NewsLa Russa in line for win No. 2,500
St. Louis (38-31) at Kansas City (29-38), 1:10 p.m. CT
By Rustin Dodd / MLB.com
06/20/09 11:55 PM ET
KANSAS CITY -- One more win for Tony La Russa, and he'll be in historic company.
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La Russa can become the third manager in baseball history to win 2,500 games, when his Cardinals play the Kansas City Royals in the final game of a three-game series on Sunday.
A victory also would mean a sweep and another win for this year's Cards team.
All those wins La Russa has accumulated along the way don't mean much for this team.
"We got work to do," La Russa said.
His Cardinals are fighting for first place in a tight National League Central race. They moved one-half game ahead of the Brewers with their win over the Royals on Saturday. But La Russa said he wasn't too concerned with that, either.
"We're seven over," La Russa said. "That's what I'm looking at. We're seven over .500 -- period."
Still, the record book awaits La Russa.
Right now, there are just two men in the 2,500-victory club: managing legends Connie Mack and John McGraw. Mack won a record 3,831 games, and McGraw posted 2,763 career victories.
La Russa's managing journey started with the White Sox in 1979, and he went 522-510-3 with the club through 1986. He had 798 wins and 673 losses with the Athletics from 1986-95. La Russa went to the World Series three straight years with Oakland from 1988-90 and brought home the crown in '89. In his third stop, La Russa has won more than a 1,000 games in St. Louis, including a World Series title in 2006.
Still, La Russa is quick to deflect any attention.
"I've had the great experience of competing against Jim Leyland the other day," said La Russa, mentioning his Cardinals' series against Leyland's Tigers. "The difference in my case is just good fortune. I've never been in a bad situation."
Pitching matchup
STL: RHP Adam Wainwright (7-4, 3.33 ERA)
After a three-start lull, Wainwright looked like himself once again his last time out. The Cardinals would love to see him keep it up for a while. One thing they can count on from Wainwright is innings. The right-hander has gone at least six frames in 12 straight starts, and he's lasted seven or more in six of his past seven appearances. The Cardinals are 9-5 when he takes the mound. However, his ERA is 4.38 on the road, vs. 2.55 at home.
Meche withstood the 85-degree heat and the D-backs very nicely on Tuesday night as he pitched a complete-game 5-0 victory. He finished with a career-high 132 pitches, including 22 in the ninth inning, and firmly put to rest earlier concerns over his cranky back and his flagging stamina. Meche gave up just four hits and walked two, extending a personal scoreless streak to 16 innings. In Interleague Play, Meche has a 14-4 record. He didn't face the Cardinals this season in St. Louis, but he beat them, 7-2, last year at Kauffman Stadium. Tidbits
Brendan Ryan started at shortstop on Saturday after Tyler Greene had played the three previous games at the position. It was Ryan's first action since cramping up against Detroit in an 11-2 win on Tuesday. ... St. Louis designated hitters have continued to impress during Interleague Play. Since the beginning of Interleague Play in 1997, Cards DHs have compiled an NL-best .319 batting average and .515 slugging percentage. Tickets
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• Monday: Cardinals (Todd Wellemeyer, 6-6, 5.36) at Mets (Tim Redding, 0-2, 6.27), 6:10 p.m. CT
• Tuesday: Cardinals (Joel Pineiro, 5-8, 3.76) at Mets (Livan Hernandez, 5-1, 4.18), 6:10 p.m. CT
• Wednesday: Cardinals (Brad Thompson, 2-2, 3.89) at Mets (Fernando Nieve, 2-0, 1.84), 6:10 p.m. CT
Rustin Dodd is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
