Tuesday MLB: San Francisco Giants (41-34) at St. Louis Cardinals (41-37)
The St. Louis Cardinals recently added Mark DeRosa to help their slumping lineup, but the Cards might need to find another bat if Ryan Ludwick doesn’t snap out of his doldrums.
Ludwick, an All-Star outfielder last year, is batting only .185 this month after going 0-for-3 in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 10-0 loss to the Giants Monday night. In 27 games since returning from a hamstring injury on May 29, Ludwick is batting .180 with three homers and 12 RBIs.
This from a guy who was a breakout star in 2008, hitting .299 with 37 home runs and 113 RBIs.
Meanwhile, the Giants also have struggled to find offense all year, but Monday’s win improved San Francisco to 25-5 when they score five runs or more. They’re also 19-4 when shortstop Edgar Renteria has an RBI, and he knocked in a run in five consecutive games. San Francisco has homered in five consecutive games and in 24 this month, compared to 12 in April and 14 in May, both National League-low totals.
The Giants lead the majors with nine shutouts, and they have recorded back-to-back shutouts for the first time since Aug. 19-20, 2002. It’s up to the ageless Randy Johnson (7-5, 4.68) to continue that streak tonight, but the Giants are +167 underdogs on WagerWeb.com.
The Big Unit, who is 45, is 4-1 with a 2.57 ERA in his last seven starts, and gave up one run and six hits over seven innings Wednesday in a 6-3 win at Oakland. Johnson struggled against St. Louis last year, recording a 9.31 ERA in two starts. He’s also 6-7 lifetime against the Cardinals, who are the only National League team to post a winning mark against him.
He’ll need to be good tonight against Cards ace Chris Carpenter (5-2, 1.78). He might be pitching for a spot on the All-Star team tonight. Carpenter’s 1.78 ERA is lowest among all MLB pitchers who have at least 10 starts. He is 3-0 with an 0.43 ERA in three home starts.
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