C.A.R.D. (Cards' Affiliate Radar Display)
4thebirds,
Batavia Muckdogs,
C.A.R.D.,
Johnson City Cardinals,
Memphis Redbirds,
Palm Beach Cardinals,
Quad-Cities River Bandits,
Springfield Cardinals
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
Redbird Randoms...Lohse, Wainwright, Carpenter
4thebirds,
Adam Wainwright,
Brian Barton,
Chris Carpenter,
Chris Volstad,
Joe Mather,
Kyle Lohse,
Mark Mulder,
Mike Parisi,
Redbird Randoms,
Rick Ankiel,
Yadier Molina
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."
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.
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.
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.
Pineiro notches victory, Molina, Mather homer in Cards win
4thebirds,
Chris Perez,
Florida Marlins,
Joe Mather,
Joel Pineiro,
Kyle McClellan,
Rick Ankiel,
St. Louis Cardinals,
Yadier Molina
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
C.A.R.D. (Cards Affiliate Radar Display)
4thebirds,
Batavia Muckdogs,
Johnson City Cardinals,
Memphis Redbirds,
Palm Beach Cardinals,
Quad-Cities River Bandits,
Springfield Cardinals
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.
Cards drop series to Cubs, fret over Carp
4thebirds,
Adam Kennedy,
Albert Pujols,
Alfonso Soriano,
Aramis Ramirez,
Brad Thompson,
Chicago Cubs,
Chris Carpenter,
Joe Mather,
Ronny Cedeno,
Ryan Dempster,
St. Louis Cardinals
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
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.
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.
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Redbird Randoms ... Carpenter, Wainwright, Wrigley
4thebirds,
Adam Wainwright,
Albert Pujols,
Carlos Zambrano,
Chicago Cubs,
Chris Carpenter,
Mark DeRosa,
Redbird Randoms,
Skip Schumaker,
St. Louis Cardinals,
Troy Glaus
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
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
The Glimmer of Iz
Something good happened to the Cards today.
Izzy.
Oh, how the throngs have eased away from him, during a time when he needed Cardinal Nation the most. But Izzy has kept at it, as he always has, because, basically, if you don't give up completely, there's nothing else to do but keep at it.
And today, a glimmer of hope, because Izzy threw a tons of strikes in a variety of speeds and slants and curves and cuts and straights and locations. In other words, Izzy really looked as if he was in command and had his stuff.
Certainly, Tony La Russa isn't going to toss Izzy right back into the closer's role, but then again, if the game conditions dictate, don't be surprised if there Izzy stands, on the hill, in the next dicey situation.
It's just baseball, ever-changing, and on a daily basis. Today, it was bullpen up, offense down, and Lohse didn't do all that bad. Not his greatest day, either, but a starter getting through seven innings for the second day in a row is certainly promising for the team.
And today, Izzy gave up nothing but headaches to Dodgers' batters that were swinging at a "returned from the dead repertoire." There wasn't a zombie pitch in the bunch.
Yes, a glimmer, and an important one. It's things like Izzy's performance today that can be one of several subtle actions that lead to more subtle actions, and before you realize it, you have a team that has fought long and hard enough to have put it together and are ready to make a better run for a win, a series, a playoff spot, and so on.
The nice thing about baseball, as well, is that you get to keep trying, and that's something that Izzy has never quit doing. While some were busy booing, Izzy was busy trying. Period.
No sweep for Cards as Manny goes deep again
The Cards may have enjoyed a couple big hitting games during the three-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but it was Manny Ramirez who kept plugging away, hitting home runs with consistency, today's two-run shot enough to down the Cards all by itself.
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.
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.
Lohse admitted after the game that he made two pitches he'd want back, one to Pierre and one to Ramirez.
Lohse also stated that it would've been nice to travel to Chicago on a sweep.
Manager Tony La Russa stated that sweeping series is hard to do, and that the Cardinals ran into a good pitcher [Kershaw] today.
