Daily Rant: Cardinals take first game in series against Rockies
The Cardinals took on the Rockies in game one of a four game set in St Louis on Monday night. The Cardinals offense struck early and often to knock down the woeful Rockies 9-3 despite being outhit 11-10. Find out more details after the jump.
Box Score
Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
Colorado | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 1 |
St Louis | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | X | 9 | 10 | 0 |
WP | K. Lohse (8-2) | |||||||||||
LP | T. Chatwood (1-1) |
AB | R | H | RBI | HR | BB | K | SB | LOB | Season Avg | ||
R. Furcal ss | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .276 | |
J. Jay cf | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .321 | |
M. Holliday lf | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .311 | |
C. Beltran rf | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .308 | |
A. Craig 1b | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .322 | |
Y. Molina c | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .309 | |
D. Freese 3b | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .286 | |
D. Descalso 2b | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .223 | |
K. Lohse p | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .121 | |
M. Boggs p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |
M. Cleto p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |
Totals | 32 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 14 |
The Positives
- Jon Jay hit his second double of the season and scored two runs to go with his seventh stolen base.
- Matt Holliday hit his thirteenth home run of the season which drove in two runs. He also had a single to raise his average to .311
- Carlos Beltran had two RBIs without even getting a hit. Not a bad night.
- Allen Craig blasted his twelfth and thirteenth home runs of the season. He drove in three runs and now leads the team with a .322 average
- Yadier Molina picked up a single and scored a run for the Cardinals.
- David Freese had a three hit night and scored a run.
- Kyle Lohse lasted seven and a third innings and only gave up two earned runs. He allowed eleven base runners and struck out five.
- Mitchell Boggs hurled two thirds of a perfect inning
Justin’s Jeers
- Rafael Furcal and Daniel Descalso were held hitless. Furcal reached base on a walk, though, and scored a run.
- The Cardinals stranded fourteen runners. Daniel Descalso led the way with four men left on.
- Mikael Cleto pitched the ninth inning for the Cardinals and gave up home run.
Three Stars
3) Carlos Beltran – Even without recording a hit, Beltran drove in two runs.
2) Matt Holliday – Holliday blasted a home run and drove in two runs.
1) Allen Craig – Craig’s two home runs put the game out of reach.
Standings
Central | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | RS | RA | Diff | Streak | L10 |
Cincinnati Reds | 44 | 35 | .557 | — | 23-16 | 21-19 | 339 | 300 | +39 | Won 1 | 6-4 |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 43 | 36 | .544 | 1.0 | 24-13 | 19-23 | 308 | 293 | +15 | Won 1 | 6-4 |
St. Louis Cardinals | 42 | 38 | .525 | 2.5 | 19-18 | 23-20 | 404 | 341 | +63 | Won 2 | 7-3 |
Milwaukee Brewers | 37 | 42 | .468 | 7.0 | 21-19 | 16-23 | 350 | 360 | –10 | Won 3 | 5-5 |
Houston Astros | 32 | 48 | .400 | 12.5 | 23-19 | 9-29 | 323 | 385 | –62 | Lost 5 | 4-6 |
Chicago Cubs | 30 | 49 | .380 | 14.0 | 19-20 | 11-29 | 290 | 358 | –68 | Won 4 | 6-4 |
Today’s Game
The Cardinals host the Rockies for game two tonight at 7:15. Jeff Francis makes the start for the Rockies against the rookie Joe Kelly. Francis is 1-1 with a 5.47 ERA since returning to the Rockies. The Cardinals actually showed a lot of interest in Francis when he was let go by the Reds, but neglected to make the move due to not knowing the severity of Jaime Garcia‘s injury. So far, it has looked like a blessing in disguise. Francis does have five wins against the Cardinals in nine starts in his career, though, with a 3.05 ERA. Joe Kelly, of course, is a wild card due to the Rockies not knowing a lot about him. He’s 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA in four starts this season. He really hasn’t been hit around too much in any of his starts. His last two starts were quality starts, while his first two were shortened before he could reach the six inning limit.