In the Shadow of the Arch: A St. Louis Cardinals Franchise (The Show 13)

[mockme]

Rosters: OSFM Hybrid v2.3
Sliders: A&S & Marino's All-Star Set
30 team control: Yes

I will try to play all 162 games. If that proves too much for me I won't be quitting on the franchise, but I'll start playing one game per series. Also, I won't be making any of the real life trades like Garza to Rangers and Soriano to Yankees that have occurred after the release of the roster.

[mockme]

Cardinals Opening Day Roster
#	PITCHERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
36	Randy Choate	RP	L/L	37	6'1''	205	570K
54	Jaime Garcia	SP	L/L	26	6'2''	215	4.2M
58	Joe Kelly	RP/SP	R/R	24	6'1''	185	440K
31	Lance Lynn	SP	R/R	25	6'5''	250	460K
61	Seth Maness	RP	R/R	24	6'0''	190	380K
40	Shelby Miller	SP	R/R	22	6'3''	225	440K
44	Edward Mujica	RP	R/R	28	6'3''	225	1.8M
26	Trevor Rosenthal	RP	R/R	22	6'2''	190	440K
34	Marc Rzepczynski	RP	L/L	27	6'1''	205	470K
59	Fernando Salas	RP	R/R	27	6'2''	200	540K
#	CATCHERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
48	Tony Cruz	C	R/R	26	5'11''	205	280K
37	Rob Johnson	C	R/R	30	6'1''	220	220K
4	Yadier Molina	C	R/R	30	5'11''	225	15.5M
#	INFIELDERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
53	Matt Adams	1B	L/R	24	6'3''	230	350K
13	Matt Carpenter	2B	L/R	27	6'3''	200	440K
21	Allen Craig	1B	R/R	28	6'2''	210	640K
33	Daniel Descalso	2B	L/R	26	5'10''	190	370K
23	David Freese	3B	R/R	29	6'2''	220	430K
38	Pete Kozma	SS	R/R	24	6'0''	170	320K
#	OUTFIELDERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
3	Carlos Beltran	RF	S/R	35	6'1''	215	3.1M
7	Matt Holliday	LF	R/R	33	6'4''	235	1.7M
19	Jon Jay	CF	L/L	27	5'11''	200	460K
43	Shane Robinson	RF	R/R	28	5'9''	160	190K

St. Louis Cardinals Depth Chart - 2013

• Catcher
• Yadier Molina
• Tony Cruz
• Rob Johnson

• First Base
• Allen Craig
• Matt Adams

• Second Base
• Matt Carpenter
• Daniel Descalso

• Third Base
• David Freese
• Daniel Descalso

• Shortstop
• Pete Kozma
• Daniel Descalso

• Left Field
• Matt Holliday
• Allen Craig
• Shane Robinson

• Center Field
• Jon Jay
• Shane Robinson
• Allen Craig

• Right Field
• Carlos Beltran
• Shane Robinson
• Allen Craig

• Starting Pitcher
• Adam Wainwright
• Jaime Garcia
• Jake Westbrook
• Lance Lynn
• Shelby Miller

• Relief Pitcher
• Joe Kelly
• Seth Maness
• Fernando Salas
• Marc Rzcepczynski
• Trevor Rosenthal
• Randy Choate

• Closer
• Edward Mujica

[mockme]

With Opening Day around the corner, Cards make final preparations

By Derrick Goold | Sunday, March 31, 2013

PHOENIX • Tomorrow marks the start of yet another season of Major League Baseball, and the Cardinals start their campaign here in Phoenix with a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ace Adam Wainwright will take the mound and face his D-Back counterpart, Ian Kennedy. For me, this feels like a good time to take one final look at this year's Cardinals team.

The rotation, even after losing Chris Carpenter to injury, is a strong one. Spearheaded by Wainwright, and including Jaime Garcia, Jake Westbrook, Lance Lynn and the highly rated Shelby Miller. Joe Kelly is also available for spot starts out of the bullpen and will likely be added to the rotation if injuries occur.