All focus now swings over to the upcoming three-game series with the Chicago Cubs, at Wrigley Field. Division momentum will ride on the next three games.
photo by SD Dirk
Redbird Randoms ... Lohse 8/7/08
4thebirds,
Adam Wainwright,
Albert Pujols,
Chris Perez,
Felipe Lopez,
Joel Pineiro,
Kyle Lohse,
Redbird Randoms,
St. Louis Cardinals
On-deck: The Cards will attempt a sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers today at 1:15 p.m. at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The game ends the current Cards' home stand.
Probables: LAD: Clayton Kershaw LHP (1-3, 4.02) vs. STL-Kyle Lohse RHP (13-3, 3.73)
Birds' Perch: Third place is a familiar setting for the Redbirds these days as they keep winning, but just to keep pace with the NL Central Division leading Chicago Cubs. The Brewers continued to hover slightly over the Cardinals in second place, by a half-game. The Cards trail the Cubs by 5 1/2 games.
Wainwright bumped up: Rehabbing Adam Wainwright was supposed to get a rehab start on Saturday, the likely location, Memphis. Now that rehab start has moved up a day to Friday, also in Memphis, the home of the Class AAA affiliate Memphis Redbirds.
Homer a dirty word to Pujols: Or so it seems, reporters can hardly talk to Albert Pujols these days about ...shhish, home runs. The slugger star gets real testy whenever the subject comes up, accusing the media of "stupid" reporting. Hate to say it, Albert, but when you hit a grand slam in front of 40-thousand-plus fans, a granny becomes the sort of thing folks want to read about in the papers. At the same time, Albert should know that most fans and reporters realize he is out there working his tail feathers off to contribute to the team, and we all know a lot of the perpetual questions get tiring. Hey, we get tired of hearing the same-ole, same-ole, too. So how about we ask you about the ball you hit hard?
Lopez contributes right off the bat: In his first at bat as a Cardinal, newcomer Felipe Lopez singled. He was 1-for-3 on the night, having played left field in his St. Louis debut.
Perez looks faster: Possibly the new closer for the Cards, relief pitcher Chris Perez showed up to Busch Stadium, just activated from Triple-A Memphis, and had to come into last night's game a bit earlier than a closer normally does. Manager Tony La Russa called upon Perez with four outs remaining, and the rookie reliever responded well, running into no trouble he couldn't pitch through.
Perez's fastball seemed more lively, but that may have been due to a slider he threw that he never seemed to get to the last time he did a stint with the major league club. One thing was for sure, however: those two pitches used in random patterns played havoc on Dodgers hitters last night.
3 Ps 4 U: Huh? Simply put, we've noticed that Pineiro, Pujols, and Perez made for quite a trio of impact, an unlikely but effective combination. Bet the statmasters never put that one together.
Nieto and the Muckdogs blank Doubledays
4thebirds,
Adam Reifer,
Arquimedes Nieto,
Batavia Muckdogs,
Brett Lilley,
Joshua Hester,
St. Louis Cardinals
Batavia Muckdogs' starting pitcher Arquimedes Nieto remained perfect at 5-0 as the A-short season affiliate team blanked the Auburn Doubledays yesterday.
Reliever Joshua Hester recorded his first hold while closer Adam Reifer notched his 13th save.
Chris Swauger went 2-for-2 with a double, scoring the Muckdogs' only run.
Brett Lilley also went 2-for-2.
Kernals blank Quads' finest in Iowa
4thebirds,
Brett Wallace,
Cedar Rapids Kernels,
Domnit Bolivar,
Quad-Cities River Bandits,
St. Louis Cardinals
Finest ballplayers, that is, not the those other, well ... bad enough we have to talk about a loss, but a 2-0 shutout probably didn't put anybody on the Low-A Quad-Cities River Bandits in a good mood.
Despite the blanking, Domnit Bolivar went 1-for-4 with a triple, and recent draft choice Brett Wallace had a 2-for-4 game.
