NewsPineiro, Cards keep Braves grounded
Righty wins fourth straight thanks to strong defense
By Matthew Leach / MLB.com
04/27/09 11:45 PM ET
ATLANTA -- It came down to defense for the Cardinals on Monday night. And that was a good thing.Starter Joel Pineiro once again put the game in the hands of the men behind him, and they rewarded his faith with an exceptional fielding game. Pineiro's extreme pitch-to-contact philosophy was rewarded in a 3-2 Cardinals win over the Braves at Turner Field in the opener of a three-game series on Monday night
Pineiro induced 13 groundouts against five in the air, and he got two double plays en route to his fourth win in as many starts. Newly and conspicuously reliant on a two-seam sinking fastball, Pineiro used that pitch to its fully intended effect in getting 20 outs on just 76 pitches. That pitching made heroes of a defensive unit that has taken a good bit of heat this year, having committed 20 errors in the season's first 19 games. Pineiro struck out exactly one batter, the last man he faced on the night. Pineiro allowed two runs on seven hits, benefited from the two double plays and did not issue a walk in 6 2/3 innings.
"You trust in your defense," Pineiro said. "That's why I throw that sinker any time in the count and hopefully they hit them at someone."
The entire St. Louis infield played well, but shortstop Brendan Ryan provided the most highlights, turning in three outstanding and critical plays. Ryan made an exceptional sliding stop and strong throw to retire David Ross in the fifth inning, and made slick plays to start the two key double plays. Despite an 0-for-4 night at the plate, Ryan may have been the game's biggest star.
"The shortstop had a great day," manager Tony La Russa said. "You've got to give him special credit. There were a couple of outstanding plays. He made three of them. In a one-run game, if he misses any one of those, who knows what the outcome is?"
With St. Louis leading, 2-1, in the fourth inning, Jeff Francoeur hit a hot chopper to short. Ryan made the tough dig on a difficult hop and fed second baseman Skip Schumaker to start the inning-ending twin killing. An inning later, still in a one-run game, he turned in his masterpiece.
Ross hit a ball hard to Ryan's right that appeared destined to become a base hit. Without hesitation, Ryan made the decisive move to the right, quickly dropped to his knees to slide, corralled the ball and threw from his knees to get Ross.
"I want to make every play," said Ryan, a natural shortstop who has started all over the field in the Major Leagues. "Anything I can get to, I want to make a play on. I knew I could get to that ball, and I knew Ross wasn't going to be getting down the line lightning-quick. So I knew if I got enough on it I was going to get the out. I just wanted to make sure it was accurate."
Ryan still wasn't done, turning in one more key play in the sixth. After Omar Infante led off the inning with a pinch-hit single, Kelly Johnson hit a grounder up the middle. Ryan, positioned toward the center of the field, moved to his right, collected the ball smoothly, stepped in to tag second base and threw to first for the double play.
"He's got as much range as anybody in baseball," La Russa said. "He's acrobatic, very athletic. He's got nice hands, a real quick arm that's got carry. You channel that thing in there on an everyday basis and he can be a heck of a defensive player."
Yadier Molina also made a major contribution, picking off Yunel Escobar from first base to end the sixth inning. And Albert Pujols snared a sinking liner off the bat of Francoeur in the ninth, helping Ryan Franklin secure the save.
Offensively, the Cardinals made the most of their chances. Chris Duncan had a two-out RBI single in the first inning, while Rick Ankiel repeated that feat in the second and seventh. Two of the three St. Louis players who scored reached base on walks.
It was just enough for Pineiro, who continues to let his defense do the work. When he struck out Brandon Jones, it ended a string of 56 consecutive batters without a strikeout, dating back to his start nearly two weeks ago in Arizona. It's a tough way to succeed, but as long as he gets plays like Ryan made behind him, he has a chance to make it work.
"Great defense once again," Pineiro said. "It's been the key."
Matthew Leach is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