The bullpen has one question to answer: will they be able to close out games? Jason Motte won't be playing this year, so the closer role has been handed to Edward Mujica, at least for now. If Mujica falters, the Cards will definitely explore other options there. Maybe even the youngster with a blazing fastball, Trevor Rosenthal. Though considering Mujica's ability as a pitcher, you can see him being a success.

The obvious area of focus for the Cardinals is the middle infield. Last year Matt Carpenter was more of a utility player, but this season he's the starting second baseman, forcing Daniel Descalso to the bench, from where he'll be backing up all the infield positions except for first base, where Matt Adams is waiting behind Allen Craig. Carpenter has a good bat, but it remains to be seen whether his defense is any good at second.

At shortstop, Pete Kozma takes over the starting role, as Rafael Furcal is out for the year, but he will most likely platoon with Descalso. Kozma has a good glove, and had a tremendous run at the plate last season, but just like Carpenter, he has to prove that he can do it again, and during the course of a full season.

The outfield is much more settled than the infield, with Matt Holliday, Jon Jay and Carlos Beltran all being the clear number one options in their positions. Shane Robinson is the only backup outfielder, as the Cardinals are carrying three catchers in the roster to start the year. It's likely that at some point either Tony Cruz or Rob Johnson will go down to Triple-A, so that the Cardinals can get another outfielder to the big league club. Maybe even highly awaited prospect Oscar Taveras?

Play ball!

[mockme]

Pitchers dominate as Cards fall to D-Backs on Opening Day
BY DERRICK GOOLD | Monday, April 1, 2013

PHOENIX • It was really evident that the two starters taking the mound on Opening Day were the aces of their respective teams. Adam Wainwright for the Cardinals, and Ian Kennedy for the Diamondbacks. Neither of them allowed a run to score, and while Wainwright's six shutout innings were good, Kennedy was even better.

The Diamondbacks' starter pitched through eight innings while only giving up two hits and striking out seven batters. He actually had a no-hitter going all the way to the fifth, when Allen Craig finally managed to hit a single.

Both bullpens also picked up right where their starters left off, as it took all the way into the eleventh inning before Arizona's shortstop Cliff Pennington finally managed to drive in a run with a runner on third and two outs. Before that Fernando Salas, Randy Choate and Trevor Rosenthal all had had scoreless outing for the Cardinals, while Tony Sipp and Heath Bell had done the same for the Diamondbacks.

"Just a wonderful pitching performance from both teams", said Cardinals manager Mike Matheny. "Usually I'd put this kind of offensive performance down to lousy at-bats and early season jitters, but today the pitching was fantastic."

Matheny's words have a little bit of truth to them, as veteran hitters such as Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday struggled mightily against the Diamondbacks' staff. Holliday managed a double, but only after Kennedy had left the game.

Tomorrow the Cardinals send left-handed Jaime Garcia to the mound to face off against Trevor Cahill.

Player of the Game


Ian Kennedy - 8.0 IP, 2 H, 7 K, 0 R, 0 ER

St. Louis Cardinals at Arizona Diamondbacks
Apr 1, 2013	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Extras	R	H	E
St. Louis (0-1)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	1
Arizona (1-0)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	11	0
W: Heath Bell (1-0) L: Joe Kelly (0-1)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			STL	ARI
ARI	11	Pennington lined to center for a single. Montero scores.	0	1

St. Louis Cardinals
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG
Jay, CF	5	0	1	0	0	1	.200
Carpenter, 2B	4	0	0	0	0	1	.000
Holliday, LF	4	0	1	0	0	2	.250
Craig, 1B	4	0	1	0	0	0	.250
Molina, C	4	0	0	0	0	2	.000
Beltran, RF	4	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Freese, 3B	4	0	1	0	0	2	.250
Descalso, SS	3	0	1	0	0	1	.333
Wainwright, P	1	0	0	0	0	1	.000
Salas, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Choate, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Robinson, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Rosenthal, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Adams, PH	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
Kelly, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
TOTALS	34	0	5	0	1	10
BATTING 2B: Holliday (1) SAC: Descalso, Wainwright GIDP: Jay, Molina
BASERUNNING SB: Jay (1)
FIELDING E: Jay (1)

