A little payback for last years world series for st louis
Monday, Jun 06 2005
Series Notes: Boston at St. Louis
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(From The Sports Network - All Times Eastern) PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
June 6, 8:10 p.m. - Tim Wakefield (4-5) vs. Matt Morris (6-0)
June 7, 8:10 p.m. - Matt Clement (6-0) vs. Jeff Suppan (4-5)
June 8, 7:10 p.m. - David Wells (3-4) vs. Chris Carpenter (8-3)
2003 SEASON SERIES: St. Louis won, 2-1
BOSTON (31-25)
The last time the Red Sox left Busch Stadium, they were carrying the World Series trophy, ending the team's 86-year title drought. Boston swept the St. Louis Cardinals in four games in the 2004 Fall Classic.
Wakefield has lost four straight starts. Wakefield, the Game 1 starter in last year's World Series, hasn't won since May 9 against Oakland. He was charged with nine hits and seven runs in 5 2/3 innings of a 9-3 defeat against Baltimore last Wednesday. He surrendered three homers. Wakefield is 1-1 in five games (4 starts) during the regular season against St. Louis.
Boston, which starts a 12-game stretch against teams from the NL Central Division tonight, is in second place in the AL East, three games behind Baltimore.
The Red Sox have won three of their last four games, including a 6-3 triumph yesterday at home against the Angels. Mark Bellhorn drove in the go- ahead run and David Ortiz added a two-run double as the Red Sox scored three times in the seventh inning. Kevin Millar had two hits, drove in a run and scored once for the Red Sox.
Red Sox centerfielder Johnny Damon was a late scratch from the lineup because of a sore right shoulder suffered making a diving catch on Saturday. He is two runs shy of 1,000 for his career.
Clement is off to the best start in his career, and can become the first Red Sox starter to go 7-0 since Pedro Martinez and John Burkett began with the same mark in 2002. The Red Sox have won the last seven games Clement has started and they are 9-3 the 12 games in which he's pitched this season. He's 3-5 in 12 career games against the Cardinals.
The current winning streak for Clement is the second-longest of his career. He won eight consecutive decisions September 5, 1999 - May 2, 2000 as a member of the San Diego Padres.
ST. LOUIS (36-20)
The Cardinals, who will start a 12-game stretch against AL East teams, have been dominant in interleague play. St. Louis won twice in a three-game set at Kansas City last month and has captured 15 of its last 17 interleague contests going back to 2003. That includes an 11-1 mark last season.
Morris, who began the season on the disabled list recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, has won four consecutive starts and has yet to lose in nine starts this year. The righthander has struck out 45 batters in 56 2/3 innings and walked only 11. He was shaky last Wednesday at Colorado, but still managed a win despite allowing 10 hits and six runs -- five earned -- in six innings. Morris, who was the Game 2 loser to the Red Sox in the World Series, has yet to face Boston in the regular season. He's 10-5 in his career in interleague play.
The Cardinals, who hold a 5 1/2-game lead on the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central, took two of three contests at Houston over the weekend. However, Tony La Russa's team lost 6-4 yesterday. Jim Edmonds went 3-for-5 and Mark Grudzielanek had a pair of hits, including a two-run double. The Astros pounded Mark Mulder for six runs over three innings.
The Cardinals have won seven of their last eight at Busch Stadium.
La Russa is seven wins shy of Bucky Harris (2,157) for fourth place on the all-time managerial victory list.
