Cardinals Win First Series

The Redbirds ended the first series of the new season today with a win against the defending National League Champion Colorado Rockies.  Not counting the rain out on Monday, St. Louis outscored Colorado 12-5 in the series.  The win gives the Cards a 2-1 record heading into the second series, a three game set at home against Washington.

So the bleak outlook from a canceled opener, followed by a loss, is starting to creep to the back of the minds of Cards fans.  More good things have happened to the club than bad here in the early goings.  Let’s review:

• Rick Ankiel and Albert Pujols continue their hot hitting.
• Adam Kennedy keeps improving.
• All three rookies have made positive contributions.
• The Kyle Lohse signing still looks good.
• The Wellemeyer-Thompson-Reyes decision looks better.
• There have been a few web gems.
• The Cardinals are tied for first place in the division.

I know they’ve only played three games (plus three innings), but I still say this team could surprise some people.  Many “experts” picked the Cardinals to be near the bottom of the league.  We’ll see.

I’ve got a couple of notes from my trip to St. Louis over the weekend.  I’ll try to get some pictures up within a day or two.  Also, I went on the Busch Stadium tour for the first time, and loved it.  I highly recommend it to any baseball fan, and it’s only ten bucks.

Finally, a few links for you.  After seeing Pujols lose a home run to the rain, an old story about a similar incident returns to the forefront.  Derrick Goold has the story about Stan Musial over at Bird Land.  The Cardinals released their Minor League rosters today.  Matthew Leach has that full story.

I’ll be back to the old routine from here, starting with a preview of tomorrow’s game as soon as the line-ups are available.  Then I’ll continue to cap the games, and add my two cents, of course.  I’ve got a couple of other stories in the works too, so check back often.  It sure is nice to have meaningful baseball back.  One series down, fifty-one to go.