9:15 PM CT, April 10, 2008
AT&T Park, San Francisco, California
The last time the St. Louis Cardinals won eight of 10 games to start a season, Adam Wainwright wasn't born.
The right-hander will try help the Cardinals accomplish that feat Thursday night when he takes the mound in the opener of a four-game set against the San Francisco Giants.
The Cardinals (7-2) defeated Houston 6-4 on Wednesday, their second consecutive win and seventh in eight games since an opening-day loss to Colorado.
Now, they have a chance to run their record to 8-2 for the first time since the strike-shortened 1981 season.
Strong starting pitching has been a major factor in the current Cardinals' success. St. Louis' starters have combined for a 1.99 ERA thus far.
The Giants hope Kevin Correia (0-1, 6.00) can help them win a third consecutive game after rookie Daniel Ortmeier's RBI double in the bottom the ninth gave them a 1-0 win over San Diego on Thursday.
Correia is 0-1 with a 5.14 ERA in seven career games -- one start -- versus St. Louis.
HOUSTON -- If AT&T Park can neutralize Albert Pujols, imagine what it can do to mere mortal hitters.
Following a hard-fought series win in Houston, the Cardinals head west to San Francisco. And while the Giants, who inhabit AT&T Park, don't look like the most daunting foe, the stadium itself has few fans in the St. Louis lineup.
Pujols has a lifetime line of .253/.341/.373 (average/on-base/slugging) there, easily his worst line at any National League ballpark. Chris Duncan is 1-for-12 in San Francisco. Adam Kennedy's line is .261/.261/.304. Aaron Miles, who makes his home just across the Bay, has hit .208 at AT&T Park with no extra-base hits in 48 career at-bats.
And don't even get Troy Glaus started on the place. Despite his 2002 World Series heroics against the Giants when he was the Angels, he can't stand hitting in San Francisco. In regular-season games, Glaus is 9-for-56 (.161) at AT&T Park with all of one home run.
"It's a hard place to see," Glaus said. "And then obviously once the sun goes down, it's 50 degrees every day and windy. The grass is typically thick. It's just not conducive to offensive output. For anyone, left-handed or right-handed. It's just not."
One common complaint is that the ball doesn't travel that well in the sea-level air. That, at least, is not a big deal to Kennedy, who isn't really a big power guy.
"I don't have a whole lot of history there, a few scattered games here and there," he said. "But I don't mind it. The carrying part, I don't have to worry about too much. But it gets chilly at night."
In theory, the upside of such an environment should be that it favors the pitchers. Adam Wainwright, however, doesn't have much history at the ballpark. He's made one appearance there, getting a relief win in 2006 despite allowing two runs in three innings.
Wainwright should at least be rested. While his teammates were playing the finale of their series with the Astros, he caught an early flight to the West Coast on Wednesday afternoon. His cohorts weren't scheduled to arrive until well into the evening.
Pitching matchup
STL: RHP Adam Wainwright (1-0, 2.25 ERA)
After a slow start in 2007, Wainwright posted a 2.71 ERA with 77 strikeouts, 30 walks and only four homers allowed in 99 2/3 innings after the All-Star break. Wainwright's first '07 start was washed out after three innings, but he was strong in his second start on Saturday against Washington. Wainwright allowed two runs on eight hits over eight innings, with four strikeouts and one walk, to help the Cardinals defeat the Nationals, 5-4.
SF: RHP Kevin Correia (0-1, 6.00 ERA)
Correia pitched relatively well last Saturday against Milwaukee, considering he had endured a stomach virus all week that caused him to drop 12 pounds, from 200 to 188. The weight loss diminished Correia's velocity slightly, but he managed to last six innings, allowing four runs and six hits. A San Diego native who still lives there in the offseason, Correia is 1-0 with a 4.44 ERA in 15 lifetime appearances (mostly in relief) against the Padres.
