Redbirds Clubhouse

Pirates put the freeze on Opening Day

Mon 4/6/09 - Pirates 6 Cards 4 - The 2009 edition of the St. Louis Cardinals made their debut at a frigid Busch Stadium amid the celebration and ceremony usually reserved for visiting presidential candidates (or George Clooney). Their performance on the field warmed the crowd as they held the Pirates to two runs over the first eight innings. Ryan Ludwick did his part to shape a potential storybook ending by drilling a solo homer in the eighth to give the Cardinals a late inning lead.

Unfortunately, the day would not have a fairy tale ending and the home team would not bound joyfully into the dugout with their first victory of the year. Instead, un-annointed rookie closer Jason Motte would serve up four runs in the ninth and remind us all of the late inning frustrations we endured throughout 2008.

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME STORY HERE

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Next Game: Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Pittsburgh @ St. Louis (7:15 pm)

Ian Snell (0-0, 0.00) vs. Kyle Lohse (0-0, 0.00)

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Scenes from Opening Day.... One of the things I enjoyed most about Opening Day 2009 were the photos from Post Dispatch photographer Chris Lee of the Cardinal Hall of Famers and the shot of Albert Pujols fixing Stan Musial's collar. Of course, no Opening Day in St. Louis would be complete without the Budweiser Clydesdales!

Clythesdales2, originally uploaded by Spydawebb.

2009 St. Louis Cardinals Opening Day

The long wait is over!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Pittsburgh @ St. Louis, 3:15pm

Maholm (0-0, 0.00) vs. Wainwright (0-0, 0.00)

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We've waited all winter and now it's here. Tomorrow the Cardinals will kick off their 2009 season amid the pomp and circumstance that is customary on Opening Day in St. Louis. Assuming snow doesn't ruin the festivities, here's the lineup for tomorrow:

1. Brendan Ryan, 2B
2. Rick Ankiel, CF
3. Albert Pujols, 1B
4. Khalil Greene, SS
5. Ryan Ludwick, RF
6. Yadier Molina, C
7. Chris Duncan, LF
8. Brian Barden, 3B
9. Adam Wainwright, P

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Finally, how about a little music from Cardinal organist Ernie Hays to get you in the mood for some baseball...

Cardinals beat Memphis in final exhibition

Sat 4/4/09 - Cards 7 Redbirds 3 - The St. Louis Cardinals won their final 2009 pre-season game in Memphis, TN on Saturday. Joel Pineiro threw seven innings giving up only three hits. Rick Ankiel and Khalil Greene both homered. The Cardinals finished their 2009 pre-season schedule with a record of 22-12-2 (record includes split squad and exhibition games).

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME STORY HERE

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Cards bomb baby Birds in Memphis

Fri 4/3/09 - Cards 13 Redbirds 1 - Before making their way to St. Louis for Opening Day on Monday, the Cardinals stopped in Memphis for a two game exhibition series against their AAA farm club. The big club shellacked their minor league affiliate, pounding out 12 hits (five for extra bases). As usual, Albert Pujols appears to be ready for the season to start. He put on a show, going 3-5 with two doubles, a home run, and six RBI.

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME STORY HERE

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Saturday's Game

St. Louis @ Memphis (Memphis, TN), 1:05 pm

On the mound: Joel Pineiro

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The Memphis Redbirds are the AAA affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They play in Autozone Park a downtown baseball stadium built in 2000. Here are a few photos of the ballpark:

Play Ball, originally uploaded by Angela's Snaps.

Autozone Park Redbirds Staduim, originally uploaded by memphisphotorepository.

IMG_1593.JPG, originally uploaded by kamala77.

Suite seats, originally uploaded by theogeo.

Cards win Florida finale - finish spring 19-12

Thu 4/2/09 - Cards 6 Marlins 3 - The Cardinals ended a successful 2009 Grapefruit League campaign with a ninth inning, come from behind victory over their Roger Dean Stadium neighbors, the Florida Marlins. OF Colby Rasmus homered and drove in three runs while new 3B David Freese had three hits. Jason Motte picked up his fifth save of the spring, striking out two.

BOX SCORE HERE

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Friday's Game

St. Louis @ Memphis (Memphis, TN), 7:05 pm

On the mound: P.J. Walters

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Yesterday the Cards sent OF Joe Mather to AAA Memphis. Here is the St. Louis Cardinals 2009 Opening Day 25 man roster:

Rotation	Bullpen	Infield	Outfield	Bench
Carpenter	Franklin	Pujols	Ankiel	LaRue
Lohse	McClellan	Schumaker	Ludwick	Thurston
Wainwright	Miller	Freese	Duncan	Ryan
Pineiro	Reyes	K. Greene	Rasmus	Barden
Wellemeyer	Thompson	Molina
	Kinney
	Motte	Glaus (DL)

Cardinals power up - split two in Florida

Tue 3/31/09 - Cards 7 Orioles 3 - The Redbirds blasted three home runs (Duncan, LaRue, Mather) on the afternoon. Adam Wainwright picked up his second Grapefruit League victory working five innings and striking out four.

