Cards vs. Brewers

Thursday
Jason Marquis (14-15, 5.80) starts against Doug Davis (10-11, 5.02).

Milwaukee 9, St. Louis 4
Losing pitcher - Jason Marquis (14-16)
HR: Scott Rolen (22), Preston Wilson (16)

Friday
Jeff Weaver (4-4, 5.21) starts against Chris Capuano (11-11, 3.87)

Milwaukee 5, St. Louis 10
Winning pitcher - Jeff Weaver (8-14)
HR: Albert Pujols (48), Preston Wilson (17)

Saturday
Televised nationally on FOX, Jeff Suppan (12-7, 4.18) starts against Ben Sheets (6-7, 4.05). Not so nationally thanks to local affiliates having contracts to air college football conference games. Spiezio had a game-winning triple!

Milwaukee 2, St. Louis 3
Winning pitcher - Tyler Johnson (2-4)
SV - Adam Wainwright (3)

Sunday
Unless the Cards clinch before Sunday, Carp (15-8, 3.09) starts against Carlos Villanueva (1-2, 3.97). As it turned out Reyes started instead.

Milwaukee 5, St. Louis 3
Losing pitcher - Anthony Reyes (5-8)
HR: Chris Duncan (22), Albert Pujols (49), Scott Spiezio (13)

Milestone watch:
Albert Pujols needs 7 6 5 home runs to tie Ken Boyer for 2nd on the Cardinals all-time home runs list with 255.
Jim Edmonds needs 1 home run to pass Ray Lankford for 4th all-time as a Cardinal.
Jason Isringhausen needs 1 saves for 250 career saves.
Albert Pujols has his sixth consecutive season with 100 runs, 100 RBI, 30 home runs, and at least a .300 batting average. He is the only player to do so in the first five seasons of a MLB career. Withe the season at an end, Pujols batted .331.

Cards vs. Padres

Wow, that was a depressing series against the Stros.

Walt Jocketty will be in the front office through 2008.

Monday
Jeff Suppan (12-7, 4.07) started against Mike Thompson, who replaced Boomer Wells as he got scratched.

Jim Edmonds played his first game in almost a month as he pinch hit with a 3 run home run. The home run moved him past Ray Lankford for 4th all time on the Cardinals all-time records for home runs.

San Diego 6, St. Louis 5
Losing pitcher - Brad Thompson (1-2)
HR: Chris Duncan (21), J. Edmonds (19)

Tuesday
Carp got the start against former Cardinal Woody Williams. The Cards faltered after getting a 5-2 lead thanks to Belliard's two home runs.

San Diego 7, St. Louis 5
Losing pitcher - Chris Carpenter (15-8)
HR: Ronnie Belliard (12, 13)

Wednesday
The Cards avoided the sweep. Reyes started. Albert hit a GW HR to set a career high in homers with 47 this season.

San Diego 2, St. Louis 4
Winning pitcher - Tyler Johnson (1-4)
SV - Adam Wainwright (2)

Is Jeff Luhnow going to be GM eventually?

The short season Class A is moving to Batavia, NY.

Jimmy Hollywood?

Milestone watch:
Albert Pujols needs 7 home runs to tie Ken Boyer for 2nd on the Cardinals all-time home runs list with 255.
Jim Edmonds needs 1 home run to pass Ray Lankford for 4th all-time as a Cardinal.
Jason Isringhausen needs 1 saves for 250 career saves.
Albert Pujols has his sixth consecutive season with 100 runs, 100 RBI, 30 home runs, and at least a .300 batting average. He is the only player to do so in the first five seasons of a MLB career. With less than a month to go in the season, Pujols is batting .329.

Cards vs. Astros

If you saw the P-D today, you know that Aaron Miles has been great at short stop and that Scott Spiezio wants to stay with the Cards. I agree that we need to keep Speezer.

Due to the Rosh HaShanah holiday, this blog will not be updated again this weekend, except for maybe a recap of today's game early tomorrow morning.

Thursday
Chris Carpenter (15-6, 2.79) takes on lefty pitcher Andy Pettitte (13-13, 4.37). Carp is looking for another strong outing to lock up those votes for his second consecutive Cy Young Award. This is Carp's fourth start against the Astros this season. In three starts this season, he's 1-1. In his career, he is 5-2 in ten starts with a 2.52 ERA. This season, Pettite is 2-0 in four starts against the Cards with a 4.43 ERA. In his career, Pettite is 3-1 in 8 starts with a 2.92 ERA.

St. Louis 5, Houston 6
Losing pitcher - Chris Carpenter (15-7)

Friday
Jason Marquis (14-15, 5.82) surprisingly takes a start on Friday night (Rosh HaShanah) against Jason Hirsch (3-4, 5.59). The question is: which Jason Marquis will show up against Houston? He's 2-2 this season in four starts against Houston. Two of those games were where he went 7 innings deep, giving up 1-2 runs. In 13 starts (5 relief appearances makes that 18 games), Marquis is 7-4 with a 4.88 ERA against the Astros in his career. Hirsh has not faced the Cardinals this season at all. Marquis ended up getting scratched and Chris Narveson picked up the start instead.

St. Louis 5, Houston 6
Losing pitcher - Braden Looper (9-3)
HR: Ronnie Belliard (11), Chris Duncan (19), David Eckstein (2)

Saturday
Anthony Reyes (5-7, 4.92) starts against Roy Oswalt (14-8, 3.05). Reyes is 0-0 in two starts against Houston this season. In four games (3 of those being starts), Oswalt is 2-1 against the Cardinals with a 1.93 ERA. Oswalt's sole loss against the Cards came in a relief appearance in the 10th inning on July 8, 2006, in which Brad Lidge blew the save and Pujols went yard for the Cardinals to win. In 17 starts (18 games) against us in his career, he is 7-5 with a 3.30 ERA. Marquis made the start instead.

St. Louis 4, Houston 7
Losing pitcher - Tyler Johnson (0-4)
HR: Chris Duncan (19)

Sunday
Jeff Weaver (4-4, 5.27) starts against Matt Albers (0-2, 6.00). Weaver is coming off an impressive start against the Brewers. Weaver will make his 2nd start of the season against the Astros. In his career, he is 2-3 in six starts against them with a 4.42 ERA. Albers makes his first start this season against the Cardinals.

