SB Nation St. Louis - Cardinals Drop 15-inning Thriller To Royals

Skip Schumaker Injury: Schumaker To Return To Team On Monday

2012-06-18T15:00:26Z

The St. Louis Cardinals are slowly nursing themselves back to health, and when the team takes the field in Detroit on Tuesday, they'll be joined by a familiar face. Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak told reporters on Sunday that utility man Skip Schumaker will be with the team when it begins its series with the Detroit Tigers this week, and he's likely to be frequently seen in centerfield.

With both Schumaker and Jon Jay on the disabled list, the Cardinals have had a gaping hole in centerfield, and Schumaker is likely to man the position until Jay is ready to come back. In 81 at-bats across 29 games this season, Schumaker is batting .321/.378/.432 with five doubles, two triples and 12 runs batted in.

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 for more general baseball coverage head over to Baseball Nation.

Matt Holliday Injury: Cardinals LF Leaves Sunday's Game Early

2012-06-18T01:18:53Z

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday left Sunday's game in the ninth inning, and according to manager Mike Matheny, the reason was a leg-related injury. According to Joe Strauss, that's all that is known about Holliday's condition at this point.

Holliday left 9th inning with a persistent condition that has worsened or at least flared anew. It's not his back. Has roots to a month ago.
— Joe Strauss (@JoeStrauss) June 18, 2012

Matheny described Holliday condition as "leg"-related. That's a little broad. Again... Developing.
— Joe Strauss (@JoeStrauss) June 18, 2012

Holliday was having a nice day up until his departure: he collected a pair of hits, including a home run. The Cardinals lost 5-3 to Kansas City in 15 innings.

Cardinals Vs. Royals Score Update: St. Louis Falls In 15-inning Marathon

2012-06-17T23:33:34Z

The rubber match in the series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals took 15 innings to settle, as the Royals eventually held on for the 5-3 win.

Both teams rallied when they were down to their last outs, with the Royals tying the game at two in the top of the 9th inning off of Jason Motte. It was Billy Butler who tied the game with his 12th home run of the season. The Cardinals rallied from a 3-2 deficit in the bottom of the 14th, with Yadier Molina tying the game on a single off of Jonathan Broxton.

Kansas City finally did enough to pull away in the top of the 15th, as Yuniesky Betancourt hit his fourth homer of the season. Adam Wainwright pitched very well for St. Louis, allowing just one earned run in seven innings.

Cardinals Vs. Royals Lineups: Furcal, Molina Get Days Off

2012-06-17T16:52:32Z

Rafael Furcal and Yadier Molina will get days off on vs. the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, choosing rest over playing on Father's Day. In their places are Tyler Greene, who gets the start at short, and Tony Cruz, who will be behind the plate.

Here are today's lineups for both the Cardinals and the Royals, with starting pitcher Luis Mendoza on the hill:

Cardinals

Daniel Descalso, 2B
Carlos Beltran, CF
Matt Holliday, LF
Allen Craig, RF
David Freese, 3B
Matt Adams, 1B
Tyler Greene, SS
Tony Cruz, C
Adam Wainwright, P

Royals

Cardinals Vs. Royals Preview: St. Louis Can Take Second Straight Series With Win

2012-06-17T15:36:21Z

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright is still looking to find his old form in 2012, and he'll be on the mound vs. the Kansas City Royals on Sunday with a chance for his second quality start in a row. On May 22, Wainwright threw a complete game shutout vs. the San Diego Padres, but his season has still been up-and-down since then. He followed that up with a quality start, but then gave up seven earned runs to the New York Mets in the next start. He then gave up three earned runs in 5.2 innings vs. the Houston Astros before allowing only two earned runs in seven innings to the Chicago White Sox in his most recent start.

He'll be opposed on Sunday by Royals starter Luis Mendoza a part-time starter who has been thrust into the rotation as of late, giving up three earned runs in 11 innings in his two starts since being moved into the rotation. Mendoza has never faced the Cardinals, either in relief or as a starter.

