September 2, 2011 -- Fans head for the exits after pitcher Kyle McClellan (foreground) allowed a three-run home run to Cincinnati's Juan Francisco in the ninth inning to take the suspense out of what was a one-run game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo. Chris Lee clee@post-dispatch.com
When David Freese's game-tying home run landed in the seats beyond the right-field wall in the sixth inning Friday, it meant Chris Carpenter was clear of culpability and the game would be determined by a duel of bullpens.
That has recently favored the Cardinals.
But the bullpen faltered for them Friday.
Fresh from a series in Milwaukee where the Cardinals found their mojo and the relievers shepherded them to a series sweep, a strength for the club blinked first Friday and hastened an 11-8 loss to Cincinnati. The Reds reached the Cardinals' bullpen for five runs after the sixth inning, all five of which came on two homers. Lefty Marc Rzepczynski took the loss for allowing a two-run homer to rookie Yonder Alonso that snapped a 6-6 tie and gave the Reds their third (and final) lead of the game.
"You've got to go out there no matter who it is and pitch," Rzepczynski said. "The one bad pitch that I made found the seats. I think it was the right pitch. I hung it. Besides that I think I threw the ball where I wanted to."
On Friday, Carpenter left the relievers with nine outs to get and a tie game to determine after leaving with six runs allowed in six innings. Since the bullpen was renovated at the trade deadline by the addition of Rzepczynski, Octavio Dotel and, relocated from the rotation, Kyle McClellan, the relief corps has emerged as a constant for the Cardinals. Even as they faded from contention and certainly as they revived their chances with a three-game sweep at Miller Park this week, the bullpen has been something the Cardinals could count on.
In the previous seven games, the Cardinals' relievers had allowed two earned runs in 24 2/3 innings. In the three-game series at Milwaukee, the bullpen twice had to shoulder four or more innings, and overall the relievers allowed one earned run during their 11 2/3 innings of work.
They got a save and a win for their efforts.
Since Aug. 1, the bullpen has posted a 2.21 ERA in 89 2/3 innings, and built around Jason Motte's 32 consecutive appearances without an earned run it's been one of the league's best in bullpen ERA.
"I think we're feeding off each other," Rzepczynski said. "We're feeding off each other, whoever it is, from the first guy out there to the close of the game. I think we're just feeding off each other by throwing the ball well. We hit a little bump (Friday)."
The bump involved two of the relievers whose arrival in the bullpen heralded the vast second-half improvement the Cardinals have seen.
It started in Rzepczynski's inning, the seventh, when he was beckoned to replace Carpenter and face three consecutive lefties in the Reds' lineup. Rzepczynski (0-1) got a groundout from the reigning National League MVP, Joey Votto, but couldn't control the next two. Jay Bruce flipped a single to left field, and that set up the rookie Alonso to hammer a hanging breaking ball for his fourth homer in the majors.
It continued in the ninth when McClellan was hit with a three-run homer by Juan Francisco, the Reds' third baseman's first of the season in the majors. McClellan invited trouble by hitting pinch-hitter Miguel Cairo with a pitch two batters before Francisco's blast to center field clinched the game.
Rzepczynski throws a "breaking ball and it's a two-run homer," manager Tony La Russa said. "The next time he threw it, he struck (the batter) out. We made some mistakes and they capitalized, which is what they're supposed to do. … (McClellan) hitting Cairo (in the ninth) wasn't the thing to do there. It would have been nice to have a one-run deficit in the ninth , just to have some excitement. That pitch got away and all of sudden three runs later, that's tough to take."
The relievers allowed five runs (all earned) on six hits in their three innings of work. The five runs were more in one game than the bullpen had allowed in its previous eight games.
To complete the sweep of Milwaukee, the Cardinals had to get 5 2/3 innings Thursday from the bullpen, and that left La Russa without three arms for Friday's game. La Russa insisted that the lack of arms didn't compromise the bullpen Friday.
It could happen today.
"The way the game was played where did we get hurt?" La Russa said. "There were guys that couldn't pitch, but that didn't make any difference ... how the relievers were utilized. It will be more an issue (Saturday) than it was (in the loss)."
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