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Recently in Los Angeles Dodgers CategoryWho Are These Guys?Posted on July 19, 2010 at 10:34 AM
Is it possible that, during the All-Star Break, aliens abducted the St. Louis Cardinals and replaced them with clones? Or that Tony La Russa gives an amazing motivational talk when he has three days to prepare? It could be, perhaps, that this is a great starting team, as they tore up the beginning of the first half as well.Whatever the reason, it hardly seems like the same squad that frustrated us so much in the first 81 games. After winning the first two games, it'd have been easy to see things slip away. Instead, the Cards pull off the sweep and tie their longest winning streak of the year. Of course, when you have Adam Wainwright going at home, no matter what half you are in, you are looking good. After Saturday's game, Waino is 10-0 with a 1.31 ERA at Busch Stadium. If I remember the stat from SportsCenter correctly, that ties Hal Neuhauser for the best ERA at home this deep into a season. What I also found interesting is that Wainwright is now second in the NL in ERA, passing up Ubaldo Jimenez. He's only one win behind Jimenez, who has been the frontrunner for the Cy Young for quite some time. Josh Johnson is a threat as well, with his 1.62 ERA, but if Waino keeps it close in that category, the fact that right now he has four more wins than Johnson should come into play. There was a line of thought that Waino had peaked too soon, finishing in the top three in the Cy Young the year before his contract rewarded him for it. It's looking like top three just might be where he's going to reside for a while. With the heat, TLR didn't push Wainwright, so you have to give credit to the bullpen, who had done great work the night before and held the Dodgers scoreless in this one as well. Save the occasional hiccup (of which we will discuss soon), the bullpen has been fairly solid most of the year, the Colorado series excluded. Kyle McClellan has especially stepped up, posting an ERA under 2 and, in a world where there were some bullpen arms (say, perhaps, Chris Perez and Jess Todd), he'd have made his bid to be that fifth starter. Instead, he's made himself too valuable to move out of the 'pen. On the downside, Colby Rasmus really looked lost in this game. Three strikeouts in a 0-4 day is not what we want to see out of the youngster, though the report afterwards that he's feeling some weakness in his legs may have led to some of that. It also makes me worried that, at least for some folks, he's going to become the next JD Drew--a talented outfielder that doesn't show much emotion and often has some sort of ailment. I never was one of those that was hard on Drew and I don't think people are going that way with Rasmus now, but the similarities are starting to be there. So the series is won, the heat is strong, and so TLR runs out the scrubs on Sunday, with no Rasmus, Albert Pujols, or Yadier Molina. There is no way this team wins this game in the first half of the season. Yet these clones found a way. Honestly, after Mitchell Boggs had done his meltdown and allowed three runs in the game, I was fairly sure the game was over. I mean, a four-run lead with the big guns in the Dodger bullpen available? I really was thinking that Matt Holliday's flyout with the bases loaded and two out the inning before was the game-changer. A hit there, they get a lead, things maybe are different. 4-0 with these guys, though? Pack it away. And yet, it wasn't. Allen Craig had the two innings of his life so far in the bigs, driving in the first two runs and then, down to the final strike of the game, tying it up with a single off of Jonathan Broxton. Everyone did their part, as Pujols even got the count to 3-2 before hitting it sharply to short for the last out of the eighth. Those extra pitches added up for Broxton, and after Craig's tying single, it was just a matter of time before the Cardinals won. Holliday didn't make them wait long with his long RBI walk-off single. It's the first time in a long while that I have been so wrapped up in a game. I was able to watch almost all of Sunday's contest and, even though the temptation was there to turn it off after Boggs's outing, I'm glad I stayed with it. The eighth and ninth were impeccable dramas, the kind that it seemed teams earlier in the last decade turned out with semi-regularity. It's hard not to feel that a special second half is coming. And I've given a lot of grief to Brendan Ryan over the months, so I have to salute him when he comes through. He had a hit, drew two walks in situations where, as he did Friday night, he could have been too aggressive and swung, and then got down the sacrifice in the late rally. (Trust me, I think he could hear me yelling to get the bunt down after he popped up his first attempt!) I'd like to see Ryan make the comeback as well, though he's looked like he was in the past and then regressed. The Reds lost yesterday, so the Cards are in first by half a game as they face the Phillies while the Reds get the Nationals (and, on Wednesday, Stephen Strasburg). If the Redbirds are still in first when they hit Chicago Friday, look out NL Central. Mark McGwire has been pretty quiet this season. It's a little jarring when they pan the dugout and you see him there, white beard and all, taking notes and watching the action. There hasn't been a lot stirring around him, though there have been questions whether he's been effective with the team. After