News
Cards tab Wellemeyer for finale vs. Phils
St. Louis (53-47) at Philadelphia (55-40), 12:35 p.m. CT
By Andy Jasner / Special to MLB.com
07/25/09 9:02 PM ET
PHILADELPHIA -- A pair of first-place clubs will be showcased on the weekly "Sunday MLB on TBS." The National League Central Division-leading Cardinals complete their three-game series at Philadelphia against the Phillies, who hold a comfortable lead in the NL East. St. Louis, which just acquired Matt Holliday in a four-player trade with Oakland, will send Todd Wellemeyer to the mound to oppose Philadelphia right-hander Joe Blanton. Chip Caray will have all the play-by-play on TBS along with analysts Ron Darling and David Wells. "Sunday MLB on TBS" includes matchups every Sunday afternoon through the regular season. In October, TBS will provide exclusive coverage of the Division Series and the National League Championship Series. It would be a boost to the Cardinals if they can receive a solid performance from Wellemeyer. He has struggled through much of the season, including his previous start at Houston last Tuesday. In that game, Wellemeyer allowed four earned runs (five total) in 4 1/3 innings. This will be Wellemeyer's 20th start of the season and his 21st appearance. A strong outing would certainly give a much-needed break to the Cardinals bullpen. At the back end of the bullpen, closer Ryan Franklin has been sensational. He has 22 saves in 24 opportunities and ranks second among Major League relievers with a 1.25 ERA. "He has had some quick innings," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. Pitching matchupSTL: RHP Todd Wellemeyer (7-8, 5.68 ERA)
Wellemeyer, La Russa and catcher Jason LaRue all said they saw plenty to like in Wellemeyer's last start, but the fact is that the results didn't change. He has a 6.64 ERA over his past eight starts, and that's a problem for a team in a pennant race. The Cards have little faith in any of the potential replacements, a list that includes Mitchell Boggs, Brad Thompson and P.J. Walters, so Wellemeyer still appears safe. But at some point he needs to get sorted out or they will have to look elsewhere. PHI: RHP Joe Blanton (6-4, 4.24 ERA)
Blanton is on a roll. He allowed just five hits and one run in seven innings Tuesday against the Cubs. He walked none and struck out five. Blanton started the season 2-3 with a 7.11 ERA in his first eight starts, but is 4-1 with a 2.43 ERA (17 earned runs in 63 innings) in 10 starts since May 21. "It's a little more quality pitches, maybe," Blanton said. "Maybe my changeup has come around lately. My sinker is down instead of flat and over the plate, and that always helps. Other than that, I'm just trying to pitch." Tidbits
Albert Pujols scored two runs last Friday to move into fifth place on the Cardinals all-time list with 1,026 runs scored. ... Rick Ankiel made his 37th start of the season in center field on Saturday. He has also started 16 games in left field and nine in right. ... Ryan Ludwick has hit safely in 17 of his last 18 games. He homered to begin the second inning on Saturday. Tickets
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• Monday: Cardinals (Chris Carpenter, 8-3, 2.26) vs. Dodgers (Randy Wolf, 5-4, 3.45), 6:10 p.m. CT
• Tuesday: Cardinals (Adam Wainwright, 11-6, 2.95) vs. Dodgers (Chad Billingsley, 10-5, 3.72), 7:15 p.m. CT
• Wednesday: Cardinals (Joel Pineiro, 8-9, 3.09) vs. Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw, 8-5, 2.96), 7:15 p.m. CT
Andy Jasner is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
