SB Nation St. Louis - Diamondbacks Vs. Cardinals: Matt Holliday And Kyle Loshe Key St. Louis Winhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49009/stl-fave.png2012-05-09T23:49:40-05:00http://stlouis.sbnation.com/rss/stream/27698342012-05-09T23:49:40-05:002012-05-09T23:49:40-05:00Cardinals Vs. Diamondbacks Final Score: St. Louis Downs Arizona 7-2
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">St. Louis Cardinals</a> won their fourth straight game on Wednesday by defeating the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Arizona Diamondbacks</a> 7-2. The Cards scored four in the ninth inning to make what was a one-run game a blowout. The win improves St. Louis to 20-11, while Arizona falls to 14-18.</p>
<p>Kyle Lohse improved to 5-1 on the season by allowing one run and seven hits through five innings. Jason Motte earned the save, his sixth of the year.</p>
<p>Shortstop <span>Rafael Furcal</span> went 4-for-5 on the day, and is now hitting .361 on the season. Left fielder <span>Matt Holliday</span> went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Third baseman <span>David Freese</span> went 3-for-4 with a walk.</p>
<p>St. Louis had 15 hits on the night.</p>
<p><i>For more news and updates from around the MLB, drop by <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/">Baseball Nation</a> with Rob Neyer, or dig deeper into the stats at <a href="http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/">Beyond the Box Score</a>. Also, check out the team blogs <a href="http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Viva El Birdos</a> and <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/">AZ Snake Pit</a>.</i></p>
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https://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-cardinals/2012/5/9/3011132/cardinals-vs-diamondbacks-final-scoreRicky O'Donnell2012-05-09T11:26:52-05:002012-05-09T11:26:52-05:00Yadier Molina Injury A Bruised Left Hand, Not A Break
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<p>On Tuesday night, the <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">St. Louis Cardinals</a> had quite a scare when reliever <span>Mitchell Boggs</span> gunned a 90+ mile-per-hour fastball towards the plate that crossed up catcher <span>Yadier Molina</span> -- who had called a slider on the pitch -- and struck him on the left hand. Molina left the game and had Cardinals fans thinking about how the team could possibly replace a four-time Rawlings Gold Glove award winner and a three-time National League All-Star, but it appears both Molina and the team got lucky this time. </p>
<p>Joe Strauss of the <i>St. Louis Post-Dispatch</i> is reporting <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/molina-suffers-bruised-hand-not-break/article_c9e233cb-78c2-5de8-9bc9-320f60837f96.html#.T6oSB4a3taY.twitter" target="_blank">X-rays revealed a bruise and not a break</a> on Molina's injured left hand. In fact, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny doesn't even think the team will need to promote a third catcher to the roster. The scariest aspect of the situation is that Molina broke that same hand back in 2005 when he was hit by a pitch, so<a href="http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/molina-suffers-bruised-hand-not-break/article_c9e233cb-78c2-5de8-9bc9-320f60837f96.html#.T6oSB4a3taY.twitter" target="_blank"> Matheny did mention that the situation will be rechecked and monitored in the coming days</a> as well, saying: "He's going to be sore. He'll probably have to get a couple more looks at it. We'll just wait and see what their doctor says."</p>
<p><i>For more news and updates from around the MLB, drop by <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/">Baseball Nation</a> with Rob Neyer, or dig deeper into the stats at <a href="http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/">Beyond the Box Score</a>. Also, check out the team blogs <a href="http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Viva El Birdos</a> and <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/">AZ Snake Pit</a>.</i></p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-cardinals/2012/5/9/3009661/yadier-molina-injury-bruise-break-hand-cardinalsSteve von Horn2012-05-09T07:00:44-05:002012-05-09T07:00:44-05:00Yadier Molina Injury: St. Louis Cardinals Catcher Positive After Hand Injury
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">St. Louis Cardinals</a> may have dodged a bullet on a <span>Yadier Molina</span> injury—one that happened when their star catcher failed to dodge a bullet from <span>Mitchell Boggs</span>. After Molina left Tuesday night's Cardinals win vs. the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Arizona Diamondbacks</a> following a mixed-signals-induced shot to his left hand from Boggs. The<a href="http://101sports.com/category/bstull-blogs/20120508/Close-Call-for-Molina/" target="_blank"> immediate reports following the game</a> were that the X-Rays looked "pretty clean," but early reports have lied before, so the Cardinals (and their fans) were cautious following the game. </p>
<p>Without Molina the Cardinals would likely go to some combination of <span>Tony Cruz</span>, who is 2-17 since winning the backup catcher job out of spring training, and erstwhile prospect <span>Bryan Anderson</span>, who began the season extremely slowly at AAA Memphis after losing it and is now hitting .122 there. Cruz is a better defensive player, while Anderson, who is left-handed, likely has the better offensive skill-set.</p>