this weekend, though, he's pretty proud of his charges. Perhaps they have finally adjusted to the new guy. We'll have to wait and see. The last comment on yesterday's game: I note in the McGwire story the note that Joe Torre, who was having his birthday yesterday as well as Allen Craig, had a worse birthday game when he managed St. Louis, being up 11-0 and losing 15-12. That is one game that is burned into my brain. I still remember watching that one, since we got the Houston sports station back then, and just couldn't believe how the Cardinals were collapsing. It's proof that, in baseball, it ain't over until it's over. We sit now 13 days from the trade deadline. John Mozeliak, fresh off his well-deserved extension, is going to have to make a move for a pitcher since it looks like, at this rate, we've seen the last of Brad Penny and we can't be entirely sure when Kyle Lohse will return. There's no way a championship-level rotation should have both Suppan and Blake Hawksworth in it. If nothing else, it wears down the bullpen. What Mo is going to do, I don't know, but hopefully he'll come up with something. Cards and Phillies tonight on FSMW and ESPN. St. Louis does face noted Cardinal killer Kyle Kendrick. Statistics against the current crop of Birds:
Hawksworth goes for the Cardinals. He's been pretty good as a starter, but that Philadelphia lineup, even though it is struggling somewhat, still has a lot of problems in it. His stats against the team, though numbers in relief may not be predictive of his approach to the players as a starter:
Filed Under: Heroes and Goats
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Turning The Corner?Posted on July 17, 2010 at 9:29 AM
It's just been two games. This team has teased a change before and fallen back into frustrating inconsistency. However, with these two games, I really think that, at least temporarily, the Cardinals are on the right track for once.Let's start with Thursday's game. The Cardinals, with a win in their last outing and Chris Carpenter on the mound, would have looked to be in good shape. Then again, they were facing Clayton Kershaw, a very good lefty who had beaten them when the Cards went out to LA, striking out 10 in that game. Going by experience with the 2010 squad, as a fan you go into this game hoping to keep it close until the bullpen comes in, but not exactly with a load of confidence. Instead, though, St. Louis comes out, scores two runs in the first and then continues to pile on. Normally, bases loaded none out with this team doesn't necessarily mean a run, but they were able to get a couple of RBI groundouts. With Chris Carpenter on, that's all that you need. Whatever mechanical issues Carp was having, for at least one night he had them ironed out, allowing only one run over eight innings. I don't think we'll see this every time out--Carp's going to be a little erratic--but if he's close to this kind of form down the stretch, it's going to be a wonderful thing for the squad. It wasn't just the pitching, though, which is the key. The pitching, for the most part, has been pretty good this year, at least at the front of the rotation. The key to this game was that the offense never hit a dead spot, never just stalled out. Everyone contributed something. Allen Craig had his first two RBI with a groundout and a deep sac fly. Albert Pujols had three hits. Matt Holliday had a hit and two walks. Yadier Molina went 2-4 with an RBI. Felipe Lopez and Colby Rasmus both had a hit and a walk at the top of the lineup. Everything went smoothly. Well, everything but one player. Brendan Ryan again had an 0-4, which in this game was bad enough to get you the Goat since no one else had that problem. What cemented it, in my mind, was his at-bat in the fourth. With runners on second and third, one out, Ryan runs a 3-0 count. Everyone in the park knew that Ryan wasn't going to swing at the next pitch. Everyone, that is, save Ryan himself. Kershaw threw ball 4 inside, but Ryan went after it and popped it up to first. There is no way a guy like Ryan, hitting under .200, should ever be swinging in that situation, especially when the ball isn't right down the middle. He should take his walk and be grateful he's on base. It was more painful since Lopez came up and doubled in a run immediately after that. I don't know who the Cardinals might be targeting--there are rumors they are looking at Stephen Drew, which would be interesting due to the way his brother left St. Louis--but I think Ryan's days playing shortstop in a Birds on the Bat jersey are numbered. While there were a lot of good signs from Thursday's game, putting it together with Friday's outing is what really makes me think things might be a-changin'. First off, it seems like Yadier Molina might have needed that All-Star break. For the second straight night, he gets more than one hit, and this time he puts one out of the park as well. Granted, it wasn't the best night by a Molina in the majors last night, but it was up there. Second, for the second straight game the team continued to pile on runs. They scored in each of the first five innings, not being content with that early three-run lead. Again, the offense didn't stop, as every batter had at least one hit last night. Allen Craig got a hit off the bench. Tyler Greene had a pair of hits, further marginalizing Ryan. Even one of Tony La Russa's questionable decisions paid dividends, which hasn't been a guarantee this season. He inserted Randy Winn due to his good history against Chad