INSIDE PITCH
When
Jaime Garcia was sent back to St.
Louis to have his tender left elbow examined, he missed one start but
passed muster medically to rejoin the club and make a start Tuesday night in
Houston. But as
manager Mike Matheny said after an aborted performance of two innings, "He isn't
right."
Minute Maid
Park in Houston never has been terribly kind to Garcia,
who before the game had a 7.08 earned run average in that ballpark. That ERA got
worse on Tuesday in a 9-8 loss to the Astros as Houston pounded Garcia for six runs in two
innings.
Garcia, being handled by backup
catcher Tony Cruz again, threw many curveballs and not very many good ones. He
rarely used his fastball.
"His fastball is not quite there,"
Matheny said. "He's reluctant to use it. There's definitely something not right.
He's just got to find out what it is."
Garcia (3-4) had no answers
afterward.
"I wish I knew. I would fix it,"
Garcia said. "I'm definitely not in a position where I'm able to help the team
to win."
Though Garcia was cleared to pitch
after being examined in St.
Louis, he said, "I never said I was at full strength.
They asked me how my elbow felt, I said, 'No pain.' Before, when I told them my
elbow hurt, there was a little pain.
"I guess I have to be looked at by the
trainers and the pitching coach and the manager and come up with a plan. I'm
struggling right now. It's rough. But at the same time, I've got to keep moving
forward."
NOTES,
QUOTES
1B Matt Adams hit one of
the longest home runs in Minute Maid Park history when he shot one over the
center-field wall with two runners on in the third. The rookie, who had been
benched for a couple of games, had been 0 for his last 14 until he had two hits
Tuesday.
SS Rafael Furcal popped a
two-run homer off the right-field foul pole and CF Adron Chambers tripled home
two runs as the Cardinals futilely rallied with four runs in the ninth. "I'm
extremely pleased how hard this offense just fights," said manager Mike Matheny.
"We just keep running out of time." The Cardinals have lost nine of their last
12 games.
RHP Mitchell Boggs
drilled Houston CF Justin Maxwell in the knee with a pitch in the eighth inning,
drawing a warning from home-plate umpire Brian O'Nora. The Cardinals may have
taken exception to Maxwell's bat flip and then observance of his long home run
off LHP Jaime Garcia in the second inning.
OF Tate Matheny, son of
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, was not taken in the first 10 rounds of the
major league first-year player draft, although Matheny probably ranked as a
player who would have at least been ranked that high. Matheny, who led his high
school team to a second straight state championship, has signed to play for
Missouri
State. "We put a price on
him for what it would take for him to go to skip out on the college experience,"
Mike Matheny said. "He took the road of being honest with them about what it
would take for him not to go to college. I applaud him for
that."
C Yadier Molina and CF
Carlos Beltran called Houston's top draft pick, SS Carlos Correa, a fellow
Puerto Rican, to congratulate him on becoming the first Puerto Rico player to be
taken as the No. 1 overall selection in the first-year player draft. Beltran has
established an academy in Puerto Rico, and the
first class from his academy will graduate next year and be eligible for the
draft.
1B Lance Berkman, who had
right knee surgery last month, is still hobbled but rejoined his team in the
dugout in Houston, where he lives. Berkman is shooting for a mid-July return to
the lineup, saying his recovery is "way ahead of where I expected to
be."
By the
Numbers:
4-10 - Cardinals' record
in one-run games. The 10th loss was suffered on Tuesday, 9-8 at Houston.
Quote to
Note:
"We were confident he
would be ready to go. He obviously wasn't."
- Manager Mike Matheny on
LHP Jaime Garcia, who lasted just two innings after missing a turn with an elbow
ailment.
MEDICAL
WATCH
2B-OF Skip Schumaker
(strained right hamstring) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to May
31.
3B David Freese (mildly
sprained right wrist) did not play May 28-31. He was back in the lineup June
1.
LHP Jaime Garcia (left
elbow) experienced discomfort after his May 26 start. An MRI showed no damage,
and after missing a turn, he was back for his June 5
start.
CF Jon Jay (separated
right shoulder) went on the 15-day disabled list May 15. He was told to not
swing a bat for a week, which means he'll be inactive through about June
7.
INF Matt Carpenter
(strained right oblique) went on the 15-day disabled list May
23.
1B Lance Berkman (torn
meniscus in right knee) went on the 15-day disabled list May 20. He had
arthroscopic surgery May 25, and no ACL damage was found. He might return in
mid- to late July.
RHP Kyle McClellan
(strained right ulnar collateral ligament) went on the 15-day disabled list May
18. He won't need surgery but likely will be sidelined at least late
July.
RHP Scott Linebrink
(right shoulder capsulitis) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to
March 30. He felt tightness during an April 30 bullpen session, and he didn't
appear close to a return.
RHP Chris Carpenter (weak
right shoulder) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 26. He
probably won't pitch until at least late
July.
Link to boxscore: Houston 9, St. Louis 8
Related poll at The Cardinal Nation Blog:
"Who is your Cardinals sixth starter?"