The magic number is 3. On the same day the Houston Astros fired Cecil Cooper, the Cardinals came out fired up scoring six runs in the first three innings off Houston starter Wandy Rodriquez as the Cardinals win 7-3.
It was a huge night for Mark DeRosa who doubled in two runs in the first inning, then hit solo home runs in the third and sixth. DeRosa finished 3 for 4 with four RBIs. Skip Schumaker had three hits, while Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, and Jason LaRue all had two hits apiece.
Kyle Loshe made the start and despite giving up two solo home runs, he was able to go six innings and pick up his 6 th win of the year. The Cubs won at Milwaukee, but at this point, the Cardinals are not going to need any help from the Cubs. At some point during this nine game road trip, the Cardinals will clinch the Central Division and it could still happen in Houston.
Cardinals magic number at three
Royals battle back to beat Boston
The rain, the fog, the knuckleball. It all looked like a deadly combination for the Royals Monday night, but they never quit after falling behind 6-0 and come back to beat the Wild Card leading Red Sox, 12-9.
Royals’ starting pitcher Lenny DiNardo got roughed up for eight runs in five innings, including six in the third inning. Half of those came when Jason Bay hit his 36 th of the year for a three run shot.
The Royals didn’t panic. They picked up a run in the third on three walks and a passed ball. In the fourth, catcher Miguel Olivo singled and stole second off knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, then went to third on a wild throw from catcher Victor Martinez. Olivo scored on an Alex Gordon single. A double play ended the Royals chance for more runs.
Down 8-2, the Royals drew two more walks with one out in the bottom of the fifth, before Mike Jacobs launched his 18 th homer of the year. All of the sudden the Royals were back in the game.
Down 9-5 in the bottom of the sixth, the Royals went off with six runs off Manny Delcarmen and Daniel Bard. It all came with two outs. After a leadoff double by Josh Anderson, he was on third with two outs when six straight Royals reached base. The Royals took the lead and the bullpen shut Boston down the final three innings.
Yasuhiko Yabuta who gave up the Sox final run and has an ERA over 14, got the win, while Joakim Soria picked up his 27 th save.
Public Service Commission reviews ethics rules today
The Public Service Commission meets this week to discuss a possible ban on communication.
Public Service Commission Robert Clayton says it’s a meeting to review findings from the commission’s ethics consultant who is studying its standards of conduct between commissioners and regulated utilities.
Clayton says the move would help regain public confidence in the commission after a number of motions that have been filed against various commissioners over the past five years that involved discussions between commissioners and regulated entities while a case is ongoing.
The meeting today is at 1 p.m. in the Governor Office Building in Jefferson City and is open to the public.
"Our ethics workshop process is very important for the public, because the public needs to have confidence in our process and our decisions," Clayton says. "What I’ve proposed is that we have an outright ban on communications between utilities and commissioners while cases are pending. I don’t think there is any matter that should be up for discussion while those very difficult matters are before the commission."
Clayton says there have been a number of motions that have been filed against various commissioners over the past four or five years, most of them involving communications between commissioners — who are the decision-makers and the regulated entities the commission is charged with regulating — that have led to motions to recuse or requests for people to not participate in those cases.
"I think what we need to do is put a program in place that sets a bright line on what’s being communicated while a case is pending," he says.