St. Louis 3, Houston 7
Losing pitcher - Josh Hancock (3-3)

Milestone watch:
Albert Pujols needs 8 home runs to tie Ken Boyer for 2nd on the Cardinals all-time home runs list with 255.
Jim Edmonds needs 1 home run to pass Ray Lankford for 4th all-time as a Cardinal.
Jason Isringhausen needs 1 saves for 250 career saves.
Albert Pujols has his sixth consecutive season with 100 runs, 100 RBI, 30 home runs, and at least a .300 batting average. He is the only player to do so in the first five seasons of a MLB career. With less than a month to go in the season, Pujols is batting .329.

Cards vs. Brewers

Some nice quotes from Morris and Carp about Izzy were in the paper today.

San Francisco righthander Matt Morris, a longtime teammate, and Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter expressed disappointment with the news that Isringhausen will be out the rest of the season, if not beyond.

"All that he put into the game with this city and you kind of leave on a sour note ... it's too bad," Morris said.

Carpenter said, "At some point, enough's enough. He did everything he could. It was just not working out."

Speaking of class, here's a recap of the dinner with the Carpenters, Isringhausen and Morris's.

In a baseball rarity, the two starting pitchers for Saturday's game here -- the Cardinals' Chris Carpenter and San Francisco's Matt Morris -- went to dinner, along with their wives, Saturday night, joining injured relief ace Jason Isringhausen and his wife at a Clayton restaurant.

Inasmuch as Carpenter and the Cardinals beat the Giants 6-1 Saturday, Carpenter had most of the bragging rights. "He felt sorry for me," Morris said Sunday.

But Morris did connect for a double off Carpenter. "That was about the only thing I could mention," joked Morris, but it was an accomplishment that prompted passerby La Russa to chide Carpenter for allowing the hit and Morris, in turn, to chide the Cardinals' manager.

"It was 4-0 at the time," Morris said. "Otherwise, (La Russa) would have been slamming the phone and punching stuff."

Monday
Rookie pitcher Anthony Reyes (5-7, 5.03) takes the mound for the Cardinals against All-Star Chris Capuano (11-11, 3.66). Reyes makes his second start against the Brewers. In his career, he is 1-0 against them with 6 Ks and 3 ER through 5 IP. Capuano, who was 10-4 before the break, has struggled since the midseason classic. He's gone 1-7 with a 4.44 ERA since. In two starts against the Cards this year, he's 0-1. In his career, he's 4-2 in seven starts with a 5.05 ERA.

Lineup
So Taguchi CF
Preston Wilson LF
Albert Pujols 1B
Juan Encarnacion RF
Scott Rolen 3B
Ronnie Belliard 2B
Gary Bennett C
Aaron Miles SS
Anthony Reyes P

Reyes didn't do bad at all. Nine strikeouts and two earned runs. Pujols put up some MVP numbers with his three run home run in the 7th to keep the Cards in the game.

St. Louis 3, Milwaukee 4
Losing pitcher - Braden Looper (9-2)
HR: Albert Pujols (46)

Tuesday
Jason Marquis (14-15, 5.82) takes the mound against Ben Sheets (5-6, 4.08). Marquis is 1-0 in two starts this season against the Brewers. In his career, he's 4-5 in ten starts against the Brewers with a 3.74 ERA. Sheets is 4-12 in 19 starts against the Cardinals in his career so it's pretty safe to say that we own him. Against us, he has a 4.15 ERA while throwing three complete games (one SHO). This season, he's 0-1 against us but he only lastest one inning in his only start against us this season. Scratch Marquis, Jeff Weaver (3-4, 5.48) is now starting instead. In four games against the Brewers, he is 1-3 with a 4.55 ERA.

Lineup
Aaron Miles SS
Chris Duncan RF
Albert Pujols 1B
Scott Spiezio LF
Scott Rolen 3B
Ronnie Belliard 2B
So Taguchi CF
Yadier Molina C
Jeff Weaver P

Good thing that Marquis was bumped because this game was a great one. In a sad note, Bill Hall had to leave the game in the 6th inning with an undiclosed injury. In the 7th inning, the Cardinals batted around and scored 6 runs alone.

The in-game box score from the game.
Miles 4-6 with a run and 3 RBI
Duncan 2-5 with R and RBI
Pujols 2-5 with 2 RBI
Speezer 0-5 with a run
Rolen 1-4 with a run
Belliard 3-4 with 3 runs and RBI
So 1-4 with 2 runs and RBI
Molina 2-3 with 2 runs, 2 RBI, and an SB
Weaver 1-3 with RBI

St. Louis 12, Milwaukee 2
Winning pitcher - Jeff Weaver (7-14)
HR: Ronnie Belliard (10)

Wednesday
Jeff Suppan (12-7, 4.23) takes on Carlos Villanueva (1-1, 4.05). Suppan is 1-0 in three starts against the Brewers this season. Soup is 12-2 in 18 career starts against the Brewers with a 3.53 ERA. At Miller Park alone, he is 5-0 with a 2.05 ERA and has limited opponents to a .211 average. Villanueva is making his first start against the Cardinals.

Lineup
Aaron Miles SS
Chris Duncan LF
Albert Pujols 1B
Juan Encarnacion CF
Scott Spezio 3B
Preston Wilson RF
Ronnie Belliard 2B
Yadier Molina C
Jeff Suppan P

Soup had a great start. That said, offense didn't show up at all.

St. Louis 0, Milwaukee 1
Losing pitcher - Tyler Johnson (0-3)

Milestone watch:
Albert Pujols needs 8 home runs to tie Ken Boyer for 2nd on the Cardinals all-time home runs list with 255.
Jim Edmonds needs 1 home run to pass Ray Lankford for 4th all-time as a Cardinal.
Jason Isringhausen needs 1 saves for 250 career saves.
Albert Pujols has his sixth consecutive season with 100 runs, 100 RBI, 30 home runs, and at least a .300 batting average. He is the only player to do so in the first five seasons of a MLB career. With less than a month to go in the season, Pujols is batting .328.

USA Today on Albert Pujols

Mike Lopresti wrote this fine article.

We have here Albert Pujols' biography, and there must be a mistake. He's still only 26 years old? Hasn't he been driving in runs for the St. Louis Cardinals since dial telephones?

Ryan Howard was National League rookie of the year last season. He's 26. Dan Uggla will probably be rookie of the year this season. He's 26.

Pujols has been a phenom since ... forever, it seems. It is hard to remember the St. Louis Cardinals or the All-Star Game without him. And he's two months younger than Howard and two months older than Uggla.[...]

The thought occurs that if he stays healthy, and he stays hungry and he stays on task, one day Pujols might leave tire tracks all over the baseball annals.

What we have here is a young man in a hurry ... through the record books. It is not just his talent or his consistency that seems without restraint. It is where he might be headed with them.

Pujols has 246 career home runs.

