GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NL: HOUSTON (66-86) at ST LOUIS (71-80)

NL: HOUSTON (66-86) at ST LOUIS (71-80)

<h3>Cardinals, Astros series lacks drama</h3>

<div class="pre">Houston (66-86) at St Louis (71-80) 8:10 pm EDT</div>

ST. LOUIS (Ticker) - A September series between the St. LouisCardinals and Houston Astros is usually full of playoffimplications. Not this season.


Braden Looper and the Cardinals host the Astros in the opener ofa four-game series on Thursday.


The Cardinals are the defending World Series champions, whilethe Astros lost the World Series in 2005. However, both aremere bystanders as the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers battlefor the National League Central Division title.


Yadier Molina hit a walk-off single in the 10th inning as theCardinals posted a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies tosalvage the finale of a three-game series Wednesday.

St. Louis, which has lost 11 of 13, will turn to Looper (12-10,4.55 ERA) to get the ball rolling. The converted reliever is unbeatenin his last five starts, and is 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA in three startsagainst Houston this season.


Wandy Rodriguez (8-13, 4.83) takes the hill for Houston, whichposted a 5-4 10-inning win over Milwaukee on Wednesday. HunterPence provide the winning margin with a walk-off single.

Rodriguez has been horrible on the road this season, going 2-10with a 7.31 ERA in 14 starts. On Saturday, the lefthanderallowed five runs and five hits in three innings, but did notreceive a decision in a 9-7 loss to Pittsburgh.


To make matters worse, Rodriguez has never beaten the Cardinals,going 0-4 with a 8.71 ERA against them in five appearances -four starts.

 

NL: HOUSTON at ST LOUIS

<div class="pre">HOUSTON AT ST LOUIS -- LINEUPS

HOUSTON ST LOUIS
AVG HR RBI AVG HR RBI
Josh Anderson CF .433 0 5 David Eckstein SS .297 3 29
Craig Biggio 2B .248 10 47 So Taguchi LF .290 3 24
Lance Berkman 1B .277 30 93 Rick Ankiel CF .273 9 30
Carlos Lee LF .297 30 113 Scott Spiezio 1B .261 3 29
Hunter Pence RF .323 14 60 Ryan Ludwick RF .251 14 46
Mike Lamb 3B .287 11 39 Yadier Molina C .280 6 40
Cody Ransom SS .211 1 3 Miguel Cairo 3B .238 0 5
J.R. Towles C .231 0 1 Braden Looper RHP .204 0 6
Wandy Rodriguez LHP .116 0 1 (12-10, 4.55)
(8-13, 4.83) Brendan Ryan 2B .308 4 11</div>

 

NL: HOUSTON at ST LOUIS

<div class="pre">HOUSTON AT ST LOUIS -- REVISED LINEUPS

HOUSTON ST LOUIS
AVG HR RBI AVG HR RBI
Josh Anderson CF .433 0 5 David Eckstein SS .297 3 29
Craig Biggio 2B .248 10 47 So Taguchi LF .290 3 24
Lance Berkman 1B .277 30 93 Rick Ankiel CF .273 9 30
Carlos Lee LF .297 30 113 Scott Spiezio 1B .261 3 29
Mike Lamb 3B .287 11 39 Ryan Ludwick RF .251 14 46
Chris Burke RF .233 6 26 Yadier Molina C .280 6 40
Cody Ransom SS .211 1 3 Miguel Cairo 3B .238 0 5
J.R. Towles C .231 0 1 Braden Looper RHP .204 0 6
Wandy Rodriguez LHP .116 0 1 (12-10, 4.55)
(8-13, 4.83) Brendan Ryan 2B .308 4 11</div>

 

NL: HOUSTON at ST LOUIS

<div class="pre">NL AT ST LOUIS
WARMUPS: HOU - WANDY RODRIGUEZ (8-13, 4.83)
STL - BRADEN LOOPER (12-10, 4.55)

