- After dealing with the unfortunate death of one of their own yesterday, the St. Louis Cardinals face the painful task of getting back to baseball.
The club will try to do just that when it opens a three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers this evening at Miller Park.
St. Louis' series finale against the Cubs was postponed on Sunday due to the death of 29-year-old relief pitcher Josh Hancock, who was killed in an auto accident early that morning.
'The pain our organization feels today is unspeakable,' said Cardinals principal owner Bill DeWitt, Jr. on Sunday. 'Josh was a great competitor with a strong will to win. His fellow Cardinals will tell you that Josh was a consummate teammate with a terrific spirit that served him well on the mound and in the clubhouse.'
Hancock had been a member of the Cardinals since February of 2006 and helped the team to its 10th World Series title last season. The reliever was 0-1 with a 3.55 earned run average in eight appearances this year.
The Cardinals announced they will wear a patch with Hancock's No. 32 on their uniform sleeves for the remainder of the season. A memorial will also be displayed in the home bullpen at Busch Stadium.
It marks the second time in five years the Cardinals have had to deal with the death of one of their own players. Pitcher Darryl Kile died on June 22, 2002 from a blocked coronary artery while in Chicago for a series against the Cubs.
St. Louis lost both of its games to the Cubs in this weekend's shortened series, including an 8-1 setback on Saturday. Adam Wainwright (1-2) allowed six runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings in the start for St. Louis.
Albert Pujols hit a solo homer while Jim Edmonds and Adam Kennedy had two hits apiece for St. Louis.
Kip Wells was slated to pitch Sunday's game, but will go tonight instead. Wells will try to halt a three-game personal losing streak on what is sure to be an emotional night for St. Louis.
The right-hander allowed eight runs -- seven earned -- on nine hits in just 4 2/3 innings in a loss to the Reds last Tuesday.
Wells is 6-7 with a 3.96 ERA in 18 career starts against Milwaukee. That includes a earlier loss this season to the Brewers, the first of his current slide.
Former Cardinal and Hancock's ex-teammate Jeff Suppan counters for Milwaukee tonight. Suppan, who joined the Brewers as a free agent this past offseason, won his third straight start when he tossed eight shutout innings at Chicago on Tuesday.
The right-hander, who worked around eight hits and one walk, improved to 3-2 and lowered his season ERA to 2.97.
Suppan made his only appearance against the Cardinals this season in a 3-2 win April 14 at Busch Stadium, his first victory as a Brewer. In seven career starts against his former club, the right-hander is 3-2 with a 4.17 ERA.
Milwaukee won two of its three games against the HoustonAstros over the weekend, including Sunday's 3-1 victory at Minute Maid Park.
Geoff Jenkins homered while Tony Graffanino and J.J. Hardy had RBI hits for the first-place Brewers, who have won six of their last eight games and begin a 10-game homestand tonight.
Claudio Vargas (2-0) yielded four hits and five walks over five shutout innings, pitching out of three bases-loaded jams in three straight frames. Francisco Cordero earned his 10th save in as many chances with a scoreless ninth.
The clubs split a shortened two-game set earlier this season, with the series opener being postponed. St. Louis won nine of the 16 meetings between the teams last season.
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