Hank Aaron, the all-time leader, did not have 246 home runs at 26. (219 in 7 seasons)

Pujols has scored 735 runs.

Ricky Henderson, the all-time scorer, did not have 735 runs at 26. (632 in 7 seasons)

Pujols has 1,134 hits.

Pete Rose, the all-time hit collector, did not have 1,134 hits at 26. (799 in 5 seasons)

Pujols has 741 RBI, and should be near 750 by the end of the month.

Aaron, the all-time RBI man, did not have 750 at 26. (743 in 7 seasons)

Know the last time Pujols did not drive in 100 runs? When he played most of the season in Peoria. The pitchers of the major leagues have never stopped him. Have not come close. He has been more reliable than ticket price increases.

You wonder where the 401 players are who were drafted ahead of him in 1999.

So sometime next decade, they may have to save a lot of Albert Pujols' baseballs for Cooperstown. Meantime, he's busy trying to win another pennant and National League MVP.

Philadelphia's Howard is the main MVP challenger. His home run total is nearing the borders of Ruthville and Marisland. His RBI number can hardly be seen with the naked eye by the rest of the field.

But then, the Cardinals will win their division comfortably and everyone knows that without Pujols, they'd turn into the Milwaukee Brewers.

So a vote for Pujols would be no reason to blush, no matter how many rockets Howard hits.

He remains a pitcher's worst nightmare at the critical moment. Four times this season, Pujols has delivered walk-off winning hits. That makes 10 times the past four years.

Eighteen times this season, he has driven in the eventual winning run with a home run. The last guy to do better was Willie Mays, 44 years ago.

Pujols was out of the lineup for more than two weeks, and there are thoughts he has never felt completely healthy since. But he is second in the league in home runs, third in RBI, fifth in average. What would he be doing at 100%?

I italicized the numbers of what they had and how many seasons they played in which they were 26 or younger.

Also, closer Jason Isringhausen is done for the season.

Cards vs. Giants

The latest on Jason Isringhausen. One surgical option would mean that Izzy could no longer pitch and would have to retire.

Cardinals Care has exceeded $10 million.

Braden Looper knows what his role is.

The status of Jim Edmonds is still day to day.

If St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds had a tape recorder, it would be in replay mode every day.

Edmonds repeated his familiar story Tuesday. He feels marginally better, but postconcussion syndrome symptoms remain, and there's no guarantee he will play again this season.

"I'm just going through my normal routine," Edmonds said before the Cardinals defeated the Houston Astros 6-5 on Albert Pujols' two-out, two-run double in the ninth. "I'll work on some stuff out there on the field and take some swings."

Edmonds also worked out Monday and felt fine. His main symptoms, headaches and dizziness, are growing less problematic every day.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said Edmonds has been cleared to play by doctors, but the team is waiting for Edmonds to tell them the symptoms have completely disappeared.

"I don't know if Jim knows (when he will play)," La Russa said. "I haven't seen the green light, and I don't expect it today or tomorrow. He's got the major input. They're his workouts. He's got to do full activity and not have symptoms."

Friday
Jeff Suppan (11-7, 4.25) takes the start for the Cards against Jason Schmidt (11-8, 3.45). Suppan, the #2 starter on the team, has not started against the Giants all season long. Soup is 5-2 with a 2.07 ERA in 11 starts since the All-Star Break. In his last four starts, Soup has given up only one earned run. IN Schmidt's last ten starts, he's gone 5-2 with a 4.26 ERA. He has not started against the Cards all season long. Schmidt was hurting and Brad Hennessey (5-4, 3.72) got the start instead.

Lineup:
Aaron Miles SS
Chris Duncan RF
Albert Pujols 1B
Scott Spiezio LF
Scott Rolen 3B
Juan Encarnacion CF
Ronnie Belliard 2B
Yadier Molina C
Jeff Suppan P

St. Louis 14, San Francisco 4
Winning pitcher - Jeff Suppan (12-7)
HR: Chris Duncan (17, 18), Scott Rolen (20, 21)

Saturday
2006 Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter (14-6, 2.84) takes the mound against his former teammate, and one of my favorite Cardinals of all-time, Matt Morris (10-13, 4.71). Morris is taking his second start against his old team, the first at new Busch Stadium. The last time he faced the Cards, Morris picked up a loss and Pujols went yard. Take a look at the box score though. Since his complete game against the Reds on August 25, Morris just hasn't been the same, giving up in 14 runs in 18 1/3 innings pitched. Carp, on the other hand, will prove that he deserves a second Cy Young Award this season. Carp is 1-0 with a 3.57 ERA in three career starts against the Giants. The loser of the game will be buying dinner.

Matt Morris said it's only fitting that his first return to St. Louis would pit him against one of his closest friends as a Cardinal. A Cardinals draft pick and a 20-game winner and now a San Francisco Giant, Morris will start today's game against Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter. The two became fast friends when Carpenter joined the club because they shared traits, "silly things in common," Morris said.

"Both stunk at playing the guitar; both wives were vegetarians," Morris explained. "He's a Northeastern guy, played hockey. I played a little hockey. I was more pond hockey. He's like an All-American."

At stake is Carpenter's 100th career win, a stepping stone in the pursuit of a second Cy Young Award. Advertisement

And something between the friends.

"Loser," Morris said, "is going to buy dinner."

In other news, Eckstein has been cleared and is available to pinch hit.

Lineup:
Aaron Miles SS
Chris Duncan RF
Albert Pujols 1B
Scott Spiezio LF
Scott Rolen 3B
Juan Encarnacion CF
Ronnie Belliard 2B
Yadier Molina C
Chris Carpenter P

Aaron Miles seems like he is fighting for the SS position as of late with two triples today. The Cardinals took an early lead in the first inning against former Cardinal Matt Morris. Chris Carpenter went 7 IP, striking out 9, walking 2, and giving up 5 hits and one run. The run came as a result of Juan missing the ball in the outfield, otherwise it would have been a shut out. Carp picks up his 100th career win and former Card Matt Morris will be buying him dinner today. Albert Pujols had a big game going 4-4 with a double, 3 runs and an RBI. I just looked at the all-time franchise stats, Pujols is now in the top 10 for franchise RBI. I'll have post on that later. Rolen is breaking out of a slump, going 2-4 with two RBIs.

St. Louis 6, San Francisco 1
Winning pitcher - Chris Carpenter (15-6)

Sunday
Jeff Weaver takes the mound against Jonathan Sanchez. Weaver is 0-3 with a 6.48 ERA at Busch Stadium. His last start could have been a win, if it had not been for a few hits on Tuesday evening. He started against the Giants in June when he was still with the Angels.

