Cards Swept By Royals

Game # 74?? Thur. June 19, 2008 Royals 4??? Cardinals 1 Well, I am about to type a sentence I never thought I would.? The Kansas City Royals swept the St. Louis Cardinals in a three game series this week.? And they deserved to.? They just flat out beat us (unlike 1985 when we were robbed of a World Title by Don Deckinger).? Their pitching was incredible and the Pujols-less version of the Caridnals' offense was next to dead, going only 2 for 29 in Thursday's finale.? Here is my analysis of the game: Performance of the Game:? Brad Thompson What Went Wrong: 1.? The Offense - Simply put, without Albert Pujols in the lineup, the Cardinals are a different team.? And it isn't just because of his individual contributions, but rather how the entire team is pitched to differently when he is absent from the lineup.? Mix in the fact that the Cardinals offense has been struggling the past few days anyway, and also factor in that the Kansas City Royals pitched really well.? The Cardinals managed only 2 hits in 29 (.069 batting average) Thursday.? There isn't much more to point to about what went wrong. What Went Right: 1.? Brad Thompson - He was called up to take the start that Anthony Reyes had originally been slated for.? And Brad did a pretty good job, allowing only 2 runs on 5 hits in 5 innings of work.? His sinker sank, which is always the key to his success.? What I didn't agree with though, was no sooner had he taken a shower after his start, than he was optioned back to Memphis and Mike Parisi was recalled to join St. Louis.? Parisi is NOT ready yet, and needs more time at AAA.? And I may be mistaken, but I believe that Thompson is out of options (or at least very close to it), meaning we cannot send him down again without him having to clear waivers.? He may have an option left, but why waste it?? Leave him with the Cardinals, especially given the setbacks by Carpenter, Mulder, and Clement, as well as Wainwright's injury.? Oh well, I am not John Mozeliak. 2.? Rick Ankiel - 1 for 3 with his 11th longball of the season. The loss puts the Cardinals at 42-32, still 10 games over .500.? My least favorite team, the cubs lost too though, so we didn't lose any ground in the standings, remaining 3 1/2 games back in the NL Central.? I don't understand how we took 2 out of 3 with Philly, then get swept by the Royals.? But that is baseball.