<p>But however well they performed, the drop from the hitting-star Molina we've seen since the 2011 all-star break to two replacement players would be a major blow for a Cardinals team that lacks depth and upside at the position. </p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-cardinals/2012/5/9/3008921/yadier-molina-injury-st-louis-cardinalsDan Moore2012-05-08T23:55:18-05:002012-05-08T23:55:18-05:00Cardinals Vs. Diamondbacks Final Score: Carlos Beltran Powers St. Louis' 3rd Straight Win
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<p><span>Carlos Beltran</span> finished 2-for-4 with two home runs and six RBI to power the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">St. Louis Cardinals</a> to a 6-1 win over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Arizona Diamondbacks</a>. St. Louis' third straight victory pushes the team to 19-11 on the season. Arizona falls to 14-17 with the loss.</p>
<p>Beltran went deep with a two-run shot in the first inning. In the second inning, Beltran crushed a grand slam off Arizona starter <span>Ian Kennedy</span> to make it 6-0 St. Louis. That was more than enough support for Cardinals starter <span>Jake Westbrook</span>.</p>
<p>Westbrook struck out eight in seven innings while allowing just four hits and no earned runs. The victory improves Westbrook to 4-2 overall on the season.</p>
<p><i>For more news and updates from around the MLB, drop by <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/">Baseball Nation</a> with Rob Neyer, or dig deeper into the stats at <a href="http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/">Beyond the Box Score</a>. Also, check out the team blogs <a href="http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Viva El Birdos</a> and <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/">AZ Snake Pit</a>.</i></p>
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https://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-cardinals/2012/5/8/3008903/cardinals-vs-diamondbacks-final-scoreRicky O'Donnell2012-05-08T18:09:21-05:002012-05-08T18:09:21-05:00Cardinals Vs. Diamondbacks Lineups: Daniel Descalso Gets A Start At Shortstop
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">St. Louis Cardinals</a> defeated the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Arizona Diamondbacks</a> 9-6 on Monday and can take the series with a win on Tuesday. The lineups for Tuesday's game have been announced and are listed below. <span>Skip Schumaker</span> and <span>Daniel Descalso</span> will get starts for the Cardinals after sitting on Monday.</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/FSMidwest/status/199989174571503617/photo/1">St. Louis</a>:</p>
<p>1. <span>Jon Jay</span> (CF)<br>2. <span>Carlos Beltran</span> (RF)<br>3. <span>Matt Holliday</span> (LF)<br>4. <span>Allen Craig</span> (1B)<br>5. <span>David Freese</span> (3B)<br>6. <span>Yadier Molina</span> (C)<br>7. Skip Schumaker (2B)<br>8. Daniel Descalso (SS)<br>9. <span>Jake Westbrook</span> (SP)</p>
<p><i>Related: <a href="http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2012/5/7/3003708/where-the-st-louis-cardinals-hitting-stats-are-where-they-project-to">Where The St. Louis Cardinals Hitting Stats Are & Where They Project To Be</a></i></p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/Dbacks/status/199981836099792897">Arizona</a>:</p>
<p>1. <span>Gerardo Parra</span> (CF)<br>2. <span>Aaron Hill</span> (2B)<br>3. <span>Justin Upton</span> (RF)<br>4. <span>Miguel Montero</span> (C)<br>5. <span>Paul Goldschmidt</span> (1B)<br>6. <span>Jason Kubel</span> (LF)<br>7. <span>Cody Ransom</span> (3B)<br>8. <span>John McDonald</span> (SS)<br>9. <span>Ian Kennedy</span> (SP)</p>
<p><i>For more news and updates from around the MLB, drop by <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/">Baseball Nation</a> with Rob Neyer, or dig deeper into the stats at <a href="http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/">Beyond the Box Score</a>. Also, check out the team blogs <a href="http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Viva El Birdos</a> and <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/">AZ Snake Pit</a>.</i></p>
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https://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-cardinals/2012/5/8/3008268/cardinals-vs-diamondbacks-lineups-mlb-national-league-2012Steven Muma2012-05-08T08:41:57-05:002012-05-08T08:41:57-05:00Diamondbacks Vs. Cardinals Preview: St. Louis Strives To Break Ian Kennedy's Dominance At Home
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<p>After taking down the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Arizona Diamondbacks</a> on Monday night, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">St. Louis Cardinals</a> can claim a series victory in Arizona with another win on Tuesday night. <span>Jake Westbrook</span> (3-2, 2.12 ERA) will take the mound for the Cards, while <span>Ian Kennedy</span> will start for the D'Backs. Kennedy has an odd streak he's trying to keep alive in the game as well. Kennedy is 10-0 with a 2.27 ERA in 14 starts at home since losing to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Marlins</a> back on on May 31 (<a href="http://espn.go.com/mlb/preview?gameId=320508129" target="_blank">via STATS LLC</a>), so the Cardinals will have their work cut for them at the plate on Tuesday night.</p>
