Cardinals-Cubs: Rick Ankiel Walk-Off Spectacular!

The sixth inning that could have been for the St. Louis Cardinals left me wondering whether or not the Cards would pull out a victory this afternoon at Busch Stadium. After an eighth inning home run by the Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez, I thought the Cardinals were headed towards their second straight defeat to the division leaders.

Then the ninth inning came, and second baseman Adam Kennedy atoned for his sixth inning double play, with a double to cut the deficit in half. Cards outfielder Rick Ankiel played the role of hero today, hitting a single that plated Adam Kennedy and Chris Duncan, to take the ball game and hand the loss to Kerry Wood and the Cubbies.

If yesterday’s game weren’t good enough, the second part of the trilogy was even better. This was arguably the game’s best rivalry in full action.

Since I haven’t done it in some long time, I will recap the game in terms of good, bad, and neither here nor there.

GOOD

Rick Ankiel- This is a no-brainer. Not only did Ankiel go 3-5 on the day, but his aforementioned single won the game for the Cardinals. After slumping for a while, Ankiel has come around as of late, and also added his 18^th home run of the season, tied for tops on the Cardinals.

Albert Pujols- Am I right in saying that he just came off the DL less than 50 at-bats ago? No one would be able to tell, because Pujols has been sizzling, and today was no different. He went 2-3, and added a walk, getting his batting average back over the .350 mark.

Kyle Lohse- To be honest, I was worried after his last outing, when he gave up five runs over a pathetic four innings. But he came out and performed, going seven innings, giving up just two runs. Save for Mark DeRosa’s solo shot, Lohse threw a very effective ballgame.

Kyle McClellan- Sure he let up two walks, but he also allowed just one hit over two innings of scoreless baseball. McClellan is pitching like a veteran, which speaks volumes for this young guy.

BAD

Ryan Franklin- So, he didn’t record an out, and he gave up a two-run blast to Ramirez on top of it! He had looked good in his previous starts, but I’m wondering where his head has been lately.

Troy Glaus- Is last night’s final at-bat still irking him? It looked like something what wrong, as Glaus went 0-4 with 3 strikeouts. He just simply couldn’t find his rhythm at the plate! Hopefully it won’t be long before he shakes it off.

Brendan Ryan- Something has got to change with Ryan. He’s hitting .259, after being at .302 just ten games ago! Another 0-4 day certainly didn’t help Ryan’s cause for playing time when Cesar Izturis comes back. If not for his defensive prowess, we would probably see Miles and Kennedy in the lineup every day.

NEITHER HERE NOR THERE

Adam Kennedy- Like I said already, he hit a key double in the ninth inning that helped lead the Cardinals to victory, but he also grounded into a DP when the Cards had runners on the corners in the sixth. Overall, his 2-4 ballgame leaves him on the fence between this category and good.

Ryan Ludwick- He went 1-3 and doubled in Albert Pujols to tie things up in the sixth inning. As a Cardinals fan, I’m really hoping he can get his swing back to early season form. He also made a nice throw to save a run from being tallied.