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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ST. LOUIS (AP) – Rick Ankiel's latest shaky outing left the St.
Louis Cardinals wondering what to do with him.
|  | | Rick Ankiel's ERA is up to 7.13 after Thursday's three innings of work. |
The team could send the 21-year-old left-hander, who's 1-2 with
a 7.13 ERA, to the bullpen or to the minors.
After the Cardinals rallied Thursday for an 11-5 victory that
completed a sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates, general manager Walt
Jocketty said a decision probably would be made in the next day
"or so" after he conferred with manager Tony La Russa and
pitching coach Dave Duncan.
"We're going to talk about what we do," Jocketty said. "We
haven't had time to talk, but we will."
La Russa said Ankiel "took a step backward," and that whatever
was done would be in the best interests of the team and the
pitcher.
About an hour after the game, La Russa said he'd have nothing
more to say about Ankiel until he met with the pitcher.
"That's the process," La Russa said. "I'm not going to talk
about it."
Ankiel, who threw five pitches to the backstop and gave up three
runs in three innings, left before reporters were allowed into the
clubhouse after the game.
"He was upset when he left the game, and I don't blame him,"
La Russa said.
On Wednesday, La Russa said Ankiel was in no danger of being
demoted to the minors.
Ankiel's wildness couldn't prevent the Cardinals from completing
a four-game sweep. Pinch-hitter Edgar Renteria had a two-run,
tiebreaking single in the sixth inning and Jim Edmonds homered and
had two RBI.
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Back Where He Started
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Rick Ankiel was showing signs in his first two starts that his wildness
was behind him, but his last four outings have been less than spectacular.
Ankiel has failed to make it out of the fourth innning during that span
while giving up four home runs and walking 17 batters.
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Apr. 20 @ HOU
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3.0 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 2 SO
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Apr. 26 vs. MON
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4.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO, 1 WP
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May 5 @ ATL
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3.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO, 1 WP
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May 10 vs. PIT
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3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 2 SO, 2 WP
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Ankiel left in the top of the fourth trailing 3-2, but the
Cardinals (18-15) twice rallied to go three games above .500 for
the first time this year.
Ray Lankford added two hits and two RBI for St. Louis, which
outscored Pittsburgh 32-9 and allowed only 17 hits in its first
four-game sweep of the Pirates at home since Aug. 12-15, 1985. The
Cardinals swept three games from the Pirates last Sept. 11-13 at
Pittsburgh.
It's the third time this season the Pirates have lost four
straight, and they dropped a season-worst and NL-worst nine games
below .500 at 12-21.
The Pirates managed four hits each on Monday and Tuesday, got
five on Wednesday and had four on Thursday.
"We didn't pitch, we didn't hit, we didn't field," manager
Lloyd McClendon said. "But we'll get past this. It was a tough
series, but it's forgotten about."
Ankiel's outing included his fourth and fifth wild pitches of
the season in a 76-pitch outing. He was taken out after throwing
two pitches to the screen against Pat Meares leading off the
fourth, and left trailing 3-2.
Ankiel threw eight straight balls starting the third. He gave up
a two-run double to pitcher Omar Olivares in the second and a
sacrifice fly to Enrique Wilson in the third.
He allowed three hits and walked five with two strikeouts. Of
his final 30 pitches, only 11 were strikes.
"When you start to go in a bad direction, sometimes you get a
little jumpy and want to rush and just get the ball and throw it
fast as you can to make up for the last one," catcher Mike Matheny
said. "We just couldn't slow him down."
In his last four outings, Ankiel hasn't lasted longer than 4 1/3
innings and has given up 13 earned runs in 14 innings. Overall,
he's walked 25 in 24 innings.
Trailing 5-4 in the sixth, the Cardinals scored three runs off
Jose Silva (2-3). Renteria, who wasn't in the lineup for the third
straight game after fouling a ball off his left knee as a pinch
hitter on Wednesday, put the Cardinals ahead 6-5. Edmonds added an
RBI single in the inning.
The Cardinals added three runs off Scott Sauerbeck in the
seventh, including an RBI single by reliever Gene Stechschulte, for
a 10-5 lead, and rookie Albert Pujols hit his 11th homer in the
eighth.
Mike Matthews (1-0) won despite allowing his first runs of the
season in 18 innings -- a two-run pinch homer by Craig Wilson in the
sixth. It was Wilson's second pinch homer of the year.
Olivares gave up four runs and seven hits in four innings.
Game notes
The Pirates' start is the worst for the franchise since the
1985 team started 10-22. That team ended up 57-104. ...
Stechschulte, formerly a shortstop in the minor leagues, is 2-for-2
with three RBIs and a walk at the plate. ... Jason Kendall was
2-for-16 in the series. ... Placido Polanco had two hits and an RBI
and is 7-for-12 the last three games. ... Cardinals RF J.D. Drew
was at full extension for a running catch on Enrique Wilson's drive
in the sixth. ... The teams combined for five hits and eight RBI --
four by each team -- in the No. 9 slot.
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OTHER GAMES
Baseball Scoreboard
Pittsburgh Clubhouse
St. Louis Clubhouse
RECAPS
Detroit 6
Texas 5
Seattle 5
Boston 2
Kansas City 8
Cleveland 3
Minnesota 5
NY Yankees 4
Oakland 14
Toronto 8
Baltimore 9
Tampa Bay 5
Anaheim 7
Chi. White Sox 6
Milwaukee 11
Chicago Cubs 1
St. Louis 11
Pittsburgh 5
Colorado 8
NY Mets 2
San Francisco 13
Montreal 0
San Diego 6
Atlanta 5
Los Angeles 4
Florida 3
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