Marquis handcuffs Astros for series win
HOUSTON -- With October right around the corner, Jason Marquis' timing couldn't be any better.
The St. Louis right-hander fired a five-hitter for his second consecutive complete game, and the Cardinals cut their magic number to 12 with a 4-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Sunday afternoon at Minute Maid Park.
Marquis (11-13) did not walk a batter while striking out five. After seven consecutive losses, Marquis has bounced back big in his last two starts against Washington and the Astros, allowing a total of one run on seven hits in 18 innings, with no walks and eight strikeouts.
He is 4-0 with a 3.15 ERA against Houston in 2005.
"When you start struggling, you doubt yourself a little bit. That's not a good thing. You're out on the mound not trusting your stuff, waiting for the next bad thing to happen, instead of going out there and grabbing the bull by the horns and going after them," Marquis said. "To have these results in back-to-back games is definitely a confidence boost."
Jim Edmonds and Yadier Molina drove in two runs apiece to help the Cardinals take the series from their National League Central Division rival, two games to one. The Cardinals finished their 13-game road trip, their longest of the season, with a record of 9-4.
"This club has a real special knack for coming out every day and looking the same," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "Here it is the end of a two-week road trip, and we look just like we did the first game. These guys get themselves ready to play as good as anybody you want to see."
The Cardinals broke through for three runs in the sixth against Houston's rookie left-hander Wandy Rodriguez (9-7). All three scored after there were two outs.
With runners on second and third and one out, David Eckstein tried a squeeze bunt on a 1-2 pitch, but fouled it off for the strikeout. On the very next pitch from Rodriguez, Edmonds laced a base hit to center to score Abraham Nunez and Hector Luna. After a walk to Albert Pujols, Molina's single enabled Edmonds to score to make it 3-1, Cardinals.
Molina, hitting in the cleanup spot for only the fifth time this season, added an RBI single in the eighth off Brandon Duckworth.
"I see left-handers a little better [than right-handers]," Molina said. "But I don't change anything. I still just try to see the ball and hit the ball."
Molina has hit safely in seven consecutive games and went 6-for-13 in the series.
"He is playing so good in every facet of the game," La Russa said. "He's hitting fourth, and that's because nothing bothers him. He just plays. He's been as important as anybody we have; he's had an outstanding year."
A 1-0 fastball from Marquis found too much of the plate in the fourth inning, and Houston first baseman Lance Berkman found the left-field seats with it for his 16th homer and fourth hit against Cardinals pitching in six at-bats.
Both Molina and Marquis said it was a good pitch.
"[It was the] pitch I wanted -- ball was down in the zone. What are you going to do with that short porch in left?" Marquis said. "It was the pitch I wanted; it was down in the zone. He was just able to lift it up and take advantage of the stadium."
After Berkman's homer, Marquis retired the next nine Astros in order. The only baserunner the right-hander allowed in the final five innings was Jason Lane's seventh-inning single. Marquis retired 17 of the last 18 batters he faced, including the last seven straight.
Quite a turnaround from his midseason struggles.
"This is how he pitched earlier in the year," La Russa said. "He just got into a funk. It happens to pitchers, it happens to hitters, it happens to defenders. And in the middle of that funk, he had a couple of games like this. Against Washington and today, this was the way he was earlier in the year. This is just his second year in the rotation; he's still learning."
Marquis credited the help of pitching coach Dave Duncan with helping him turn things around. Marquis needed only 98 pitches against the Astros, including 71 strikes, to rack up his third complete game of the season.
"Dunc and I had a good talk, a good bullpen session, and put it to good use," Marquis said. "It's just really getting back to the basics and trying to get ahead of hitters with my sinker down in the zone and trying to get them to make contact early and keep my pitch count low."
Source: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/
The St. Louis right-hander fired a five-hitter for his second consecutive complete game, and the Cardinals cut their magic number to 12 with a 4-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Sunday afternoon at Minute Maid Park.
Marquis (11-13) did not walk a batter while striking out five. After seven consecutive losses, Marquis has bounced back big in his last two starts against Washington and the Astros, allowing a total of one run on seven hits in 18 innings, with no walks and eight strikeouts.
He is 4-0 with a 3.15 ERA against Houston in 2005.
"When you start struggling, you doubt yourself a little bit. That's not a good thing. You're out on the mound not trusting your stuff, waiting for the next bad thing to happen, instead of going out there and grabbing the bull by the horns and going after them," Marquis said. "To have these results in back-to-back games is definitely a confidence boost."
Jim Edmonds and Yadier Molina drove in two runs apiece to help the Cardinals take the series from their National League Central Division rival, two games to one. The Cardinals finished their 13-game road trip, their longest of the season, with a record of 9-4.
"This club has a real special knack for coming out every day and looking the same," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "Here it is the end of a two-week road trip, and we look just like we did the first game. These guys get themselves ready to play as good as anybody you want to see."
The Cardinals broke through for three runs in the sixth against Houston's rookie left-hander Wandy Rodriguez (9-7). All three scored after there were two outs.
With runners on second and third and one out, David Eckstein tried a squeeze bunt on a 1-2 pitch, but fouled it off for the strikeout. On the very next pitch from Rodriguez, Edmonds laced a base hit to center to score Abraham Nunez and Hector Luna. After a walk to Albert Pujols, Molina's single enabled Edmonds to score to make it 3-1, Cardinals.
Molina, hitting in the cleanup spot for only the fifth time this season, added an RBI single in the eighth off Brandon Duckworth.
"I see left-handers a little better [than right-handers]," Molina said. "But I don't change anything. I still just try to see the ball and hit the ball."
Molina has hit safely in seven consecutive games and went 6-for-13 in the series.
"He is playing so good in every facet of the game," La Russa said. "He's hitting fourth, and that's because nothing bothers him. He just plays. He's been as important as anybody we have; he's had an outstanding year."
A 1-0 fastball from Marquis found too much of the plate in the fourth inning, and Houston first baseman Lance Berkman found the left-field seats with it for his 16th homer and fourth hit against Cardinals pitching in six at-bats.
Both Molina and Marquis said it was a good pitch.
"[It was the] pitch I wanted -- ball was down in the zone. What are you going to do with that short porch in left?" Marquis said. "It was the pitch I wanted; it was down in the zone. He was just able to lift it up and take advantage of the stadium."
After Berkman's homer, Marquis retired the next nine Astros in order. The only baserunner the right-hander allowed in the final five innings was Jason Lane's seventh-inning single. Marquis retired 17 of the last 18 batters he faced, including the last seven straight.
Quite a turnaround from his midseason struggles.
"This is how he pitched earlier in the year," La Russa said. "He just got into a funk. It happens to pitchers, it happens to hitters, it happens to defenders. And in the middle of that funk, he had a couple of games like this. Against Washington and today, this was the way he was earlier in the year. This is just his second year in the rotation; he's still learning."
Marquis credited the help of pitching coach Dave Duncan with helping him turn things around. Marquis needed only 98 pitches against the Astros, including 71 strikes, to rack up his third complete game of the season.
"Dunc and I had a good talk, a good bullpen session, and put it to good use," Marquis said. "It's just really getting back to the basics and trying to get ahead of hitters with my sinker down in the zone and trying to get them to make contact early and keep my pitch count low."
Source: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/
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