Due to rain, the game was postponed and will likely not be made up.

Milestone watch:
Albert Pujols needs 9 home runs to tie Ken Boyer for 2nd on the Cardinals all-time home runs list with 255.
Jim Edmonds needs 1 home run to pass Ray Lankford for 4th all-time as a Cardinal.
Jason Isringhausen needs 1 saves for 250 career saves.
Albert Pujols has his sixth consecutive season with 100 runs, 100 RBI, 30 home runs, and at least a .300 batting average. He is the only player to do so in the first five seasons of a MLB career. With less than a month to go in the season, Pujols is batting .323.

Carp to miss start if Cards clinch

I don't blame Tony for this one. We'll need him in the playoffs. In other news, he's the first pitcher since 1987 to have at least two seasons of three complete game shut outs at home.

Chris Carpenter's shutout Monday night was his third of the season, and all have been at Busch Stadium. It is his second consecutive season with three home shutouts. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Carpenter is the first pitcher with three home shutouts in successive seasons since Roger Clemens did it with the Red Sox in 1987 (four) and 1988 (three).

Also, in Bruce Sutter news:

The Cardinals will officially retire Bruce Sutter's No. 42 jersey with pregame ceremonies Sunday. Sutter, the Cardinals' 1982 World Series closer, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in July. Sutter, Whitey Herzog and Bob Forsch are expected to be in attendance.

Colby Rasmus led all Cardinal minor league players with 85 RBIs. The PD takes a look at all the teams, breakout players, disappointments, best player, and best pitchers.

Carp has some impressive home starts this season. In 15 home starts, he's 7-3 with 4 complete games, 3 of those shutouts. In 110 innings pitched at home, he's given up 80 hits, walked 18, and struck out 76. He's given up 18 ER (7 home runs) and has a very nice ERA of 1.47 with a 0.89 whip. The batting average against him is .201. In his next start, he should pick up career win #100.

Brad Lidge: Owned by Albert Pujols

2005:2006:

A Nation Remembers

A poem written by Jack Buck

Since this nation was founded under God
More than 200 years ago

We've been the bastion of freedom...

The light that keeps the free world aglow.
We do not covet the possessions of others,
We are blessed with the bounty we share.

We have rushed to help other nations...
Anything...anytime...anywhere

War is just not our nature...we won't start
But we will end the fight.
If we are involved we shall be resolved to
Protect what we know is right.

We have been challenged by a cowardly foe
Who strikes and then hides from our view.

With one voice we say, "There's no choice
Today, there is only one thing to do"

Everyone is saying the same thing
And praying that we end these senseless
Moments we are living.

As our fathers did before, we shall win
This unwanted war

And our children will enjoy the future,
We'll be giving.

Written by Jack Buck
September 14, 2001

Cards vs. Astros

I'll have more up later.

Going into the game, Chris Carpenter (13-6, 2.97) was slated to start against Andy Pettite (13-13, 4.34). However, Pettite was scratched and instead, Taylor Buchholz (6-9, 5.96) starts the game.

Monday
Lineup
Aaron Miles SS
Chris Duncan RF
Albert Pujols 1B
Scott Rolen 3B
Scott Spiezio LF
Juan Encarnacion CF
Ronnie Belliard 2B
Yadier Molina C
Chris Carpenter P

Carp's ERA is now at 2.84. Phil Garner made managerial decisions that really caused his team the win today. Ronnie Belliard had a three-run triple as a result. Rolen later left the game when John Rodriguez pinch hit for him. Spiezio moved from left to third and Skip Schumaker came in to play left field. Carp pitched a complete game shutout for only the third time this season. It also marked his 99th career win.

Just like five years ago, Jack Buck's voice preceded the game today (see poem above this entry).

On Monday night, prior to St. Louis' game against Houston, the Cardinals held a ceremony commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. Police, fire and military personnel were recognized, and an enormous American flag was unfurled on the field.

But just as was the case five years earlier, it was Buck's words that captured those in attendance in St. Louis. The Cardinals played a video of Buck's famous reading of his original poem "For America" as the centerpiece of the ceremonies. Buck read the poem at the old Busch Stadium on Sept. 17, 2001, prior to the first game back at the ballpark after the attacks.

"We're fortunate that we were here," said manager Tony La Russa, who helmed the Cards in 2001 as well. "Whoever heard his words, benefited. But seeing it and hearing it in person ..."

Opening the events on Monday were Jeff Suppan and his wife, Dana, contributing $10,000 to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. The fund is Suppan's charity of choice, aiding the families of those who lose their lives fighting in the United States military.

Also, in the Cardinals notes, Eckstein and Edmonds are working to get back into the lineup.

St. Louis 7, Houston 0
Winning pitcher - Chris Carpenter (14-6)

Tuesday
Jeff Weaver (6-14, 5.85) takes the start against Andy Pettitte (13-13, 4.34). Weaver is making his first start against the Astros this season. Pettite was supposed to start on Monday but he twisted his ankle on Saturday, thus postponing his start. Pettite is 1-0 in two starts against the Cards this season.

Lineup
Preston Wilson RF
Scott Spiezio LF
Albert Pujols 1B
Scott Rolen 3B
Juan Encarnacion CF
Ronnie Belliard 2B
Aaron Miles SS
Yadier Molina C
Jeff Weaver P

Pujols had a walk-off double against Brad Lidge in the bottom of the 9th. He was the 5th man due up. J-Rod pinch hit for Molina. Schumaker pinch ran for J-Rod. Jose Vizcaino PH for Looper. Wilson struck out. Spiezio was hit by a pitch. Spiezio and Skip scored on Pujols double. Nothing like ruining Brad Lidge's career. It was his 6th blown save of the season.

Winning pitcher - Braden Looper (9-1)
HR: Preston Wilson (15)

Wednesday
Jason Marquis (14-14, 5.66) makes a start on short rest, as Reyes is missing a turn due to a tired arm, and starts against Roy Oswalt (12-8, 3.15). Oswalt is 1-1 in three starts against the Cardinals this season. Marquis is 2-1 in three starts against the Astros, two of which he pitched 7 IP or more.

Lineup
Aaron Miles SS
Chris Duncan RF
Albert Pujols 1B
Scott Spiezio LF
Scott Rolen 3B
Juan Encarnacion CF
Ronnie Belliard 2B
Gary Bennett C
Jason Marquis P

Cards split this series 2-1 against Houston. With regards to the bullpen, Brad Thompson pitched two innings. Josh Kinney lasted two innings. Hancock went one. Narveson went two innings. Sosa is in line for the win if the Cards come back to win in the 9th. The pen's only given up one run - a HR to Berkman - in their eight innings today. I don't know what's going wrong with Jason Marquis. He's not the pitcher he should be and definitely could be. You never know which version of Marquis that you will see when he trots out to the mound. A slumping Scott Rolen scored the only run of the game.