Fiske Ks five in Missions shutout
4thebirds,
Fernando Salas,
James Rapoport,
Justin Fiske,
Luis Perdomo,
Luke Gregerson,
Mark Shorey,
Springfield Cardinals
Justin Fiske struck out five Missions as the Double-A Springfield Cardinals shut out the San Antonio squad 1-0 yesterday.
Relievers' Luke Gregerson and Luis Perdomo lent their hurling hands, Gregerson earning his sixth hold while Perdomo tallied his third.
Fernando Salas notched his 22nd save on the season, representing yet another pitcher in the St. Louis Cardinals organization who may one day make a bid for the role of closer with the parent club.
Each team had eight hits.
James Rapoport went 1-for-4, scoring the AA-Cards only run. Rapoport's hit was a double.
Mark Shorey had a 1-for-4 game, his hit a triple.
Freese, Phelps' homers not enough for Redbirds
Home runs by Josh Phelps and David Freese were not quite enough help for the Triple-A affiliate Memphis Redbirds to overcome the Sacramento River Cats yesterday.
Phelps went 3-for-4 in the game. Freese went 2-for-4, also hitting a double.
Tyler Greene went 3-for-5 with a double, collecting two RBIs.
The Redbirds actually outhit the River Cats 11-10, but the 7-6 final was the "bottom line" in the contest.
Johnson City R-Cards fall to Pulaski
The Johnson City Cardinals (rookie league affiliate) fell to the Pulaski Mariners yesterday, 5-2.
The Mariners outhit the R-Cardinals 11 to eight, but there were some plate standouts for the R-Cards.
- 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
4thebirds,
Daniel Descalso,
Francisco Samuel,
Palm Beach Cardinals,
Pete Parise,
Peter Kozma,
Shaun Garceau
High-A affiliate Palm Beach Cardinals' pitching can hold a team down, one pitcher after another, while their own squad scores, well, however many they want.
Sounds easy. Probably not. But that's the PB Cards rolled yesterday at Roger Dean Stadium in Florida, beating the Daytona Cubs 4-1.
Starting PB pitcher Shaun Garceau struck out for in his role, his record now reflecting seven wins against three losses. Reliever Pete Parise earned his first hold in the win, and no-doubt-about-it closer Francisco Samuel notched his 24th save.
One has to wonder when Samuel will move up in the minor league ranks, as closers are at a premium in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.
Daniel Descalso has also become a familiar name due to his offensive production at the High-A lever. Descalso went 2-for-3. Brian Cartie went 2-for-4.
Doubling was Peter Kozma, which was his hit out of three at bats. Kozma was recently promoted to the High-A club.
River Bandits shut out Kernals
The St. Louis Cardinals' Low-A affiliate Quad-Cities River Bandits were shut out by the Cedar Rapids Kernals last night.
With only four hits, there wasn't much Bandits' offense, but Domnit Bolivar did go 1-for-4 with a triple.
Brett Wallace went 2-for-4.
Pineiro goes seven while Pujols slams and Ludwick solos
4thebirds,
Albert Pujols,
Chris Perez,
Joel Pineiro,
Los Angeles Dodgers,
Ryan Ludwick,
St. Louis Cardinals
Albert Pujols went a perfect 4-for-4 with a double and a grand slam to help struggling starting pitcher Joel Pineiro and the team to a victory last night.
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
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
4thebirds...LIVEblog,
Derek Lowe,
Joel Pineiro,
Johnson City Cardinals,
Josh Phelps,
Los Angeles Dodgers,
Memphis Redbirds,
Quad-Cities River Bandits,
St. Louis Cardinals
Daytime LIVEblogs are not attended every minute, but rest assured, your posts will not be ignored. We leave these blogs open so that you can drop in at your convenience, at more times of the day, scroll the current entries, ask questions, leave comments, pretty much come and go as fits your busy schedule.
When this Daytime Session ends, within minutes, we will switch over to tonight's LIVEcast, which is titled for the official game time, but which we often open up early for pre-game news, questions, comments, etc.
Thanks for helping us develop the way Cardinal Nation is addressed.