BOX SCORE HERE

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Wed 4/1/09 - Mets 5 Cards 2 - The Cardinals powered up early with home runs by Chris Duncan and Rick Ankiel but they failed to score again in the 5-2 loss. Kyle Lohse was successful against everyone but Mets C Omir Santos who touched him for two home runs in six innings.

BOX SCORE HERE

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Cardinals OF Chris Duncan (shown here in a July, 2008 game vs. New York) hit his third and fourth home runs of the spring this week. He raised his spring average to .306 and has collected a team high 19 RBI in Florida.

Mets Cardinals Baseball, originally uploaded by Chris_Duncan's_Chick.

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Thursday's Game

St. Louis @ Florida (Jupiter, FL), 12:05 pm

On the mound: Todd Wellemeyer

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Redbird Notes and Links:

• Cardinal sources indicated yesterday that 3B Troy Glaus may not be ready until June. He will continue his rehab in Arizona until he is ready for baseball activities.
• RHP Chris Carpenter has been scratched from Friday's start. Before you choke on your morning coffee, the reason is described as a "mild calf strain" and Carpenter will be ready for his fist start of the season next Thursday vs. Pittsburgh.

Pineiro goes six innings; Perez to Memphis

Mon 3/30/09 - Cards 2 Marlins 1 - Joel Pineiro capped an excellent spring by throwing six shutout innings and striking out five Marlins while allowing just three singles. The Redbirds won ugly as Colby Rasmus scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth on a Marlin's throwing error.

BOX SCORE HERE

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Early this spring, Joel Pineiro was stung by Jose Oquendo's decision not to use him as a starter for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Championship tournament. Pineiro responded by posting stellar Grapefruit League numbers: 3-0, 6 GS, 25 IP, 23 H, 4 BB, 20 K, 1.44 ERA.

2009-03-30 St. Louis Cardinals Joel Pineiro warms up, originally uploaded by rosepetal236.

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Tuesday's Game

St. Louis @ Baltimore (Ft. Lauderdale, FL), 12:05 pm

On the mound: Adam Wainwright

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On Monday, the Cardinals sent RHP Chris Perez to AAA Memphis where he will start the season as the closer. They also sent C Matt Pagnozzi to their minor league camp. There are now 26 players left in camp competing for 25 spots. Read the report from KTRS John Marecek about yesterday's move.

Rotation	Bullpen	Infield	Outfield	Bench
Carpenter	Franklin	Pujols	Ankiel	LaRue
Lohse	McClellan	Schumaker	Ludwick	Thurston
Wainwright	Miller	Mather	Duncan	Ryan
Pineiro	Reyes	K. Greene	Rasmus	Barden
Wellemeyer	Thompson	Molina		Pagnozzi
	Kinney	Freese
	Motte	Glaus (DL)
	Perez

Cardinal losing streak reaches five

Sat 3/28/09 - Orioles 10 Cards 6 - Todd Wellemeyer was abused during his next to last Grapefruit League start as the Orioles collected seven hits (four for extra bases) in five innings. Youngsters David Freese and Joe Mather were bright spots on offense combining for five hits and four RBI on the afternoon.

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME REPORT HERE

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Sun 3/29/09 - Twins 5 Cards 3 - A pessimistic fan could find many things not to like about Sunday's loss: it started two hours late due to rain; the Cardinal Grapefruit losing streak reached five games; Albert Pujols struck out twice. However, an optimist would point out Chris Carpenter's health heading toward opening day; Rick Ankiel's 3 HR, 13 RBI, .346 Avg.; Chris Perez' third successful appearance since missing time due to soreness in his arm.

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME REPORT HERE

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Tony LaRussa is getting ready to head north with a relatively healthy lineup, a solid starting rotation, and a team he believes can be "pretty good" if they avoid injuries. Entering his 14th season as the Cardinal skipper, LaRussa has led the Redbirds to a team record 1141 wins, seven division titles, two NL Pennants, and the 2006 World Championship.

2009-02-25 St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa, originally uploaded by rosepetal236.

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Monday's Game

Florida @ St. Louis (Jupiter, FL), 12:05 pm

On the mound: Joel Pineiro

Red Sox top Cardinals in 10 innings

Fri 3/27/09 - Red Sox 11 Cards 8 - Kyle Lohse endured his most difficult start of the spring, giving up six runs on 11 hits in five innings of work. Sparked by speedy minor league outfielder Shane Robinson, the Redbirds battled back to take the lead in the top of the ninth. The game was then turned over to traveling minor league hurlers Kyle Mura and Marco Gonzales who lost the lead and then the game.

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME REPORT HERE

Small but speedy minor league OF Shane Robinson helped start a ninth inning rally on Friday. He ran for Yadier Molina, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a David Freese hit.

IMGP4685.JPG, originally uploaded by Allison Levin.

