All posts by Brian Walton

Brian Walton runs The Cardinal Nation, covering the St. Louis Cardinals and minor league system.

About Cardinals low-scoring games

The St. Louis Cardinals rank among MLB leaders in low-scoring games on both sides of the ledger.

Felipe Lopez and Ryan Ludwick (AP photo)Through 60 games of the 2010 season, many St. Louis Cardinals would already assume the club has had more than their fair share of games when their offense failed to score enough to win. They would also expect that the team’s pitching staff has had a good number of contests in which they held their opponent at bay.

Researcher Tom Orf pulled the evidence.

Offensively, St. Louis is third in the major leagues in number of games shut out with six. They were held to one run eight more times and lost all those games. The Cardinals are fourth in MLB with the most games having scored one run or fewer at 14.

Expanding the aperture to include games of scoring two runs still keeps the Cardinals in the bottom quarter of baseball. They are tied for seventh with 19 two-or-less run games and actually managed to win two of them.

Including contests when scoring three runs or less, including Wednesday’s 4-3 loss to the Dodgers, the Cardinals drop to the bottom half of MLB. They rank 18th with 24 three-or-fewer run games. Oddly, when scoring exactly three runs, their record is just 1-4.

MLB runs scored, 2010, through June 9

0 RUNS 1 RUN OR LESS 2 RUNS OR LESS 3 RUNS OR LESS
Rk Team G W L Rk Team G W L Rk Team G W L Rk Team G W L
1 PIT 7 0 7 1 BAL 18 0 18 1 HOU 27 2 25 1 PIT 38 8 30
1 LAD 7 0 7 2 HOU 16 0 16 2 BAL 27 1 26 2 BAL 37 2 35
3 STL 6 0 6 3 PHI 15 1 14 3 PIT 25 5 20 3 SDP 33 13 20
3 SFG 6 0 6 4 STL 14 0 14 4 SEA 25 1 24 3 HOU 33 4 29
3 PHI 6 0 6 5 SEA 13 0 13 5 CHC 23 2 21 5 SEA 31 4 27
3 MIL 6 0 6 6 SFG 12 0 12 6 SDP 20 6 14 6 CLE 29 4 25
3 HOU 6 0 6 6 PIT 12 0 12 7 STL 19 2 17 6 OAK 29 3 26
3 ATL 6 0 6 6 LAD 12 4 8 7 SFG 19 2 17 8 PHI 28 7 21
6 OAK 12 1 11 7 PHI 19 4 15 8 CHC 28 3 25
7 CLE 19 0 19 18 STL 24 3 21
7 OAK 19 2 17

Switching over to pitching, the Cardinals are again among MLB’s leaders in most games holding the opponent either off the scoreboard or with few crooked numbers.

St. Louis pitching has tossed five shutouts, tied for seventh in the big leagues. Their no and one-run game total of 12 is ninth-most. When adding two-run contests, Cardinals pitching jumps up to fourth in MLB at 22 and holds that ranking with three-run opponent scoring games are included.

MLB runs allowed, 2010, through June 9

0 RUNS 1 RUN OR LESS 2 RUNS OR LESS 3 RUNS OR LESS
Rk Team G W L Rk Team G W L Rk Team G W L Rk Team G W L
1 SDP 9 9 0 1 SDP 18 17 1 1 SDP 28 25 3 1 ATL 35 27 8
2 OAK 7 7 0 2 SFG 15 12 3 2 SFG 24 18 6 2 TBR 34 30 4
2 NYM 7 7 0 3 NYY 14 14 0 3 TBR 23 21 2 2 MIN 34 28 6
2 COL 7 7 0 3 NYM 14 14 0 4 STL 22 14 8 4 STL 32 23 9
5 SFG 6 6 0 5 TBR 14 14 0 4 TOR 22 20 2 4 SFG 32 22 10
5 PHI 6 6 0 5 OAK 13 13 0 4 NYM 22 19 3 4 SDP 32 28 4
7 STL 5 5 0 5 FLA 13 12 1 7 PHI 21 17 4 4 NYY 32 30 2
7 TOR 5 5 0 5 COL 13 13 0 7 NYY 21 20 1 8 SEA 29 20 9
7 TBR 5 5 0 9 STL 12 10 2 9 COL 20 19 1 8 NYM 29 22 7
7 LAD 5 5 0 9 LAD 12 10 2 9 ATL 20 16 4 8 CHC 29 17 12
7 BOS 5 5 0 9 BOS 12 12 0

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Wainwright’s one-run or less outings ends

On Wednesday night, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright failed in his attempt for a fourth straight one or no run outing of seven innings or more.

Adam Wainwright (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)When Adam Wainwright took the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night, he allowed four earned runs in six innings.  The right-hander was saddled with his fourth loss in 12 decisions as the Cardinals were swept by the Dodgers.

In so doing, Wainwright failed in his attempt for a tie for the second-longest streak of seven innings or more allowing one run or less since Tony La Russa became manager for the 1996 season.

Wainwright’s streak ended at three with the longest in the last 15 years being Chris Carpenter’s seven straight in 2005. The others with four whom Wainwright tried to join are Woody Williams (2001), Matt Morris and Alan Benes (both 1997).

Cardinals pitchers, 7+ Innings & allowing 1 run or less, game streak, since 1996

Strk Start End Games W L GS CG SHO IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Chris Carpenter 6/14/2005 7/22/2005 7 6 0 7 3 3 59.2 28 3 3 9 57 2 0.45
Woody Williams 8/31/2001 9/25/2001 4 4 0 4 3 1 34 12 4 3 7 21 2 0.79
Matt Morris 7/16/1997 7/31/1997 4 2 0 4 0 0 28.2 21 4 3 12 20 0 0.94
Alan Benes 6/16/1997 7/2/1997 4 1 2 4 1 0 31.1 18 9 4 13 35 3 1.15
Adam Wainwright 5/25/2010 6/4/2010 3 2 1 3 1 1 23 13 2 2 4 28 2 0.78
Adam Wainwright 5/16/2009 5/26/2009 3 2 1 3 0 0 23.2 12 3 3 5 23 1 1.14
Jeff Suppan 8/25/2006 9/5/2006 3 2 0 3 0 0 22.1 16 1 1 9 12 1 0.40
Jason Marquis 8/27/2005 9/9/2005 3 3 0 3 2 1 26 15 3 2 1 12 1 0.69
Mark Mulder 8/17/2005 9/2/2005 3 2 0 3 1 1 25 10 3 2 6 15 0 0.72
Mark Mulder 7/8/2005 7/20/2005 3 2 0 3 0 0 22 17 2 2 7 7 1 0.82
Chris Carpenter 8/26/2004 9/6/2004 3 1 1 3 1 0 22 14 5 2 2 21 1 0.82
Matt Morris 7/13/2002 7/23/2002 3 2 0 3 0 0 23 18 2 2 6 21 0 0.78
Matt Morris 4/27/2001 5/7/2001 3 2 0 3 1 1 24 17 2 1 3 20 1 0.38
Darryl Kile 4/18/2001 4/29/2001 3 3 0 3 0 0 22 16 2 2 5 19 2 0.82
Darryl Kile 7/20/2000 7/31/2000 3 2 0 3 1 1 25 19 5 2 3 19 2 0.72

Thanks to researcher Tom Orf for providing the table.

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The Cardinals’ Bud Norris club

The St. Louis Cardinals have been held to no runs by 11 opposing starters in the first 59 games in 2010.

Bud Norris (AP/Pat Sullivan)When the St. Louis Cardinals lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers by a 1-0 score Tuesday night, it not only wasted an excellent start by ace Chris Carpenter, it continued the team’s futility count to 11, where futility is defined by being shut out by the opposing starting pitcher.

The latest to hold St. Louis’ offense scoreless was Dodger Hiroki Kuroda, augmented by Los Angeles’ pen.

The first shutout starter the Cardinals faced this season was Houston Astro Bud Norris. The right-hander carries a 6.80 ERA this season, which includes his gem against St. Louis back on April 15.  He is currently on the disabled list.

In six of these 11 games this season, the Cardinals did not score against the opposing relievers, either. In other words, they were kept off the scoreboard the entire game.

Here is the full list, thanks to researcher Tom Orf. I added the 2010 and career ERAs for reference.

Not every pitcher deserves to be in the Bud Norris Club, but many do. Five of the 11 have 2010 ERAs over 4.80, including their scoreless stints against St. Louis. Seven of them have career ERAs of 4.35 or more.

Opposing Starters Allowing No Runs vs. Cardinals, 2010

Player Date Tm Rslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO 2010 ERA Career ERA
Huroki Kuroda 6/8/2010 LAD W 1-0 GS-7 7 4 0 0 1 6 3.30 3.65
Carlos Silva 5/29/2010 CHC W 5-0 GS-7 ,W 7 2 0 0 0 11 2.93 4.62
Kevin Correia 5/26/2010 SDP W 2-1 GS-6 6 5 0 0 6 5 5.03 4.42
Jon Garland 5/25/2010 SDP W 1-0 GS-7 ,W 7 6 0 0 2 7 2.68 4.35
Anibal Sanchez 5/19/2010 FLA W 5-1 GS-7 ,W 7 4 0 0 2 8 3.18 3.73
Jeff Karstens 5/8/2010 PIT W 2-0 GS-6 ,W 6 3 0 0 2 4 4.81 5.09
Zach Duke 5/7/2010 PIT L 3-4 GS-7 6 9 3 0 2 7 5.43 4.39
Kyle Kendrick 5/5/2010 PHI W 4-0 GS-7 ,W 7 6 0 0 2 3 4.95 4.71
Barry Zito 4/24/2010 SFG W 2-0 GS-8 ,W 8 3 0 0 3 10 3.15 3.81
Johan Santana 4/17/2010 NYM W 2-1 GS-7 7 4 0 0 1 9 2.76 3.10
Bud Norris 4/15/2010 HOU W 5-1 GS-5 ,W 5 4 1 0 3 9 6.80 5.53
Average 4.09 4.31

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Cepeda enters new Latin Baseball Hall of Fame

Ex-St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Orlando Cepeda is a Latin Baseball Hall of Famer.

Orlando Cepeda Former St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Orlando Cepeda, who played for the club from 1966-68, was one of the initial 25 inductees into the new Latin Baseball Hall of Fame. The ceremony was held in Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic on Saturday, May 29.

The 62-year-old was known as “Cha-Cha” or “Baby Bull” during his 17 major league seasons with six clubs. The native of Puerto Rico was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 1999.

Honorees were divided into three groups:

  • Cooperstown Historic — Roberto Clemente (Puerto Rico), Juan Marichal (Dominican), Luis Aparicio (Venezuela), Rod Carew (Panama), Orlando Cepeda (Puerto Rico), Atanasio “Tony” Pérez (Cuba), Martín Dihigo (Cuba), Jose de la Caridad Méndez (Cuba), Cristóbal Torriente (Cuba), Alejandro Pompez (Cuba), Eloy “Buck” Canel (Argentina), Jaime Jarrin (Ecuador), Rafael (Felo) Ramirez (Cuba).
  • Veterans Committee (active before 1959) — Pancho Coimbre (Puerto Rico), Beto Ávila (México), Alfonso Carrasquel (Venezuela), Tetelo Vargas (Dominican), Orestes Miñoso Cuba), Bobby Maduro (Cuba).
  • Permanent Induction Committee (active after 1959) — Roberto Alomar (Puerto Rico), Dave Concepción (Venezuela), Felipe Alou (Dominican), Camilo Pascual (Cuba), Hector Espino (Mexico), Peter O’Malley (USA, Tommy Lasorda Award, outstanding non-Latino personality).

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Studying Adam Ottavino’s second start

Graphs tell the story of St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Adam Ottavino’s second start of his major league career.

By Ian Walton

Adam Ottavino (AP photo)Following Adam Ottavino’s uneven major league debut last week (analyzed here), he steadied his control for a more encouraging outing this past Saturday.

The Milwaukee Brewers stacked their lineup with left-handed hitting for Ottavino’s second start, starting five such batters including opposing pitcher Chris Narveson.  Ottavino responded quite well, settling down after yielding a home run to Richie Weeks on a slider in the first at bat of the game.  In fact, he only gave up one more hit in the first four innings.  However, as in his debut start, the opposing batters began to catch up to him, with a single, a ground rule double, and a walk fortunately resulting in no runs in the fifth.  Following a single to Ryan Braun in the top of the sixth, Ottavino was yanked in favor of Dennys Reyes who allowed three straight base runners and neutralized the Cardinals’ 4-1 lead.

Ottavino’s most notable improvement this time out was his control, as he threw 53 of 75 pitches for strikes on the afternoon.  While many of his pitches that missed the strike zone missed by rather large margins again, he did limit their occurrence as can be seen below.

