Cardinals Kicking Themselves for Tonight's Loss

I, along with every other member of the Cardinal organization, have a sour taste in their mouth right now.

The Redbirds just gave a game away, losing 5-4 to the Pittsburgh Pirates. As I said in an earlier article, this was a huge game for the Cardinals for many reasons.

Ace Adam Wainwright looked superb through six innings, but had a shaky seventh inning that cost the Cardinals the ballgame. I don't blame manager Tony LaRussa for leaving in Wainwright to work the seventh because he had pitched so well the entire night; however, I do blame LaRussa for sending Wainwright out for the eighth.

The go-ahead run, scored on a single by Jason Bay, was tallied in the eighth inning, and the Cardinals offense was shut down over the last two frames as the Pirates recorded the final six outs.

The saying, "What could have been," is probably speeding through LaRussa's head like a hummingbird as I write this.

It isn't so much a big deal now, because after all, we are just starting June baseball.  But no matter the time of year, it's not good to give away late inning leads to lowly squads.

So now the Cardinals head out to the nation's capital for a three-game set—hoping to fix their issues. This set marks the beginning of a road trip that makes two more stops in Houston and Cincinnati, respectively.

The Cardinals also ended their streak of winning a series at five, as they split the four-game set with the Pirates.

We haven't heard much from Randy Flores lately, and quite frankly, I think he would have been a nice option against the right-handed Bay. LaRussa and pitching coach Dave Duncan need to learn from this loss, and get their focus turned to the brutally long road-trip ahead.

Personally, I'm hoping for the Cardinals to go 6-3 on the road trip, with a probable hiccup in Houston, and with all fortune our way, a sweep in a Washington against the Nationals.

In any case, keep charging Cards, the season is still young.