Inside Pitch
Joel Pineiro, who passed the
200-inning mark for the first time since 2003 in his last outing, had one of his
worst starts of the season Tuesday.
The right-hander, who had the
major leagues' best homer ratio, having permitted just seven in 203 innings,
served up three in six innings, including two to Jay Bruce.
Pineiro, 15-12 with one start
remaining, agreed with the perception that he left too many balls up in the
strike zone, the bane for a sinkerball pitcher. And plenty of Reds made contact,
as Cincinnati scored seven runs off Pineiro in six
innings. Only one hitter, the last one he faced (pitcher Homer Bailey), was a
strikeout victim.
The seven runs allowed matched
Pineiro's highest output of the season. He also was tagged for seven in five
innings Aug. 4 against the Mets.
Pineiro now has lost three of his
last four decisions after reeling off eight wins in a row from July 9 to Sept.
1.
REDS 7, CARDINALS
2: Albert Pujols'
fifth-inning sacrifice fly, good for his 133rd RBI, and rookie David Freese's
first major league homer, a 429-foot blast in the ninth, accounted for the only
Cardinals offense as St.
Louis lost for the fourth time in five games. Joel
Pineiro allowed a three-run homer to Cincinnati's Jay Bruce in the second inning
and subsequently gave up a solo homer to Joey Votto and a two-run drive by
Bruce.
Notes and
Quotes
--The Cardinals took another step
closer to becoming the third seed among the division leaders, which would put
them on the road for the first two games of the divisional round. St. Louis is one game behind Philadelphia for second among the division
leaders but really is two games behind with five to play because the Phillies
won the season series, which is the tiebreaker.
--The Cardinals used a third
catcher Tuesday for the first time all season. Rookie Matt Pagnozzi, making his
major league debut, relieved C Jason LaRue for the last two innings. Pagnozzi is
the nephew of three-time Gold Glover C Tom Pagnozzi, who spent 12 seasons with
the Cardinals and was the starting catcher for manager Tony La Russa's first
Cardinals team in 1996. Pagnozzi walked in his only plate appearance and caught
a pop foul off on the Reds' first at-bat after he came into the game in the
seventh inning.
--RHP John Smoltz probably will
get his last regular-season start Wednesday in Cincinnati as he continues his
bid to be in the four-man postseason rotation.
BY THE NUMBERS: 37-18 --
Cardinals' record in the first 55 games LF Matt Holliday played for
them.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I nit-pick. But I
feel the progress I'm making is pretty darn good." -- RHP John Smoltz, after his
sixth of six straight good starts for the Cardinals.
Roster
Report
--C Yadier Molina was out of the
Cardinals' lineup for a second straight day with a bruised left knee, but
manager Tony La Russa said there was "a good chance" Molina would be able to
play sometime in the three-game series in Cincinnati. Molina was hit by a fouled
bunt attempt by Colorado 2B Clint Barmes on
Saturday.
--3B Troy Glaus, who had been left
home from the first two legs of the trip as he dealt with an oblique muscle
pull, rejoined the team in Cincinnati and pronounced himself "good to go." Glaus
was 0-for-2 off the bench, flying out to deep left in his second at-bat. The
2002 World Series Most Valuable Player should get several more opportunities
before the week is over as the Cardinals try to get a read on whether they
should put him on a playoff roster.
--LF Matt Holliday returned from a
game off due to illness and extended his hitting streak to 10 games with an
infield hit. Holliday, who later had a double, is 12-for-37 in that time, and
his average actually has gone down during the hitting streak because he is a
.356 hitter in his two-plus months with the Cardinals.
--3B Mark DeRosa became 2B Mark
DeRosa and then LF Mark DeRosa. But while DeRosa played three positions, he had
no hits and is hitless in his last 11 at-bats.
MEDICAL WATCH:
LF Matt Holliday (flu) did not
play Sept. 27. He returned to the lineup Sept. 29.
SS Brendan Ryan (bruised right
index finger) left the Sept. 27 game, and he did not play Sept.
29.
C Yadier Molina (sore left knee)
left the Sept. 26 game, and he didn't play Sept. 27 and Sept. 29. He is
day-to-day.
3B Troy Glaus (pulled left oblique
muscle) did not play since Sept. 13-27. He returned to action Sept.
29.