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St. Louis Cardinals

45-26,
1st NL Central

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Cardinals Team Report

Yahoo! Sports - Jun 18, 5:10 am EDT

Inside Pitch
Notes, Quotes
Roster Report

The Cardinals have the National League's most proficient offense without really any gimmicks. They rank last in the league in stolen bases (18) in their first 70 games.

"I'm not worried about stolen bases," said third-base coach Jose Oquendo. "I'm worried about scoring from second on a hit with two outs. That's when we do most of our hitting."

The Cardinals entered Monday's 5-2 victory over the Cubs with an almost unbelievable .341 average with runners in scoring position and two out, which was light years ahead of the next team.

With the best record in the majors, the Cardinals could be the first St. Louis club ever to have the best record in the league and the fewest stolen-base attempts.

For instance, the 1985 champion Cardinals stole 314 bases, or probably 275 more than this version will steal.

On pace for well under 50 steals for the season -- both stolen and allowed -- the Cardinals could end up with their lowest total since the 1953 club swiped 18 (in 40 attempts) for the whole season, yet finished second (a distant second) to league champion Brooklyn in runs scored.

Three Hall of Famers topped the Cardinals in steals that year, albeit the numbers were 4, 3 and 3, respectively, for Enos Slaughter, Stan Musial and Red Schoendienst.

Record:

45-25

Streak:

Won one

Past 10 Games:

6-4

NEXT: Cubs (Jeff Samardzija, 3-7, 3.46) at Cardinals (Adam Wainwright, 10-3, 2.18)

Player Notes:

C Yadier Molina went 2-for-4 with a two-run double in the bottom of the fourth, improving his league-leading batting average to .355. Molina's double was his 22nd of the season. It was his 27th multi-hit game of the year.
RHP Adam Wainwright owns a 6-5 career record against the Cubs in 18 appearances (10 starts), but has been hit around some as his earned run average is a puffy 4.46. But Wainwright is pitching at a Cy Young level this year, demonstrating it again Thursday in New York as he outdueled the Mets' Matt Harvey with seven shutout innings in a 2-1 decision.
RHP Shelby Miller (right leg cramp) departed Monday night's game after five innings and 83 pitches, but still earned his eighth win of the season. Miller allowed just two hits and two walks while fanning five, but lacked consistent command of his pitches. He said after the game he should make his next start Saturday night against Texas.
LHP Kevin Siegrist worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings Monday night, giving him 6 2/3 in his first six big-league games. That broke a team record for a rookie lefty reliever, set by Tyler Johnson over 11 appearances and 5 1/3 innings bridging the 2005 and 2006 seasons.
CF Jon Jay stretched his errorless streak to 214 games, dating back to Aug. 24, 2011. That's the longest current streak among NL center fielders and puts him 13 shy of the team record, held by Curt Flood.

Quote To Note:

"I've been a little dehydrated this week. I guess I didn't get enough electrolytes in me. I battled through the last couple of outs, but I think we've got things taken care of now."

—RHP Shelby Miller, who left Monday's 5-2 win over the Cubs in the fifth inning after cramping in his right leg while pitching.

Medical Watch:

RHP Shelby Miller (right leg cramp) departed the June 17 game after five innings and 83 pitches. He said after the game he should make his next start June 22.
LHP John Gast (left shoulder strain) went on the 15-day disabled list May 26.
LHP Jaime Garcia (left shoulder strain) went on the 15-day disabled list May 18, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on May 30. He was diagnosed with a torn labrum, and he underwent season-ending surgery May 24.
RHP Fernando Salas (right shoulder strain) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to May 21.
RHP Jason Motte (muscle flexor strain in right elbow) went on the 15-day disabled list March 22, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on May 14. He had season-ending Tommy John surgery May 7.
SS Rafael Furcal (Tommy John surgery in March 2013) went on the 15-day disabled list March 20, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on May 3. He is out for the season.
RHP Chris Carpenter (nerve problem in right shoulder) went on the 60-day disabled list Feb. 22. He threw about 25 pitches in a side session May 29 and reported no pain in his right arm. He will throw extended bullpen sessions in mid-June.