Cardinals' Series Preview

(On some blogs, an upcoming weekend series will be previewed, with potential matchups examined. Here, we go ahead and tell you what is going to happen, so that you can plan your weekend accordingly. The upcoming results are to be USED FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY, and contain spoilers.)

FRI: Phillies 3, Cardinals 1

Eventually, MLB is going to catch up with Phillies' starter J.A. Happ. His BABIP and LOB % will likely regress to the norm, and Happ will likely regress to fourth-starter numbers. But the inevitable downward spiral didn't begin on Friday, as Happ held St. Louis scoreless, in his eight-inning stint. In a brisk two-hour and twenty-two minute game, which left plenty of time to catch the set by The Jonas Brothers across the street, Happ scattered five hits. Home runs by Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez were enough to secure the victory.

SAT: Phillies 5, Cardinals 2

Not much was expected of veteran starter Rodrigo Lopez by the Phillies. A few six-inning, three-run outings, providing a satisfactory bridge to Pedro Martinez' ascension to the rotation, was all that the Phillies desired. However, Lopez has continued to be more-than-satisfactory, twirling his fourth consecutive strong start, in the Phillies' 5-1 victory. Shane Victorino paced the offense, with a three-hit performance, including a two-run, first-inning homer.

SUN: Phillies 6, Cardinals 5 (10)

With Paul Bako and Eric Bruntlett both in the starting lineup, and shaky starter Jamie Moyer on the mound, the signs for a Phillies' sweep seemed as ominous as the cloudy skies over CBP. The game started as expected, with an ineffective Moyer permitting five runs through five innings, and the Killer B's each contributing a pair of strikeouts. When the rains delayed proceedings in the bottom of the fifth, many teams would have accepted the loss, and cleared the bench for the remainder of the game. But not the WFCs.
Recently-recalled AAA starter-turned-MLB-reliever Andrew Carpenter took the ball, when play resumed after a fifty-eight minute rain delay. He refused to surrender the mound, pitching a startingly-impressive five scoreless innings. Carpenter's first major league victory came in an ineffective, rain-shortened outing against the Nationals. His second major league win was something of which Carpenter could be a little more proud.
The Phillies tied things up in the seventh, with a five-run rally, keyed by four two-out hits. A walk-off single in the tenth, by emergency catcher Jayson Werth, completed the Phils' sweep. Of course, the heroics by Carpenter and Werth, as well as the Moyer-induced ugliness, were all-but-forgotten, when the Phillies announced their newest trade acquisition after the win.