Cardinals lose 2nd in a row to Pirates, 5-2

Starting pitcher Jake Westbrook continues to disappoint Cardinals Nation. Westbrook ran into trouble in the 3rd inning when he loaded the bases, and then gave up a triple to Neil Walker, scoring 3 runs. He then gave up one more run in the 4th inning, making the score 4-0. All four of the runs were earned, and his ERA is now at 4.57.

I've always been opposed to the Ryan Ludwick/Westbrook trade; but since Ludwick is slumping in San Diego, I'll lay off that subject. But it doesn't change the fact that Westbrook has not been getting it done for the Cards. And it just emphasizes how important it is for the team to pick up wins when either Adam Wainwright, or Chris Carpenter, throws a gem; but they lose many of those games due to stupidity, such as errors, or poor base running (like last night).

But Westbrook is not the only one at fault. You know it's a terrible series when Kyle Lohse is the guy that saves the team from a sweep. The offense has been dead the past two nights. But tonight in particular, the offense took the day off, until the 7th inning, when Felipe Lopez hit a HR. They then managed to get 2 more base-runners in the 7th, but they were stranded. Their second run came in the 9th, when Aaron miles got an RBI, scoring Pedro Feliz. Other than those two innings, things were very quiet. 

The team has greatly struggled struggled against sub-.500 teams, and on the road. The Cardinals play 14 of their next 17 games on the road, and 10 of those 14 away games are against sub-.500 teams. The crucial month of September is just around the corner, making this road-trip possibly a "do-or-die" situation.