Wainwright wows in win

While the national sports media were falling all over themselves after one pitcher’s first start, Cardinal Nation was more concerned with a different hurler’s debut.

For one night at least, Adam Wainwright showed he’s a capable starting pitcher, going seven strong innings in his season debut in Houston. Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan probably couldn’t have been more pleased with the Wagonmaker’s performance, as Wainwright coaxed 14 groundball outs to only three flyball outs.

He also was involved in two key double plays, the first being a 3-6-1 twin killing to end a potential threat in the fifth. The second one probably was what killed the Astros’ momentum going forward.

With runners at the corners and nobody out, Astros manager Phil Garner took a page out of La Russa’s playbook and tried a squeeze with Brad Ausmus, but Ausmus bunted the ball right back to Wainwright, who flipped it to Yadier Molina, who tagged Chris Burke out at home and then pegged Ausmus at first. I’m anxious to visit Erik’s excellent Gas House Graphs blog to see what the win expectancy was before and after that play.

Wainwright even got the offensive party started by doubling deep to center field to plate the Cardinals first run, a shot that in a real ballpark would have been a home run.

We also can’t overlook Chris Duncan’s demolition of portside pitching. After whiffing on a breaking ball low and away during his first at-bat, Daddy’s Boy made Wandy Rodriguez pay for leaving a similar pitch up and over the plate in his second at-bat.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Chris Duncan without him making a bonehead play roughly every game. This time it was on the basepaths, getting nailed at third trying to stretch a double with Albert Pujols on deck. Of course, Al Hrabosky then dusted off that old chestnut about not making the first or last out at third base. Never mind that it was the second out of the inning, and never mind that you probably shouldn’t make any out at third base.

I can’t, however, let the mirth of the season’s first win get in the way of the fact than Duncan and Wainwright had three of the Cardinals’ four hits against Rodriguez. This team still makes every pedestrian lefty look like Sanford F. Koufax.

And I know it’s low-hanging fruit, but Jason Isringhausen appears to be in midseason form. Thank you, I’ll be here all week.