Losing pitcher - Jason Marquis (14-15)

Milestone watch:
Albert Pujols needs 9 home runs to tie Ken Boyer for 2nd on the Cardinals all-time home runs list with 255.
Jim Edmonds needs 1 home run to pass Ray Lankford for 4th all-time as a Cardinal.
Jason Isringhausen needs 1 saves for 250 career saves.
Chris Carpenter needs 1 more win for 100 career wins.
Albert Pujols has his sixth consecutive season with 100 runs, 100 RBI, 30 home runs, and at least a .300 batting average. He is the only player to do so in the first five seasons of a MLB career. With less than a month to go in the season, Pujols is batting .323.

Other Cardinal news...

Even though the Cards are unlikely to pick up the three year option for Preston Wilson, he was a good pickup at the time since the status of Jim Edmonds is day-to-day.

Joe Strauss asks "What could the Cardinals buy with $26 million?"

Possibly Adam Kennedy or Mark Loretta?

Could Chris Carpenter join an elite list?

Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter is making a strong case to win his second straight National League Cy Young Award.
Entering Saturday's game, Carpenter leads the NL with a 2.97 ERA and is tied for third in the league with 13 wins.

Only seven players in baseball history have won the award in consecutive years. The elite list includes Randy Johnson (1999-2002), Pedro Martinez (1999-2000), Greg Maddux (1992-1995), Roger Clemens (1986-1987 and 1997-1998), Jim Palmer (1975-1976), Sandy Koufax (1965 and 1966) and Denny McClain (1968-1969).

Palmer and Koufax are already in the Hall of Fame, and it's a near-given that Clemens, Maddux, Martinez and Johnson will be in the Hall once their playing days are over.

Even though he's not in the Hall, McClain was no slouch on the field either. He won 20 games at the age of 22, won 31 two years later, and 24 at the age of 25 before his career was derailed by off-the-field problems.

"You look at some of those who have done it, that makes it even more impressive," said St. Louis manager Tony La Russa. "I hope he wins it. It means he will pitch real well here to the end."

Of course, there's also the talk that this guy, I think his name is Albert Pujols, could win another MVP award.

"[He's the] same guy I've seen since Day 1," Melvin said before Friday's game. "Every year, he's going to be a candidate for that. Look at his walks, his strikeouts. He's struck out 40 times this year. For a guy who's a power hitter, [he has] 70-some walks. He gets pitched differently than everybody else, puts up the numbers consistently the way he does. With pitchers going after him the way they do, he's doubly talented."

With 44 long balls on the year through Friday, Pujols has hit more than 40 home runs for the fourth straight season. In addition, he ranks in the top five in batting average (.321) and RBIs (116) and leads the Majors with 22 game-winning RBIs.

Also in contention for the award is Phillies slugger Ryan Howard (.311, 56 home runs and 138 RBIs through Friday).

"I haven't seen them talk about his time missed," said La Russa of the time Pujols spent on the disabled list with a strained oblique muscle. "When you compare the 50 and the 40 [home runs], they don't factor in that he missed three weeks. You throw in three weeks of at-bats, I would think he might be at 50 as well."

Cards vs. Diamondbacks

Whoever did the scheduling was messed up, In a period of one week, the Cards will have played in three different time zones. The Cardinals head west for a four game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks who were no-hit last night by Anibal Sanchez.

Except for the 4:40 ET start on Sunday, all games will be starting at 9:40 ET.

Thursday
Jeff Weaver (2-4, 5.34) takes the start for the Cardinals tonight against Miguel Batista (10-5, 4.34 ERA). Weaver, looking for his first win since August 7th, 1-2 with a 3.72 ERA against the Diamondbacks in seven starts. Batista has faced the Cards once this season.

Lineup
Aaron Miles SS
Chris Duncan LF
Albert Pujols 1B
Juan Encarnacion RF
Scott Spiezio 3B
Preston Wilson CF
Ronnie Belliard 2B
Yadier Molina C
Jeff Weaver P

Word has it that Scott Rolen has not put up good numbers against Batista so he didn't get the start. Instead, Scott Spiezio gets the start and he goes yard not once but twice for his 10th and 11th home runs. Yadier Molina is hitting the ball, going 2-3 with a run and a walk. Weaver left after five solid innings, giving up only 2 runs on five hits. Pinch hitting for Braden Looper, John Nelson made his major league debut. Skip Schumaker came in to the game in the 8th or ninth inning, wearing jersey #55. Tyler Johnson, Josh Kinney, and Braden Looper all got a hold today. Wainwright pitched a 1-2-3 ninth in a non-save situation.

St. Louis 6, Arizona 2
Winning pitcher - Jef Weaver (3-4)
HR: Scott Spiezio (10, 11)

Friday
Anthony Reyes (5-6, 4.31 ERA) goes against Livan Hernandez (10-12, 5.24). This is the first career start for Reyes against the Diamondbacks. Hernandez has started once against the Cards this season, going seven innings, giving up one unearned run on three hits and picked up a no-decision--before he was traded. Pujols won that game with a home run. Take a look at that box score though.

Lineup
Ronnie Belliard 2B
Scott Spiezio LF
Albert Pujols 1B
Juan Encarnacion RF
Scott Rolen 3B
Preston Wilson CF
Aaron Miles SS
Yadier Molina C
Anthony Reyes P

With the Cards getting blown out, Tony LaRussa sent in reinforcements in the late innings where it almost made one thing that it was spring training since it was that sort of lineup.

In the bottom of the 7th and 8th, the following lineup changes were made:
- John Rodriguez in left field
- Scott Spiezio at third
- Skip Schumaker in center field
- So Taguchi at second
- Mike Rose catching
- Chris Narveson pitching
- Jose Vizcaino at shortstop
- Chris Duncan in right field
- Gary Bennett at first

Here's one reason as to why Reyes was not as effective last night.

Arizona 13, St. Louis 1
Losing pitcher - Anthony Reyes (5-7)
HR: Juan Encarnacion (18)

Saturday
Jason Marquis (14-13, 5.73) takes the start against Kentucky native and Cy Young candidate Brandon Webb (14-6, 3.14). Marquis is 1-0 against the D-backs this season. In that game, he only gave up one run in seven innings pitched. Of course, the Cardinals offense showed up that game with both Scott Rolen and Albert Pujols both going yard. That game started a stretch of five wins in a row for Jason Marquis. Brandon Webb has not faced the Cardinals at all this season.

