SB Nation - Brendan Ryan

Dodgers, Cardinals Set Rosters for NLDS

Eric Stephen — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:31:23 -0000

Emperor Palpatine takes questions before tonight's game

NLDS: Cardinals vs. Dodgers
Game 1	Tonight	Dodger Stadium	6:37pm
Game 2	Thu	Dodger Stadium	3:07pm
Game 3	Sat	Busch Stadium	3:07pm
Game 4*	Sun	Busch Stadium	TBD
Game 5*	Oct 13	Dodger Stadium	TBD
*if necessary		All times Pacific
All games televised on TBS

The Dodgers and Cardinals have announced their roster for the division series.

Dodgers

Catchers (2): Russell Martin, Brad Ausmus

Infielders (7): James Loney, Ronnie Belliard, Rafael Furcal, Casey Blake, Orlando Hudson, Juan Castro, Mark Loretta

Outfielders (4): Manny Ramirez, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Juan Pierre

Pinch Hitters (1): Jim Thome

Starting Pitchers (4): Randy Wolf, Clayton Kershaw, Vicente Padilla, Chad Billingsley

Relievers (7): Jonathan Broxton, George Sherrill, Hong-Chih Kuo, Ronald Belisario, Ramon Troncoso, Jon Garland, Jeff Weaver

Cardinals

Catchers (2): Yadier Molina, Jason LaRue

Infielders (7): Albert Pujols, Skip Schumaker, Julio Lugo, Brendan Ryan, Mark DeRosa, Troy Glaus, Old Friend Joe Thurston

Outfielders (4): Matt Holliday, Colby Rasmus, Ryan Ludwick, Rick Ankiel

Starting Pitchers (4): Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Joel Pineiro, one of John Smoltz or Kyle Lohse

Relievers (8): Ryan Franklin, Kyle McClellan, Jason Motte, Trever Miller, Dennys Reyes, Blake Hawksworth, Mitchell Boggs, one of Smoltz or Lohse

The Dodgers starting rotation will be Randy Wolf, Clayton Kershaw, Vicente Padilla, and Chad Billingsley, in that order.

The Cardinals will counter with Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, and Joel Pineiro for the first three games. Either John Smoltz or Kyle Lohse, who will both be available in the bullpen tonight, will start game four on Sunday.

Playoff Teams Defense Analysis - How They Got There and What to Expect - National League Edition

Jeff Zimmerman (TucsonRoyal) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 23:18:58 -0000

With the increased emphasis on defense the last few years, I figured I would look at what playoff teams did statistically during the season and what can be expected of the teams in the playoffs. We will begin with the National League and look at the American League in a day or two once Minnesota and Detroit figure who is going. For this analysis, I will be using UZR data from from Fangraphs.com. Fangraphs updates their data on Mondays, so this article doesn't contain the most recent week's fielding data, but should still give a general idea of the teams' defensive strengths and weaknesses.

First, here is the totals of all the NL teams in the playoffs:

As it can be seen, the Phillies defense this season was the best of the four teams with them saving about 40 more runs than the Rockies with the Dodgers and Cardinals just a little better than the Rockies.

Besides the team totals, the UZR can be broken down to individual positions. Here is a comparison of each of the 4 teams by position totals.

The major point I got from this comparison is that most of the teams were rather even except for the holes in the Colorado outfield.

Even though these graphs show how a team did during the season, it doesn't show what to expect in the post season. For example, the Cardinals picked up Matt Holiday at the trading deadline. Matt will be for sure in the Cards lineup and the defense of the previous players shouldn't matter. For each team, I went ahead and calculated the true UZR value of each player projected to start in the playoffs.

For those that need to know, it was a 5-4-3-2 weighted average of season values and regressed to 125 games with no final age adjustment. For example, Albert Pujols had a 1.8 UZR for 2009, but taking into account his previous seasons his true talent level is near 6.4 UZR.

So here is a look at each team's 2009 numbers and the weighted UZR values of the players expected to play during the post season (I will add more as needed - when injuries happen or if I happened to miss someone). These values show the true talent of the fielders better than the small sample set of a single season.

Philadelphia Phillies (2009 UZR Results and Weighted UZR Values)

Pos	Name	UZR
1B	Ryan Howard	1.8
2B	Chase Utley	12.0
3B	Pedro Feliz	8.8
SS	Jimmy Rollins	6.1
LF	Raul Ibanez	-5.6
CF	Shane Victorino	0.1
RF	Jayson Werth	5.7

LA Dodgers (2009 UZR Results and Weighted UZR Values)

Pos	Name	UZR
1B	James Loney	-1.9
2B	Orlando Hudson	-2.3
3B	Casey Blake	-0.1
SS	Rafael Furcal	0.3
LF	Juan Pierre	1.7
LF	Manny Ramirez	-8.6
CF	Matt Kemp	2.0
RF	Andre Ethier	-5.9

St. Louis Cardinals (2009 UZR Results and Weighted UZR Values)

Pos	Name	UZR
1B	Albert Pujols	6.4
2B	Joe Thurston	0.5
2B	Skip Schumaker	-4.1
3B	Joe Thurston	-0.1
3B	Mark DeRosa	-1.2
SS	Khalil Greene	-2.8
SS	Brendan Ryan	5.3
LF	Matt Holliday	5.1
CF	Rick Ankiel	-2.2
CF	Colby Rasmus	4.5
RF	Ryan Ludwick	1.6

Colorado Rockies (2009 UZR Results and Weighted UZR Values)

Pos	Name	UZR
1B	Todd Helton	2.2
1B	Garrett Atkins	-1.3
2B	Clint Barmes	3.5
3B	Garrett Atkins	-5.6
3B	Ian Stewart	2.4
SS	Troy Tulowitzki	3.1
LF	Ryan Spilborghs	0.9
LF	Seth Smith	2.8
LF	Carlos Gonzalez	1.1
CF	Dexter Fowler	-6.1
CF	Carlos Gonzalez	1.8
RF	Brad Hawpe	-18.1
RF	Ryan Spilborghs	0.1

------------------------------------------------------------------

First, thanks to Justin for supplying the graphics and let me know if any players might be seeing playing time in the first 2 rounds. I am not going to go through all possible lineups once the DH is added and removed in the World Series until two teams qualify.

That's a mistranslation of the Bible. Jesus actually wore a Carpenter jersey. Reds lose 13-0.

Brendanukkah — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:44:14 -0000

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP

Laugh it up, chucklehead. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

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Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Chris Carpenter. Not only did Carpenter pitch five innings of shutout ball, not only did he allow a mere three hits, not only did he strike out six, but he also went 2-3 with 6 RBI, including a grand slam. Albert who?!

Key Plays

Kip Wells pitched a scoreless first inning.
Chris Carpenter hit a grand slam in the second. That's about as key a play as there is. When you give up a home run to the pitcher, it's bad. When it's his first home run of his career, it's bad. When it's with the bases loaded, it's bad.
Kip Wells gave up five runs, Micah Owings gave up four runs, Carlos Fisher gave up three runs, and li'l Danny Ray Herrera only gave up the one.

via www.fangraphs.com

Other Notes

After some whinging by the Cardinals after their loss last night, a beanball fest seemed inevitable. Scott Rolen and Juan Francisco got plunked for the good guys, while Kip Wells hit Brendan Ryan, one of the few Cardinals not hitting Kip Wells.
The last Cardinals pitcher to hit a grand slam was Kent Mercker in 1998.
The Reds only had five hits, but Adam Rosales had two of them. Their only extra base hit came courtesy of Micah Owings.
El Nino Destructor has a .500 OBP. Sustainability, schmustainability, that's just fun!
Chris Carpenter is really good when it comes to facing the Reds. Entering this game, he had a 0.846 WHIP against them, the second lowest of any team he's faced more than once. And now, it's a little bit closer to the 0.838 he has against Tampa Bay.

