St. Louis falls big to red-hot Braves
07/19/2006
ST. LOUIS -- After a rough patch in late June, Jason Marquis had pitched brilliantly in July. Facing his former team on Tuesday night, Marquis reverted back to his previous form. And it wasn't pretty.
The right-hander was pummeled for 12 earned runs in five-plus innings, paving the way for a loss, 14-5, to the Braves at Busch Stadium. Marquis trailed by eight runs after four but was brought out for more punishment in the fifth and sixth before finally giving way to Tyler Johnson.
"It's his game to hold them down and give us a chance to win," manager Tony La Russa said. "He has a responsibility to pitch deeper into the game. After that, I don't know what the problem is, other than you get so far behind and it gets embarrassing."
After allowing 20 earned runs and seven homers in his final two June starts, Marquis had rebounded to post a trio of solid outings, allowing just eight earned runs in 21 2/3 innings -- prompting his manager to say the right-hander had top-of-rotation stuff.
He didn't display it Tuesday, dropping to 0-2 with a 14.40 ERA in three career starts against the team that picked him in the 1996 draft. This start, though, was one of the worst of his career.
"I didn't make pitches like I should," Marquis said. "I ran into a hot team and I just wasn't very good tonight. I didn't do my job, and that's what it comes down to."
This outing was similar to the right-hander's June 21 start vs. the White Sox. Marquis, starting after the staff had been pounded for 20 runs the previous night, needed to eat innings and keep his team in the game.
Instead, he allowed the most runs a Cardinals starter had given up since 1996, permitting 13 earned runs and 14 hits in five innings. Tuesday night yielded more of the same. After Atlanta bulldozed Jeff Weaver and the bullpen for 15 runs on Monday, Marquis needed to throw well and work deep into the contest. It didn't happen.
"I just stick with my game plan and try to execute to the best of my ability and make pitches and obviously, it didn't turn out that way," the right-hander said.
Marquis allowed runs in every inning he pitched, including eight through the first four and 10 after five.
"Giving up so many runs early [is the biggest concern]," La Russa said. "It wasn't a matter of pitches. He could have thrown more. We just can't burn our pitching staff and have nothing for the rest of the year."
The poor outing yielded the Cardinals' second straight loss and dropped their overall record to 52-40. The defeat didn't hurt the 'Birds in the standings. Coupled with the Reds' loss to the Mets, the Redbirds still remain 3 1/2 games ahead of Cincinnati in the NL Central.
Atlanta entered the night with 51 second-half runs, 20 more than the Majors' next team. Marquis (11-7) only continued the onslaught, allowing 14 hits and three homers. The three gopher balls upped his National League high to 24.
"I didn't make good pitches, or I would make quality pitches and they found holes," Marquis said. "They capitalized on mistakes, and they capitalized on good pitches also."
The double-digit output marked the fifth straight game Atlanta had tallied at least 10 runs, the first team since the 1930 New York Yankees to accomplish the feat.
Marquis coaxed outs from the first two batters in the top of the first before the floodgates opened. Chipper Jones singled and Andruw Jones deposited a Marquis offering into the left-field bullpen for a 2-0 lead.
The Braves tallied three more in the second, one in the third and two apiece in the fourth and fifth.
Chipper Jones led off the sixth with a homer off Marquis. Andruw Jones singled, finally bringing La Russa to the mound for pitching change. Things didn't improve, as Johnson quickly permitted a two-run homer to Brian McCann, raising the score to 13-1.
The 'Birds still thought they had a chance.
"This is the big leagues," Chris Duncan said. "We are a first-place club. No matter how much you are down, you have to keep fighting and keep going. So we have to keep battling and try and make something happen."
The Redbirds mounted a sixth-inning comeback, scoring four times off Tim Hudson and reliever Oscar Villareal and cutting the deficit to 13-5.
Still, they couldn't get any closer. On Wednesday, they will turn to ace Chris Carpenter to stop the bleeding and steady a rotation that has been scorched for 18 earned runs in its last two starts. Carpenter tossed a two-hit shutout in his last start.
"He has been lights out," Duncan said. "It's going to be a big game."