Viewing from the perspective of the catcher, we can see that Ottavino primarily worked high and away to right handed batters.  Although primarily utilizing the fastball, he did work in seven sliders and four low changeups in these situations, an improvement in pitch variety over his first outing.

Against lefties, Ottavino did a much better job of utilizing the entire zone, mixing fastballs everywhere but low and inside with changeups on the outer half of the plate.

Still, not everything came up roses during this start.  Ottavino gave up 12 fly balls and four line drives compared to only six ground balls, a fact that likely has pitching coach Dave Duncan somewhat concerned.  In particular, Ryan Ludwick got quite the work out in right field and was probably most responsible for keeping Ottavino’s outing under control with a number of fine defensive plays.  Furthermore, one possible reason for his struggles later in the game may have been tied to a tell tale release point.

Although not overly blatant, one can clearly see where change ups were being thrown against left handed batters, again from the perspective of the catcher.

By contrast, his sliders tended to be thrown noticeably farther away from his shoulder than his other pitches.  While this likely helped prevent his sliders from drifting too far to the outside, there has to be concern that the hitters can easily see them coming.  In fact, I went back and checked each of his seven sliders thrown on the day.  Those four sliders released in the far upper right as shown above match the four sliders that landed in the strike zone, as seen in the first graph in this article.  One of those four was the home run pitch to Weeks.  The three sliders thrown near his changeup release point ended up low and away.

With Brad Penny and Kyle Lohse still likely to be out for some time and P.J. Walters faring no better in his starting role, I would expect to see Adam Ottavino remain in the Cardinals’ rotation for a number of weeks to come.  Following his second start, Cardinal fans can be aware of the following:

Positives

  • Much improved strike rate over his debut
  • Slightly more varied pitch usage
  • Encouraging use of the strike zone against left handers

Negatives

  • Poor slider mechanics this outing
  • Far too many fly balls allowed
  • Short outing

Brooks Baseball generated the graphs used in this article.

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Cardinals unusual balanced attack

Albert Pujols (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)Six St. Louis Cardinals players have 25 RBI or more through 55 games, the most in at least the last half century.

While the St. Louis Cardinals are tied for sixth in run scoring in the National League, their production is unusually spread out across the lineup. While Albert Pujols ranks second in the NL in RBI, five other players have logged at least 25 RBI in the team’s first 55 games.

With six players at 25 or more RBI, the 2010 Cardinals have the most in any season over at least the last 50 years. The other RBI men this season are David Freese, Yadier Molina, Ryan Ludwick, Matt Holliday and Colby Rasmus.

Cardinals with 25 RBI in first 55 games, 1960-2010

2010 Pujols 41 Freese 32 Molina 28 Ludwick 29 Holliday 25 Rasmus 25
2009 Pujols 49 Ludwick 28 Duncan 27
2008 Ludwick 39 Pujols 35 Glaus 32 Ankiel 25
2007 Pujols 31 Rolen 23
2006 Pujols 65 Rolen 30 Edmonds 29
2005 Pujols 44 Edmonds 34 Sanders 28
2004 Rolen 57 Pujols 40 Edmonds 38 Sanders 27
2003 Rolen 45 Pujols 43 Renteria 37 Edmonds 30
2002 Edmonds 36 Pujols 30 Martinez 29 Renteria 27
2001 Pujols 51 Drew 41 Lankford 31 Edmonds 30
2000 McGwire 48 Edmonds 39 Tatis 28 Lankford 26 Paquette 26
1999 Tatis 44 McGwire 42 Davis 27
1998 McGwire 68 Jordan 32 Lankford 29
1997 Lankford 37 Gant 32 Clayton 25
1996 Lankford 38 Gant 26
1995 Jordan 36 Gilkey 34 Lankford 29
1994 Lankford 29 Zeile 29 Jefferies 26
1993 Whiten 31 Jefferies 29
1992 Jose 29
1991 Guerrero 34 Jose 25 Zeile 25
1990 Guerrero 38 Pendleton 31 McGee 27
1989 Guerrero 38 Brunansky 33 Pendleton 25
1988 Brunansky 36 Horner 27
1987 Clark 56 McGee 43 Pendleton 33 O.Smith 30 Herr 27
1986
1985 Herr 51 Clark 47 Pendleton 33 McGee 27
1984 Hendrick 29
1983 Hendrick 46 Porter 30
1982 Hernandez 34 Hendrick 31 L.Smith 31
1981 Hendrick 37 Hernandez 32 Herr 32
1980 Hendrick 46 Simmons 34 Hernandez 32 Reitz 28
1979 Simmons 45 Hernandez 41 Reitz 36 Hendrick 29 Scott 26
1978 Reitz 29 Hernandez 26 Simmons 26
1977 Hernandez 36 Reitz 36 Simmons 34 Scott 28
1976 Simmons 25
1975 Simmons 40 R.Smith 33
1974 R.Smith 51 Simmons 32 Sizemore 25
1973 Cruz 26
1972 Simmons 36 Torre 33
1971 Torre 41 Cardenal 38 Alou 28 Simmons 27 Hague 26
1970 Allen 49 Torre 32 Hague 26
1969 Torre 34 McCarver 25
1968 Cepeda 29 Shannon 27 Flood 26
1967 Brock 40 Cepeda 37 McCarver 31 Shannon 29
1966 Flood 37
1965 Boyer 30 Flood 28 White 27
1964 Boyer 42
1963 Boyer 39 White 38 Musial 32 Groat 29
1962 White 47 Boyer 41 Flood 27 Musial 27 Sawatski 25
1961 Boyer 33 White 27 Musial 25
1960 Boyer 36 White 33 Spencer 27

Thanks to researcher Tom Orf for providing the table.

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Wainwright joins Cardinals two-hit complete game list

Adam Wainwright (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)When Adam Wainwright tossed a two-hit complete game vs. the Milwaukee Brewers Friday night, he joined a long list of  St. Louis Cardinals pitchers who pitched a no, one or two hitter. Specifically, his was the 97th such game since 1952.

It was Wainwright’s first entry on the list, however, where 11 pitchers had at least three. Bob Gibson being on top is not surprising, but some of the other names are.

Here are all the Cardinals pitchers with three or more, followed by the entire list.

Cardinals two-or-fewer hit complete games, three or more, 1952-2010

Total No hit One hit Two hits
Bob Gibson 11 1 2 8
Ernie Broglio 7 0 1 6
Bob Forsch 6 2 0 4
Silvio Martinez 5 0 3 2
John Denny 4 0 0 4
John Tudor 4 0 1 3
Vinegar Bend Mizell 4 0 0 4
Harvey Haddix 3 0 0 2
Ray Washburn 3 1 0 2
Steve Carlton 3 0 1 2
Chris Carpenter 3 0 2 1

Cardinals two-or-fewer hit complete games, complete, 1952-2010

Player Date Opp Rslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO HR IBB HBP
Adam Wainwright 6/4/2010 MIL W 8-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 1 8 0 0 0
Chris Carpenter 9/7/2009 MIL W 3-0 SHO9 ,W 9 1 0 0 2 10 0 0 0
Joel Pineiro 6/23/2009 NYM W 3-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 1
Anthony Reyes 6/27/2007 NYM L 0-2 CG 5 ,L 5 2 2 2 2 3 1 0 1
Chris Carpenter 7/14/2006 LAD W 5-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 0 7 0 0 1
Anthony Reyes 6/22/2006 CHW L 0-1 CG 8 ,L 8 1 1 1 0 6 1 0 0
Jason Marquis 8/27/2005 WSN W 6-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 0
Chris Carpenter 6/14/2005 TOR W 7-0 SHO9 ,W 9 1 0 0 1 10 0 0 0
Matt Morris 9/3/2004 LAD W 3-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 0 11 0 0 0
Chuck Finley 8/27/2002 2 CIN W 5-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 1 7 0 0 0
Woody Williams 9/5/2001 SDP W 2-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 0 6 0 0 0
Bud Smith 9/3/2001 SDP W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9 0 0 0 4 7 0 0 0
Jose Jimenez 7/5/1999 ARI W 1-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 1 9 0 0 0
Jose Jimenez 6/25/1999 ARI W 1-0 SHO9 ,W 9 0 0 0 2 8 0 0 1
Vicente Palacios 7/19/1994 HOU W 10-0 SHO9 ,W 9 1 0 0 1 8 0 0 0
Bob Tewksbury 8/17/1990 HOU W 5-0 SHO9 ,W 9 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0
Jose DeLeon 9/13/1989 PIT T 0-0 SHO6 5 1 0 0 2 4 0 0 0
Jose DeLeon 4/21/1989 MON W 1-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 1 6 0 0 0
Joe Magrane 8/12/1988 CHC W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9 1 0 0 1 6 0 0 0
John Tudor 6/23/1988 PHI W 2-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 0 4 0 0 0
Larry McWilliams 5/25/1988 CIN W 6-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 6 8 0 0 0
John Tudor 6/7/1986 CHC W 3-2 CG 9 ,W 9 2 2 2 3 5 1 0 0
Danny Cox 9/5/1985 CHC W 6-1 CG 9 ,W 9 2 1 1 1 5 0 0 0
John Tudor 8/8/1985 CHC W 8-0 SHO9 ,W 9 1 0 0 1 6 0 0 0
John Tudor 6/23/1985 CHC W 7-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 1 6 0 0 0
Danny Cox 5/31/1985 CIN W 5-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 0
Ricky Horton 6/29/1984 SDP W 5-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 2 5 0 0 0
Bob Forsch 9/26/1983 MON W 3-0 SHO9 ,W 9 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 1
Bob Forsch 6/7/1983 PHI W 2-1 CG 9 ,W 9 2 1 1 0 2 1 0 0
John Fulgham 8/17/1979 SFG W 3-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 0 5 0 0 0
John Denny 8/9/1979 NYM W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 3 3 0 0 0
Silvio Martinez 6/27/1979 MON W 5-0 SHO9 ,W 9 1 0 0 0 7 0 0 0
John Denny 5/15/1979 MON W 1-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 4 5 0 0 0
Silvio Martinez 9/25/1978 NYM W 3-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 2 6 0 0 0
Silvio Martinez 7/26/1978 SFG W 2-1 CG 9 ,W 9 2 1 1 3 3 0 1 0
Silvio Martinez 7/8/1978 PIT W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9 1 0 0 7 1 0 0 0
Silvio Martinez 5/30/1978 NYM W 8-2 CG 9 ,W 9 1 2 2 6 2 1 0 1
John Denny 5/24/1978 MON W 2-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 1 3 0 0 1
John Denny 5/6/1978 SDP W 1-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 2 6 0 0 0
Bob Forsch 4/16/1978 PHI W 5-0 SHO9 ,W 9 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 0
Bob Forsch 8/17/1977 NYM W 2-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 2 5 0 0 0
Bob Forsch 6/6/1975 HOU W 6-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 2 3 0 0 0
Bob Forsch 4/9/1975 MON W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 0 6 0 0 0
John Curtis 8/29/1974 SDP W 3-1 CG 9 ,W 9 1 1 1 2 2 0 0 0
Reggie Cleveland 9/27/1973 CHC W 2-0 SHO9 ,W 9 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0
Rick Wise 6/18/1973 MON W 1-0 SHO6 ,W 5 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 0
Rick Wise 6/13/1973 CIN W 8-0 SHO9 ,W 9 1 0 0 3 4 0 0 0
Reggie Cleveland 7/13/1972 ATL W 2-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 1 4 0 0 0
Bob Gibson 8/14/1971 PIT W 11-0 SHO9 ,W 9 0 0 0 3 10 0 0 0
Chris Zachary 5/27/1971 CHC W 10-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 0
Bob Gibson 9/23/1970 1 CHC W 2-1 CG 9 ,W 9 2 1 1 3 7 0 0 0
Jerry Reuss 8/28/1970 LAD W 1-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 1 5 0 0 0
Bob Gibson 8/22/1970 SDP W 7-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 0 6 0 0 0
Jerry Reuss 8/9/1970 2 MON W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 6 5 0 0 1
Bob Gibson 6/17/1970 SDP W 8-0 SHO9 ,W 9 1 0 0 2 13 0 0 0
Mike Torrez 4/15/1970 MON W 10-0 SHO9 ,W 9 1 0 0 6 3 0 0 0
Chuck Taylor 8/20/1969 CIN W 2-1 CG 9 ,W 9 2 1 1 2 6 1 0 0
Ray Washburn 9/18/1968 SFG W 2-0 SHO9 ,W 9 0 0 0 5 8 0 0 0
Bob Gibson 8/19/1968 PHI W 2-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 2 11 0 0 0
Steve Carlton 8/1/1968 PHI W 2-1 CG 7 ,W 7 2 1 1 2 4 1 0 0
Steve Carlton 6/19/1968 CHC W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9 1 0 0 0 9 0 0 1
Larry Jaster 5/31/1968 NYM W 2-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 0 7 0 0 0
Larry Jaster 5/20/1968 LAD W 2-1 CG 9 ,W 9 2 1 0 4 2 0 0 0
Steve Carlton 9/15/1967 CIN W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 1 8 0 0 0
Dick Hughes 5/25/1967 ATL W 5-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 0 9 0 0 1
Ray Washburn 5/3/1967 CIN W 2-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 3 5 0 0 0
Bob Gibson 5/2/1967 CIN W 5-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 2 12 0 0 0
Al Jackson 4/25/1967 HOU W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9 1 0 0 3 3 0 0 0
Jim Cosman 10/2/1966 CHC W 2-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 2 5 0 0 1
Al Jackson 7/5/1966 SFG W 3-1 CG 9 ,W 9 2 1 0 1 3 0 0 0
Ray Washburn 6/19/1966 1 PHI W 1-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 3 5 0 0 0
Bob Gibson 9/5/1965 1 NYM W 3-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 3 8 0 0 0
Bob Gibson 8/31/1965 CHC W 3-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 2 6 0 0 0
Bob Gibson 5/7/1965 PHI W 2-0 SHO9 ,W 9 1 0 0 3 8 0 0 1
Bob Gibson 9/11/1964 CHC W 5-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 1 6 0 0 0
Glen Hobbie 6/10/1964 2 SFG W 2-1 CG 9 ,W 9 2 1 1 2 4 0 0 0
Ernie Broglio 8/3/1963 PHI W 7-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 5 3 0 0 0
Ernie Broglio 6/8/1963 NYM W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 3 10 0 0 1
Ernie Broglio 4/23/1963 HOU W 15-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 3 2 0 0 0
Ernie Broglio 4/9/1963 NYM W 7-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 2 8 0 0 0
Ernie Broglio 9/29/1962 LAD W 2-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 3 9 0 0 0
Bob Gibson 4/26/1962 HOU W 3-2 CG 9 ,W 9 2 2 2 2 5 1 0 0
Ray Sadecki 6/25/1961 2 SFG W 3-1 CG 9 ,W 9 2 1 1 1 3 1 0 0
Ernie Broglio 7/15/1960 CHC W 6-0 SHO9 ,W 9 1 0 0 2 14 0 0 0
Larry Jackson 9/1/1959 LAD W 3-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 2 4 0 0 0
Ernie Broglio 6/27/1959 CIN W 5-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 0 6 0 0 0
Vinegar Bend Mizell 7/29/1957 PIT W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 0 6 0 0 0
Von McDaniel 7/28/1957 1 PIT W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9 1 0 0 0 4 0 0 0
Von McDaniel 6/21/1957 BRO W 2-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 3 4 0 0 0
Vinegar Bend Mizell 9/7/1956 CIN W 1-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 3 6 0 1 0
Murry Dickson 8/19/1956 1 CHC W 6-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 1 9 0 0 0
Harvey Haddix 4/25/1956 CHC W 6-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 5 3 0 0 0
Willard Schmidt 8/11/1955 2 MLN W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9 1 0 0 3 6 0 0 0
Harvey Haddix 8/6/1953 PHI W 2-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 4 2 0 0 0
Vinegar Bend Mizell 7/8/1953 CIN W 7-3 CG 9 ,W 9 2 3 3 4 3 1 0 1
Harvey Haddix 5/9/1953 CIN W 4-2 CG 9 ,W 9 2 2 1 2 6 0 0 1
Vinegar Bend Mizell 5/4/1953 PIT W 5-0 9 2 0 0 6 9 0 0