Resting the Starters

DanUpBaby — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:00:35 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Let's just think about this game a while longer.

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The local handegg team had their home opener yesterday, and against my better judgment I joined momup and one cousinup for a trip to the EdwardJones Dome, which is apparently so run-down and antiquated fourteen years in that the Rams will have to move unless St. Louis drops $500 million in a series of unmarked official Rams logo briefcases at the location of a new stadium, which will last thirty years now that stadia tastes have crystalized forever. The new jumbo-jumbotron is really nice, though, except that with the renovations I'm pretty sure there is no clock, digital or analog, visible from the seats.

Anyway, football games always make me thankful for two things:

Teams that pass the ball downfield.
Baseball games.

There is something wrong—and as an anthropology minor, he said, flashing a winningly academic smile, I am being willfully ethnocentric—about football games. The moment we parked the car was the beginning of a slow, steady campaign of weird disenfranchisement. At the door there were... not lines, but a slow-moving, uncertain mass of people in Marshall Faulk and Aaron Rodgers jerseys—everyone was frisked, because the Rams are liable, at any moment, to blow up the EdwardJones Dome and collect the insurance money.

A few minutes passed, and after the boiler room employees managed to shovel enough coal to get the dome lamps working we were all allowed in. Honestly, the next part shouldn't have surprised me, because the back story scored high enough on the NFL Stern Outrage chart, a few years ago, to reach the sports pages. But I was reminded of how different baseball and football are when I ordered a bottled water and it came back—silently—without its cap. Oh, yeah, I thought—I'm a felon here.

I was reminded even more of how different baseball and football are when, one quarter into the game, I completely agreed with the decision to not give anyone in the stadium something small and aerodynamic. Losing fans in baseball are kind of pleasant and boozy; losing fans in football want to muster a small mob and seize control of the referees' locker room.

This whole off-topic digression is directed, finally, to the loud, grown man behind me: If you're completely sure that the fix is in, and that the NFL is mandating that the referees aid the Packers in beating up a team that is literally quarterbacked by a zombie, stop payment on the season tickets and go, with your preponderance of evidence, to the Post-Dispatch. Don't yell about it to the guy in full pads and Green Bay Packers Logo Dreadlocks.

Now: House Money Baseball, where the lineups start to look like my Baseball Mogul teams.

Now that they've clinched I can say it: I like watching infielders in the outfield, sometimes. This seems like a bad time to play anybody but Colby Rasmus in center, since he seems in need of as many Getting Acclimated at-bats as he can possibly get, but giving Holliday a day off with flu-like symptoms and simultaneously giving David Freese a look at third? Excellent.

With the Cardinals' basic gameplan, in the last several games, centered around keeping Brendan Ryan from finding a way to injure another finger, we get an early taste of the pitched inaction of Hot Stove season. Take it away, Scott Boras:

"I don't even think that is going to be an issue," Boras said. "Rick Ankiel is going to go somewhere.

"There aren't many players who can play center field with his kind of power and his kind of arm strength. ... There are going to be a lot of teams who look at Rick as a substantial trade over what they have."

I'll say this for Boras: those are indeed Rick Ankiel's strengths. This isn't like those McDonalds ads that tout their weakest attribute, their indie-tinged whole foods cred, instead of the fact that their chicken mcnuggets are delicious. But even Scott Boras, as he's saying these words, has to hear the rebuttal: you've just named both his skills; now what?

Ankiel's a better player, I think, than he's shown this year; his anti-tools have been out in full force, and he's spent much of the year in a bad situation for a guy who was both a starter and the feel-good story of the decade this time last year. The Pirates seem like a recipe for disaster, if only by default, but as the big side of a platoon on some contender that does not have Colby Rasmus on it he's a good bounce-back candidate.

I love the Ankiel story in all its highs and lows; his curveball will always be my benchmark for outrageous pitches, and his outfield fastball has, as expected, brought about a few of my all-time favorite defensive jaw-droppers. But the bat not cooperating has done something I wouldn't have thought possible this past February—it's made me at peace, barring some playoff heroics au Natural, with an offseason departure that's been inevitable since before he ever started slumping.

Reflection

the red baron — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:10:08 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

I would write a proper caption, but I could only cheapen the image. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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Another offensive explosion, another sterling win for our heroes in red, another night of beautiful transit from summer into autumn. The leaves are turning, and that old familiar whisper of excitement is in the air of the city. We've missed it the past two seasons, and sorely. But that whispering, chattering idiot noise of September bliss is back in force now, as those of us born and bred into Cardinal love look to October glory once again.

Or maybe, more correctly, a vibration; a low humming everywhere you walk that has always been and always will be as the days shorten and cool. It begins in March, that hum of anticipation for the season about to begin, and continues on through the summer months, rising and falling with the fortunes of the Cardinals and the red-clad masses who follow. There are peaks and there are valleys; walkoff wins in the night over Chicago and listless losses to Pittsburgh. But it is always always always there, curling around your life until you barely even notice it. Some years that hum fades as the Cardinals fall out of the race, victims of poor planning, poor performance, or poor fortune. Some years the end of summer brings only a sigh, an inward invocation of next season as the year current winds toward its death. Some years that hum falls away with the leaves as their colour finally goes brown and they drop to the ground.

But not this year. No, this year there is a building, a hum that becomes a buzz that becomes a singing that becomes a ringing that becomes a shout. Playoff baseball is coming to St. Louis, and you don't have to look or listen for the anticipation. You only have to feel it.

It was a hell of game last night, one with a little bit of everything we hope to love about this team. There was an outstanding pitching performance. The offense simply overwhelmed the opposition, and the defense stepped firmly down on their necks to keep them from thoughts of rise.

In the whole game, though, the moment which stood out most to me, the key to the game if you will, was Colby Rasmus' plate appearance in the third inning. There were two outs, and Skip Schumaker had just driven in Julio Lugo for the first tally of the game with a single up the middle. It was an outstanding piece of work by Schumaker to begin with, to get the Cards' first baserunner of the game home after Lugo was sacrificed to second base. But the turning point was Rasmus. Behind him was Albert and the middle of the lineup; if Bazardo could just get the rookie, Pujols would have to lead off the fourth.

The count went quickly to 0-2, as Bazardo threw a wicked little changeup for a called strike one and Colby fouled off a fat fastball. The next pitch was another changeup, a little down and a little away, just the sort of pitch you want to see your pitcher throw on a two strike count. It was ohsosweet and tempting, and no one would have been surprised, I think, to see Colby swing. But he didn't. He let it go with a look, and just like that, the most important pitch of the game was taken for ball one. After that, Bazardo tried to clip the outside corner with fastballs, but he had left his paintbrush at home and Rasmus wisely just let the pitches go. Four straight balls and Colby trotted down to first base.

