 |  |
| Kendrick | Wellemeyer |
| 5-2, 4.87 | 7-1, 2.93 |
the cards keep lucking out as far as opposition rotations go --- they missed peavy (due to injury) down in san diego; they didn't have to face harang or volzquez in cincinnati, nor zambrano when the cubs visited; they missed kazmir when the rays were in town, and they only caught ben sheets once in 3 series vs the brewers. and during this series vs the phillies, they don't have to face cole hamels. cool.
altho the phillies play in an extreme hitter's park, their lineup does not have a sharp home/road split. their pitchers do --- but it's skewed toward their home park, where they allow half a run per game less than they do on the road. go figure. tonight's pitcher is a case in point --- he's 3-1, 3.86 in philadelphia but 2-1, 5.80 on the road. he has displayed fine control at home (1.5 walks per 9) but poor control on the road (about 4.5 bb/9) . . . . .
if my memory serves, the last cardinal starting pitcher to open a season with an 8-1 record was matt morris in 2005.