Thanks to researcher Tom Orf for providing the detailed data table shown immediately above.

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Walton on KXnO FOX Sports Radio Friday

Catch me talking St. Louis Cardinals baseball with Matt Perrault and Ken Miller on KXnO FOX Sports Radio 1460 in Des Moines today (Friday) at 6:15 p.m. CDT. The weekly show is titled “Cardinal Talk.”

Go to kxno.com for the live stream.

Cardinals fans in central Iowa should be sure to catch Cardinals radio broadcasts on KXnO all 2010 season long.

For Scout.com subscribers who miss it, I will post the audio at TheCardinalNation.com following the segment.

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Cardinals extend MLB lead in stingy seven inning starts

No team has more seven or more inning starts with no or one run allowed this season than the St. Louis Cardinals.

Chris Carpenter (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)By going eight innings Wednesday night, allowing just one run to defeat the Cincinnati Reds for the eighth consecutive time, St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Chris Carpenter increased to his team’s MLB-leading total to 15 games in which the starter went at least seven innings and allowed one or no runs.

With his fourth of the season, Carp joined injured Brad Penny and Adam Wainwright for the team lead. Jaime Garcia has two and Kyle Lohse one.

Note the pitch counts on the right. Despite going deep into games, other than Carpenter’s two most recent starts, the other 13 outings have been under 110 pitches. Hopefully that will pay off later.

Coming into Wednesday, five clubs trailed the Cardinals staff with 13 of these starts – Toronto, San Francisco, the Yankees, the Angels and Colorado.

Cardinals starting pitchers going 7+ innings and allowing 1 run or less, 2010

# Player Date Opp Rslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO HR Pit
1 Brad Penny 4/8/2010 CIN L 1-2 GS-7 7 6 1 1 2 4 0 100
2 Adam Wainwright 4/12/2010 HOU W 5-0 GS-8 ,W 8 6 0 0 1 7 0 105
3 Brad Penny 4/14/2010 HOU W 2-1 GS-7 ,W 7 3 1 0 0 4 0 89
4 Chris Carpenter 4/16/2010 NYM W 4-3 GS-7 ,W 7 4 1 0 3 10 0 106
5 Jaime Garcia 4/17/2010 NYM L 1-2 GS-7 7 1 0 0 2 5 0 97
6 Brad Penny 4/25/2010 SFG W 2-0 GS-8 ,W 7 8 0 0 0 2 0 99
7 Jaime Garcia 4/28/2010 ATL W 6-0 GS-7 ,W 7 4 0 0 1 5 0 102
8 Kyle Lohse 5/1/2010 CIN W 6-3 GS-7 7 5 1 1 0 8 0 90
9 Chris Carpenter 5/2/2010 CIN W 6-0 GS-7 ,W 7 2 0 0 3 8 0 100
10 Adam Wainwright 5/4/2010 PHI L 1-2 GS-8 8 4 1 1 2 6 0 109
11 Brad Penny 5/11/2010 HOU L 3-6 GS-7 ,L 7 7 4 0 0 3 0 93
12 Chris Carpenter 5/18/2010 WSN W 3-2 GS-8 ,W 8 9 2 1 0 5 1 118
13 Adam Wainwright 5/25/2010 SDP L 0-1 GS-7 ,L 7 4 1 1 1 12 1 102
14 Adam Wainwright 5/30/2010 CHC W 9-1 GS-7 ,W 7 7 1 1 2 8 1 107
15 Chris Carpenter 6/2/2010 CIN W 4-1 GS-8 ,W 8 4 1 1 0 4 0 112

Thanks to researcher Tom Orf for providing the data table shown above.

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Cardinals suddenly scoring runs in bunches

The St. Louis Cardinals have scored at least eight runs on 14 or more hits in three consecutive games.

Albert Pujols celebrating with teammates (AP/Jeff Curry)As relieved St. Louis Cardinals fans probably know, the club’s bats continued their long-awaited awakening when facing Cincinnati Reds pitching on Monday and Tuesday nights at Busch Stadium.

Against the visitors from the Queen City, the Cardinals scored 12 and eight runs on 16 and 14 hits, respectively. The two higher totals, registered in game 1 of the series, are season-to-date bests for St. Louis. They also plated nine runs on 14 hits in Chicago on Sunday.

The big question is whether or not it will continue on Wednesday against Reds rookie Sam LeCure and a Cincinnati bullpen that is ranked 14th of 16 National League teams with an aggregate 4.99 ERA.

Since at least 1952, the Cardinals have had only 11 runs of 14 or more hits in three or more consecutive games, including the current streak. Exactly 31 years ago, on June 2, 1979, the club had their fourth straight such game, the record during this time.

Consecutive games with 14 or more hits, St. Louis Cardinals, 1952-present

Start End Games W L AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI Opp
5/30/1979 6/2/1979 4 4 0 157 36 65 8 3 9 34 NYM,LAD
5/30/2010 6/1/2010 3 2 1 114 29 45 8 0 6 29 CHC,CIN
4/27/2003 4/30/2003 3 3 0 151 33 55 13 4 5 33 FLA,NYM
9/1/1996 9/3/1996 3 3 0 120 35 50 15 2 2 33 COL,HOU
9/19/1992 9/20/1992 3 2 1 128 32 50 10 1 2 32 CHC
8/19/1989 8/22/1989 3 3 0 120 23 44 9 1 4 21 CIN,ATL
9/11/1974 9/13/1974 3 3 0 184 23 48 0 1 2 16 NYM,PHI
9/3/1971 9/5/1971 3 2 1 114 23 48 7 1 5 22 CHC
5/30/1970 6/2/1970 3 1 2 120 24 44 10 2 3 24 LAD,SFG
9/28/1965 9/30/1965 3 3 0 124 36 47 8 1 3 34 SFG,HOU
7/20/1963 7/23/1963 3 3 0 115 22 47 9 3 2 22 HOU,MLN

In terms of run scoring, the three consecutive games scoring eight runs or more is one off the team high since 1952 of four, achieved nine times, most recently in 2007.

Consecutive games with 8 or more runs, St. Louis Cardinals, 1952-present

Start End Games W L R H HR RBI Opp
8/122007 8/16/2007 4 4 0 40 59 7 38 LAD,MIL
6/3/2003 6/6/2003 4 4 0 40 52 3 37 TOR,BAL
9/17/2002 9/20/2002 4 4 0 40 57 14 37 COL,HOU
9/18/2001 9/21/2001 4 4 0 35 44 3 33 MIL,PIT
4/8/2000 4/11/2000 4 4 0 39 53 14 39 MIL,HOU
6/27/1994 7/1/1994 4 4 0 37 51 10 35 NYM,COL
5/5/1980 5/9/1980 4 4 0 46 60 4 46 SFG,LAD
4/16/1962 4/21/1962 4 4 0 44 55 8 39 PHI,NYM,CHC
5/15/1959 5/20/1959 4 4 0 35 50 7 34 PHI,PIT
5/30/2010 6/1/2010 3 2 1 29 45 6 29 CHC,CIN
5/10/2005 5/12/2005 3 2 1 27 46 3 24 LAD
6/17/2003 6/19/2003 3 3 0 29 40 5 27 MIL
8/11/2002 8/13/2002 3 3 0 28 47 4 28 NYM,PIT
6/15/2001 6/17/2001 3 3 0 26 35 6 24 CHW
4/6/2001 4/8/2001 3 3 0 29 42 6 29 ARI
9/11/2000 9/13/2000 3 3 0 28 41 4 27 PIT
7/9/2000 7/14/2000 3 3 0 30 35 9 29 SFG,CHW
9/15/1999 9/18/1999 3 2 1 32 44 8 30 MIL,HOU
9/1/1996 9/3/1996 3 3 0 35 50 2 33 COL,HOU
9/11/1995 9/13/1995 3 3 0 31 39 4 30 SFG
6/29/1993 7/1/1993 3 2 1 33 42 4 30 PHI
5/31/1979 6/2/1979 3 3 0 29 50 7 28 NYM,LAD
8/25/1978 8/27/1978 3 3 0 34 41 5 32 ATL
4/7/1977 4/10/1977 3 3 0 28 38 4 24 PIT
6/11/1973 6/13/1973 3 3 0 31 40 5 28 CIN
9/2/1967 9/4/1967 3 2 1 29 37 4 28 HOU,PIT
4/14/1967 4/16/1967 3 3 0 32 42 5 30 LAD,HOU
9/28/1965 9/30/1965 3 3 0 36 47 3 34 SFG,HOU
8/16/1963 8/19/1963 3 3 0 29 42 4 28 SFG
6/7/1962 6/9/1962 3 3 0 24 45 5 22 CIN,SFG
7/17/1961 7/18/1961 3 3 0 26 46 3 25 CHC
5/9/1959 5/10/1959 3 2 1 28 42 7 26 CHC
8/5/1958 8/7/1958 3 3 0 33 46 2 29 LAD,SFG
9/15/1957 9/17/1957 3 3 0 32 36 4 28 PIT,BRO
6/17/1953 6/19/1953 3 3 0 31 39 4 30 BRO,PIT

Thanks to researcher Tom Orf for providing the data tables shown above.

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Walton on RotoWire Fantasy Sports Today show on Sirius/XM

I will be returning as one of Wednesday’s guests of hosts Jeff Erickson and Chris Liss on RotoWire’s Fantasy Sports Today show on satellite radio, Sirius 125 / XM 241. We will be discussing the Reds at Cardinals series during my live segment starting just after 11:30 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday, June 2. It will also be rebroadcast three hours afterward.