Albert came up with two men on and drove in Skip, and that brilliant bit of baserunning razzle-dazzle by Pujols and Colby plated the Cards' third run. But it was the walk that really created the inning. If Rasmus makes an out there, the inning is but a footnote in the eventual story of the game, one run on a clutch single in the third. Pujols bats leading off the fourth inning, and who knows where the story goes then? But Colby refusing to swing at that 0-2 changeup changed the entire dynamic of the inning. Instead of Albert leading off the fourth, he came to bat with two men on in the third, and Bazardo was forced to face the middle of the order in a scoring situation. And even though Pujols himself proved to be the last official batter of the inning, two more runners crossed the plate before the third out was made. Just a walk on the scorecard, and it seemed like such a small thing at the time, but it shifted the balance to the Cardinals' side, and they took advantage. The run Rasmus scored on he and Albert's running gambit proved to be the difference in the game, in fact.

The Cards could very well clinch tonight, if they can take care of their business and the Cubs cooperate. With that in mind, I thought we might take a moment to catch our breaths before the elation and look back at how we got here.

I think there are five things which really made the most difference for the Cardinals in 2009; five things to stand for all the hundreds of little things that have made it such a rewarding summer in St. Louis. And without further rambling from your author, they are as follows:

1) Fuentes Heads For the Coast

what it was -- Remember, back in the winter of aught eight, when the Cardinals desperately tried to sign a sinister hurler by the name of Brian Fuentes to close games for them? At the time, it seemed like the most important move anyone has ever made in the history of the game to many fans, fresh off the bullpen disaster that was 2008. When the Cardinals refused to include a third year option on a deal for Fuentes and he signed with the Angels, the bitterness and angst among many was truly awe-inspiring. There was wailing and gnashing of teeth and rending of garments throughout the land -- and by the land I mean the Post-Dispatch boards and talk radio-- as the cries of cheap ownership and foolish General Managership reached a fever pitch. Those of us who believed in the Cardinals' young pitchers and those of us who believed Fuentes to be hugely overrated rallied together in an attempt to quell the uprising, but to little avail.

why it was important -- Brian Fuentes has been, to put it kindly, less than untouchable this season. Sure, he has 44 saves, but he's also blown seven, has given up a hit per inning, and is striking out four batters less per 9 than he did last season. His FIP for the year stands at 4.53, and that 2.24 he put up last year is looking more and more like the fevered dream of a madman. (Or the fevered dream of a contract year, however you like.)

More importantly, Fuentes would have cost the Cardinals at least $8.5 million this season and $9 million in 2010, stretching the payroll much tighter than it was on Opening Day. Fuentes would have been paid three times what Ryan Franklin was to do a worse job closing out games, and there quite likely wouldn't have been enough financial flexibility to make the moves the Cardinals did later in the year. So we can go back and sign Fuentes if you like, but it probably means no Holliday now. History is fun!

2) Franklin Comes Alive

what it was -- This one sort of bookends nicely with the Fuentes deal that wasn't, as the Cardinals received a very surprising performance in the closer role from Ryan Franklin. Debate all you like how good Franklin really is (and I think most of us are well aware he's nowhere near the pitcher he pitched like for quite a bit of the season), but he stepped in to the void at the back of the bullpen and locked it down for a good period of time.

why it was important -- Well, first off, it kept the Cardinals from losing a bunch of games through late-inning collapses, which is primarily what kept them from going to the playoffs last year. Second, on Opening Day, when Jason Motte got the first crack at closing out a game and blew it so magnificently, my father and I looked at each other (I was watching the game at his house), and said, "Here we go again." If Franklin doesn't step in and stabilise the bullpen, I think it's entirely possible Johnny Mo and Co. go into panic mode and make an ill-advised deal to try and bring in an established closer. And honestly, after witnessing the troubles of 2008, it would have been tough to blame them, but the end result could have been disastrous. Thankfully, Franky did the job, and no knee-jerk moves were needed.

3) Stuck in the Middle With Schu -- and Boog

what it was -- It's a little weird now to look back, but at the beginning of the season, the Cardinals' middle infield was desperately unsettled. Skip Schumaker was making a nearly unprecedented transition from the outfield to second base, and Khalil Greene was starting at shortstop. Most of us, myself most definitely included, thought bringing in Khalil was an excellent gamble, but it was still a gamble nonetheless. Unfortunately, K-Bot has gone all William H. Macy in The Cooler on us, leaving the shortstop position wide open. Five months later, Schumaker is a perfectly adequate player at second and Brendan Ryan has taken the shortstop position by force, turning into one of the best defensive shortstops in the league.

why it was important -- Honestly, can you imagine where we would be without Skip Schumaker and Brendan Ryan? If Schumaker can't pick grounders at even a Dan Uggla sort of level, we likely see Joe Thurston in the lineup every single day. And sure, Thurston's numbers put him in the "much too hated" category, but just think of the sheer number of extra outs the Cards would have made on the basepaths. It boggles the mind.

As for Ryan, you simply can't say enough about what he's meant to this team. If he doesn't take the steps forward he has this season, a) the pitchers all probably have about half a run tacked on to their ERAs, and b) we likely see either a crippled and damaged Khalil Greene trying to play in blood-soaked long sleeves all summer, or Tyler Greene swinging at pickoff throws. Thankfully, both Ryan and Schumaker have done pretty remarkable jobs this year of solidifying the middle infield, keeping us from the horrors that could easily have been.

4) A Carpenter and a Pinata

what it was -- Following a painfully disappointing 2008 for both pitchers, in which Chris Carpenter threw only a handful of innings while trying to come back from elbow surgery and Joel Pineiro earned his El Pinata nickname, 2009 looked a tad worrisome for the Cardinal rotation. Adam Wainwright was seen as the ace, Kyle Lohse the #2, and beyond that, oy. Most thought any innings at all from Chris Carpenter would be a bonus, and we all just wanted Pineiro to go away.

Instead, both pitchers have been outstanding, with Carpenter healthy for the first time since 2006 (minus a ribcage pull, but I mean arm-wise), and El Pinata posting an FIP 1.7 runs lower than in 2008. (4.71 vs. 3.01)

why it was important -- The Cardinals aren't standing where they are today without their rotation, simple as that. Even with the additions to the offense, the Cards still struggle to consistently score runs night in night out, leaving the heavy lifting to the pitchers. Kyle Lohse has had a really awful season, due to both injury and ineffectiveness, and without the contributions of Carp and Pineiro, the rotation would have Wainwright and, um, pray for blight? I can't come up with a good rhyme there. If Carpenter only gives the Cards the ~80 innings many expected and Jo-El is the same guy he is in 2008, this team is, well, the Brewers. Minus the douchebaggery. I hope.

5) Trader Mo

what it was -- After spending his first two offseasons as the helm of the Cardinals trying to clean out the junk from the end of Walt Jocketty's tenure here, Mozeliak had essentially gained himself two reputations. Among those of us who follow baseball very closely and are interested in breaking things down from multiple angles, Mr. Mo was seen as a Hippocratic sort of General Manager, i.e. first, do no harm. He wasn't really doing a lot of good, no, but then again, he also wasn't locking the Cardinals into crippling deals and going all March to the Sea on the farm system, so we were relatively pleased. To the casual fan, though, or even the serious fan less interested in the long-term view, who just wanted to see a winning team, Mozeliak was a do-nothing puppet, the man charged by Bill DeWallet to sit on his hands and save money so they could sell off the team in a couple years. Put simply, they weren't overly fond of Mr. Mo. What was worse, even those of us who thought he was doing a solid job trying to reset the organisation were beginning to get a little antsy.