Saturday's Game

Baltimore @ St. Louis (Jupiter, FL), 12:05 pm

On the mound: Todd Wellemeyer

Mets pound Redbird bullpen

Thur 3/26/09 - Mets 9 Cards 5 - Adam Wainwright (with 2 outs of help from LHP Ian Ostlund) handed the bullpen a 3-2 lead after six innings. Then... the wheels fell off. LHP Trever Miller endured a horrific seven run seventh inning which included a Colby Rasmus error, a walk, five hits and a two out Met home run.

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME REPORT HERE

Friday's Game

St. Louis @ Boston (Ft. Myers, FL), 12:05 pm

On the mound: Kyle Lohse

Astros beat Cards in ninth

Wed 3/25/09 - Astros 4 Cards 3 - Chris Perez made his return to the mound after missing several days with shoulder discomfort and the Astros greeted him harshly, scoring the game winning run off two hits and a walk. Joel Pineiro was effective again, lasting five innings and striking out five while holding Houston to two earned runs.

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME REPORT HERE

Here's a photo from last season of the newest Cardinal, (LHP) Dennys Reyes. He made his Redbird debut on Wednesday pitching a scoreless eighth inning against the Astros.

Dennys Reyes, originally uploaded by twodolla.

Thursday's Game

New York Mets @ St. Louis (Jupiter, FL), 12:05 pm

On the mound: Adam Wainwright

Redbird Notes:

• With just two more wins, the Cardinals will leave Florida with their best spring record in a decade.
• Rick Ankiel leads the NL with 23 hits this spring.

Redbirds Clubhouse Links:

• Cardinal Hall Of Famer Lou Brock will deliver the commencement address at Lindenwood College on May 15.

Two more roster moves

On Monday, the Cardinals sent (RHP) P.J. Walters to the minor league camp. Today, they placed (LHP) Royce Ring on waivers and removed him from the 40 man roster. If no other team claims him, he can accept an assignment to Memphis or become a free agent.

Rotation	Bullpen	Infield	Outfield	Bench
Carpenter	Franklin	Pujols	Ankiel	LaRue
Lohse	McClellan	Schumaker	Ludwick	Thurston
Wainwright	Miller	Mather	Duncan	Ryan
Pineiro	Reyes	K. Greene	Rasmus	Barden
Wellemeyer	Thompson	Molina		Pagnozzi
Garcia (DL)	Kinney	Freese
	Motte	Glaus (DL)
	Perez

Cards win two heading into off day

Sun 3/22/09 - Cards 5 Orioles 4 - Two minor league outfielders saved the day on Sunday with a late inning comeback victory. (OF) John Jay scored the tying run in the eighth inning and then drove in (OF) Shane Robinson with a game winning single in the bottom of the ninth.

BOX SCORE HERE

Mon 3/23/09 - Cards 6 Nationals 3 - Chris Carpenter continued his successful spring with another sharp five inning outing. He allowed just three hits and struck out six. Two runs scored during his time on the mound, but both were unearned. An interesting note - the Cardinals stole two more bases yesterday giving them 17 thefts in 18 attempts this spring.

BOX SCORE HERE

Albert Pujols connects during Friday's game vs. Philadelphia. This kid has a nice swing - I think he may have a chance to play a lot this summer! ;)

Phillies vs. Cardinals Spring Training March 2009, originally uploaded by kskobac.

Wednesday's Game

Houston @ St. Louis (Jupiter, FL), 12:05 pm

On the mound: Joel Pineiro

Redbird Links:

• Troy Glaus' rehab hits a plateau and he isn't expected back until May.  
• Here is the minor league report from the back fields at Jupiter.

Cardinals cut roster to 33 players

The Redbirds reduced their spring training roster to 33 on Sunday night by sending down (RHP) Blake Hawksworth, (INF) Tyler Greene, (RHP) Fernando Salas, (C) Brian Anderson, and (OF) Jon Jay.

Rotation	Bullpen	Infield	Outfield	Bench
Carpenter	Franklin	Pujols	Ankiel	LaRue
Lohse	McClellan	Schumaker	Ludwick	T. Green
Wainwright	Miller	Mather	Duncan	Ryan
Pineiro	Reyes	K. Greene	Jay	Barden
Wellemeyer	Thompson	Molina	Rasmus	Anderson
Hawksworth	Kinney	Freese		Pagnozzi
Walters	Motte	Glaus (DL)		Thurston
Garcia (DL)	Perez
	Ring
	Salas

Birds squander lead but hold on for win

Sat 3/21/09 - Cards 12 Nationals 11 - On a crazy, windy day the Cardinals jumped out to a 12-1 lead only to see it evaporate when the Nationals scored ten runs starting in the bottom of the sixth inning. Colby Rasmus (5-6, 3R, 3RBI) and Ryan Ludwick (2-4, HR, 5RBI) were the hitting stars for the Cards. Kyle Lohse contributed another fine performance, going 5 1/3 innings and giving up just two runs on five hits.