For 2010, RotoWire’s Fantasy Sports Today show is back on Sirius / XM live, Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. ET, and replays following. The call-in number is 888-402-6328 and listener participation is encouraged.

Jeff Erickson is the managing editor of RotoWire.com and Chris Liss is senior editor of the site. They are winners of industry expert fantasy leagues and accomplished writers as well as co-hosting Fantasy Sports Today. The show covers fantasy baseball from a wide variety of angles, talking with the major forces within the industry, and also offers listener interaction.

Among the expert leagues in which we compete is Tout Wars. Jeff in is the American League and Chris and I are in the National. Each of us is a former champion.

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Pujols’ career on-base streaks mount

Albert Pujols’ recent streak of reaching base nine times in a row just fell short of his career best.

Albert Pujols (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)When Albert Pujols grounded into a double play in the fifth inning of Monday’s St. Louis Cardinals win over visiting Cincinnati, it ended his then-current run of reaching base at nine consecutive plate appearances. The streak began with the first baseman’s final at-bat on Saturday, continuing through five PA’s on Sunday and his first three on Monday.

Being the curious sort that I am, I asked Tom Orf if that was Pujols’ longest such stretch. He pulled the detailed data for me, by plate appearance by game for all Pujols streaks of six plate appearances or more.

As it turns out, on Monday Pujols fell just one plate appearance short of his personal best of ten, set in 2001 and tied again in 2003. That streak of nine is his longest in over six seasons, since August 2003.

In his nine-plus year career, Pujols has accumulated 29 streaks of reaching base in six or more consecutive plate appearances. As the table below indicates, Pujols accrued just seven of them over his first five seasons but amassed 22 in the four-plus years that followed.

Pujols by year # GT 6 PA OB
2001 1
2002 1
2003 4
2004 1
2005 0
2006 4
2007 4
2008 7
2009 3
2010 4
total 29

As I crawled through the data, I also found it extremely interesting that the only season in which Pujols did not reach base in at least six consecutive plate appearances was also the year in which he was voted his first National League Most Valuable Player Award, 2005.

Despite all the concerns about Pujols’ possible physical ailments currently, it isn’t affecting him getting on base in bunches. With four streaks of six or more plate appearances in the first two months this season, he is on pace for a dozen. That would blow away his career best in one year of seven such runs, set in his second MVP season of 2008.

Pujols # Cons PA OB Month
2001 10 May
2002 6 August
2003 6 April
9 June
10 August
8 September
2004 6 June
2005 0
2006 6 April
7 June
6 July
6 September
2007 8 May
6 May
6 September
7 September
2008 7 April
6 April
7 August
8 August
6 August
7 August
6 September
2009 8 June-July
6 July
8 August
2010 6 April
6 April
6 May
9 May

Looking at Pujols’ history of such streaks by month, a more realistic total in 2010 might be 10 or 11. He typically cools off during the summer months, but pours it on during the final two months of the season.

Pujols by month # GT 6 PA OB
April 6
May 5
June 3.5
July 2.5
August 7
September 5

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Pujols breaks big home run game knot with McGwire

Albert Pujols and Mark McGwire (AP/Lenny Ignelzi)Albert Pujols had his fourth three-home run game on Sunday. Mark McGwire had just three as a St. Louis Cardinal.

When Albert Pujols slammed three home runs against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday at Wrigley Field, it became the first baseman’s fourth such game in his nine-plus years as a major leaguer. In doing so, he broke a tie with his hitting coach, Mark McGwire, for the most three-home run games by a St. Louis Cardinal player since at least 1952.

Together, the two had seven of the 12 three or more home run games by a Cardinal during that time. Hall of Famer Stan Musial is next with two. Of course, any such list would be incomplete without noting “Hard Hittin’” Mark Whiten’s chart-topping four home run, 12 RBI performance in 1993.

St. Louis Cardinals, three or more home run games, 1952-current

Player Date Opp Rslt PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB IBB
Mark Whiten 9/7/1993-2 CIN W 15-2 5 5 4 4 0 0 4 12 0 0

Albert Pujols 5/30/2010 CHC W 9-1 5 3 4 3 0 0 3 4 2 1
Albert Pujols 9/3/2006 PIT W 6-3 4 4 3 3 0 0 3 5 0 0
Albert Pujols 4/16/2006 CIN W 8-7 5 4 4 3 0 0 3 5 1 0
Albert Pujols 7/20/2004 CHC W 11-8 5 5 4 5 1 0 3 5 0 0
Mark McGwire 5/18/2000 PHI W 7-2 5 4 3 3 0 0 3 7 1 1
Mark McGwire 5/19/1998 PHI W 10-8 5 5 3 3 0 0 3 6 0 0
Mark McGwire 4/14/1998 ARI W 15-5 5 3 4 3 0 0 3 5 2 1
Reggie Smith 5/22/1976 PHI W 7-6 5 5 3 3 0 0 3 5 0 0
Stan Musial 7/8/1962 NYM W 15-1 5 4 3 3 0 0 3 4 1 0
Bill White 7/5/1961 LAD W 9-1 6 5 3 4 1 0 3 4 1 1
Stan Musial 5/2/1954-1 NYG W 10-6 5 4 3 4 0 0 3 6 1 0

In another oddity unearthed by researcher Tom Orf, Pujols joined McGwire (4/14/98) as one of just 35 major league baseball players and second Cardinal since 1952 to hit at least three home runs in a game without making an out.

Three or more home runs without making an out, game, MLB, 1952-current

Player Date Tm Opp Rslt PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB IBB
Carlos Delgado 9/25/2003 TOR TBD W 10-8 4 4 4 4 0 0 4 6 0 0
Rocky Colavito 6/10/1959 CLE BAL W 11-8 5 4 5 4 0 0 4 6 1 0
Albert Pujols 5/30/2010 STL CHC W 9-1 5 3 4 3 0 0 3 4 2 1
Chris Young 9/6/2009 ARI COL L 5-13 5 3 3 3 0 0 3 3 2 0
Jose Reyes 8/15/2006 NYM PHI L 4-11 4 3 3 3 0 0 3 4 1 0
Aramis Ramirez 4/8/2001 PIT HOU W 9-3 4 3 3 3 0 0 3 6 1 0
Kevin Elster 4/11/2000 LAD SFG W 6-5 4 3 3 3 0 0 3 4 1 0
Mark McGwire 4/14/1998 STL ARI W 15-5 5 3 4 3 0 0 3 5 2 1
Jose Valentin 4/3/1998 MIL FLA W 7-1 4 3 3 3 0 0 3 5 1 0
Bobby Higginson 6/30/1997 DET NYM W 14-0 5 3 4 3 0 0 3 7 2 0
Benito Santiago 9/15/1996 PHI CHC W 6-1 4 3 3 3 0 0 3 6 1 0
Edgar Martinez 7/6/1996 SEA TEX W 9-5 5 3 3 3 0 0 3 3 2 0
Andres Galarraga 6/25/1995 COL SDP W 11-3 5 3 3 3 0 0 3 7 2 1
Albert Belle 9/6/1992 CLE SEA W 12-9 4 3 3 3 0 0 3 5 1 1
Bo Jackson 7/17/1990 KCR NYY W 10-7 3 3 3 3 0 0 3 7 0 0
Randy Milligan 6/9/1990 BAL NYY W 10-1 4 3 3 3 0 0 3 6 1 0
Cecil Fielder 6/6/1990 DET CLE W 6-4 4 3 3 3 0 0 3 5 1 0
Joe Carter 7/19/1989 CLE MIN W 10-1 5 3 3 3 0 0 3 6 1 0
Wally Joyner 10/3/1987 CAL CLE W 12-5 5 3 3 3 0 0 3 3 2 0
Gorman Thomas 4/11/1985 SEA OAK W 14-6 5 3 4 3 0 0 3 6 2 0
Ben Oglivie 6/20/1982 MIL DET W 7-5 4 3 3 3 0 0 3 5 1 1
Ben Oglivie 7/8/1979-1 MIL DET W 5-4 4 3 3 3 0 0 3 4 1 0
Dale Murphy 5/18/1979 ATL SFG W 6-4 4 3 3 3 0 0 3 5 1 0
Cliff Johnson 6/30/1977 NYY TOR W 11-5 5 3 3 3 0 0 3 4 1 0
Willie Horton 5/15/1977 TEX KCR W 7-3 4 3 3 3 0 0 3 5 0 0
Mike Lum 7/3/1970-1 ATL SDP W 8-1 4 3 3 3 0 0 3 5 1 0
Bobby Murcer 6/24/1970-2 NYY CLE W 5-4 4 3 3 3 0 0 3 4 1 0
Art Shamsky 8/12/1966 CIN PIT L 11-14 3 3 3 3 0 0 3 5 0 0
Steve Boros 8/6/1962 DET CLE L 5-6 4 3 3 3 0 0 3 3 1 0
Willie Kirkland 7/9/1961-2 CLE CHW L 8-9 5 3 3 3 0 0 3 4 1 0
Charlie Maxwell 5/3/1959-2 DET NYY W 9-2 4 3 3 3 0 0 3 6 1 0
Preston Ward 9/9/1958 KCA BAL W 9-6 4 3 3 3 0 0 3 3 1 1
Frank Thomas 8/16/1958 PIT CIN W 13-4 5 3 4 3 0 0 3 6 1 0
Ernie Banks 9/14/1957-2 CHC PIT W 7-3 4 3 4 3 0 0 3 3 1 0
Dusty Rhodes 7/28/1954 NYG STL W 10-0 4 3 4 3 0 0 3 4 1 1

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Breaking Down Ottavino’s Debut

By Ian Walton

An over reliance on a fastball declining in velocity, no viable off-speed pitch and minimal pitching inside add up to a shaky debut for St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Ottavino.

Adam Ottavino (AP/Charles Cherney)Although allowing four earned runs in five and two-thirds innings wasn’t unreasonable for a pitcher’s first major league start, St. Louis Cardinals fans have plenty to worry about, at least those who are hoping that their team can find an effective number five starter behind P.J. Walters while Kyle Lohse and Brad Penny are on the disabled list.

Ottavino started off strong on Saturday at Wrigley Field, scattering two walks and a triple over his first three innings, relying primarily upon his fastball, which was consistently in the 94-96 MPH range.  In fact, 20 of his first 21 pitches were fastballs.  Things began to unravel during his second time through the order as he was forced to mix in his secondary pitches and his fastball velocity dropped to 92-94 MPH.  A walk, two singles, and a triple combined for three runs scored in the fourth inning.  A single, an intentional walk, then an unintentional walk to opposing pitcher Carlos Silva saw Ottavino pulled from the game in the sixth and charged with a fourth earned run as Mitchell Boggs promptly walked Kosuke Fukudome with the bases loaded.

Ottavino-vs-RHB-820The first plot shows each of Ottavino’s pitches thrown against right-handed batters, presented from the view of the catcher.  Other than one stray changeup, he offered them fastballs or sliders, frequently missing high and inside or low and away.  Control issues aside, his sliders didn’t seem to fool the opposing Cubs batters, as of his 15 sliders thrown, only two went for called strikes and two were swung upon and missed.  Eight went for balls.

Ottavino-vs-LHB-820When facing left-handers, Ottavino rarely crossed the inside half of the plate and typically missed high and away, as can be seen by the next plot.  Other than one slider, he showed only fastballs and changeups.  Again, his off-speed pitch was less than stellar, as five of his eight changeups were thrown for balls and only one for a called strike.

While this was only his debut outing and while Adam Ottavino is a fine pitcher, I have concerns over his ability to remain in a major league starting rotation based upon this outing.

Aside from his control issues, I see at least three warning signs.

  • Over reliance upon a fastball (76 of 99 pitches thrown) that lost velocity early on.
  • Presence of only one questionable off-speed offering to batters from each side of the plate.
  • An apparent reluctance to pitch inside, particularly to left-handed batters.

The above might seem to project him as being better suited to the bullpen at this stage of his career.  However, at twenty-four years of age and currently working as the Cardinals’ seventh starter, he has a strong fastball and plenty of room to grow.

Brooks Baseball generated the graphs used in this article.

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Salas joined six other here and gone Cardinals #59s

Like a number of short-timers before him, St. Louis Cardinals reliever Fernando Salas wore number 59 for his one-game MLB introduction before returning to Triple-A.

Fernando Salas (Getty Images)When reliever Fernando Salas was added to the 40-man roster upon his promotion from Triple-A Memphis, he was assigned uniform number 59. With the Cardinals preferring to keep their players’ numbers under 60 and Salas having worn number 72 in spring training, alternatives were few and far between.

Salas, who made his major league debut in Chicago on Friday and was sent back down on Saturday, took the number last assigned during the regular season to infielder Rico Washington two years ago.