Fast forward a bit, and the team the Cardinals take into the postseason in 2009 looks very little like the team which took the field on Opening Day, and even less like the team they ended the season with a year ago. Matt Holliday, of course, is the big acquisition, but manning up and going against the field staff to trade Chris Duncan for Julio Lugo may actually be the best move Mozeliak made all year. Bringing in John Smoltz was just gravy. There are, of course, some dark spots, as Mark DeRosa's production likely could have been replicated by an internal candidate, Khalil Greene has had a truly lost season, and in almost all of his trades Mozeliak has seemingly overpaid somewhat.

why it was important -- Simply put, the Cardinals were good enough to win the division or the wild card as constructed at the beginning of the season, but just barely. If everything went right, they were probably an 86-88 win team. If they did squeak into the playoffs, you would have to have expected an early bouncing.

Now, though, the Cardinals could very well be seen as the favourites to win the National League pennant. Personally, I'm still terrified of the Phillies,but not because I think Philadelphia is actually a better baseball team. They just seem to have the Cards' number the past couple years. Regardless, it would surprise no one now to see the Cardinals facing off with whatever AL team makes it through to the World Series at the end of October, and I don't think you can say that before Mozeliak made the improvements to the roster.

Additionally, while I'm not ordinarily a big believer in clubhouse chemistry and other such things, I do think the fact the organisation was obviously trying to obtain help for this team had a positive effect on their play. How many extra wins does that translate to? I have no idea, and wouldn't even hazard a guess. But beyond just how much better the new acquisitions made the team, the players themselves were very appreciative of the improvements made. And yes, winning builds chemistry better than chemistry builds winnings, but it isn't fair to simply dismiss the boost the players got when they saw the cavalry coming over the hill.

It's been a wonderful season, and I'm hoping we have something to celebrate tonight. And yes, I am in full-on jinx mode right now, but I don't care. I'm so excited, and I find myself unable to hide it. Or something like that.

The Baron' Playlist for the 23rd of September, 2009

"Forever Young" -- Alphaville

"The Universal" -- Blur

"Train Song" -- Vashti Bunyan

"All Summer Long" -- The Beach Boys

Scales Scales The Wall! He Catches -- Oh, Wait. No, He Doesn't. Cubs Lose 2-1

Al — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 01:38:55 -0000

More photos » by Bill Boyce - AP

Bobby Scales does his Alfonso Soriano impression.

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Today's 2-1 Cubs loss to the Cardinals, their fourth in a row, wasn't all Bobby Scales' fault, obviously. The Cubs did manage to tie the game up in the 9th inning before the Cardinals got three quick hits and the winning run off Carlos Marmol.

And I shouldn't blame Scales, either. Like LaTroy Hawkins under Dusty Baker, Scales is being asked to do a job by his manager that he isn't qualified to do. So let's say this in big, loud, bold type so maybe Lou will pay attention:

Hey, Lou. Bobby Scales isn't an outfielder. Will you please stop playing him there?

Scales did play some outfield in the minor leagues, though not very much, and it's been three years since he's spent significant time in the outfield (13 games there for Iowa this year, 10 last year). Admittedly, Jake Fox isn't really a very good outfielder, either, though the man can hit. And the Cubs haven't been hitting or scoring many runs lately. Plus, Fox might actually have a role for the 2010 Cubs. Scales will turn 32 on the last day of the regular season and he's had his proverbial 15 minutes of fame. Most likely, he won't be part of the Cubs' 25-man roster next year. And if Lou wanted an outfielder who can actually play, plus is familiar with Busch Stadium, why not So Taguchi?

Nope, it was Scales, who also overran a single by Chris Carpenter in the seventh inning, turning it into a double, although that didn't result in any runs scoring, unlike the ball that Scales had in his glove, hit by Brendan Ryan, that popped out into the bullpen for a home run.

Which was a damn shame, because it ruined yet another outstanding outing from a Cubs starting pitcher. Ryan Dempster nearly matched Carpenter, who is a Cy Young candidate, pitch for pitch over the first eight innings. Only Ryan's HR made the difference; Dempster walked one and Carpenter two. The Cubs eked out a run on a pair of singles and a sac fly by Jeff Baker off Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin in the top of the 9th. Incidentally, the Cardinals ought to worry about Franklin in the postseason. After being nearly unhittable the first five months of the season, Franklin has made seven appearances in September, in which he has thrown 6.1 innings, allowed 11 hits and six walks and seven earned runs for a 9.95 ERA.

Carlos Marmol came in and allowed a single to Ryan Ludwick, who was forced on a bunt attempt. Two more singles scored the winning run, the 20th time this year the Cubs have lost a game in their opponent's last at-bat, a testament to the inconsistency of the bullpen.

But what sums up this game, and in fact, the entire season, is this quote from Lou, which I think we've heard way too many times in 2009:

"He's trying so hard, he's playing a little out of control," Piniella said of Scales, who is in the big leagues for the first time after toiling 10-plus seasons in the Minors. "What are you going to do? This young man played the infield in the Minor Leagues all year."

What are you going to do, Lou? How about managing the team and putting someone out there who can actually play the outfield? I'm getting tired of hearing "What are you going to do?" or "What do you want me to do?" That's not the Lou Piniella who led the Cubs to two division titles. He sounds tired and defeated. Maybe it's time for him to retire.

In the meantime, the Cubs will try to salvage the final game vs. the playoff-bound Cardinals this year, tomorrow night. It's worth watching for the pitching matchup, Carlos Zambrano vs. Adam Wainwright, and to hear what misstatements (or even outright lies) Joe Morgan will say about the Cubs. Till tomorrow, and till then: go Bears.

Prelude to Postseason Production

chuckb — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:28:09 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

I know we're not going to have to worry about this guy in the postseason, but he's going to have to have some help. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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In August, the team averaged 4.46 runs per game, a total that is just about league average for the season (4.43) and would place us tied for 8th in the league in runs per game. It’s a bit of a concern that the team, despite its improvements, is still having trouble scoring runs. September’s been a little different (thankfully) as the team, including last night, is averaging 5.3 runs per game. That’s not to say that they’ll keep it up in the postseason, of course, especially considering the competition we’ve played for most of the month, but it’s nice to see what the offense is capable of once it gets going. The problem is that it’s still an offense that’s driven by our #3, #4, and #5 hitters.

Pujols and Holliday have picked it up in September but they were our best hitters in August as well. The main difference between the 2 months has been the hitting of Ryan Ludwick. Take a look:

	Aug. wOBA	Sept. wOBA
Pujols	.459	.595
Holliday	.391	.513
Ludwick	.271	.494
Ryan	.358	.334
Molina	.335	.396
Lugo	.320	.421
Rasmus	.318	.288
DeRosa	.317	.257
Schumaker	.316	.305

The major improvement by Ludwick, and unsustainable production from Pujols and Holliday, mask the poor months that DeRosa and Schumaker have had. When the leadoff hitter’s unable to reach base, you’re going to have a hard time scoring runs but another problem is the fact that Brendan Ryan’s been in the 2 hole 14 times over the last 6 weeks. Now, I’ve got no problem w/ him batting first or 2nd against lefties. He’s hit them fairly well for his career. That’s not true, however, for his production against righties. For his career, his splits against righties are..265/.314/.371.

