Cardinals, Dodgers begin set at Busch
Posted: Fri Aug 10 11:19 AM
(Sports Network) - The St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers were playoff participants in 2006, and both clubs were expected to be prime contenders in the National League this season. However, the teams are currently on the outside looking in of the postseason picture as they begin a three-game series tonight at Busch Stadium.
Los Angeles earned a share of the NL West title a year ago but is presently five games behind first-place Arizona in the division standings and two back of wild-card leader San Diego. A recent six-game losing streak in which the Dodgers were shut out four times has contributed to that deficit.
The Dodgers were finally able to get back on the scoreboard and into the win column Thursday in Cincinnati. Rafael Furcal hit a solo homer in the top of the 11th inning to give Los Angeles a 5-4 decision over the Reds in the finale of a three-game set.
Los Angeles entered the game not having scored in 28 consecutive innings, but broke through in the first when Furcal scored on Jeff Kent's bases-loaded sacrifice fly.
Delwyn Young finished 4-for-4 with a run scored and Russell Martin contributed three hits for the Dodgers, who also received a pair of RBI from Ramon Martinez.
Scott Proctor (1-0) tossed two scoreless innings to earn the victory, his first since being acquired in a trade-deadline deal with the Yankees. Takashi Saito held Cincy scoreless in the bottom of the 11th to notch his 28th save.
It's been a disappointing and injury-plagued campaign for the defending world champion Cardinals, who enter tonight's matchup with a 53-59 record. Still, St. Louis trails first-place Milwaukee by just 5 1/2 games in the weak NL Central and has won three of its last four contests.
On Thursday, Joel Pineiro threw seven shutout innings and Rick Ankiel made a smashing return to the major leagues as the Cardinals blanked San Diego, 5-0.
Ankiel belted a three-run homer in the seventh inning in his first appearance in the majors since October 1, 2004. The 28-year-old was a promising pitcher at the time whose career on the mound has since been derailed by injuries and control problems.
The left-hander resurfaced as a power-hitting outfielder and was leading the Pacific Coast League with 32 home runs along with 89 RBI before having his contract purchased from Triple-A Memphis prior to Thursday's game.
Pineiro (1-1), making his second start as a Cardinal after the team acquired him from Boston on July 31, gave up four hits and fanned four without allowing a walk.
Adam Wainwright looks to continue his second-half success when he takes the mound for St. Louis this evening. The young righty has gone 3-1 with a 3.38 earned run average in five starts since the All-Star break and yielded two runs or less in four of his last six trips to the hill.
Wainwright has also not yielded a home run in his last six starts, a span of 39 consecutive innings.
The 25-year-old had another solid performance Sunday in Washington, although he did not factor in the decision of his team's 6-3 loss. He held the Nationals to three runs and struck out seven in seven innings of work.
Wainwright is 0-1 with an 11.37 ERA over four previous appearances against the Dodgers, one of which was a start. That lone start came at Dodger Stadium on Dodgers, one of which was a start. That lone start came at Dodger Stadium on May 15 and the former reliever was rocked for eight runs on seven hits in just May 15 and the former reliever was rocked for eight runs on seven hits in just 2 2/3 frames.
Los Angeles counters with All-Star Brad Penny, who will attempt to end his first personal losing streak of the season. The burly right-hander went 13-1 over his first 21 starts before dropping back-to-back outings against San Francisco and Arizona.
Penny didn't pitch badly in either of those games, but the Dodgers' anemic offense produced only one run over the course of both contests. Against the Diamondbacks on Sunday, Penny allowed three runs and six hits over seven innings in a 3-0 setback.
The Oklahoma native is an impressive 7-1 with a 2.88 ERA in nine road starts in 2007, but does not have particularly good career numbers against St. Louis. In 10 lifetime starts versus the Cardinals, Penny is 2-4 with a 4.76 ERA.
The Dodgers took two of three games from St. Louis in Los Angeles earlier this season, but the Cardinals won all seven meetings between the teams in 2006. Los Angeles is just 1-10 as the visitor in this series since 2004.
