***Official St. Louis Cardinals 2009 Season Thread***

Damn

Holliday Interested In Extension With Cardinals

Quote:
Matt Holliday's first month as a Cardinal could hardly have gone any better. The team's 20 games over .500 and 9.0 games ahead of the Cubs in the NL Central, largely because of Holliday's hot hitting. He has a .386/.448/.667 line with six homers in his first month back in the National League. Today, Holliday said on the Team 1380 in St. Louis that he hopes his stay in a Cards uniform lasts more than a couple months (You can listen in here).

"That would be really exciting for me to get a chance to be here and play next to Albert [Pujols] along with the rest of these guys and to do some special things over the next however many years," Holliday said. "Hopefully this will be a long-term relationship."



He hasn't begun negotiating an extension with the team, but says there's a chance he signs one before the season's over.

"Hopefully there'll be some progress and hopefully I'll be able to stick around here for a long time."

Holliday, who will turn 30 this offseason, makes $13.5MM this year. His improved offensive stats and strong outfield defense will likely make him one of most highly coveted free agents after the season if he doesn't sign an extension first.

Link

M-V-P!!

M-V-P!!

M-V-P!!

that was a f**kin shot to end the game...

Solid outing from Smoltz, not missing Walt Jockety at all right now

Originally posted by iohk:
that was a f**kin shot to end the game...

Solid outing from Smoltz, not missing Walt Jockety at all right now

Lol! I thought I would be missing that guy so much..Mozeliak is the MAN!

The Cardinals are good.

Originally posted by jrg:
The Cardinals are good.

Very good

77-55

keep it coming

congrats on your Central Title.

Originally posted by BigRon:
congrats on your Central Title.

Thanks..maybe we'll face the Giants? Eh?

Milwaukee Brewers (64-66)

Braden Looper (11-6 4.88 ERA 85K)


@

St. Louis Cardinals (77-55)

Joel Piñeiro (13-9 3.11 ERA 84K)



No NL team has a better record since the beginning of July than the St. Louis Cardinals, who have won more than two-thirds of their games to build a seemingly insurmountable lead in the Central.

They’ve been especially tough to beat when Joel Pineiro’s been on the mound.

The Cardinals have won 10 in a row when Pineiro gets the ball, and the right-hander will look for an eighth straight victory Tuesday night when he faces the visiting Milwaukee Brewers.

St. Louis (77-55) has gone 36-17 since the end of June to build a comfortable cushion in the Central, and its incredible starting pitching has led the way.

Adam Wainwright(notes) and Chris Carpenter(notes) are 17-2 with a 1.60 ERA in 23 starts in the past two months, but Pineiro (13-9, 3.11) has been nearly as impressive as the two Cy Young Award contenders.

Pineiro is 7-0 with a 2.65 ERA in 10 starts, issuing six walks in 71 1-3 innings. He walked none for the 13th start this season Wednesday against Houston, yielding two runs over eight innings and allowing his newly developed sinker to help him earn a 3-2 win.

“I was attacking the strike zone, trying to make them put the ball on the ground,” Pineiro said. “I just keep telling myself, ‘Why did I wait eight years to learn a sinker like this?’”

It was Wainwright’s turn to pitch well Sunday against Washington. He gave up a run in six innings and struck out seven in a 2-1 win as the Cardinals closed August with a .769 winning percentage (20-6)—the best for that month in franchise history.

“We’ve got a lot of talented pitchers in this league, and on this team even,” Wainwright said after St. Louis moved to 29-4 in games he, Carpenter and Pineiro have started since July 1.

Pineiro began his current streak of victories against Milwaukee (64-66) on July 9. He allowed a run and three hits while pitching his third complete game in a 5-1 win at Miller Park.

He’s 2-0 with a 2.54 ERA in four career starts against the Brewers, shutting down Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder(notes), who are a combined 5 for 24 (.208) against Pineiro.

The Cardinals have held Braun and Fielder, who have more RBIs (214) than any tandem in the majors, in check all season but are 4-5 against the Brewers. Fielder is hitting .250 versus St. Louis with a homer and six RBIs, while Braun is batting .200 with one RBI.

Fielder and Braun went 0 for 8 on Sunday against Pittsburgh, but Casey McGehee(notes) homered to support six effective innings from Jeff Suppan(notes) in a 4-1 win.

Despite sweeping the Pirates, the Brewers finished 13-14 in August and are 12 games behind the Cardinals after holding a two-game lead in the division at the end of June.

“When you’re 12 out, with every game you’re kind of hanging on the cliff,” infielder Craig Counsell(notes) told the Brewers’ official Web site. “If we want a chance, obviously, we have to sweep.”

The Brewers are 9-3 at Busch Stadium over the past two years, and they’ll hand the ball to former Cardinal Braden Looper(notes) (11-6, 4.88) in the opener of this three-game series.

He gave up three runs - one earned - over six innings to win 8-4 in St. Louis on May 18.

Looper allowed two runs over six innings Wednesday at Cincinnati in a 4-3 loss in 10 innings.

Matt Holliday!!!!!!!!

Originally posted by jrg:
Matt Holliday!!!!!!!!

I have a feeling Holliday resigns before the end of this month

Originally posted by DesiDez:

Originally posted by jrg:
Matt Holliday!!!!!!!!

I have a feeling Holliday resigns before the end of this month

Yeah, I expect a new contract before the end of the season..he loves it in St. Louis apparently.