Tony’s tried a lot of guys in the 2 hole this year, w/ Rasmus getting the most opportunities w/ 292 PAs in that spot. Though his OPS is .776 in those 292 PAs, there’s a good argument to be made that perhaps he doesn’t belong in that spot. Still, that .776 OPS is higher than Ryan’s this year – in the 2 hole or not. The real problem, of course, is that Tony’s married to Pujols, Holliday, and Ludwick in the 3, 4, and 5 spots. Lugo in the 2 hole is a good idea if he’s going to use Ryan to lead off against lefties but I’d rather see Holliday or Pujols in the 2 hole w/ the other batting 4th. I’m basing that on Sky Kalkman’s tutorial on optimizing a lineup based on The Book.

Our best hitters ought to be hitting 1st, 2nd, and 4th and, since I like Pujols hitting in the first inning (as Tony does, btw) I’d like to see Pujols 2nd and Holliday 4th. Bat Ludwick 5th and Rasmus 3rd maybe. We could use DeRosa in the 3 hole as well. Nevertheless, getting creative w/ the batting order isn’t going to cure the problems we had in August if Ludwick fails to hit in the postseason. If Ludwick isn’t hitting, teams will just walk Pujols repeatedly (they may do that anyway) and take their chances w/ Holliday. As I’ve said myriad times, I welcome the walks to Pujols since it almost always increases our chances of scoring more runs but that means that Holliday and Ludwick are going to have to come through.

Washington Nationals Swept By Cardinals In St. Louis. Trade Ronnie Belliard. Recall Justin Maxwell.

Ed Chigliak — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 02:40:10 -0000

More photos » by Pablo Martinez Monsivais - AP

"MAXWELL'S BACK!!" -- Washington Nationals center fielder Justin Maxwell (30) watches a ball hit by Baltimore Orioles' Aubrey Huff bounce off the top of the outfield wall during the seventh inning of a baseball game Saturday, May 23, 2009, in Washington. The hit was ruled a triple, allowing Orioles' Cesar Izturis to score from first. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

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• It's bad enough when Albert Pujols beats you with a walk-off HR, like he did Friday night in the first of three for DC in St. Louis, but when he does it with a dribbler on the infield grass or hits a single up the middle to score the winning run on a full-count fastball from Nationals' starter Garrett Mock that should have been unreachable outside, it's even tougher to take, but at least no one had to see Pujols pose and flip his bat in the air when he helped the Cardinals win the series finale on Sunday. Cards' starter Adam Wainwright holds the Nationals to just 3 hits and 1 ER over 6.0 IP in which he walks 3, K's 7 and throws 109 pitches, 69 for strikes. The one run off Wainwright comes in the sixth when the 6'7'' right-hander issues back-to-back two-out walks and an RBI single that scores Adam Dunn from second after he'd taken just the 3rd walk Wainwright had allowed in 6 August starts.

• Garrett Mock throws 99 pitches over 6.0 innings, allowing 4 hits and 2 ER to the Cardinals, who score when Albert Pujols hits a dribbler to third even Ryan Zimmerman can't handle, moving Colby Rasmus first to third so that Rick Ankiel can bring him home with an RBI single, and again in the sixth, when Pujols scores Rasmus from second with an RBI single on a 3-2 pitch the Nationals Manager and catcher wanted further outside. The Nationals' best chance to tie the game comes in the eighth when they load the bases with an Adam Dunn walk, Josh Willingham double and Elijah Dukes' second free pass of the game, but Peter Orr flies out to center to let St. Louis out of the inning with the 2-1 lead in tact.

Cardinals win, 2-1 final.

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Check Out The SB Nation's St. Louis Cardinals Blog: Viva El Birdos Open Thread.

"Game 131: Losing by one run still stinks" - Doghouse.

BACKPAGE:

• E: 116

• Nationals Trade Ronnie Belliard

• Nationals Recall Justin Maxwell

• Washington Times' Mark Zuckerman On Strasburg's First Workout.

For The Completists, Full Game Report After The JUMP...

Nationals now 46-85. (Countdown To 100 Losses Stands At...15)

BACKPAGE:

• E: 116 -

Two down in the Cards' seventh, Brendan Ryan grounds to short, Cristian Guzman moves slowly toward second and bends down for it, but a bad hop beats him and he drops what should have been the third out for his 18th error and the Nationals' 116th of 2009. OUTCOME: Garrett Mock pops Adam Wainwright up to end the frame. No damage done, except to those of us whose defensive sensibilities have been offended all year.

• Nationals Trade Ronnie Belliard

According to DC GM Mike Rizzo, who's quoted in Washington Post writer Chico Harlan's Nationals Journal post entitled, "Nats Trade Belliard to Dodgers", the Nationals have scouted right-hander Luis Garcia several times before today's trade that sent Ronnie Belliard to LA in exchange for the 22-year-old reliever. The Nationals will also be receiving a PTBNL that Mr. Rizzo says will be another pitcher. Here's how he describes the one pitcher already included in the deal to Mr. Harlan:

"(Garcia's) up to 94 mph with a fastball and he's got a slider and he's got really good command at a really young age. So we're happy with the results that he's had in the past. His performance has been good, and his upside is really good. We feel excited about getting him as part of the deal."

Belliard tells MLB.com's Bill Ladson, in an article entitled, "Veteran Belliard traded to Dodgers" that he was caught off guard by the trade, explaining "'This late in the year, this wasn't in my mind," but Belliard also seems to understand the opportunity he's been given, telling Mr. Ladson:

"'I'm happy because I'm going to L.A. and that team is in first place," Belliard said. 'But I'm sad because I am going to leave a lot of friends. I've been here for the last three years and I made a lot of friends."

Belliard will now fly to Los Angeles where he'll join the NL West-leading Dodgers, while the Nationals have to fly out to San Diego for tomorrow night's 10:05 pm EST start in SAFECO...

• Nationals Recall Justin Maxwell

Justin Maxwell was just 3 for 24 in the 13 games he's played with the Nationals this season, and he's hit 10 doubles, 5 triples and collected 13 RBI's with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs before being called up on Sunday to replace Ronnie Belliard on the Nationals' roster. After hitting just .202 in the month of July, Maxwell's put together his best month of the year in August, posting a .273 AVG with 27 hits in 99 at bats, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 1 HR, 10 RBI's and 13 stolen bases in 30 games played. Maxwell, now 25, is just a .200 hitter so far in sporadic appearances at the major league level, and his .286 OBP so far in 28 games and 50 at bats, is in need of improvement.

LINK:

• Washington Times - Chatter - "Strasburg's first day" - Mark Zuckerman

"'I thought I'd get a little peace out here on the field, but you guys follow me everywhere,' he(Strasburg) said later inside the lobby of the Nationals' minor-league complex, his head down, not even wanting to look any of us in the eyes. 'I guess it just goes with the territory. It's something I'm going to have to learn to deal with. But it's good to be out here and throwing a baseball again.'"

GAME REPORT:

Washington Nationals At St. Louis Cardinals. Game 131 Of 162.