Billingsley instead of riding the hot hand in Jon Jay. Winn then tripled in two runs and had another hit to boot. When you are going good, you are going good. A couple of pitchers, though, marred the outing. First, Jaime Garcia couldn't get through the fourth, allowing a lot of hits, but limiting the Dodgers to two runs in the third. Hopefully he'll get on track, because his ERA over his last five starts is 4.56, and that counts the seven shutout innings he threw against Milwaukee. I expect that the Cardinals will be pretty careful about monitoring him the rest of the way and, if they do make a trade and an injured starter returns, they may skip him in the rotation once or twice to make sure he's good for October. Still, I think you give the Goat tag to Jason Motte, because he gave up as many runs in 2/3rds of an inning as Garcia did in just over three. It could have easily been worse--if Dennys Reyes doesn't get out Andre Ethier, that game gets a lot tighter and some of the visions of the Colorado series emerge from our nightmares. With the win, the Cardinals have their first three-game winning streak since the end of April. Hopefully this break will turn the page on the inconsistency of the first half and let the full talent of this team come out. The Cards get to send out All-Star Adam Wainwright to lock up a series win this afternoon against Hiroki Kuroda. The Dodgers are one of the few teams that got to Wainwright this season, as he allowed four runs in six innings against them out in LA. Historically.....
Kuroda shut down the Cards in LA, throwing seven scoreless innings. In the past, most of the Cards haven't been able to do much with him.
Before I leave you in this rare Saturday posting, I want to bring up a charity that the Baseball Bloggers Alliance are taking up. It's called Pitch In For Baseball. Pitch In For Baseball collects new and lightly used baseball equipment and ships it around the globe, spreading the word of baseball to countries that might not know much about it. I'd like to ask for your help. Don't worry, it doesn't take anything but just a few moments of your time. State Farm is having a contest where you can enter to win World Series tickets. It's part of their Go To Bat promotion. When you sign up, you have the opportunity to select the charity you are playing for. If you look under "public benefit", you'll find PIFB. Will you go over there and enter, using PIFB as your charity? At worst, you've spent a couple of moments. (There's a game to play to increase your chances at getting tickets, but I hope you have more success than I did, since I couldn't hit the ball at all!) At best, you win World Series tickets. Seems like a no-brainer to me. I hope you'll help out and I hope you have a great weekend!
Caution: Brooms In UsePosted on June 10, 2010 at 11:05 AM
You know you are in a skid when neither Chris Carpenter nor Adam Wainwright can stop it. Save for Ryan Ludwick's three-run homer, the Cardinal bats were again quiet last night. Yadier Molina was a bit too powerful in the ninth, getting a ground-rule double instead of the regular sort that would have scored Albert Pujols. Then again, if something is going to go wrong with this team, it's likely going to happen right about now. Pujols was a strike away from having a hitless series, his second of the year. I thought I'd go back and see how many hitless series he's had in the past and if there was any pattern the hits he got, whether he usually went through these cycles. Then the charts that I made were too crowded and it took me too long to go through the last five years, much less the beginning of his career, but let me see what we have. First off, there are 52 series a year. Here's the number of the first series AP went hitless: 2010: 15 (vs. LA Angels) 2009: 34 (vs. Houston) 2008: 21 (at Houston) 2007: 5 (vs. Pittsburgh--two game series) 2006: 9 (at Cincinnati--two game series and only played game one) So he's done the hitless thing earlier in the year. In fact, in 2006, he had two hitless series by this time. How many hits has he had by this time in those year? 2010: 67 2009: 66 2008: 76 2007: 63 2006: 57 So even if the hits aren't necessarily of the form we are used to or timed when we'd like to see them, he's within his general range. Let's project, if we can. The Cards just finished their 20th series. What has Pujols done in series 21-25? 2009: 19 hits 2008: 1 hit (missed three complete series with a DL stint) 2007: 17 hits 2006: 6 hits (missed three complete series with a DL stint) If Albert can stay healthy, this is about the time he really picks up some steam. He's always been one of the best interleague hitters, and that's where this usually falls on the schedule. After this upcoming Arizona series, there are four straight series against AL opponents. If history is any indication, he'll get a bit of a kickstart there. Rough night for Skip Schumaker last night, with three strikeouts in three at-bats. The dropoff of Schumaker and Ryan has been a large part of the weakness in the offense. There's got to be more than Pujols and Matt Holliday, and while Ludwick and Colby Rasmus are doing their part, contributions from other sources would help out. As for Wainwright, well, you can't be perfect all the time. We knew from looking at the numbers yesterday that the Dodgers had been able to handle him in the past and it sounds like the strike zone wasn't in his favor at all. He limited the damage after Manny Ramirez's blast in the first inning, though that single