SB Nation St. Louis - White Sox Vs. Cardinals: Pitching Powers St. Louis To 5-3 Win

White Sox Vs. Cardinals Final Score: St. Louis Gets 5-3 Victory

2012-06-15T03:36:37Z

The St. Louis Cardinals rode quality pitching to a 5-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night at Busch Stadium. Other than a three-run homer by Adam Dunn in the top of the sixth inning, the Cardinals' pitching allowed little to nothing to happen when Chicago was up to bat.

Over six innings, Cardinal starter Jake Westbrook allowed three runs on five hits, but all of the runs came over a period in the sixth inning when he allowed two consecutive singles before Dunn's homer. The bullpen finished off the game with three innings of no-hit ball, though, walking two and striking out one during the final three frames.

The Cardinals got all their scoring done early, as they were up 5-0 by the end of the fifth inning. David Freese finished with a double, a homer and 3 RBI, plus Allen Craig had a couple of doubles, a walk and three runs scored. Westbrook, Yadier Molina and Daniel Descalso also got on base two times apiece.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more in-depth coverage of this series, visit St. Louis Cardinals blog Viva El Birdos and White Sox blog South Side Sox. And for more general baseball coverage, head over to Baseball Nation.

White Sox Vs. Cardinals Score Update: St. Louis Leads 5-3 After 6 Innings

2012-06-15T02:00:22Z

The St. Louis Cardinals are leading 5-3 over the Chicago White Sox after six innings on Thursday night in the rubber match of a competitive three-game set at Busch Stadium.

Jake Westbrook was in the middle of a shutout before allowing a three-run homer to Adam Dunn in the sixth inning, which broke a scoreless streak that had stretched back to the first game of the series.

While Westbrook has only struck out one hitter, he's allowed just those three runs on five hits. Chicago's Gavin Floyd didn't fare nearly as well on the night, allowing five runs on eight hits and four walks over 4.2 innings.

David Freese leads the Cardinals with a double, a homer and 3 RBI, plus Allen Craig has a pair of doubles, a walk and three runs scored.

White Sox Vs. Cardinals Lineups: Carlos Beltran Out With Stomach Virus

2012-06-14T22:14:14Z

The St. Louis Cardinals can take the series with a win Thursday, though they'll have to do it without right fielder Carlos Beltran, who has been sidelined by a stomach virus. Adam Dunn is back in the White Sox lineup after missing Wednesday's game.

St. Louis:

1. Rafael Furcal (SS)
2. Daniel Descalso (2B)
3. Matt Holliday (LF)
4. Allen Craig (RF)
5. David Freese (3B)
6. Yadier Molina (C)
7. Matt Adams (1B)
8. Adron Chambers (CF)
9. Jake Westbrook (SP)

Chicago:

1. Alejandro De Aza (CF)
2. Gordon Beckham (2B)
3. Adam Dunn (LF)
4. Paul Konerko (1B)
5. Alex Rios (RF)
6. A.J. Pierzynski (C)
7. Alexei Ramirez (SS)
8. Orlando Hudson (3B)
9. Gavin Floyd (SP)

Lance Lynn Having A Brilliant Season For St. Louis Cardinals, No Matter The Stat

2012-06-14T12:17:58Z

I'm not really a fan of the win as a statistic for pitchers, unless I'm playing fantasy baseball, but if you're hell-bent on using it to describe how great Lance Lynn has been in 2012 I'm not going to blame you for it. Lynn, saved from a season in relief only by Chris Carpenter's injury, has 10 of them, against just two losses—but that's only one way of explaining how crucial he's been to the St. Louis Cardinals this year.

Here's some other ways: His ERA is 2.42, ninth in the National League, and he's thrown 82 innings, 10th in the National League. He's got 86 strikeouts—that's seventh—and a strikeout-to-walk ratio over three, which is Adam Wainwright territory.

