The Cardinals got off to good start this afternoon, scoring three in the fourth inning thanks in part to a two out double by Aaron Miles. The Pirates came back with three of their own in the fifth off Anthony Reyes and another in the sixth to go up 4-3. Albert Pujols hit his 24 th homer of the year in to tie the game in the seventh. With no outs and runners on first and second in the bottom of the eleventh, Ronny Paulino tried to bunt the runners over, but Pujols made a strong throw to third and Rolen fired over to first for a rare 3-5-4 double play. However, pinch hitter Jose Castillo singled off of Brad Thompson for the winner, a 5-4 win as the Pirates take two out of three.
Another rough start for Anthony Reyes, 5 innings, 4 hits, 3 walks, 3 earned runs. This is a critical weekend for the Cardinals. You’ve got the Phillies in Milwaukee, Mets in Chicago, and the Cards take on the lousy Nationals. This could have been a road trip with the division leaders facing tougher competition, the Cardinals could have gotten closer to the top. It’s clear to see, the starting pitching is not going to be consistent enough the last two months of the season.
