News
Ludwick hitting stride at right time
St. Louis (81-56) at Pittsburgh (53-81), 12:35 p.m. CT
By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com
09/06/09 1:29 AM ET
PITTSBURGH -- Calling Ryan Ludwick's 2009 season uneven would be akin to saying that agreeing on health care reform might be a touch difficult. The good news is that early indications are that he's heading toward an upswing just at the right time. It's been an on-again, off-again kind of year for the 2008 All-Star, one in which he's found himself on the bench on occasion, especially once Matt Holliday arrived in St. Louis. Just when it seemed Ludwick was going to perhaps start losing more playing time, following an August that saw him hit just .238 with a .611 OPS, he started September going 9-for-13. Granted, much of that came from his 5-for-5, two-homer, two-double performance in the opener of this series against the Pirates which concludes on Sunday afternoon, but he had picked up at least one hit in each of the four games he had played in before going 0-for-4 on Saturday. "The main thing for me, just recently, the last three or four games, I'm finally starting to feel better at the plate," Ludwick said. "I want to help contribute. For a while, I was going through a rough spell. It's been that way all year long, good months, bad months, got hurt. It's been a roller-coaster ride." Ludwick started out the season like he'd pick up where he left off from his stunning 2008 campaign, hitting .297, slugging .554 and driving in 19 runs during April. May was a lost month, for the most part, with the hamstring injury that sent him to the disabled list. He hit just .200 in June with a .353 SLG, but bounced back with a torrid July (.340, six homers, 28 RBIs) before falling back to earth in August. That tailspin led to some extra time off, something he wasn't particularly thrilled about, though he handled it professionally. "Everyone at this level is a competitor. I think we all want to play," Ludwick said following his 5-for-5 performance here Friday. "Obviously, when I'm not in there, of course I'm not going to pout. We're in the middle of a freaking playoff run right now and everyone is doing their job. I'm just excited we're in position right now to have the potential to play in October. I've never done that before. "That's what we play for as players, the World Series. To be in a position to possibly get to October and make a push toward the World Series would be extra special." The Cardinals' chances to play deep into the autumn certainly will improve if Ludwick can produce consistently in the season's final month. Even with his inconsistency, he still has 86 RBIs and is a shoo-in for his second consecutive 100-RBI season if he can continue to hit the way he's begun September. "He's in a primo spot, hitting behind Albert [Pujols] and Matt [Holliday], so he's going to have some chances," manager Tony La Russa said. "He's really important to our chances to win." Should Ludwick remain hot and, as a result, hold on to his everyday job, it gives the Cardinals one of the more formidable 3-4-5 combinations in any National League lineup. Ludwick hit cleanup quite a bit, but since the acquisition of Holliday, he's settled into that No. 5 spot. "That's the deepness of our lineup now," said La Russa, who put Ludwick into the No. 3 spot in the lineup on Saturday with Pujols and Holliday getting the day off. "[He's] a legitimate four-place hitter based on what he did last year. He got hurt, it's only his second full year. He's got all the qualifications. He just needs experience. Having Matt there, when [Ludwick] walks up there, I guarantee the other side is concerned. He's got a very live bat. From the first time he came up in 2007, he's gotten big RBIs." Pitching matchupSTL: RHP Joel Pineiro (14-9, 3.19 ERA)
Last time out, Pineiro did two things on consecutive batters that he often doesn't do in an entire game: Issued a walk and allowed a homer. That put him in a hole, but after that he was fine, and the Cardinals dug out. As a result, St. Louis has now won 10 consecutive starts by the right-hander, and he's been especially good at home. He keeps doing the same thing: Throwing strikes and keeping the ball on the ground. And it keeps working. PIT: LHP Paul Maholm (7-8, 4.67 ERA)
Maholm gave up three early runs, and that was the difference in a 6-3 loss to the Reds in Game 2 of a doubleheader Monday. Maholm threw 43 pitches in the first inning and only made one mistake after that marathon frame. His final line was four runs and nine hits over five innings, including a homer to Brandon Phillips. Tidbits
Both Pujols and Holliday were given the night off on Saturday. Pujols needed the break more than Holliday, La Russa said, but he also noted that Holliday had played in every game since he joined the Cardinals. "That's the last day off he's going to get," La Russa said. ... Mark DeRosa was supposed to start on Saturday night at third base, but was a late scratch due to a minor back issue. Khalil Greene started at third and hit sixth in DeRosa's place. Tickets
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• Monday: Cardinals (Chris Carpenter, 15-3, 2.28) at Brewers (Dave Bush, 3-6, 6.47), 1:05 p.m. CT
• Tuesday: Cardinals (John Smoltz, 3-6, 6.63) at Brewers (Manny Parra, 10-10, 6.47), 7:05 p.m. CT
• Wednesday: Cardinals (Adam Wainwright, 17-7, 2.68) at Brewers (Jeff Suppan, 6-8, 4.97), 1:05 p.m. CT
Jonathan Mayo is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