UMPIRES: HP - CHUCK MERIWETHER
1B - RICK REED
2B - TIM TIMMONS
3B - ALFONSO MARQUEZ

WEATHER: 86 Degrees, clear
WIND: 7 mph, out to center</div>

 

NL: HOUSTON at ST LOUIS

<div class="pre">NL AT ST LOUIS
STARTING BATS: HOU - WANDY RODRIGUEZ AND J.R. TOWLES
STL - BRADEN LOOPER AND YADIER MOLINA

DUE UP FOR HOUSTON: J ANDERSON (.433, 0 HR, 5 RBI)
C BIGGIO (.248, 10 HR, 47 RBI)
L BERKMAN (.277, 30 HR, 93 RBI)</div>

 

NL: HOUSTON at ST LOUIS

<div class="pre">NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
HOUSTON 0 0 0 0
ST LOUIS 0 0 0 (BOT 1)

CURRENT PITCHERS: HOU - WANDY RODRIGUEZ
STL - BRADEN LOOPER

DUE UP FOR ST LOUIS: D ECKSTEIN (.297, 3 HR, 29 RBI)
S TAGUCHI (.290, 3 HR, 24 RBI)
R ANKIEL (.273, 9 HR, 30 RBI)</div>

 

NL: HOUSTON at ST LOUIS

<div class="pre">HOUSTON (0) VS ST LOUIS (0) - MID 1ST - IN PROGRESS

HOUSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Anderson cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .419
C Biggio 2b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .247
L Berkman 1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .277
C Lee lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .297
M Lamb 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .287
C Burke rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .233
C Ransom ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .211
J Towles c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .231
W Rodriguez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .116

Totals 3 0 0 0 0 0 0

BATTING: Team LOB - 0.


ST LOUIS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
D Eckstein ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .297
S Taguchi lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .290
R Ankiel cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .273
S Spiezio 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .261
R Ludwick rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .251
Y Molina c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .280
M Cairo 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .238
B Looper p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .204
B Ryan 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .308

Totals 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

BATTING: Team LOB - 0.


----------------------------------------------------
HOUSTON - 0 -- 0
ST LOUIS - -- 0
----------------------------------------------------

HOUSTON ip h r er bb so hr era
W Rodriguez 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4.83

ST LOUIS ip h r er bb so hr era
B Looper 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4.53

Pitches-strikes: B Looper 11-5. Ground balls-fly balls: B Looper 0-3. Batters
faced: B Looper 3.

UMPIRES: HP--Chuck Meriwether. 1B--Rick Reed. 2B--Tim Timmons. 3B--Alfonso
Marquez.

Weather: 86 degrees, clear. Wind: 7 mph, out to center.</div>

 

NL: HOUSTON at ST LOUIS

<div class="pre">NL AT ST LOUIS
CONFIRMED STARTERS: HOU - WANDY RODRIGUEZ
STL - BRADEN LOOPER</div>

 

NL: HOUSTON at ST LOUIS

<div class="pre">NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
HOUSTON 0 0 0 0
ST LOUIS 0 0 1 0 (TOP 2)

CURRENT PITCHERS: HOU - WANDY RODRIGUEZ
STL - BRADEN LOOPER

DUE UP FOR HOUSTON: C LEE (.297, 30 HR, 113 RBI)
M LAMB (.287, 11 HR, 39 RBI)
C BURKE (.233, 6 HR, 26 RBI)</div>

 

NL: HOUSTON at ST LOUIS

<div class="pre">HOUSTON (0) VS ST LOUIS (0) - END 1ST - IN PROGRESS

HOUSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Anderson cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .419
C Biggio 2b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .247
L Berkman 1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .277
C Lee lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .297
M Lamb 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .287
C Burke rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .233
C Ransom ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .211
J Towles c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .231
W Rodriguez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .116

Totals 3 0 0 0 0 0 0

BATTING: Team LOB - 0.

FIELDING: DP: 1 (L Berkman-M Lamb).