Game date/time: Sunday, June 17, 1:15 p.m. CT

Location: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Mo.

TV: FSN Midwest

No, Matt Holliday Is Not Un-Clutch; Yes, He Helps The St. Louis Cardinals Win Baseball Games

2012-06-17T15:01:46Z

Let me start this bulletin about Matt Holliday being just fine with a disclaimer: The idea of clutchness—I had to delete some habitual scare quotes there—is tenuous at best. It basically means, "When I observe this player, he appears to do what I want him to do, and when he doesn't do that, well, you can't win them all." I've come to realize the way my mind works in situations like this; maybe you recognize it:

A player about which I have no opinion comes up to the plate in a high-leverage situation. He wins the game or loses the game.
That same player comes up in a high-leverage situation again. He wins the game or loses the game.
That same player comes up in a third high-leverage situation (it's a long season.) He loses the game—takes a wild, ugly swing on a 1-2 splitter in the dirt, one of those annoying closer wipeout pitches—maybe throws his batting helmet on the ground, and then my sub-rational mind makes a decision.

If he won one game and lost the other—no change. One out of three isn't so bad, in baseball. If he won both games and he isn't normally terrible—I believe in him! I want to see him step up to the plate in big situations. If he lost both games—I get an unpleasant feeling in the pit of my stomach from now on.

If you do not believe Matt Holliday to be a star player and—thus far—a worthy free agent signing, I'm guessing you got the unpleasant feeling in the pit of your stomach through some combination of his slow start back in 2010 and your particular viewing patterns. Here's why you should ignore it:

Matt Holliday hits just fine in the clutch. And not just on Saturday, when he drove in five crucial runs—most of the time. In Late and Close situations—that's "Plate Appearances in the 7th or later with the batting team tied, ahead by one, or the tying run at least on deck," according to Baseball Reference—he's hit .304/.381/.524. When games are within a run either way he's hit .304/.387/.517. His numbers are better in low and medium leverage—OPSes of .925 and .949, respectively—than they are in high leverage situations, where he hits .291/.366/.510, but the pitchers are worse.

Matt Holliday is good at baseball. Since 2010, his first full year with the Cardinals, he's got the 12th-highest OPS in baseball. He's off to a slow start, but his OPS+ is 126 after yesterday's outburst, and I bet it will keep going up. If you think he's keeping the Cardinals down, you should rethink it.

Cardinals Vs. Royals Score Update: Late Runs Push Cardinals To Victory

2012-06-16T22:28:01Z

After an excellent pitching duel in the first game of their series, the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals decided to light up the scoreboard on Saturday. A late rally by the Royals gave them the lead in the 7th inning, but the Cardinals struck back and eventually pulled away for the 10-7 win. Both teams recorded 14 hits in the exciting matchup.

Matt Holliday had a huge day at the plate, driving in five runs, including a two-run homer in the opening inning. Holliday had four hits to lead the Cardinals. Yadier Molina was also excellent, driving in four runs on three hits, including a two-run home run. Joe Kelly delivered a solid performance in just the second start of his career, but Mitchell Boggs eventually earned the win.

The Royals were led by Mike Moustakas, who drove in four runs on three hits in the loss.

Cardinals Vs. Royals Score Update: St. Louis Jumps Out To 6-2 Lead

2012-06-16T19:41:28Z

After a disappointing performance at the plate in the series-opener against the Kansas City Royals, the St. Louis Cardinals have found their groove. St. Louis has scored six runs in the first three innings and has jumped out to a 6-2 lead.

The Cardinals jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning thanks to home runs from Matt Holliday and Yadier Molina. Holliday pegged the Cardinals to a 2-0 lead with his 11th home run of the season, while Molina extended the lead to 4-0 with his ninth home run of the season. Carlos Beltran has hits in his first two at-bats and has driven in another run.

Joe Kelly has managed to escape some dicey situations in just the second start of his career. Mike Moustakas hit his 10th home run of the season off of Kelly, but the young pitcher has managed to get through four innings with only two runs allowed.