Righty finds plate on 14 of his 16 pitches, allows two hits
JUPITER, Fla. -- The results at the start of Jason Isringhausen's 2007 spring debut Thursday may have been a little too familiar for Cardinals fans. The way Isringhausen got there surely was not.
Isringhausen turned in a solid performance in his first game following hip surgery last September, allowing two infield hits and striking out a batter in one inning. He threw 16 pitches, 14 of them for strikes.
The first three hitters to face Isringhausen all reached base, but it was scarcely the right-hander's fault. And once he loaded the sacks, he retired the side, getting through his first inning of the year without a run crossing the plate. Isringhausen was St. Louis' starting pitcher against the Dodgers in the Grapefruit League contest. He had not pitched in a game since Sept. 6 of last year.
Of Isringhausen's 16 pitches, a remarkable 14 were strikes. He fell behind leadoff hitter Tony Abreu, 2-1, before getting back to 2-2. Abreu hit a comebacker that neither Isringhausen nor catcher Yadier Molina could turn into an out, and Isringhausen was charged with an error. Juan Pierre singled softly to left, past third baseman Scott Rolen, who was playing in to defend against a possible bunt. James Loney hit a chopper for an infield hit, loading the bases without a ball leaving the infield.
From there, Isringhausen took control. He got ahead of Andy LaRoche with an 0-2 count before LaRoche popped up to second base. Andre Ethier struck out looking on an 0-2 pitch, and Matt Kemp lined out to left on his first pitch.
Matthew Leach is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
This actually a big deal. Izzy had no control last year because he could not plant on his balky hip. His front leg would not always hold reliably as he powered through his trunk rotation. If he was throwing strikes yesterday without getting hammered, it's a very good sign that his hip is strong and pain free. Anyone know how hard he was throwing?
