Up And Down Weekend

Wednesday (4-2 loss to Arizona)

Hero: Skip Schumaker.  2-5 and a couple of steals back in his leadoff slot.

Goat: Albert Pujols.  Lots of people were iffy in this game, but the big guy had his chance with bases loaded and two outs in the sixth, but couldn't get the hit that might have tied up the ball game or changed the trajectory of it.

Notes: Problem with Jeff Suppan is he takes a long time to work when he's got runners on and he didn't have a perfect inning in this one.  The whole "too much video" theme gets hit again, as the Cards struggle with a guy that was pitching AA his last time out.

Thursday (4-1 loss to Milwaukee)

Hero: Blake Hawksworth.  Seven strikeouts and only three runs in six innings.  For a guy coming out of the pen, basically, that's solid work.

Goat: Brendan Ryan.  Really doesn't need to ever be in the leadoff slot.  0-4 again there.

Notes: Pujols home runs are always nice, but it seems like save the two-HR game against Arizona, they've not necessarily come at the times we'd most like to see them.

Friday (5-0 win over Milwaukee)

Hero: Jaime Garcia.  Talk about bouncing back.  A team that's already seen him and whispers that the league was catching up to him, so he throws seven innings of three-hit ball.  The team really needed to see that.

Goat: Albert Pujols.  0-3, though he did get an RBI.  Thankfully that two-on, nobody out situation in the first, where he wrapped into a double play, didn't come back to haunt the team like it so often would have.

Notes: Great night for Felipe Lopez as well, with three hits in the leadoff slot.

Saturday (12-5 loss to Milwaukee)

Hero: Jason LaRue.  He didn't start the game, but went three for three with a home run.  Much better than most of the rest of the crew.

Goat: Chris Carpenter.  I don't know if the arm was bothering him or what, but from the first batter of the game, when Rickie Weeks took him deep, he wasn't in sync and never got that way.  We don't see games like that out of Carp unless he's hurt, usually, so hopefully it's just the welt on the arm that was throwing him off.

Notes: Another long ball by Pujols and a two-hit night from Lopez in the leadoff role.

Sunday (7-1 win over Milwaukee)

Hero: Adam Wainwright.  Not only did he throw the complete game, he put it out of reach with a bases-clearing double.  What more can you ask for?

Goat: Matt Holliday.  0-3, two strikeouts, including one with two on and one out in the third, when the game was still close.

Notes: There's some devotion by Yadier Molina, who was with his wife as she delivered their daughter that morning and still in uniform for the game that afternoon.

I'd be remiss if I didn't comment on the roster moves that have happened since last we spoke.  It was good to see they finally realized there were enough pitchers on the roster and swapped Fernando Salas for Tyler Greene.  Greene may not be a world-beater, but as miserable as Brendan Ryan has been lately, Greene deserves a fair shot at regular playing time.

Also, the Cards finally placed Ryan Ludwick on the DL and recalled Jon Jay, who is already making an impact.  There's no reason why he shouldn't play almost every day while Ludwick is out, which may not be terribly long since they were able to backdate the DL stint.  Both Jay and Greene, if they play well enough, could be more significant trade material in the coming weeks.

Finally, the All-Star rosters have been announced and, even with the disappointments that many fans have felt about this team this year, they still placed five guys there, with a chance for Garcia to fill in for an injury (like Yovani Gallardo).  Obviously, even with a "down season", Albert Pujols deserves to go and Adam Wainwright has stepped up big this year, so he's a lock.  Matt Holliday has come around and is a fine selection as well.

I'm not sure when Molina got such devotion from the general fan base, because if it wasn't for them he'd not have gone out to Anaheim.  I love to see him play out there, but his bat has been so weak that his top notch defense still can't cover it.  Carpenter is a good selection as well, though as erratic (for him) as he's been, I almost expected Garcia to go in his place.

Still, it's good to have a lot of guys to watch next Tuesday.  Hopefully they can finally break this losing streak to the AL.

Tomorrow (or today, depending when you read this), the club skips Suppan in the rotation to send out Blake Hawksworth against the Rockies.  I think that's probably a smart move, because if Soup's not getting the grounders, he could get beaten around pretty good in Coors.  At least Hawksworth has somewhat of a strikeout pitch, so maybe he can limit any damage.

The Cardinals will face Jeff Francis, a lefty who has battled back through arm trouble.  Throw out all the numbers that he's accumulated this year--he's a lefty, which means he's got a strong chance to shut the team down.  We'll see if that happens!