Series Thread: HOU @ STL

[cprice12]

Up Next: Cards vs. Houston at Busch
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
04/25/2008



7:15 p.m. today (FSN)
RH Braden Looper (3-1, 5.49 ERA) vs. RH Shawn Chacon (0-0, 2.77)

12:10 p.m. Saturday (FSN)
RH Adam Wainwright (2-1, 2.73) vs. RH Roy Oswalt (2-3, 6.00)

1:15 p.m. Sunday (KSDK)
RH Kyle Lohse (2-0, 2.54) vs. RH Brandon Backe (1-2, 4.15)

Scouting the Astros
• Oswalt has chipped away at an ERA that reached 9 after two starts. The Astros ace is 9-5 with a 2.79 ERA in 23 games (22 starts) against the Cardinals in his career. He has struck out 16 in his past 18 innings.

• After acknowledging he is two years older than his baseball card says, Miguel Tejada went on a tear. He went 14 for 27 (.519) in the next six games, including consecutive four-hit games and eight RBIs.

• Closer Jose Valverde, who led the NL in saves in 2007 for Arizona, allowed five earned runs in 11⁄3 innings at Philly. But he bounced back with three K’s and a win in 12⁄3 innings Tuesday.

[dmiles2186]

Boy, that Oswalt-Wainwright matchup is going to be a fun one to watch, even though Oswalt owns us.

And I hope that Backe doesn't pitch around Pujols. I hope he has the cajones to pitch to him after calling him out for taking out Towles in Houston. Man up, Backe. And if he does, I hope Pujols cracks one into the largest "man made lake" beyond the left field fence.

Too bad Brad Lidge isn't around to enjoy this any longer.

[richtedm]

Boy, that Oswalt-Wainwright matchup is going to be a fun one to watch, even though Oswalt owns us.

And I hope that Backe doesn't pitch around Pujols. I hope he has the cajones to pitch to him after calling him out for taking out Towles in Houston. Man up, Backe. And if he does, I hope Pujols cracks one into the largest "man made lake" beyond the left field fence.

Too bad Brad Lidge isn't around to enjoy this any longer.

Backe is not a man, this would be impossible for him to do. He is the world's bitch.

[dmiles2186]

Boy, that Oswalt-Wainwright matchup is going to be a fun one to watch, even though Oswalt owns us.

And I hope that Backe doesn't pitch around Pujols. I hope he has the cajones to pitch to him after calling him out for taking out Towles in Houston. Man up, Backe. And if he does, I hope Pujols cracks one into the largest "man made lake" beyond the left field fence.

Too bad Brad Lidge isn't around to enjoy this any longer.

Backe is not a man, this would be impossible for him to do. He is the world's bitch.

Sure, but it just doesn't sound as good if you say, "Female up, Backe."

[richtedm]

Boy, that Oswalt-Wainwright matchup is going to be a fun one to watch, even though Oswalt owns us.

And I hope that Backe doesn't pitch around Pujols. I hope he has the cajones to pitch to him after calling him out for taking out Towles in Houston. Man up, Backe. And if he does, I hope Pujols cracks one into the largest "man made lake" beyond the left field fence.

Too bad Brad Lidge isn't around to enjoy this any longer.

Backe is not a man, this would be impossible for him to do. He is the world's bitch.

Sure, but it just doesn't sound as good if you say, "Female up, Backe."

Seriously though, whatever Backe is on, I want some of, because how in the hell does he get off thinking he even deserves to be in the same league as Pujols? And he is going to attempt to be his biggest detractor? Please, get the F out, Backe.

[dmiles2186]

Boy, that Oswalt-Wainwright matchup is going to be a fun one to watch, even though Oswalt owns us.

And I hope that Backe doesn't pitch around Pujols. I hope he has the cajones to pitch to him after calling him out for taking out Towles in Houston. Man up, Backe. And if he does, I hope Pujols cracks one into the largest "man made lake" beyond the left field fence.

Too bad Brad Lidge isn't around to enjoy this any longer.

Backe is not a man, this would be impossible for him to do. He is the world's bitch.

Sure, but it just doesn't sound as good if you say, "Female up, Backe."

Seriously though, whatever Backe is on, I want some of, because how in the hell does he get off thinking he even deserves to be in the same league as Pujols? And he is going to attempt to be his biggest detractor? Please, get the F out, Backe.