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME REPORT HERE

Colby Rasmus had his best day this spring on Saturday, collecting five hits vs. Washington.

Colby Rasmus, originally uploaded by whiteyball.

Sunday's Game

Baltimore @ St. Louis (Jupiter, FL), 12:05 pm

On the mound: Todd Wellemeyer

Redbird Notes:

• Sunday's game will be televised in St. Louis on KSDK Channel 5.
• It appears David Freese is back in the mix at third base. He was called up from the minor league camp this morning. After going 2-4 yesterday against the Nationals, Freese will be back in the lineup at 3B hitting in the eight spot today against the Orioles.
• Tony likes to have a "regular season" look to his lineup on Sundays late in spring training and today is no exception. Here's the lineup we'll see this afternoon...

  2B Skip Schumaker

  LF Colby Rasmus

  1B Albert Pujols

  CF Rick Ankiel

  RF Ryan Ludwick

  SS Khalil Greene

  C Yadier Molina

  3B David Freese

  P Todd Wellemeyer

Ankiel homers again, Cards tie Phillies

Fri 3/20/09 - Cards 2 Phillies 2 - Rick Ankiel hit his second home run in as many days and Adam Wainwright threw five innings, giving up two runs on a Ryan Howard homer in Friday's 2-2 tie.

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME REPORT HERE

Adam Wainwright warms up Friday before his self described "Very, very average" spring outing vs. Philadelphia on Friday at Roger Dean Stadium.

2009-03-20 St. Louis Cardinals Adam Wainwright, originally uploaded by rosepetal236.

Saturday's Game

St. Louis @ Washington (Viera, FL), 12:05 pm

On the mound: Kyle Lohse

Redbird Notes:

News from around the league - former Cardinals in spring training:

Scott Rolen - Toronto (2-13, 1HR, 1RBI) - Tweaked his back on Wednesday, but appears to be fine. Yankees rumored to be interested in a trade, Blue Jays rumored to be open to dumping his salary.

David Eckstein - San Diego (10-28, .406 OBP, .357 Avg) - Looks to be the starting second baseman for the Padres.

Aaron Miles - Chicago Cubs (13-39, .395 OBP, .333 Avg) - Recovering from a bruised right shoulder but appears to be an imporant part of the Cubs infield plans.

Jason Marquis - Colorado (0-2, 10.2 IP, 16 H, 9.28 ERA) - Projected as the Rockies #3 starter.

Anthony Reyes - Cleveland (0-0, 7 IP, 5 H, 1.29 ERA) - Slowly building his pitch count this spring due to concerns about elbow soreness late last season. Fighting to make the Indian's rotation, he will start today vs. Dodgers.

Braden Looper - Milwaukee (has not pitched) - Sidelined so far this spring due to strain in ribcage muscle. Began bullpen sessions this week.

Redbirds Clubhouse Links:

• There are still many questions to be answered about who will start at third base on Opening Day.

Ankiel, Ludwick homer as Cards top Rays

Thur 3/19/09 - Cards 9 Rays 7 - The Cardinals traveled across the state to take on the AL Champion Rays and returned with a victory. The bus ride must have agreed with the Redbirds bats - they pounded out 16 hits on the day. (OF) Ryan Ludwick started things off with a three run shot in the first and his outfield partner (OF) Rick Ankiel followed with a solo home run in the second. (RHP) Jason Motte picked up his third save of the spring.

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME REPORT HERE

Rick Ankiel awaits a pitch in Thursday's game vs. Tampa Bay at Port Charlotte, FL. Ankiel went 3-3 on the day with a three run home run.

DSC01731, originally uploaded by lie_inourgraves.

Friday's Game

Philadelphia @ St. Louis (Jupiter, FL), 12:05 pm

On the mound: Adam Wainwright

Redbird Notes:

• Yesterday's victory left Joel Pineiro with a 3-0 Grapefruit League record.
• Minor leaguer (1B) Allen Craig had two more hits to raise his spring average to .462.

Redbirds Clubhouse Links:

• Here's the latest news about the Ballpark Village development just to the north of Busch Stadium.

Carp sharp - throws six shutout innings

Wed 3/18/09 - Cards 3 Orioles 2 - Granted, the Baltimore Orioles of the 2009 Grapefruit League don't exactly conjure up memories of the '27 Yankees, but the sight of (RHP) Chris Carpenter throwing six scoreless innings against anyone gives Cardinal fans reason for optimism. It was also good to see (C) Yadier Molina back from the WBC - he went 1-3. Finally, notice that (2B) Skip Schumaker helped turn two double plays. (Note: Split Squad game in Ft Lauderdale was rained out)

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME REPORT HERE

Thursday's Game

St. Louis @ Tampa (Port Charlotte), 12:05 pm

On the mound: Joel Pineiro

Redbird Notes:

• (RHP) Chris Perez is being held back for a few days due to shoulder discomfort.
• Josh Kinney displayed a biting slider yesterday and picked up his second save this week.