by Blake Dewitt proved to be the difference. Nothing too concerning, just a bump in the road that came at the wrong time for a team that needed a win. After some initial "no, we're fine" talk, it looks like the club is out searching for pitching options. My discussion of them going after Cliff Lee and picking up salary may not be that out of whack, though it's not discussed in the story. They don't want to pay for Kevin Millwood, but that's not surprising since he's owed $12 million this year and, though they are overrated and not quite his fault, doesn't have a win for the Orioles. (Lee's only at $8 million for the year, and I still think with the Type A status he'll be bestowed, it's completely worth a push.) Brian Bannister's name comes up in that story and he'd probably get along famously with Dave Duncan, though you wouldn't want to spend too much in the prospect line for him. However, any discussion about Jeff Suppan really needs to be nipped in the bud. Loved Soup while he was here, but everyone knew he wouldn't be able to sustain it in Milwaukee, at least not for the length of the contract. Last year, his numbers were 5.29 (ERA), 1.69 (WHIP) and .306 (BAA). It would be difficult for an effective pitcher to do worse than that, but this year they are 7.84/2.00/.388. He's 35, which isn't out of the realm of possibility for a pitcher to bounce back, but being that he wasn't exactly top notch to start with and really can't change his pitching style all that much, even a league minimum deal is more than he's probably worth right now. Cards get a day off, which is huge since that should mean Rasmus and David Freese will be ready to go for Arizona. We'll try to take a look at Friday's game tomorrow morning.
Cardinals Struggling In LAPosted on June 9, 2010 at 9:48 AM
You know, when the offense is clicking, you think things are just going to roll on forever. However, even with an offense like the Cardinals', when you take out a couple of pieces, the Jenga tower apparently falls down. Another game without David Freese or Colby Rasmus turns into a 1-0 loss. Chris Carpenter deserved better, of course. No runs in seven innings usually should be rewarded with a win, but so often this season it hasn't been. Being a late game, I didn't get to see much of it at all, but from reading the recaps it doesn't look like there were a lot of opportunities. Two on and one out late might have been the best chance, but Yadier Molina grounded into a double play. More distressing is that Albert Pujols struck out three times, including with a runner on second in the first inning. A hit there might have changed the complexion of the game, but even without it, it is rare that AP goes down on strikes three times in a game. It's the first time he's done it this year, though he's struck out twice in a game four times. More surprisingly, given his history, he right now has only ten more walks than strikeouts. Maybe Arizona will get him back on a tear or he might get started tonight. (More on that in a bit.) Before I leave last night's game, though, I want to direct you over to Dodgerfan.net. Chris was a credentialed member of the media last night and got pre-game and post-game quotes from the Dodgers. First off, it's extremely cool what some teams are doing for their bloggers (and I'm pushing the Cardinals to move in that direction) and second, it's always good to see what the opposition is saying, right? Even after Carpenter's outing, though, the pitching is still the biggest concern. Dave Duncan doesn't think that PJ Walters, Blake Hawksworth or Adam Ottavino really should be any part of a championship-level rotation right now. The team followed up on that by sending Walters back to Memphis and bringing back Fernando Salas. However, that's a short term fix, if that. What's next? The story indicates that the club doesn't want to make a trade if they think Kyle Lohse will be back in August. One, Lohse isn't coming back this year. I know that it is still up in the air and I'm far from the most qualified person to make any kind of diagnosis, but let's be honest. The man had a surgery that no other pitcher has had. Two months seemed to be the shortest amount of time that he could be out, and Cardinal history indicates that most of the time, the shortest amount of time turns out to be way too optimistic. Secondly, I don't think you can wait until August to patch this rotation. They believe that Brad Penny is going to be back in two weeks and they'll be able to juggle and not need a fifth starter much while he's out. While that's all possible, you have to remember that Penny was starting to struggle some even before he was hurt. He's not likely to recapture that April magic entirely, especially after being out six weeks or so. With Jaime Garcia having to come back to earth some, having another established, solid pitcher in the mix is really advantageous. It's not that the Cards are up 10 games and are in the position to just fine-tune. The Reds aren't likely to just go quietly into that good night. They've had their troubles on the West Coast this week as well, but they still are tied with the Cards for first place here in early June. Right now, the Cards wouldn't win the wild-card either, though they'd be in the hunt. In my mind, what it boils down to is that you've got to push. You sit around and be comfortable with what you have and hope on returning guys and chances are you'll be sitting around in October--which won't sit well when Pujols is sitting down for contract