Thursday, August 7th 2008
A sweep might have been nice for the Cardinals, but a series win will do nicely.
With Kyle Lohse on the mound, the Los Angeles Dodgers chipped away at the scoreboard over the first few innings to send the Cardinals, who now travel to Chicago to face the division-leading Cubs, to a 4-1 loss on Thursday at Busch Stadium.
Though Lohse has been dominant all year long, he was not sharp early on. A 30-plus-pitch first frame allowed the Dodgers to score first when James Loney singled home Jeff Kent. A red-hot Manny Ramirez added his second home run of the series, a two-run blast in the third inning, to make the score 3-0. Juan Pierre tripled to score Danny Ardoin an inning later.
For his final three innings, however, Lohse was ...
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After missing 11 straight starts because of a lower abdominal strain, it appears Cardinals outfielder Rick Ankiel is very close to returning to the lineup.
While Ankiel did not talk about his injury on Thursday, manager Tony La Russa shed some light on the situation, saying he was pleased with Ankiel's progress. If the slugger can come back this weekend, it would be a huge boost for the Cardinals as they square up against the division-leading Cubs.
"He had a good workout today," La Russa said. "I was hoping he would play yesterday, but Mother Nature said not. He had a good running day today, so I think it is more likely that he can play the weekend, but it's not guaranteed."
Since he sustained the injury on July 26, ...
Wednesday, August 6th 2008
Behind the bats of Albert Pujols and Ryan Ludwick, the Cardinals rolled to their second straight win on Wednesday, defeating the Dodgers, 9-6, at Busch Stadium.
Combined, the two sluggers drove in six runs on the night, belted two home runs and knocked out opposing starter Derek Lowe after 3 1/3 innings. On the mound, Joel Pineiro steered the Cardinals through the middle innings while pitching effectively.
Down 3-1 in the third inning with one of the runs coming off Manny Ramirez's fourth career home run off Pineiro in the second, the Cardinals rallied. Pujols doubled and scored on Ludwick's base hit. Two hits later, Ludwick crossed home to tie the game.
An inning later, the Cardinals incredibly did more damage. With ...
RELATED: Cards, Perez hang on for win - STLToday.com
Ever since he returned from the All-Star break, Ryan Ludwick has done nothing but pulverize the baseball.
And now Ludwick added his name to the Cardinals history books, as well. On Wednesday night, he hit a home run for the fifth straight day to tie a club record.
Facing Derek Lowe in the fourth inning, and following Albert Pujols' grand slam, Ludwick sent a 1-2 slider into the Dodgers bullpen. The last person to achieve the feat was Pujols, when he went deep in five straight games during Aug. 17-22, 2007. Jim Edmonds also homered in five straight on the Cardinals.
In Ludwick's second full year in the Majors, he has transformed into one of the hotter hitters in the entire game, with 29 home runs and 82 RBIs. Throughout his ...
The Cardinals tipped their hand regarding their plans for rehabbing right-hander Adam Wainwright on Wednesday, announcing that Wainwright will begin his Minor League rehabilitation assignment a day earlier than expected.
Wainwright, who faced hitters in a simulated game on Tuesday, will pitch for Triple-A Memphis on Friday, rather than Saturday as originally announced. From there, he will pitch approximately every two or three days, an indication that there is a good chance he will be used in relief when he returns to active duty. Wainwright has been sidelined since June due to an injury to the middle finger on his right hand.
"We're going to limit his pitch count and then have him go more on an every-couple-of-days schedule from ...
After their 6-4 victory in 11 innings over Los Angeles on Tuesday, the St. Louis Cardinals announced they had signed free-agent infielder Felipe Lopez, who was recently released by the Washington Nationals.
Lopez, a switch-hitter, can play second base, shortstop, third base and the outfield. He will replace Brendan Ryan, who was optioned to Class AAA Memphis. Lopez, 28, will be in uniform for the second game of the series against the Dodgers today.
"He provides a better player for that spot," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said of Lopez. "Brendan is a young guy with a lot of future. When he was playing enough, it was kind of acceptable. Now, he isn't playing enough. So Felipe is a better fit and it gets (Ryan) down there ...
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RELATED: Notes on Tuesday’s Scorecard: Paging Felipe Lopez - STLToday.com
Ryan Ludwick hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Cardinals a 6-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium on Tuesday.
After Adam Kennedy led off the inning with his third single of the night, Ludwick belted his 28th homer of the year to allow the Cardinals to keep pace with the Cubs and Brewers in the National League Central standings.
Jason Isringhausen hurt the Cardinals in the top of the ninth, allowing five straight batters to reach base and blowing a 4-1 lead. Ryan Franklin allowed the game-tying run on a sacrifice fly. However, the ninth-inning woes were replaced by the joy of pulling off the win.
Playing through two rain delays, the Cardinals struck first after Chris Carpenter ...
RELATED: Carp good, bullpen bad, but Cards win - MLB.com
Tuesday, August 5th 2008
Adam Wainwright knows he needs to get better before the next time he throws. Fortunately, he also expects to get better.
Wainwright faced hitters on Tuesday for the first time since he sustained a sprained middle finger on his right (pitching) hand. He threw about 35 pitches over two simulated "innings" to teammates Nick Stavinoha and Rick Ankiel, and he wasn't especially thrilled with how he threw the ball. Still, he said his next outing will be the start of a Minor League rehabilitation assignment.
"I was battling mechanically," Wainwright said. "First time facing hitters, I was flying open really bad. So I've got some work to do mechanically. But those are things you can knock out usually pretty fast. My arm felt good, ...
RELATED: Wainwright healthy, but needs to perfect mechanics before Triple-A start Saturday - MLB.com
The official logo of the 80th All-Star Game was unveiled Tuesday afternoon by Major League Baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals and the City of St. Louis.
The game, which will be played at Busch Stadium on July 14, 2009, will be the fifth All-Star Game hosted by St. Louis.
Previous St. Louis All-Star Games were played in 1940 and 1948 at Sportsman's Park, in 1957 at Busch Stadium (the renamed Sportsman's Park) and in 1966 during the inaugural season of Busch Memorial Stadium.
"Major League Baseball is very excited about bringing the 80th All-Star Game to St. Louis," said Bob DuPuy, MLB president and chief operating officer. "More than 250,000 fans will get to experience All-Star Week here in St. Louis."
The official logo ...
RELATED: St. Louis looks forward to All-Star Game - MLB.com Pujols, Ludwick want more '09 All-Stars - MLB.com
Monday, August 4th 2008
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Chris Duncan underwent successful neck surgery on Monday.
The procedure consisted of a cervical disc replacement, and Duncan will need three-to-four months to recover.
Duncan was placed on the disabled list July 22 with the injury. He received a cortisone shot that apparently had no effect.
This will be the second consecutive year Duncan will have a season cut short due to injury. The 27-year-old underwent season-ending surgery to repair a bilateral sports hernia last September.
The news ends a frustrating season for Duncan that included a trip to Triple-A Memphis in late May. Duncan hit .248 with six homers and 27 RBI in 76 games this season after posting back-to-back 20-homer ...
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RELATED: Duncan 'excited' about surgery's outcome - STLToday.com Surgery ends Duncan's pain - STLToday.com
