When your starter surrenders just two runs, you should have a good shot at winning the game. However, the Cardinals’ (31-31) offense floundered against Jose Quintana and the bullpen failed as they lost 6-1 to the Chicago White Sox.

SLOPPY: The second inning proved to be another one of those annoying moments we’ve seen recently from this team. Paul Konerko looped a fly ball into center just out of the reach of Tyler Greene to start the inning. Then, David Freese dropped a potential double play ball to extend the inning, which proved disastrous as Orlando Hudson ripped a triple off of Carlos Beltran‘s glove to plate two runs. Defensive problems have really exacerbated the problems of the last month, and it’s infuriating to watch.

GIVE HIM SOME RUNS: It’s excruciating to watch Adam Wainwright throw so well and get so little run support! Waino ripped off some incredible curve balls in keeping the Sox off balance. Unfortunately, he doesn’t receive the run support in most of his starts. Lance Lynn averages something like 15 runs per start, and he’s 9-2. Who knows what Waino’s year might look like if they scored for him.

RALLY KILLER: The Cards struck out fewer times tonight than they have recently, but instead they grounded into three brutal double plays. THREE. Is Albert Pujols back on this team??

BAD MOVE: It seems that Mike Matheny is a slow learner. He continues to do certain things (like pitching Jason Motte in tied situations) that always fail. In the eighth inning Matheny brought in Marc Rzepczynski to relieve Wainwright and face three batters (one was right handed). Three consecutive hits resulted, including a towering home run by Adam Dunn. Matheny needs to learn that Zeppo is a left-handed specialist, and should face one batter at a time. Everybody else on Earth knows this already, so hopefully Matheny figures it out, too.

EVEN WORSE: Putting Mitchell Boggs into a game is like throwing gasoline onto a raging inferno. Has he ever appeared in a game and NOT given up a home run? Boggs is to home runs what Nolan Ryan is to strikeouts; it’s just his “thing.” Boggs didn’t disappoint, either, coming in after Zeppo’s disaster and giving up a single and a home run to A.J. Pierzcynski to really add insult to injury. Let’s save the money and just roll a pitching machine out there in relief.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Waino, who deserved so much better.

CONCLUSION: What a disgusting game! A feeble offensive “attack” left Wainwright twisting in the wind by himself, and then the bullpen shit all over everything once more. I really love the glazed, clueless look of Derek Lilliquist from the dugout; any answers for this mess, Derek??? There is no excuse for this kind of listless, distracted baseball.