Lineup
Aaron Miles SS
Chris Duncan LF
Albert Pujols 1B
Scott Rolen 3B
Preston Wilson RF
Ronnie Belliard 2B
So Taguchi CF
Gary Bennett C
Jason Marquis P

Take out the double by Scott Rolen and the Cards would have been victims of a no-hitter. Brandon Webb dominated the game Saturday night. Marquis had yet another quality start where he could not get any run support.

Arizona 3, St. Louis 0
Losing pitcher - Jason Marquis (14-14)

Sunday
Jeff Suppan (11-7, 4.39) pitches against Enrique Gonzalez (3-7, 5.64). Suppan has been very impressive for the Cardinals as of late in his past three outings. Soup has not faced Arizona at all this season. Gonzalez is looking for his first win since July 17, 2006. For the Cards to lose this game, it would take a miracle. Gonzalez has given up 28 runs in his last 37.1 innings pitched.

Lineup
Skip Schumaker CF
Chris Duncan LF
Albert Pujols 1B
Scott Rolen 3B
Scott Spiezio 2B
Juan Encarnacion RF
Jose Vizcaino SS
Yadier Molina C
Jeff Suppan P

Arizona 9, St. Louis 7
Losing pitcher - Jorge Sosa (3-11)
HR: Chris Duncan (16), Albert Pujols (45), Scott Spiezio (12)

Milestone watch:
Albert Pujols needs 9 home runs to tie Ken Boyer for 2nd on the Cardinals all-time home runs list with 255.
Jim Edmonds needs 1 home run to pass Ray Lankford for 4th all-time as a Cardinal.
Jason Isringhausen needs 1 saves for 250 career saves.
Chris Carpenter needs 2 more wins for 100 career wins.
Albert Pujols has his sixth consecutive season with 100 runs, 100 RBI, 30 home runs, and at least a .300 batting average. He is the only player to do so in the first five seasons of a MLB career. With less than a month to go in the season, Pujols is batting .322.

Happy Birthday, Jason Isringhausen

Is Izzy hurting?

Isringhausen threw freely in the outfield before the game, but he never felt comfortable once he faced hitters. "I had bad mechanics when I went out there," he said. "In the middle of an inning it's hard to correct things. It was just a very, very bad inning."

Less than two years after having arthroscopic surgery on his left hip, the closer offered cryptic answers about his health. "It's September. My body is getting old. That's it," said Isringhausen, who turns 34 today.

Isringhausen performs exercises daily to keep some flexibility in the hip. But the condition is a degenerative one and it is only a matter of time before an additional procedure will be considered, according to a club source.

Pressed about his physical status, he offered, "My arm feels great. Let's leave it at that."

On that note, Happy Bday Izzy!

Also, Bernie relayed this in the morning.

Izzy will likely be checked out by the docs today - possibly Arizona's team doctor. His degenerative hip condition prevents him from getting the proper lift and drive in his delivery - as I explained yesterday, only to get personally attacked for passing along the inside information.

La Russa will meet with Duncan at the ballpark today and they will discuss the situation - specifically, what next? They will consider Looper, Wainwright, Sosa or a committee approach.

Duncan was on with Cusumano this morning (KFNS) and relayed pretty much all of this during an interview.

A classic...

This comes from Intheway at VEB:

I see the ninth a-comin'
Its comin' right as rain
We've only got a one run lead
So there's gonna be some pain
Cause we close with Isringhausen
Kiss that lead goodbye
We close with Isringhausen
So hang your head and cry.

When I was just a baby,
My Mama told me, "Son,
Don't put your faith in Izzy
If you're up by just one run
Cause he'll pitch to Jose Vidro
And make him look real fine
When you hear those Nat fans cheerin,
You know that lead is dyin'.

I bet there are teams relaxing
With real closers on their staffs
They've all got low blood pressure
And their close games are for laughs
But we know when Izzy's comin'
That the laugh's on us
And the other team won't stop laughin
Til we're on the bus.

Now if I owned the Card-nals,
If the Redbird pen was mine,
I'd move old Izzy's carcass
Just a little down the line
So what happened just won't happen
Like it did today,
But we'll close with Isringhausen
Til he's DFA.

DFA Jason Isringhausen

I'm always worried when Izzy is in there to pitch the ninth with minimal lead. But after today, I'm no longer there to defend him. Heck, I'd take Mulder pitching over Izzy any day of the week!

I don't know whether he has a clause in his contract or not requiring him to pitch the ninth in a save situation or not but I've had with his inability to pitch a perfect ninth inning with a one run lead.

They need to go with a closer by committee. If Wainwright's doing good, Adam closes. If it's Sosa, then him. But this is getting way out of hand. Walt et all should buy out his contract if they are able to do so.

Looper was effective in the 8th inning and was en route to another win.

Carp was doing great when I got back from class until the 6th inning when defense was playing a bit too badly.

They need to DFA Izzy as soon as possible.

Cards vs. Nationals

Monday
Jason Marquis (14-12, 5.86) takes on Ramon Ortiz (9-12, 5.34). In his career, Ortiz is 1-2 against St. Louis with a very high 8.10 ERA. Marquis is 3-3 with a 3.67 ERA, including a shutout, against the Nationals in his career. The Cardinals lead the division for the 5th consecutive season in a row. The Cardinal bullpen this season is 19-16 with an even 4.00 ERA. Cardinal pitchers have 79 Holds up to this point in the season. Isringhausen plus some others (Wainwright, Sosa) have combined for 35 saves in 51 opportunities (69%)

Albert Pujols is 4 home runs away from tieing his career record with 46 home runs.

Lineup
Aaron Miles SS
Chris Duncan LF
Albert Pujols 1B
Scott Rolen 3B
John Rodriguez RF
Preston Wilson CF
Ronnie Belliard 2B
Gary Bennett C
Jason Marquis P

It's not everyday that that happens now, is it?!? Ramon Ortiz pitched one heck of a game. Not just that but he would have been only the third player in MLB history to pitch a no-hitter and hit a home run in the same game! So did Jason Marquis. Marquis just made a mistake by pitching to Kearns and him going yard.

Ortiz goes 8 solid innings with a no-hitter, walking one, and then gives up a hit in the 9th to Miles. Duncan lines out on a DP. Pujols goes yard on a moon shot to the upper deck of RFK. I watched all of the game and the last guy you want to be pitching to is Albert Pujols. Take out the line drive DP and it's a 4-3 ballgame.

Still though, Pujols is my pick for MVP this season. No doubt about it.