talks. On another front, the Cardinals picked 29 players yesterday in the second day of the 2010 draft, but the most intriguing name may have come mid-day in the 12th round. Austin Wilson is very unlikely to sign, being a guy that most everyone sees going to college, but there have been players that have fallen like he did that have gone ahead and signed, surprising everyone. What I'd love to see is the Cardinals, realizing that they are going to need relatively cheap talent in the future around a re-signed Pujols, go all-in on this draft. Look, Stephen Strasburg's contract, which was recordbreaking, breaks down like this: $2 million this year, $2.5 million next year, $3 million in 2012. After seeing last night's outing, don't you think that he's a huge bargain? I mean, Lohse is getting almost $12 million this year. Paying top dollar for young draft talent is cheaper than finding it on the free agent market. So, if they really think both Zack Cox and Austin Wilson can be difference-makers at the major league level (and the reviews on Wilson especially are amazingly glowing), pay them now. Give Wilson $5 million and tell him he can go to college if it doesn't work out or help him do it around baseball if at all possible. If Pujols is going to be costing the team $30 million a year or so, you've got to have productive players at lower salaries and this is the best way to do it. That said, I can't believe the Cards will make that kind of commitment and Wilson will likely be at Stanford come August. At least they have a chance, though. On a related note, if you want to see how the prospects already in the system stack up, check out the new prospect depth chart over at Cardinals Front Office. Jay's redone the site as well, so check out the whole new look. Throwing one ace at the Dodgers didn't work, so now St. Louis brings out the really big gun. Adam Wainwright, though, actually hasn't had a lot of success against the batters in blue:
However, even if they do, it's going to be a tough call for the Redbirds to miss out on being swept. Clayton Kershaw has some pretty good numbers against the club:
Cards really need to pull one out tonight, but it's going to be tough. Should be another great pitching duel, though!
Miserable Present, Intriguing FuturePosted on June 8, 2010 at 7:06 AM
Exactly what do you say about last night's debacle of a game? The Hero is obvious, with Ryan Ludwick hitting two home runs and being the largest part of an offense that never really got on track. Facing a pitcher they've never seen before, the Cardinals again struggled.That said, the offense wasn't anywhere close to the story. With Brad Penny and Kyle Lohse out, the start turned into one of those Tony La Russa specials, the bullpen game. Why they decided to start Blake Hawksworth instead of PJ Walters, I'm not sure. Don't get me wrong, I'm giving the Goat tag to Walters, so I don't know that he'd have done any better in that starting slot than Hawksworth, but at least Walters has been conditioned to start and has done so recently. Hawksworth hasn't even pitched a lot lately. I'm guessing they wanted to see if Hawk could move into the rotation, but I'm not sure this was a fair test. Then again, after he got out of the first inning trouble that he made, Hawksworth did settle down before likely tiring in the fourth. While the game was likely out of reach when Walters came in, he made sure it was by giving up four runs in the first, pushing the Dodger lead to 10-1 and making the rest of the game pretty much academic. The Cardinal offense might be hitting better, but that's pushing it, especially when David Freese, Colby Rasmus and Yadier Molina were out of the lineup. For a lot of fans, there was more focus off the field than on last night. The first year player draft kicked off in prime time yesterday evening and, from all indications, the Cardinals had one of the best first and sandwich rounds. As an University of Arkansas alumni, I was very excited to see Razorback third baseman Zack Cox get taken by the Cardinals. As a Cardinal fan, you have to like the pick as well. Cox was projected to be a top 10 talent, so for him to still be around when the Cardinals picked at 25 had to be a major surprise to them, but credit them for adapting to the situation and taking the best player available. You can read more about Cox, with scouting reports from Keith Law and Baseball America, over here. With their two supplemental picks, the Cardinals went with two righthanded pitchers. Seth Blair comes out of Arizona State, while Tyrell Jenkins is supposed to be a very athletic pitcher coming out of high school. Jenkins was also recruited by Baylor to play quarterback, so it could be a tough sign to get him into the St. Louis organization. More on both of those guys can be found here. The draft will be a major focus of today as well, and as always, Future Redbirds is your place to keep up (if you aren't doing so on Twitter, which you really should do as well). There will be a live chat going on at FR today around 11 Central, so if you are in front of a computer, hop on there to see who the Cardinals take and whether or not it is a wise selection. Tonight, the Cards look to erase the taste of the opener by sending out Chris Carpenter. Carp's done pretty well against the Dodgers in the past:
For the Dodgers, Hiroki Kuroda will take the mound. The Cards haven't faced him all that often, but they've been able to do a little bit against him:
Busy day for Cardinal Nation. Going to be a good one!
