News
Padres can't overcome St. Louis slam
Stauffer allows rare Ryan tater; Blanks homers in defeat
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
08/21/09 1:53 AM ET
SAN DIEGO -- If Tim Stauffer was going to lament any one particular pitch that he made on Thursday, it would certainly be the four-seam fastball that Brendan Ryan turned into a souvenir in the second inning.What pitcher wouldn't want to take back a pitch that, in an instant, left PETCO Park and gave the Cardinals all the runs they would need, as Ryan's second home run of this season went for a grand slam.
What got under Stauffer's skin, and what helped pave the way for the Cardinals' 5-1 win over the Padres before a crowd of 19,867, were two pitches earlier in the inning that got away from him and set the stage for Ryan's blast.
Stauffer plunked two batters in that second inning on curveballs that got away from him, setting the stage for Ryan, the No. 8 hitter in the Cardinals' lineup, to mash a grand slam into the left-field seats for a 4-0 lead that stood up just nicely.
"The two hit batsmen ... it slipped out of my hand," Stauffer said. "I put myself in that position with a couple that got away from me. I knew I was going to throw a fastball. ... The eight-hole hitter [Ryan], that's not what you expect."
The Padres (51-72) are still trying to figure out what to expect from Stauffer, who has pitched much better than his 1-6 record would indicate, though he hasn't worked more than five innings in each of his past four starts.
Stauffer allowed four hits over five innings against a dangerous lineup and handled the Cardinals' two biggest bats -- Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday -- without incident. But his command was a transitory thing; sometimes it was good, sometimes it wasn't.
"You hear us talk about stringing pitches together. We are seeing that at times," Padres manager Bud Black said of Stauffer. "You see some at-bats where it gets away from him. ... There are going to be times in a ballgame when the pitcher is stressed."
For Stauffer, it was the second inning. For Cardinals pitcher Joel Pineiro (12-9), it was the eighth inning when Nick Hundley and Everth Cabrera reached on singles to start the inning. But Pineiro got two outs and Kyle McClellan induced an inning-ending groundout to preserve the victory.
The Padres' offense, much improved on several fronts since the first of the month and with the addition of new hitting coach Randy Ready, have run into a wall against these Cardinals (70-53), who have won eight consecutive times against the Friars.
A night after Cubs starter Rich Harden handcuffed the Padres, Pineiro did the same, allowing a solo home run to Kyle Blanks in the second inning. It was the ninth home run of the season for Blanks, the 22-year-old rookie outfielder.
The Friars struggled getting base runners on against Pineiro, and when they did, they didn't get far. Leadoff hitter Tony Gwynn walked to start the first inning, but Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina threw him out trying to steal second base.
Two innings later, Cabrera, who entered the game ranked first in the National League in stolen base percentage (90 percent), was caught stealing.
"He can be quick to the plate," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said of Pineiro. "Every once in a while he slows it up, and they guess right. But you can't overestimate those two throws by Yadi. Who knows how those two innings go, because Joel, he wasn't sharp yet."
As for Stauffer, who missed all of last season while recovering from shoulder surgery, he would like to be more efficient so that he can get past five innings. He feels he is close to doing as much.
"I feel pretty fresh. There's a few little things here and there," Stauffer said. "I just need to be more efficient and get more innings."
Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