St. Louis Cardinals
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Wainwright	6.0	5	0	0	0	5	0.00
Salas	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	0.00
Choate	1.0	1	0	0	1	1	0.00
Rosenthal	2.0	2	0	0	0	1	0.00
Kelly (L, 1-1)	0.2	3	1	0	0	0	0.00
TOTALS	10.2	11	1	0	1	10

Arizona Diamondbacks
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG
Parra, CF	5	0	1	0	0	2	.200
Prado, 3B	5	0	1	0	0	1	.200
Goldschmidt, 1B	3	0	1	0	1	2	.333
Bloomquist, PR-1B	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Kubel, LF	5	0	1	0	0	1	.200
Montero, C	5	1	1	0	0	1	.200
Hill, 2B	5	0	1	0	0	2	.200
Ross, RF	5	0	2	0	0	0	.400
Pennington, SS	5	0	2	1	0	1	.400
Kennedy, P	2	0	1	0	0	0	.500
Eaton, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Sipp, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Chavez, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Bell, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
TOTALS	43	1	11	1	1	10
BATTING 2B: Ross (1) RBI: Pennington (1)
BASERUNNING SB: Goldschmidt (1)

Arizona Diamondbacks
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Kennedy	8.0	2	0	0	0	7	0.00
Sipp	1.0	1	0	0	0	2	0.00
Bell (W, 1-0)	2.0	2	0	0	1	1	0.00
TOTALS	11.0	5	0	0	1	10

[mockme]

Garcia clobbered in loss, bats still missing
BY DERRICK GOOLD | Tuesday, April 2, 2013

PHOENIX • It was a tough season debut for Jaime Garcia on the mound. The young lefty only lasted four and a third of an inning as the Diamondbacks slapped him around for seven runs on eight hits, one of them being a three-run homer by outfielder Cody Ross. The Cardinals' offense, on the other hand, kept on struggling, as Matt Holliday's RBI single in the fifth now marks the only run the team has scored in nineteen and two thirds of an inning.

"Obviously it's a bit worrying," manager Mike Matheny said. "but it's just the second game of the season, and tomorrow is a new day."

Garcia's problems started in the very first inning, as Adam Eaton led off with a first pitch single over the head of Matt Carpenter. Martin Prado followed up with a double to left field, scoring Eaton. Garcia was able to retire the following two batters, but then Aaron Hill's two-out hit scored Prado from second, making it 2-0. Garcia finally got out of the inning by striking out Juan Rivera following Hill's single.

It wasn't until the fifth inning that things would fire up again, and the Cardinals finally got their first run of the season. Garcia got the inning started with a lead-off double into right field, but Jon Jay grounded out to third, not moving Garcia along. Matt Carpenter slapped the ball right back to the pitcher in his at-bat, but Garcia took off, and managed to stay in the rundown long enough for Carpenter to advance to second base. Then Holliday managed to pull the ball right down the line past third, and Carpenter was easily safe.

However, the joy wouldn't last long. Garcia gave up a lead-off single to Wil Nieves, followed by Trevor Cahill's - who went through six innings of one-run baseball - sacrifice bunt. Eaton and Prado both reached in front of Paul Goldschmidt, who managed to lift the ball into right field, scoring both Nieves and Eaton. Then Ross hit his three-run bomb into the left field stands, and Garcia was done for the night.

"It was tough way to start the season for him," Matheny said. "Everyone has this kind of game sometimes. It's just tough for him (Garcia) that it happened on the very first game day he pitched."

The home run seemed to totally crush the Cardinals' spirit. Matheny even left reliever Marc Rzepczynski in for an at-bat, and that is usually considered a white flag. Rzepczynski grounded into a double play.