Redbirds Clubhouse Links:

• More thanks to Derek Goold of the Birdland Blog for his outstanding spring training coverage. Today he presents the Vuch Report which is a detailed report about the minor league games on the backfields at the Roger Dean complex. The report is presented by John Vuch, Cardinals director of minor league operations .

Tigers outlast Cards for Grapefruit win

Mon 3/16/09 - Tigers 7 Cards 6 - St. Louis jumped out to a four run first inning lead, but Detroit chipped away at (RHP) Todd Wellemeyer for four runs in his five innings of work. (1B) Albert Pujols hit his first home run of the spring to give the Cards a 6-4 lead in the seventh, but it wasn't enough as the Tigers tied the score off (RHP) Mitchell Boggs in the bottom of the seventh and then plated the winning run in the bottom of the ninth off (RHP) Fernando Salas

BOX SCORE HERE

Wednesday's Game

Split Squad Away Game - St. Louis @ Baltimore (Ft. Lauderdale), 12:05 pm

On the mound (Away Game): Kyle McClellan

Split Squad Home Game - Baltimore @ St. Louis (Jupiter), 1:05 pm

On the mound (Home Game): Chris Carpenter

Redbird Notes:

• The Cardinals cut eight players from their big league spring camp on Monday. (OF) Brian Barton, (RHP) Mitchell Boggs, (LHP) Charlie Manning and (RHP) Matthew Scherer were optioned to the Triple-A Memphis roster. (RHP) Jess Todd, (RHP) Adam Ottavino, (RHP) Clayton Mortensen and (1B) Allan Craig were sent to the minor league camp and will be assigned later.
• Here's a look at the 34 players left in the big league camp. Rosters must be trimmed to 25 players by opening day...

Rotation	Bullpen	Infield	Outfield	Bench
Carpenter	Franklin	Pujols	Ankiel	LaRue
Lohse	McClellan	Schumaker	Ludwick	T. Green
Wainwright	Miller	Mather	Duncan	Ryan
Pineiro	Reyes	K. Greene	Jay	Barden
Wellemeyer	Thompson	Molina	Rasmus	Anderson
Hawksworth	Kinney			Pagnozzi
Walters	Motte			Thurston
	Perez
	Ring
	Salas

Redbirds Clubhouse Links:

• Derek Goold of the Birdland Blog has posted an entry giving readers a mid-spring look at the players remaining in the big league camp and their chance to make the Opening Day roster. The entry also includes a reader poll which is pretty cool - it let's you see what other Cardinal fans think about who should go North with the big club.

Cards beat Braves, fall to Phillies

Sat 3/14/09 - Cards 2 Braves 1 - (RHP) Adam Wainwright had his best outing so far this spring, giving up just one run and striking out four in five innings. (1B) Albert Pujols put the Cardinals on top for good with a line drive RBI single in the fifth inning. (RHP) Josh Kinney pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his first spring save.

BOX SCORE HERE

Sun 3/15/09 - Philllies 2 Cards 1 - Once again Cardinal pitching was superb, giving up just two runs on nine hits. Unfortunately, Philadelphia hurlers were even better as they shut down Redbird bats and allowed just six hits all afternoon. (RHP) Kyle Lohse recorded another strong performance, striking out five over five innings. (SS) Khalil Greene went 2-3 with a 2B.

BOX SCORE HERE

Monday's Game

St. Louis @ Detroit (Lakeland), 12:05 pm

On the mound today: Todd Wellemeyer

Redbird Notes:

• The Cardinal starting pitchers are having an outstanding spring. They have compiled a 2.46 ERA and have given up just 48 hits in 49 2/3 innings.
• On Saturday, the Cardinals indoor batting cages at the Roger Dean Stadium complex were dedicated to the late Dave Ricketts, a Cardinal player and coach for 35 seasons who passed away last year.

Khalil Greene, originally uploaded by Calpounder.

Redbirds Clubhouse Links:

• CLICK HERE for an in depth profile of new Cardinal shortstop Khalil Greene.

"Longest Day" brings two wins

Fri 3/13/09 (Game 1) - Cards 6 Orioles 5 - (SS) Khalil Greene put the Cardinals on top with his first spring home run, a two run shot in the fourth. (2B) Skip Schumaker had a good day in the field participating in two double plays.

BOX SCORE HERE

Fri 3/13/09 (Game 2) - Cards 3 Orioles 1 - (RHP) Joel Pineiro and (RHP) PJ Walters were the headliners in the story of the nightcap at Roger Dean Stadium. They combined to throw seven scoreless innings, giving up seven hits and striking out nine.

BOX SCORE HERE

John Marecek from 550 KTRS filed this report from Florida about yesterday's games:

GAME REPORT HERE

Saturday's Game

Atlanta @ St. Louis (Jupiter, FL), 12:05 pm

On the mound Adam Wainwright

Wainwright winds, originally uploaded by NJ Baseball.

Redbirds Clubhouse Links:

Here's my favorite 2009 "Play Like A Cardinal" ad....

