By Dan Moore

– Managing Editor

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Aug 22, 2011 – 8.5 games behind the surging Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central, the St. Louis Cardinals find themselves engaged in yet another must-win series Monday as the Los Angeles Dodgers come to Busch Stadium for a three-game series. Chris Carpenter, Kyle Lohse, and Jaime Garcia will take the mound for the Cardinals, who will face top Dodger dogs Clayton Kershaw and Hiroki Kuroda in games two and three. 

The Cardinals could be without one of their two Dodgers shortstop imports early in the series, as Rafael Furcal continues to feel the effects of a sprained thumb suffered pre-game in the Cardinals’ series with the Cubs. Ryan Theriot, the former Dodger Furcal replaced, could start in his absence, although the team seems to see him primarily as a second baseman after an awful defensive season. 

The Cardinals are 10-9 in August after going 24-28 in June and July, but the rebound hasn’t been enough to catch the surging Brewers. The two teams will play six games head-to-head in the final month of the season. 

Read More: Kyle Lohse (P – STL), Rafael Furcal (SS – STL), Chris Carpenter (P – STL), Hiroki Kuroda (P – LOS), Jaime Garcia (P – STL), Clayton Kershaw (P – LOS), St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers

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Read More: Rafael Furcal (SS – STL), Albert Pujols (1B – STL), St. Louis Cardinals, Florida Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers

The St. Louis Cardinals rallied early and Chris Carpenter held on after a rough eighth inning to stay in the race against the surging Brewers, beating Milwaukee by a score of 5-2. Albert Pujols had four hits, including a home run, to propel the Cardinals, who also got a leadoff homer from midseason acquisition Rafael Furcal. Carpenter’s win was his eighth, while Fernando Salas picked up his 22nd save of the season with a perfect ninth inning. 

After a four-game sweep of the Marlins the Cardinals welcomed the Brewers into Busch Stadium only to lose two ugly games and fall five games back of the division leaders. Thursday, at least, was a vintage reminder of what the Cardinals can do when their ace and their superstar get things going on the same night. 

The Cardinals will host the Colorado Rockies on Friday night, when Kyle Lohse returns the mound against Aaron Cook. Jaime Garcia and Edwin Jackson will pitch over the weekend as the Cardinals try to avoid losing any more ground against a Brewers team that won’t stop winning. 

On a hot, muggy evening at Busch Stadium, the St. Louis Cardinals got a shot in the arm from their newest starting pitcher and a glimpse at history in a 9-2 win over the Chicago Cubs Friday night.

Edwin Jackson, who came to St. Louis as part of an eight player trade with the Toronto Blue Jays earlier this week, hurled seven strong innings and Albert Pujols became the 12th fastest major leaguer in history to reach 2,000 career hits.

Jackson (8-7) allowed only one run on seven hits, striking out four in his Cardinal debut.

Pujols, who came into the night needing two hits to reach the milestone, doubled in the 4th for #1,999, then drove in a run with a double in the 8th inning. As Pujols reached second base, the scoreboard flashed a sign congratulating the Cards’ slugger on #2,000. During the standing ovation that ensued, Pujols tipped his helmet to the crowd several times before the game continued.

“What a thrill for all of us,” Cards Manager Tony LaRussa said after the game when asked about Pujols’ big moment. “What an accomplishment this early in his career. I can’t begin to describe it, but I’ve tried. He’s just a great, great player.”

The Cubs jumped out to a 1-0 in the 2nd inning on Tyler Colvin’s sacrifice fly. The inning may have been worse for the Cards, but Corey Patterson, who also came over in the trade with the Blue Jays, fired a bullet to the plate and Yadier Molina gunned down Cubs catcher Geovany Soto trying to advance to third.

The Cards got to Cubs starter Matt Garza (4-8) in the 4th inning . After Pujols doubled and Matt Holliday singled, third baseman David Freese hit a home run over the left-centerfield fence to give St. Louis a 3-1 lead.

In the bottom of the 6th, Molina singled in a run and pinch hitter Ryan Theriot doubled in two more to increase the lead to 6-1.

