We're Gonna Get Killed in St. Louis

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With the pitching sucking the way it is, we're just going to turn to mush.

If it doesn't turn out that way, I'll be the first to be happy and say I was wrong.

But I don't think I'm wrong.

:cry:

And Brook 4dyce says it best.... in the "Quick Hits" at the bottom. Right on, Brook!

06/05/2003 11:57 PM ET
Orioles head to St. Louis for three
Baltimore (28-30) at St. Louis (31-27), 8:10 p.m. ET
By Gene Duffey / Special to MLB.com

ST. LOUIS -- Friday night will be the first meeting between Baltimore and the St. Louis Cardinals since the St. Louis Browns became the Orioles for the 1954 season.
The Cardinals and Browns did face off in the 1944 World Series, and the Cards rallied from a 2-1 deficit to win three straight and the series.

The Orioles will attempt to rebound from a three-game sweep in Houston. Baltimore's all-time record in Interleague Play fell to 46-60. The Orioles will play the Cubs, Brewers and Phillies at home and the Braves on the road by the end of the month.

But Baltimore will have to hit better and pitch better than it did in three games in Houston. The Orioles had gone 9-2 in their previous 11 games before the trip to Minute Maid Park.

Pitching matchup:

BAL: RHP Rick Helling


3-4, 5.82 in 2003
0-0, 0.00 in 2003 vs. STL
1-7, 6.59 lifetime vs. STL

STL: RHP Brett Tomko


2-4, 4.44 in 2003
NR vs. BAL

Player to watch: Melvin Mora keeps rolling along, even against good pitching. Houston's Roy Oswalt struck him the first two times Thursday. But Mora got singles in his next two at-bats off Oswalt, going 2-for-4 to increase his hitting streak to 17 games and raise his average to .359.

Quotable: "We tried not to use the bullpen too much. [Willis Roberts, who pitched three innings] is probably the only guy not available Friday." -- manager Mike Hargrove after Thursday's loss to Houston

On the Internet:
MLB.TV
Gameday Audio


Gameday
On television:


STL: Fox Sports Midwest
BAL: WB54/PAX66
On radio:


STL: KMOX (1120)
BAL: WBAL (1090)

Quick hits: Baltimore catcher Brook Fordyce, who had two hits Thursday night, wasn't complaining about Interleague Play. "There's no excuses whether it's the National or American League. We should be able to come out here and play National League ball. We didn't execute." ... The Orioles struck out 23 times in their final two games against Houston. ... The Astros scored in six consecutive innings against Baltimore: the last two Wednesday night and the first four Thursday. ... Orioles right-hander Pat Hentgen spent the 2000 season with the Cardinals, compiling a 15-12 record and a 4.74 ERA. He was signed as a free agent by the Orioles after that season. Hentgen is not scheduled to pitch this weekend in St. Louis because he threw 6 1/3 innings Wednesday in Houston.

Weather forecast:
Scattered thunderstorms are forecast for Friday in St. Louis with a high of 72 and a low of 56. The chance of rain is 40 percent.

On deck:


Orioles at Cardinals, Friday, 8:10 p.m. ET
Orioles at Cardinals, Saturday, 4:05 p.m. ET
Orioles at Cardinals, 2:05. ET

Gene Duffey is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Well, we only got moderately killed. Grover had Matos back in there, and The Chief, and used the lineup that produces. Staged a rally..... but lost it.

:sigh:

Cardinals 8, Orioles 6
By R.B. FALLSTROM, AP Sports Writer
June 7, 2003


ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Right now, nobody can get Albert Pujols out.

Pujols capped a four-hit night with a three-run double in the eighth inning as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-6 Friday, extending their winning streak to five games.

Pujols has seven straight hits, hiking his major league-leading average to .391, and is 19-for-29 during an eight-game hitting streak. He was 4-for-4 with three singles and four RBIs in the first meeting between the former St. Louis rivals.

``When you're on, you're on, no matter what they throw you,'' Pujols said. ``It's part of my work. I don't take anything for granted whether I'm hitting .200 or .300.''

Deivi Cruz doubled for the third time and scored the go-ahead run on Geronimo Gil's eighth-inning single as the Orioles recovered from a five-run deficit to take a 6-5 lead.

The Cardinals responded with a two-out rally against closer Jorge Julio (0-4). Tino Martinez singled to start the eighth and, with two outs, Miguel Cairo was hit by a pitch and pinch-hitter J.D. Drew walked to load the bases. Pujols then doubled sharply to left to clear the bases.

``I had time to come in and watch videotape of the reliever when they were changing pitchers and I knew I was going to face him no matter what,'' Pujols said. ``I watched the tape for about a minute and a half and I just went out there and I knew what he was going to do.''

Julio thought he made it tough on Pujols with a fastball on the inside corner.

``He's a good hitter who's hot right now,'' Julio said. ``It was a good pitch that was where I wanted it.''

Melvin Mora extended his hitting streak to 18 games with a single in the fourth, but Baltimore lost its fourth in a row.

The Browns left St. Louis to become the Baltimore Orioles after going 54-100 in 1953. The teams will wear vintage uniforms from 1944 -- when they met in the World Series -- on Saturday, with the Orioles donning Browns jerseys.

Esteban Yan (1-0), who has allowed five runs in 5 2-3 innings since being acquired from the Rangers on May 27, was the winner. Cal Eldred worked the ninth for his sixth save in eight chances.

Cruz, who had an RBI double in a four-run fifth and another RBI double in the sixth, doubled again with one out in the eighth off Yan. Gil followed with a single to right for the lead.


The Cardinals scored five runs off Rick Helling in the fourth on five hits to break a scoreless tie. Chris Widger, who had been 1-for-18 since his contract was purchased from Triple-A Memphis on May 13, had the big hit with a two-run double over the head of center fielder Luis Matos.

Pujols and Martinez each drove in a run, and another run scored on a balk.

Cardinals starter Brett Tomko sailed through the first four innings, giving up two hits. But the Orioles answered with four runs in the fifth, including RBI doubles by Cruz, Gil and Brian Roberts in a four-batter span.

``I went from being real good to being real bad, right in the blink of an eye,'' Tomko said. ``Before I knew it, I was on the ropes.''

Tomko was yanked after giving up two more extra-base hits, a triple by Tony Batista and an RBI double by Cruz, in consecutive at-bats with one out in the fifth to tie it at 5. The right-hander is 0-2 in seven starts since his last victory April 25 at Florida.

Widger, the Cardinals' backup catcher, bruised his right thumb making a throw on a steal attempt and was removed in the fifth inning. Widger hit his hand on Mora's helmet on the follow-through, and Mora was called out for interference.

Helling lasted four innings, giving up five runs on seven hits.

``This is about as close to an American League lineup as a National League team gets,'' Helling said. ``Even with a couple of guys hurt they are dangerousone through nine and they have the best hitter in the league right now.''

Notes

Matos was 2-for-3 to extend his hitting streak to 12 games, and had two steals. ... St. Louis' Kerry Robinson is 0-for-9 as a pinch-hitter after lining out to center in the sixth. ... Martinez has 12 RBIs in the last 13 games. ... Cardinals RHP Dustin Hermanson, who allowed five runs on four hits and didn't get an out Thursday, retired the last two batters in the sixth. On Thursday, hepitched for the first time in 11 days.