Freese suffers mild concussion when hit in helmet by pitch
MIAMI _ Cardinals third baseman David Freese
suffered a mild concussion and a contusion to his forehead after
being hit in the batting helmet by a full-count pitch from Florida
righthander Clay Hensley in the third inning tonight.
Freese remained on the ground for several minutes as assistant
athletic trainer Barry Weinberg tended to him and then he walked
off the field under his power. Daniel Descalso replaced Freese at
third base.
Earlier, in the inning Matt Holliday, who hit a three-run homer
in the first inning, had been plunked in the left forearm by a
pitch. And this comes on the heels of Albert Pujols being hit in
the left hand by an up-and-in pitch on Tuesday in Milwaukee.
The hit batsman (Freese) put the Cardinals ahead at 4-3 and then
Skip Schumaker was credited with a double when his hard grounder
deflected off diving second baseman Omar Infante and into short
right field. That hit scored two runs and the Cardinals had a
three-run bulge.
That lead swelled to 7-3 when Pujols lined his 25th home run to
left in the fourth. In the bottom of the inning, after Kyle
McClellan had relieved an ineffective Kyle Lohse, Pujols started an
inning-ending double play from his knees after fielding a
grounder.
*****
HOLLIDAY HITS
3RD HR IN 4
GAMES
MIAMI _ Matt Holliday smacked his third homer
in four games, a three-run drive in the first inning, to get the
Cardinals off on the right foot against the Florida Marlins
tonight. But Cardinals righthander Kyle Lohse quickly gave it back,
allowing three runs in the bottom of the first.
Florida starter Clay Hensley walked both Jon Jay and Albert
Pujols with one out in the St. Louis first before Holliday lined
his 17th homer of the season to left.
But the Marlins clubbed Lohse for three doubles and a single in
the Florida first, which could have worse for the Cardinals had not
shortstop Rafael Furcal made a brilliant, diving stop to his left
on Mike Cameron’s low liner.
The smooth-fielding Furcal then pivoted a double play to help
take Lohse out of trouble in the second. Omar Infante had stroked
his second double in two innings for the Marlins.
CARDS SLATED
TO OPEN 2012
IN MIAMI
MIAMI — The Cardinals are making their last
regular-season visit to Sun Life Stadium (Joe Robbie Stadium, Pro
Player Stadium, etc.) this weekend but they are scheduled to play
the first regular-season game at the Florida Marlins’ new digs next
April 4, according to multiple major league sources.
The Cardinals, who share spring training facilities at Jupiter,
Fla., with the Marlins, are scheduled to play just one
season-opening game, on a Wednesday, against the Marlins before
moving on to a weekend series elsewhere. They then would return to
face the Marlins in a more extended series later.
The Marlins, who will have a retractable roof facility for the
first time in their existence, are slated to play the New York
Yankees in two exhibition games at the new park on April 1-2. The
park is as yet unnamed.
Kyle Lohse will pitch tonight for the Cardinals and Gerald
Laird, replacing suspended Yadier Molina, will catch. Righthander
Clay Hensley, rained out of a start on Wednesday in New York, will
start for Florida.
Cardinals lineup:
Furcal ss
Jay cf
Pujols 1b
Holliday lf
Berkman rf
Freese 3b
Schumaker 2b
Laird c
Lohse p
Florida lineup:
Bonifacio ss
Infante 2b
Dobbs 3b
G. Sanchez 1b
Morrison lf
Stanton rf
Cameron cf
Buck c
Hensley p