Cardinals-Cubs: This Terrible Game Is Not My Favorite Mistake

I think that Sheryl Crow, a Missouri native, is a very appropriate performer to pick to sing the national anthem when St. Louis hosts the All Star Game Tuesday, because, for fans of the Cardinals, truly, every day is a winding road. Some days, it feels like this team is headed in the right direction; other days, like yesterday, they seem lost and aimless. That is when the Cards were humiliated by the hapless Chicago Cubs 5-2.

Brad Thompson, the unsteady and increasingly unreliable Cardinals starter, took the mound, so if anyone was dumb enough to bet on a St. Louis victory, they should be leaving Las Vegas. Thompson started the game by foolishly hitting Milton Bradley with the bases loaded, driving in a run. He then allowed new crappy hack Cubs second baseman, Jeff Baker, to hit a single, which scored two runs. In this contest, the first cut was the deepest. St. Louis was never able to recover from his sloppiness.  This was certainly not my favorite mistake that this team has made this year, and after witnessing it, I’m sure that their ill-fated fan base can’t cry anymore.

Some St. Louis hitters were strong enough to stem the rising Chicago tide, and get a few runs home. Ryan Ludwick earned a RBI, as did Yadier Molina. Albert Pujols went 2 for 4, which certainly isn’t shabby. However, by and large, the Cardinals seemed fooled by the slick left handed pitching of Ted Lilly, and the team, as a whole, proved that, when it comes to producing offense, a change would do them good.

Like most St. Louis baseball fans, when I watch a Cardinals’ game, all I want to do is have some fun. When watching wretched performances like this one,  that seems like an impossible goal. The Redbirds have a double header against the Cubs later today, and then will be hosting the All Star game.  I hope, in these games, they navigate the winding road much better than they did against the Cubs yesterday.