TV announcer Joe Morgan put it, there isn't a fielder who has played that hasn't had that happen to them at one time or another. No one felt worse than Kennedy, but it has happened to many of the other Cards' players this year. Kennedy's contributions at the plate and in the field so far this season far outweigh this one mistake.

The Cubs' relief crew of Jeff Samardzija, Kerry Wood, and Carlos Marmol allowed only one hit after Dempster left the game, all but shutting down the Cardinals. Joe Mather hit a double off of Dempster, bringing home Izturis for the first Cardinals' run, and after Dempster was relieved by Samardzija, Albert Pujols doubled home Mather, those two runs the only ones scored by St. Louis all night.

The wind was blowing every which way at Wrigley last night, but mostly in, the Cubs able to prove they are good enough a ball club to win on runs scored by other means. The Cubs outhit the Cards 9-7, with only power hitting coming in the form of three doubles, by Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, and Ronny Cedeno.

The loss drops the Cardinals to seven full games behind the Cubs, and permits the Brewers, who won last night in extra innings, to increase the lead of second place (and currently the Wild Card) by three full games.

The Cardinals now travel to Florida to take on the Marlins at Dolphin Stadium in a four-game series. The first game is slated for tonight at 6:10 p.m. CT.

photo by Barbara Moore

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Parisi season over

According to the Official Web Site of the St. Louis Cardinals, pitcher Mike Parisi's season must come to a close early.

In a recent start for affiliate Class AAA Memphis, the Redbirds' hurler had to come out of the game due to injury to his right elbow.

The injury has been described in a Matthew Leach article as:

"...a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right
elbow."

Parisi had an 0-4 record with the parent club Cardinals this season. The Cardinals are hoping Parisi will not need surgery to correct the injury.

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4thebirds...LIVEcast Cardinals vs. Cubs 8/10/08

This live blog may open prior to game time to allow for your pre-game questions and comments. Feel free to submit posts using the box at the bottom of the LIVEcast window. No registration or downloading is required.

And, we look forward to viewing your posts during the game!

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Redbird Randoms ... Carpenter, Wainwright, Wrigley

On-deck: The rubber match of the Cards/Cubs three-game series will be played tonight at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Game time is 7:05 p.m. CDT.

Probables: STL-Chris Carpenter RHP (0-0, 1.00) vs. CHC-Ryan Dempster RHP (12-5, 2.93)

Dinger dudes: In yesterday's game, the balls were flying out of Wrigley Field.

• STL-Skip Schumaker (7)
• STL-Troy Glaus, 3 homers (21)
• STL-Albert Pujols (24)
• CHC-Mark DeRosa (13)
• CHC-Carlos Zambrano (3)

Waino Whacked: In a rehab appearance Friday night, Adam Wainwright got shelled as he pitched for Triple-A affiliate Memphis. He lasted only 27 pitches, giving up four hits, one of them a home run.

LIVEcast tonight: 4thebirds... will open a LIVEcast for tonight's Cards/Cubs series finale.

photo by Barbara Moore

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4thebirds...LIVEcast Cardinals vs. Cubs 8/9/08

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Edmonds flips off Tony

There's no better way for a player who was "shown the door" by those who mistakenly believed he was no longer of value than to "show them a pair," of home runs that is, but either way, Jim Edmonds was two parts of a three-count that pinned a loss on the Cards in extra innings at Wrigley Field.

Upon hitting his first home run, Edmonds made it a point to give the bat a bit of flip in the direction of Tony La Russa in the Cards' dugouts. Read into it what you will.

Cardinal Nation should be proud of the former Cardinals' standout, not because he did so much to beat the Redbirds on Friday, but because he is playing us just as hard as he played when he played for St. Louis.

Now, how do the Cards beat the Cubs on Saturday?

No easy answer there, except to do what the Cards always do: play hard every game as it comes.

The positive in Friday's loss is that the Cardinals found out they can play with the division's--and the league's--best. Now they have to take the disappointment of an extra-inning 3-2 loss and use it to motivate themselves to play that much harder in Saturday's game. There's really not a whole lot more to analyze.

Plenty to worry about, though, if that's your thing. Seven games behind the Cubs now looks like a cross-country trip on a tricycle, considering how tough the Chicago team is this year. How critical is this series? At this time of the season? Should the Cubs sweep, the Cards would fall to nine games out. Shudder to think it.

A split or a series win, on the other hand, keeps the Cards a lot closer to contention, at least from a momentum point of view.

And things won't get any easier, considering where the next leg of the road trip takes the St. Louis ballplayers. Yet by the time the Florida trip ends, the Cards will have a good idea whether they're going to be able to compete with the high-caliber teams they'll have to play better than in order to go anywhere in post season.

As for the actual game, it was one of those grudge matches, the best kind for true fans of baseball, as well as their favorite team(s). Low-scoring, pitcher's dueling, Ted Lilly for the Cubs, Braden Looper for the Cardinals. It would be Bob Howry (5-4) picking up the victory for the Cubs, however, the game having been knotted at 2-each.

Ryan Franklin (4-5) was saddled with the loss, in his second inning of relief, giving up a walk, then a single, then intentionally walking a batter because the Cubs had base runners on the corners. With the bases loaded and no out, the strategy enacted a force out at any base.

The Cubs next hitter, however, Henry Blanco, beat the strategy with a walk-off single to left center field.

On the day, the aforementioned Jim Edmonds had his pair of solo home runs. The Cards two runs were produced by a Joe Mather home run in the third and an Adam Kennedy ground ball that scored Skip Schumaker.

NOTE: There was no LIVEcast today due to an important meeting in Paris, Illinois. Saturday's LIVEcast is in limbo for the same reason, but if there is any way we can get it going, even a little late, we will, of course. Sunday's series finale is on our schedule.

photo by Barbara Moore

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