Game 3 Recap: Padres v. Cardinals

Well, that is certainly one way to cure what ails you.  If there was a better way to exemplify the meaninglessness of spring training, I'm not sure what it would be. After some tumultuous starts in Jupiter, Garcia looked solid and in control through the game. With 9 strikeouts against 4 hits and 2 walks, this was a wonderful way to wrap up what had been a nasty series to start the season.

The Cardinals offense wasn't particularly compelling in and of itself but it managed to string together some timely hits to get the job done. In the 5th inning, Lance Berkman managed to look respectable on the bases scoring from third on a Yadier Molina single to centerfield.  The Cardinals would tack on an insurance run with singles by Skip Schumaker, Daniel Descalso and Ryan Theriot.  Mixed in there is a botched bunt attempt from Garcia -- it seems to me that our pitchers are uniquely bad at bunting but that could be confirmation bias.

The game was really about Jaime Garcia though. He managed to pitch his second career complete game with just 102 pitches. To go with the nine strikeouts, he was particularly masterful at keeping the ball on the ground with just one flyout during the game versus 11 on the ground.

The Pirates come in to town tomorrow for the start of a three game homestand where we'll get our first live action look at Kyle McClellan when it counts.