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A Pain In The Back

Posted on March 23, 2010 at 8:08 AM

The Cardinals split up the squad yesterday and wound up with two wins, including a huge eighth inning that brought them from behind against the Red Sox. So what's the major story today?

Albert Pujols's back, of course. The man gets a hangnail, Cardinal Nation hyperventilates. With good reason.

This is starting to trouble me just a bit. I know that the front office is saying they aren't concerned, and obviously they would know much more than I do on the subject, but to have this happen again this spring just seems disconcerting. While it sounds like if this was the regular season he'd probably play, it worries me that this will be something that carries into the season. As most of you probably do, I get the twinges in my back and wouldn't want to try to be swinging a bat with that kind of discomfort.

Everything will be fine, right? It's only spring, it's only spring.....

However, with AP not being able to go yesterday, we weren't able to see Pujols and Holliday back-to-back. Matt Holliday was back in the lineup, which helped alleviate some concerns, because if both of them hobble to the starting line, there's going to be a lot of concerned Redbird faithful. Holliday seems to be completely healed up from the rib cage strain, swinging at full speed and getting a double against the Red Sox.

The biggest on-the-field news came on the pitching mound, though. Jaime Garcia threw against the Astros and was very solid, allowing only one run over four innings. As a pitcher, if you get Yadier Molina testifying for you, that has to go a long way. Garcia has done all he can this spring to get a roster slot and it does sound like Tony La Russa is watching. If Kyle McClellan or Rich Hill gives them a reason to send him down, they might, but right now Garcia might have edged in front of both of them.

Adam Ottovino got his relief appearance in and did fairly well. He struck out two, though he did allow a run. I don't think he pitched himself out of contention for a slot at all. As we examined yesterday, it's possible that he and Garcia would go north, though it'd take some other work to make that happen. I still think he's a bit of a longshot, but it could happen.

There are 31 left in camp after the Cards sent out some players yesterday. That leaves six more to remove, mainly in the pitching staff with Ruben Gotay getting sent down. Just two more weeks until the bell rings!

Two more Cardinal Approval Ratings to get to. Last year, Colby Rasmus was an unknown quantity, which was reflected in his low 66.0% score. After a full rookie season, Cardinal Nation has warmed somewhat to the quiet outfielder, bumping him up over ten points to 76.8%. Colby topped out at 95 and bottomed out at 49 over the 66 ballots.

John Rooney also was ranked last year, pulling in a 80.9% score. A number of voters didn't express an opinion this year, as he only showed up on 60 ballots but he stayed fairly steady, slipping down to 76.2%. Rooney hit both extremes, with one 100 and one 0.

Off-day for the Cardinals today, so hopefully Pujols will be back to work tomorrow!

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Back Against It

Posted on March 9, 2010 at 7:55 AM

The biggest news from Cardinals camp yesterday didn't come out of the matchup between the Cards and the Red Sox, between Chris Carpenter and Josh Beckett. The news of the day was made before the game even started and hopefully hasn't put the team's back to the wall.

Albert Pujols didn't make the trip yesterday as scheduled due to back stiffness, instead seeing a chiropractor for an adjustment. Now, anytime Pujols has so much as a hangnail, Cardinal Nation starts grabbing the paper bags, having hyperventilation of the non-prospect kind. For good reason, of course--as Pujols goes, so go the Cardinals. Even with the solid club that John Mozeliak has put together for 2010, the foundation is AP and without him, it's a much tougher climb.

If the reports coming out of the team are true, this is more precautionary than anything, that if it was the regular season he might play through it. We'll see more when he takes the field on Wednesday and hopefully this will be the last report of such things. It'd be a shame for him to finally have that elbow feeling good to be then sidelined by his back.

The game had some interesting facets as well. Carpenter wasn't sharp, it sounds like, but he was still fairly effective. It's always good to see Carp go out there and be the pitcher we know he can be. After so many injuries, last year seemed like a mirage--if you looked too close, it would vanish and those promises would be empty. It didn't happen last year, though, and as he said yesterday, you don't really worry about every start being his last. Well, at least too much.

Brendan Ryan is coming along quicker than expected, according to reports. Which is not the way Cardinal injuries usually go, but it's a welcome change. I'm still not 100% that Ryan won't start the year on the DL, but at least now it looks like the chances of that happening are starting to decrease.

