So who needs Albert Pujols? Well, the Cardinals most certainly need the perennial All-Star back in their lineup but on the day the team learned he’d be out from 3-6 weeks after re-injuring his left calf muscle Tuesday night, the Cardinals took the field without him and pounded the Reds 10-0 Wednesday night in Cincinnati.
Braden Looper needed only 98 pitches as he tossed his first career complete game. Looper allowed three hits, walked none and struck out four, improving his record to 8-5 with a 4.34 ERA. “It’s an achievement I can look back on and always have,” Looper said. “Obviously it’s not a no-hitter, but I only gave up three hits in a nine-inning shutout. That’s pretty good, I’d say.”
Ryan Ludwick continued his torrid first half hitting a double and his 16th homer of the season leading the Cardinals attack for a second straight game. Ludwick is hitting .321 and has 52 RBIs but isn’t receiving much attention in the All-Star balloting. Rick Ankiel homered for the second consecutive game and Jason LaRue hit his first homer of the season helping the Redbirds win for the 10th time in their last 13 games.
“Since day one, we’ve had guys who are part of the core of this club not participating, but the games still count and we’re still playing,” Cards manager Tony La Russa said.
With Pujols out of the lineup the tone in the Cardinals clubhouse was positive. “You know what? You can’t control what happens,” LaRue said. “It’s a big hit [losing Pujols], but this team is capable of winning without him.”
The Cardinals recalled Chris Duncan from Triple-A Memphis Wednesday to take Pujols’ place on the roster. Duncan had been sent down two weeks ago to work on his swing. Duncan will get the majority of starts at first base while Pujols recovers from the calf injury.
Other Cardinals News to Report
Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright was be placed on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday.
The St. Louis ace injured his right middle finger while pitching in Houston on Saturday. He was examined on Monday and found to have a sprain. It wasn’t immediately clear how many starts Wainwright would miss. The Cardinals said the move will be retroactive to Sunday.
Wainwright is 6-3 with a 3.14 ERA this season.
Right-hander Joel Pineiro, disabled since May 21 with a right groin strain, threw in the St. Louis bullpen before Tuesday’s game and will start Thursday against Cincinnati, La Russa said.
Moon Dog
They’ve got a young stud in Ludwkick and with Ankiel still finding a sweet spot whenever he lays bat to ball then I for one don’t foresee a problem for the Cardinals.
Give Pujols enough time to rest and he’ll come back better than ever. However I can’t say that’d be the same for the Cubs with them missing Soriano at this juncture.
As good as they’ve been once they hit that proverbial bump in the road things at times do tend to get a bit heated for them and in particular with Piniella.
Who it’s often been said of that his bark can be just as bad his bite .
tophatal …………
I think they can afford to have Pujols out for a while, especially with the Cubs missing Soriano for a bit. However, it would behoove them to get Wainwright back as quickly as possible. Luckily his injury isn’t serious.
The future is bright in St. Louis. Not only this season, but if Carpenter makes it back…and the Cards can just have a little bit of luck in the health department – Watch out! They will have a ton of salary off the books next year, a lot of which is invested in players currently on the DL anyway. They can either spend that money locking up some of these youngsters, or make a splash in the free agent market if they want to.
Top – Even when Ankiel isn’t hitting very well his defense is stellar. Skip Schumaker has been a great lead-off hitter and Cesar Izturis a pleasant surprise as well.
The Cubs missing Soriano hurts, but not as bad as missing Pujols. The Cubs have Lee, Ramierez and Soto and the pitching has been stable. Now if Zanbrano goes down…
Shooter – Your analysis is spot on. What was thought to be a weakness could end up being a glut of pitching by the end of July. I agree the Cards should use their money to sign Ankiel, Schumaker, Ludwick, Aron Miles and possibly Izturis.
If they can hang tight while Pujols is on the shelf, I really think they can contend for at least the Wild Card.