.....................4thebirds...: 8/3/08 - 8/10/08

Thompson stands in as Cards beat Reds

4thebirds, Brad Thompson, Bronson Arroyo, Chris Perez, Corey Patterson, Felipe Lopez, Jaime Garcia, Jason LaRue, Rick Ankiel, Skip Schumaker

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

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

4thebirds...LIVEcast, Brad Thompson, Cincinnati Reds, Dusty Baker, St. Louis Cardinals

Carpenter back to DL

4thebirds, Brad Thompson, Brian Barton, Chris Carpenter

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.

4thebirds...LIVEcast Reminder

4thebirds...LIVEcast, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals

C.A.R.D.

4thebirds, C.A.R.D., Charles Fick, Colt Sedbrook, Domnit Bolivar, Donovan Solano, George Brown, Jose Martinez, Josh Phelps, P.J. Walters, Paul Cruz, Tyler Henley

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

Redbird Randoms...Thompson, Ludwick

4thebirds, Brad Thompson, Bronson Arroyo, Cincinnati Reds, Ryan Ludwick, St. Louis Cardinals

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.

Wellemeyer goes into eighth as Ludwick drives home three

4thebirds, Cesar Izturis, Florida Marlins, Ryan Ludwick, Scott Olsen, St. Louis Cardinals, Todd Wellemeyer

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

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

4thebirds...LIVEcast, Florida Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals

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

4thebirds, Brandon Buckman, Brandon Dickson, Brett Wallace, Jarred Bogany, Jarrett Hoffpauir, Jess Todd, Luke Gorsett, Scott Gorgen

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

4thebirds...LIVEcast reminder

4thebirds...LIVEcast, Florida Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals

Method to Mather's Madness

4thebirds, Joe Mather, St. Louis Cardinals

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

Looper and unnamed closer Perez muddle Marlins

4thebirds, Adam Kennedy, Braden Looper, Chris Perez, Florida Marlins, Jason LaRue, Joe Mather, Kyle McClellan, Skip Schumaker, St. Louis Cardinals

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

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

4thebirds, Brad Thompson, Chris Carpenter, Florida Marlins, Scott Olsen, St. Louis Cardinals, Todd Wellemeyer

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

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

4thebirds, 4thebirds...LIVEcast, Florida Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals

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

4thebirds, Florida Marlins, Hanley Ramirez, Kyle Lohse, Ryan Ludwick, St. Louis Cardinals

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

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

4thebirds...LIVEcast, Dan Uggla, Florida Marlins, Hanley Ramirez, Joe Mather, Kyle Lohse, St. Louis Cardinals, Yadier Molina

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"

4thebirds, chaw, tobacco

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.

LIVEcast reminder for Cards/Marlins tonight

4thebirds, Florida Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals

Waino's #'s in Memphis

4thebirds, Adam Wainwright, Memphis Redbirds, New Orleans Zephyrs, St. Louis Cardinals

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

4thebirds, David Eckstein, So Taguchi

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

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

4thebirds...LIVEcast, Florida Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals

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.

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4thebirds...LIVEcast, Florida Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals

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

4thebirds, Memphis Redbirds, Mike Parisi, St. Louis Cardinals

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

4thebirds, 4thebirds...LIVEcast, Chicago Cubs, Chris Carpenter, Ryan Dempster, St. Louis Cardinals

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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

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

4thebirds...LIVEcast, Albert Pujols, Carlos Zambrano, Cesar Izturis, Chicago Cubs, Henry Blanco, Jim Edmonds, Joe Mather, Kyle McClellan, St. Louis Cardinals, Todd Wellemeyer