Jeff Gordon previews tonight's St. Louis Cardinals-New York Mets game at Citi Field (6:10 p.m.,FSM):
THE STAKES: The Cards had nothing Tuesday night. Even Cy Young Award front-runner Adam Wainwright was off his game. We all get that it's tough to play on the road, but the Cards weren't even competitive in their 8-2 loss.
As a result, they fell back into a first-place tie with the Reds -- who drubbed the Brewers 12-4 after getting their bats going again.
Getting back on track against one of baseball's toughest lefthanded pitchers will not be easy.
PITCHING FOR THE CARDINALS: Jaime Garcia (9-4, 2.21 ERA): He held the Mets to one hit in seven innings during his only previous start against them.
PITCHING FOR THE METS: Johan Santana (8-5, 2.79 ERA): He matched Garcia pitch for pitch during that epic 20-inning Mets victory back on April 17th. Overall, he is 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA in four career starts against the Cards.
Santana has been one of baseball's best pitchers in July, going 3-0 with an 0.71 ERA in five starts. He has been especially tough at Citi Field, not allowing a run in his last 18 innings there.
Albert Pujols (6 for 15, double, two homers) and Yadier Molina (6 for 14) have hit him pretty well. Ryan Ludwick is just 4 for 25 against him, but with a double and two homers. Felipe Lopez (1 for 10) and Matt Holliday (1 for 7) have done almost nothing against him.
LINEUP INTRIGUE: The slumping Colby Rasmus sat, again, in favor of Jon Jay on Tuesday night. Jay went 1 for 5 and scored one of the two Cards runs. Tony La Russa needs to get Rasmus back into his offense, but it's hard to get well against Santana.
Switch-hitter Aaron Miles started ahead of Skip Schumaker against lefty Jonathon Niese and went 1 for 4 -- with five stranded baserunners. Schumaker reached base five times in his previous start and is 3 for 13 against Santana, so he might return to the lineup.
BULLPEN INTRIGUE: Fernando Salas was teetering on the brink of a full-scale implosion Tuesday night, but he pulled himself together and gave the team two innings. That game turned into a valuable learning experience for the rookie.
With the bullpen lacking an inning-eater for the time being, Salas needed to eat up a second inning in that lost-cause game. And he did.
DOWN ON THE FARM: Here is something you don't see every day: A 2-hour, 1-minute game. The Memphis Redbirds fell to the New Orleans Zephyrs 1-0 in Tuesday night's fast-paced Pacific Coast League contest.
P.J. Walters (4-3, 2.67 ERA) lost the pitching duel, allowing just one hit -- an eighth-inning homer. But he extended a recent upturn that included two shutout innings for the Cards during a one-game promotion. Walters had won his previous three Redbirds starts.
Veteran Evan MacLane went on the disabled list for Memphis, so he is no longer in consideration for another emergency back-up recall in St. Louis. On the other hand, star second baseman Daniel Descalso (.274, 23 doubles, 52 RBI in 292 at bats) has recovered from his broken collarbone and is back to active duty.
And here is another injury hit: Intriguing first baseman Curt Smith has suffered a broken bone in his left hand, ending his season. The Curacao native hit .274 in Springfield this season with 19 doubles, nine homers and 36 RBIs in 319 at bats. He could become a high-upside prospect as his plate discipline improves.
"I wish it didn't happen, but sometimes you can't prevent injuries," Smith told the Springfield News-Leader. "I wish the ending was a little bit better. But overall, (his season) was not too bad. There's always next season."