St. Louis 1, Washington 4
Losing pitcher - Jason Marquis (14-13)
HR: Albert Pujols (43)

Juan Encarnacion has a breather on Monday due to a sore hip and is expected to have Tuesday's game off as well. Also, there is expected to be four more players called up.

Outfielder Skip Schumaker, infielder Brendan Ryan, reliever Josh Kinney and lefthanded starter Chris Narveson are the leading candidates.

Nice feature story on Cardinal outfielder So Taguchi. Here's a PD article on Marquis' start yesterday which brings the Cardinals to five quality starts in a row. The Cardinals are 3-2 in the latest outings from the rotation. One starter had a No-Decision. One game was a 1-0 shutout against the Cardinals in which Weaver should have gotten the win. In the last five games, the starters went 36 1/3 innings pitched, with a combined 1.24 ERA.

Josh Kinney will wear #52. Narveson, #60, and Nelson #62.

As it turns out, John Nelson gets the callup, and not Brendan Ryan!!

Tuesday
Jeff Suppan (10-7, 4.64) takes the start against Pedro Astacio (3-4, 6.12). Suppan is 2-2 with a 3.68 ERA in seven career starts against the Expos/Nationals. However, Suppan is 4-5 with a 7.02 ERA on the road this season. He's 6-2 with a 2.90 ERA at new Busch Stadium this season.

Lineup
So Taguchi CF
Chris Duncan LF
Albert Pujols 1B
Scott Rolen 3B
Preston Wilson RF
Ronnie Belliard 2B
Aaron Miles SS
Yadier Molina C
Jeff Suppan P

Suppan absolutely dominated tonight. He went 7 2/3 innings with five strikeouts, only giving up five hits, to get his 11th win. In his last three starts, he's only given up one run, and has brought his ERA down to earth with 4.39. Suppan would have gone 8 full innings but he ran out of gas before turning it over to rookie pitcher Adam Wainwright who struck out one to end the inning. His fastball was nasty tonight. Isringhausen was classic Isringhausen. The ump may have been generous but he managed to get his 33rd save of the season and 249th of his career.

Pujols was classic Pujols too. He went yard for the 44th time in the first inning which gives him another game winning home run. Scott Rolen scored in the 7th on a fielder's choice.

St. Louis 2, Washington 0
Winning pitcher - Jeff Suppan (11-7)
SV - Jason Isringhausen (33)
HR: Albert Pujols (44)

Wednesday
Chris Carpenter (13-6, 2.87) vs. Mike O'Connor (3-7, 5.12)

Preston Wilson LF
So Taguchi CF
Albert Pujols 1B
Juan Encarnacion RF
Scott Spiezio 3B
Ronnie Belliard 2B
Yadier Molina C
Aaron Miles SS
Chris Carpenter P

Take out the sixth inning and the Cardinals would have had an Izzy-proof lead to win the ballgame. Scott Spiezio, Preston Wilson and Yadier Molina took the Nationals yard. Carp's ERA was as low as 2.82 today when I checked but he's now back at 2.97 for the season.

The flight to Phoenix will likely not be a good one for Jason Isringhausen who can't seem to pitch effectively anymore. Sad to say, but I'd pitch Mark Mulder over him. Mulder is having rotator cuff surgery and will likely miss all of next season. I can no longer defend Isringhausen. This is pathetic.

Losing pitcher - Jason Isringhausen (4-8)
HR: Scott Spiezio (9), Preston Wilson (14), Yadier Molina (6)

Milestone watch:
Albert Pujols needs 10 home runs to tie Ken Boyer for 2nd on the Cardinals all-time home runs list with 255.
Jim Edmonds needs 1 home run to pass Ray Lankford for 4th all-time as a Cardinal.
Jason Isringhausen needs 1 saves for 250 career saves.
Albert Pujols has his sixth consecutive season with 100 runs, 100 RBI, 30 home runs, and at least a .300 batting average. He is the only player to do so in the first five seasons of a MLB career. With less than a month to go in the season, Pujols is batting .321.

Alan Benes gets final start of career?

Thanks to The Birdwatch, I've learned that Alan Benes may have gotten what could be the final start of his career. If it is his final game, I offer my salute to his career. I have his autograph and had the chance to see him play when he was with the Louisville Redbirds.

Alan Benes got an emergency start for the Memphis Redbirds Friday night in what was likely his last appearance before retiring from the game.
It didn't turn out to be a memorable one, as New Orleans downed the Redbirds, 4-3, in the opening game of the final series of the season.

The veteran right-hander was called into service with the promotion of Anthony Reyes, who is scheduled to start Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Benes turned in six strong innings, but a three-error third inning did in the Redbirds.

Albert Pujols: 2006 MVP?

Also up for debate is Albert Pujols and whether or not he should take home the 2006 MVP award. I say that this will be the first year in a while that the same two players pick up the two big NL awards in back to back seasons. The only other player in my opinion being worthy of mention would be Ryan Howard.

Pujols is ten off the lead in home runs (Pujols 39, Howard 49). However, he is in third place despite the DL stint earlier in the season. In RBI's, Pujols 109 ranks fourth (Pujols 109, Howard 128) in the league. Pujols has 27 doubles to Howard's 14. However, Pujols 97 runs is 14 more than Howard's but it's only good enough for 7th place in the league.

League Rankings as of 9/19:
• Ranks 4th in NL in BA (.330)
• Ranks 2nd in NL in HR (46)
• Ranks 2nd in NL in RBI (126)
• Ranks 5th in NL in R (112)
• Ranks 3rd in NL in OBP (.431)
• Ranks 1st in NL in SLG (.682)
• Ranks 1st in NL in OPS (1.113)

Fungoes has some more on this one.

If you go to FanGraphs, you can see a comparison between Pujols, Beltran and Howard.

I think it's going to Pujols if the Cardinals make the playoffs.

Chris Carpenter: 2006 Cy Young?

With the season down to it's final month before the playoffs, it's time to debate the post-season awards once again. I honestly believe that Chris Carpenter will take home the National League Cy Young Award for the second season in a row. True, he does not have as many wins as he did last season but face it, right now, there is no clear runaway winner in the National League.

Let's take a look at the league rankings for Carpenter (as of 9/19):
• Ranks 4th in NL in W (15)
• Ranks 9th in NL in IP (206.2)
• Ranks 5th in NL in SO (173)
• Ranks 1st in NL in ERA (2.79)
• Ranks 1st in NL in WHIP (1.04)
• Ranks 2nd in NL in WPct (.714)
• Ranks 2nd in NL in CG (4)
• Ranks 4th in NL in BAA (.226)

Since August 1st, he's only allowed very few walks. With regards to decisions, he's gone 6-2 since the All-Star break with three no-decisions. One of those being the Cubs game last weekend where Tony La Russa pulled him in the 9th inning due to cramping. He left with the game tied but it was a quality start nonetheless. The other no-decision was a bad start against Cincinnati where he left with the win but Isringhausen blew a save.