Redbird Randoms ... 8/6/08 Lopez, Phelps, Kozma
4thebirds,
Brett Wallace,
Felipe Lopez,
Jose Mateo,
Josh Phelps,
Osvaldo Morales,
Peter Kozma,
Redbird Randoms,
Tyler Greene
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
The Cards picked up Felipe Lopez days after he was released by the Washington Nationals.
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.
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.
photo by Barbara Moore
Ludwick hits walk-off homer in 11th
4thebirds,
Adam Kennedy,
Albert Pujols,
Andruw Jones,
Chris Carpenter,
Jaime Garcia,
Jason Isringhausen,
Los Angeles Dodgers,
Ryan Ludwick,
St. Louis Cardinals
Ryan Ludwick launched an 11th inning home run ball that landed on the grassy incline over the center field fence, the Cardinals narrowly avoiding a heartbreaking loss.
After the Dodgers rallied against reliever's Ron Villone and Jason Isringhausen to tie the game in the late innings at 4-apiece, Cardinals' manager Tony La Russa had to be wondering where he would get the innings from out his beleaguered bullpen should the game run on toward midnight.
Chris Carpenter made his second start, pitching as well as could be expected for five complete innings, allowing only three hits and no runs. Then the rains came, and although Carpenter may have been able to re-warm after a sit-down of nearly an hour, La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan felt there was no need to push things at this stage. Carpenter's night was over, but he left with a 4-0 lead.
Adam Kennedy, who was 3-for-6 on the night, singled home Cesar Izturis in the fifth, and in the next Cardinals' at-bats, pinch-hitting Rick Ankiel brought a second run home the hard way, getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
The Cards failed to do anything else with the bag-jammed situation, but Albert Pujols lent a big bat in the seventh, hammering Dodgers' reliever Chan Ho Parks' first pitch into the left-center field seats with Kennedy aboard.
Up 4-0, Brad Thompson started the string of relievers for the Cards that followed with Kyle McClellan, a rookie reliever that some say is being overused already. Both Thompson and McClellan allowed nothing, however.
It wasn't until left-hander Ron Villone came in that things began to unravel, a familiar and frustrating theme for the crowd at Busch Stadium, most of whom had stayed through a couple of lengthy rain delays. Villone gave up a solo home run to the first Dodger he faced, pinch hitter Andruw Jones.
La Russa brought in closer Jason Isringhausen, and thing really went south. After throwing a ground out, Isringhausen gave up two straight singles to Andre Ethier and Russel Martin, respectively, then walked Manny Ramirez. The walk to Ramirez didn't break anyone's heart, as dangerous a hitter as has proven himself.
The next hitter, James Loney, spoiled that theory, hitting a squibber, a ball that rolled slowly up the first base side near the foul line. Isringhausen rushed over, but rushed himself trying to pick up the ball and fumbled it. In defense of Isringhausen, the play would've been close. The Nationals were now within two runs 4-2.
Still in a double play situation, Jeff Kent drove a single to right field, scoring Martin and reloading the bases, the tying run on third base in the form of Ramirez.
Casey Blake hit a sacrifice fly to left field, Ramierez tagging and scoring the tying run.
Mark Sweeney then laced a line drive to the right side, but first baseman Pujols snagged it to end an inning that found a soaked Cardinal Nation booing their displeasure from the seats.
Dodgers' manager Joe Torre went with reliever Cory Wade for the ninth and tenth innings while La Russa showed Ryan Franklin in the tenth and Jaime Garcia in the eleventh.
It was Dodgers' reliever Jason Johnson whom the Cards took advantage of in the bottom of the eleventh, Ryan Ludwick providing the heroics with Kennedy on base and one out, skyballing a home run onto the grassy knoll past the center field wall.
Ludwick's walk-off homer brought the entire dugout onto the field to "greet and beat" him once he'd rounded the bases.
The win gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead in the three-game series with the Dodgers. Additionally, the Cardinals were able to keep pace in the NL Central with both the division-leading Chicago Cubs and second place Milwaukee Brewers both winners earlier.
photo by SD Dirk
