Luvofthegame
09-07-2006, 02:51 PM
By Joe Strauss
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/07/2006
WASHINGTON — If this was indeed a true pennant race, what happened to the Cardinals on Wednesday at RFK Stadium might wreck a season. Instead, it reinforced a 5-month-old concern.
With Cy Young candidate Chris Carpenter working opposite a September call-up confined to a pitch count, the Cardinals experienced the unthinkable in a 7-6 loss to the last-place Washington Nationals.
Held scoreless for five innings by lefthander Mike O'Connor, the Redbirds grabbed a 3-1 lead that the recently unhittable Carpenter dropped in a sixth-inning flurry that started with a walk and engulfed him with five lined singles.
Not yet done, left fielder Preston Wilson rescued the Cardinals from a 5-4 deficit when he slugged a two-run homer off Nationals closer Chad Cordero in the top of the ninth inning good for a 6-5 lead.
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Then, in 22 ninth-inning pitches that included only nine strikes, it happened again.
An up-and-down season brought closer Jason Isringhausen to a nadir when the Nationals loaded the bases without a hit, then won the game on second baseman Jose Vidro's one-out, two-run slash to right field. Isringhausen left shaking his right arm as a crowd of 21,322 celebrated at his expense.
"We got two runs off one of the better closers around," manager Tony La Russa said. "It's a very difficult loss. We did what we had to do. We played as hard as we could and they beat us."
What Isringhausen (4-8) later termed "a pitiful outing" ended as his league-leading 10th blown save. The Cardinals are left to ponder how much of his inconsistency might be attributed to the condition of his surgically repaired left hip.
"I can't relate it to anything, really," said Isringhausen, who was seeking his 250th career save and 34th this season. "I was throwing good in the bullpen. Then I got out there and things unraveled pretty quickly, and it was very ugly."
"In the end, either you do or you don't. And he didn't," La Russa said. "Either you do or don't. They win."
Third baseman Scott Spiezio accounted for a 3-1 lead when he clanged a two-out, sixth-inning home run off the right field foul pole. The blast was the Cardinals' only hit with runners in scoring position.
"A lot of things went back and forth, a lot of momentum shifts," said Spiezio. "It was a fun game. It would've been a lot more fun if we had won."
Carpenter carried the league's lowest ERA into the game but was charged with four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning when the Nationals followed a leadoff walk with five singles, most on elevated fastballs.
The loss left La Russa bruised 20 minutes after the game. He had little patience when questioned about staying with Carpenter until the lead evaporated. "You saw the game," he said. "I managed the game to the best of my ability, so what do you want me to say? I should've gotten him earlier? Leave him in later? Whatever you want to do. It's the best I can do. It's the job I have. You see my decisions."
Catcher Yadier Molina made it a 5-4 game with a seventh-inning home run. In the ninth, Wilson followed John Rodriguez's pinch single with the Cardinals' third home run of the game.
For only the third time this season, Isringhausen threw at least 20 pitches on consecutive days. In this case he appeared barely 16 hours after closing Wednesday's 2-0 win with an eventful 28 pitches. Wednesday marked the second time such a turnaround resulted in a blown save.
Isringhausen threw freely in the outfield before the game, but he never felt comfortable once he faced hitters. "I had bad mechanics when I went out there," he said. "In the middle of an inning it's hard to correct things. It was just a very, very bad inning."
Less than two years after having arthroscopic surgery on his left hip, the closer offered cryptic answers about his health. "It's September. My body is getting old. That's it," said Isringhausen, who turns 34 today.
Isringhausen performs exercises daily to keep some flexibility in the hip. But the condition is a degenerative one and it is only a matter of time before an additional procedure will be considered, according to a club source.
Pressed about his physical status, he offered, "My arm feels great. Let's leave it at that."
The Cardinals invested much in what would have been an inspired win. Five relievers got eight outs to bring the game to Isringhausen, as La Russa was more comfortable calling on his closer rather than shuffling roles.
Braden Looper, in line for a ninth relief victory thanks to Wilson's heroics, needed two pitches to get the eighth inning's final out. Adam Wainwright had thrown seven pitches to secure a key eighth-inning out Tuesday night. La Russa said he might have summoned lefthander Tyler Johnson or Randy Flores behind Isringhausen if either had not been used earlier.
Felipe Lopez, fighting a seven-for-35 funk, walked to begin the ninth. Isringhausen then induced a pop fly to right field from the Nationals' dangerous rookie third baseman, Ryan Zimmerman. Exploiting Isringhausen's deliberate move to the plate, Lopez swiped second base. Pitching carefully to lefthanded-hitting first baseman Nick Johnson, Isringhausen hit him with a breaking ball to put the winning run on base.
Right fielder Ryan Church walked after trailing 1-2 in the count to load the bases. Activated from the disabled list Aug. 18, Vidro had one RBI since July 14 when he stepped in against Isringhausen.
"I had to throw one down the middle to get a strike or walk in a run," Isringhausen said. "That's the worst thing -- I just couldn't throw a strike."
Vidro then lined a fastball past lunging first baseman Albert Pujols into right field, and with no one warming Isringhausen fell from the high wire. "There shouldn't be a safety net out there," he said. "My job is to go out there and get three outs. I wasn't able to do it again today."
NL closers by the numbers
Reliever, team Saves Opp
Hoffman, Padres 37 41
Wagner, Mets 35 40
Borowski, Marlins 33 38
Isringhausen, Cards 33 43
Lidge, Astros 30 35
Reliever, team Blown saves
Isringhausen, Cards 10
Turnbow, Brewers 8
Benitez, Giants 8
Baez, Braves 8
Weathers, Reds 7
Dempster, Cubs 7
Source: MLB.com
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/07/2006
WASHINGTON — If this was indeed a true pennant race, what happened to the Cardinals on Wednesday at RFK Stadium might wreck a season. Instead, it reinforced a 5-month-old concern.