It's a big day in prospect circles. There will be a lot of focus on the Nationals game, where Stephen Strasburg is to make his spring training debut, but closer to home, Shelby Miller is likely to get into today's game against the Twins. Odds are it'll be his last appearance with the big squad, getting sent to the minor league camp afterwards, but still it'll be intriguing to see him on the mound, giving the team a glimpse of the future.

Adam Wainwright should get the start today against Minnesota, so looking forward to seeing the Wagonmaker back in the saddle. And i you've not voted in the Cardinal Approval Ratings, best get to it!

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Splitting The Weekend

Posted on March 8, 2010 at 8:08 AM

Two games, one win.

The Cards finally broke the seal on the win column this weekend. After falling Saturday in extra innings to Florida, they were able to get a win against the Marlins on Sunday. Kyle McClellan had a very solid start, but had to since his main competition, Rich Hill, was just about as good. McClellan went three innings of one-hit ball, while Hill came in and struck out two in his two innings, though he did allow a wind-aided home run.

I don't know that this outing tells us a whole lot about McClellan, though probably a little bit. He's not an unknown quantity. We know that he can get batters out, especially in a short outing. He's gone two or three innings before in the bigs. (OK, three innings just once, but the point holds.) The key is going to be when he starts lengthening out his starts and facing the bats two or three times. Will he make adjustments? Will the batters catch up to him? Can he keep the focus and stamina through a longer time on the mound? While there's no indication that these questions will be answered in a negative fashion, we still need to wait until his next start (and possibly the one after that) to get a good feel for him as a starter.

In Hill's case, it was good to see that the "dead arm" he had earlier in camp has apparently cleared up, at least somewhat. Seeing if he can handle the longer outings will be something to keep an eye on as well. His command apparently was fairly strong, though he did throw as many pitches in two innings as McClellan did in three, which is something to watch. Both of these guys go again Friday, with Hill going first, and the most intriguing battle of the spring picks up again then.

The other news from the weekend was that the first cuts were made, as ten were sent to the minor league camp. While some of these guys will still get a little filler time with the big club during the spring, they'll do most of their work with the minor leaguers. Not really any surprises on there--Charlie Zink's blowup this week apparently cost him quickly--but I think the most surprising thing to me is that Shelby Miller wasn't on the list. His batterymate, Robert Stock, was, so I was expecting to see his name, especially since players will still go back and forth. Apparently they think there is still value in Miller hanging with the big kids. I'm looking forward to him getting into a game, and wouldn't be surprised if that doesn't happen today or tomorrow.

The UCB roundtable is still going strong, with the transcript of this weekend's question up over at Stan Musial's Stance. For the complete schedule and links to the transcripts that are up, check over here.

If you haven't already, be sure to put in your entry into the 2010 Cardinal Approval Ratings! Already 46 entries in, so I'm looking forward to how they shake out. The deadline is Friday, so head on over and get them in!

Today's an exciting matchup, even if it is spring training. The Cardinals travel over to Boston's spring training camp for a game that will pit Chris Carpenter against Josh Beckett. That one should be a lot of fun!

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Playing Pepper 2010: Boston Red Sox

Posted on February 26, 2010 at 11:57 AM

Last year before the season began, I posed five questions to a blogger for each team, so as to get to know the rest of baseball. I focus so heavily on the Cardinals that sometimes the rest of MLB can pass me by. That went very well, so much so that it spawned not only a postseason edition but was part of the impetus for the formation of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance.

So this year, I've brought Playing Pepper back, with a little bit of a twist. Instead of five questions, I posed 10 questions, and this year every team got the same set. Plus, tapping into those BBA connections, I sent them to every blogger representing that team in the BBA.

We'll try to do two a day in a general alphabetical order, but things may change depending on responses.

Boston Red Sox
2009 Finish: 95-67, second in the AL East, AL Wild Card, lost in ALDS

Ever since the Sox took card of the Cardinals in the 2004 World Series, I can't say that I've been a huge fan of the franchise. I've got some friends that follow them, as does my brother to some extent, but I've just not been that interested in the non-cursed version.

