Regardless of a recent tumble in the standings, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa on Friday contested any description of his team as an underachiever.
La Russa's response came when asked about a Wednesday assessment from Houston Astros infielder Geoff Blum, who noted a lack of urgency on the Cardinals' part after the Astros' three-game sweep at Minute Maid Park.
Blum said the Cardinals "didn't look like they wanted to beat us at all" while being outscored 11-2 in the series, which capped a 2-8 trip that left the Cardinals eight games behind the Cincinnati Reds entering Friday's opener against the NL Central leaders.
La Russa acknowledged his team's dull look in Houston and recognized how the impression might form. "We got beat 3-0 twice. And when that's happened, you're not going to look like a club taking extra bases because you're not on base. He's entitled to his own opinion. I think it's fair to characterize our club on that road trip, and even the last home stand, as a club struggling to make things happen.
"But I don't agree. If you're characterizing it as underachieving, that's a tough hit to take. Our pitching staff has been first, second or third (in team ERA) all year.
"There are guys in this clubhouse who I don't think you can say are underachieving. But there's no doubt that on the last home stand and this road trip we did not achieve wins."
Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak has on occasion used the U-word this season, including this week in Houston. "If you look at our club as a whole it has underachieved; but it has also been inconsistent," he said. "I think this team is capable of being a quality team, but the bottom line is about performance and getting it done."
No More Rest Days
The Cardinals officially entered a September grind Friday, beginning a season-ending run of 31 games in 31 days. An originally scheduled off day Sept. 20 is now dedicated to a make-up of a postponement against the Florida Marlins. The Cardinals will then travel to Pittsburgh and Chicago to complete their schedule's final road swing.
La Russa refused to acknowledge the schedule as a hardship, saying, "It can be half-empty or half-full. You've got to look at the last 31 days as half-full."
Down Time For Flip
It wasn't too long ago that La Russa couldn't take Felipe Lopez off third base. Now he's quite cautious when and where he exposes him. La Russa didn't include Lopez in Friday's starting lineup despite his 15-for-39 (.385) success against Reds starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo. La Russa paid more attention to Lopez's recent two-for-21 struggles, which have dropped his overall average to .238, the lowest since April 18. "He's been struggling and the call went against him," said La Russa, who also noted Lopez's five for 25 against the Reds this season.
Cueto is absent
Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto, one of the leading figures in the Aug. 10 scrum that left Cardinals catcher Jason La Rue with a season-ending concussion, left the team to attend to a family emergency in his native Dominican Republic, according to the club. Cueto accompanied two family members following what the club called a 'serious family matter."
Cueto received a seven-game suspension for kicking La Rue and Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter during the scrum that ended up against the backstop at Great American Ball Park. Cueto was not scheduled to appear in this weekend's series but, according to Reds manager Dusty Baker, could still take his next turn Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies.
"When he'll be back depends on when his family emergency subsides. It's a pretty serious family emergency," Baker said.
The same crew that worked the teams' Aug. 9-11 series in Cincinnati was scheduled to handle this weekend's return match. Crew chief Jeff Kellogg and his three colleagues received high marks from Major League Baseball for their handling of the melee and its aftermath.