After the Cubs scored a run in the 8th off reliever Kyle McClellan, St. Louis posted its third three-run frame of the game in the bottom of the inning with Pujols’ milestone double and Theriot’s second double of the game the big hits that made it 9-2.

The Cardinals improve to 56-50 and stay 1 1/2 games behind Milwaukee in the National League Central. St. Louis will play the Cubs again Saturday afternoon at Busch Stadium as Kyle Lohse (8-7) starts against Chicago’s Rodrigo Lopez (2-2).

Game Note: Pujols reached career hit #2000 in his 1,650th game, becoming the 12th quickest in history to accomplish the feat in terms of number of games played. St. Louis Cardinals legend Stan Musial was the third fastest to 2,000, hitting the milestone in his 1,507th career game (Elias Sports Bureau).

 

 

(AP) – A 10-game road trip is tough enough for a team, but when you look at the teams the Chicago Cubs will face, starting with the St. Louis Cardinals, the road trip gets even tougher.

Beginning the trek with a victory would mark a feat they haven’t accomplished in quite some time.

Chicago seeks its first six-game winning streak at either Busch Stadium in 33 years Friday night when it opens a three-game set against the arch-rival St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cubs (23-31) finished 3-6 against the New York Mets, Pittsburgh and Houston at Wrigley Field, capped by a three-game sweep at the hands of the NL-worst Astros culminating with Wednesday’s 3-1 loss.

Chicago dropped two of three to the Cardinals at home May 10-12, but took last season’s final five meetings at Busch. The Cubs haven’t won six straight in St. Louis since they won seven in a row at the old Busch Stadium during the 1978 season.

A rash of injuries may make it tough for the Cubs to keep their current streak alive.

Aramis Ramirez required stitches after being hit in the mouth Wednesday, though it’s unclear if he’ll miss any time. However, Alfonso Soriano (quad) and Reed Johnson (back) recently joined Marlon Byrd (multiple facial fractures) on the disabled list, further depleting an offense that has scored three or fewer runs in five of its last six games.

That doesn’t bode well for Chicago, especially facing first-place St. Louis, Cincinnati and NL East-leading Philadelphia over the next week and a half.

“Obviously things haven’t gone well for us. That’s no secret,” said first baseman Carlos Pena, who is 2 for 16 over his last five games. “I believe we’re coming together as a team, as ugly as it looks right now.”

Probable starter Ryan Dempster (4-4, 6.00 ERA) has been a recent bright spot, going 3-0 with a 3.75 ERA over his last four outings. The veteran right-hander pitched the Cubs to their most recent victory Sunday, allowing two runs over six innings of a 3-2 win over Pittsburgh.

Dempster is 1-1 with a 2.86 ERA in five starts at the new Busch Stadium.

Though the Cubs have had recent success in St. Louis, so has Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia (5-1, 3.28).

The left-hander is 3-0 with a 0.29 ERA and two shutouts in four home starts this season, and 5-1 with a 0.85 ERA at Busch since Aug. 22. However, Garcia’s only home loss in that span came against the Cubs on Sept. 13, when he allowed four runs – two earned – in six innings.

He got credit for a 9-1 win in Chicago on May 12, when he gave up one run through seven innings, but Garcia is now coming off the worst outing of his career. He allowed 12 runs in 3 1-3 innings of Saturday’s 15-4 loss at Colorado.

The Cardinals (33-25) have lost five of eight, including a 12-7 defeat to San Francisco on Thursday. Colby Rasmus hit a grand slam and a two-run triple for a career-high six RBIs, but it wasn’t enough to prevent St. Louis from dropping three of four to the Giants.

“He’s got a ton of talent,” manager Tony La Russa said of Rasmus. “The more at-bats, the more consistent he’ll be.”

Rasmus went 6 for 15 against the Cubs last month, but he’s 1 for 8 lifetime off Dempster.

Copyright 2010 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. STATS LLC and The Associated Press contributed to this article. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

Read More: Ryan Franklin (P – STL), San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals dropped a strange game to the San Francisco Giants Wednesday, when a Fernando Salas blown save left a gassed Ryan Franklin on the mound in extra innings. Even Busch Stadium’s lights got in on the action, blinking out in the last at-bat of the game to delay the ending for 16 minutes before the Giants could record a final score of 7-5. Allen Craig homered and Daniel Descalso tripled for the Cardinals, who saw rookie closer Salas blow his first save of the season.

