Recently in Boston Red Sox Category

Back Against It

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.

Splitting The Weekend

Two games, one win.

Playing Pepper 2010: Boston Red Sox

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

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.   Continue Reading

A Lost Cardinal Weekend

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

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!

Playing Pepper 2009: Boston Red Sox

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

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

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!

The Final Wrapup

Sadly, the season is now over.  Let's take a quick look at the last four games.

Thursday
Hero: Albert Pujols.  3-3, a HR, 4 RBI.....what else do you want from him?
Goat: Wow, tough to find one in a 12-3 win.  In possibly the toughest call yet, we'll go with Jason LaRue.  Even though he drove in two, he was 1-5 and left nine on base.
Notes: Really take no pleasure in eliminating the Diamondbacks, but that's the way it goes.

Friday
Hero: Troy Glaus.  You bring in the game winner, you get the tag.  Though Pujols and Felipe Lopez laid claims as well.
Goat: Ryan Franklin.  It wouldn't be the same without some bullpen meltdowns in the last week, would it?
Notes: Pujols ran his consecutive hits streak to seven in this game.  Too bad there wasn't about another week or two, or that Chipper had been healthy enough to play.  Albert might have gotten another batting title.

Saturday
Hero: Ryan Ludwick.  Two for three while filling a lot of columns in the box score.  Plus he didn't leave anyone on base.
Goat: Chris Perez.  They weren't earned, but he's going to have to do a better job of keeping runs from scoring if he wants the closer role next year.
Notes: You know, if the Cards could have played this well against teams they were supposed to beat, this might have been a different season.

Sunday
Hero: Felipe Lopez.  4-5, 2 runs, 3 RBI.  VEB's got a discussion of Lopez up today.  I'm in the "bring him back" camp, because something seems to have clicked for him in St. Louis.  He'd definitely be a step up from most of our middle infielders.
Goat: Kelvim Jimenez.  A good game all around for most everyone, but Jimenez gives up a HR to the first batter he faces.  Not good, even in a blowout game.
Notes: Awesome way to end the season.  Players get pulled for standing Os, no real drama, just a fun day at the ballpark.

And apparently Kyle Lohse will be a Cardinal for a while longer.  The team has a press conference today which should be to announce his long-term contract.  Leaving the money issue alone for the moment, two things about this struck me.  One, the Cardinals were able to get a Scott Boras client to sign without testing free agency.  Granted, Lohse's experience in the FA market last year wasn't quite what he was looking for, but still you'd have to think coming off a 15 win season instead of a 9-12 season would get a number of teams interested.  I wonder if this is a case of the client telling the agent, "This is where I want to be.  Make it work."

Secondly, in my mind it means they are very concerned about Chris Carpenter.  Getting Lohse now means that they have a bird in the hand, so to speak, when they go out into the free agent market.  They can get a #3 type starter and not have to go for broke on a Burnett or something like that.  You have Wainwright, Lohse, Wellemeyer locked in for next year.  Get a FA and the fifth slot could be filled with Carpenter, if his health issues actually clear up, Pineiro, Garcia, Boggs--there are a lot of options.  If you think Carp's going to be good to go from day 1, though, I think you wait and see what you can get on the market, maybe sign Looper back because he'll be cheaper.

Speaking of, that should be the end of Looper in a Cardinal uniform, something that kind of surprises me.  Being that he was such a personal project of Dave Duncan and Tony LaRussa and that he'd been basically as effective, mostly, as Lohse, I figured that the Cards would go after him first.  I guess it's possible they'd bring him back, but I think if they go into next year with the same starting rotation, people would be a little restless.  Though it's true that's not the weakness they really have to address.

John Mozeliak said that this offseason would be "aggressive and creative".  I'm not sure that Lohse counts on the creative side (unless it opens more options) but it definitely is aggressive.  We'll talk about the money when we are sure what it is.

Postseason baseball will be a topic here as well.  First off, I can almost guarantee that the Tigers win today.  Every couple of years, these scenarios come up where a game will have to be played Tuesday and things will be thrown out of kilter.  It never fails that something happens to keep that scenario on paper instead of reality.  If the Tigers win today, that would follow that script.

The Angels are going to be a tough team for anyone to beat.  With Beckett not getting to go twice, the Sox are already at a disadvantage, though it's not like they are a weak club.  That should be a good series, but I'd go with the Angels.

In the National League, I think you have to give Philadelphia the edge since Sheets is out for the Brewers.  Sabathia's proven his worth, but even he can't win three games in a five game series.  On the other side, I sincerely hope the Dodgers will take out the Cubs.  If Zambrano is more like the Zambrano the Cards beat around recently, there's a decent chance.  If he's on, especially in a short series, he and Harden will push the Cubs to the NLCS.

A big UCB project is in the works.  More on that later.

Also on the Network: √ No Love for Aubrey Huff's Glove [El Lefty Malo] √ A Bit Of Shea In WWE's Hall Of Fame [Loge 13] √ Off Day Miscellany [C70 At The Bat] √ Playing Pepper 2010: San Diego Padres [C70 At The Bat] √ Joe Alexander Joins Club Trillion [Tremendous Upside Potential] √ Camp Cuts, Quickly [El Lefty Malo] √ Things to Read: 3/17 [Tremendous Upside Potential] √ In re Torres v. Velez [El Lefty Malo]