A Cardinal WeekendPosted on June 7, 2010 at 10:51 AM
The Cardinals had a good weekend against the Brewers, though it could have been better. Their slipup last night on ESPN's game of the week dropped them back into a tie for first. I go over this series and the Reds series in my weekly column, but let's take a look at them here as well.For Friday, what more can you say about Adam Wainwright? He keeps pushing himself into the conversation for best National League pitcher. If you look at the last two years, who would really compete with him? Tim Lincecum has dropped off some this year. Roy Halladay was in the AL last year. Ubaldo Jimenez has been amazing this year, not as much last year. For the two year span, Waino is tops. I was really glad to see him be able to come out and get that shutout. He's talked about it before, wanting to go out in the ninth to get one but be unable to due to pitch counts. So for him to be able to finally check that off on his career accomplishment list had to be a major high for him. However, with the way he's developed as a pitcher, it likely won't be the last. That JD Drew trade is just a gift that keeps on giving. With him rolling like that, he didn't need much offense, but the Cardinal bats have been awoken and now, for the most part, the offense isn't the problem. They were able to put up eight runs in a game started by a lefty, so you know things are starting to come together. Speaking of coming together, Colby Rasmus is on fire. Hitting a bomb off of a lefty in this game? Hitting .500 with three home runs over the two series with the Reds and Brewers? Those new contacts are obviously helping him out well, especially when you factor in that all the games this weekend were started by a left-handed pitcher and he had little trouble with any of them. On the down side in Friday's game, Yadier Molina had another 0-fer game. While he's still hitting around .250 and the defense is still there, after the last couple of years I've been spoiled into thinking Molina's more of a .280-.300 hitter, so it'd be good to have him get some hits to fall in. Saturday's hero has to be Colby Rasmus, who drove in three runs, including the game-winner. When Matt Holliday got out there in the 11th, I didn't give the team much of a chance, since Aaron Miles and Molina were coming up, but both of them came through and set it up for Rasmus to win it. The Goat, in my book, is pretty darn obvious. If Dennys Reyes isn't going to get left-handed batters out, his value to this team drops precipitously. For the second straight outing, he wasn't able to get the left-handed hitters that he was brought into the game for out and it hurt the Cards. I know that the tying run was allowed by Kyle McClellan, who got tagged with a completely-unfair blown save, but it was Reyes's run. He can't be letting the lefties get on and he surely can't be walking them, as he did with Jim Edmonds. Being that I was already in a bad mood from seeing Reyes's futility, when I returned from mowing my yard and saw Miles was in the game for David Freese, I about blew my top. I was glad that at least there was a reason, though I wasn't happy to hear that Freese had rolled his ankle. Doesn't sound like it'll be terribly serious, so hopefully he'll return soon. More positively in this game, Albert Pujols went yard at home for the first time since early April. It's interesting to see that, even if AP isn't quite having a career year for him, he's still in Triple Crown contention. After Sunday, he was third in batting average, a point behind Joey Votto (and do we really expect Martin Prado to finish in the top spot?), tied for first in home runs and tied for first in RBI. Man, imagine where he'd be if he hadn't had that two-week span where he was barely hitting. Last night's loss was pretty disappointing. For the second straight time (and, coincidentally or not, in the second straight game where the opposition had seen him before), Jaime Garcia came out with a rough first inning. Granted, there was an error mixed in there to give him an unearned run, but when the first three guys get a hit, you can't expect that inning to end well. Kudos to Garcia for batting and keeping the team in the game, though. After that bump, he only allowed a home run to Rickie Weeks. Rasmus and Pujols both go yard and get the club within one before a Ryan Ludwick double and a Randy Winn (more on THAT in a bit) sac fly tie it up. Unfortunately, opportunities never were cashed in and, when you get late into the game or into extra innings, it doesn't take much to win and Milwaukee did that, getting the sac fly to put the go ahead run on the board. Matt Holliday has to go down as the Goat in this one, I think. Jason Motte did have a bad 10th inning and take the loss, but the game should have never been in that situation. He popped out with Pujols on third in the seventh and grounded into a fielder's choice with two on in the ninth. A hit in either situation would have changed the outcome of the game, in all likelihood. Give the Hero tag to Albert Pujols for his 15th home run plus turning one of his two walks into a triple by stealing second and going to third on the error. If Holliday gets the two-out hit, that might have been the biggest play of the game. The off-field news of the weekend was that the Cardinals signed Winn and sent down Jon Jay. This was met, at