That said, the BBA has some excellent Boston bloggers and a number of them took the time to humor me and answer the Playing Pepper Ten. Inside, read the answers from Brian of BoSox Injection, Rob from The Bottom Line and Allan from The Joy of Sox.
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Postseason Playing Pepper: Boston Red Sox

Posted on October 6, 2009 at 10:00 PM

If you were reading this blog before this season started, you may remember a series I did called "Playing Pepper", where I asked five questions of a blogger covering each major league team. With the season coming to a close, I thought I'd tap into the talents of the newly formed Baseball Bloggers Alliance and ask five new questions of the bloggers covering the postseason teams.

The American League Wild Card has a familiar face, as the Red Sox seem to have owned that for the history of the WC. Of course, that doesn't make them any less dangerous in the postseason, as they've shown a couple of times in the past five years. I caught up with Christine of Boston Red Thoughts and Tim from Inside the Monster for their thoughts on the Boston club.

C70: What is the Red Sox's strength going into October?

ITM: The strength of the Red Sox heading into the playoffs is its' starting pitching. Many across baseball, in especially here in Boston, believe we have two number 1 starters in Josh Beckett and Jon Lester. There has been questions about each players' health after Beckett was scratched from his last start and Lester took a line drive off his knee/quad in NY last weekend. Lester will start tonight and Beckett on Saturday, presumably meaning Lester will start game 1 of the ALDS. Couple that with Clay Buchholz and Daisuke Matsuzaka pitching well down the stretch and one would assume this team goes as far as their starting pitching takes them.

I would also consider the bullpen a strength of this team with 3 power arms in Bard, Wagner and Papelbon. Lastly the veterans on this team and playoff experience can't hurt. The majority of this team went to game 7 of the ALCS last year, and another high percentage of those players won the World Series in 2007. Players like Ortiz, Becket, Pedoria and Youk have been around the block in October before.

BRT: When they are firing on all cylinders, I like their chances against any team in a short series. This Red Sox team is well rounded and, with the exception of a bit of a shaky bench, could win it all...

C70: What worries you about the team?

BRT: The injuries--as with every team, it's the end of the year--they are tired, and beat up. But it's the little nagging injuries that could really hurt the Sox, Jed Lowrie's wrist, JD Drew's shoulder, Mike Lowell's hip, Josh Beckett's back, etc etc...

ITM: A few things worry me about this Sox team. First is their line up ability to hit good pitching. The addition of Victor Martinez in the middle of line up definitely makes them more formidable, however in game 7 of the ALCS in 2008 they scored 1 run and lost 3-1. Matt Garza shut them down in that game and Zack Greinke shut down the Sox last week in KC. The Angels pitching staff doesn't worry me as much, but pitchers like Sabathia and Verlander can definitely quiet the Sox bats.

Secondly, the health of some key players worries me. Mike Lowell got a cortisone shot in his hip yesterday and Josh Beckett had a back spasm which was reported as minor but still kept me up for a few nights.

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A Lost Cardinal Weekend

Posted on March 30, 2009 at 9:30 AM

Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Three games that the Cardinals played against AL foes. Two of them with what portends to be close to the Opening Day lineup. And the Cardinals couldn't win any of them.

None of them were blowouts and the Cards had a chance to win at least two of them, but still, running into this kind of streak after such a strong spring training is a little disappointing. You'd hope that it's just one of those things, some strong opposition more than a struggling team, but the team has lost a total of five in a row, which doesn't completely coincide with the World Baseball Classic wrapping up and players returning to camp, but enough that you have to start wondering whether some of that early spring success was inflated due to the fact the Cards didn't have much depletion of their roster.

Let's take a quick look at the games. Friday, they lost on the road to the Red Sox 11-8 in extra innings. This one almost was a spectacular game, as the Cards scored four in the ninth to take the lead, only to cough it up in the bottom of the inning. There were good things from the game, of course. David Freese had a great game, going three for four with a home run and driving in two. Khalil Greene and Albert Pujols both had two hits. Chris Perez threw an inning and struck out two.

The disturbing thing, though, was the outing of Kyle Lohse, who gave up 11 hits and six runs (five earned) in five innings. The Sox hit him hard, but Lohse did dance out of trouble until the sixth, where it really came crashing down on him. Dennys Reyes didn't really set the world on fire either, allowing three hits and a run in his inning of work.

Of course, days like that happen and if it wasn't in the middle of a five-game losing streak, maybe it gets shaken off. But so often in spring we look for signs and portents in everything, so outings like that within a couple of weeks of the start of the season can raise some eyebrows.

