St. Louis Cardinals - TeamReport - Chicago Tribune

MLB Team Report - St. Louis Cardinals - INSIDE PITCH

Albert Pujols may be gone from the lineup, but the Cardinals on Friday showed the same thunder they had showed last October in Milwaukee.

In their final two games in Milwaukee in last year's National League Championship Series (the Cardinals won it four games to two), the Cardinals outscored the Brewers, 24-9, hitting five home runs. After spotting the Brewers to a two-run lead in the first, the Cardinals exploded for four home runs, three of them coming in a span of four batters in the third inning, and pounded the Brewers, 11-5, in Milwaukee's season opener.

Certainly nothing had changed in the Cardinals' approach to Milwaukee right-hander Yovani Gallardo, whose only career win against the Cardinals had come in a near no-hitter last May. They batted Gallardo out in the fourth inning as they beat him for the eighth time in nine decisions.

Third baseman David Freese and shortstop Rafael Furcal continued to show that spring training numbers mean nothing. Freese, who hit .188 in the spring, belted a two-run homer and drove in another run with a single. He is five for his first 10. Furcal, who batted .192 in the spring, had his second consecutive three-for-five game and stole his second base. He ran very little last year after coming from Los Angeles in late July but he seems to have more bounce in his legs this year.

The Cardinals' attack plan against Gallardo, whose career earned run average against then is nearly six runs a game, was to hit the first good fastball they saw.

Right fielder Carlos Beltran, belting his first Cardinals home run besides doubling and stealing base, drilled a 3-0 pitch for a homer to tie the score at 2-2 in the fourth. On the next pitch, left fielder Matt Holliday got his first hit of the season, a solo homer. After a walk to first baseman Lance Berkman, Freese clouted a two-run homer to left.

Catcher Yadier Molina had homered in the second as the Cardinals amassed eight extra-base hits -- four homers and four doubles.

Each regular had at least one hit and so did all three Cardinals pinch hitters, Shane Robinson, Matt Carpenter (two-run double) and Erik Kotmatsu (first big-league hit).

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MLB Team Report - St. Louis Cardinals - NOTES, QUOTES

--LHP Jaime Garcia, who in other years, might come unraveled a bit after a tough start, allowed a single and a triple to the first two hitters he faced. Both scored in the first inning but he allowed no more runs after that in a six-inning stint. "You have to go on to the next pitch, the next batter," said Garcia. "Stay in the game and forget about what happened. That's part of experience."

--SS Rafael Furcal has been a different looking player than in the spring when he occasionally was dropped to eighth in the lineup and finished the spring at .182. He has two doubles, three singles and two steals in his first two games. "It's a compliment to how hard he's worked," said manager Mike Matheny. "He didn't hang his head."

--RHP Mitchell Boggs, showing more and more confidence with a split-fingered pitch, kept the ball down at a key time in the seventh inning. With the Brewers threatening, the reliever got dangerous 2B Rickie Weeks top hit into a double play. "He came in (this year), wanting to prove something," said Matheny. "This kind of validates the work he's done and the adjustments he's made in his game."

--RF Carlos Beltran had his second straight two-hit game, including a home run, and seems a natural fit for the No. 2 spot in the lineup, with his power and speed. Beltran is a couple of years removed from serious knee surgery and he said, "Coming to spring training this year, my knee felt fine."

--RHP Scott Linebrink, who injured his right shoulder one day after being signed to a major-league contract after coming to camp as a non-roster player, was placed on the 15-day disabled list. He was replaced by RHP Victor Marte, purchased from Class AAA Memphis. The 31-year-old Marte, who had 31 saves last year at Memphis, was impressive all spring and probably deserved to make the team. "We don't want to push (Linebrink) and make it worse," said general manager John Mozeliak.

BY THE NUMBERS: 35 -- Number of runs scored by the Cardinals in their last three games in Milwaukee, counting last year's playoffs.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "When those lights come on, you've got to be ready to play." -- 3B David Freese, who hit .188 in the spring but who is at .500 now with five RBI in his first two games.

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