least from what I saw on Twitter, with a lot of head-scratching, and my scalp got the same treatment. I understand the "they need at-bats" argument that the team has used to send down Jay and others, but I'm not sure I buy it as much in the case of Jay. He's had his tour of the minors, he's 25, I don't know that there's a lot more everyday play can do for him. He's already proven that he can handle the role, hitting .302 and starting to show some power in the bigs. Winn, on the other hand, can be generously noted as being past his prime. Perhaps he still has something in his bat, though his results with the Yankees didn't indicate that. We'll have to wait and see, but this really seems like an unnecessary move. Unless...... My first inclination when hearing about this move is that Jay (most likely, though it could be any of the outfielders) is going to be part of a deal for a starting pitcher. Winn allows for depth as well as letting Jay showcase himself in Memphis with the knowledge that at least some of that production can translate to major league results as well. If I had to place a bet, I'd say Jay is traded before the end of July, but we'll have to wait and see. As of this morning, the starter for tonight's Dodger game hasn't been announced. Sounds like it'll likely be Blake Hawksworth, though, letting PJ Walters get a little bullpen time. Being that Adam Ottavino has already been announced as taking his next turn, you have to wonder where Walters fits in. Then again, since Brad Penny is likely out for another month or so, there should be plenty of mixing and matching in that slot. Unless the Cards are proactive and make a move, something I don't expect to happen. The Dodgers are sending out to the mound Carlos Monasterios, a guy that honestly I've not heard of before, I don't think. He's got solid numbers for this year in 14 games (three starts) and when you factor in the pitching park that LA plays in, it could be a long night for the offense. Hopefully whomever pitches for the Birds can make it the same way for the Dodgers.
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Playing Pepper 2010: Los Angeles DodgersPosted on March 6, 2010 at 6:10 PM
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. Los Angeles Dodgers 2009 Finish: 95-67, first in NL West, lost in NLCS The last memories Cardinal fans have of the Dodgers aren't good. After so often dominating the team in blue when it comes to postseason glory, St. Louis went down with little more than a whimper in the NLDS, meaning LA won its first post-season series since 1988. Will they be able to take the next step this year? I talked with Matt from Feeling Dodger Blue to get his take on the season to come. Continue ReadingThe Quiet of No BaseballPosted on October 10, 2009 at 11:53 PM
This is the way the season ends. Not with a bang but a whimper.How fitting was it that Rick Ankiel was the last out--and a strikeout at that. Rick's promise, just like that exhilarating promise of August, never quite came to fruition. All the signs of trouble were there, and excuses can be made, but in the end, like Ankiel's at-bat, it turned into a lot of nothing. On the face of it, this offense is a beast. That seemed to be the consensus of the national pundits, who installed St. Louis as one of the favorites for the World Series. In reality, though, it's an engine that sputters, that starts and stops when facing good (and sometimes not so good) pitching. I don't think many in Cardinal Nation were surprised when the Redbirds only scored six runs in three games. For once, six is not a serious number, but a telling one. And yet, it almost was enough. If Chris Carpenter was Chris Carpenter, if Matt Holliday catches the ball or Ryan Franklin shuts the door, the Cards could have been up 2-0 before tonight, even with just five runs. When the story of 2009 is told, it'll be the pitching that is remembered. Sure, Albert Pujols kept his perfect career going and may win another MVP, but it was tough to watch him go the last calendar month without a home run. Holliday provided a spark, Colby Rasmus established himself as a legitimate major leaguer (even if he slumped in the second half), and Ryan Ludwick showed he wasn't really a fluke. There were offensive highlights, to be sure, but that wasn't what got the Cardinals to October. It was seeing pitchers throwing incredible games--and then seeing the next starter top them. It was about not one but two Cy Young candidates going back to back. It was about having a 15 game winner with a mid-3.00 ERA be an afterthought. I think that is what makes this sweep so tough to swallow. If you lose because the offense doesn't show, it was expected. To lose, at least in part, because Carpenter and Joel Pineiro didn't get it done and because Franklin continued his post-extension collapse, that just wasn't what people foresaw. So the Cardinals pack up for the winter. So many questions for this off-season, players to be kept or replacements to be found, perhaps new leadership to be put in place. There will be plenty at this blog, as the United Cardinal Bloggers roundtables will be coming, a review of the past season to be written, questions raised and solutions proposed. For now, though, there is just the quiet of no baseball, of a season cut prematurely short. A sound that never is easy to hear and one that can last for weeks to come.