Rico made his 14-game MLB debut at the start of the 2008 season due to an injury to Brendan Ryan. While Washington had only three career major league hits in 19 tries (.158), he can boast that each drove in a run.

Washington, who was back in the minors before April was out and was not retained by the Cardinals that fall, since has made a number of stops. He played in China and is currently a member of the Kansas City T-Bones of the independent Northern League. Rico will celebrate his 32nd birthday on Sunday.

Reliever Dennis Dove, now out of the game, wore the #59 during one week of the previous season, 2007. Site contributor Tom Orf adds that Dove was called up after Josh Hancock’s death, but got shelled (five earned runs in three innings). That led to the Todd Wellemeyer signing, he recalls. The longest wearer of #59 was not a player. Former bullpen coach Dan Held donned it from 2004-06.

It was trotted out twice during the 1990s. Reliever Gary Buckels, who took the mound in only 10 MLB games, wore #59 in July and August of 1994. Journeyman catcher Marcus Jensen sported the number in 1999 as he appeared in 16 games.

Right-handed reliever Matt Kinzer was briefly assigned the number. He spent eight games of his nine-game MLB career with the 1989 club.

As Washington was the last, Skeeter Barnes was the first Cardinals #59. Orf recalls that in 1987, the utilityman hit a three-run home run in his first at-bat as a Cardinal then went 0-for-3 as a pinch-hitter and soon was gone. Barnes also played in the bigs for Cincinnati (twice), Montreal and Detroit.

Coming full circle, Salas became the seventh number 59 Cardinal player. The common thread is that all of the previous wearers didn’t last long in St. Louis. Perhaps Salas will be back, however.

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Cardinals live chat on FOX Sports Midwest Friday

FOXSportsMidwest.comThe sixth of FOX Sports Midwest’s live chats of the 2010 season will be held throughout Friday afternoon’s Cardinals-Cubs series opener. Join in the discussion with me and the FSM personalities.

You can participate via the frame below or through FOX Sports Midwest’s website.

Chris Carpenter (5-1, 3.09) faces Randy Wells (3-2, 3.99) as the Cards try to open the season series with a victory.

Friday’s first pitch is scheduled for 1:20 P.M. Central.

Also, immediately following the radio post-game show, my weekly segment, “Cardinal Talk,” will be streamed live on KXnO FOX Sports Radio Des Moines.

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Pujols extends decade multi-RBI game lead

Ho hum. Albert Pujols drove in multiple runs in Thursday’s game – again.

Pujols' home run (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols has been under increasing scrutiny due to a May that is substandard for him – .267/.406/.384, one home run and 10 RBI in 24 games prior to Thursday’s action.

Then we have the unpleasant exchange in the dugout with his manager Tony La Russa last week, whispers of leg and back injuries that may be sapping his strength and the ongoing contract situation that is apparently off the table during the season.

Pujols may have answered the immediate questions when he clubbed a towering home run to the second deck in left field on a 3-2 pitch in the fifth inning in San Diego Thursday. He added two other RBI in St. Louis’ 8-3 series-ending win over the Padres.

Pujols’ three-RBI game was his MLB-best 309th multiple RBI game in the roughly 9 ¼ years since his MLB debut in 2001. During that time, Alex Rodriguez is next, ten behind Pujols.

Multi-RBI games, MLB, top 20, 2001 through 05/26/10

Rk Player # Rk Player #
1 Albert Pujols 308 11 Aramis Ramirez 230
2 Alex Rodriguez 299 12 Miguel Tejada 227
3 Manny Ramirez 276 13 Magglio Ordonez 225
4 David Ortiz 255 14 Pat Burrell 222
5 Lance Berkman 248 15 Carlos Beltran 219
6 Bobby Abreu 241 16 Paul Konerko 213
7 Vladimir Guerrero 240 17 Chipper Jones 210
8 Jim Thome 237 18 Jason Giambi 206
8 Carlos Lee 237 19 Jorge Posada 204
10 Carlos Delgado 232 19 Raul Ibanez 204

Pujols also leads the world with 123 three-plus RBI games during this time.

Three-plus-RBI games, MLB, top 20, 2001 through 05/26/10

Rk Player # Rk Player #
1 Albert Pujols 122 10 Raul Ibanez 90
2 Alex Rodriguez 112 10 Miguel Cabrera 90
3 Manny Ramirez 110 13 Carlos Beltran 89
4 David Ortiz 105 14 Chipper Jones 87
5 Mark Teixeira 97 14 Bobby Abreu 87
6 Lance Berkman 94 16 Carlos Lee 86
7 Vladimir Guerrero 92 16 Jason Giambi 86
8 Jim Thome 91 18 Andruw Jones 85
8 Carlos Delgado 91 19 Ryan Howard 84
10 Miguel Tejada 90 20 Richie Sexson 82

In the last 50-plus years, Pujols leads all Cardinals.

Three-plus-RBI games, Cardinals, top 20, 1960 through 05/26/10

Rk
 Player #
Rk
 Player #
1 Albert Pujols 122 11 Keith Hernandez 43
2 Ray Lankford 75 12 Joe Torre 42
3 Ted Simmons 74 13 Edgar Renteria 33
4 Jim Edmonds 73 14 Brian Jordan 31
5 Mark McGwire 55 15 Todd Zeile 30
6 Ken Boyer 52 16 Curt Flood 30
7 Bill White 50 17 Lou Brock 29
8 Scott Rolen 50 18 Mike Shannon 28
9 George Hendrick 49 19 Ken Reitz 28
10 Willie McGee 43 20 Ryan Ludwick 27

Thanks to researcher Tom Orf for the data tables above.

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Jaime’s hard luck continues

St. Louis Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia already has three no-decision shutout outings this season.

Jaime Garcia (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)Once again, St. Louis Cardinals rookie left-hander Jaime Garcia suffered due to lack of offensive support on Wednesday night in San Diego. The 23-year-old went six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and four walks. He departed with the score 0-0 in a game eventually won by the Padres, 2-1 in 13 innings.

It was Garcia’s third no decision when not allowing a run this season. No one else in the major leagues has more than one such game.

Further, no other Cardinal since at least 1952 has been presented with such little support while pitching so well in three starts of five or more innings.

Jaime Garcia: no decisions, 2010

Date Opp Rslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO
4/17/2010 NYM L 1-2 GS-7 7 1 0 0 2 5
5/19/2010 FLA L 1-5 GS-5 5 5 0 0 4 6
5/26/2010 SDP L 1-2 GS-6 6 3 0 0 4 3

Several Cardinals have come close to Garcia’s run of tough luck in the past.

During last season, Chris Carpenter had three shutout no-decision starts. One was not of regulation length, just three innings.

Chris Carpenter: no decisions, 2009

Date Opp Rslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO
4/14/2009 ARI L 6-7 GS-3 3 4 0 0 0 2
5/25/2009 MIL L 0-1 GS-8 8 2 0 0 0 10
9/19/2009 CHC W 2-1 GS-8 8 8 0 0 2 4

In May 1980, John Fulgham may have had the worst short stretch of non support ever. He was presented with no-decisions in three consecutive shutout outings, but his first start was only four innings.

John Fulgham: no decisions, 1980

Date Opp Rslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO
5/17/1980 SFG L 2-4 GS-4 4 3 0 0 0 5
5/23/1980 SDP L 0-2 GS-8 8 6 0 0 2 4
5/28/1980 NYM L 5-6 GS-7 7 2 0 0 6 2

Thanks to researcher Tom Orf for providing the tables shown above.

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A dozen strikeouts for Wainwright not enough

Adam Wainwright pitched a great game for the St. Louis Cardinals against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night, but great wasn’t great enough.

Adam Wainwright (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)It was a most disappointing outing for St. Louis Cardinals right-handed starting pitcher Adam Wainwright in San Diego on Tuesday night. The 28-year-old allowed just four base hits in seven innings, yet took the 1-0 loss.

Wainwright looked almost unhittable, fanning a career-high-tying 12 Padres, including their best hitter, Adrian Gonzalez, three times. Yet a solo home run to journeyman Jerry Hairston in the second inning was the difference-maker as the Cardinals quiet offense allowed no wiggle room whatsoever.

It was the 64th 12-or-more strikeout performance by a Cardinal since 1952. (See complete list below.) Hall of Famer Bob Gibson has almost half of them with 30. Wainwright became the eighth St. Louis pitcher to have multiple 12 K games during that time.

Since 1952 12 K games
Bob Gibson 30
Steve Carlton 7
Sam Jones 5
Adam Wainwright 2
Andy Benes 2
Chris Carpenter 2
Ernie Broglio 2
Todd Stottlemyre 2

Oddly, Wainwright didn’t get the win in his other 12-strikeout game, either. He received a no-decision after yielding just one run in nine innings against the San Francisco Giants last July 1. The Cardinals went on to win that game in ten innings.

The last time a Cardinal pitcher had 13 strikeouts was almost four years ago when Chris Carpenter did it on June 13, 2006. Others prior to that were Matt Morris on 9/19/2001, Todd Stottlemyre twice, on 5/11/1998 and 5/15/1996 and Gibson who had 14 on 8/30/1972.

Other than Wainwright, Gibson is the only Cardinal pitcher to strike out 12 Padres. He did it three times: 8/12/1970 (13 K-14 IP), 6/17/1970 (13 K), 7/30/1969 (13 K). Gibby won all three games, a much better outcome than the Cardinals suffered on Tuesday.

Wainwright’s outing was the 31st time in MLB history that a pitcher has allowed one run with 12 or more strikeouts and lost the game. Two of those were by Arizona’s Randy Johnson within a ten-day span against the Cardinals in 1999. Both times, The Big Unit came up short compared to St. Louis’ Jose Jimenez, who tossed a no-hitter and two-hitter those days.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher, 12 or more strikeouts, game, 1952-current

