What a tough loss. Poor Andy just couldn't hold off those Cardinal bats. We actually had the offense going the whole game, but we couldn't get on the board until the seventh (another homer by Burke!). I know that we could've won the games ourselves, and I hate to try to shift the blame, but the home plate umpire was terrible. I'd noticed him making some bad calls all throughout, giving Carpenter some calls that Andy definitely did not get - but, in the ninth, it was just disgusting. We actually got a rally going, on some hits and an error, scored another run, but both Jason Lane and Brad Ausmus were given at least two strike calls on obvious balls. There were several pitches that were low and outside/inside, just way outside the zone, and he called them strikes. As I said, we could've done something sooner, and it sounds dumb to try to blame it on a ump, but it's so frustrating to have a rally and possible comeback completely killed with such obvious bad calls by what should be a neutral person.

Well, we'll come back fighting in Game 2, and I'll keep praying.