Red hot Mather hits walk off HR to beat Sox

Thur 3/12/09 - Cards 4 Red Sox 2 - (OF/3B) Joe Mather continued his torrid production by hitting a walk-off two run home run in the bottom of the ninth to lead the Birds to victory over Boston. (RHP) Chris Carpenter continued his march toward opening day by recording four more scoreless innings to keep his ERA at 0.00 this spring.

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME REPORT HERE

Joey "Bombs" Mather crosses the plate after his walk off home run beats Boston in Grapefruit League action this afternoon at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, FL.

2009-03-12 St. Louis Cardinals Mather, originally uploaded by rosepetal236.

Friday's Game

Split Squad Game 1 - St. Louis @ Baltimore (Ft. Lauderdale), 12:05 pm

On the mound (Game 1): Kyle McClellan

Split Squad Game 2 - Baltimore @ St. Louis (Jupiter), 6:05 pm

On the mound (Game 2): Joel Pineiro

Redbird Notes:

• Joe Mather currently leads the NL with 13 RBI.
• Saturday's game vs. Atlanta will be telecast on KSDK St. Louis beginning at Noon.

Redbirds Clubhouse Links:

• Don't miss some awesome photographs of Thursday's game by St. Louis photographer Scott Rovak. CLICK HERE to see his photos.

Mather leads Cards in comeback win

Wed 3/11/09 - Cards 8 Marlins 4 - Redbird hurler (RHP) Todd Wellemeyer pitched five strong innings, but left the game down 3-2 partially due to an error by second baseman in training (2B) Skip Schumaker. Fortunately, the Cardinal offense led by (3B) Joe Mather picked up the slack, plating five runs in the final two inning to secure the victory.

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME REPORT HERE

Redbirds Clubhouse Commentary:

Writers and bloggers are already dismissing Skip Schumaker's switch to second base as a "failure" after only 4 weeks. Give me a break! This guy can play and he's going to be just fine. Don't dismiss the impact of having Red Schoendienst and Jose Oquendo around to assist. Let's be patient and give him some time.

Skip Schumaker, originally uploaded by RJG_1.

Thursday's Game

Boston @ St. Louis (Jupiter), 12:05 pm

On the mound today: Chris Carpenter, Charlie Manning, Trever Miller, Josh Kinney

Redbird Notes:

• Cardinal minor leaguers are wearing a small "GK" patch on their sleeve to honor long time instructor George Kissell who passed away last October from injuries suffered in an auto accident.
• Colby Rasmus (hamstring) should be ready by Friday.

Redbirds Clubhouse Links:

• For a good read, check out "Red: A Baseball Life" by Rob Rains and Red Schoendienst. CLICK HERE to find a copy.

Duncan's first inning bomb leads Redbirds

Tue 3/10/09 - Cards 5 Tigers 2 - Batting second, (OF) Chris Duncan gave the Cardinals a 2-0 first inning lead with his second home run of the spring. (RHP) Kyle Lohse earned his second Grapefruit League victory giving up just two hits over 4 1/3 innings. (RHP) Jason Motte earned the save, striking out two in the ninth inning.

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME REPORT HERE

Wednesday's Game

St. Louis @ Florida (Jupiter), 12:05 pm

On the mound today: Todd Wellemeyer, Mitchell Boggs, Josh Kinney, Chris Perez

Redbird Notes:

• Cardinals 2008 Minor League Pitcher of the Year Jess Todd is quietly putting together a decent spring. He pitched 2 scoreless innings on Wednesday.
• Khalil Greene carried a six game hitting streak into yesterday's game but ended the day 0-3.

Redbirds Clubhouse Links:

• Former Cardinals hurler Anthony Reyes is fighting for a spot in the Cleveland Indians starting rotation. CLICK HERE to read the story.

Cards split weekend games

Hi everybody! Back from a busy lazy weekend so apologies for the lack of updates. Here's what went down in Florida the past few days:

Sat 3/7/09 - Cards 5 Astros 1 - (RHP) Joel Pineiro teamed with (RHP) Brad Thompson to hold the Astros scoreless for seven innings. (OF) Colby Rasmus put the Birds on top in the third with a triple that drove in two runs.

BOX SCORE HERE

Sun 3/8/09 - Marlins 9 Cards 8 - The Cardinals played horrid defense committing six errors on the day. To their credit, the Redbirds battled back from a 9-0 deficit and almost tied the game with an eight run fifth inning outburst.

BOX SCORE HERE

Tuesday's Game

Detroit @ St. Louis (Jupiter), 12:05 pm

On the mound today: Kyle Lohse

Redbird Notes:

• Monday night, Redbird catcher Yadier Molina hit a crucial two-run double in the eighth inning to give Puerto Rico their first lead in a game they would eventually win. The victory propels manager Jose Oquendo's team to the second round of the World Baseball Classic.
• 3B Troy Glaus has begun light throwing and batting workouts with the goal of playing in Florida before the Cardinals break camp.