ST LOUIS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
D Eckstein ss 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .299
S Taguchi lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .289
R Ankiel cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .271
S Spiezio 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .261
R Ludwick rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .251
Y Molina c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .280
M Cairo 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .238
B Looper p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .204
B Ryan 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .308

Totals 3 0 1 0 0 0 1

BATTING: 2B - D Eckstein (19, W Rodriguez). Team LOB - 0.


----------------------------------------------------
HOUSTON - 0 -- 0
ST LOUIS - 0 -- 0
----------------------------------------------------

HOUSTON ip h r er bb so hr era
W Rodriguez 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 4.80

ST LOUIS ip h r er bb so hr era
B Looper 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4.53

Pitches-strikes: W Rodriguez 9-6; B Looper 11-5. Ground balls-fly balls: W
Rodriguez 1-1; B Looper 0-3. Batters faced: W Rodriguez 3; B Looper 3.

UMPIRES: HP--Chuck Meriwether. 1B--Rick Reed. 2B--Tim Timmons. 3B--Alfonso
Marquez.

Weather: 86 degrees, clear. Wind: 7 mph, out to center.</div>

 

NL: HOUSTON at ST LOUIS

<div class="pre">NL AT ST LOUIS - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY J.R. TOWLES SCORED CARLOS LEE AND CODY RANSOM.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, J TOWLES ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: HOUSTON 2
ST LOUIS 0 TOP, 2ND

DUE UP FOR HOUSTON: W RODRIGUEZ (.116, 0 HR, 1 RBI)</div>

 

NL: HOUSTON at ST LOUIS

<div class="pre">NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
HOUSTON 0 2 2 2 0
ST LOUIS 0 0 1 0 (BOT 2)

CURRENT PITCHERS: HOU - WANDY RODRIGUEZ
STL - BRADEN LOOPER

DUE UP FOR ST LOUIS: S SPIEZIO (.261, 3 HR, 29 RBI)
R LUDWICK (.251, 14 HR, 46 RBI)
Y MOLINA (.280, 6 HR, 40 RBI)</div>

 

NL: HOUSTON at ST LOUIS

<div class="pre">HOUSTON (2) VS ST LOUIS (0) - MID 2ND - IN PROGRESS

HOUSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Anderson cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .419
C Biggio 2b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .247
L Berkman 1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .277
C Lee lf 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 .297
M Lamb 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .286
C Burke rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .232
C Ransom ss 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .250
J Towles c 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 .286
W Rodriguez p 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .114

Totals 8 2 2 2 1 0 3

BATTING: 2B - J Towles (1, B Looper). RBI - J Towles 2 (3). 2-out RBI - J
Towles 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - W Rodriguez 1. Team LOB -
1.

FIELDING: DP: 1 (L Berkman-M Lamb).


ST LOUIS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
D Eckstein ss 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .299
S Taguchi lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .289
R Ankiel cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .271
S Spiezio 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .261
R Ludwick rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .251
Y Molina c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .280
M Cairo 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .238
B Looper p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .204
B Ryan 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .308

Totals 3 0 1 0 0 0 1

BATTING: 2B - D Eckstein (19, W Rodriguez). Team LOB - 0.


----------------------------------------------------
HOUSTON - 02 -- 2
ST LOUIS - 0 -- 0
----------------------------------------------------

HOUSTON ip h r er bb so hr era
W Rodriguez 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 4.80

ST LOUIS ip h r er bb so hr era
B Looper 2 2 2 2 1 0 0 4.61

Pitches-strikes: W Rodriguez 9-6; B Looper 37-21. Ground balls-fly balls: W
Rodriguez 1-1; B Looper 1-5. Batters faced: W Rodriguez 3; B Looper 9.

UMPIRES: HP--Chuck Meriwether. 1B--Rick Reed. 2B--Tim Timmons. 3B--Alfonso
Marquez.