Willie Harris lines the first pitch from Adam Wainwright to center field where Colby Rasmus catches the first out of the Sunday finale. Cristian Guzman grounds to Skip Schumaker at second. Ryan Zimmerman grounds a full-count fastball to short and the throw from Brendan Ryan ends the top of the first...Garrett Mock gets a swinging K from Skip Schumaker with a brutal curve that breaks across the plate. Colby Rasmus flies out to Elijah Dukes in right. Albert Pujols pops out to the infield to complete one frame.

Adam Dunn grounds into the shift for the first out of the second. Josh Willingham gets called out on a two-strike fastball inside. Elijah Dukes takes one in the numbers for the Nationals’ first baserunner. Pete Orr sends a one-hopper to second to end the top of the frame...Matt Holliday sends an easy Sunday fly to Dukes in right. Rick Ankiel draws a one-out walk from Garrett Mock. Khalil Greene gets a two-strike curve and K’s chasing. Yadier Molina grounds out to short, Guzman takes the force at second.

Josh Bard lines the first pitch to right for a leadoff single in the third. Garrett Mock squares to bunt with two strikes, but swings away and K’s. Willie Harris K’s swinging. Cristian Guzman’s battling Wainwright with the count full, but he ends up grounding out to short...Brendan Ryan flies out to the right-center gap, but Elijah Dukes gets there to catch the first out of the Cards’ third. Garrett Mock abuses Adam Wainwright with benders. Skip Schumaker grounds out to second to end a quick third.

Ryan Zimmerman grounds out to second to start the fourth. Adam Dunn walks with one down in front of Josh Willingham. The Hammer stares a two-strike curve all the way in for a called strike three. Elijah Dukes flies out to left to end the Nationals’ fourth...Garrett Mock gives up a single to center to Colby Rasmus for the Cards’ first hit. Albert Pujols sends a dribbler to third, that Zimmerman fields but holds on to, first and third, no outs. Matt Holliday takes a two-strike curve inside for a called strike three. Rick Ankiel flies to left on a 3-0 pitch, good enough to score Rasmus from third. 1-0 Cardinals. Khalil Greene grounds out a foot in front of home. Bard throws to first to end the fourth.

Pete Orr reaches on a bunt toward third. Josh Bard grounds into a force at second. Garrett Mock fouls off a 1-2 pitch trying to bunt and gets called out. Willie Harris flies out to left to end the Nationals’ fifth...Yadier Molina grounds out to second. Brendan Ryan grounds to third for Zimmerman to handle. Adam Wainwright grounds out to short.

Cristian Guzman takes a two-strike fastball outside for a called strike three. Ryan Zimmerman takes strike two and three low and outside, but punched out by the ump. Adam Dunn walks with two down. Josh WIllingham takes four too. Elijah Dukes waits on a curve and lines it to left center to score Adam Dunn and tie it at 1-1. Pete Orr grounds out to first to end the rally...Skip Schumaker flies out to Willie Harris in center. Colby Rasmus laces a line drive single to right. Albert Pujols up, Mock bounces one off the catcher, Rasmus takes second. Mock tries to get Pujols to chase a pitch outside, but he gets too much plate and Pujols singles to center, Rasmus scores, 2-1 Cards. Pujols steals second, and takes third when the throw sails into center. Matt Holliday grounds weakly to third. Pujols stays put. Rick Ankiel up with two down. Mock gets Ankiel swinging. 2-1 St. Louis.

Kyle McLellan gets the first out of the seventh with one pitch to Josh Bard, who grounds out to second. Mike Morse gets a pinch hit appearance. Ground ball to second, Schumaker throws to first, two down. Willie Harris gets called out on strikes to end the Nationals’ seventh...Tyler Clippard vs Khalil Greene to start the Cards’ seventh. Khalil Greene grounds back to the mound. Yadier Molina flies out to right. Brendan Ryan grounds to short and Cristian Guzman muffs it. Mock gets the opposing pitcher to fly out to end it.

Cristian Guzman flies out to start the eighth. Ryan Zimmerman K’s swinging and the Cards will bring a new pitcher on to face Adam Dunn. Trever Miller vs Dunn. Lefty vs Lefty. Adam Dunn walks with two down. Ryan Franklin comes on to face Josh Willingham. The Hammer doubles off the left field wall. Dunn takes third. Elijah Dukes takes a swing at a 3-0 pitch and fouls it off, but walks on the 3-1 offering. Pete Orr flies out to center to end the threat...Sean Burnett takes the mound in the eighth. Julio Lugo gets hit and takes first. Ryan Ludwick grounds to short, Guzman to Ronnie Belliard at second to Dunn, double play. Albert Pujols flies out to right.

Josh Bard pops out foul of third for the first out of the ninth. Ronnie Belliard K’s chasing junk. Willie Harris flies out to Ankiel in right to end the game. Cardinals sweep the Nationals. 2-1 final.

Nationals now 46-85.

St. Louis Cardinals Get Two Three-Run HR's, Beat Washington Nationals 9-4.

Ed Chigliak — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 06:09:49 -0000

More photos » by Tom Gannam - AP

3 months ago: Washington Nationals starting pitcher Craig Stammen reacts as St. Louis Cardinals' Matt Holliday circles the bases after hitting a three-run home run in the third inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009 in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)

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E: 17, 115:

To be fair to Cristian Guzman, Albert Pujols, who was running from second, did momentarily block his view, stopping, before running to third, so that Guzman didn't see the ball hit toward short off Ryan Ludwick's bat until it passed the big Cardinals' slugger, but the Nationals' shortstop was still given a two-out error when it bounced off his knee and into center. Pujols scored from first on Guzman's 17th E of '09, which also ended Stammen's night, and Matt Holliday went first to third to put two on for Colby Rasmus, who launched a two-out, three-run HR to right of Washington's lefty reliever Ron Villone to put St. Louis up 7-2 after five innings of play tonight in Busch Stadium.

DC starter Craig Stammen didn't make it out of the fifth. Nationals' Manager Jim Riggleman lifted Stammen after he allowed 4 hits, 4 walks and 6 runs, the three scored after Guzman's E unearned of course, but still on the board, and the other three earned with one swing when Matt Holliday took umbrage with the intentional walk of Albert Pujols that preceded his AB and hit a 3-run HR of his own on a first-pitch fastball from Stammen that didn't quite make it all the way inside. It was 3-1 Cardinals at that point, 5-2 after Rasmus' blast and 9-3 after back to back RBI hits by Brendan Ryan and Albert Pujols in the sixth, and a 9-4 final after Ryan Zimmerman's RBI single in the seventh ended the scoring. Cardinals right-hander Mitchell Boggs (2-2, 4.57) got his second win of the season for 6.0 innings of work over which he allowed 8 hits, 1 BB, 3 ER and 1 HR. St. Louis' skipper Tony LaRussa uses four separate pitchers with a 9-3 lead, but who can blame the Cardinals for making sure they get the win with the post season at stake...

Cardinals win, 9-4 final.

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Check Out The SB Nation's St. Louis Cardinals Blog: Viva El Birdos GameThread.

BACKPAGE:

• #35

• "Perfect" Pete Orr Goes 4 for 4.

For the Completists, Full Game Reports After The JUMP...