Tidbits
Jason Isringhausen has never allowed a run at AT&T Park. ... The Cardinals went 1-4 against the Giants last year, dropping both games in San Francisco. Before that, though, they had won three straight road series against the Giants. ... A win would give the Cardinals the franchise's first 8-2 start since 1981. ... One Cardinal who has enjoyed success at AT&T Park is Jason LaRue. The catcher is 11-for-36 (.306) there, with six extra-base hits for a .611 slugging percentage. ... Cesar Izturis is 4-for-7 against Correia, and Pujols is 3-for-6.
Will we see some more LaRue at some point this series?
MLB.com wrote:HOUSTON -- If AT&T Park can neutralize Albert Pujols, imagine what it can do to mere mortal hitters.
Following a hard-fought series win in Houston, the Cardinals head west to San Francisco. And while the Giants, who inhabit AT&T Park, don't look like the most daunting foe, the stadium itself has few fans in the St. Louis lineup.
Pujols has a lifetime line of .253/.341/.373 (average/on-base/slugging) there, easily his worst line at any National League ballpark. Chris Duncan is 1-for-12 in San Francisco. Adam Kennedy's line is .261/.261/.304. Aaron Miles, who makes his home just across the Bay, has hit .208 at AT&T Park with no extra-base hits in 48 career at-bats.
And don't even get Troy Glaus started on the place. Despite his 2002 World Series heroics against the Giants when he was the Angels, he can't stand hitting in San Francisco. In regular-season games, Glaus is 9-for-56 (.161) at AT&T Park with all of one home run.
"It's a hard place to see," Glaus said. "And then obviously once the sun goes down, it's 50 degrees every day and windy. The grass is typically thick. It's just not conducive to offensive output. For anyone, left-handed or right-handed. It's just not."
One common complaint is that the ball doesn't travel that well in the sea-level air. That, at least, is not a big deal to Kennedy, who isn't really a big power guy.
"I don't have a whole lot of history there, a few scattered games here and there," he said. "But I don't mind it. The carrying part, I don't have to worry about too much. But it gets chilly at night."
In theory, the upside of such an environment should be that it favors the pitchers. Adam Wainwright, however, doesn't have much history at the ballpark. He's made one appearance there, getting a relief win in 2006 despite allowing two runs in three innings.
Wainwright should at least be rested. While his teammates were playing the finale of their series with the Astros, he caught an early flight to the West Coast on Wednesday afternoon. His cohorts weren't scheduled to arrive until well into the evening.
Pitching matchup
STL: RHP Adam Wainwright (1-0, 2.25 ERA)
After a slow start in 2007, Wainwright posted a 2.71 ERA with 77 strikeouts, 30 walks and only four homers allowed in 99 2/3 innings after the All-Star break. Wainwright's first '07 start was washed out after three innings, but he was strong in his second start on Saturday against Washington. Wainwright allowed two runs on eight hits over eight innings, with four strikeouts and one walk, to help the Cardinals defeat the Nationals, 5-4.
SF: RHP Kevin Correia (0-1, 6.00 ERA)
Correia pitched relatively well last Saturday against Milwaukee, considering he had endured a stomach virus all week that caused him to drop 12 pounds, from 200 to 188. The weight loss diminished Correia's velocity slightly, but he managed to last six innings, allowing four runs and six hits. A San Diego native who still lives there in the offseason, Correia is 1-0 with a 4.44 ERA in 15 lifetime appearances (mostly in relief) against the Padres.
Tidbits
Jason Isringhausen has never allowed a run at AT&T Park. ... The Cardinals went 1-4 against the Giants last year, dropping both games in San Francisco. Before that, though, they had won three straight road series against the Giants. ... A win would give the Cardinals the franchise's first 8-2 start since 1981. ... One Cardinal who has enjoyed success at AT&T Park is Jason LaRue. The catcher is 11-for-36 (.306) there, with six extra-base hits for a .611 slugging percentage. ... Cesar Izturis is 4-for-7 against Correia, and Pujols is 3-for-6.
Will we see some more LaRue at some point this series?