Final
Pujols, Cardinals clean up against Nationals
May 18, 2010 - 4:11 AM By R.B. FALLSTROM AP Sports WriterST. LOUIS(AP) -- Moving Albert Pujols to fourth in the lineup helped the St. Louis Cardinals clean up.
The NL MVP had three hits and a walk and helped fuel a four-run first inning from the cleanup spot in the St. Louis Cardinals' 6-2 victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday night.
"It's who plays, not where they hit," manager Tony La Russa said. "The lineup wasn't anything magical or special, it's how they played."
Kyle Lohse (1-3) became the final member of the rotation to win, a day after the Cardinals fell out of the NL Central lead for the first time since July 30, 2009. Jason Motte struck out pinch hitter Adam Dunn on a high fastball with two men in scoring position to end the seventh for St. Louis, which won for only the fourth time in 13 games.
"It wasn't where I wanted it to be," Motte said. "But it worked out."
Dunn missed his second start due to flulike symptoms and manager Jim Riggleman was intent on not using him in the field.
"He was aggressive, but he went up out of the zone a little bit," Riggleman said.
The big first inning against Craig Stammen (1-2) came with Pujols batting fourth for the first time since May 30, 2003. Pujols switched places with Matt Holliday in La Russa's effort to get Holliday revved up, although Holliday's lone contribution was walking to start a two-out rally in the first.
The Cardinals followed with four straight hits, including Pujols' single to center and David Freese's two-run triple off the right-field wall, the first of two tough plays that Nationals right fielder Willie Harris couldn't quite handle. Harris smacked into the wall on Freese's drive just overhead and briefly had the ball in his glove after a long run on Ryan Ludwick's sinking liner for a double in the second.
Reliever Drew Storen, the 10th pick of the 2009 draft, debuted for Washington in the seventh and struck out Holliday on an inside fastball with two on to end the inning.
"I expected to have the jitters, but I was excited to get out there," Storen said. "Pretty surreal. I felt like I was under control."
Ian Desmond had his second career four-hit game for the Nationals, who have totaled eight runs during a four-game losing streak. They've lost seven in a row at 5-year-old Busch Stadium.
"We're not panicking," Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. "We're going to keep grinding it out. Tonight we were just unlucky a bit."
Lohse allowed an unearned run on six hits in six innings, half of the hits coming in a two-run fifth with Harris getting the lone RBI on a groundout. Second baseman Skip Schumaker's throwing error on Roger Bernadina's infield hit led to an unearned run.
Lohse entered with a 5.68 ERA and had lost his previous two starts, surrendering 14 runs in nine innings.
"I just got back to the basics. Command of the fastball and keeping it down," Lohse said. "I felt like I could won a couple other games, but that's the way it goes."
Yadier Molina had his second RBI of the game and Schumaker had a run-scoring single in the eighth off Nationals closer Matt Capps. Stammen, who gave up only two hits his last five innings, is 0-2 his last five starts.
"I kick myself for having a two-out walk," Stammen said. "When that happens you've got to face Albert, the best hitter in the league. I left a couple pitches up, a bloop here and broken bat there and they get four runs."
NOTES: Ludwick made an outstanding defensive play in RF in the eighth, diving full-out to snare Ryan Zimmerman's drive near the line. ... Dunn missed his second straight start with flulike symptoms. ... The Nationals hadn't allowed a first-inning run the previous 12 games. ... Nationals batting coach Rick Eckstein was ejected in the fifth for arguing a called third strike from the dugout. "He was giving to Gerry pretty good," Riggleman said. ... Freese, a 27-year-old rookie, is batting .382 (13 for 33) with runners in scoring position.
- Cardinals 6, Nationals 2 - FINAL
WASHINGTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
W Harris rf 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 .179
va-A Gonzalez ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .297
vb-A Dunn ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 .252
D Slaten p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -
D Storen p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -
M Capps p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
C G
May 17 11:09 PM - NL
AT ST LOUIS - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY SKIP SCHUMAKER SCORED COLBY RASMUS
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, S SCHUMAKER ON FIRST, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: WASHINGTON 2
ST LOUIS 6 BOTTOM,8TH
DUE UP FOR ST LOUIS: K MCCLELLAN (1.000, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
Nationals 2, Cardinals 6 Bot 8, 0 OutsMay 17 10:56 PM - NL
AT ST LOUIS - SCORING UPDATE
GROUND OUT BY YADIER MOLINA SCORED ALBERT PUJOLS
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, C RASMUS ON THIRD, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: WASHINGTON 2
ST LOUIS 5 BOTTOM,8TH
DUE UP FOR ST LOUIS: S SCHUMAKER (.229, 0-FOR-2, BB)
Nationals 2, Cardinals 5 Bot 8, 0 OutsMay 17 10:55 PM - NL
AT ST LOUIS - SCORING UPDATE
GROUND OUT BY WILLIE HARRIS SCORED IAN DESMOND
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, R BERNADINA ON THIRD, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: WASHINGTON 2
ST LOUIS 4 TOP,5TH
DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: C GUZMAN (.316, 0-FOR-2)
Nationals 2, Cardinals 4 Top 5, 0 OutsMay 17 9:32 PM - NL
AT ST LOUIS - SCORING UPDATE
ERROR BY SKIP SCHUMAKER ALLOWED ADAM KENNEDY TO SCORE.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, R BERNADINA ON SECOND, I DESMOND ON THIRD, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: WASHINGTON 1
ST LOUIS 4 TOP,5TH
DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: C STAMMEN (.333, 0-FOR-1)
Nationals 1, Cardinals 4 Top 5, 0 OutsMay 17 9:27 PM - NL
AT ST LOUIS - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY YADIER MOLINA SCORED DAVID FREESE
SITUATION: 4 RUNS IN, Y MOLINA ON FIRST, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: WASHINGTON 0
ST LOUIS 4 BOTTOM,1ST
DUE UP FOR ST LOUIS: S SCHUMAKER (.232, 1 HR, 7 RBI)
Nationals 0, Cardinals 4 Bot 1, 0 OutsMay 17 8:34 PM - NL
AT ST LOUIS - SCORING UPDATE
TRIPLE BY DAVID FREESE SCORED COLBY RASMUS AND ALBERT
PUJOLS
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, D FREESE ON THIRD, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: WASHINGTON 0
ST LOUIS 3 BOTTOM,1ST
DUE UP FOR ST LOUIS: Y MOLINA (.271, 2 HR, 22 RBI)
Nationals 0, Cardinals 3 Bot 1, 0 OutsMay 17 8:32 PM - NL
AT ST LOUIS - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY COLBY RASMUS SCORED MATT HOLLIDAY
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, C RASMUS ON FIRST, A PUJOLS ON SECOND, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: WASHINGTON 0
ST LOUIS 1 BOTTOM,1ST
DUE UP FOR ST LOUIS: D FREESE (.306, 3 HR, 22 RBI)
Nationals 0, Cardinals 1 Bot 1, 0 OutsMay 17 8:31 PM
Related News
- Tuesday Open Thread Dec 26
- Washington Nationals news & notes: Getting more pitching in 2024 + more... 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
- Washington Nationals news & notes: Keibert Ruiz, CS% and more… Dec 22
- Vote on the Cardinals’ best prospect - 2024 Dec 21
- Washington Nationals news & notes: Stephen Strasburg retirement?; 40-man spot + more... Dec 21
- Let’s Argue! The Cardinals Lineup Dec 20
- Pulled Fly Balls: An Area For Growth Dec 19
- Washington Nationals news & notes: Joey Meneses & DH duties vs playing the field… Dec 19