Franklin, who’d been invisible in the bullpen for weeks, went two innings in his second appearance in as many days, and couldn’t keep the Giants off the board in the 11th inning. The Cardinals couldn’t come away with the win despite taking five runs and 10 hits against Giants ace Tim Lincecum, and Jake Westbrook, who went just five-and-two-thirds, wasn’t able to rest a bullpen that had seen too much work in the last week.

Read More: Tim Lincecum (P – SFG), San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals

Tim Lincecum has rarely had much trouble with the St. Louis Cardinals in his career thus far, and was looking to continue that tradition. But Timmy and the San Francisco Giants found themselves in a back-and-forth matchup at Busch Stadium tonight as Nate Schierholtz played hero not once but twice, leading to a dramatic 7-5 Giants win in 11 innings.

Lincecum allowed 10 hits to the Red Birds, capped by an Allen Craig pinch hit two run homer in the seventh to give St. Louis the lead, the first pinch hit homer ever given up by Lincecum in his career. The rest of the Cards’ runs came off of a pair of RBI singles and an unfortunate wild pitch by Timmy in the fourth. Lincecum still managed to ring up 9 Cards in his six and 1/3 innings of work, and finished without a walk.

The Giants knocked Jake Westbrook out of the game in the sixth, plating three runs off an RBI double from Cody Ross, an Eli Whiteside sacrifice fly, and an Andres Torres RBI double. Aubrey Huff launched his fifth homer of the season in the seventh, and the Giants tied up the game in the ninth off a Nate Schierholtz RBI single.

Then in the top of the 11th Nate Schierholtz was at it again, slapping an RBI double to right field to give the Giants the lead 6-5. Brandon Crawford followed it up with an RBI single to left to give the G-Men some extra insurance. Brian Wilson came in for the bottom of the inning, earning his 15th save of the year despite a bizarre twenty minute delay when a bank of lights went out in the stadium.

Full box score can be found here.

The Giants will conclude their series in St. Louis Thursday as Jonathan Sanchez (3-3 3.38 ERA) will take the mound to face Cardinals’ Lance Lynn in his first start of the season for the Red Birds. First pitch is set for 5:15 p.m. PT tomorrow with coverage on CSN Bay Area, MLB Network, and KNBR 680 AM.

The 2011 MLB All-Star Game is still more than a month away, but at Busch Stadium St. Louis Cardinals fans are already voting like it’s election day—so far Yadier Molina is in third place, behind Brian McCann and Buster Posey, who had a commanding lead at catcher before the collision at the plate that ended his season; Albert Pujols leads all vote-getters with nearly a million; and both Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman are in the outfield by nearly 100,000 votes over fourth-place Andre Ethier.

Only the Cardinals’ spotty infield keeps them from fielding strong candidates at every position, although if Albert Pujols continues to play third base they might manage to unseat former Cardinal Placido Polanco, the surprise winner at the position with almost 200,000 more votes than second-placer Chipper Jones. 

This year’s Yao Ming Award for voting persistence goes to Chase Utley, who is third in the NL second base vote despite returning from injury about a week ago. The All-Star Game is on July 12, and will be played at Chase Field in Phoenix. 

(Sports Network) – The St. Louis Cardinals have built a seemingly-comfortable
lead atop the National League Central Division no thanks to Chris Carpenter.

The 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner is slated to make his team-leading 11th
start of the season tonight in the finale of a three-game series against the
San Diego Padres at Petco Park.

Carpenter has lost back-to-back starts since his only win of the season on May
10 against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, and previously toed the rubber
in Friday’s 3-0 setback at Kansas City. He allowed all three runs on nine hits
with five strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings to fall to 1-4 in 10 starts with a
4.88 earned run average.

