By Joe Strauss, St. Louis Post-Dispatch –
ST. LOUIS — There are few secrets in the Cardinals’ early-season formula that has lifted them to first-place in the National League Central:
Use the league’s most prolific offense to score first by whatever means available, then turn the lead over to the league’s second-most protective starting rotation. Score more than three runs and success is typically assured.
The Cardinals asserted that strategy Thursday afternoon at Busch Stadium but were stymied by the Pittsburgh Pirates and slow-moving lefthander Erik Bedard. A tedious 6-3 loss before an announced crowd of 40,601 deprived the Cardinals of their first series sweep this season and enforced the notion that good things come to those who wait — and wait some more.
(PHOTO: The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Pedro Alvarez (24) crosses the plate after hitting a two-run home run in the sixth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, May 3, 2012, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. The Pirates won, 6-3.)
After scoring in the first inning a third consecutive game, the Cardinals found themselves increasingly frustrated by Bedard’s off-speed assortment that mixed well with a 92 mph fastball. Unable to press an early 2-0 lead, the Cardinals fell when starting pitcher Jake Westbrook (3-2) lost some of the edge to his sinking fastball. In another common denominator factoring into their losses, the Cardinals stranded 12 runners.
But in an uncommon twist, the Cardinals also struck out 17 times — the club’s most in a nine-inning game since Sept. 10, 1989 in Chicago.
“It was just one of those games,” manager Mike Matheny said. “We had a lot of guys left on base.”
One of the game’s deliberate talents, Bedard allowed two first-inning runs on a series of doubles to shortstop Rafael Furcal, third baseman David Freese and first baseman Allen Craig. Bedard became so distracted after surrendering a one-out bloop hit to Westbrook in the second inning that he allowed the Cardinals’ starting pitcher to steal the first base of his career — without a throw.
Yet with the game there for the taking, Furcal struck out for the inning’s second out. Left fielder Matt Holliday then topped a grounder to the mound to end a bases-loaded threat.
“Timely hitting is one of those key ingredients to winning,” Matheny said, “and we didn’t get as many of them as we needed.”
The game’s glacial pace only compounded the hurt. Some in the home clubhouse thought it intentional. Bedard offered no apologies but insisted it was a matter of trying to find command of his fastball against a dangerous lineup.
“It was pretty slow-paced,” Bedard said. “I don’t really want to work that slow. It was hot. I threw a lot of pitches. There were a lot of foul balls. That’s the way the game went. I’ll try to be a little quicker next time.”
“If anything, I think it bothered his own team more than us,” Matheny said after the 3 hour, 26 minute game.
The Cardinals entered 13-3 when scoring first and are 16-2 when out-hitting opponents. Matheny so desired the first tally that he had center fielder Jon Jay bunt Furcal to third base with his team’s first out of the game. Freese scored him with a two-out double for his sixth RBI of the home stand and 24th this season. It was the second time in the series Jay had bunted in the first inning.
“We’ve all been talking about the need for situational hitting and … getting guys over,” Matheny said. “That’s a great play.”
The Cardinals are hitting .237 when poised to sweep a series, compared to .295 in their other 21 games. They have scored 11 runs total in those four games. They didn’t sweep their first three-game series last season until June 3-5.
“I’m not thinking about winning a series. I’m not thinking about sweeping,” Matheny said. “I’m thinking about winning today’s game. That’s the way we’re going to continue to go about it.”
Bedard struck out at least two men in each of his five innings. At one point he struck out seven consecutive hitters from the third to the fifth innings. Bedard became the first Pirates pitcher to do so in 25 years. The last four spots in the Cardinals’ order endured a one-for-16 day with 11 strikeouts.
The Pirates’ 17 strikeouts are a team record for a nine-inning game. Bedard became the first Pirates pitcher to strike out seven consecutive hitters, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
Westbrook exited with a 2.12 ERA but dropped to 0-5 in six career starts against the Pirates. He surrendered nine hits and a walk Thursday. His rapid pace slowed appreciably as the Pirates put runners into scoring position in the last five innings Westbrook took the mound.
“I had a lot of fly balls today,” said Westbrook, who walked only one. “I was still in the zone but just a little erratic as far as keeping it down. It hurt us.”
The first of Pirates shortstop Clint Barmes’ two doubles scored third baseman Pedro Alvarez to create a 2-1 game in the fourth inning. Alvarez, who has raised his batting average from .067 to .257 since April 20 mostly at the Cardinals’ expense, gave the visitors a lead they wouldn’t lose when he mashed a two-run home run to left-center field in the sixth inning. The home run was the first surrendered by Westbrook in 34 innings this season.
Because he allowed four earned runs, Westbrook’s 6 1/3-inning outing was only the second of the rotation’s last 12 appearances not to qualify as a quality start.
The Pirates extended their lead with four late doubles worth three runs against the Cardinals’ bullpen. Craig’s ninth-inning double brought the tying run to the plate before Matt Carpenter became the day’s 17th strikeout victim.