Tomorrow marks the end of the series, and the Cardinals turn to Jake Westbrook in hopes of getting their first win of the young season. He will be opposed by the Diamondbacks' free agent acquisition Brandon McCarthy.

Player of the Game


Martin Pradoo - 2-for-3, 2B, RBI, 2 R, BB

St. Louis Cardinals at Arizona Diamondbacks
Apr 2, 2013	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
St. Louis (0-2)	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	8	0
Arizona (2-0)	2	0	0	0	5	0	0	0	X	7	11	0
W: Trevor Cahill (1-0) L: Jaime Garcia (1-0)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			STL	ARI
ARI	1	Prado doubled to left. Eaton scores.	0	1
ARI	1	Hill lined to SS for a single. Prado scores.	0	2
STL	5	Holliday lined to left for a single. Carpenter scores.	1	2
ARI	5	Goldschmidt flied to right for a single. Nieves scores. Eaton scores.	1	4
ARI	5	Ross homered to left. Prado scores. Goldschmidt scores.	1	7

St. Louis Cardinals
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG
Jay, CF	5	0	0	0	0	1	.100
Carpenter, 2B	4	1	1	0	0	1	.125
Holliday, LF	2	0	1	1	2	0	.333
Craig, 1B	4	0	1	0	0	0	.250
Molina, C	4	0	2	0	0	0	.250
Beltran, RF	3	0	1	0	1	1	.333
Freese, 3B	4	0	0	0	0	2	.125
Kozma, SS	3	0	1	0	1	1	.333
Garcia, P	2	0	1	0	0	0	.500
Kelly, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Adams, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Rzepczynski, P	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
TOTALS	33	1	8	1	4	7
BATTING 2B: Garcia (1) RBI: Holliday (1) GIDP: Kozma, Rzepczynski
BASERUNNING SB: Beltran (1)

St. Louis Cardinals
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Garcia (L, 0-1)	4.1	8	7	7	1	4	14.53
Kelly	1.2	0	0	0	0	2	0.00
Rzepczynski	2.0	3	0	0	1	4	0.00
TOTALS	8.0	11	7	7	2	10

Arizona Diamondbacks
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG
Eaton, CF	3	2	1	0	1	1	.250
Prado, 3B	3	2	2	1	1	0	.375
Goldschmidt, 1B	4	1	2	2	0	2	.428
Ross, RF	4	1	1	3	0	2	.333
Hill, 2B	4	0	2	1	0	1	.333
Rivera, LF	4	0	1	0	0	2	.250
Bloomquist, SS	4	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Nieves, C	4	1	2	0	0	0	.500
Cahill, P	1	0	0	0	0	1	.000
Parra, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	.166
Hernandez, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Kubel, PH	1	0	0	0	0	1	.166
Reynolds, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
TOTALS	33	7	11	7	2	10
BATTING 2B: Prado (1) HR: Ross (1) RBI: Prado (1), Goldschmidt 2 (1,2), Ross 3 (1,2,3), Hill (1) SAC: Cahill
BASERUNNING SB: Hill (1)

Arizona Diamondbacks
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Cahill (W, 1-0)	6.0	6	1	1	3	3	1.50
Hernandez (H, 1)	2.0	1	0	0	1	4	0.00
Reynolds	1.0	1	0	0	0	0	0.00
TOTALS	9.0	8	1	1	4	7

[mockme]

Craig's strong performance leads Cards past Diamondbacks
BY DERRICK GOOLD | Wednesday, April 3, 2013

PHOENIX • The Cardinal bats that had been missing for the first two games of the season came alive in a big way in the series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Or at least Allen Craig's did. The first baseman went four-for-six with two towering home runs that led the Cardinals toward their first win of the new season, beating the Diamondbacks in extra innings with a final score of 5-4. Starter Jake Westbrook pitched six innings, giving up three runs on four hits and striking out five. Rookie Seth Maness made his debut out of the bullpen and didn't give up any runs.