The right-hander has yielded at least three runs in each of his past five
starts and will face San Diego for the second time this season. Carpenter made
his 2011 debut against the Padres on March 31 at Busch Stadium and threw seven
innings of two-run ball for a no-decision in a 5-3 loss. He owns a 3-2 record
in seven career starts against the Padres to go along with a 3.12 ERA.

St. Louis squeezed out a 3-2 win in 11 innings on Tuesday, as Daniel Descalso
plated Allen Craig with a single for the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th
inning and Eduardo Sanchez pitched a perfect bottom half for his fifth save.
Kyle McClellan drew the start for the Cards and was aiming to become the
majors’ first seven-game winner, but did not record a decision. He allowed two
unearned runs through six innings.

“He pitched excellent,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. “And you’ve got
to give him extra credit because he’s pitching to a rookie catcher and a lot
was on him to pitch his own game.”

Miguel Batista was credited with the win with two shutout innings of relief.

Ryan Theriot and Lance Berkman each drove in a run, while Descalso and Tony
Cruz had three hits apiece in a 12-hit attack to set up tonight’s possibility
of a three-game sweep. St. Louis has won four in a row and eight of its last
nine games, and improved to 4-1 on a nine-game road trip which includes a stop
at Colorado. It is 3 1/2 games ahead of both Cincinnati and Milwaukee in the
division standings.

San Diego has dropped five in a row and seven of eight games, and got a two-
run homer from Brad Hawpe in the bottom of the first inning. Chase Headley had
the other hit for the Padres, who wasted a solid start from first-year Friar
Aaron Harang.

Harang allowed two runs and eight hits with seven K’s in seven innings for a
no-decision. Ernesto Frieri later surrendered the go-ahead run in the 11th
inning to absorb the loss.

“We’re playing hard, we’re just not getting in the win column,” Padres manager
Bud Black said.

Black’s ballclub is 1-6 on an eight-game homestand and will hand the ball to
struggling right-hander Mat Latos this evening. Latos is coming off a 4-1 loss
to Seattle on Friday in which he was reached for four runs and eight hits in
six innings to fall to 1-6 in eight starts with a 4.60 earned run average.

Latos, whose only win this season came on May 15 at Colorado, is 0-2 with a
dreadful 25.31 ERA in two career starts against the Cardinals. He has allowed
15 runs and 17 hits in only 5 1/3 innings in this series.

San Diego won two of three matchups with the Cardinals at Busch Stadium from
March 31-April 3.

The Sports Network

CINCINNATI — The season has yet to reach the quarter pole, but the weekend series between the Reds and the Cardinals is shaping up to be a big one.The top two teams in the National League Central Division open a three-game series at Great American Ballpark Friday night. St. Louis clings to a 1 1/2 game lead over Cincinnati and took two out of three from the Reds at Busch Stadium in late April. That is one reason this series looms large for the Reds.

Cincinnati has lost eight of the last 10 games against the Cardinals dating back to 2010. Reds Hall of Fame announcer Marty Brennaman told us Thursday, “I think at some point you have to establish in your own mind, and you have to establish to some degree in their mind, that you are capable of beating them.” No longer can the Reds worry about the bad blood that culminated in a big brawl behind home plate last August. The Reds have to worry about beating the Cardinals straight up.Last year the Reds lost 12 of the 18 games they played against St. Louis. But because the Cardinals struggled against other teams, the Reds were able to take advantage and win the division. They can’t bank on that happening in 2011.

The Cardinals are in first place and they have done it without one of their ace pitchers, Adam Wainwright. After Wainwright blew out an elbow in spring training, the Cardinals turned to Kyle McClellan to step in. McClellan has surpassed expectations, rolling to a 5-0 record, with the Cardinals picking up wins in each of his seven starts.Meanwhile, star first baseman Albert Pujols is still hitting below a .270 average. Yet the Cardinals have managed to squeeze out a record of 22-16. It is evidence that the 2011 Cardinals will be in this race for the long haul. “I really believe, and nobody will ever admit to it, but I think there’s a mindset on the Cardinals part that they can beat the Reds every time they tee it up,” Brennaman said.