As of 9/13, it's down to him and Webb.

Here's some discussion from Cardinals management.

Asked whether Carpenter should win again, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said, "Absolutely. His numbers compare to anybody."

Pitching coach Dave Duncan concurred. "Who are you going to compare him to?" asked Duncan. "Nobody's run away with a bunch of wins this year.

Carp has some impressive home starts this season. In 15 home starts, he's 7-3 with 4 complete games, 3 of those shutouts. In 110 innings pitched at home, he's given up 80 hits, walked 18, and struck out 76. He's given up 18 ER (7 home runs) and has a very nice ERA of 1.47 with a 0.89 whip. The batting average against him is .201. In his next start, he should pick up career win #100.

"He was a dominant pitcher tonight."

Carpenter said, "That's nice of them to say. Let's win the division first, go to the playoffs and then when we get home again, we'll see what happens."

During Sunday's BBTN, Kruk stuck with Zambrano, and Steve Phillips went with Chris Carpenter.

Cards vs. Pirates

Chris Carpenter (12-6, 2.96 ERA) goes for his 13th win of the season today. Carp has been showing why he won the Cy Young Award last year as he is 6-2 with an impressive 2.95 ERA since June 28th over a course of 12 starts.

The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, Carpenter (12-6, 2.96 ERA) is putting himself in contention to win it again based on his performance in the second half of the season. Since June 28, Carpenter has gone 6-2 with a 2.95 ERA and two complete games in 12 starts

"I think he's definitely in contention," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "I think it's a short list. He's been a stopper for us already several times."

Carpenter went 21-5 with a 2.83 ERA to win the award for the first time in his career last season. His ERA this season ranks second in the NL behind Florida rookie Josh Johnson's 2.87.

Carpenter also has been superb in his last three outings, allowing just three runs over his last 25 innings. The right-hander gave up a run and two hits over eight innings to the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, but didn't earn a decision.

For Carpenter to win it, he really has to pick up several more wins. The league leader right now has about 14 wins. Carp takes the start against Zach Duke (8-12, 5.01).

Anthony Reyes takes the place of Mark Mulder as Mulder is headed back to the DL and Reyes will get another turn in the rotation on Sunday.

Friday
Cardinals Lineup
Preston Wilson RF
So Taguchi LF
Albert Pujols 1B
Scott Rolen 3B
Juan Encarnacion CF
Ronnie Belliard 2B
Aaron Miles SS
Yadier Molina C
Chris Carpenter P

Today's game may have gone on record as the quickest game ever, in time, at the new Busch Stadium with a running time of 1:54. Carpenter gave up one run and three hits while striking out 8 for his third complete game of the 2006 season. On another note, please keep Jon Lester in your thoughts and prayers. He has been diagnosed with lymphoma.

Winning pitcher - Chris Carpenter (13-6)
HR: Preston Wilson (13)

In the game notes for Sunday's game, it is said that yesterday's game was the quickest this season (which is a record for new Busch Stadium). One June 21, 2002, a game in Wrigley against the Cubs went 1:49 - it should be noted that it was the last game that Darryl Kile was in uniform. On August 20, 1995, the Braves defeated St. Louis 1-0 in 1:50.

Jeff Weaver (2-3, 5.92 ERA) takes the start for the Cardinals against right-hander Shawn Chacon (1-2, 7.88). In six starts in his career against the Pirates, Weaver is 4-1 with a 2.48 ERA.

Rick Hummell reminds us who might be in pursuit of the Wild Card for the third consecutive season in a row.

Saturday
Cardinals Lineup
Aaron Miles SS
Chris Duncan RF
Albert Pujols 1B
Scott Rolen 3B
Scott Spiezio LF
Juan Encarnacion CF
Ronnie Belliard 2B
Yadier Molina C
Jeff Weaver P

Today's game, quality-wise, was not that bad in terms of Cardinals pitching. Duncan made a great catch that prevented two runs at least. However, the Cardinals offense just couldn't score even on a aqueeze play. Jeff Weaver went deep into the game and kept his ERA under 6. He and Braden Looper combined to give up only 6 hits. The Cardinals were limited to only 8 hits.

Pittsburgh 1, St. Louis 0
Losing pitcher - Jeff Weaver (2-4, 5-14)

Anthony Reyes (4-6, 4.73) takes the start against Ian Snell (12-8, 4.70) on this Sunday afternoon in which I have to work. I'm actually doing my pregame notes after the game because of that.

Sunday
Cardinals Lineup
Aaron Miles SS
Chris Duncan LF
Albert Pujols 1B
Scott Rolen 3B
Juan Encarnacion CF
Preston Wilson RF
Ronnie Belliard 2B
Yadier Molina C
Anthony Reyes P

Reyes was allowed to pitch his own way, and not Duncan's way. It must have worked because we saw the dominant Anthony Reyes today. He had 9 K's in 6.1 innings. Wainwright relieved him for 1.2 innings in which he struck out 3 batters. Isringhausen pitched the last 2/3 of the ninth on a non-save situation. All the runs were credited to Hancock.

Albert Pujols was INCREDIBLE with 3 home runs! However, he was unable to gain ground on Ryan Howard as Howard went yard three times. With the home runs though, Pujols reached the century mark in runs for the sixth straight season. Duncan went 2-4 with two runs. Molina, sporting the high socks, went 2-4. Mike Rose picked up his first Cardinal hit when he pinch hit for Adam Wainwright in the 8th inning.

Pittsburgh 3, St. Louis 6
Winning pitcher - Anthony Reyes (5-6)
HR: Albert Pujols (40, 41, 42)

Albert Pujols has his sixth consecutive season with 100 runs, 100 RBI, 30 home runs, and at least a .300 batting average. He is the only player to do so in the first five. With less than a month to go in the season, Pujols is at .321.

St. Louis moves to 73-62 and take on the Washington Nationals in a three game series starting tomorrow.

September call-ups include: John Rodriguez, Brad Thompson, and Anthony Reyes

Milestone watch:
Albert Pujols needs 12 home runs to tie Ken Boyer for 2nd on the Cardinals all-time home runs list with 255.
Jim Edmonds needs 1 home run to pass Ray Lankford for 4th all-time as a Cardinal.
Jason Isringhausen needs 2 saves for 250 career saves.