Until Jason Isringhausen saved 217 games for the St. Louis Cardinals he was best known as the first member of the New York Mets' ill-fated "Generation K"; perhaps it was only fitting that, with Francisco Rodriguez traded to the Cardinals' division rivals, Isringhausen continued his unlikely comeback by recording his first save of the season against his struggling ex-mates.
The save, number 294 on Isringhausen's long, intermittently impossible-seeming trip to 300, came after the Cardinals--save for Lance Berkman, who hit his 26th home run of the year over just about all of right Citifield--failed to solve young Mets starter Dillon Gee, who outpitched Kyle Lohse mostly by throwing the ball right where hitters wanted it. Albert Pujols grounded into two crucial double plays for the Cardinals, who continue to trail the Pittsburgh Pirates in a typically wild National League Central race.
The Cardinals will send Kyle McClellan, who's struggled even more than his fellow Kyle since a hot start made him the National League's wins leader way back at six, to the mound for the second game of their Citifield set.