News
McClellan impressing down the stretch
St. Louis (87-62) vs. Chicago (75-72), 7:05 p.m. CT
By B.J. Rains / MLB.com
09/19/09 9:18 PM ET
ST. LOUIS -- Reliever Kyle McClellan raced out to a stellar first half during his rookie season a year ago, posting a 2.94 ERA in 52 innings. But things went downhill in a hurry as the righty stumbled to a 6.46 ERA in the second half as his heavy workload began to catch up. So the righty knew he had to change things up heading into his first offseason as a Major Leaguer last fall. "The intensity of every game, the mental and physical fatigue, it got to me," McClellan said. "And I think going through that last year has helped me out a lot this year. I changed a few things in my offseason workout routine, my throwing routine, I kind of cut down a little bit and it's seemed to help so far this year." McClellan again got off to a hot start in 2009, posting a 2.63 ERA in 37 first-half games. But he again stumbled toward the middle of the season, posting a 5.11 ERA in June and a 4.15 ERA in July. But instead of continuing to implode down the stretch like he did a year ago, McClellan turned things around. The right-hander posted a 2.70 ERA in 11 August appearances and has a 1.17 ERA in seven appearances in September. It appears that his offseason changes have paid off. "He's throwing the ball well," said manager Tony La Russa. "He feels confident. It's not a question of, 'Does he have what it takes, stuff and competitiveness,' because he was doing that last year. At this point, it's, 'Is he fresh, is his delivery intact?" The reasons for McClellan's turnaround from a year ago could be several things, but the righty points to the increased workload of the starting rotation. The Cardinals starting staff leads the Major Leagues in innings pitched, meaning that the bullpen has fewer innings per game that it has to pitch. The reduced workload from the bullpen has allowed McClellan and the rest of the relievers to remain fresh down the stretch. When McClellan struggled in June and July, he organized a meeting with pitching coach Dave Duncan, bullpen coach Marty Mason and catcher Yadier Molina to discuss why he was struggling and what could be done to fix it. "We kind of came up with a game plan," McClellan said. "We fine-tuned a little bit how I should approach hitters. We're doing more towards my strengths, and we've really been able to execute that. Adjusting the game plan has made a big difference." And now, as the rested McClellan continues to get better with each outing, he is starting to look more and more like a viable eighth-inning setup man for closer Ryan Franklin as the team heads toward the playoffs. "Those are the situations you want to be in, those tight games with the game on the line," McClellan said. "I feel like, personally, that's what I am mentally preparing for when I come to the park. I enjoy it. I enjoy the adrenaline and the pressure of that." With the way McClellan is pitching, La Russa and the Cardinals can't help but enjoy it as well. Pitching matchupSTL: RHP Adam Wainwright (18-8, 2.59 ERA)
Wainwright gets the Sunday night ESPN game, and he'd have it no other way. Wainwright loves big moments, and the final Cubs-Cardinals game of the year certainly qualifies. He's back to form after a one-game hiccup at the start of the month, and he's still just two wins away from a milestone 20th. Wainwright has faced the Cubs four times already this year, going 3-0 with a 2.67 ERA and an average of over 7 1/3 innings per start. CHC: RHP Carlos Zambrano (8-6, 3.94 ERA)
It looked like Zambrano was in top form Tuesday when he took on the Brewers at Wrigley Field and sailed through four innings, striking out eight and giving up one hit. He then got two outs in the fifth before allowing a single to pitcher Yovani Gallardo that snowballed into a five-run inning and knocked Zambrano out of the game. That inning raised Zambrano's ERA to 6.93 in five starts since he came off the disabled list Aug. 25. He had one rough outing against the Cardinals this season, allowing seven runs in seven innings on April 17 but held St. Louis to three runs in six innings on July 12. Tidbits
The Cardinals Triple-A affiliate in Memphis won the Pacific Coast League Championship on Friday night with a 3-0 series sweep of Sacramento. It was the Redbirds' first PCL Championship since 2000. Evan MacLane tossed 8 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball as Memphis won, 6-0. The Redbirds will play the International League champion Durham Bulls in the one-game Triple-A Championship on Tuesday night in Oklahoma City. The Durham Bulls are the Triple-A affiliate for the Tampa Bay Rays. Tickets
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• Monday: Cardinals (Kyle Lohse, 5-8, 4.83) at Astros (TBD), 7:05 p.m. CT
• Tuesday: Cardinals (Joel Pineiro, 14-11, 3.31) at Astros (TBD), 7:05 p.m. CT
• Wednesday: Cardinals (TBD) at Astros (TBD), 7:05 p.m. CT
B.J. Rains is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