Just like last night, this one started off bad for the Cardinals as well. Brandon McCarthy pitched a one-two-three top half, and after Gerardo Parra's lead-off single and a stolen base, Martin Prado - who has been a real thorn in the side of the Cardinals - lined a single into right field to score the speedster from second.

After this Westbrook manned up on the mound and kept retiring opposing hitters, but McCarthy was also up to the task, until he hung a curveball for Craig in the fourth inning. The hit traveled 414 feet and into the stands, tying the game in one blow.

"It was one of those where you knew it was gone the second it hit the bat," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "After a hit like that, you feel like all the momentum is yours."

Whatever momentum the Cardinals had was gone quickly, as McCarthy wouldn't allow any more runs in the fourth, fifth, or the sixth. Westbrook matched him in the fifth, but came across Paul Goldschmidt in the sixth, and the first baseman hit a home run of his own, this one being a two-run blast.

Westbrook recovered and managed to retire the side in what would be his last inning of the game, and the bats rewarded him for it immediately in the seventh. Following singles by Yadier Molina and Carlos Beltran, David Freese lined the ball into the left field gap, tying the game with a double.

Once again the two teams were deadlocked for a few innings, as neither bullpen allowed any runs. It took until the eleventh, when it was that man Craig at the plate again. This time he hit a Tony Sipp cutter for 418 feet, putting the Cardinals ahead by one.

The Cardinals had managed to hold Edward Mujica back in the bullpen past the ninth and tenth innings, but now, with a lead, they sent him to the mound, looking to give his first opportunity to get a save. He retired Parra, but then Prado hit a double. With Goldschmidt at the plate, the Cardinals opted to intentionally walk him and take their chances with Kubel, who popped the ball up into shallow center. Jon Jay wasn't able to get to the ball in time, and Prado scored from second making it a tie game once again.

But Jay would make up for his tardiness in a big way in the fourteenth, after Freese had hit his second double of the game and Daniel Descalso had drawn a walk. A bit late on a David Hernandez fastball, Jay managed to send it the other way, down the line and past third base for a double of his own, scoring Freese and giving the Redbirds the lead once again.

With Mujica already gone from the game, the Cards turned to veteran lefty Randy Choate. Even though he gave up one hit, Choate pulled through, striking out the last batter to face him.

With their first win of the season out of the way, the Cardinals take an off day tomorrow before heading to San Francisco to take on last year's champions, the Giants. Lance Lynn takes the mound in the opener against Ryan Vogelsong.

Player of the Game


Allen Craig - 4-for-6, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

St. Louis Cardinals at Arizona Diamondbacks
Apr 3, 2013	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Extras	R	H	E
St. Louis (1-2)	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	0	0	2	5	13	0
Arizona (2-1)	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	1	4	11	1
W: Joe Kelly (1-1) L: David Hernandez (0-1) S: Randy Choate (1)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			STL	ARI
ARI	1	Prado lined to right for a single. Parra scores.	0	1
STL	4	Craig homered to left.	1	1
ARI	6	Goldschmidt homered to center. Prado scores.	1	3
STL	7	Freese doubled to center. Molina scores. Beltran scores.	3	3
STL	11	Craig homered to left.	4	3
ARI	11	Kubel flied to center for a single. Parra scores. Goldschmidt advances to 2nd.	4	4
STL	14	Jay doubled to left. Freese scores. Descalso advances to 3rd.	5	4

St. Louis Cardinals
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG
Jay, CF	6	0	3	1	0	1	.250
Carpenter, 2B	7	0	1	0	0	0	.133
Holliday, LF	7	0	0	0	0	2	.153
Craig, 1B	6	2	4	2	0	1	.428
Molina, C	6	1	1	0	0	2	.214
Beltran, RF	6	1	1	0	0	0	.153
Freese, 3B	5	1	2	2	0	0	.214
Kozma, SS	5	0	1	0	0	1	.222
Westbrook, P	2	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Adams, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Maness, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Salas, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Robinson, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Rosenthal, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Mujica, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Cruz, PH	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
Kelly, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Descalso, PH	0	0	0	0	1	0	.333
Choate, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
TOTALS	54	5	13	5	2	7
BATTING 2B: Jay (1), Freese 2 (1,2) HR: Craig 2 (1,2) RBI: Jay (1), Craig 2 (1,2), Freese 2 (1,2) SAC: Jay
BASERUNNING CS: Kozma (1)

