The Cardinals' stars of the game (and CC's high socks) Photo by Tara Wellman
When the Brewers scored two runs on three hits after Chris Carpenter only threw nine pitches, it seemed like we were in for another miserable night.
Thankfully, we weren’t.
CC settled in and Albert Pujols realized he was only hitting .119 against the Brewers this season so he did something about it — four somethings, actually, including a first-inning homer that tied the game. And the Cardinals ended the night four games in back of the Brewers instead of six, providing a glimmer of hope that all isn’t lost for the season. (I’m not changing my opinion on anything I wrote yesterday. It’s still just a glimmer.)
Seeing Albert be Albert and hit with authority was a definite plus after seeing all the meek ground-outs and fly-outs against Milwaukee so far this year. It’s been a while since he’s had a game like that against the Brewers — his last four-hit game against them was June 18, 2003.
Then there’s Chris Carpenter, who now has a .500 record! (If that doesn’t deserve an exclamation point since he was 1-7 in mid-June, what does?) Whether it was the new faux-hawk hair, the high socks, the spiffy shoes or just things finally going his way, CC ended up having a good night and earned his first victory over the Brewers since a one-hitter in Milwaukee on Labor Day 2009 (which, though not related, is the one and only time I’ve seen him pitch in person).
While CC did allow seven more hits after the first inning plus walked three, the damage was limited thanks to a defense that turned four double plays. Rafael Furcal again sparkled at shortstop (plus led off the Cards’ first inning with a homer), which is definitely good to see. And Ryan Theriot seems more comfortable and effective at second base — he successfully was involved in each of the four DPs and made a couple of catches, including the final out of the game.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Brewers-Cardinals game without a bit of drama. This time it was courtesy of Nyjer Morgan. The Fox Sports Wisconsin broadcast had a much more thorough description of what was happening at the time than the Cardinals one did — basically, Morgan was shooting off his mouth at CC from the Brewers dugout, although it’s humorous to see it described here as “chirping.”
All in all, the game was a nice Cardinal win that made playing good ball and winning seem very simple. Does it mean anything in the big picture? We’ll find out.
After seeing the recent news that Arthur Rhodes was released by the Rangers, it’s not a surprise that he’s now a Cardinal. The 41-year-old lefty reliever was 3-3 with a 4.81 ERA for Texas this season and, as Matthew Leach writes,
he remained effective against left-handed hitters — especially away from the Rangers’ hitter-friendly home ballpark. He held lefties to a .216 batting average with a .310 on-base percentage and a .405 slugging percentage for Texas. Left-handers are just 3-for-17 against him away from Arlington in 2011.
Yay, an old guy reliever — but a lefty. And that, Fake Miguel Batista, is why they signed him. (Though I will admit I miss writing poetry.)
Christine Coleman is the senior St. Louis Cardinals reporter for Aaron Miles’ Fastball. Follow her on Twitter, @CColeman802, or email aaronmilesfastball@gmail.com. Also follow @AMilesFastball for the latest updates.
