The Cardinals' 5-4 victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday, a game in which the much maligned St. Louis bullpen worked three scoreless innings, was, in manager Mike Matheny's mind, "the biggest win of the year."
For one reason, the Cardinals had lost the first two games of the series to the Pirates. St. Louis had dropped three games in succession overall, and its home record was a modest 17-18.
However, Matheny said the players in the dugout were into Sunday's game from the beginning.
"You could sense something a little different today," he said.
Left-hander Marc Rzepczynski and right-handers Mitchell Boggs and Jason Motte (save No. 17) held the Pirates off the board for the last three innings after right-hander Jake Westbrook had pitched resolutely for six innings. Prior to the game, the bullpen had a 4.56 ERA and 13 blown saves.
"It's been a rough couple days before today, playing a team you're behind in the standings that's playing really well," Boggs said. "For our bullpen to get some pretty big outs in a tight game, it doesn't hurt. We feel like we've got guys that can do the job, and we'll show up tomorrow and expect to do the same thing."
Right fielder Allen Craig took an extra-base hit away in the field and also popped a two-run homer, his 11th, in the third inning. Craig is batting .378 (24-for-74) with five homers and 16 RBI for his career against Pittsburgh.
"He's dangerous every time he goes up there," Matheny said.
RF/1B Allen Craig has 39 RBI in 39 games, including two RBI on Sunday. "He's a professional hitter," manager Mike Matheny said. "You don't really see him off balance, and he makes adjustments on the fly."
RHP Jason Motte's 17th save in 21 tries was not an easy one. He was required to get four outs against the Pirates, but he said there was no extra pressure on him to help the Cardinals salvage a game in the series. "That's ridiculous," Motte said. "I'm not out there going, 'Oh man, don't screw this up or we'll get swept.' Those are negative thoughts. You go out there with those, and you end up getting yourself hurt."
LF Matt Holliday probably would be on the National League All-Star team if the players had a do-over. Holliday, who began his streak just before the players started voting for reserves and pitchers, is 26 for his last 53 (.491) since June 16.
RHP Jake Westbrook finally ended a jinx that had started when he pitched for Cleveland. Winning his third straight decision, Westbrook beat the Pirates for the first time in six career decisions against them.
C Yadier Molina, not that he needed to validate his All-Star selection, hit his 13th homer, one off his career high set last year. "That's an MVP-style player," manager Mike Matheny said.
SS Rafael Furcal earned his first All-Star selection via the fans' vote, but it wasn't for his recent form at the plate. He is 3-for-24 (.125) with one RBI in his past six games. RHP Lance Lynn was selected one of the NL starting pitchers in his first full season.
LHP Barret Browning, 23, had his contract purchased from Class AAA Memphis on Saturday, and he pitched two scoreless innings against the Pirates that day in his major league debut. He had gone 2-3 with a 1.89 ERA in 30 appearances for Memphis.
RHP Maikel Cleto was recalled from Class AAA Memphis on Saturday, and he pitched a scoreless inning that day. Cleto allowed one run in six innings over five appearances for Memphis since his mid-June demotion.
RHP Eduardo Sanchez was optioned to Class AAA Memphis after allowing four runs over a total of one inning in his past two appearances. Overall, he was 0-1 with a 6.60 ERA in 17 games with St. Louis.
LHP Sam Freeman pitched a scoreless inning Friday, then was optioned to Class AAA Memphis the next day. He went 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA in 13 games with St. Louis.
RHP Kyle McClellan was transferred from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day DL on Saturday, clearing a spot on the Cardinals' 40-man roster for LHP Barret Browning. McClellan, out since May 18 due to a strained right elbow, is due to resume throwing Tuesday, but he's unlikely to pitch until August.
4-7 The Cardinals' record at home during the month of June.
"Our current pace, with the results of our bullpen, is not what we want to see. We can't continue doing what we're doing." GM John Mozeliak, after retooling the Cardinals' bullpen when its ERA reached 4.62.
