Daily Rant: Wainwright dominates Phillies in Memorial Day heat

The Cardinals took on the Phillies on Sunday with hopes of avoiding the sweep. Adam Wainwright challenged Roy Halladay. One of the two dominated, while the other had to leave with an injury. The Cardinals took the game, but who excelled for the Redbirds? Find out after the jump.

Box Score

The Positives

• Skip Schumaker looked great in a two hit performance. He also continued to show his versatility by starting in center and moving to right when Shane Robinson came into the game.
• Matt Holliday also had a two hit game before giving way to Adron Chambers late in the game.
• Carlos Beltran did it again, hitting his fifteenth home run of the season. Beltran leads the NL in home runs and RBIs.
• Yadier Molina hit his seventh home run of the year. It was a grand slam that essentially won the game for the Cardinals early, as the Phillies never really got into this one.
• Matt Adams joined the party with a two hit game of his own. He also hit the first of hopefully many big league home runs.
• Adam Wainwright was dominant in a six inning outing. He only struck out two batters, but he allowed only one earned run and seven base runners.

Justin’s Jeers

• David Freese looked to be pressing a bit as he went 0-2 with two strikeouts. It was a bit of a reach to find any struggling offensive performers in this game
• Yadier Molina had to leave the game in the seventh innings due to dehydration. It worked out fine, as the Cardinals still won and Tony Cruz got a little more playing time, but with the unpredictable St Louis heat in the summertime, it is important for the players to stay properly hydrated.
• After a good showing in his debut, Chuckie Fick looked incredibly ineffective yesterday. He was called upon with an 8-2 lead in the ninth to close out the game. Al Hrabosky said that many managers will bring rookie relievers in in these situations so they can get the handshakes and high fives when they close out the game. Fick didn’t see any of the accolades, though, as he struggled to record just two outs. He gave up two hits, a walk, and an earned run. Fick may not be long for the major league team.

Three Stars

3) Adam Wainwright – Wainwright looked great against an offensive unit that had been performing strongly. He has now put together two dazzling performances in a row. Has Wainwright turned the corner?

2) Carlos Beltran – We’re getting used to seeing the Beltran Bomb. Will he get enough WAR to earn his two year contract in just the first season?

1) Yadier Molina – We’re getting used to the battle between he, Beltran, and Freese for the first star each game. Yadi needs to make sure he’s kicking back the Gatorade, but he made sure to belt a grand slam before he left the game.

Standings

Today’s Game

Last time the Cardinals played Atlanta, the results weren’t very encouraging. They hope to turn that around this time, as they take on the Braves in Atlanta. Lance Lynn has a 7-1 record and hope to become the majors first eight game winner. He sports a 2.54 ERA and is taking on Braves hurler Tommy Hanson. Hanson has a 5-3 record to go with his 3.12 ERA. He only has one career start in Busch Stadium, but holds a victory in that appearance in a five inning, one earned run outing. Game time is set for 12:10 PM and Redbird Rants will have the recap.