The Cardinals showed little punch on the mound or at the plate in an 11-1 loss to the Astros Wednesday afternoon. It was the first time they’ve been swept by Houston at Busch Stadium since July 1994. Five Cardinal pitchers were put in and four of them allowed runs—starter Chris Carpenter was charged with four runs, Jason Simontacchi allowed one, Cal Eldred gave up two and Jason Isringhausen was tagged for three. The “B’s” did most of the damage for the Astros as Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio and Lance Berkman drove in three runs apiece. St. Louis had just five hits and their only run was the result of a Scott Rolen sacrifice. St. Louis did have a number of base runners thanks to Wade Miller’s seven walks over seven innings, but the Cardinals stranded eleven runners on the base paths. The Cards are now 1-6 at Busch Stadium this season and will try to improve upon that record as the Rockies come to town for a three-game series that starts Friday night.
