Saint Louis Blesses Cardinals In 5-3 Crusade

[Festa]

Albert Pujols rounds third after a home run

The last time Scott Olsen won, the words ‘‘postseason'' and "Marlins'' still could be spoken in the same breath. But that was the middle of July, fresh after the All-Star break, and plenty has changed.

Olsen stopped winning, and so did the Marlins.

On Saturday, that trend continued in the Marlins’ 5-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, a defeat that halted a two-game win streak dead in its tracks. Yadier Molina singled in the go-ahead run off Olsen in the sixth inning, and the Cardinals, whose flagging fortunes have mirrored those of the Marlins, rebounded from Friday’s extra-inning loss. For Olsen, it was one more setback in a seemingly endless string of them. Since his last victory July 19, a win over the Philadelphia Phillies that pulled the Marlins within 1½ games of the National League East lead, he has gone 0-6 in his nine subsequent starts while the Marlins have dropped out of the race. "The last month-and-a-half I’ve obviously been struggling," Olsen said. "It hasn’t worked out for me."

But it wasn’t all Olsen’s fault Saturday. Small things played a huge role in the game's outcome.

After the Marlins had taken a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning on Dan Uggla’s 30th home run, the Cardinals tied it in the bottom of the inning when a poor throw by Jorge Cantu on a double-play grounder pulled Uggla off the bag.

Uggla was able to make the throw to first base for one out, but Ryan Ludwick was left standing at second and ended up scoring on Felipe Lopez’s RBI single.

"We don’t turn that, and they get a run out of it," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. The Cardinals took the lead in the sixth thanks to some smart baserunning by Albert Pujols. The majors’ leading hitter walked to lead off the inning. When Ludwick lofted a routine fly ball towards the corner in right, Pujols decided to test Luis Gonzalez’s arm by tagging and racing for second. He just beat the throw.

Pujols then scored what proved to be the deciding run on Molina’s single up the middle.

"That’s a heads-up play," Fredi Gonzalez said of Pujols’ daring. "That’s why he is an All-Star and MVP candidate, because he can not only beat you with the bat, but can also do it with his baserunning and his fielding."

Luis Gonzalez said it didn’t surprise him when Pujols took off from first.

"My arm strength is not a secret to most teams," said Luis Gonzalez, who started in right in place of the stronger-armed Jeremy Hermida. "I can’t hide it out there. I’m a left-fielder playing right." Again, the Marlins struggled against Cardinals starter Todd Wellemeyer, who defeated them at Dolphin Stadium in mid-August by holding his former team without a run for 7-2/3 innings.

On Saturday, he gave up three runs on five hits and improved to 12-6.

"Doesn’t look the same," Olsen said of Wellemeyer, who was a member of the Marlins' bullpen for a brief period in 2006 before being discarded due to a lack of success.

The Marlins saw one scoring opportunity go down the drain in the seventh, however. With Josh Willingham at first and two outs, John Baker lined a double into left that carried the potential of driving in the tying run.

But Lopez dove and blocked the ball, preventing it from rolling to the wall.

‘‘Lopez made a terrific play on that ball, diving and keep-ing it in front of him," Fredi Gonzalez said.

Third-base coach Bo Porter held up the stop sign initially but then started waving Willingham home when he saw Lopez have trouble picking up the ball. But it was too late. Willingham had lowered his head as he neared third, and he said he never saw the signal change. "I didn’t know he waved me, so that’s news to me," Willingham said.

Pinch-hitter Paul Lo Duca grounded out to end the inning.

Pujols, Wellemeyer lead Cardinals past Marlins - 09/07/2008 - MiamiHerald.com