Marty thinks that line of thinking cuts both ways. “I think there’s probably some feeling among the Reds players, what in the heck do we have to do to beat them?” he said. The Reds are expecting plenty of fan support. A weekend series against the Cardinals is normally a recipe for big crowds, and in the past year with the Reds showing some life, it has become even bigger.The Reds also have reason for hope. Outside of Edinson Volquez, the starting pitching has been superb lately. Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey have provided a nice boost in that department.Cincinnati just won four out of six on their road trips to Chicago and Houston. They have won three consecutive series for the first time this season.Now the Reds have a chance to do something else they haven’t done since last season at this time, and that is win a series against the Cardinals.As Brennaman said, “You’ve got to establish the fact that you can beat them, and you have to start doing that (Friday) night.”Probable Starting Pitchers:
Friday 7:10 p.m., B. Arroyo (3-3, 3.68) vs. K. Lohse (4-2, 2.24); Saturday 4:10 p.m., J. Cueto (1-0, 0.00) vs. K. McClellan (5-0, 3.30); Sunday 1:10 p.m., T. Wood (2-3, 5.28) vs C. Carpenter (1-2, 4.32)

There’s nothing like a series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs to get fans of both teams aroused and inflame the long-standing rivalry.

You can hear the chirping: Burn, baby, burn.

And it’ll heat up for 2011 tonight when the Cardinals and Cubs clash for the first time in a three-game series at Wrigley Field. For the record, the Cubbies don’t touch down in Busch Stadium until June 3-5.

St. Louis, 20-15, leads the NL Central and is gradually progressing after losing six of its first eight games. The Cardinals have gone 7-0-1 in their last eight series, which includes splitting four games with the Florida Marlins last week. The Cards have won 17 of their last 26 games.

Although the Cubs are still trying to find their way under manager Mike Quade, they tend to play their best baseball against the Cardinals. Chicago went 9-6 against St. Louis last season and has won the season series five of the last six years.

The Cubs are 56-41 against the Redbirds since 2005, though the Cards are 91-90 vs. the Chicagoans since 2000.

If you want to go back longer – let’s say to 1892, for example – the Cubs are 1,161-1,094 against the Cardinals. Those 2,265 games have featured a little bit of everything, as have the guys who have played in any of them.

Some of them have played for both teams, and St. Louis shortstop Ryan Theriot will experience that feeling tonight. It’s his first trip back to the Windy City since the Cubs traded him to the Dodgers last year. He toiled for the Cubs from 2005 to 2010.

Others can tell him firsthand about the rivalry and about being on both sides. Lou Brock, Bruce Sutter, Lee Smith and Dennis Eckersley come to mind.

Through the years, the Cardinals have sent their share of pitchers to the Cubs. You remember that Hall of Famer Dizzy Dean pitched for the Cubs in 1938 and made an appearance in the World Series that season. He registered 16 of his 150 career victories while pitching for the Cubs.

Larry Jackson, Lindy McDaniel, Ernie Broglio, Bobby Shantz, Sam Jones, Lon Warneke, Jackie Collum, Donovan Osborne, Barney Schultz, Curt Simmons and Tom Poholsky are among the hurlers who worked both sides of the street.

Interestingly, Jackson won a career-best 24 games for the Cubs in 1964, the same season they traded for Broglio. No doubt, you can name many more pitchers who logged time for both teams.

What has made the rivalry riveting is the interaction between the fans. Sometimes they take it more seriously than the players, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It makes for high drama, and the show must go on, whether it’s at Wrigley or Busch.

OUT AND ABOUT: The Cubs defeated the Cardinals 16 consecutive times in 1906-1907, a lot before my time. The Cards won 14 straight in 1944, a little before my time.

I do remember the Cubs pounding the Cards 19-4 in September of 1974 at Busch Stadium II and St. Louis scorching Chicago 21-3 in April 1977 at Wrigley, where the Cubs own a 482-423 advantage. The Cardinals are 22-20 at new Busch…

…Following the three games in Chicago, the Cards go to Cincinnati for three weekend games, including a nationally televised one Saturday afternoon. Then the Phillies and Astros come to Busch. So, St. Louis is in a stretch where it plays nine successive games against NL Central opponents.

Lance Berkman is back in his old home tonight. But this time, he will be surrounded by the St. Louis Cardinals rather than the Houston Astros.