With Cy Young candidate Chris Carpenter working opposite a September call-up confined to a pitch count, the Cardinals experienced the unthinkable in a 7-6 loss to the last-place Washington Nationals.
Held scoreless for five innings by lefthander Mike O'Connor, the Redbirds grabbed a 3-1 lead that the recently unhittable Carpenter dropped in a sixth-inning flurry that started with a walk and engulfed him with five lined singles.
Not yet done, left fielder Preston Wilson rescued the Cardinals from a 5-4 deficit when he slugged a two-run homer off Nationals closer Chad Cordero in the top of the ninth inning good for a 6-5 lead.
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Then, in 22 ninth-inning pitches that included only nine strikes, it happened again.
An up-and-down season brought closer Jason Isringhausen to a nadir when the Nationals loaded the bases without a hit, then won the game on second baseman Jose Vidro's one-out, two-run slash to right field. Isringhausen left shaking his right arm as a crowd of 21,322 celebrated at his expense.
"We got two runs off one of the better closers around," manager Tony La Russa said. "It's a very difficult loss. We did what we had to do. We played as hard as we could and they beat us."
What Isringhausen (4-8) later termed "a pitiful outing" ended as his league-leading 10th blown save. The Cardinals are left to ponder how much of his inconsistency might be attributed to the condition of his surgically repaired left hip.
"I can't relate it to anything, really," said Isringhausen, who was seeking his 250th career save and 34th this season. "I was throwing good in the bullpen. Then I got out there and things unraveled pretty quickly, and it was very ugly."
"In the end, either you do or you don't. And he didn't," La Russa said. "Either you do or don't. They win."
Third baseman Scott Spiezio accounted for a 3-1 lead when he clanged a two-out, sixth-inning home run off the right field foul pole. The blast was the Cardinals' only hit with runners in scoring position.
"A lot of things went back and forth, a lot of momentum shifts," said Spiezio. "It was a fun game. It would've been a lot more fun if we had won."
Carpenter carried the league's lowest ERA into the game but was charged with four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning when the Nationals followed a leadoff walk with five singles, most on elevated fastballs.
The loss left La Russa bruised 20 minutes after the game. He had little patience when questioned about staying with Carpenter until the lead evaporated. "You saw the game," he said. "I managed the game to the best of my ability, so what do you want me to say? I should've gotten him earlier? Leave him in later? Whatever you want to do. It's the best I can do. It's the job I have. You see my decisions."
Catcher Yadier Molina made it a 5-4 game with a seventh-inning home run. In the ninth, Wilson followed John Rodriguez's pinch single with the Cardinals' third home run of the game.
For only the third time this season, Isringhausen threw at least 20 pitches on consecutive days. In this case he appeared barely 16 hours after closing Wednesday's 2-0 win with an eventful 28 pitches. Wednesday marked the second time such a turnaround resulted in a blown save.
Isringhausen threw freely in the outfield before the game, but he never felt comfortable once he faced hitters. "I had bad mechanics when I went out there," he said. "In the middle of an inning it's hard to correct things. It was just a very, very bad inning."
Less than two years after having arthroscopic surgery on his left hip, the closer offered cryptic answers about his health. "It's September. My body is getting old. That's it," said Isringhausen, who turns 34 today.
Isringhausen performs exercises daily to keep some flexibility in the hip. But the condition is a degenerative one and it is only a matter of time before an additional procedure will be considered, according to a club source.
Pressed about his physical status, he offered, "My arm feels great. Let's leave it at that."
The Cardinals invested much in what would have been an inspired win. Five relievers got eight outs to bring the game to Isringhausen, as La Russa was more comfortable calling on his closer rather than shuffling roles.
Braden Looper, in line for a ninth relief victory thanks to Wilson's heroics, needed two pitches to get the eighth inning's final out. Adam Wainwright had thrown seven pitches to secure a key eighth-inning out Tuesday night. La Russa said he might have summoned lefthander Tyler Johnson or Randy Flores behind Isringhausen if either had not been used earlier.
Felipe Lopez, fighting a seven-for-35 funk, walked to begin the ninth. Isringhausen then induced a pop fly to right field from the Nationals' dangerous rookie third baseman, Ryan Zimmerman. Exploiting Isringhausen's deliberate move to the plate, Lopez swiped second base. Pitching carefully to lefthanded-hitting first baseman Nick Johnson, Isringhausen hit him with a breaking ball to put the winning run on base.
Right fielder Ryan Church walked after trailing 1-2 in the count to load the bases. Activated from the disabled list Aug. 18, Vidro had one RBI since July 14 when he stepped in against Isringhausen.
"I had to throw one down the middle to get a strike or walk in a run," Isringhausen said. "That's the worst thing -- I just couldn't throw a strike."
Vidro then lined a fastball past lunging first baseman Albert Pujols into right field, and with no one warming Isringhausen fell from the high wire. "There shouldn't be a safety net out there," he said. "My job is to go out there and get three outs. I wasn't able to do it again today."
NL closers by the numbers
Reliever, team Saves Opp
Hoffman, Padres 37 41
Wagner, Mets 35 40
Borowski, Marlins 33 38
Isringhausen, Cards 33 43
Lidge, Astros 30 35
Reliever, team Blown saves
Isringhausen, Cards 10
Turnbow, Brewers 8
Benitez, Giants 8
Baez, Braves 8
Weathers, Reds 7
Dempster, Cubs 7
Source: MLB.com