There's no doubt in my mind that Rick Ankiel is going to be a streaky player.
He's got something of a wild swing and he is prone to carrying it around with him when he strikes out or makes a bad play.
On Tuesday Ankiel showed the upside of his streakiness when he got hot and elevated his game both in the field and at at the plate. And, hopefully, he'll get hot to give Albert Pujols some protection in the batting order and the pitchers some help in the field.
Ankiel was two for five at the plate with a home run. But he earns the View From the Cheap Seats Cardinals Star of the Game nod by gunning down a pair of baserunners at third, one on a sacrifice fly and another trying to stretch a double into the right centerfield gap into a triple.
They were both outstanding.
Braden Looper was cruising until a wide Adam Kennedy throw made him stretch awkwardly while he was covering first base. Since then he has allowed two runs...
Who knows what will happen if the bullpen gets involved in what is now a 5-2 contest.