Pitcher Date DH Opp Rslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO HR
Adam Wainwright 5/25/2010 SDP L 0-1 GS-7 ,L 7 4 1 1 1 12 1
Adam Wainwright 7/1/2009 SFG W 2-1 GS-9 9 6 1 1 3 12 0
Chris Carpenter 6/13/2006 PIT W 2-1 GS-7 ,W 7 3 0 0 3 13 0
Mark Mulder 5/9/2005 LAD W 4-2 GS-7 ,W 7 5 1 1 2 12 0
Chris Carpenter 4/27/2005 MIL W 6-3 GS-8 ,W 7.2 8 3 3 0 12 1
Chuck Finley 9/1/2002 CHC L 4-5 GS-8 ,L 7 5 5 5 5 12 1
Matt Morris 9/19/2001 MIL W 8-2 GS-7 ,W 7 5 1 1 1 13 1
Todd Stottlemyre 5/11/1998 MIL W 7-0 GS-8 ,W 8 2 0 0 0 13 0
Andy Benes 7/12/1997 CHC W 2-1 GS-9 9 5 1 1 2 12 1
Andy Benes 5/24/1997 SFG W 9-3 GS-7 ,W 7 5 2 2 2 12 0
Todd Stottlemyre 5/15/1996 FLA W 6-0 SHO9 ,W 9 4 0 0 2 13 0
Jose DeLeon 9/6/1988 MON W 1-0 SHO9 ,W 9 3 0 0 1 12 0
Pete Vuckovich 6/3/1979 LAD W 6-4 CG 9 ,W 9 7 4 4 1 12 2
Bob Gibson 4/7/1975 MON L 4-8 GS-8 ,L 8 9 5 5 5 12 0
Al Santorini 9/27/1972 NYM W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9 6 0 0 4 12 0
Bob Gibson 8/30/1972 SFG L 2-3 CG 9 ,L 9 6 3 3 2 14 0
Bob Gibson 7/17/1972 HOU W 3-2 CG 9 ,W 9 9 2 2 1 13 0
Scipio Spinks 6/25/1972 1 NYM W 7-1 CG 9 ,W 9 6 1 1 6 13 0
Bob Gibson 8/28/1971 CIN W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9 3 0 0 1 13 0
Steve Carlton 6/22/1971 LAD W 6-5 CG 9 ,W 9 6 5 5 4 12 0
Bob Gibson 8/12/1970 SDP W 5-4 CG 14 ,W 14 13 4 4 2 13 1
Bob Gibson 6/17/1970 SDP W 8-0 SHO9 ,W 9 1 0 0 2 13 0
Bob Gibson 5/23/1970 PHI W 3-1 CG 9 ,W 9 4 1 1 1 16 0
Steve Carlton 5/21/1970 PHI L 3-4 GS-8 8 9 3 3 2 16 1
Bob Gibson 4/26/1970 CIN W 4-1 CG 9 ,W 9 5 1 1 2 15 0
Steve Carlton 9/15/1969 NYM L 3-4 CG 9 ,L 9 9 4 4 2 19 2
Bob Gibson 7/30/1969 SDP W 5-2 CG 9 ,W 9 5 2 2 1 13 0
Steve Carlton 7/16/1969 PHI W 5-0 SHO9 ,W 9 5 0 0 4 12 0
Steve Carlton 6/27/1969 CHC W 3-1 CG 9 ,W 9 10 1 1 2 12 0
Steve Carlton 6/8/1969 HOU L 1-2 GS-10 10 6 1 1 6 12 0
Bob Gibson 8/28/1968 PIT W 8-0 SHO9 ,W 9 4 0 0 3 14 0
Bob Gibson 8/24/1968 PIT L 4-6 CG 9 ,L 9 6 6 3 2 15 1
Bob Gibson 7/21/1968 1 NYM W 2-0 SHO9 ,W 9 7 0 0 0 13 0
Bob Gibson 6/15/1968 CIN W 2-0 SHO9 ,W 9 4 0 0 0 13 0
Steve Carlton 9/20/1967 PHI L 1-3 CG 8 ,L 8 8 3 3 3 16 0
Bob Gibson 7/3/1967 CIN W 7-3 GS-8 ,W 7.2 6 3 2 1 12 1
Dick Hughes 5/30/1967 CIN L 1-2 CG 8 ,L 8 3 2 2 1 13 0
Bob Gibson 5/29/1967 1 CIN W 2-1 CG 11 ,W 11 6 1 1 3 12 0
Bob Gibson 5/2/1967 CIN W 5-0 SHO9 ,W 9 2 0 0 2 12 0
Bob Gibson 4/11/1967 SFG W 6-0 SHO9 ,W 9 5 0 0 0 13 0
Bob Gibson 6/7/1966 PIT L 1-9 GS-8 ,L 7 11 5 5 1 12 0
Bob Gibson 5/6/1966 SFG L 2-4 CG 9 ,L 9 3 4 3 2 14 1
Ray Sadecki 9/8/1965 PIT L 1-2 GS-7 ,L 7 7 2 2 0 13 0
Bob Gibson 7/7/1965 SFG L 2-4 CG 13 ,L 13 11 4 4 3 12 1
Bob Gibson 7/2/1965 NYM W 6-3 CG 9 ,W 9 7 3 3 4 13 1
Bob Gibson 6/27/1965 1 CHC W 8-0 SHO9 ,W 9 5 0 0 2 12 0
Bob Gibson 9/15/1964 2 MLN W 3-1 CG 9 ,W 9 4 1 1 4 12 0
Bob Gibson 8/24/1964 PIT W 5-1 CG 9 ,W 9 6 1 1 2 12 0
Bob Gibson 5/20/1964 CHC W 1-0 SHO9 ,W 9 4 0 0 0 12 0
Bob Gibson 8/23/1963 HOU W 4-1 CG 9 ,W 9 5 1 1 1 12 0
Bob Gibson 7/17/1963 CIN W 3-1 CG 9 ,W 9 5 1 1 4 12 0
Bob Gibson 6/28/1963 HOU W 9-2 CG 9 ,W 9 6 2 2 2 13 0
Bob Gibson 7/18/1962 CHC W 2-1 CG 9 ,W 9 3 1 1 1 12 1
Bob Gibson 6/13/1962 PHI W 6-1 CG 9 ,W 9 9 1 1 2 12 0
Ernie Broglio 7/29/1960 PHI W 3-0 SHO9 ,W 9 5 0 0 1 12 0
Ernie Broglio 7/15/1960 CHC W 6-0 SHO9 ,W 9 1 0 0 2 14 0
Sam Jones 8/30/1958 CHC L 1-3 CG 10 ,L 10 9 3 3 1 13 1
Sam Jones 8/22/1958 PHI W 9-1 CG 9 ,W 9 3 1 1 3 14 1
Larry Jackson 8/4/1958 LAD W 3-2 CG 9 ,W 9 5 2 1 1 12 0
Sam Jones 7/20/1958 CIN W 3-1 CG 9 ,W 9 7 1 1 1 12 0
Sam Jones 6/6/1958 PHI W 3-1 CG 9 ,W 9 7 1 1 3 12 0
Sam Jones 7/17/1957 BRO W 7-3 CG 9 ,W 9 10 3 2 1 12 1
Herm Wehmeier 5/2/1957 BRO W 3-2 GS-12 12 9 2 2 4 12 0
Harvey Haddix 4/29/1954 PIT L 3-4 8.2 9 4 4 5 13 0

As always, a special thanks to Tom Orf for his research included above.

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2010 Freese laps 2009 Cardinals third basemen

David Freese is delivering considerably better offensive production from the third base position than the St. Louis Cardinals received in 2009.

David Freese (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)What a difference a year makes.

12 months ago, the St. Louis Cardinals third base position was in shambles. Troy Glaus was hurt, out indefinitely and Brian Barden and Joe Thurston had returned to their past selves following brief periods of success. Newcomer David Freese had long been dispatched to Triple-A Memphis and was dealing with injuries of his own. Mark DeRosa was later acquired, but soon hit the disabled list, too.

Eight different players had a piece of the job last season, but none of them did much with it. As a result, the Cardinals’ productivity from the position was the lowest of any of the non-pitching spots in the lineup. Not what one expects from third base.

Coming into 2010, Freese had much to prove. He started quickly, but so did Barden last year. The latter actually won the National League Rookie of the Month in April, something Freese did not achieve this year.

The difference is that Freese is continuing to excel, and hasn’t demonstrated any signs of the dropoff shown by the 2009 players.

As an illustration, I am listing the full-season 2009 production from the Cardinals’ third base position. Next are Freese’s results this season to date. I then projected his 2010 actuals to the same 655 plate appearances the third basemen had last season. That may be a bit high, but offers an interesting illustration nonetheless.

Cardinals G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
2009 3B 162 655 593 68 136 29 3 16 65 5 2 46 132 0.229 0.292 0.369 0.661
Freese
2010 42 173 149 19 47 10 1 3 28 1 0 17 32 0.315 0.391 0.456 0.847
Extended 159 655 564 72 178 38 4 11 106 4 0 64 121 0.315 0.391 0.456 0.847
YTY 4 42 9 1 -5 41 -1 -2 18 -11 0.086 0.099 0.087 0.186

Home runs from the position would actually be down, but most importantly, run production would be way up. Though actual runs scored by the third baseman would only be four higher, the position would drive in 41 more.

How many more wins might 41 RBI deliver?

Further, Freese offers nearly 100 points of improvement in batting average, on-base and slugging over the 2009 third basemen.

Expecting Freese to maintain this pace may not be fair. The second time around the league may be tougher for the rookie and slumps will occur, but the possibilities are fun to ponder.

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Ludwick: Mr. Clutch dons the golden sombrero

Streaky St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Ryan Ludwick had a rough day on Sunday, striking out four times.

On one hand, Ryan Ludwick remains one of the steadiest members of the St. Louis Cardinals. His current offensive totals are very close to that of the $120 million man, Matt Holliday, the Cardinals other corner outfielder, and his defensive play this season has been far superior.

2010 stats through Sunday, May 23

Avg HR RBI OPS
Ludwick 0.283 6 18 0.843
Holliday 0.294 5 18 0.824

Ryan Ludwick (AP Photo/Kyle Ericson)On the other, Ludwick also continues to be one of the team’s streakiest hitters.

When he is on, he can rack up the numbers and score plenty of hero points. As I detailed in this post last week, no other Cardinal has more last at-bat game-winning hits since 2007 than does Ludwick with nine. His most recent occurrence was during Chris Carpenter’s previous start last Tuesday.

When he is off, though, a day ensues like on Sunday at Busch Stadium.

Ludwick took the golden sombrero, striking out four times. In the first three, all against Jered Weaver of the Angels, Ludwick went down swinging each time.  He finally got wood on the ball after Weaver departed, grounding out in the eighth before taking a called strike three for the second out in the ninth in what was at that point a tie game.

Golden Sombrero worn by Speedy GonzalezWith the help of researcher Tom Orf, we learn that since 1952, a Cardinals hitter has donned the golden sombrero 106 times, or about twice per season on average.

Since joining the Cardinals during the 2007 season, Ludwick is the landslide leader in the category with five of the team’s seven such games. Now Kansas City Royal Rick Ankiel had the other two.

Since 1952, only three Cardinals have struck out five times in a game, with it happening five times in total. Ray Lankford donned the platinum sombrero three times in 1998 alone, a season of amazing futility for him. Lankford also fanned four times in two other games that year. The other Cardinals platimum card holders were Dick Allen in 1970 and Steve Bilko in 1953.

No Cardinal has ever fanned six times in a game. All eight times in MLB history it occurred were in extra-inning contests. The most recent was by then-Milwaukee Brewer Geoff Jenkins in 2004.

St. Louis Cardinals hitter, four or more strikeouts, game, 1952-present

Player Date G Opp Rslt PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB IBB SO
Ryan Ludwick 5/23/2010 ANA W 6-5 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Rick Ankiel 7/7/2009 MIL W 5-0 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Ryan Ludwick 7/18/2008 SDP W 11-7 6 6 1 2 0 0 1 3 0 0 4
Ryan Ludwick 5/25/2008 LAD L 3-4 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4
Ryan Ludwick 4/28/2008 CIN L 3-4 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Rick Ankiel 9/10/2007 CHC L 3-12 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Ryan Ludwick 6/26/2007 NYM W 5-3 6 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Kelly Stinnett 6/20/2007 KCR W 7-6 6 6 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 4
Chris Duncan 4/18/2007 SFG L 5-6 6 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Scott Spiezio 9/19/2006 MIL W 12-2 6 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4
Jim Edmonds 8/25/2006 CHC W 2-0 5 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4
John Rodriguez 6/23/2006 DET L 6-10 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4
Scott Spiezio 6/23/2006 DET L 6-10 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Gary Bennett 5/26/2006 SDP L 1-7 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
John Mabry 6/20/2005 CIN W 6-1 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
John Mabry 5/21/2005 KCR W 6-5 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Jim Edmonds 9/26/2004 COL W 9-3 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Ray Lankford 6/11/2004 TEX W 12-7 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Ray Lankford 6/6/2004 HOU L 2-3 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Jim Edmonds 8/16/2002 PHI L 0-4 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Jim Edmonds 7/16/2002 LAD W 9-2 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Jim Edmonds 5/12/2002 CIN W 10-8 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
J.D. Drew 5/5/2002 ATL L 2-4 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Mark McGwire 10/5/2001 HOU L 1-2 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Jim Edmonds 8/8/2001 MON L 5-6 6 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Mark McGwire 7/29/2001 CHC L 5-7 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Fernando Tatis 9/29/2000 CIN L 1-8 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Ray Lankford 8/29/2000 FLA L 1-3 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Jim Edmonds 8/28/2000 FLA W 5-2 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Darryl Kile 8/27/2000 ATL W 7-2 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Fernando Tatis 8/26/2000 ATL W 6-3 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
J.D. Drew 7/6/2000 CIN L 6-12 5 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Jim Edmonds 5/21/2000 PIT W 7-5 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Ray Lankford 9/26/1999 CIN L 5-7 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Willie McGee 8/28/1999 ATL L 0-3 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Mark McGwire 9/19/1998 MIL W 7-4 5 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Ray Lankford 8/8/1998 CHC W 9-8 7 7 1 2 0 0 1 3 0 0 5
Ray Lankford 7/11/1998 HOU W 4-3 5 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4
Ray Lankford 6/12/1998 ARI W 9-4 5 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4
Ray Lankford 6/6/1998 SFG L 4-5 7 6 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 5
Todd Stottlemyre 6/6/1998 SFG L 4-5 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Ray Lankford 5/24/1998 SFG L 6-9 9 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 5
Ron Gant 9/24/1997 CIN L 4-5 5 5 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 4
Royce Clayton 8/2/1997 PHI W 2-1 5 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Ron Gant 9/28/1996 CIN W 5-2 5 5 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 4
Tom Pagnozzi 6/24/1996 ATL W 9-2 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Tom Pagnozzi 6/10/1996 LAD L 1-2 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Gary Gaetti 6/1/1996 HOU W 5-4 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Mark Sweeney 5/21/1996 HOU W 8-2 5 5 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 4
Ray Lankford 5/4/1996 SDP W 4-3 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Ramon Caraballo 8/11/1995 1 SDP L 0-3 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Bernard Gilkey 6/4/1994 SFG W 2-1 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Geronimo Pena 9/29/1993 NYM L 0-1 7 6 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 4
Ray Lankford 8/22/1993 LAD L 0-3 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Ray Lankford 6/19/1993 CHC W 6-4 5 5 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 4
Ray Lankford 5/2/1993 ATL L 3-4 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Felix Jose 9/7/1992 MON W 8-7 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Brian Jordan 6/30/1992 PIT L 0-2 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Andres Galarraga 6/19/1992 NYM L 3-4 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Vince Coleman 5/1/1990 SDP W 2-1 5 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Milt Thompson 8/18/1989 2 CIN L 3-8 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Jack Clark 8/23/1987 CIN W 12-6 6 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 4
Vince Coleman 6/3/1987 CIN L 4-6 5 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Tito Landrum 4/24/1987 NYM L 1-2 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Jack Clark 5/24/1985 CIN L 6-7 6 6 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4
Joaquin Andujar 5/20/1985 ATL W 14-0 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Tom Herr 5/21/1984 HOU L 2-3 5 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4
Joaquin Andujar 5/19/1984 CIN W 9-1 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Joaquin Andujar 6/9/1983 PHI L 5-6 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
John Stuper 5/25/1983 CIN W 7-2 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Ken Oberkfell 6/8/1982 MON W 5-4 6 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4
Garry Templeton 10/2/1981 PIT L 7-8 5 5 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 4
John Fulgham 7/30/1980 SFG W 4-0 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Bob Forsch 5/16/1980 SFG L 3-4 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Bobby Bonds 5/5/1980 SFG W 9-5 5 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Garry Templeton 8/30/1979 SFG L 2-3 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Garry Templeton 5/9/1979 HOU L 4-5 8 7 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Silvio Martinez 9/25/1978 NYM W 3-0 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Bob Forsch 7/25/1978 SFG L 2-3 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Reggie Smith 7/19/1975 SFG L 2-5 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Jerry Reuss 7/24/1971 2 MON W 9-3 5 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4
Jerry Reuss 9/17/1970 CHC W 9-2 5 5 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 4
Dick Allen 5/24/1970 PHI L 5-6 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5
Joe Torre 5/9/1970 ATL L 3-5 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Lou Brock 6/29/1969 2 CHC L 1-12 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Orlando Cepeda 8/13/1968 CHC L 3-10 5 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 4
Ray Washburn 4/30/1968 LAD W 2-1 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Ray Washburn 9/16/1967 CIN W 4-1 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Orlando Cepeda 4/24/1967 LAD L 5-6 7 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 4
Jerry Buchek 9/29/1966 LAD L 1-2 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Al Jackson 7/10/1966 HOU L 5-6 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Lou Brock 5/10/1966 CHC W 8-0 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Lou Brock 4/13/1966 PHI L 2-3 6 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Lou Brock 8/22/1964 SFG L 2-4 5 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Roger Craig 7/13/1964 1 PIT W 5-4 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Mike Cuellar 7/13/1964 2 PIT W 12-5 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Johnny Lewis 5/27/1964 SFG L 1-2 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Curt Flood 8/14/1962 HOU L 3-4 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Walt Moryn 6/17/1960 MLN L 2-3 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Ellis Burton 4/17/1960 LAD L 5-7 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Larry Jackson 7/19/1958 CIN W 1-0 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Ken Boyer 9/2/1957 2 CIN L 1-3 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Hank Sauer 6/3/1956 2 PHI L 3-9 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Tom Alston 6/17/1954 PHI L 2-3 6 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Vinegar Bend Mizell 7/8/1953 CIN W 7-3 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Steve Bilko 5/28/1953 CIN T 10-10 6 6 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 5

