St. Louis @ Houston preview
Minute Maid Park
Last Meeting ( Jul 28, 2011 ) Houston 5, St. Louis 3
THE STORY: The St. Louis Cardinals gave a lesson in perseverance over the weekend and watched it pay off as they moved to within one game of the Atlanta Braves in the National League wild card race. The Cardinals were 8 1/2 games out of the race on Sept. 1, but have made a remarkable comeback -winning 14 of their last 18 games to give themselves a chance. The lowly Houston Astros will be trying to play spoiler. Having clinched both the worst record in the majors and franchise history, perhaps a winning series against a division rival to close out the 2011 campaign can send them into the offseason with some positive feelings. The Astros will send ace Wandy Rodriguez to the mound on Monday night when they host the Cardinals in the opener of a three-game set.
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, FSMW (St. Louis), FSH (Houston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros LH Wandy Rodriguez (11-11, 3.51 ERA) vs. Cardinals LH Jaime Garcia (13-7, 3.45 ERA).
After Houston tried to moved Rodriguez both before the trade deadline and again during the August waiver period, the lefthander is a good bet to be on the market over the winter and could be making his last start at Minute Maid Park. At $23 million over the next two seasons, Rodriguez is on the high end for a team that is looking to rebuild. The 32-year-old won his lone start against St. Louis this season, allowing one earned runs and five hits in seven innings on July 28.
Garcia has been strong of late, going 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA over his last four starts. The 25-year-old lefthander has harnessed his control over that span, issuing just three walks in 26 2/3 innings. Garcia has had a difficult time with the Astros this season, going 0-2 with a 5.51 ERA in three starts. He has not won in two career starts at Minute Maid Park.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS (88-71): It looked as though St. Louis’ playoff hopes were done late last week. The team squandered a four-run lead in the ninth inning against the New York Mets on Thursday and then lost to the hated Chicago Cubs on Friday. Saturday, however, may have turned the tide. The Cardinals trailed 1-0 in the ninth inning and were down to their last out before working three walks to tie it and winning on Carlos Marmol’s wild pitch. They were forced to come back in dramatic fashion again on Sunday. Yadier Molina knotted it at 2-2 with a solo homer in the seventh and Rafael Furcal, whose error played a key role in Thursday’s meltdown, gave St. Louis its first lead with a solo blast in the eighth. Those two wins, combined with back-to-back losses by the Atlanta Braves, have kept the Cardinals in the hunt.
ABOUT THE ASTROS (55-104): Houston is coming off a series against the Colorado Rockies in which it dominated the first two games and then tailed off - badly. After winning the first two by a combined 20-8, the Astros dropped a 4-2 decision in 13 innings on Saturday. The series finale provided a clearer picture as to why Houston will be drafting No. 1 next June, as the Rockies cruised to a 19-3 victory. Colorado, which plays its home games at Coors Field, set a franchise record with 25 hits. The 16-run margin of defeat matched the Astros’ franchise record and the 19 runs allowed were the second-most ever allowed by the club.
FINAL PITCH: Albert Pujols, who could be down to his last series as a member of the Cardinals, needs two RBIs to give him 100 for the 11th straight season. He has never finished below 100 RBIs or with lower than a .300 batting average. Pujols’ average is currently right at .300.