Braves Silence Red-Hot Cardinals

Cardinals hitters reached two milestones on Tuesday night in Atlanta, but they are not the sort of notables to brag about to family and friends. 


St. Louis managed just a season-low three hits and a season-high 11 strikeouts. Still the Cardinals were holding a 1-0 lead in the eighth, just four outs away from victory no. 15. Instead, Matt Diaz’s 2-run single in the eighth off Kyle McClellan allowed the Braves to rally for the 2-1 victory.


In the ninth, the Cards never had a chance against closer Mike Gonzalez, who struck out the side in impressive fashion, retiring Colby Rasmus, Albert Pujols and Ryan Ludwick. 


The St. Louis offense, which had generated about six runs a game in the first 18 games, has cooled off considerably the past three games. The Cards have managed just seven total runs, and consequently, have lost 2 of the past 3 games.


Atlanta starter Jo-Jo Reyes, who is a career 5-14/6.01 ERA pitcher, turned in an outstanding performance against the National League's top offense.

Talk about a frustrating loss.


One area of concern is the manager's use of McClellan, who appeared in his second straight game and 10th of the season. The second-year righthander has been very good, (3 holds, 1.64 ERA entering Tuesday), but McClellan was clearly laboring in Tuesday’s game. He yielded three walks and a hit during his 28-pitch effort, which was the heels of a 18-pitch, two-walk outing on Monday.  


Final thought: how good was Kyle Lohse? Showing no ill effects after jamming his right knee in his previous start, Lohse threw six shutout innings. It was another solid performance by a St. Louis starter.


Joel Pineiro: Mirage or the Real Deal?
With all the hyperventilating about Joel Pineiro’s terrific start this season, some folks have forgotten that he is nothing more than a career .500 pitcher (72-67, 4.55 ERA) coming off a terrible 2008 season. Last year, we went 7-7 with 5.15 ERA and had two stints on the disabled list. Just 12 of his 25 starts were considered quality starts (at least 6 innings, 3 runs or less) and he failed repeatedly to hold onto leads.


Based on this body of work, little was expected from the hurler in 2009. Even with a strong spring training, Pineiro was upset about his snub from the Team Puerto Rico roster for the World Baseball Classic. We all laughed at him because Jose Oquendo certainly had better options.


Well, perhaps Pineiro had a right to be mad about Oquendo’s rebuke. Following Monday’s 3-2 win in Atlanta, Pineiro now owns a league-high four wins and leads the team in innings pitch (26.1). The key behind his success: he’s effectively using his two-seamer to induce grounder after grounder. In fact, he’s third among all MLB starters in ground outs at 47. Even though he’s allowed more hits (30) than innings pitched, he has permitted just six walks. Even more remarkable, he has just six strikeouts. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a man pitching to contact.

Can he keep up this pace? Probably not, but then again, he is a free agent at the end of the year. Never question a motivated athlete with visions of dollar signs dancing in his head.


Don’t Forget About Yadier Molina
In Sunday’s blog about the Cardinals‘ terrific offensive production in the early season, I neglected to mention the contributions of Yadier Molina.

After establishing career highs in batting average (.304), hits (135) and RBI (56) in 2008, Molina could be on pace for an even better season in 2009. Entering Tuesday’s game against Atlanta, he leads all team regulars in batting average (.338), and is second in hits (22) and third in walks (9) and total bases (34). He even has a triple and a stolen base to his credit.


He’s come so far. Remember 2006? He hit just .216. 


Molina’s continuous improvement at the plate is impressive, and he is turning into one of the most well-rounded catchers in the game. He’s well on his way to making his first All-Star appearance. Well, he might have competition from his brother Bengie, who is hitting .328 with 3 homers and 14 RBI for San Francisco.


Link of the Week
There’s a reason why Joe Posnanski is one of the best baseball writers today. Check out this post on his website.


Thanks for reading.

Gabriel Kiley is a freelance sports writer based in St. Louis. He wonders if the swine flu is nothing more than a media sensation. Post your comments below.