Cards Sweep Astros...Travel to Arizona for 3 Game Series

Kyle Lohse and The St. Louis Cardinals finished off a 3 game sweep of the Houston Astros on Sunday. Lohse gave up a leadoff single and then retired 24 in a row en route to a complete game 3 hit shutout. Khalil Greene led the offense with 3 hits, an RBI and a run scored, plus raised his batting average to .280.

The Cardinals now go on the road for the first time in 2009 and travel to Arizona to take on the Diamondbacks in a 3 game series. The probable starters for the 3 game series are:

Monday, April 13th

STL Todd Wellemeyer (0-1, 9.00) Wellemeyer hasn't pitched well at all in 2009 and that includes spring training. And if you have been reading the BLBB, I told you in my Cardinals preview that Todd would struggle to repeat his 2008 - I'm not sayin...I'm just sayin!

vs.

ARZ Doug Davis (0-1, 7.20) How can't you root for this guy, he beat thyroid cancer last year...nuff said. Plus lefties have always given the Cards fits, look for the D'Backs to take game 1.


Tuesday, April 14th

STL Chris Carpenter (1-0, 0.00) The most important start for a #4 starter in all of baseball, Carpenter did not disappoint. He had a no-hitter into the 7th and went on to win the game 2-1 on Thursday over the Pirates. If Carpenter can stay healthy, he will contend for the NL Cy Young Award - can you say Lock of the Day on Tuesday!?

vs.

ARZ Max Scherzer - Scherzer is making his season debut, unfortunately for him, he draws Carpenter and not Wellemeyer.


Wednesday, April 15th

STL Joel Pineiro (1-0, 2.70) Unfortunately for Pineiro, the World Baseball Classic started about 10 years too late...if Puerto Rico would have pissed this guy off earlier in his career for not being picked to the team, Joel might have been a Hall of Famer.

vs.

ARZ Jon Garland (1-0, 3.86) Free Agent signing Jon Garland won his first game in a D'Backs uniform by beating the NL West rival LA Dodgers. This signing might be even more important than we first thought...Brandon Webb went on the DL on Sunday and if he is on the DL for an extended period of time...Garland may be the #2 behind Dan Haren.