Yeah, I agree. If it was Oswalt coming at him, alright cool, he's the staff ace and a respected veteran who has proved himself year in and year out. But Backe? I'm sorry, when you are coming at the greatest hitter in the game, you look like an idiot. Win 15 games in a season, at least once, and then maybe we can talk. MAYBE.

[marco]

Jason Isringhausen is incredibly unreliable.

We got to the game early last night, had 1st row seats in the outfield along the third base foul line. In this section, Row 1 is not the same as Front Row... I was a little peeved about that. We went into the concourse before the rain fell and started sipping beer until about 8:45 when we could get back to our seats.

Looper started the game off very solid, and the Astros pitcher blew the 1st inning with help from the short stop. It was 2-0 all the way until Jason Isringhausen came out and ruined everyone's night who had endured the crappy weather just to see the game go right into the shitter.

It's pretty simple, your closer cannot ever give up multiple extra base hits when the game is on the line. An out, a single, a triple, a sacfly, a solo homerun and then the final out is a disaster.

The crazy thing is our part of the outfield was heckling Carlos Lee the entire game, it was pretty funny and he kept looking over at us. We offered him a lawn chair and everything, you had to be there. He got us back by hitting it into the seats were the worse fans were sitting. In retrospect, that was classic.

[OS]

No pitcher is perfect 100% of the time. Izzy is one of the top closers in the game still.

[dmiles2186]

Backe just went berserk and threw at Yadi's head. What a pussy. I hate this guy. And then, when it's his turn to go to the mound the next inning? Oscar Villareal is in his place.

[stlmark]

Backe needs his ass kicked!

Nice to see the Cards take the series after the first blown loss.

[cprice12]

The Cardinals light up Backe for 4 runs in an inning.
Molina comes to the plate later in the same inning.
He asks for time when Backe is starting his windup.
The ump grants him time.
Backe is upset and starts jawing at Molina.
The very next pitch is up in Molina's face.
If Backe would have thrown at Molina's legs or midsection, I wouldn't have had a huge problem with it because I don't think a batter should be granted time when a pitcher is in his windup...and I wouldn't blame him for being upset. But Backe threw at Molina's head...which is a punk move and he should have gotten his ass beat for it.

Molina should have charged the mound. There is no excuse for intentionally throwing at a guy's head.
Molina was livid, but didn't charge the mound, he took a few steps towards the mound and was yelling and pointing as the benches cleared.
LaRussa has the right attitude about throwing at hitters. He throws at their midsection so a player is much less likely to get seriously hurt. He doesn't want to hurt the guy, he just wants to send a message and protect his players.

Backe is an average pitcher who thinks he is a lot better than he is. He needs to keep his mouth shut and pitch, instead of trying to have a verbal war with Pujols or throwing at Molina's head.

Backe is a lot like a much less talented Carlos Zambrano. They both have a temper and a big mouth, and someone needs to smack them both around and put them in their place.

What's funny, is that Molina hit a comebacker to Backe on the very next pitch after being thrown at. How great would it have been had Molina whizzed a liner right by Backe's ear? Turnabout would have been fair play, right?

I'm so glad we won this game and hung the loss on Backe. Serves him right.

Suck it Astros.

[BoxCar]

I ump softball for RecSports at Mizzou. The umpire should have denied the request for time if he thought it was early and Backe knows this or else he doesn't know the rules of his own game. Backe should have been ejected immediately after that pitch. Backe is also very lucky it didn't happen a few innings earlier and he had to come to bat again.

[richtedm]

Did anybody else watch Mike Shannon draw all over the TV for a good 5 minutes yesterday? He was illustrating examples of how a pitcher "paints the corners." I think Mike Shannon is possibly the most entertaining guy to listen to - he cracks me up and I was rolling around on the ground watching him with his little lines on the telly. Just when you'd think he was finished and there was no way he could illustrate further, he'd just start drawing again. HAHA, it still cracks me up thinking about it.

[stinkdified]

Jason Isringhausen is incredibly unreliable.

we need to make this its own thread, 'cause we are going to be bitchin about it the whole year...

[WaukeeBlues]

fight fight fight FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!!!!! FIGHT!!!!! FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!!