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Crafting Another Victory

Posted on March 13, 2009 at 8:47 AM

For a spring training game, yesterday's matchup with the Boston Red Sox was a darn good pitching matchup. Josh Beckett went for the visitors and allowed nothing over four innings. The good news for Cardinal fans is that Chris Carpenter did the same.

That's three strong starts for Carp, who hasn't allowed an earned run this spring. It's good to see him extending his outings as well. He notes that he'd like to be around 90 pitches by Opening Day, which could get him into the sixth if he's efficient with them. Everyone continues to knock on any wooden surface around, but it sure looks like Carpenter has kept the form that won him the Cy Young in 2005.

Good day for Joe Mather. His first home run of the spring was a two-run walk-off job that brought the win home for St. Louis. Joe Thurston didn't want to be left out of any potential second base derby and showed it, going three for four with two doubles.

There was some pretty solid pitching all the way around as well. Trever Miller allowed a run in his inning, which is a little disconcerting. You can't have him having too many innings where he allows two hits and a walk when the regular season comes around. More good stuff out of Blake Hawksworth, though, pitching three innings and allowing just one hit, though he allowed a run as well.

Josh Kinney pitched a sparkling ninth, striking out two, and then was rewarded with the win when Mather went yard. I expect this won't be the last ninth inning that he'll see this year. Having options like him, Chris Perez and Jason Motte will make the late innings a little more livable this year.

Doubleheader day for the Cards as they split the squad, both against Baltimore. Game 1 this afternoon has Kyle McClellan getting the starting nod with this lineup behind him:

Schumaker 4
Thurston 5
Pujols 3
Freese DH
Jay 7
K Greene 6
Anderson 2
Stavinhoa 9
Rasmus 8

Skip's back at second, but with a split squad game it'd be really telling if he wasn't. Nice to see Colby back in the lineup as well after his hamstring issue.

Nightcap puts Joel Pineiro on the mound with the following support:

Ryan 6
T Greene 5
Ankiel 8
Ludwick 9
Duncan 3
Mather 7
Barton DH
Pagnozzi 2
Hoffpauir 4

I'm a little surprised Tyler Greene isn't getting some reps at second today, but maybe they want to leave him as utility and see if Hoffpauir has a chance to make the cut.

What's great about the Cardinal system right now is that both lineups look pretty intriguing. Wish I was in Florida to watch them!

To wrap up, let's look at the approval ratings. Dave Duncan did a little better than I thought he might, posting an 84.2% rating. That includes my 85%, which would have been higher if he'd been a little better about dealing with the whole Anthony Reyes situation. I still think that's something that may come back and bite us.

Today, we'll move to his son. Chris has a reputation for crudeness, as witnessed by the famous World Series trophy picture, and his injuries have led to discussions of nepotism and wondering what people see in him. On the flip side, though, when he's healthy he's a very potent bat and comes cheap as well.

So where on the 0-100 scale do you rank Chris Duncan? Leave your answers in the comments!

Filed Under: Approval Ratings | Boston Red Sox | St. Louis Cardinals Comments (2)

Playing Pepper 2009: Boston Red Sox

Posted on February 10, 2009 at 11:30 AM

As the players start getting themselves ready for another season, I thought it'd be a good idea to do the same. I contacted a blogger for each major league team and posed them five questions. This is the result. You can find the tentative schedule of teams here and today's main post is right here.

You know, at one point I kinda liked the Red Sox.

It was kinda like appreciating the Cubs without it being the Cubs, you know? You saw the history, you saw the pathos, and they were kinda interesting for a fan of baseball.

After 2004 and the win over the Cardinals, not as much. Call it a personal bias. I am fairly sure I will never watch Fever Pitch--that grudge will last for a while.

Thankfully, Allan at The Joy of Sox was willing to see past that and answer a few questions about that other high-payroll powerhouse team from the Northeast.
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Small News, But News Nonetheless

Posted on October 20, 2008 at 10:29 PM

A couple of notes from the wide world of Cardinal baseball. Is anyone else like me, hoping for a short World Series so we can get to the Hot Stove League even faster?

