INSIDE PITCH
After 46 games played by the
Cardinals and 10 of them started by Chris Carpenter, the right-hander has just
one win, and St. Louis has won only two of his starts.
Carpenter seemed on his
way for six innings Friday night, blanking the Kansas City Royals on five hits
and commanding his fastball as well as he has all season.
"He pretty much
controlled the game," pitching coach Dave Duncan said.
The Cardinals, however,
couldn't break through against left-hander Jeff Francis, and ultimately
Carpenter was solved for three runs in the seventh inning of the Royals' 3-0
interleague victory.
The key play in the
inning was a double by Wilson Betemit that center fielder Colby Rasmus, back in
the lineup for two games after missing four games with an abdominal strain,
missed on a diving catch attempt after running some
distance.
Carpenter, who wound up
allowing six of his nine hits in his final two innings, would only say that
Betemit's hit "was up there for a while, and it found a
spot."
Rasmus said he wasn't
hindered by his recent ailment.
"I definitely ran a long
way for it," he said. "I didn't come down with it."
The Cardinals didn't
execute on offense either. In the second inning, Allen Craig didn't get a good
break from second on what would have been a run-scoring single. And, in the
fifth, Tyler Greene failed to move a runner from second to
third.
"If we hadn't messed up a
couple of situations on offense and we could have given (Carpenter) the lead, it
could have been a different game," manager Tony La Russa said. "I thought he
pitched very well."
Crediting Francis, La
Russa nonetheless added, "We definitely created a couple of situations where we
should have punched something across.
"We don't usually play
perfect, but we try perfect. We had some chances, but they played us
better."
NOTES AND
QUOTES
1B Albert Pujols hasn't
homered in 94 at-bats, but he did extend his streak of reaching base at Kauffman
Stadium to 31 games with a sixth-inning double. Pujols, who went to high school
and junior college in the Kansas City area, has played only 31 games at
Kauffman Stadium.
LF Matt Holliday, after
missing one game with a tight left quadriceps, returned to the lineup as the
designated hitter. He went 1-for-3 with a walk.
RF Lance Berkman, who has
a sprained right wrist, sat out again Friday. He didn't even swing a bat,
although he will try to do that Saturday.
The Cardinals' bullpen,
overworked at various parts of the young season, has pitched just 6 2/3 innings
in the last five games. But the inactivity isn't an issue for pitching coach
Dave Duncan. "As long as (the starters) keep throwing eight innings, we'll
figure out what to do," Duncan said. "Believe me, it's not a problem.
The other way around is a problem, like in Cincinnati, wondering if you were going to have
enough pitching to get through your games."
Friday's shutout was the
Cardinals' second administered to them this season. Milwaukee blanked them 4-0
on May 7.
C Yadier Molina's hitting
streak was stopped at four games. He had been 10 for his last 15 before going
0-for-3 with a walk Friday.
BY THE NUMBERS: 10 - Runs given up in the seventh
inning this season by RHP Chris Carpenter. That is his most in any
inning.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I don't sit around and read what
you guys write. I don't think it's good for any ballplayer because most of the
time what you write is what you think, and that's not necessarily what the
player's going through. Just the same way the media can make you look good, the
next day they can tear you apart. That's why I don't trust anybody in the media,
and I don't listen to them."
- 1B Albert
Pujols
ROSTER
REPORT
MEDICAL
WATCH:
LF Matt Holliday (left
quadriceps tightness) came out of the game May 18. He did not play May 19, but
he started as the designated hitter May 20.
RF Lance Berkman (sore
right wrist) was injured making a diving catch May 18. He didn't play May 19-20.
He will try to swing a bat May 21.
LHP Bryan Tallet
(fractured right hand) went on 15-day disabled list April 13. He made a rehab
appearance for Class A Quad Cities on May 17, and he was activated May
20.
INF Nick Punto (right
forearm flexor strain) went on the 15-day disabled list May
18.
3B David Freese (broken
left hand) went on the 15-day disabled list May 2. He had surgery May 3, and he
is expected to be out until mid- to late July.
2B Skip Schumaker
(strained right triceps) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April
16. He reported to extended spring training May 18, and he hoped to return to
the Cardinals within a couple of days.
RHP Bryan Augenstein
(strained right groin) went on the 15-day disabled list April 13 and was moved
to the 60-day DL on May 16.
RHP Adam Wainwright
(Tommy John surgery in February 2011) went on the 60-day disabled list March 25.
He will miss the entire 2011 season.
NEXT
GAME
Sat.,May 21 at ROYALS: Jake Westbrook (3-3, 6.07) vs. Nate Adcock (1-0, 2.16) 1:10 p.m. CDT (FOX Sports
Midwest, KMOX Radio and Cardinals Radio
Network).