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Cardinals double triples not all that rare

Multiple three-base hits in one game aren’t that unusual for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Felipe Lopez tripled Friday night (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)Many consider the triple to be the most exciting play in baseball as the ball is often shot into the gap before bouncing away from the scurrying fielders while the hitter sprints around the bags.

So it was on Friday night as the St. Louis Cardinals registered three-base hits in consecutive innings against the visiting Angels and former teammate Joel Pineiro. They were struck by Colby Rasmus and Felipe Lopez (pictured) in the first two frames, plating a total of three runs in what turned out to be a series-opening win.

With just seven triples as a team this season, I would have thought that two triples in any one game would be rare for the Cardinals, let alone in two straight innings. Not so.

On August 31, 2005 at Florida, Hector Luna and Albert Pujols tripled in consecutive innings. As recently as September 26, 2008, not only did the team have two in one inning, they had three triples in the same game. Two were by Adam Kennedy with one from pitcher Braden Looper.

In the Tony La Russa years in St. Louis, since 1996, the team has had 35 two-triple games, including at least one such contest every season – except for 2009.

The Cardinals’ busiest triple day during that time was on April 27, 2003, when the team collected four three-base hits, the only game with that many since La Russa became manager.

St. Louis Cardinals, multiple triples, game, 2006-current

Date Opp Name Inn Out BI Name Inn Out BI Name Inn Out BI Name Inn Out BI
5/21/2010 ANA Colby Rasmus b 1 2 2 Felipe Lopez b 2 2 1
9/26/2008 CIN Adam Kennedy b 6 0 0 Braden Looper b 6 1 1 Adam Kennedy b 8 0 0
9/25/2008 ARI Cesar Izturis b 4 1 1 Adam Kennedy b 7 0 0
9/9/2007 @ARI Miguel Cairo t 3 0 2 Skip Schumaker t 6 2 0
9/16/2006 SFG Aaron Miles b 1 0 0 Aaron Miles b 4 2 0
7/18/2006 ATL John Rodriguez b 6 2 2 Scott Spiezio b 6 2 1
8/31/2005 @FLA Hector Luna t 4 1 0 Albert Pujols t 5 0 1
4/24/2005 HOU Scott Rolen b 1 2 0 Reggie Sanders b 1 2 1
8/31/2004 SDP Scott Rolen b 5 0 1 Reggie Sanders b 7 0 0
7/30/2004 @SFG Tony Womack t 6 1 0 Jim Edmonds t 6 2 2
9/6/2003 CIN Eli Marrero b 1 2 2 Bo Hart b 2 1 1
8/1/2003 @NYM Kerry Robinson t 8 0 1 Scott Rolen t 9 1 1
6/19/2003 @MIL J.D. Drew t 5 1 2 Bo Hart t 5 2 2
6/4/2003 TOR Tino Martinez b 6 0 0 Mike Matheny b 6 0 1
4/27/2003 @FLA J.D. Drew t 1 1 0 Tino Martinez t 4 1 0 Eli Marrero t 9 1 2 Miguel Cairo t17 0 0
4/24/2003 @ATL Miguel Cairo t 6 1 1 Fernando Vina t 7 2 1
7/30/2002 @FLA Albert Pujols t 8 1 0 Scott Rolen t 8 2 1
4/15/2002 @ARI Fernando Vina t 1 0 0 J.D. Drew t 5 0 1
6/4/2001 CIN Placido Polanco b 5 1 1 Fernando Vina b 7 0 1
4/26/2001 MON Fernando Vina b 5 0 0 Albert Pujols b 5 2 0
4/6/2001 @ARI Ray Lankford t 5 1 3 Fernando Vina t 7 1 2
8/28/2000 @FLA Mike Matheny t 5 1 1 Will Clark t 8 1 1
8/23/2000 PIT Fernando Vina b 3 2 0 Ray Lankford b 4 1 1
5/21/2000 @PIT Eli Marrero t 6 0 0 Placido Polanco t 8 0 1
4/8/2000 MIL Fernando Vina b 2 1 1 Fernando Vina b 4 0 0
6/19/1999 NYM Joe McEwing b 1 0 0 Darren Bragg b 3 0 0
5/1/1999 @MON Shawon Dunston t 3 2 2 J.D. Drew t 5 2 0
4/16/1999 @HOU Eric Davis t 4 0 1 Eli Marrero t 4 1 1
4/27/1998 MON Brian Jordan b 6 2 0 Delino DeShields b 7 1 3
8/29/1997 @KCR Gary Gaetti t 2 0 0 Delino DeShields t 8 1 1 Willie McGee t 8 2 3
6/24/1997 CHC Ron Gant b 4 1 2 Delino DeShields b 5 2 1
4/30/1997 FLA Delino DeShields b 5 0 0 Willie McGee b 5 1 2
4/15/1997 @FLA Dmitri Young t 3 2 1 Tom Lampkin t 4 1 1
9/17/1996 CHC Ozzie Smith b 8 1 1 Ray Lankford b 8 1 1
8/8/1996 SFG Gary Gaetti b 4 1 0 Brian Jordan b 8 2 0

Thanks to researcher Tom Orf for the above table.

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Gibson watches Penny’s grand slam

Brad Penny is now one of a select group of St. Louis Cardinals pitchers with a grand slam. Bob Gibson, who watched Penny’s shot Friday night, has two.

Brad Penny's grand slam (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)It only seemed fitting.

St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson was in the house at Busch Stadium Friday night to commemorate the fan giveaway of a replica statue of his likeness.

When Brad Penny shot a bases loaded home run over the outfield wall in the third inning, it was the ninth grand slam by a Cardinals pitcher since at least 1952. Only one man has two and he happened to be in the FOX Sports Midwest booth at the time – Gibson. Upon questioning, he was quite aware of his feat.

Gibson’s first grand slam was in 1965 with the other in 1973. The latter was the last of his 24 career long balls. Gibson retired in 1975.

Oddly, the most recent two St. Louis pitcher grand slams came against former Cardinals starters. Joel Pineiro was Penny’s victim Friday night while Kip Wells served up Chris Carpenter‘s shot last October 1. Prior to Carpenter’s home run, it had been over 11 years since it had been done.

St. Louis Cardinals grand slams, pitcher, 1952-current

Date Batter Opp Pitcher Score Inn Out RBI
5/21/2010 Brad Penny ANA Joel Piniero tied 4-4 b 3 2 4
10/1/2009 Chris Carpenter @CIN Kip Wells ahead 1-0 t 2 1 4
9/2/1998 Kent Mercker @FLA Jesus Sanchez ahead 3-0 t 4 0 4
9/7/1996 Donovan Osborne SDP Andy Ashby tied 1-1 b 5 1 4
8/10/1986 Bob Forsch PIT Mike Bielecki ahead 1-0 b 5 0 4
5/15/1984 Joaquin Andujar ATL Jeff Dedmon ahead 5-1 b 8 2 4
8/21/1973 Rick Wise @ATL Roric Harrison ahead 3-0 t 3 2 4
7/26/1973 (1) Bob Gibson NYM John Strohmayer ahead 6-1 b 5 0 4
9/29/1965 Bob Gibson @SFG Gaylord Perry ahead 4-0 t 8 1 4

Since 1952, Cardinals pitchers have hit 106 home runs.

Type Number
Grand slam 9
Three-run 14
Two-run 20
Bases-empty 63
total 106

Pitcher HR leaders Home runs Grand slams
Bob Gibson 24 2
Bob Forsch 12 1
Adam Wainwright 5 0
Rick Wise 4 1
Joe Magrane 4 0

Thanks to statistician Tom Orf for pulling the detailed data summarized above.

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Walton on KXnO FOX Sports Radio Friday

kxno-logo-150-200Catch me talking St. Louis Cardinals baseball with Matt Perrault and Ken Miller on KXnO FOX Sports Radio 1460 in Des Moines today (Friday) at 6:05 p.m. CDT. The newly-sponsored and titled weekly show is called “Cardinal Talk.”

Go to kxno.com for the live stream.

Cardinals fans in central Iowa should be sure to catch Cardinals radio broadcasts on KXnO all 2010 season long.

For Scout.com subscribers who miss it, I will post the audio at TheCardinalNation.com following the segment.

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Cardinals live chat on FOX Sports Midwest Thursday

The fifth of FOX Sports Midwest’s live chats of the 2010 season will be held throughout Thursday afternoon’s Marlins-Cardinals series finale. Join in the discussion with me and the FSM personalities.

You can either participate here or via FOX Sports Midwest’s website.

Adam Wainwright (5-2, 2.48) faces Nate Robertson (4-3, 4.35) as the Cards try to end the home series with a split.

Thursday’s first pitch is scheduled for 12:40 P.M. Central.

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Jaime Garcia tidbits from Wednesday’s wreckage

A handful of factoids relating to St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jaime Garcia.

Jaime Garcia (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)In the midst of the wreckage of the St. Louis Cardinals’ Wednesday night’s home loss to Florida by a 5-1 score, researcher Tom Orf pulled some factoids relating to tough-luck starter Jaime Garcia.

From the first inning on, Garcia’s pitch count was elevated due to shaky defense behind him. Yet he worked around baserunners put on after fielding misses by both Skip Schumaker and Felipe Lopez to strike out the side in the initial frame.

It tied Garcia with ace Chris Carpenter for the most such innings this season at three. One quarter of the way into the season, the 2010 club is on pace to have more “strike out the side” innings in any year since at least 2000, when Rick Ankiel led the way with a dozen on his own.