Weather: 86 degrees, clear. Wind: 7 mph, out to center.</div>

 

NL: HOUSTON at ST LOUIS

<div class="pre">NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
HOUSTON 0 2 2 2 0
ST LOUIS 0 0 0 2 0 (TOP 3)

CURRENT PITCHERS: HOU - WANDY RODRIGUEZ
STL - BRADEN LOOPER

DUE UP FOR HOUSTON: J ANDERSON (.419, 0-FOR-1)
C BIGGIO (.247, 0-FOR-1)
L BERKMAN (.277, 0-FOR-1)</div>

 

NL: HOUSTON at ST LOUIS

<div class="pre">HOUSTON (2) VS ST LOUIS (0) - END 2ND - IN PROGRESS

HOUSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Anderson cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .419
C Biggio 2b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .247
L Berkman 1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .277
C Lee lf 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 .297
M Lamb 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .286
C Burke rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .232
C Ransom ss 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .250
J Towles c 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 .286
W Rodriguez p 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .114

Totals 8 2 2 2 1 0 3

BATTING: 2B - J Towles (1, B Looper). RBI - J Towles 2 (3). 2-out RBI - J
Towles 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - W Rodriguez 1. Team LOB -
1.

FIELDING: DP: 1 (L Berkman-M Lamb).


ST LOUIS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
D Eckstein ss 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .299
S Taguchi lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .289
R Ankiel cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .271
S Spiezio 1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .260
R Ludwick rf 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .254
Y Molina c 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .280
M Cairo 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .233
B Looper p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .204
B Ryan 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .308

Totals 7 0 2 0 0 0 3

BATTING: 2B - D Eckstein (19, W Rodriguez); R Ludwick (19, W Rodriguez).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Cairo 1. Team LOB - 1.


----------------------------------------------------
HOUSTON - 02 -- 2
ST LOUIS - 00 -- 0
----------------------------------------------------

HOUSTON ip h r er bb so hr era
W Rodriguez 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 4.77

ST LOUIS ip h r er bb so hr era
B Looper 2 2 2 2 1 0 0 4.61

Pitches-strikes: W Rodriguez 20-13; B Looper 37-21. Ground balls-fly balls: W
Rodriguez 3-2; B Looper 1-5. Batters faced: W Rodriguez 7; B Looper 9.

UMPIRES: HP--Chuck Meriwether. 1B--Rick Reed. 2B--Tim Timmons. 3B--Alfonso
Marquez.

Weather: 86 degrees, clear. Wind: 7 mph, out to center.</div>

 

NL: HOUSTON at ST LOUIS

<div class="pre">NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
HOUSTON 0 2 0 2 3 0
ST LOUIS 0 0 0 2 0 (BOT 3)

CURRENT PITCHERS: HOU - WANDY RODRIGUEZ
STL - BRADEN LOOPER

DUE UP FOR ST LOUIS: B LOOPER (.204, 0 HR, 6 RBI)
B RYAN (.308, 4 HR, 11 RBI)
D ECKSTEIN (.299, 1-FOR-1)</div>

 

NL: HOUSTON at ST LOUIS

<div class="pre">HOUSTON (2) VS ST LOUIS (0) - MID 3RD - IN PROGRESS

HOUSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Anderson cf 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 .438
C Biggio 2b 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .247
L Berkman 1b 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .276
C Lee lf 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 .297
M Lamb 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .286
C Burke rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .232
C Ransom ss 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .250
J Towles c 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 .286
W Rodriguez p 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .114

Totals 11 2 3 2 1 0 4

BATTING: 2B - J Towles (1, B Looper). RBI - J Towles 2 (3). 2-out RBI - J
Towles 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - W Rodriguez 1. GIDP - C
Biggio. Team LOB - 1.

FIELDING: DP: 1 (L Berkman-M Lamb).


ST LOUIS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
D Eckstein ss 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .299
S Taguchi lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .289
R Ankiel cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .271
S Spiezio 1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .260
R Ludwick rf 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .254
Y Molina c 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .280
M Cairo 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .233
B Looper p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .204
B Ryan 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .308

Totals 7 0 2 0 0 0 3

BATTING: 2B - D Eckstein (19, W Rodriguez); R Ludwick (19, W Rodriguez).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Cairo 1. Team LOB - 1.