Redbirds Clubhouse Links:

• CLICK HERE for a breakdown of the 15 players assigned to the minor league camp on Sunday as the big club made the first cuts of spring training.

Mets hold on to edge Cards

Fri 3/6/09 - Mets 5 Cards 4 - (RHP) Chris Carpenter made another successful start and (OF) Colby Rasmus did his best to ignite a ninth inning rally, but the Mets held on for the 5-4 victory.

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME REPORT HERE

Saturday's Game

St. Louis @ Astros (Kissimmee), 12:05 pm

On the mound today: Joel Pineiro, Brad Thompson, Blake Hawksworth, Charlie Manning, Royce Ring

Redbird Notes:

• On Thursday, Redbird catcher Yadier Molina went 1-1 with a sac fly as the DH for Puerto Rico in the WBC, while Cardinal minor league pitcher Adam Ottavino pitched two scoreless innings for Italy.
• The Birds lead all MLB teams with a .312 spring batting average.

Redbirds Clubhouse Links:

• CLICK HERE for an interesting look at how Cardinals manager  Tony LaRussa analyzes the detailed aspects of a baseball game.

Cards hold tough Dominican squad to one run

Thur 3/5/09 - Cards 4 Team Dominicana 1 - Facing a Team Dominicana lineup loaded with current and former All-Stars, Cardinal pitchers recorded their best performance of the spring, giving up just five hits and one run. (2B) Skip Schumaker went 2-2 on the day and (2B) Brendan Ryan returned to the lineup and scored two runs.

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME REPORT HERE

Friday's Game

NY Mets @ St. Louis (Jupiter), 12:05 pm

On the mound today: Chris Carpenter, Kyle McClellan, Mitchell Boggs, Trever Miller

Redbird Notes:

• Yesterday the Cardinals signed lefty relief specialist Dennys Reyes, a free agent reliever who played the past three seasons for the Minnesota Twins. CLICK HERE to see Reyes career stats. He will not join the team until the end of his commitment to play for Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic.
• Happy belated birthday to Ryan Franklin who turned 36 on Thursday.

Redbirds Clubhouse Links:

• Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch indicates that Joe Mather is currently the front runner to open the season at third base. CLICK HERE to read the full article.

Redbirds to host Dominican Republic squad

Thursday's Game

Team Dominicana @ St. Louis (Jupiter, FL), 1:05 pm

On the mound today: Todd Wellemeyer

Redbird Notes:

• Today's game can be heard on the Cardinals flagship radio station 550 KTRS.

Redbirds Clubhouse Links:

• CLICK HERE to read about Team Dominicana, one of the favorites to capture the World Baseball Classic.

Bombs away! Duncan, Cards blast Mets

Tue 3/3/09 - Cards 15 Mets 4 - The Cardinals were the model for offensive efficiency Tuesday as they collected 15 hits and scored 15 runs. (OF) Chris Duncan led the way going 4-4 with a 3B, HR, and 5 RBI. (RHP) Kyle Lohse stretched his second start to 3.2 innings giving up just three hits and no runs.

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME REPORT HERE

No Game Today

Rays, Kennedy top Cardinals

Mon 3/2/09 - Rays 8 Cards 5 - The Rays kept their base coaches busy on Monday sending 18 batters safely to the sacks (13 hits, 3 walks, 2 errors). Not too many bright spots to report from the Cardinals side other than (LHP) Trever Miller striking out the side in the seventh. (OF) Rick Ankiel and (OF) Nick Stavinoha each had a pair of hits on the afternoon.

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME REPORT HERE

Tuesday's Game

St. Louis @ NY Mets (Port St. Lucie), 12:10 pm

On the mound today: Kyle Lohse

Redbird Notes:

• Today's game can be heard on the Cardinals flagship radio station 550 KTRS.

Redbirds Clubhouse Links:

• CLICK HERE to read about former Cardinals Troy Perceval and Jason Isringhausen who are together again in Tampa Bay.

Redbirds collect 19 hits to outlast Florida

Sun 3/1/09 - Cards 14 Marlins 10 - The Cardinals made the most of a windy Sunday at Roger Dean Stadium by collecting 19 hits and 14 runs to beat the Marlins. (OF) Brian Barton led the hit parade going 3-5 with a 2B, 2 HR and 6 RBI. Joel Pineiro had a solid spring debut giving up just one unearned run over two innings.

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME REPORT HERE

Monday's Game

Tampa Bay @ St. Louis (Jupiter), 12:05 pm

On the mound today: Adam Wainwright, Blake Hawksworth, Shaun Garceau, Francisco Samuel

Redbird Notes:

• The Cardinals report that the MRI on RHP Clayton Mortensen's elbow showed no structural damage. He will continue to be treated for elbow tendinitis.
• INF Brendan Ryan completed a hitting session in the batting cage yesterday as he continues treatment for tendinitis in his right wrist.
• 3B David Freese continues his recovery from a sore Achilles and may see time later this week.

