Game #10

CARDINALS 4, METS 3

For years now, left handed pitching has been the Cardinals' kryptonite.  I have become convinced that this has become a serious issue, and with just two pure left handed hitters on the team, the Cardinals appear to be doing the best they can to keep that problem at a minimum.  Last night, the offseason signing of Felipe Lopez appeared to pay off for a game, as Flip gave the Cardinals' the offense they sorely needed by hitting a game-deciding Grand Slam last night off of lefty Oliver Perez.  

With "Big Bad Bud" Norris again frustrating the Cardinals on Thursday, and the team was dragging offensively with only one earned run in the last two games against the Astros, the weekend was not going to get easier for the Cardinals having to face Perez last night and Mets' ace Johan Santana today.  So far in '10, it has not been too bad against the lefties. The Cardinals hit Wandy Rodriguez well on Monday and eventually got to Randy Wolf last Sunday.  So, maybe I'm concerned over nothing.  Whether or not left handed opponents will be as big of a problem this season as it has in the past is still to be determined, as many things are in mid-April.

Ryan Franklin's stapled status as the closer is still to be determined.  Though he did ultimately get the job done, Franklin did not help his cause last night when almost allowing a 4-1 lead get away.  But I'm not going to let this drive me to panic like other Cardinals fans apparently are about Franklin.  I don't ignore the good performances.  And Franklin has shown me so far that he can handle this role with what we have seen.  I realize it will not always be pretty, and I am prepared for a blown save from time to time, but I'm not in any way expecting him to dominate like he did for most of 2009.  I have said this before, and I don't mind repeating myself.  I am not worried about Ryan Franklin, at least not yet.  Be patient.  Give him time.

Chris Carpenter proved that there's nothing to worry about with him with a very good seven innings, allowing one unearned run on four hits.  Carp also struck out ten on route to his second win of the season.

Later today, it's Jaime Garcia vs Johan Santana.  Though the Mets should have the advantage on the mound today, I would not be surprised to see Garcia outpitch Santana, who has not quite been himself so far.  

Boxscore courtesy of mlb.com.