Now THIS was what the Cardinals wanted to see from Kyle Lohse.
The last time minor league game Lohse pitched did not go well. On a rehab assignment in Springfield, he allowed 12 hits to Double-A hitters. That battering convinced Cards management that he needed at least one more tune-up start while recovering from forearm surgery.
Lohse was miffed about this. He believed he proved himself healthy. He wanted to stay with his teammates. He wasn’t interested in flying out for another minor league assignment.
But he took his displeasure out on opposing hitters, throwing seven strong innings as Memphis won 5-2 at Reno.
He allowed just three hits and two walks. The only run he allowed came on a RBI groundout.
Lohse struck out nine hitters. He mowed down 14 in a row at one point. So he will rejoin the Cards a much happier man, certain to rejoin the rotation, perhaps Sunday against the Cubs.
Peace in our lifetime!
A NOT-SO-‘KILLER B’ ADJUSTS
It took a while for Lance Berkman to adjust to life outside the Houston Astros. He never expected to get traded.
“It's just a surreal experience,” he told the Houston Chronicle. “I never thought I would be in that position, or it would be a reality. I never thought they'd trade Roy (Oswalt). When that happened, it was like a death in the family.”
With the Astros rebuilding, the slumping Berkman was the next to go – to New York, to the big-budget Yankees.
“When you come to New York, it doesn't matter what you've done,” he said. “You could have played in four World Series and been a .500 career hitter and drove in a thousand postseason runs. But unless you've done it in a Yankee uniform, the media is like, ‘Well, we're not sure if this guy can really do it.’
“To have a good game against Boston (on Sunday), to get a hit to help us win that game, was good for me to establish a little bit of credibility or head in that direction. Then it's like, ‘OK, maybe the 12 years in Houston are legitimatized.’ There were 50 people at my locker when I hit A-Rod with that line drive (during batting practice). They were like accusing me of sabotaging the season. It's an edgier environment, and I thought it would give me a wakeup call or a kick in the pants.
“I think this next two months will tell a lot about what I'm going to do in the future. It's no fun to stink. If it doesn't turn around, if things don't work out here and I don't hit, I think retiring is a real possibility.”
YOU KNEW THIS WAS COMING
Once Emmitt Smith delivered his misty-eyed Hall of Fame speech. Hollywood loves such emotion.
MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE
Questions to ponder while wondering if Brandon Phillips could build a second career as a motivational speaker:
Why was Johnny Cueto kicking Cardinals like a whiny little schoolgirl during Tuesday’s fracas? And how did he not get ejected from the game?
Can Adam Wainwright win the Cy Young Award this year without a gimmicky look? Or is Tim Lincecum destined to win it every year?
Now that Stephen Strasburg has been pummeled in his first start back from the disabled list, will the hype enveloping this kid subside?
When you take a girl to the ballgame, aren't you obligated to protect her from foul balls?
Why haven't more NFL coaches taken their turn in reality TV shows?
QUIPS ‘R US
Here is what some of America’s leading sports pundits have been writing:
Ray Ratto, CBSSports.com: “For years, we have been told with absolute certitude that without Tiger Woods, there can be no golf. The sport doesn't matter because the ratings say so, and the ratings define all things worthwhile in our world. Therefore, we would like to announce that the PGA Tour is folding as of today -- three days before its signature event in Kohler, Wis. There is, after all, no reason to go on with the event, since apparently nobody is allowed to give a damn about the sport any more. Not now that The Eldrick has burst into flames and has been left a pile of soot in the parking lot at Firestone Country Club.”
Pat Forde, ESPN.com: “The working premise for a preseason college football poll voter is so idiot-proof a ‘Jersey Shore’ character could do it. Just put a Southeastern Conference team on top and let everything else fall into place. But in reality, it isn't quite that easy. The hard part is picking the correct SEC team to win it all. For the third straight season, the SEC starts on top of the USA Today Top 25. This year it's Alabama, which follows Florida in 2009 and Georgia in '08.”
Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle: “Ozzie Guillen's sermonette on the mistreatment of Latino ballplayers can be debated. But this is wrong: Ichiro Suzuki is in his 10th season with the Mariners and speaks zero English, at least to media/fans. Ten years and he can't say, ‘I squared up a fastball’?”
MEGAPHONE
“The last seven weeks -- this will be the shocker -- I've actually been a vegetarian.”
Cheeseburger-loving golfer Phil Mickelson, who is struggling to overcome some health issues.