Nationals now 46-84. (Countdown To 100 Losses Stands At...16)

BACKPAGE:

• #35

Mitchell Boggs, the Cards' hard-throwing right-hander will probably think twice before he throws Adam Dunn a first-pitch fastball waist high over the outside edge of the plate again, since it was hit so far the St. Louis fans had time to, "Ahhhh!" as it soared out to right. Dunn's no-doubter is the Nationals' big boppers' 35th of the season, five off his trademark total with 32 games to go. In 21 games and 92 plate appearances in April, Dunn hits 6 HR's, in 29 games and 126 plate appearances in May, Dunn connected for 10, 4 in 26 games and 108 PA's in June, and 6 in 26 games and 101 plate appearances in July, with 9 HR's (so far) in August and thirty-two games to go...Does anyone doubt Dunn does it? NEW POLL!!!

• "Perfect" Pete Orr Goes 4 for 4.

I made the mistake of calling "Pinch Hittin'" Pete Orr a gritty hustler who was "wholly unspectacular" but nonetheless a favorite everywhere he plays because of the effort he puts out each and every game and Orr went out and collected 4 hits in 4 at bats tonight, all singles, to prove his worth and my point.

GAME REPORT:

Washington Nationals At St. Louis Cardinals. Game 130 Of 162.

Cards’ right-hander Mitchell Boggs gets a groundout to first from Willie Harris to start the second of three in St. Louis. Cristian Guzman legs out a triple on a sharp grounder that gets by Pujols at first and rolls into the corner. Ryan Zimmerman flies to the track in right allowing Guzman to tag and score. 1-0 Nationals. Adam Dunn archs a line drive over Mark DeRosa at short for a two-out single. Mitchell Boggs gets Josh Willingham to chase a two-strike slider out of the zone...Skip Schumaker doubles into the left field gap off DC right-hander Craig Stammen to start the Cards’ first. Brendan Ryan grounds to short and Schumaker breaks for third and gets cut down, Zimmerman with the tag. Alberto Pujols pops out to Adam Dunn foul of first. Ryan Zimmerman catches a pop fly from Matt Holliday in front of the third base dugout. 1-0 DC after one.

Elijah Dukes grounds out to short to start the second. Pete Orr lines a single to center with one down. Wil Nieves grounds back to the mound, Boggs to Schumaker to Pujols, double play...Ryan Ludwick starts the St. Louis' second with a base on balls. Colby Rasmus grounds into a force at second. Rasmus steals second without a throw when Wil Nieves rushes and loses it. Stammen issues a two-out walk to Mark DeRosa. Jason LaRue pops out to third, and Stammen gets Boggs looking at a two-strike curve.

Craig Stammen grounds out to short. Willie Harris hits a one-out single over second that drops into the grass. Cristian Guzman grounds to first, Albert Pujols throws to second to get Harris, but Guzman’s safe at first. Ryan Zimmerman grounds to short and DeRosa takes the force at second...Skip Schumaker gets robbed by a sprinting Willie Harris, who gets to left center on a hard hit liner. Brendan Ryan singles up the middle with one down. Stammen throws a high full-count fastball to walk Pujols. Stammen doesn’t keep his fastball low enough and Holliday lifts it off the inside corner for a three-run blast. 3-1 Cardinals. Stammen gets Ryan Ludwick swinging. Colby Rasmus flies to left to end the third. 3-1 Cards.

Adam Dunn pops out to the catcher. Josh Willingham takes a full count fastball down low for a one-out walk. Elijah Dukes rips a single through short. Pete Orr goes the other way to load the bases on a line drive to left. Wil Nieves grounds out to score Hammer from third, 3-2. Craig Stammen pops out to end the inning...Cristian Guzman throws out Mark DeRosa. Jason LaRue can’t swing at a two-strike slider that breaks across the zone for strike three. Mitchell Boggs K’s looking too.

Willie Harris flies out to left field to start the fifth. Cristian Guzman grounds to first, Boggs gets over to cover. Ryan Ludwick goes back to the wall to catch Ryan Zimmerman’s fly ball...Stammen vs Schumaker in the fifth. Schumaker grounds out to second. Brendan Ryan flies out to Willie Harris in the right-center gap. Albert Pujols torches a double to left, one hop and off the wall with two down. Holliday gets a free pass. Ryan Ludwick grounds to short, and Pujols blocks Guzman’s view, the ball bounces off Guzman and flies into center, one run scores, 4-2 Cards. Ron Villone comes on to face the lefty Colby Rasmus. Rasmus destroys a fastball over the middle of the plate, GONE!! 3-run HR to right. DeRosa lines out to end the frame. 7-2 Cardinals.

Adam Dun---SHAKE N BAKE!! SHAKE N BAKE!!! Adam Dunn goes real deep to right for his 35th HR of the year. 7-3 Cardinals. Elijah Dukes pops out to first. Pete Orr hits a two-out double to right. Wil Nieves is robbed by a diving Skip Schumaker at second, 7-3 Cardinals, middle of six...Jorge Sosa takes over for DC. Jason LaRue pops out to Pete Orr at second. Pinch hitter Joe Thurston pops out. Skip Schumaker doubles to the left field corner. Brendan Ryan gets a single through second to score Schumaker, 8-3 Cardinals. Albert Pujols doubles in a run off the center field wall, 9-3 Cardinals. Holliday grounds out to second to mercifully end the sixth.

Mike Morse grounds out to start the seventh. Kyle McClellan on to pitch for St. Louis. Willie Harris works a one-out walk. Cristian Guzman splits the right-center gap with a low line drive single. Zimmerman singles through short, Harris scores from second, 9-4 St. Louis. Lefty Trever Miller on to face Dunn. Adam Dunn lines out to Ludwick in right. Josh Willingham will see a new pitcher. Jason Motte vs The Hammer. Motte walks Willingham to load the bases for Dukes. Dukes K’s looking at two pitches out of the zone...Saul Rivera gets a groundout from Ryan Ludwick to start the Cards’ seventh. Colby Rasmus goes opposite field with a line drive single to left. Mark DeRosa follows with a single to right. LaRue grounds to short, Guzman to Orr to Dunn at first, double play.

Motte’s back in the eighth. Pete Orr hits a broken bat single to center. Wil Nieves K’s swinging over a two-strike curve. Ronnie Belliard grounds into the inning-ender, DP by the Cards to end DC’s eighth...Jason Bergmann comes on for the Nationals. Rick Ankiel takes a leadoff walk. Skip Schumaker lines to right for a single. Brendan Ryan grounds out but moves both runners over, opening up first for Pujols, who gets the intentionals. Matt Holliday goes down swinging. Ryan Ludwick goes down chasing, 9-4 Cardinals after eight.

Willie Harris vs Brad Thompson. Harris takes strike three on a fastball up high. Cristian Guzman pops out to second. Ryan Zimmerman’s bat explodes as he grounds out to first, game over. Cards win, 9-4 final.

Nationals now 46-84.

Poll

Will Adam Dunn Reach 40 HR's?

Without A Doubt! Shake N Bake!!! Dunn Will Hit 40!!!!

60 votes

Not This Year! Dunn Finally Falls Short Of 40!!!

6 votes

Dunn Will Not Only Hit 40 HR's, He's Going To Top His Career High Of 46!!!

9 votes

75 votes | Poll has closed

Albert Pujols Hits A Walk-Off Winner, St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 Over Washington Nationals.

