Cardinals Get Ugly

Hopefully they were just saving it for today's matchup of Chris Carpenter and Johan Santana.  Because last night's effort, if you can call it that, for the Cardinals was sorely lacking.  I think Nick said it best last night on the UCB Radio Hour when he said that Trever Miller's outing was the highlight of at least the pitching, if not the whole game.  Miller, as is his wont, got out the one guy he faced.

I don't know when I've seen two hits in the same game where the runner beat the pitcher to the bag.  Both of those balls weren't hit hard, but still seemed like they should have gotten the guy out.  Two errors out of a team that seems to have improved on the field recently.  I think the most obvious indication of the team having checked out was the fact (and I missed seeing this, just saw it in the game story) was the fact that the whole team stayed on the field after Brendan Ryan turned an inning-ending double play.  Granted, you'd rather them forget the outs in that manner than, say, this one, but that just doesn't happen from a Tony LaRussa team.

Seriously, there's not much to say about last night's game.  Brad Thompson took all those glowing words about how he should stay in the rotation and replace Todd Wellemeyer when Kyle Lohse returned and reminded people that, hey, he's still Brad Thompson.  Rick Ankiel struck out once with the bases loaded and went 0-2 after walks to Albert Pujols, which is one reason he has no business being in the four slot.  I've been an Ankiel fan since he was in the minors as a pitcher, but right now I've got no confidence in him.  Or rather, almost complete confidence that, if there are runners on, he's going to wind up striking out.  And that's not good.

With a game like that, it's tough to pick a Goat, but I think we'll have to go with Colby Rasmus.  0-4, continuing his rough patch at the plate, left five on base, and made an error to boot.  I'm pretty sure that game doesn't go in the personal scrapbook.

The bright spot last night was Brendan Ryan, who not only turned three double plays but also got two of the Cardinals' four hits. Ryan's done a much better job than I expected at that position and I hope that he's not really a one year wonder.

Let's do a little housekeeping before we get to talking about today's incredible pitching matchup.  First off, Jose Oquendo and Ozzie Smith were selected as managers for the Futures Game, held the Sunday before the All-Star Game in St. Louis. (Man, wish I known that was coming when I talked to Ozzie--that would have led to some good questions.)  Everyone is saying this is a great opportunity for Oquendo and, for the most part, I think I agree, but I just wonder how seriously this was taken? 

I mean, I've never heard Ozzie ever talk about wanting to manage.  He seems much more at ease in the promotional/marketing arm of baseball.  Oquendo, on the other hand, has worked his way up, he's managed teams, he's interviewed for major league jobs, this is something he really wants.  So, while it's another mark on the resume, I guess, it really seems more of a ceremonial job than anything.  Look at it this way, don't you think they'd have gotten someone like Bruce Sutter or Lou Brock to be the manager if Oquendo had bowed out?  So how much of an opportunity can this really be?

Our friends over at Fox Sports Midwest (I can say that because they said it first, at least in regard to the UCB) are having another live blog during today's game.  They've continually been working the kinks out and they seem to have a nice interaction going over there.  So if you can't watch the game today (or if you can and chat at the same time), give them a visit.

Cards and Mets finish up the series with a duel of aces in the daytime.  Chris Carpenter goes for the Cardinals.  As you know, he's been outstanding this season, not at all missing a beat from where he was in 2005 and 2006 before his extensive injury downtime.  Luis Castillo is actually one of the few Mets on the roster that has hit Carpenter with any regularity, but Castillo is not what he used to be, so we'll see how that pans out today.  If everything's clicking for Carp, it could be a quick game.

It'll need to be clicking because the Mets counter with Johan Santana.  Due to Santana's lengthy time in the AL, the Cards haven't faced him all that often, but they've not been able to figure him out when they have.  Ryan Ludwick, from his time in the AL, has the most at-bats against him, for all the good that does.  He has gone yard once, though.  And Pujols is two for four with a homer against Santana, which is nice to see.

Santana hasn't looked quite himself lately, raising his ERA from 0.78 on May 11 to 3.22 going into today's game and there has been unsubstaniated talk about his health.  If he's 100% and Carpenter's 100%, with the two offenses as struggling/beat up as they are, this could be a scoreless game going into extras.  But it should be wonderfully fun to watch--my DVR is already set.

Before I finish up today, I want to take a moment to recommend a book to Cardinal fans who are parents of young (2-5) children.  Last year, I purchased For the Love of the Cardinals to help introduce my then three year old to some of Cardinal history.  It has quickly become one of his favorites and now he can "read" almost the whole thing.  Which means he knows the names of Dean and Musial and Slaughter.  He has seen the statues outside the ballpark before, but I look forward to him seeing them this year with more of an understanding of who these players are.

So if you are looking for a way to really introduce the rich history of the Cardinals to the next generation, I strongly recommend picking up this book.  Besides, it's a nice refresher for some of us as well.  It's a little dated now--came out after 2006, so the "I is for Isringhausen" and references to Scott Rolen don't work as well--but it's still a wonderful book.

Remember the live blog and there's always a game thread going at CardsClubhouse as well.  Enjoy today's game!