Final
Cardinals-Angels Preview
May 12, 2016 - 6:01 AM Adam Wainwright's incremental improvement has been a welcome sign for the St. Louis Cardinals. The sky's the limit if he can end his early-inning headaches.The right-hander will try to start strong and lead the visiting Cardinals to a three-game sweep over the offensively challenged Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night.
After pitching in just seven games last season while recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon, Wainwright (2-3, 6.30 ERA) may have been trying to find his previous All-Star form when he went 1-3 with a 7.16 ERA over his first five starts.
The two-time 20-game winner has been much better in his last two outings. He surrendered three runs over six innings in a 10-3 home win over Philadelphia on May 2 and three over 6 1/3 in Saturday's 6-4 victory over visiting Pittsburgh.
Wainwright, however, has been shaky early. He allowed two first-inning runs Saturday and has given up 11 runs over the first four innings in his last four starts.
"If there's that much of an extra gear, I need to be very conscious going into my next start of coming out with that gear, as opposed to how I'm going to get there after they push a couple across," he told MLB's official website. "That's a good (lesson) for me. That's something that now I know it's in there and I know how to get it."
Wainwright might not have to worry about starting slow against a Los Angeles team that is having trouble scoring no matter the inning. The club has totaled eight runs and hit .197 while dropping all five on this six-game homestand.
C.J. Cron's two-run homer accounted for the scoring in Wednesday's 5-2 loss. Los Angeles (13-20), which had four hits, hasn't lost six straight at home since June 2011.
Kole Calhoun is 3 for 17 with seven strikeouts over his last five games, while former St. Louis star Albert Pujols has gone 2 for 21 in his past six.
The lack of offense has spelled doom with a rotation that has an 8.24 ERA over the past 10 games. The club made a move to improve in that area Wednesday when it acquired Jhoulys Chacin from Atlanta for minor league left-hander Adam McCreery.
After allowing a season-high seven runs over five innings in an 8-5 loss at Milwaukee on May 2, Jered Weaver gave up one earned over six in Saturday's 4-2 loss to Tampa Bay. He had a season-high five strikeouts despite topping out at 83 mph.
"People can say what they want about (velocity), it doesn't matter. He still has that fight in him and he battles," Angels reliever Joe Smith said. "There are a lot of guys who if they were throwing what he was throwing, they wouldn't be here."
Weaver (3-1, 4.72) has gone 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA in three starts against the Cardinals (18-16), though he hasn't faced them since 2013. Matt Holliday is 3 for 5 versus the right-hander, though Brandon Moss has gone 2 for 17 with seven strikeouts.
Stephen Piscotty, Yadier Molina and Randal Grichuk had two hits apiece Wednesday in the Cardinals' fifth win in seven games. Piscotty is 9 for 17 over his last four while Molina has gone 4 for 7 with two doubles in this series.
St. Louis has won nine of its last 12 on the road after an 0-3 start.
- ST. LOUIS: 12
LOS ANGELES: 10
Final
May 13 2:05 AM - Albert Pujols homers to center field. Kole Calhoun scores.
Cardinals 12, Angels 10 Bot 9, 1 OutMay 13 1:47 AM - Kole Calhoun singles to deep right center field. Geovany Soto scores.
Cardinals 12, Angels 8 Bot 9, 0 OutsMay 13 1:44 AM - Molina singled to right, Holliday scored, Adams to second.
Cardinals 11, Angels 7 Top 9, 2 OutsMay 13 1:35 AM - Yadier Molina singles to right field, advances to 2nd. Matt Adams to third. Matt Holliday scores. Fielding error by Kole Calhoun.
Cardinals 12, Angels 7 Top 9, 2 OutsMay 13 1:35 AM - Adams singled to center, Piscotty scored, Holliday to second.
Cardinals 10, Angels 7 Top 9, 2 OutsMay 13 1:31 AM - Matt Adams singles to deep right center field. Matt Holliday to second. Stephen Piscotty scores.
Cardinals 11, Angels 7 Top 9, 2 OutsMay 13 1:31 AM - Matt Adams singles to deep left center field. Matt Holliday to third. Stephen Piscotty scores. Matt Carpenter scores.
Cardinals 10, Angels 7 Top 6, 0 OutsMay 13 12:17 AM - C.J. Cron doubles to deep right center field. Daniel Nava scores.
Cardinals 8, Angels 7 Bot 5, 1 OutMay 12 11:57 PM - On right fielder Piscotty's error, Trout scored, Nava to third.
Cardinals 8, Angels 5 Bot 5, 1 OutMay 12 11:56 PM - Daniel Nava singles to deep right field, advances to 3rd. Mike Trout scores. Fielding error by Stephen Piscotty.
Cardinals 8, Angels 6 Bot 5, 1 OutMay 12 11:56 PM - Matt Holliday homers to center field. Stephen Piscotty scores.
Cardinals 8, Angels 5 Top 5, 0 OutsMay 12 11:33 PM - Matt Carpenter homers to right field. Aledmys Diaz scores. Kolten Wong scores.
Cardinals 6, Angels 5 Top 5, 0 OutsMay 12 11:29 PM - Yunel Escobar reaches on a fielder's choice to third base. Cliff Pennington out at second. Johnny Giavotella scores.
Cardinals 3, Angels 5 Bot 4, 2 OutsMay 12 11:20 PM - Cliff Pennington singles to right field. Johnny Giavotella to third. C.J. Cron scores.
Cardinals 3, Angels 4 Bot 4, 1 OutMay 12 11:18 PM - Jeremy Hazelbaker singles to left field, advances to 2nd. Yadier Molina scores. Matt Adams scores.
Cardinals 3, Angels 2 Top 4, 2 OutsMay 12 11:03 PM - Calhoun singled to left, Pennington scored, Y.Escobar scored.
Cardinals 0, Angels 0 Bot 3, 2 OutsMay 12 10:51 PM - Kole Calhoun singles to left field. Yunel Escobar scores. Cliff Pennington scores.
Cardinals 0, Angels 2 Bot 3, 2 OutsMay 12 10:51 PM - Matt Carpenter grounds out to second base, Cliff Pennington to C.J. Cron.
May 12 10:09 PM - ST. LOUIS: 0
LOS ANGELES: 0
Final
May 12 10:08 PM
Related News
- Anthony Rendon's Apathy Doesn't Bode Well for Angels Feb 21
- Tuesday Open Thread Dec 26
- Vote on the Cardinals next best prospect - 2024 Dec 25
- Cardinals in the Lab: Offseason Tracker Dec 24
- What Would You Do With $33M? (An Open Thread Discussion) Dec 23
- John Mozeliak has not closed the door on the Cardinals adding a starting pitcher Dec 22
- Vote on the Cardinals’ best prospect - 2024 Dec 21
- Let’s Argue! The Cardinals Lineup Dec 20
- Pulled Fly Balls: An Area For Growth Dec 19
- What would it take to get the Marlins’ pitchers? Dec 18
- A Cardinals News Roundup Dec 17
- Saturday SOC: Should the Cardinals Extend Paul Goldschmidt? Dec 16