Party On Hold

However, someone forgot to either tell the offense or the Rockies, depending on who was more at fault.

It's a problem when the Rockies score in the first and you wonder if that's going to be enough to win the game.  It's a bigger problem when it just about was, if it wasn't for Ryan Ludwick's solo home run in the seventh.  For all the talk about this vaunted offense, it can sputter just about as easily and as often as the cobbled-together May version.

Carpenter wasn't quite as sharp as he normally is, walking three batters, but still did only allow the one run.  It was interesting to hear him talk about the different slope on the playing mound than the bullpen mound.  Wonder if that was intentional by the Rockies ground crew or just a slight different that he happened to notice.

How this will affect his Cy Young candidacy remains to be seen.  On the plus side, he did throw seven innings of one-run ball and he's not getting run support.  On the other, it was another game that his team lost, so some voters may dock him for that.

It wasn't the best of homecomings for Matt Holliday.  He did get one two-out single with no one one, but left five on during the game, not including the double play he hit into in the eighth when the Cardinals had probably their best chance of taking the lead.

Speaking of Holliday, there's no contract talks going on, as John Mozeliak insists they'll wait until the team is done playing.  By now, there's probably not any reason not to do that, especially since you don't want a distracted player in October.

So the Cardinals have yet to beat the Rockies this season, having been swept in a four game series earlier in the year which kick-started Colorado's run to postseason contention.  Adam Wainwright tries to stop that streak tonight.

Wainwright got the loss in his earlier meeting with the team in purple, allowing three runs (two earned) in six innings.  That was before he was Adam Wainwright, though.  It's hard to remember now that he struggled a little in April and May.  If he hadn't, they'd already have his name on the Cy.

Historically, Wainwright's been pretty tough on the Rockies hitters, though.  If he keeps getting ground balls tonight, the Cards should be in pretty good shape.

Opposing him is Ubaldo Jimenez.  In the UCB's recent interview with Viva El Birdos founder and Colorado resident Larry Borowsky, Jimenez was tabbed as a key to a postseason matchup with the Birds and the Rox.  So getting a win against him tonight could give some positive feedback toward postseason thoughts.

Jimenez did a pretty good job against the Cards in his one outing against them in 2009, going seven strong and only allowing two runs.  St. Louis hasn't done just a whole heck of a lot against him in his career either, so it could be another close and late game tonight.

Might be a moot point, though, because the Giants and Cubs play this afternoon.  So the Cards may be in the playoffs before they even take the field.  Right now, I'll take it anyway it wants to come!