Aside from an ill-advised pitch to Ryan Howard, Kyle Lohse was everything the St. Louis Cardinals could have hoped he would be Wednesday night. But the second of the Philadelphia Phillies' various aces, Cliff Lee, was in town, and he shut out the Cardinals for the Phillies' second win of the series. Lohse and Lance Berkman doubled for the Cardinals, who had just six hits on the night. Roy Oswalt is scheduled to pitch tomorrow, completing the Cardinals' tour of the Phillies' absurd rotation.
With Albert Pujols on the disabled list and the bullpen in the middle of a major shakeup--Miguel Batista was released before Wednesday's action, with rookie starter Lance Lynn brought in as the long reliever--the Cardinals find themselves at a midseason crossroads after surrendering first place in the National League Central to the Milwaukee Brewers. More moves are likely, and sooner rather than later, but the next wave is likely to begin after the Cardinals' final game against the Phillies.
Chris Carpenter will get the start Thursday.