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Cardinals manager Tony La Russa can move into sole possession of third place on the all-time managerial win list with a victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the teams' series finale on Thursday.
La Russa tied former Reds and Tigers manager Sparky Anderson when St. Louis defeated the Pirates, 8-3, on Wednesday night. It was La Russa's 2,194th career victory. La Russa has managed the Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics besides the Redbirds.
The odds favor La Russa on Thursday with Matt Morris on the mound. The veteran right-hander is 9-5 with a 2.51 ERA in 15 career starts against the Pirates, including a 5-0 mark in six starts at PNC Park.
Pittsburgh counters with lefty Dave Williams, who is 2-3 with a 3.09 ERA in his career against the Cards.
Pitching matchup:
STL: RHP Matt Morris
• 13-5, 3.80 ERA in 2005
• 1-1, 4.00 ERA vs. PIT in 2005
PIT: LHP Dave Williams
• 10-9, 4.06 ERA in 2005
• 1-2, 4.00 ERA vs. STL in 2005
Player to watch
Outfielder John Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two run scored Wednesday. He hit his first home run since July 28, the first by a Cardinal in a season-high 40 innings at the time.
Quotable
"In the clubhouse, I said to [Al] Reyes, I guess that you know how to get Mackowiak out." -- La Russa, after Pirates outfielder Rob Mackowiak went 3-for-3 with two RBIs against ace Chris Carpenter before grounding out against Reyes to end the game Wednesday
On the Internet
MLB.TV
Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes
On television
• STL: FSMW
• PIT: None
On radio
• STL: KMOX 1120
• PIT: KDKA 1020
Quick hits
The Cardinals (161) and Pirates (154) rank first and second in the Major Leagues in double plays turned. ... The Redbirds are only 3-11 while playing on Thursdays, despite having the best record in baseball and being over .500 every other day of the week. ... In another quirky statistic, St. Louis is only 19-21 in the last game of a series despite having a 24-8-8 series record and having never been swept.
On deck
• Friday: at Nationals, 6:05 p.m. CT
• Saturday: at Nationals, 12:25 p.m. CT
• Sunday: at Nationals, 12:05 p.m.CT
La Russa tied former Reds and Tigers manager Sparky Anderson when St. Louis defeated the Pirates, 8-3, on Wednesday night. It was La Russa's 2,194th career victory. La Russa has managed the Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics besides the Redbirds.
The odds favor La Russa on Thursday with Matt Morris on the mound. The veteran right-hander is 9-5 with a 2.51 ERA in 15 career starts against the Pirates, including a 5-0 mark in six starts at PNC Park.
Pittsburgh counters with lefty Dave Williams, who is 2-3 with a 3.09 ERA in his career against the Cards.
Pitching matchup:
STL: RHP Matt Morris
• 13-5, 3.80 ERA in 2005
• 1-1, 4.00 ERA vs. PIT in 2005
PIT: LHP Dave Williams
• 10-9, 4.06 ERA in 2005
• 1-2, 4.00 ERA vs. STL in 2005
Player to watch
Outfielder John Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two run scored Wednesday. He hit his first home run since July 28, the first by a Cardinal in a season-high 40 innings at the time.
Quotable
"In the clubhouse, I said to [Al] Reyes, I guess that you know how to get Mackowiak out." -- La Russa, after Pirates outfielder Rob Mackowiak went 3-for-3 with two RBIs against ace Chris Carpenter before grounding out against Reyes to end the game Wednesday
On the Internet
MLB.TV
Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes
On television
• STL: FSMW
• PIT: None
On radio
• STL: KMOX 1120
• PIT: KDKA 1020
Quick hits
The Cardinals (161) and Pirates (154) rank first and second in the Major Leagues in double plays turned. ... The Redbirds are only 3-11 while playing on Thursdays, despite having the best record in baseball and being over .500 every other day of the week. ... In another quirky statistic, St. Louis is only 19-21 in the last game of a series despite having a 24-8-8 series record and having never been swept.
On deck
• Friday: at Nationals, 6:05 p.m. CT
• Saturday: at Nationals, 12:25 p.m. CT
• Sunday: at Nationals, 12:05 p.m.CT
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