Striking out the side, Cardinals (2000-current)

Year Team Leader #
2010 9 Carpenter/Garcia 3
2009 20 Wainwright 4
2008 24 Wellemeyer 4
2007 20 Wainwright 6
2006 24 Carpenter 7
2005 26 Carpenter 9
2004 24 Carpenter/Marquis 4
2003 19 Williams 3
2002 20 Finley 5
2001 26 Hermanson/Ankiel/Morris 4
2000 35 Ankiel 12

Garcia stranded nine runners in five innings and was pulled after throwing 96 pitches on Wednesday. As a result, the rookie’s quality start streak ended as did his run to start the season with six or more inning performances allowing two or fewer runs at seven.

Season-opening streak of 6+IP and 2 ER allowed or less, MLB (1920-39, 1952-current)

Rk Tm Strk Start End G W L GS CG SHO GF IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
1 Randy Johnson ARI 4/4/2000 5/16/2000 9 7 1 9 5 2 0 74.1 44 12 8 14 100 5 0.97
1 Lefty Gomez NYY 4/20/1937 5/30/1937 9 6 3 9 0 0 8 78 72 17 11 29 48 2 1.27
3 Ubaldo Jimenez COL 4/5/2010 5/15/2010 8 7 1 8 1 1 0 56.1 35 7 7 21 54 1 1.12
3 Pedro Martinez BOS 4/4/2000 5/17/2000 8 7 1 8 2 1 0 60.1 33 7 6 11 88 2 0.9
3 Kirk McCaskill CAL 4/7/1989 5/16/1989 8 5 1 8 1 1 0 59.2 43 7 7 18 27 1 1.06
3 Atlee Hammaker SFG 4/13/1983 5/22/1983 8 4 2 8 3 2 0 58.2 41 12 7 8 40 1 1.07
3 Fernando Valenzuela LAD 4/9/1981 5/14/1981 8 8 0 8 7 5 0 72 43 4 4 17 68 2 0.5
3 Joe McIntosh SDP 4/12/1975 5/21/1975 8 5 2 8 3 1 0 63.2 47 13 10 12 29 2 1.41
9 Jaime Garcia STL 4/10/2010 5/14/2010 7 4 2 7 0 0 0 44.1 31 9 7 16 36 1 1.42
13 with 7

Streak of 6+IP and 2 ER allowed or less, Cardinals (1920-39, 1952-current)

Rk Tm Strk Start End G W L GS CG SHO GF IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
1 Adam Wainwright STL 6/26/2009 8/30/2009 13 8 3 13 1 0 0 95 81 15 14 21 80 3 1.33
2 Bob Gibson STL 6/6/1968 7/30/1968 11 11 0 11 11 8 0 99 56 3 3 13 83 0 0.27
3 Matt Morris STL 4/11/2001 5/17/2001 8 6 1 8 1 1 0 59 43 11 10 13 47 3 1.53
3 John Tudor STL 5/17/1988 6/23/1988 8 3 2 8 2 1 0 59.2 49 9 7 14 20 1 1.06
3 John Tudor STL 6/8/1985 7/11/1985 8 8 0 8 5 4 0 69 42 6 6 8 38 3 0.78
6 Jaime Garcia STL 4/10/2010 5/14/2010 7 4 2 7 0 0 0 44.1 31 9 7 16 36 1 1.42
6 Chris Carpenter STL 6/14/2005 7/22/2005 7 6 0 7 3 3 0 59.2 28 3 3 9 57 2 0.45
6 Rick Ankiel STL 8/23/2000 9/27/2000 7 4 0 7 0 0 0 45.2 31 13 10 16 54 4 1.97
6 Bob Tewksbury STL 4/28/1992 5/30/1992 7 4 1 7 2 0 0 54 48 11 11 5 20 4 1.83
6 Joe Magrane STL 6/27/1988 8/2/1988 7 0 3 7 0 0 0 51.1 41 14 9 16 33 0 1.58
6 John Tudor STL 5/23/1986 6/23/1986 7 3 0 7 2 0 0 60.2 30 13 10 13 28 4 1.48
6 John Tudor STL 9/26/1985 4/22/1986 7 5 0 7 3 1 0 60 39 8 7 11 31 1 1.05
6 Bob Gibson STL 5/20/1972 6/26/1972 7 6 0 7 5 2 0 60 39 10 9 12 49 1 1.35
6 Nelson Briles STL 7/16/1968 8/15/1968 7 6 1 7 5 1 0 60.2 49 8 7 14 30 1 1.04
6 Curt Simmons STL 7/31/1960 9/4/1960 7 4 2 7 2 1 0 55.2 52 13 8 12 24 1 1.29
6 Jesse Haines STL 8/24/1928 9/23/1928 7 7 0 7 7 1 0 63 41 13 8 17 21 3 1.14
6 Jesse Haines STL 5/16/1927 6/15/1927 7 5 2 7 6 1 0 61 48 15 10 12 18 0 1.48

A final factoid. In this era of pitch count awareness and relief specialization, a five inning, no run appearance has become increasingly common on the Cardinals. Garcia’s outing is the first this decade after it happened 21 times from 2000-09, or more than twice per season.

Cardinals starting pitchers going only five innings and allowing no runs (since 1952)

Decade #
2010 1
2000 21
1990 11
1980 6
1970 4
1960 1
1950 0
Player Date Opp Rslt App,Dec IP H R BB SO Pit Str
Chris Carpenter 10/1/2009 CIN W 13-0 GS-5 ,W 5 3 0 1 6 90 57
John Smoltz 8/23/2009 SDP W 5-2 GS-5 ,W 5 3 0 0 9 75 53
Chris Carpenter 5/20/2009 CHC W 2-1 GS-5 ,W 5 3 0 2 4 67 41
Adam Wainwright 4/11/2009 HOU W 11-2 GS-5 ,W 5 4 0 3 4 102 61
Chris Carpenter 8/5/2008 LAD W 6-4 GS-5 5 3 0 0 2 51 33
Todd Wellemeyer 6/26/2008 DET L 2-3 GS-5 5 4 0 0 3 76 50
Kyle Lohse 4/1/2008 COL L 1-2 GS-5 5 3 0 3 3 74 42
Todd Wellemeyer 9/23/2007 HOU W 4-3 GS-5 5 1 0 1 5 71 43
Todd Wellemeyer 7/8/2007 SFG W 7-0 GS-5 ,W 5 2 0 4 2 80 50
Anthony Reyes 8/10/2006 CIN W 6-1 GS-5 ,W 5 2 0 2 5 81 47
Jeff Suppan 8/31/2005 FLA W 10-5 GS-5 ,W 5 3 0 2 4 91 61
Andy Benes 9/29/2002 MIL W 4-0 GS-5 5 3 0 3 2 77 47
Garrett Stephenson 9/25/2002 ARI W 6-1 GS-5 ,W 5 1 0 5 2 96 51
Woody Williams 9/9/2002 MIL W 3-0 GS-5 ,W 5 3 0 1 4 66 42
Luther Hackman 2002-08-31 (1) CHC W 8-1 GS-5 ,W 5 4 0 1 3 81 51
Bud Smith 6/27/2002 MIL L 2-7 GS-5 5 5 0 4 2 88 52
Darryl Kile 10/2/2001 MIL W 5-1 GS-5 ,W 5 3 0 3 6 84 48
Mike Matthews 5/18/2001 PHI L 4-5 GS-5 5 1 0 1 3 69 44
Pat Hentgen 7/9/2000 SFG W 8-7 GS-5 ,W 5 2 0 3 2 84 48
Pat Hentgen 6/28/2000 CIN L 3-7 GS-5 5 2 0 2 2 81 52
Rick Ankiel 4/20/2000 SDP W 14-1 GS-5 ,W 5 2 0 7 4 110 59
Kent Mercker 7/3/1999 ARI W 2-1 GS-5 5 2 0 2 4 82 51
Juan Acevedo 6/21/1998 ARI W 5-4 GS-5 5 3 0 1 3 79 47
Mark Petkovsek 6/14/1998 ARI W 2-0 GS-5 ,W 5 2 0 2 5 67 42
Kent Bottenfield 6/10/1998 CHW L 8-10 GS-5 5 1 0 3 2 83 49
Mark Petkovsek 9/10/1996 SFG W 1-0 GS-5 ,W 5 2 0 3 3 64 34
Allen Watson 6/18/1994 PIT W 9-0 GS-5 5 1 0 3 4
Bryan Eversgerd 5/20/1994 FLA W 3-2 GS-5 ,W 5 4 0 0 4 70 47
Paul Kilgus 9/25/1993 FLA L 1-2 GS-5 5 2 0 2 4 76 49
Jose DeLeon 1991-09-23 (2) MON L 1-5 GS-5 5 2 0 2 3 55 34
Joe Magrane 9/4/1990 NYM W 1-0 GS-5 ,W 5 3 0 2 2 84 46
Greg Mathews 5/13/1990 ATL L 1-3 GS-5 5 2 0 4 3 74 41
Scott Terry 8/11/1988 PHI L 0-1 GS-5 5 2 0 2 2 51 35
Bob Forsch 7/18/1988 LAD L 0-1 GS-5 5 2 0 3 0 62 31
Jose DeLeon 5/18/1988 CHC W 4-1 GS-5 5 5 0 2 5 71 47
Joaquin Andujar 5/30/1985 ATL W 6-0 GS-5 ,W 5 5 0 1 3
Bob Forsch 5/31/1984 NYM W 5-2 GS-5 ,W 5 3 0 1 2
Joaquin Andujar 9/11/1982 NYM W 6-3 GS-5 ,W 5 3 0 2 6
Rob Dressler 9/15/1978 CHC W 6-2 GS-5 5 3 0 2 2
Bob Forsch 5/15/1978 SDP L 3-4 GS-5 5 3 0 1 1
Bob Forsch 7/26/1977 ATL W 4-2 GS-5 ,W 5 2 0 1 4
Eric Rasmussen 7/11/1976 LAD L 6-9 GS-5 5 2 0 2 3
Steve Carlton 9/28/1968 HOU L 2-3 GS-5 5 6 0 0 1

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Ludwick has earned clutch tag

On Tuesday, outfielder Ryan Ludwick collected his ninth final-at bat winning hit in the last three-plus years for the St. Louis Cardinals

Felipe Lopez and Ryan Ludwick both went deep Tuesday (AP/Jeff Roberson)St. Louis Cardinals number two hitter Ryan Ludwick saved a number of people with his game-winning 434-foot home run to left field in the bottom of the eighth inning Tuesday night.

He saved his manager, Tony La Russa, from second-guessing for leaving a tiring 35-year-old Chris Carpenter in the game to pitch the eighth. That move backfired when the visiting Washington Nationals plated the tying run, potentially taking a win away from the Cardinals ace, whose 118 pitches thrown were his highest count in a game post-2007 elbow surgery.

Ludwick saved Carpenter, who exhibited considerable anger upon his return to the dugout in the middle of the eighth, obviously frustrated in having yielded the second run. Instead of a defeat, the home run gave Carp his fifth win of the season in six decisions and his sixth victory in seven career decisions against the Nationals/Expos franchise.

The right-fielder saved his team, still struggling to score runs. The Cardinals managed to squeak out the win despite putting just three men in scoring position during the entire game.

The offense once again made a middling opposing starter look like Bud “Chuck” Norris. Nats starter John Lannan came in with an unimpressive career 21-32 record, but held the St. Louis bats to five hits in six innings. He actually lowered his season ERA to a still-hefty 6.02 in the process.

Ludwick himself didn’t need saving as he has now hit safely in 16 of 18 games at Busch Stadium this season.

In an indication of the closeness of Cardinals wins this season, researcher Tom Orf pulled out this tidbit. Tuesday night was the fourth time that the Cardinals scored the winning run in the bottom of the eighth at home this season alone after doing it just five times in total over the previous two years.

Others on the Cardinals have been tagged as being clutch hitters, yet in terms of results with the game on the line at the end, Ludwick is the undisputed king.

Orf notes that Ludwick’s Tuesday blast was his team-leading ninth game-winning hit in his club’s last at-bat since 2007. Eight of the nine occurred at home, including four walkoffs. Five of the nine game-winners were home runs.

Ryan Ludwick last at-bat game-winning hits, 2007-present

Walkoff Road-Last AB Home-Bot-8th
Inn Opp Sco Hit BI Final Inn Opp Sco Hit BI Final Inn Opp Sco Hit BI Final WP Save
6/20/2007 14 KC 6-6 HR 1 7-6 Wells
7/28/2007 9 Mil 4-6 1B 1 7-6 Springer
7/29/2007 8 Mil 4-5 BB 1 9-5 Franklin
5/10/2008 9 Mil 3-3 1B 2 5-3 Springer Franklin
5/17/2008 10 TB 8-8 HR 1 9-8 Franklin
8/5/2008 11 LA 4-4 HR 2 6-4 Garcia
4/24/2009 8 ChC 3-3 1B 1 4-3 McClellan Franklin
4/18/2010 8 NYM 3-3 HR 2 5-3 Wainwright
5/18/2010 8 Was 2-2 HR 1 3-2 Carpenter Franklin

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