PITTSBURGH • The Cardinals' 10-game swing through the National League's second division (Pittsburgh, Washington, Houston) got off on a very wrong foot at PNC Park.
After the Cardinals had rolled over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first game of the series, they were outpitched and outplayed in the last two games and the Cardinals are the same 3 1/2 games behind the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Central Division standings that they were four days ago.
Pittsburgh rookie Daniel McCutchen, who wasn't announced as Wednesday night's starting pitcher until after the previous night's game, did his best impersonation of Houston's Bud Norris as he blanked the Cardinals on three hits for six innings as the Pirates won the series clincher 5-2.
"We have a very consistent philosophy of winning the series," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "We win the first game of the series and we lost the next two.
"I don't care if it's home, start of road trip, middle of road trip ... it doesn't make any difference. It's a disappointing series.
"Our goal is to win the series. You win the first game of the series, you're in charge. We didn't convert any of the next two. And that's tough to take because that's not how we set out to play this series.
"It's just like the Cubs' (series at home). You can't lose the series and win the first game. But we did."
McCutchen had entered the game with a 1-5 record and 6.65 earned-run average and had been in the bullpen recently until scheduled starter Jeff Karstens was scratched with an arm problem.
Cardinals infielder Felipe Lopez said he had "no idea" why McCutchen was so effective Wednesday. "I don't want to talk bad about anybody, but I think we could have got him," said Lopez.
Albert Pujols, hitting .388 at PNC Park and sitting on 399 home runs for his career, went 0 for four, although he finished the series six for 14.
He commended McCutchen for keeping the ball down and the Cardinals off balance. He thought the Cardinals could have done more, but he said, "We never put anything together."
Pujols also gently admonished reporters who might have taken the Pirates too lightly.
"There's nothing to be disappointed about in this game," Pujols said. "That's how guys get in trouble. You guys disrespect the other ball club. This is the big leagues. It doesn't matter if you play guys under .500. It is the big leagues. Sometimes, you guys lose that focus a little bit.
"It's a round baseball. They use the same bat. They made plays when they needed to. They got some big hits when they needed to and that's it. You can't disrespect the other ball club because of the year (43-84) that they're having.
"Should we have beat them? Should we have won the series? Yes. But we didn't play to win the series and they did."
Jake Westbrook pitched six innings for the Cardinals, marking the fifth straight time he had gone at least that far. But Pirates second baseman Neil Walker drilled a full-count sinker with the bases loaded over the head of center fielder Jon Jay and off the wall to provide three runs in the Pirates' third.
"I didn't want to walk him," Westbrook said.
Westbrook and rookie catcher Bryan Anderson were working together for the first time as regular catcher Yadier Molina got the day off after 26 straight starts. Westbrook and La Russa were complimentary of the rookie's work, but Anderson said, "It could have gone better.
"This was the first time ever catching Westbrook, so the first few innings were a little off pace. But as the game started going, we had a better rhythm together."
For those who are interested, the Cardinals are 65-43 when Molina starts and 3-13 when he doesn't, although neither Anderson (0-2) nor Jason LaRue (3-11) has had occasion to catch Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright or Jaime Garcia.
In Westbrook's first four starts, he either had given up three earned runs or two in every game, which seems creditable enough. But not by Westbrook's standards.
"I've been consistent over my starts," he said. "But I've been consistently mediocre.
"If I continue to be happy with that quality start (three earned runs in six innings), that's a 4 1/2 ERA. I feel like I'm better than that."
Lopez's seventh homer, in the seventh inning, provided the Cardinals' only run until Aaron Miles, who had two hits in a reserve role, singled home a run in the ninth.
The Pirates' big third inning started when Westbrook hit Chris Snyder with a pitch. Daniel McCutchen bunted to first baseman Pujols, who, always aggressive, tried for a forceout at second. Pujols' throw was wide of shortstop Lopez although Snyder might have been safe anyway.
"I think if the throw's on the money, he's out," La Russa said.
"I thought I had a pretty good chance," Pujols said. "You guys know me. I'm really aggressive. I've got a catcher running, no disrespecting Snyder. Felipe pulled his arm up a little bit and it kind of threw me off a little. But if I would have thrown at the base, we would have got that guy out."
Speedy leadoff man Andrew McCutchen beat out an infield hit toward third to load the bases despite a brilliant barehand pickup and throw by third baseman Pedro Feliz.
Westbrook then helped himself by making a barehand flip to the plate before he tumbled to the ground after Westbrook had fielded a tapper by Jose Tabata. Anderson, in kind, received Westbrook's flip with his bare hand for the force out.
Then Walker delivered the game-winning blow.
"All that started when I hit a guy," Westbrook said. "That's on me."
The Cardinals no doubt watched on the scoreboard as Cincinnati blew a 10-1 lead before rallying to win in 12 innings at San Francisco.
Pujols said: "I can't speak for our whole ball club, but I can speak for myself. We need to take care of business ourselves. We can't worry about what's going on.
"We can't control what they do. We can control what we do. Sometimes."