This Wasn't In The ScriptPosted on October 9, 2009 at 9:01 AM
OK, wait a minute. Back up. Let's look at this again, because something isn't going quite as planned.You are telling me that the Cardinals lost BOTH games that Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright started? The one big advantage this team had and it's been squandered? At least you could put some of the blame on Carp for his outing, because he definitely didn't have it. Waino, though? How tough of a loss is that for the warrior? A lot of people are focused on Matt Holliday's error this morning. Which is understandable--if he catches that ball, the game is over, the Cards have split, you feel good about going home with Joel Pineiro vs. Vicente Padilla and you can count on a rested Carp for a Game 5, if necessary. Like Don Denkinger's blown call, though, it was one of those things that you can and should get past. After that play, the Dodgers walked, singled (tying the game), moved up on a wild pitch, walked again, and then blooped another hit. Any one of those could have ended the game in favor of the Cardinals, but they didn't get it done. The biggest problem in the Cardinal dugout, though, is the inability to get runs in. That tone was set early. When you have bases loaded and no outs in the first inning of the first game and only get one because a bloop falls between the second baseman and the outfield, it might be a sign that it's going to be a long (or, rather, short) series. I don't know what else to say about this team. Either they'll get some hits and score some runs or they won't have to worry about packing again this season. I wouldn't go to the level of calling them Cubs, but maybe that level of insult will wake them up and get them playing. Is this team dead? Obviously, they have the talent to win three straight. As Albert Pujols said, they could win 11 straight. They aren't going to do that. Without some sort of resurgent offense, it's going to be tough enough to win three, especially since they can wait and throw Randy Wolf (who, granted, St. Louis was able to get to somewhat on Wednesday) and make the Cardinals beat a lefty. Since the Divisional Series format was put into play, the Cards have played in it eight previous times, posting a record of 20-5 and only losing one other NLDS, the 2001 tilt with Steve Kline allowing that little flare to Tony Womack, keeping the Diamondbacks on the path to their eventual World Series title. So the Cardinals have that going for them, which is good. However, with two members of that 2006 squad on the other side in this series, it may be a sign that fortune has switched sides. We'll find out Saturday.
Postseason Playing Pepper: Los Angeles Dodgers (Part II)Posted on October 7, 2009 at 11:23 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. Yesterday, I posted the answers I got to my Dodger questions from Matt at Feeling Dodger Blue. I also asked Chris from Dodgerfan.net the same ones and got his responses today. So as the Cards battle the Dodgers, here's another angle on the opponents. C70: What is the Dodgers' strength going into October? DF: The strength of the Dodgers is definitely their offense. Andre Ethier has had a truly breakout year, and Matt Kemp is right behind him.Interestingly, Ethier struggled all year against left-handers, but fortunately for the Dodgers, St. Louis' rotation is full of righties. The other key element of the Dodgers is their pitching. Kershaw and Wolf give the team two strong starters heading into the playoffs. They're not elite, but they can both get through six innings. This is key because the Dodgers bullpen is one of the best in the majors with Kuo, Sherrill and Broxton anchoring the last third of the game. If the Dodgers have a lead going into the 7th, chances are they will hold it. . C70: What worries you about the team? DF: The rest of the starting pitching. Vicente Padilla has been tapped by Joe Torre to start Game 3 over Chad Billingsley who has struggled as of late when the game enters the sixth inning. Padilla has pitched very well for LA, including notching 10 strikeouts on Sunday against Colorado, but he's still Vicente Padilla. Kuroda is still hurt, which is a real loss for this team in the NLDS.
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