INSIDE PITCH
Although first baseman Albert Pujols had had just one hit in his previous six games, Cincinnati manager Dusty
Baker, who has seen too much of Pujols over the last 10 years, decided to have
him walked intentionally with two out in the sixth inning Sunday after right
fielder Jon Jay had doubled. The Reds held a 2-1 lead.
Left fielder Matt Holliday has been only a .250 hitter or less with men in scoring position this
year, but he foiled the strategy with a three-run, game-winning homer off a 1-2
pitch from Cincinnati right-hander Homer Bailey, and the Cardinals had yet
another series victory over the Reds.
In the season series, the
Cardinals won 12 of 18 games from the National League Central Division leaders.
But they still trail the Reds by seven games with four weeks to go and have no
games remaining with them, making their quest to win the division title a long
shot.
The Cardinals might
better be served looking at a wild-card berth. They don't play Philadelphia or San
Francisco, the two teams ahead of them, but they do play backsliding
San Diego and Atlanta, which could tumble out of their
division leads and slip into wild-card status.
Also, Colorado, which is tied
with the Cardinals in the wild-card standings, finishes the season with four
games at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals have four at home with San Diego and four at Atlanta next weekend.
CARDINALS 4, REDS
2: RHP Chris Carpenter had a season-high 11 strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings, and RHP Ryan Franklin gained his second save in three days and 24th of the season. Carpenter
is 15-5 after going 17-4 last year.
NOTES AND
QUOTES
Manager Tony La Russa
confirmed that CF Colby Rasmus had requested to be traded but added that Rasmus,
who has had a couple of disagreements with La Russa in his two seasons with the
Cardinals, had made a similar request to be traded last year. "I think he's
thinking probably the grass is not greener other places and that this is a good
situation, a great organization, teammates, everything. That's what I think. You
can ask him," La Russa said. Rasmus declined to discuss any trade request nor
did he say whether he hoped to remain with the team beyond this season. "I'm not
going to say either way," Rasmus said.
RHP Kyle Lohse, passed
over the last time through the rotation, will get the start on Tuesday in
Milwaukee and,
for the moment, will stay in the rotation.
"Kyle gets the ball
Tuesday because I think there's an anticipation he's got the best chance to get
us a (victory)," manager Tony La Russa said Sunday. "And then that spot comes
again (Sunday in Atlanta). So it's an opportunity for him to
justify the confidence." Lohse has made three starts since coming back from
forearm surgery, winning one.
RHP Kyle Lohse's
reinsertion into the rotation moves RHP Jeff Suppan to the bullpen, ostensibly
for the rest of the season. Suppan, who just came off the disabled list after
suffering a groin injury, has pitched just once since July 31, working four
strong innings before weakening in a loss at Houston last Wednesday.
La Russa said that OF
Allen Craig and INF Tyler Greene will be called up as soon as Class AAA Memphis
finishes its season and possibly LHP Evan MacLane, who was here very briefly
earlier in the season.
3B Pedro Feliz's fielding
error to start Sunday's game was his first in the 16 games he had played for the
team since joining it in a trade with Houston. While solid in the field, Feliz has
shown little pop at bat lately, although he did single and also drove in a run
Sunday with an infield out.
By the Numbers:
21-24 - Cardinals' record against
the rest of the National League Central Division. They finished 12-6 against
Cincinnati.
Quote to Note:
"At less than 100
percent, he's still a great player."
- Manager Tony La Russa, saying
that 1B Albert Pujols isn't at top form physically in the midst of a recent
swoon.
ROSTER
REPORT
Medical
Watch:
C Jason LaRue
(concussion) went on the 15-day disabled list Aug. 13. He was moved to the
60-day DL on Aug. 19, ending his season.
RHP Adam Ottavino (right
shoulder strain) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to July 4, and he
was transferred to the 60-day DL on Aug. 17. He won't need surgery, but he is
out for the season.
3B David Freese (right
ankle surgery) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to June 28, and he
was transferred to the 60-day DL on Aug. 15. He was originally out due to a bone
bruise on his right ankle, and then he broke his left big toe in mid-July. He
tore a right ankle tendon Aug. 2 in his first rehab game with Class AA
Springfield, and he had season-ending surgery Aug. 6.
RHP Brad Penny (strained
upper back) went on the 15-day disabled list May 22. He threw bullpen sessions
June 28 and July 1 but had to cut short a bullpen session July 6 because of
tightness in his triceps area. He underwent an MRI on July 7, which found
nothing that hadn't been diagnosed before. As of Aug. 5, he was playing catch
but not throwing off a mound. Penny is out
indefinitely.