--The Cardinals were nothing if not efficient offensively Thursday. They had nine hits in 15 at-bats with men in scoring position, raising their season average in those situations to .322.
--The Cardinals hadn't swept the Mets in St. Louis since 2004. "It was huge," OF Rick Ankiel said. "They're a good ballclub. I think we caught them on a little bit of a downside, but that's the way it goes. Good for us." --After Sunday's rainout and Monday's scheduled off day, the Cardinals are slated to play the maximum of 20 straight days before an off day on May 11 between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
BY THE NUMBERS: 98 -- Pitches over four innings that rookie RHP P.J. Walters threw in his major league debut.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "He has good guts. And that counts for a lot." -- Manager Tony La Russa, on INF Brian Barden, who wedged his way into the lineup by playing strong defense and hitting three home runs in a span of five games.
