Cardinals 8, Rockies 3 (play-by-play)

Having gone to zero games in the Cardinals' last season at old Busch Stadium and their first season in new Busch, I got one in early in 2008.  Plus, it was the only series the Cardinals would play at home against my second favorite team and the defending National League Champion Colorado Rockies.  The game did not disappoint!

I bought a scorecard for this one (actually, my brother Mike bought it for me since I bought the tickets), and now have two Cardinals-Rockies games immortalized in my collection. I took several more pictures this time, as I actually got to the stadium well before game time.  I got closer to the field than I ever have before, just behind the visitor's dugout after the Birds had finished practice.  As much as I like the view from the upper deck, it is equally grand from field level.  I saw Matt Holliday hit a few batting practice home runs, and snapped some pictures of a couple local broadcasting celebrities.

At game time, I was surprised to not be stumped by anyone in the Cardinals' lineup.  I knew all of them, but was most uncertain about Starting Pitcher Todd Wellemeyer. The starting rotation will be a gigantic challenge this year, as evidenced by the #2 starter being Wellemeyer.

He started off the game very nicely, freezing Willy Tavares with strike three.  Keep the leadoff man off base ahead of Helton and Holliday, and you're doing Welle.  The Rookie Ofthe Year (should have been last year) Troy Tulowitzki flied out to Skip Schumaker, who I then realized was not Chris Duncan in left field.  I was looking forward to first-hand observation of Duncan to see if his fielding has improved from last season.  The big guys got on base -- Todd Helton with a walk, and Holliday with a single, but Garret Atkins Diet flied one to Pujols to end the early threat.

In the Cardinals first, Schumaker quickly grounded out, and Ryan Ludwick struck out swinging. Rockies starter Aaron Cook pitched carefully to Pujols with the bases empty, and put him on.  It was only the begining for Albert, who should have been wearing walking shoes instead of cleats.  Newcomer Troy Glaus flied to center, which sent Albert walking back to the dugout for his glove.

Second inning, Brad Hawpe takes a shot at left field, but Skip tracks it down. Yorvit Torrealba sends one down the left field line that Skip can't get to until it bounces a few times, and Torre's at second with the first extra-base hit of the game.  Jayson Nix comes up to nix the Rocky rally with a fly out to center.  Batting the pitcher ninth? What craziness is Clint Hurdle up to?  Cook takes a look at strike three to end the inning.

Rick Ankiel starts the Cardinals' second with a basehit to right-center.  He takes third on a single by Yadier Molina (Yadi, Yorvit.  Yorvit, Yadi), and then scores the game's first run on a grounder by Adam Kennedy that forces Molina at second.  Wellemeyer, batting eighth, moves Kennedy to second with the second out, and Izzy #2 (Cesar Izturis) grounds to first to end the inning.  One run isn't likely to win this game!

The Rockies third starts with more action from Ankiel, as he dives forward to take a possible hit away from Tavares.  Mike compares it to a Jim Edmons effort, but I'm thinking he needs to do a running away-from-the-infield dive before he's in that category.  Tothewhisky grounds out 5-3.  Helton smacks one down the right field line for a 2-out double, and Wellemeyer doesn't give Holliday anything he hit like the ones during batting practice.  Holliday takes the walk, and Atkins Diet again ends the inning.

Schumaker grounds out a second time to start the Cardinals third, and Ludwick puts on in play, a fly ball to left that is caught by Holliday.  Pujols reaches first base again, this time with a 2-out single, but he is again stranded there by the cleanup hitter Glaus, who Mike and I are thinking should change places in the batting order with Ankiel.  Well, maybe too early to say that.

Rockies score in the fourth when Hawpe (rhymes with "pop") pops one into the seats in right.  Waiting on deck and in the dugout, Torrealba, Nix, and Cook admire the shot.  Then, all three of them strike out to end the inning.  Wellemeyer's found a groove.

Not to be outdone by Hawpe's leadoff home run, Ankiel does the same to start the Cardinals fourth.  Ok, maybe NOW it's ok to suggest he change places in the batting order?  Molina grounds to first, Kennedy flies to center, and Wellemeyer strikes out, but the Cardinals quickly got back a lead, at 2-1.

