This has been a weird year. The Cardinals have had two really bad stretches that’ll probably cost the Cards their second straight 100 win season. Regardless, the Reds were just as bad during those two stretches so the Cardinals were able to hold on to their lead. It seems like no matter how bad we’ve played, we’ve stayed just ahead of the pack.
Chris Carpenter looked mortal on Friday, and the end result was the Cardinals eighth straight loss. Carpenter gave up four runs on seven hits in six innings of work and Carpenter is now a pedestrian 10-6. Juan Encarnacion had two hits and two RBIs in the 4-3 loss.
The Cardinals turned the tables on the Brewers on Saturday. Anthony Reyes threw five solid innings and the bullpen was flawless for the final four frames. Albert Pujols continued his run towards a second straight MVP with a big game. He went two for four with a homerun, two RBIs and two runs in the 4-3 win.
Jeff Suppan was very solid in the rubber game. He gave up only a single run on four hits and one walk with seven strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings. Juan Encarnacion and Scott Rolen both went yard in the 7-1 win and Pujols had three hits and two runs.
Next up is a big four game series against the Reds. This is what it’s all about as first plays second in a four game series. If the Cardinals can go to Cincinnati and win three of four, it’ll go a long way towards another division title.