St. Louis Cardinals
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Westbrook	6.0	4	3	3	1	5	4.50
Maness	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0.00
Salas	2.0	0	0	0	0	1	0.00
Rosenthal	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0.00
Mujica (BS, 1)	1.0	2	1	1	1	1	9.00
Kelly (W, 1-1)	2.0	3	0	0	0	1	0.00
Choate (S, 1)	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0.00
TOTALS	14.0	11	4	4	2	11

Arizona Diamondbacks
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG
Parra, CF	7	2	2	0	0	3	.230
Prado, 3B	5	1	3	1	0	0	.461
Goldschmidt, 1B	5	1	1	2	1	1	.333
Kubel, LF	6	0	2	1	0	2	.250
Nieves, C	6	0	0	0	0	2	.200
Hill, 2B	6	0	0	0	0	1	.200
Ross, RF	6	0	2	0	0	1	.333
Pennington, SS	4	0	1	0	1	1	.333
McCarthy, P	2	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Bell, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Eaton, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	.200
Reynolds, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Bloomquist, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Sipp, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Skaggs, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Chavez, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Hernandez, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Delgado, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Rivera, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	.200
BATTING 2B: Prado (2) HR: Goldschmidt (1) RBI: Prado (2), Goldschmidt 2 (3,4), Kubel (1) SAC: Prado, Pennington
BASERUNNING SB: Parra (1)
FIELDING E: Prado (1)

Arizona Diamondbacks
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
McCarthy	6.1	6	3	3	0	4	4.26
Bell (BS, 1)	0.2	1	0	0	0	1	0.00
Reynolds	3.0	3	0	0	0	1	0.00
Sipp	1.0	1	1	1	0	0	4.50
Skaggs	1.0	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
Hernandez (L, 0-1)	1.1	2	1	1	1	1	2.70
Delgado	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
TOTALS	14.0	13	5	5	2	7

[Deuce2223]

Seems like there are a lot of Cubs fans here on the boards (me included) as well as Reds, so it's nice to see a Cardinal thread going with Harmo's Pirates.

You got the #1 Farm system in baseball, so I don't think I need to say good luck, but instead say have fun, and looking forward to seeing what you do.

[mockme]

Cardinals get Belt-ed, drop opener to Giants
BY DERRICK GOOLD | Friday, April 5, 2013

SAN FRANCISCO • You rarely see one player win a game almost single-handed, but that's what Giants first baseman Brandon Belt did - with some help from starter Ryan Vogelsong and the bullpen - against the Cardinals today. Belt went on to have a three-for-four day and driving in all four of his team's runs in a 4-1 win. Three of them came on an opposite field home run that was just out of reach for a leaping Matt Holliday.

Meanwhile the Cardinal bats seemed to go right back into the slump that they had momentarily got out of in the series finale against the Diamondbacks. Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong pitched seven innings of one-run ball before handing it over to the bullpen for the last two innings.

"It was a tough day," manager Mike Matheny said. "But they're the reigning champions for a reason. It's a very good team and they've got some excellent pitchers."

On the Cardinals' side Lance Lynn lasted for five innings before rookie Seth Maness took over and was - once again - impressive.

"We've got good pitching," said Matheny. "Now we just need to get our bats going as well."

The Giants took the lead for the first time in the third inning after two offensively quiet innings to start the game. After retiring Angel Pagan, Lynn walked Marco Scutaro and surrendered a hit to Buster Posey. He was able to get through Pablo Sandoval, but then the hero of the day, Belt, came to the plate and grounded to left field for a single, scoring Scutaro from second base.