FIELDING: DP: 1 (B Ryan-D Eckstein-S Spiezio).


----------------------------------------------------
HOUSTON - 020 -- 2
ST LOUIS - 00 -- 0
----------------------------------------------------

HOUSTON ip h r er bb so hr era
W Rodriguez 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 4.77

ST LOUIS ip h r er bb so hr era
B Looper 3 3 2 2 1 0 0 4.58

Pitches-strikes: W Rodriguez 20-13; B Looper 44-27. Ground balls-fly balls: W
Rodriguez 3-2; B Looper 4-5. Batters faced: W Rodriguez 7; B Looper 12.

UMPIRES: HP--Chuck Meriwether. 1B--Rick Reed. 2B--Tim Timmons. 3B--Alfonso
Marquez.

Weather: 86 degrees, clear. Wind: 7 mph, out to center.</div>

 

NL: HOUSTON at ST LOUIS

<div class="pre">NL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
HOUSTON 0 2 0 2 3 0
ST LOUIS 0 0 0 0 2 0 (TOP 4)

CURRENT PITCHERS: HOU - WANDY RODRIGUEZ
STL - BRADEN LOOPER

DUE UP FOR HOUSTON: C LEE (.297, 0-FOR-0, BB)
M LAMB (.286, 0-FOR-1)
C BURKE (.232, 0-FOR-1)</div>

 

NL: HOUSTON at ST LOUIS

<div class="pre">HOUSTON (2) VS ST LOUIS (0) - END 3RD - IN PROGRESS

HOUSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Anderson cf 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 .438
C Biggio 2b 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .247
L Berkman 1b 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .276
C Lee lf 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 .297
M Lamb 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .286
C Burke rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .232
C Ransom ss 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .250
J Towles c 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 .286
W Rodriguez p 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .114

Totals 11 2 3 2 1 0 4

BATTING: 2B - J Towles (1, B Looper). RBI - J Towles 2 (3). 2-out RBI - J
Towles 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - W Rodriguez 1. GIDP - C
Biggio. Team LOB - 1.

FIELDING: DP: 1 (L Berkman-M Lamb).


ST LOUIS ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
D Eckstein ss 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 .298
S Taguchi lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .289
R Ankiel cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .271
S Spiezio 1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .260
R Ludwick rf 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .254
Y Molina c 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .280
M Cairo 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .233
B Looper p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .200
B Ryan 2b 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .306

Totals 10 0 2 0 0 1 3

BATTING: 2B - D Eckstein (19, W Rodriguez); R Ludwick (19, W Rodriguez).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Cairo 1. Team LOB - 1.

FIELDING: DP: 1 (B Ryan-D Eckstein-S Spiezio).


----------------------------------------------------
HOUSTON - 020 -- 2
ST LOUIS - 000 -- 0
----------------------------------------------------

HOUSTON ip h r er bb so hr era
W Rodriguez 3 2 0 0 0 1 0 4.75

ST LOUIS ip h r er bb so hr era
B Looper 3 3 2 2 1 0 0 4.58

Pitches-strikes: W Rodriguez 28-19; B Looper 44-27. Ground balls-fly balls: W
Rodriguez 4-3; B Looper 4-5. Batters faced: W Rodriguez 10; B Looper 12.

UMPIRES: HP--Chuck Meriwether. 1B--Rick Reed. 2B--Tim Timmons. 3B--Alfonso
Marquez.

Weather: 86 degrees, clear. Wind: 7 mph, out to center.</div>

 

NL: HOUSTON at ST LOUIS

<div class="pre">NL AT ST LOUIS - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY J.R. TOWLES SCORED CARLOS LEE AND MIKE LAMB.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, J TOWLES ON FIRST, C RANSOM ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: HOUSTON 4
ST LOUIS 0 TOP, 4TH

DUE UP FOR HOUSTON: W RODRIGUEZ (.114, 0-FOR-1)</div>