INSIDE PITCH
Left-hander Jaime Garcia gained his first win since May 16 on
Tuesday night as his home-road trend continued.
Garcia, who missed two months this
season because of shoulder problems, held the New York Mets to an unearned run
over 7 1/3 innings as the Cardinals beat the Mets for the second straight night,
5-1.
Garcia (4-6) scattered nine singles
before he was lifted with one out in the eighth. A double-play ball booted by
shortstop Daniel Descalso, who otherwise had an outstanding night, kept the
inning alive for the Mets to score their run.
He didn't want to discuss it
afterward, but Garcia is 18-11 at home with a 2.42 earned run average and 13-11
with a 4.59 ERA on the road for his career.
Since he returned from the disabled
list, Garcia has an 0.00 ERA for 15 1/3 innings at home and 7.94 for two losses
on the road.
Manager Mike Matheny said, "You don't
ignore trends. But there's no great explanation for it.
"He has good stuff. He has better than
good stuff. He has great stuff. It's a matter of him maturing as a pitcher. I
imagine we're going to see better outings on the road from Jaime."
Garcia said his shoulder actually
began feeling better in Washington on Thursday when he suffered an 8-1
loss. "Obviously, the results didn't show it," he said.
NOTES,
QUOTES
LF Matt Holliday came out
of the game in the seventh after feeling tightness in his lower back. He likely
will miss Wednesday's start and then will have an off day to heal before the
Cardinals play again Friday.
C Yadier Molina's infield
hit, the 1,000th hit of his career, was the spark for a three-run Cardinals
second inning. He received a lengthy standing ovation from the Busch Stadium
crowd and later got his 1,001st hit.
RHP Chris Carpenter,
recovering from surgery to alleviate a nerve problem that affected his shoulder,
threw 51 pitches to Cardinals INF Pete Kozma, OF Adron Chambers and INF Ryan Jackson in a three-inning simulated game, and all signs were positive. Carpenter
is rebounding faster than expected, and general manager John Mozeliak didn't
dismiss the possibility of the 37-year-old starting a game this year. "I need to
make sure that I'm good enough to help this ballclub," said Carpenter. "We have
some quality guys out there who are going out there every fifth day. I have to
get my stuff right, get my command right and get my pitch limit up to where I
can give us a positive effort out there."
RHPs Lance Lynn and
Trevor Rosenthal gave the Cardinals' veteran relievers the night off by pitching
the eighth and ninth. Lynn, 13-5 as a starter, helped get LHP Jaime
Garcia out of the eighth inning, and manager Mike Matheny later said, "He's
going to have some really good outings. Nobody who steps into the box likes
seeing what he has. He throws a cannonball. He looks completely different out
there. It looks like he's finally got himself together as far as what his
disposition needs to be coming out of the pen."
SS Daniel Descalso had
two hits, scored a run and was robbed of an extra-base hit by New York CF Andres Torres. Descalso booted a double-play ball but made several other good plays and
said he felt comfortable at shortstop, which he will be playing a lot with
Rafael Furcal out for the season with a torn ligament in his right elbow. Furcal
had a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right arm Tuesday in an effort to
speed the healing process and try to avoid surgery.
RF Carlos Beltran rested
his sore left knee again but is expected to play on Wednesday afternoon. Beltran
suffered the injury while making a sliding attempt at a foul ball Sunday in
Washington.
By the
Numbers:
4 - Runs out of 10 the
Cardinals have scored without benefit of a hit in the first two games of the
series with the New York Mets. Two came on sacrifice flies and two on
groundouts.
Quote to Note:
"I wasn't taking care of
business like I should have been. Obviously, I changed my ways and got
everything where it needed to be."
- RHP Shelby Miller, a
former No. 1 draft pick who had struggled at Class AAA Memphis, both physically
and with his maturity, in the first half before excelling in the second half to
merit a recall.
MEDICAL
WATCH
LF Matt Holliday (tight
lower back) came out of the game Sept. 4 and likely won't play Sept. 5.
RF Carlos Beltran (sore
left knee) didn't play Sept. 3 or 4 but is expected to be back in the lineup
Sept. 5.
SS Rafael Furcal (torn
ligament in right elbow) was placed on the 15-day disabled list Aug. 31 and is
out for the season. He might need Tommy John surgery but first will get a PRP
(platelet-rich plasma) injection on Sept. 4 in the hopes of avoiding having to
go under the knife.
RHP Kyle McClellan (torn
labrum in right shoulder) went on the 15-day disabled list May 18 due to a
strained right elbow, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on June 30. He
threw on flat ground for the first time July 3, but he subsequently felt
shoulder pain. He had season-ending shoulder surgery July
10.
RHP Chris Carpenter
(right shoulder surgery) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March
26, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on June 10. He threw for the first
time since March on June 13 and then threw another 40 pitches on June 15. He
threw to hitters for the first time June 22 but then had a setback June 25 when
he felt renewed weakness in the shoulder. He said it felt better the next day,
and he had an extensive throwing session off flat ground June 27. On June 28, he
was told he has thoracic outlet syndrome, which can cause, among its effects,
weakness in one's shoulder. A July 2 bullpen session was canceled. He underwent
what was believed to be season-ending surgery July 19 to relieve thoracic outlet
syndrome. But he has been throwing since mid-August and still hopes to pitch
again this season.
Link to boxscore: St. Louis 5, New York 1