The Cardinals struck right back in the fourth with an RBI single of their own. Vogelsong retired the first two batters to face him, but then back-to-back hits from Allen Craig and Yadier Molina brought Carlos Beltran to the plate, and the veteran came through against his old team, lining the ball to right field and driving in Craig.

Lynn was able to get through the fourth inning without giving up a run, but the bats didn't respond to this chance of taking the lead, and instead the Giants would strike in the fifth, once again through that man Belt.

After singles from Pagan and Posey, Belt sent a low outside fastball for a ride that took it just over the fence in left field. Holliday tried to reach it with a leap, but it just avoided his glove and went out for a home run.

After this the Cardinals handed it over to Maness for two innings, and the rookie wouldn't give up a single hit while striking out two batters to face him. Marc Rzepczynski came in to pitch the eighth inning, also holding the Giants down. Just like the Giants bullpen held down the Cardinals. Sergio Romo picked up his second save of the season, giving up one hit and striking out two in the ninth.

Tomorrow marks the season debut of highly-rated youngster Shelby Miller. The Giants turn to veteran lefty Barry Zito.

Player of the Game


Brandon Belt - 3-for-4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, R

St. Louis Cardinals at San Francisco Giants
Apr 5, 2013	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
St. Louis (1-3)	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	0
San Francisco (4-0)	0	0	1	0	3	0	0	0	0	4	9	0
W: Ryan Vogelsong (1-0) L: Lance Lynn (0-1) S: Sergio Romo (2)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			STL	SFO
SFO	3	Belt grounded to left for a single. Scutaro scores. Posey advances to 2nd.	0	1
STL	4	Beltran lined to right for a single. Craig scores. Molina advances to 2nd.	1	1
SFO	5	Belt homered to left. Pagan scores. Posey scores.	1	4

St. Louis Cardinals
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG
Jay, CF	4	0	1	0	0	2	.250
Carpenter, 2B	3	0	0	0	1	0	.111
Holliday, LF	3	0	0	0	1	0	.125
Craig, 1B	4	1	2	0	0	1	.444
Molina, C	4	0	1	0	0	1	.222
Beltran, RF	4	0	2	1	0	0	.235
Freese, 3B	4	0	0	0	0	1	.166
Kozma, SS	3	0	0	0	0	1	.166
Lynn, P	2	0	0	0	0	1	.000
Maness, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Robinson, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Rzepczynski, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
TOTALS	32	1	6	1	2	7
BATTING RBI: Beltran (1) GIDP: Carpenter

St. Louis Cardinals
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Lynn (L, 0-1)	5.0	7	4	4	1	5	7.20
Maness	2.0	0	0	0	0	2	0.00
Rzepczynski	1.0	2	0	0	0	1	0.00
TOTALS	8.0	9	4	4	1	8

San Francisco Giants
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG
Pagan, CF	4	1	2	0	0	0	.300
Scutaro, 2B	3	1	1	0	1	0	.277
Posey, C	4	1	1	0	0	2	.421
Sandoval, 3B	4	0	0	0	0	0	.222
Belt, 1B	4	1	3	4	0	0	.388
Pence, RF	4	0	2	0	0	0	.352
Francoeur, LF	4	0	0	0	0	0	.062
Romo, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Crawford, SS	3	0	0	0	0	0	.200
Vogelsong, P	3	0	0	0	0	3	.000
Mijares, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Torres, LF	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
TOTALS	33	4	9	4	1	8
BATTING 2B: Belt (2) HR: Belt (2) RBI: Belt 4 (5,6,7,8)
BASERUNNING SB: Pagan (1)

San Francisco Giants
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Vogelsong (W, 1-0)	7.0	5	1	1	1	4	1.28
Mijares (H, 1)	1.0	0	0	0	1	1	0.00
Romo (S, 2)	1.0	1	0	0	0	2	3.00
TOTALS	9.0	6	1	1	2	7