Cardinals fighting to stay alive
By Chris Rahill
The St. Louis Cardinals are doing whatever they can to stay in the race for the National League Central crown. Every time it seems as though St. Louis is out of it, the Cardinals go on a extended win streak.
St. Louis made a strong push at the end of July, winning five of its last six games, with three of those wins coming against division foe Milwaukee. The series win over Milwaukee breathed new life into the Cardinals, cutting their deficit to six games.
However, St. Louis failed to turn the momentum into victories, as the Cardinals followed up the Milwaukee series by dropping two out of three games to the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates. The setback against the Pirates dropped the Cardinals to 50-55, while giving the Chicago Cubs a six game lead in the division.
St. Louis began the series strong, taking a 6-4 win in Monday night’s opener. Right-hander Adam Wainwright was commanding in the victory, holding the Pirates to two runs on eight hits through six innings. The bullpen took it from there, as closer Jason Isringhausen captured his 21st save of the season. The Cardinals gave their pitching staff plenty of support, collecting 10 hits on the night.Third baseman Scott Rolen led the way, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
The Cardinals fell apart over the final two games, dropping Wednesday night’s contest 15-1, before losing Thursday’s finale 5-4 in extra innings. While Wednesday night’s game was a blowout, the Cardinals let a three-run lead slip away in Thursday’s finale. Starter Anthony Reyes was stellar in the loss, allowing three runs on four hits over five innings. Reliever Brad Thompson was eventually tagged with the loss, after surrendering the game-winning run in the 12th. St. Louis tallied nine hits on the day, but left 11 runners on base.
CARDINALS GRAB PINEIRO AFTER DEADLINE
The Cardinals bolstered their starting rotation on Tuesday by acquiring right-hander Joel Pineiro from the Boston Red Sox. The move is a sign that the Cardinals are very serious about making a run in both the division and NL wild card race. St. Louis also received cash consideration in the deal, which will be used to pay a portion of Pineiro’s salary. In return, the Cardinals agreed to send a future minor league player to Boston.
The Cardinals sought the Red Sox reliever in hopes of adding a proven arm for the final stretch of the season. The Cardinals were in desperate need of a pitcher after it was concluded that Chris Carpenter would be forced to miss the rest of the season.
Pineiro spent most of the season as a reliever in Boston. However, his 5.03 ERA in 31 appearances was not good enough for the Red Sox, as they sent the right-hander to the minors with the intention of making a deal at the deadline. Pineiro is a projected starter in St. Louis and has served in that role before, making 148 career starts as a member of the Seattle Mariners. The Cardinals hope that Pineiro can find success as a starter, however, if he does struggle they will not hesitate to move him back into the bullpen. The right- hander’s versatility is what inspired general manager Walt Jocketty to make the deal.
“We’ve been trying to build our rotation,” Jocketty said. “Our pitching in general, but our rotation in particular. And we did this, also knowing that if we were able to acquire another starter, Joel would have the versatility to go both ways.”
CARDINALS ROTATION TO UNDERGO CHANGES
The acquisition of Pineiro will force the Cardinals to make some changes in their starting rotation. At this point either Thompson or Mike Maroth will head back to the bullpen in order to make room for Pineiro. Pineiro will get his first start on Saturday against the Washington Nationals.
Another factor in manager Tony LaRussa’s decision to shuffle the rotation has been the resurgence of Reyes. Reyes, who began the year 0-10, was sent to the minors a few weeks ago in an attempt to fix his throwing mechanics. However, after a few quality starts for Triple-A Memphis, the Cardinals decided to recall the right-hander for a spot start against the Brewers last Saturday night. Reyes took advantage of the opportunity, earning his first win of the season behind a two-hit, six-inning performance. Reyes’ outing against the Brewers convinced LaRussa to give him a second chance as a starter.
“I’m glad to be a part of it,” Reyes said. “It’s something you work for all offseason to try and make the club. I’m excited to have the opportunity.”
INJURY NEWS
Reliever Tyler Johnson is one step closer to returning to the Cardinals bullpen. Johnson was solid in an appearance for Triple-A Memphis on Monday night, pitching a scoreless eighth inning while striking out one in the process. The left-hander has been out of the mix since hurting his arm against the Kansas City Royals on June 18th.
Johnson is scheduled to make his next appearance for Double-A Springfield later this week. If things go well the Cardinals could activate him before next weekend’s series with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
WHO’S HOT
Second baseman Aaron Miles has been on fire, going 12-for-34 at the plate over his last 10 games. Miles has been a tough out all season, striking out just 23 time in 268 at bats. On the season Miles is batting .284 with 11 doubles and 19 RBI.
WHO’S NOT
Outfielder Jim Edmonds is in a slump, batting just .223 with 26 RBI this season. Edmonds has been non-existent over the past two weeks, going just 2- for-23 at the plate over his last 10 games. St Louis needs Edmonds to pick it up down the stretch if they intend on making a run at the playoffs.
ON DECK
The Cardinals will head to Washington D.C. this weekend for a three-game set against the Washington Nationals. Friday night’s opener will be a showdown between Kip Wells (4-13, 5.72) and Tim Redding (1-2, 2.64). Pineiro (1-1, 5.03) will get his first start as a Cardinal on Saturday night when he takes on right-hander Joel Hanrahan (0-0). Sundays finale will feature Adam Wainwright (10-8, 4.38) and southpaw Matt Chico (5-6, 4.73).