If you're wondering how he's done it, he's combined brilliant command of his mid-90s fastball with a breaking pitch that's just different enough to create a bunch of called strikes—basically the Chris Carpenter approach, as taught by Dave Duncan from time immemorial. It works Pretty Well even if you have Kyle Lohse's fastball; if you have Lance Lynn's fastball... well, you're 10-2, for lack of a less dated statistic.

More Cardinals news from SB Nation St. Louis:

Meanwhile, it looks like Adam Wainwright has finally returned to form.
Wait a minute—so has Colby Rasmus?

White Sox Vs. Cardinals Preview: Jake Westbrook Meets Gavin Floyd In Rubber Match

2012-06-14T04:42:24Z

The St. Louis Cardinals will send 34-year old righty Jake Westbrook to the mound against the Chicago White Sox and starter Gavin Floyd on Thursday in the series rubber match. The Sox took the first game of the three-game set 6-1, but the Cards were able to get back on track with a 1-0 victory behind a powerful pitching performance from Lance Lynn on Wednesday.

Westbrook is 4-6 with a 4.25 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. Floyd, Chicago's 29-year old right-hander, is also 4-6 on the season, boasting a 5.38 ERA and 1.26 WHIP.

Game 1 Date & Time: Thursday, June 14, 7:15 p.m. CT

Location: Busch Stadium

TV: Fox Sports Midwest

White Sox Vs. Cardinals Final Score: Lance Lynn Shines In St. Louis' 1-0 Victory

2012-06-14T02:48:35Z

Chicago White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko came to the plate with one out and runners on the corners in the top of the ninth inning, but St. Louis Cardinals closer Jason Motte forced a double play and the Cards beat the South Siders 1-0. The victory improves the Cards to 32-31 on the season, while Chicago falls to 34-28.

Starter Lance Lynn pitched wonderfully for the Cards, moving to 10-2 on the season by allowing just three hits and no earned runs while striking out 12 over 7.1 innings.

The game's lone run came in the first third inning when Carlos Beltran ripped his 19th homer of the year off White Sox starter Jake Peavy.

White Sox Vs. Cardinals Lineups: Slight Changes For Wednesday

2012-06-13T23:49:03Z

The St. Louis Cardinals are making only slight changes to their starting lineup as they look to bounce back from Tuesday night's loss against the Chicago White Sox. Daniel Descalso is getting the nod at second base over Tyler Greene, who continues to struggle at the major league level.

The Cardinals also have bumped Yadier Molina back down in the order from the second spot in the batting order, which is where Carlos Beltran now resides on Wednesday. Molina is batting sixth on Wednesday as he looks to continue a breakout season on offense.

Here's the White Sox's lineup:

1. Alejandro De Aza (CF)
2. Gordon Beckham (2B)
3. Dayan Viciedo (LF)
4. Paul Konerko (1B)
5. Alex Rios (RF)
6. A.J. Pierzynski (C)
7. Alexei Ramirez (SS)
8. Orlando Hudson (3B)
9. Jake Peavy (SP)

And the Cardinals' lineup:

1. Rafael Furcal (SS)
2. Carlos Beltran (RF)
3. Matt Holliday (LF)
4. Allen Craig (1B)
5. David Freese (3B)
6. Yadier Molina (C)
7. Daniel Descalso (2B)
8. Shane Robinson (CF)
9. Lance Lynn (SP)

White Sox Vs. Cardinals Preview: Lance Lynn Tries To Get St. Louis Over .500

2012-06-13T13:01:02Z

The St. Louis Cardinals will turn to emerging ace Lance Lynn against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday. Lynn has been the team's best pitcher thus far, entering the start at Busch Stadium 9-2 with a 2.66 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. He'll be opposed by another starter finding unexpected success this season: Jake Peavy of the White Sox.

Peavy is 6-1 with a 3.05 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. The 31-year old righty hasn't lost since April 28.

The Cards fell to 31-31 on the season by dropping the series opener 6-1 to Chicago on Tuesday.

Game 1 Date & Time: Wednesday, June 13, 7:15 p.m. CT

Location: Busch Stadium

TV: Fox Sports Midwest