Series Preview: The Cardinals will limp into Milwaukee on Monday after a disappointing effort on Sunday versus the Giants that led to their first series loss of the 2008 season.
However, on the upside, they will send their #1 and #2 starters to the hill against the Brewers in this short two game series. With Wainwright and Lohse pitching, the Cardinals have a good chance to take two from the Brewers at Miller Park.
The Brewers will be limping back home as well, losing an extra inning affair in Cincy after Eric Gagne again coughed up a save. The Cardinals will once again see Carlos Villanueva and Manny Parra. The Cardinals beat Villanueva at home and lost the game started by Parra on an implosion by the bullpen after Lohse had left the game in the 8th inning.
April 21 – St. Louis 4 Milwaukee 3
The Cardinals got the win in a rather messy game that had a lot of late inning ups and downs. Adam Wainwright got through 7 innings, but the four walks he dished out was an indication that he did not have his best stuff coming off his 115 pitch outing in his last start. Memo to Yadi Molina: Ryan Braun CAN hit a fastball, and when your pitcher is not locating it well, stay with the soft stuff with Mr. I Won The Rookie Of The Year Award with 30+ Errors at 3rd base.
There was not a lot of offense on either side, with the Cardinals only scratching out 5 hits and the Brewers 7 hits. The Cardinals failed to take advantage of 7 walks and the trend of LOBs continued.
The Cardinals were gifted a run in the top of the 8th when Corey Hart left his sunglasses in the dugout and missed a routine fly ball down the right field line. It allowed Ryan Ludwick to reach 3rd base for a 3 base error. After walks to Pujols and Glaus were sandwiched around a missed opportunity pop up by Rick Ankiel (boy, does he need the home cooking of Busch III), Adam Kennedy delivered a sac fly.
However, Ryan Franklin could not shut down the Brewers as that Braun guy doubled to start the inning and moved to 3rd on a wild pitch strikeout of Prince Fielder. Cory Hart then “tripled” in Braun on a ball Ludwick lost in the lights in RF.
But the Cardinals got that run back in the top of the 9th off the ugliest guy in baseball, Derrick Turnbow. Brian Barton grounded a double to left CF and Skip Schumaker doubled him in with a shot to the gap in right CF.
Izzy pitched a perfect 9th to pick up his league leading 7th save.
April 22 – St. Louis 8 Milwaukee 9
Another wild and wacky one did not go the Cardinals way in a day Tuesday game at Miller Park. Kyle Lohse was the starter and did not have his good stuff and did not make the 5th inning. Brad Thompson came on in long relief, but did not last long. After a good 5th inning, Thompson imploded in the 6th inning, much of it his own doing. A lead off walk, a laser off Glaus’s glove and an inexplicable handling of a sac bunt loaded the bases with none out, and Thompson then gave up a bases clearing triple to Rickie Weeks, who was raking under .200 at the time.
The Cardinals clawed their way back and tied the game on what looked to be a sure double play, but the shaky defense of Weeks led to a bad throw on a Pujols grounder and the tying run scored. Then it got real interesting. Playing a man down after Cesar Izturis took one off the arm by Eric Gagne (who coughed up another save opportunity); the Cardinals played 4 innings with Pujols at 2nd and Jason LaRue at 1st. Izzy got roughed up in the 12th for the loss, and the theme of leaving men on base continued. Certainly a somber flight to Pittsburgh ensued after a such a tough loss.
1 Comment
April 21, 2008 at 9:19 pm
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Nice preview on the Brewers series. The Cards should be able to take both of them, but of course, youneverknow.