I was initially hesitant to link to this because I didn’t want to reward MLB’s draconian and asinine policies on sharing and embedding videos, but really, it’s worth it. I mean, my principles aren’t really worth not viewing this epic failure last night by the St. Louis Cardinals.

First, I’ll set the stage. The Cardinals’ offense continues to be non-existent, but it had scratched together a 1-run lead. Closer–and former Cincinnati Red–Ryan Franklin was on in the 9th. He’d managed two outs, but had also allowed two runners to get on.

That’s when former Houston Astro Miguel Tejada came to the plate and delivered this walk-off hit.

What I really love is that the loss was a team effort. It wasn’t just Franklin. Center fielder Colby Rasmus failed to catch the ball, and both Rasmus and left fielder John Jay failed to communicate.

I fully expect the Cardinals to rebound and become competitive this season. But that’s not going to take away any of my enjoyment from them starting off so horribly in 2011. They’re 2-6 and 4 games behind the first-place Reds.

Boxscore

In case you missed it last night–it was a later game than usual–the Cincinnati Reds did not fare well in their return to Arizona. They were crushed by the Diamondbacks, losing 13-2.

Travis Wood started, and it was evident from the very beginning that he didn’t have his best stuff. He allowed 2 runs in the first and another in the second. He settled down for a bit, pitching scoreless 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings, but lost in the 6th. After 4 batters and some more runs, he was pulled. His final line was 5 innings, 6 runs–all earned, 4 strikeouts, and 2 walks.

The bullpen wasn’t able to stop the bleeding and give the offense hope of making up the deficit, either. Matt Maloney had a night he’ll want to forget as he allowed 7 runs in just 1 2/3.

As for the offense, they were quiet, contributing just two runs. Brandon Phillips had a sacrifice fly in the 3rd, and Joey Votto had a solo shot in the 9th. That was it. They didn’t even leave a bunch of guys on base this time, just 6.

So the Reds now have their first losing streak of the season at 2. Clearly, it’s time to panic. With just a half game lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates, it’s clear this season is in serious jeopardy.

Unless they win again today when Bronson Arroyo starts against Daniel Hudson. First pitch is 8:10pm EDT.

Poor Tony LaRussa. Just look how mean the news media is being to him and his team:

(HT Cincinnati Reds Blog)

I mean, how unfair: to ask how the team that contains Albert Pujols, a guy many people still think is the best player in baseball despite the evidence of Joey Votto, in his contract year, has scored only 15 runs in 6 games and sports a 2-4 record. Just because it’s the most important question facing this team doesn’t give them any right to actually ask it. Don’t people have any respect?

As of this writing, LaRussa had not shared his opinion of what the media should be asking, but when he does, it’s sure to revolutionize baseball reporting as we know it. But until then, I recommend questions such as:

• Let’s talk about Chris Carpenter’s six Ks
• Tell us about the Lance Berkman RBI and how run production like that complements his superior ability in right field.
• Where did you get those awesome sunglasses?

Really, it’s the least guys who’s won 5 Pennants and 2 World Series titles in just 33 years can demand of the objective media.