The St. Louis Cardinals won the rubber match with the Kansas City Royals to avoid the series sweep on Sunday. Leading the way for the Cardinals was the MV3; Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, and Jim Edmonds. Lately it seems like it’s been impossible to get all three of those guys to click at the same time, but on Sunday that happened, and the Cardinals won the game 9-7.
Albert Pujols lead the way in the third inning with a three-run homer, his first home run since the Detroit series. In fact, Albert really is starting to look like himself again, going 3 for 5 with 4 RBIs in the game. It was only a matter of time before the Cardinals bats broke out of their slumps. Right now, it’s easy to say that Pujols is on fire. He’s raised his average to .320, which is tied for ninth place, and his 72 RBIs are in the lead. His 27 homers is second only to Ryan Howard’s 28. The National League triple crown is a true possibility for Pujols
Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds also had back-to-back solo homers late in the game. Rolen’s homer, estimated at 446 feet, is the longest home run in the new stadium. It went to centerfield and up about 10-15 rows into the stands. That takes a lot of power, and Rolen has it.
The offense may now be flowing, but the Cardinals’ pitching is anything but flowing. Jason Marquis went a little over seven innings but got the win. He gave up 4 of the 7 runs, and the bullpen made it a little closer before the Cardinals picked up the win. Let’s hope the offense keeps this up, it’ll help the pitching staff gain some confidence, and the bullpen not have to make as many appearances.
Written by APC Staff Writer Brady Holzhauer