Redbirds Clubhouse Links:

• Former Cardinals bullpen favorite Russ Springer begins his 17th season with the Oakland A's this spring. CLICK HERE to read a profile about him written by the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser.

Carpenter sharp in spring debut

Sat 2/28/09 - Cards 9 Nationals 2 - Redbird ace Chris Carpenter needed just 19 pitches to cruise untouched through two innings in his 2009 Grapefruit League debut. (OF) Ryan Ludwick, (1B) Albert Pujols and (OF) John Jay drove in six of the Cardinals nine runs.

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME REPORT HERE

Sunday's Game

St. Louis @ Florida (Jupiter), 12:05 pm

On the mound today: Joel Pineiro, Kyle McClellan, Brad Thompson, Chris Perez, Justin Fiske, Ian Ostlund

Redbird Notes:

• Today's starting lineup:

1. Schumaker 2B
2. Stavinoha DH
3. Ludwick RF
4. Duncan 1B
5. Molina C
6. Greene SS
7. Rasmus CF
8. Mather 3B
9. Barton LF

Redbirds Clubhouse Links:

• Read an article about Cards reliever Josh Kinney HERE at the Whiteyball blog.

• Derek Goold at the Bird Land blog pointed out yesterday that the Cardinals have won more Rawlings Gold Glove awards (72) than any other team in the majors. To check out the history of the award, CLICK HERE to visit the Rawlings Gold Glove site. You'll find all the Redbird Gold Glovers from Ken Boyer in 1957 to Yadier Molina in 2008. The site even features a section on College and High School Gold Glove award winners.

Birds survive rocky 9th inning, win 9-8

Fri 2/27/09 - Cards 9 Mets 8 - The Mets roughed up lefty reliever Royce Ring for four runs in the ninth, but the Cardinals survived and notched a 9-8 victory over the Mets Friday afternoon in Port St. Lucie. (2B) Jarrett Hoffpauir, (1B) Allen Craig and (OF) John Jay each had two hits for the Birds.

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME REPORT HERE

Saturday's Game

Washington @ St. Louis (Jupiter), 12:05 pm

On the mound today: Chris Carpenter, Ryan Franklin, Ian Ostlund, Charlie Manning, Fernando Salas

Redbird Notes:

• Redbird Nation will hold its collective breath today when Chris Carpenter returns to the mound against the Nationals. Today's lineup could resemble what we see on Opening Day:
Schumaker 2B
Molina C
Pujols 1B
Ankiel CF
Ludwick RF
Duncan LF
K. Greene SS
Mather 3B
Jay DH
(Carpenter P)
• RHP Clayton Mortenson is experiencing elbow soreness and was scheduled for an MRI Friday.

Redbird Links:

Here's an early season prediction about the Cardinals Opening Day roster from Matthew Leach over at the OYNAG blog.

"Wasn't much of a game" says Tony

Thur 2/26/09 - Orioles 11 Cards 3 - The Orioles pounded Cardinal hurlers Kyle Lohse and Ian Ostlund for seven runs in the first three innings and never looked back, beating the Redbirds Thursday in Ft. Lauderdale.

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME REPORT HERE

Friday's Game

St. Louis @ NY Mets (Port St. Lucie), 1:10 pm

On the mound today: Todd Wellemeyer, PJ Walters, Adam Ottavino, Jason Motte, Josh Kinney, Trever Miller

Redbird Notes:

• Back at Roger Dean Stadium yesterday, Troy Glaus continued his rehab from shoulder surgery with a fielding session (no throwing).
• After Friday's outing vs. NY Mets, pitcher Adam Ottavino will be joining the Italian team for the World Baseball Classic.

Redbird Links:

CLICK HERE to read a nice column in this morning's St. Louis Post Dispatch by columnist Bryan Burwell about Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols.

Like kissin' your sister - Cards 5 Marlins 5 (10 in)

Wed 2/25/09 - Cards 5 Marlins 5 - The Cardinals opened Grapefruit League play against the Florida Marlins, their co-tenants at Roger Dean Stadium and came away with a 5-5 tie. Blake Hawksworth and Royce Ring were impressive on the mound, allowing no runs and striking out four in four innings of work.

BOX SCORE HERE

GAME REPORT HERE

Thursday's Game

St. Louis @ Baltimore (Ft. Lauderdale), 12:05 pm

On the mound: Kyle Lohse, Chris Perez, Brad Furnish, Ian Ostlund, Charlie Manning

Redbird Notes:

• This season marks the Cardinals 11th spring in Jupiter, FL.
• The Redbirds are undefeated in their last 10 Grapefruit League (9-0-1) games dating back to March, 2008.

Redbird Links:

One of the more interesting stories of the spring is Skip Schumaker's attempt to become the Redbird second baseman. In the spring of 1946, another Cardinal outfielder came to camp and made a similar switch to the infield. The change of scenery worked out quite well - this 23 year old was named the starting second baseman in the 1946 All-Star Game. CLICK HERE to find out who it was.