The Cardinals had several bad plays in the field on this hot August evening, committing 4 errors not including a deep fly ball ruled as a hit that Chris Duncan should have caught. Anthony Reyes nearly escaped the subsequent bases loaded none-out jam, but got tagged for a grand slam by Josh Willingham on a 2-out 3-2 pitch. Rick Ankiel cut the lead to 4-1 on a sac fly in bottom half of the 3rd but the Cards couldn’t get anything else going offensively. Adam Wainwright bizarrely made a successful pinch-hit appearance in the 5th only to be caught stealing 2nd, while the Cards bullpen let the game get out of hand in the following inning.

Adam Wainwright gutted out 6 innings allowing 2 runs on 9 hits with multiple gaffes by the Cardinals defense. The Cardinals grounded into inning ending double plays in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th frames before Albert Pujols put Cardinals on the board in the 6th with a solo homerun. The Cards rallied in the 8th thanks to a Hanley Ramirez throwing error and some clutch hitting from Yadier Molina and Aaron Miles to put the Cards on top 3-2 before Ryan Ludwick sealed the deal with his 11th homerun of the season as the Cardinals prevailed 5-2.

Ankiel-mania continued Saturday against the Dodgers as the real-life ‘Roy Hobbs’ belted 2 more homers and made a dazzling over the shoulder catch in right field. Braden Looper gave the Cardinals another strong outing on the mound, outpitching fellow reliever-turned-starter Derek Lowe. Rick Ankiel finished the day 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored and 3 RBIs as the Cards beat the Dodgers 6-1.

Rick Ankiel returned to Busch Stadium on this hot August night, batting 2nd and playing RF for the Cardinals. It’s been nearly 3 years since his last regular season appearance with the big league club, and over 6 years since his last major league start (as a pitcher). Joel Pineiro pitched well for the Cardinals, outdueling the Padres’ Chris Young. Ankiel sent Busch Stadium into a frenzy with a 3-run homer in the 7th and the Cards cruised to a 5-0 win over San Diego.