Berkman, a Cards’ outfielder, returns to Houston when the Cardinals open a three-game series against the Astros. St. Louis had an open date Monday.

From 1999-2010, Berkman served as a standout player for the Astros. He was a five-time All-Star and played in the 2005 World Series. The Astros traded him to the New York Yankees last July and then he signed a one-year free agent contract with the Cardinals in December.

So Berkman, a 35-year-old switch-hitter, doesn’t expect a welcoming party in Houston.

“I feel like I’ve kind of turned the page, and part of me just wants to be done with it,” he told MLB.com. “But I know I’m going to have to go back in there and face a lot of questions, and things like that.”

He added, “Since I’m on the other side, you’ve got to try to win and do the best you can for the team you’re playing for now.”

The 6-foot-1, 220-pounder is doing his best to live up to his one-year, $8 million contact. The Cardinals certainly have no complaints.

“He has been a great addition, both on the field and in the clubhouse,” St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said.

Berkman is hitting .377 with six home runs and 15 RBIs. He’s in the middle of a lineup that features Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday, so there’s reason for him to be successful.

“My legs feel good, my knees aren’t bothering me and I’m healthier than I have been in a while,” Berkman said. “I have a good base to hit from and my swing feels really good.

“I hope I can keep it going.”

St. Louis sends lefty Jaime Garcia (3-0) against Cards’ nemesis Bud Norris (1-1) in tonight’s opener. The Astros are stuck at the bottom of the NL Central standings. They are 8-14 and four games behind the first-place Cardinals.

Once 2-6, the Cards have won 10 of their last 14 games. They just completed a 4-2 homestand, winning two of three games from Washington and Cincinnati.

Jake Westbrook (2-2) pitched six strong innings Sunday during their 3-0 victory over the Reds. Reliever Mitchell Boggs worked the ninth for his third save in week. The Cardinals have converted four of nine save opportunities.

“I felt great,” Westbrook said. “It was just a matter of going out there and being better than I have been in my other starts.”

Westbrook came into the game with a bloated 9.82 ERA and a rocky three-inning start Wednesday here against the Nationals. La Russa went with him on three days of rest and Westbrook responded. He struck our four and walked three in an 87-pitch outing.

Following the Cardinals’ three games in Houston, they’ll go to Atlanta for three more this weekend. Florida and Milwaukee then come calling to Busch Stadium for seven games next week.

ST. LOUIS, April 21 (UPI) — Kyle Lohse pitched a two-hit shutout and Matt Holliday and Albert Pujols hit home runs Thursday in a 5-0 St. Louis Cardinals win over the Washington Nationals.

Washington had just one runner get as far as second base against Lohse (3-1), who walked two, hit one and struck out six.

He retired the first 11 Nationals he faced before Jayson Werth singled with two outs in the fourth. Lohse ended up facing just four batters over the minimum.

Washington starter Tom Gorzelanny (0-2) also pitched well, giving up two hits and four walks in five innings. However, he walked Pujols with two outs in the first and Holliday sent a drive into the right-field bullpen for a 2-0 lead. It was Holliday’s second home run of the year.

St. Louis got to Washington reliever Collin Balester for three runs in the eighth. Colby Rasmus led off the inning with a walk and Pujols followed with a shot beyond the bullpen in left field for his sixth homer of the season. Holliday walked and reached home on a David Freese double to complete the scoring.

ST. LOUIS (AP) – The Washington Nationals at St. Louis Cardinals game scheduled for Tuesday night was postponed by a severe storm that set off a tornado siren.

A day-night doubleheader was set for Wednesday with games at 1:15 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.

The game was called after a delay of two hours and 21 minutes. Based on forecasts, the Cardinals announced 20 minutes before the scheduled first pitch that it would not begin on time.

Heavy rain reached Busch Stadium about 20 minutes after the scheduled 7:15 p.m. start. Hail came down so hard some small cubes pounded through the roof and into a back aisle of the press box.

Thousands of fans stayed in their seats even after a tornado warning siren sounded, then sprinted up the aisles to relative safety.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Associated Press