Cards 6 Pirates 3

Setting: Visitor's clubhouse, Busch Stadium. It's around 1:30 PM, a half hour before game time. Jim Colborn and Ian Snell are discussing strategy for his afternoon start against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Colborn: OK, Ian. With Edmonds out of the lineup I want you to pay special attention to Albert Pujols. He's killed us this year and it can't happen again today. Be especially careful if there's guys on base. If you have to, pitch around him.

Snell: Pitch around? Snell doesn't do that.

Colborn: You know I think being cocky on the mound is important. But there's a difference between being cocky and being stupid. You're being stupid.

Snell: Snell. Doesn't. Do. That.

Colborn: Chuckling to himself. Alright, whatever, kid. It's your funeral. Come see me in the sixth.

Setting: Visitor's dugout, Busch Stadium. The bottom of the fifth inning has ended with Pujols just going yard for the third time to put the Cards up 5-0.

Snell: Alright Colby, you were right. Pitching around Pujols will be something Snell will do from now on.

Colborn: To himself, barely audible. Hanging curveballs. Pujols does that.

OK, maybe that didn't happen. Maybe it did. Regardless, Pujols ruined what would've been a very good start from Ian Snell without him. He did K 7 in only five innings and all five of the Cards' ribbies came off of Pujols' bat. It probably wouldn't have mattered as Anthony Reyes shut us down over 6 and 1/3 shutout innings and it took until the ninth until we pushed any runs across at all (in fact, we scored one more in the 9th than we did in the previous 26 innings in the series). After today, Pujols has 7 homers and 13 RBIs against us in 12 games. BEFORE his performance today, his SLG against us was .941. That's crazy.