Albert Pujols spent his biggest moments of the St. Louis Cardinals' playoff opener with his bat sitting idly on his shoulder, thanks to some canny managing by Joe Torre. And with St. Louis ace Chris Carpenter decidedly off his game, Pujols and the rest of the Cardinals wasted a staggering number of chances to help him out. St. Louis stranded 14 runners in Los Angeles' 5-3 victory Wednesday night, repeatedly failing to come through against the Dodgers' six pitchers. "We definitely had our... Read Full Story
Chris Carpenter will start on three days' rest if the St. Louis Cardinals make it to Game 4 of their division series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said on Saturday before Game 3 that he also considered Kyle Lohse and John Smoltz, both of whom have been in the bullpen during losses in the first two games. Carpenter struggled in the series opener, allowing four runs and walking four in five innings. La Russa said the 17-game winner played catch and felt good... Read Full Story
Tony La Russa's not certain he wants to return for a 15th season as the St. Louis Cardinals' manager. Then again, he didn't expect his decision-making process to begin this soon. The Cardinals were the first National League team to clinch a division title, loaded with star power in the lineup and two Cy Young candidates in the rotation. They were the first team to go home after getting swept in the first round by the Los Angeles Dodgers. La Russa was disappointed by the Cardinals' response... Read Full Story
St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa has shaken up his lineup for Game 3 of the division series in a bid to avoid elimination by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Usual fifth-place hitter Ryan Ludwick was moved to second in front of Albert Pujols in the lineup going against Dodgers right-hander Vicente Padilla in Saturday night's game. Colby Rasmus was hitting fifth. The rookie hit fifth only eight times, having batted second about half of the season. The Cardinals batted .300 the first two... Read Full Story
Albert Pujols hit his 32nd homer, Ryan Ludwick drove in four runs and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 8-3 on Friday in the opener of a four-game series leading into the All-Star break. Pujols and Ludwick reached base four times apiece. Pujols added two RBIs to reach 85 and also hit his first triple of the season. Chris Carpenter (7-3) worked six innings, allowing seven hits and three runs with six strikeouts. The Cardinals' ace improved his career record against the Cubs to 9-3... Read Full Story
Yadier Molina managed to avoid a serious injury after being taken out at the plate and carted off the field in a neck brace and body board. The St. Louis Cardinals backstop held onto the ball for his life Sunday night as pinch-runner Eric Bruntlett slid hard into home during the 7-6, 10-inning victory over the Philadelphia Phillies . Molina showed plate umpire Tim McClelland he still had the ball in his right hand just before collapsing into a pile, laying face-down for several minutes. All... Read Full Story
St. Louis Cardinals backstop Yadier Molina was more than a little unhappy with home plate umpire Paul Schrieber Monday. Catching the fifth inning of the 8-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers , the little Molina was tossed for arguing balls and strikes on the Corey Hart at bat, leading him to relocate his gear to a frumpy pile at Blue's feet. Cards skipper Tony La Russa, despite being surrounded by Molina's discarded equipment while defending his player and getting himself ejected, denies knowing... Read Full Story
Joel Pineiro threw a three-hitter for his first shutout in six seasons and first complete game since 2006 as the St. Louis Cardinals snapped a three-game slide with a 3-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night. Colby Rasmus hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning for the Cardinals, who rebounded after getting swept in a three-game series by the Brewers. St. Louis has won only three of 10 overall, but expects to get pitcher Chris Carpenter and outfielder Rick Ankiel back for... Read Full Story
Yadier Molina , one of the best defensive catchers in the game, and the St. Louis Cardinals agreed to a $15.5 million, four-year contact Monday. The 25-year-old All-Star picked off 50% of potential basestealers last season, and hit a career-best .275 with six homers and 40 RBIs over 111 games. He missed a good chunk of time due to a broken left wrist. "I love being here. I love being a Cardinal," he said. Molina had asked for more than a $2 million raise in salary arbitration while the Cards... Read Full Story
Ryan Ludwick homered and drove in two runs, Skip Schumaker had three hits and the St. Louis Cardinals survived another shaky ninth inning to beat the Houston Astros 5-3 on Friday night. Ludwick finished 2-for-3 and extended his career-best hitting streak to 15 games, including the last 11 of 2008. Chris Duncan and Yadier Molina also hit went deep for the Cardinals, while Joel Pineiro (1-0) allowed two runs and eight hits over 6 2-3 innings to earn the win. Kyle McClellan got the final two... Read Full Story