In news that ranks just below "the sun came up this morning" and "the Cubs lost in the playoffs", the Cardinals bought out the contract of Mark Mulder. There was no way that the Cardinals were going to pick up an $11 million option even if Mulder had been reasonably healthy. He's not, though, so that was a no-brainer. I'd be surprised if they even considered signing him to an incentive-laden deal like they did with Matt Clement this year. Sometimes, you just have to turn the page.

Bernie says the Cardinals aren't a player for Peavy. Can't say that's a huge surprise, given what Peavy commands salary-wise and the other issues that the Cardinals have in that department. I figure the Lohse signing also helped put a crimp into those plans. Wonder if they'd have gone ahead with that extension if they had thought they had a chance for Peavy?

Now, it could be a smokescreen to keep the price down, but I don't think so. For once, it's not that the Cardinals don't have the chips to trade for him, it's the other issues. But like Bernie says, if he winds up in the NL Central and it's not with the Cardinals, there could be some irate people.

Congratulations to the Tampa Bay Rays. It's great to see a team develop some young players and make some October noise. And it is also good to see a Series without the Red Sox in it. After 2004, I've not been that much of a fan of that organization. While the Phillies and Rays may not be the best ratings the World Series has ever had, it should be some interesting baseball. I'd love the Rays to pull it off, but I think Philadelphia celebrates after the Obama-delayed Game 6. (C'mon, delaying the World Series? You'd think someone would have told him not to mess with the baseball!)

Postseason Preview

Posted on October 1, 2008 at 11:07 AM

So the quiet season begins. Not much is likely to happen between now and the end of the World Series relating to the Cardinals. I've got a few blogging projects in the works for the rest of the month, but nothing that I can start on right now. And being that I'll be out of pocket tomorrow, this could be the last post of the week.

Thankfully, we have postseason baseball to discuss. No Redbirds, but it's still baseball. Caveat before beginning: I've looked back at some of my preseason predictions and comments in the UCB roundtable. I'd not suggest paying all that much attention to any picks I might make!

Let's take a look at the American League first. Last night's exciting playoff game means that Chicago now has to go to Tampa Bay and get started tomorrow. Tampa Bay has been an amazing story this year and you just keep wondering when it is going to end. But a team that can play all year in a division with the Red Sox and Yankees isn't going anywhere all that easily.

The consensus pick seems to be the Rays and I personally can't argue with that. You'd think Chicago would eventually run out of momentum after three elimination games in a row, though it didn't seem to phase the Rockies much last year. The Rays should have Carl Crawford back in the lineup for the series, which just adds a weapon to their lineup. The Sox will be tough, but I'm going with the Rays in 4.

The other series is Boston vs. Los Angeles. I really like the Angels. They've got a solid rotation and an impressive lineup that can beat you in a number of ways. Adding Mark Teixeria has really given them the thumper that they needed. Boston has a lot of weapons as well, though they may miss Manny Ramirez in the series. Then again, if they get Mike Lowell and JD Drew back, maybe not. Still, I'm going Angels in 5.

Moving over to the National League we find Milwaukee vs. Philadelphia. Great to see another NL Central team get in, even if it's one the Cardinals have had issues with the last couple of years. That said, it's going to be a very tough road for the Brewers. Getting Yovanni Gallardo back to start Game 1 is a nice boost, but he's been out of action for a while. Losing Sheets before the series is a really big blow. Because until Sabathia can go three straight games, they will need other pitchers.

Philadelphia has its weaknesses as well, as their rotation can be gotten to. But having Brad Lidge out there, at least theoretically past The Homer, could be a great equalizer. If the Phillies lead after 7 or 8, they've got to feel confident they are going to win. I'm not sure the Breweres can say the same thing. I'm going with the experts: Phillies in 4.

Which leaves us with just one series. A series that none of us really wanted to see. Anytime historical Chicago things are happening, it scares a lot of Cardinal fans. The biggest key for the Cubs is Carlos Zambrano. If he blows up, the Dodgers win this series, I believe. I think Lowe can win Game 1, Harden will probably win Game 3. If you get into the last two games up by one, you've got a great chance.

There's, of course, no way I'm picking the Cubs, even if I thought they were a lock. I do think the Dodgers can hang with the Cubs, though, and if they can stay around until the middle relievers, they can feast there. I probably won't watch much of this series due to the agonizing stress of the possibility of the Cubs winning, but I'm still going to go: Dodgers in 4.

Games start this afternoon. We'll see how accurate these are in a week!