Source: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/
ST. LOUIS -- After a rough patch in late June, Jason Marquis had pitched brilliantly in July. Facing his former team on Tuesday night, Marquis reverted back to his previous form. And it wasn't pretty.
The right-hander was pummeled for 12 earned runs in five-plus innings, paving the way for a loss, 14-5, to the Braves at Busch Stadium. Marquis trailed by eight runs after four but was brought out for more punishment in the fifth and sixth before finally giving way to Tyler Johnson.
"It's his game to hold them down and give us a chance to win," manager Tony La Russa said. "He has a responsibility to pitch deeper into the game. After that, I don't know what the problem is, other than you get so far behind and it gets embarrassing."
After allowing 20 earned runs and seven homers in his final two June starts, Marquis had rebounded to post a trio of solid outings, allowing just eight earned runs in 21 2/3 innings -- prompting his manager to say the right-hander had top-of-rotation stuff.
He didn't display it Tuesday, dropping to 0-2 with a 14.40 ERA in three career starts against the team that picked him in the 1996 draft. This start, though, was one of the worst of his career.
"I didn't make pitches like I should," Marquis said. "I ran into a hot team and I just wasn't very good tonight. I didn't do my job, and that's what it comes down to."
This outing was similar to the right-hander's June 21 start vs. the White Sox. Marquis, starting after the staff had been pounded for 20 runs the previous night, needed to eat innings and keep his team in the game.
Instead, he allowed the most runs a Cardinals starter had given up since 1996, permitting 13 earned runs and 14 hits in five innings. Tuesday night yielded more of the same. After Atlanta bulldozed Jeff Weaver and the bullpen for 15 runs on Monday, Marquis needed to throw well and work deep into the contest. It didn't happen.
"I just stick with my game plan and try to execute to the best of my ability and make pitches and obviously, it didn't turn out that way," the right-hander said.
Marquis allowed runs in every inning he pitched, including eight through the first four and 10 after five.
"Giving up so many runs early [is the biggest concern]," La Russa said. "It wasn't a matter of pitches. He could have thrown more. We just can't burn our pitching staff and have nothing for the rest of the year."
The poor outing yielded the Cardinals' second straight loss and dropped their overall record to 52-40. The defeat didn't hurt the 'Birds in the standings. Coupled with the Reds' loss to the Mets, the Redbirds still remain 3 1/2 games ahead of Cincinnati in the NL Central.
Atlanta entered the night with 51 second-half runs, 20 more than the Majors' next team. Marquis (11-7) only continued the onslaught, allowing 14 hits and three homers. The three gopher balls upped his National League high to 24.
"I didn't make good pitches, or I would make quality pitches and they found holes," Marquis said. "They capitalized on mistakes, and they capitalized on good pitches also."
The double-digit output marked the fifth straight game Atlanta had tallied at least 10 runs, the first team since the 1930 New York Yankees to accomplish the feat.
Marquis coaxed outs from the first two batters in the top of the first before the floodgates opened. Chipper Jones singled and Andruw Jones deposited a Marquis offering into the left-field bullpen for a 2-0 lead.
The Braves tallied three more in the second, one in the third and two apiece in the fourth and fifth.
Chipper Jones led off the sixth with a homer off Marquis. Andruw Jones singled, finally bringing La Russa to the mound for pitching change. Things didn't improve, as Johnson quickly permitted a two-run homer to Brian McCann, raising the score to 13-1.
The 'Birds still thought they had a chance.
"This is the big leagues," Chris Duncan said. "We are a first-place club. No matter how much you are down, you have to keep fighting and keep going. So we have to keep battling and try and make something happen."
The Redbirds mounted a sixth-inning comeback, scoring four times off Tim Hudson and reliever Oscar Villareal and cutting the deficit to 13-5.
Still, they couldn't get any closer. On Wednesday, they will turn to ace Chris Carpenter to stop the bleeding and steady a rotation that has been scorched for 18 earned runs in its last two starts. Carpenter tossed a two-hit shutout in his last start.
"He has been lights out," Duncan said. "It's going to be a big game."
Source: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/
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