C.A.R.D. (Cards' Affiliate Radar Display) 8/13/08
4thebirds,
Adam Veres,
Beau Riportella,
C.A.R.D.,
Curt Smith,
David Medina,
Domnit Bolivar,
Nick Stavinoha,
Travis Mitchell
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
Redbird Randoms ... Looper, Izturis, Carpenter
4thebirds,
Braden Looper,
Chris Carpenter,
Florida Marlins,
Redbird Randoms,
Ricky Nolasco,
St. Louis Cardinals
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:
- Cesar Izturis -- 15
- Skip Schumaker -- 8
- Adam Kennedy -- 7
- Albert Pujols, Felipe Lopez, Brendan Ryan -- 6
- Ryan Ludwick -- 4
- Brian Barton -- 3
- Rick Ankiel, Chris Duncan -- 2
- Joe Mather, Aaron Miles -- 1
photo by Barbara Moore
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
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.
And, we look forward to viewing your posts during the game!
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.