Ed Chigliak — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 05:00:09 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

3 months ago: St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols, top, tosses his bat as fans cheer after hitting a walkoff home run to defeat the Washington Nationals 3-2 in a baseball game Friday, Aug. 28, 2009, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

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It wasn't the same John Smoltz on the mound tonight in St. Louis that Washington fans saw in Nationals Park with the Red Sox a few weeks back. It was more like the Smoltz of old, albeit with significantly less zip on his heater, but the new St. Louis' starter threw 93 pitches over 6.0 innings against the visiting team from the nation's capital, striking out 6 and allowing just 1 walk and 1 ER, on a sac fly by Pete Orr that scored Alberto Gonzalez after "The General" had singled and taken third on Cristian Guzman's one-out hit in the third...John Lannan matched Smoltz frame for frame, (Hmmm, has that happened before?), and then threw two more than the Cards' veteran, pitching his way out a bases-loaded jam in the second with only one crossing and inducing 17 groundouts from the 27 batters he faced, giving up just 4 hits and 2 ER in 8.0 IP over which he threw 91 pitches, 62 for strikes.

The second run Lannan allows comes an inning after Elijah Dukes and Josh Bard had hit back to back doubles to off right-handed reliever Blake Hawksworth to break a 1-1 tie in the seventh. Lannan gets a groundout to first from Cardinals' center fielder Colby Rasmus for the first out of the eighth, but then throws a 3-1 fastball to pinch hitter Khalil Greene that ends up in the left field stands. 2-2 ballgame when DC reliever Jason Bergmann takes over on the mound in the bottom of the ninth against Alberto Pujols. After a high 94 mph fastball that Pujols fouled off, the future Hall of Famer got a fastball up and in, again at 94, that had the nicest fans in baseball expressing displeasure, but a moment later it was ecstacy as the Cards' 6'3'', 230 lb slugger connected on his 41st HR of 2009, a walk-off HR that sends them home happy. Cardinals win, 3-2 final.

BACKPAGE:

• Nationals' Game MVP: Tied?

Cardinals win, 3-2 final.

Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching.

Check Out The SB Nation's St. Louis Cardinals Blog: Viva El Birdos GameThread.

Nationals now 46-83.

BACKPAGE:

• Nationals' Game MVP: Tied?

It would be easy to give DC lefty John Lannan the MVP of the game for the Nationals, after all, he did hold a powerful Cardinals' lineup to just 4 hits and 2 ER in 8.0 innings, but that would overlook the effort that Elijah Dukes made in the outfield and at the plate this evening. The Nationals' right fielder finished the game 3 for 4 with a run scored and two doubles, but it was his range in the outfield and the fearlessness he showed running into the wall to make an impressive catch in the bottom of the eighth to rob Julio Lugo that stood out. Dukes gets my MVP vote. Now just keep it going every night...

GAME REPORT:

Washington Nationals At St. Louis Cardinals. Game 129 Of 162.

John Smoltz gets a groundout to second from Cristian Guzman to start the Friday night game between the Cardinals and Nationals. "Pinch Hittin’" Pete Orr rips a single through second for the first hit of the game. With Ryan Zimmerman up, Pete Orr steals second and takes third when Yadier Molina’s throw sails into center. Zimmerman K’s chasing a fastball off the plate. Adam Dunn hits a sharp grounder into the shift but can’t beat Julio Lugo’s throw to first...Julio Lugo grounds back to the mound, John Lannan makes the play and the throw for the first out. Ryan Zimmerman gets to a grounder in the hole from Brendan Ryan and throws him out at first.

Josh Willingham takes a 2-1 pitch to short right for the first out of the second. Elijah Dukes grounds back up the middle, but Julio Lugo’s waiting for it. Josh Bard goes down swinging to end a quick frame for Smoltz...Matt Holliday takes an 0-1 pitch to the left field corner for a leadoff double. Ryan Ludwick walks to put two on for Mark DeRosa, who singles through short to load the bases. Yadier Molina grounds into the DP, but a run scores to make it 1-0 Cards. Colby Rasmus grounds back to the mound to end the second.

Alberto Gonzalez finds a hole near second and sneaks a single through. John Lannan’s trying to bunt, but he gets fooled by a bender outside that’s called strike three. Willie Harris rips a single through second, Alberto Gonzalez takes third. Pete Orr battles Smoltz and ends up lining out to right for a sac fly RBI. 1-1. Ryan Zimmerman up, and Willie Harris gets nailed trying for second...John Lannan strikes out Smoltz to start the Cards’ third. Lannan throws a fastball outside by Julio Lugo. Pete Orr throws out Brendan Ryan to end a quick third.

Ryan Zimmerman takes a fastball outside for ball four. Adam Dunn takes a full-count slider outside for a called strike three. Josh Willingham flies out to left. Elijah Dukes reaches safely on a hard hit grounder to short. Josh Bard grounds out to second to end the Nationals’ fourth...Albert Pujols grounds back to the mound again. Matt Holliday grounds to first, and Adam Dunn gets down to pick it. Lannan issues a two-out walk to Ryan Ludwick. Mark DeRosa flies to right, Dukes catches it coming in.

Alberto Gonzalez grounds right back to Smoltz. John Lannan swings weakly at a cruel off-speed pitch. Willie Harris gets jammed and flies out to right...Yadier Molina reaches for a fastball outside that get grounded weakly to second. Colby Rasmus rolls the second out to first. John Smoltz flies out to center to end the fifth...Pete Orr leads off the sixth with a groundout to short. Ryan Zimmerman grounds out to short. Adam Dunn can’t lay off or connect with Smoltz’s two-strike bender...Cardinals’ sixth, Julio Lugo hits a line drive single to the right-center gap to start the frame. Brendan Ryan grounds to third, Ryan Zimmerman gets it, but throws away the DP attempt at second. Elijah Dukes sprints to the right field line to catch a pop fly from Pujols. Matt Holliday grounds to third, Zimmerman steps on the bag and throws to first to end the sixth.

Blake Hawksworth takes over on the mound for Smoltz. Josh Willingham pops out to second to start the seventh. Elijah Dukes explodes on a change and doubles to the left field corner with one down. Josh Bard pulls a fastball to right and it drops in for the second-straight double to score Dukes and make it 2-1 DC. Alberto Gonzalez grounds to first, John Lannan to second and it’s 2-1 DC in the seventh...Ryan Ludwick grounds out to Ryan Zimmerman. Elijah Dukes goes back to the track to catch the second out off Mark DeRosa's bat. Ryan Zimmerman picks a weak grounder from Yadier Molina and throws to first to end the seventh.

Dennys Reyes vs Willie Harris in the eighth. Harris flies out to short center. Pete Orr grounds out to Lugo at second. Ryan Zimmerman takes a two-out walk. Adam Dunn grounds into the shift, and it’s 2-1 in the middle of the eighth...Colby Rasmus grounds out to Ronnie Belliard at first. Khalil Greene gets a 3-1 fastball out over the plate and he sends it out over the left field wall to tie it at 2-2. Elijah Dukes runs into the wall while making a catch on a fly ball to the right field corner by Julio Lugo. Brendan Ryan grounds to short, and Alberto Gonzalez makes the play.

Josh Willingham grounds out to short to start the ninth. Cards’ right-hander Jason Motte gets Josh Bard to fly out weakly to right. Alberto Gonzalez does the same...Albert Pujols vs Jason Bergmann. Bergmann hangs a 1-1 slider and it’s over. Walk-off HR.

Nationals now 46-83.