<p>Here is <a href="http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2012/5/7/3003708/where-the-st-louis-cardinals-hitting-stats-are-where-they-project-to" target="_blank">a great breakdown of how the Cardinals hitter compare to their individual statistical projections </a>at this point in the season to check out at Viva El Birdos. </p>
<p><b>Game Time:</b> 8:40 p.m. CDT</p>
<p><b>Location:</b> Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ</p>
<p><strong>Broadcast:</strong> FSMW-HD (TV), KMOX (radio)</p>
<p><i>For more news and updates from around the MLB, drop by <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/">Baseball Nation</a> with Rob Neyer, or dig deeper into the stats at <a href="http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/">Beyond the Box Score</a>. Also, check out the team blogs <a href="http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Viva El Birdos</a> and <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/">AZ Snake Pit</a>.</i></p>
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https://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-cardinals/2012/5/8/3006947/cardinals-vs-diamondbacks-preview-ian-kennedySteve von Horn2012-05-08T08:23:41-05:002012-05-08T08:23:41-05:00Diamondbacks Vs. Cardinals Final Score: Lance Lynn Becomes MLB's First 6-Win Pitcher
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<p>On Monday night, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">St. Louis Cardinals</a> starter <span>Lance Lynn</span> continued his stretch of strong pitching performances and set himself up for yet another win after five innings of scoreless baseball. From there the Cardinals' bullpen ceded six runs to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Arizona Diamondbacks</a>, but St. Louis scored nine runs of their own to make Lynn Major League Baseball's first six-win pitcher with a 9-6 victory on Monday. Lynn has been terrific for St. Louis this season -- he boasts a perfect 6-0 record and a sparkling 1.40 ERA -- but the offense has been the biggest X-factor in most games. </p>
<p>Once again, the bats came through for the Cards. <span>Rafael Furcal</span> started the game with a lead-off home run, and that kicked off a five-HR game for St. Louis, including bombs by <span>Carlos Beltran</span>, <span>Matt Holliday</span>, <span>Allen Craig</span> and <span>David Freese</span>. Even with Arizona's big six-run sixth inning St. Louis never trailed at any point in the game, thanks to solid work at the plate.</p>
<p>With the win, St. Louis improved to 18-11 on the year.</p>
<p><i>For more news and updates from around the MLB, drop by <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/">Baseball Nation</a> with Rob Neyer, or dig deeper into the stats at <a href="http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/">Beyond the Box Score</a>. Also, check out the team blogs <a href="http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Viva El Birdos</a> and <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/">AZ Snake Pit</a>.</i></p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-cardinals/2012/5/8/3006900/diamondbacks-vs-cardinals-final-score-lance-lynnSteve von Horn2012-05-07T17:31:35-05:002012-05-07T17:31:35-05:00Cardinals Vs. Diamondbacks Lineups: Starters Announced For Monday's Game
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<p>The St. Louis Cardinals begin a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night, and the lineups for the first game have been announced.</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/FSMidwest/status/199617550638776321/photo/1">The Cardinals</a>:</p>
<p>1. <span>Rafael Furcal</span> (SS)<br>2. <span>Carlos Beltran</span> (RF)<br>3. <span>Matt Holliday</span> (LF)<br>4. <span>Allen Craig</span> (1B)<br>5. <span>David Freese</span> (3B)<br>6. <span>Yadier Molina</span> (C)<br>7. <span>Jon Jay</span> (CF)<br>8. <span>Tyler Greene</span> (2B)<br>9. <span>Lance Lynn</span> (SP)</p>
<p>Related: <a href="http://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-cardinals/2012/5/7/3005288/cardinals-vs-diamondbacks-preview-game-time/in/2769834">Diamondbacks Vs. Cardinals Preview: St. Louis Hopes To Start Winning Streak In Arizona</a></p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/Dbacks/status/199618306729193472">The Diamondbacks</a>:</p>
<p>1. <span>Gerardo Parra</span> (CF)<br> 2. <span>Justin Upton</span> (RF)<br> 3. <span>Jason Kubel</span> (LF)<br> 4. <span>Miguel Montero</span> (C)<br> 5. <span>Cody Ransom</span> (3B)<br> 6. <span>Lyle Overbay</span> (1B)<br> 7. <span>Aaron Hill</span> (2B)<br> 8. <span>Willie Bloomquist</span> (SS)<br> 9. <span>Joe Saunders</span> (SP)</p>
<p><i>For updates, stay tuned to <a href="http://stlouis.sbnation.com">SB Nation St. Louis</a></i><i>. For more news and updates from around the MLB, drop by <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/">Baseball Nation</a> with Rob Neyer, or dig deeper into the stats at <a href="http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/">Beyond the Box Score</a>. Also, check out the team blogs <a href="http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Viva El Birdos</a> and <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/">AZ Snake Pit</a>.</i></p>
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https://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-cardinals/2012/5/7/3005798/cardinals-vs-diamondbacks-lineups-mlb-national-leagueSteven Muma