The Cardinals pulled to .500 with an 8-3 win over the Colorado Rockies last night. Rick Ankiel was the all-around star and Todd Wellemeyer put together the second consecutive solid outing from a Cardinal starter to put St. Louis in the win column for the first time this year.
Wellemeyer- who is basically a temporary starter auditioning for the chance to stay in the rotation once the injured Matt Clement comes back- impressed, giving up four hits and one run over five innings. As impressive as Wellemeyer was on the mound, centerfielder Rick Ankiel was the star of the game. Ankiel collected 3 hits, including a solo homerun, and added a spectacular diving catch in center. Ankiel continues to shine in his transition from phenom pitcher to 5 tool outfielder. Ryan Ludwick, starting in his first game of the season, collected 3 hits in relief of the injured Chris Duncan, who sat out with a sore hamstring. Albert Pujols also reached base 5 times in the game.
Rockies outfielder Troy Hawpe tied the game early with a solo homerun off Wellemeyer in the top of the 4th, but Ankiel quickly responded with a solo shot of his own in the bottom of the inning, putting the Cards up for good. Ludwick knocked in another run with an RBI triple, then scored on a Troy Glaus sacrifice fly in the 6th. The Rockies would tack on two more runs against the bullpen, but St. Louis made the lead stand with a four-run 8th inning.
The Cardinals will try to win the first series of the year this afternoon at 12:15pm (Central time), with Brad Thompson taking his turn auditioning to hold onto his spot in the rotation against Rockies lefty Ubaldo Jimenez.