In the fifth, Wellemeyer strikes out his fourth straight when Tavares watches strike three for the second time in the game.  Tulowitski draws a walk, but Helton skies one that Pujols brings in for out number two.  After Wellemeyer throws strike two to Holliday, Yadi guns down Tulo trying to steal second base.  Dude, you only have a 50/50 chance against Molina, who really should get a gold glove sometime.

The Redbirds are all over the bases in the fifth, as Izturis starts the inning with a walk.  He is quickly erased on a grounder by Schumaker, who takes his place at first.  Ludwick hits one to the wall in center that Tavares jumps for but can't get, and as it rolls away from him, Schumaker and Ludwick round the bases.  Ludwick stops at third with an RBI triple.  With the score now 3-1, Cook puts Albert on without a fight.  Intentional walk, and Pujols is p.o.'d.  Glaus continues to keep Hawpe busy in right field, flying out again but deep enough to get Ludwick home to make it 4-1.  Ankiel gets his third hit of the game, a single to right, but Molina leaves Pujols at second with a fly to center.

Back at first base, Albert makes the catch on three infield grounders, 6-3, 5-3, 5-3, from Holliday, Atkins, and Hawpe.  It is a quick first inning of work for new pitcher Kyle McClellan.

Cook's last inning for the Rockies is a quick sixth, as he sets the Birds down in order for the first time.  Kennedy flies out again, McLellan strikes out, and Izturis pops out to short.

Torrealba and Nix each ground out 6-3 to start the seventh, and it looks like McClellan is cruising.  But a pinch-hit single by Scott Posednik ends the cruise, and he cruises into second with a stolen base.  Dude, you only have a 50/50 chance against Molina!  Ok, so Yadi will get the next one.  Tavares hits another one to Ankiel, but this one bounces a couple of times before he gets to it, and then it gets past him.  Definitely not Edmonds-esque this time.  It is an RBI single for Tavares, and he takes second on the error.  A wild pitch later and Tavares is at third, representing a run that would make the score 4-3.  But it's back Tothewhisky for the frustrated Rocky shortstop, who strikes out to end the inning.

The Cardinals seventh starts with a strikeout of Schumaker by new pitcher Matt Herges.  Ludwick hits a single to left to try to start another rally.  Pujols takes an unintentional walk, but Glaus gives Hawpe a break this time by striking out swinging.  Micah (Nice Day for a White Wedding) Bowie replaces Herges on the mound.  Ankiel hits another one hard, but it's high up and backwards, and Yorvit takes it in at the screen behind the home plate.

In the eighth inning, the Rockies do cut the lead to 4-3.  Ron Villone strikes out Helton in his only assingment for the night.  Ryan Franklin relieves, and gets Holliday on a fly out to center.  But Garret Atkins gets off his hitting diet long enough to get a slap a single, and he comes around to score on a 2-out double by Hawpe.  Franklin gets Torrealba on a grounder to Pujols, and the game stays at a 1-run margin.

Luis Vizcaino now throwing for Colorado, and notice I didn't say pitching.  Yorvit catches the first ball hit by the Cardinals, off the bat of Molina for out #1, but that would be the last one that would be caught for a while.  Kennedy singles to right, and he comes home on a double by Rico (Suave) Washington, the career minor-leaguer's first major-league hit.  Washington takes third on an errant throw in from the outfield.  The dangerous Izturis and Schumaker draw walks, and Vizcaino has to pitch to Ludwick with the bases loaded and Pujols on deck.  Ludwick smacks a hit to left field, and Izturis scores on the double by Ryan.  Albert gets his second single of the game to make it 8-3, and he reaches base for the fifth time in the game.  Glaus grounds out but forces Ludwick at home.  He and Pujols are stranded when Ankiel ends the inning.

Russ Springer comes in to close it out for the Cardinals, but decides to make it a little interesting.  Nix gets a single to start the ninth, and Ryan Spilborghs takes a walk.  Tavares hits one to Molina for out number one.  Tothewhisky hits one deep to center but Ankiel has this one.  With my camera out, I snap picture after picture with two strikes on Helton, hoping to capture the last pitch and swing of the game.  Finally, I do: Springer strikes out Helton to end it.

8-3 Cardinals, followed by a shutout the next day, and now the Rockies can start winning again.  Until the Redbirds see them in Denver in a couple of weeks.

That's a winner!