Tough Loss for the Cardinals

It didn’t take long for the Cardinals to encounter their second string of back-to-back losses.  Monday’s win against Milwaukee separates the two short losing streaks.  The loss is tougher to take, not only because of the turn of events that transpired in tonight’s game, but also because it came against a Pittsburgh team was predicted to finish at the bottom of the division.

The game couldn’t have started off better for the Cards.  They put up four runs in the top of the first, while sending nine men to the plate.  Things were looking good when starter Todd Wellemeyer cruised through the first three innings without allowing a hit. After a couple of runs in the fourth, the Pirates tied the game on a two run home run by Jason Bay in the fifth.  The ball was just out of Chris Duncan’s reach, and barely cleared the left field wall.  Although it hung up longer than expected, I wonder if a more experienced outfielder would have caught it.  Anthony Reyes pitched the eighth, giving up the winning runs.  7-4 was the final.  View the full box score here.

Tomorrow the Cardinals hope to even the series, with Joel Pineiro going against Tom Gorzellany.

My aggravation allows me to leave you with only one link, but it’s a good one.  With the ’09 All Star Game creeping closer, and the city of St. Louis, and all it’s fans on the brink of being embarrassed by the hole in the ground in the footprint of old Busch, J Carnage has the ultimate solution.