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Resurgent Redbirds

Posted August 16, 2007 11:00 pm

Hal Pilger

Resurgent Cards have looked

like a different team recently

By HAL PILGER

STAFF WRITER

Entering the weekend series at Chicago, the St. Louis Cardinals were fresh off a three-game sweep of first-place Milwaukee as part of a season-high five-game winning streak and were only two games behind the second-place Cubs in the National League's Central Division.

Is this the same club that has floundered most of the season, including as recently as their last road trip, when they went 1-5?

It doesn't look like it for two main reasons: The Cardinals have been getting quality start after quality start from their pitching rotation, and their hitters have been what manager Tony La Russa likes to describe as patiently aggressive at the plate - letting the count work in their favor by laying off bad pitches and attacking good ones.

Says former Cardinals infielder and current third base coach Jose Oquendo, "The guys are concentrating more at the plate; they know what the situations are and they're trying to make it happen. The batters look real good at the plate and we're running the bases pretty well - the guys have been aggressive."

Prior to Chicago, the Cards had outscored opponents 46-10 in their previous five games while hitting at a .349 (68-for-195) clip. They established season highs for hits in back-to-back games last Sunday (18) and Tuesday (19).

But what about the Cardinals starters, who entering this weekend had allowed earned runs in just six of their previous 62 innings and had a combined 2.66 earned run average in their last 14 games while going 8-3 with three no decisions?

It's been a matter of converted relievers Adam Wainwright and Braden Looper finally getting in a starting groove while early disappointments Kip Wells and Anthony Reyes seemed to find themselves and newcomer Joel Pineiro has made a solid contribution.

"We're doing some things better, and it is starting with the pitcher that opens the game for us," La Russa agreed. "That's really been the key. It's what (pitching coach) Dave Duncan's said all along . . . the No. 1 thing we need to do to really be competitive day-in, day-out is for our starting pitcher to get us into the last third of the game.

"When they do that, our chance to win definitely improves. We have had just outstanding starting pitching. When you go out there and your starting pitching's dealing, it's a completely different game."

Said Duncan, "The starting pitching has been good the last couple of weeks. We've been able to get deeper into the games with a chance to win. Confidence is a big part of pitching, and I think there's a certain amount of confidence that develops when everybody's kind of doing a decent job. Then you don't put additional pressure on yourself.

"And then when you have a little success it also breeds confidence. Right now when you watch our guys pitch, they're going out there and being aggressive. They're going after the hitters. At the same time, they're making pitches when they need to make the pitches, and they're getting results.

"I think once we got to a point where the rotation was kind of settled and everybody knew they were going to be starting five days from now, they relaxed a little bit," Duncan added. "And I think that helped."

Cautioned Oquendo, "There's still a lot of work to do. We want to get to that .500 (mark) and win as many series as we can. The guys are doing a good job of coming prepared to play the game."

CARDS QUIZ: When pitcher-turned-outfielder Rick Ankiel homered in his return to the big leagues, he became the 12th player in major league history to homer as a pitcher and then later homer as a position player. Who was the last before Ankiel? Answer below.

BEEN A WHILE: The Cardinals entered weekend action 2½ games behind the first-place Brewers, which was the closest they had been to the division leaders since April 20.

St. Louis languished a season-worst 10½ games back as late as June 30, and they were 7½ back at the All-Star break.

CONDITIONED RELIEVERS: One of the most consistent elements of this year's team has been the relief corps, and bullpen coach Marty Mason believes a lot of it has to do with the excellent condition of the relief pitchers.

"One o'clock on a hot day, when we've got a 3 o'clock game, and you look out in the outfield and the relievers are out there throwing," Mason said. "It's something that starts in spring training that conditions (pitchers) - every day, to come out and play catch before the game, and I mean literally every day, except for an off day.

"Their arms get conditioned to it; they're conditioning themselves to more frequent throwing, not as long as a starting pitcher. It's just part of their program."

n QUIZ ANSWER: The New York Giants' Clint Hartung, who homered first as a pitcher in 1947 and later as an outfielder during his six-year career, was the last major leaguer to do so before Ankiel, who first homered as a pitcher in 1999. Hartung was the first since Babe Ruth, who first homered as a Boston Red Sox pitcher in 1914 and last homered as a Boston Braves outfielder in 1935.

END QUOTE: La Russa, on consistently giving maximum effort: "You go out there with your best effort and your best execution, and . . . if they beat us, and we're doing the very best we can, then you may be disappointed but you're not discouraged."

Hal Pilger can be reached at 788-1548 or hal.pilger@sj-r.com.

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