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It's All About Pitching

Let's see, what's on the PD site this morning?

Well, the biggest news probably is the status of Adam Wainwright.  According to Derrick Goold, he can start throwing anytime now, but it's going to be after the All-Star Break before they even start talking about a return date.  I'd expect he'll probably get one rehab start, so if he's back by my birthday (August 2, mark your calendars) I'd be a little surprised.  Still, it doesn't sound like he's having any setbacks, which is good news.

Chris Carpenter is working his way back as well, but it doesn't look like he'll be in the majors before August either.  In fact, it may be with expanded rosters before we see him in St. Louis.  I've said all along that if he was back before mid-August that it'd be pretty surprising, even when the team was talking about him being back at the All-Star Break.  Tommy John just doesn't heal that quickly.

And, even in times of pitching need, Matt Clement cleared waivers and is going to work as a reliever in Memphis.  Talk about a move that backfired.  Granted, it was a low-risk move, but Clement seemed pretty well in spring training and I really thought that part of the improved pitching this year would be because of him.  Now, he may be an August or September callup as well and in the bullpen (which needs the help).  I guess it's still possible the Cards would pick up his option for next year, just to see if they can get something out of him, but this is not what Mozeliak thought he was getting.

General tangent: I'm going to do my All-Star rant in a little bit, but in other baseball news, I wanted to say how nice it was to see Milwaukee get CC Sabathia.  Not in the competition aspect--it makes Milwaukee the favorite in the NL Central in my book now--but in the fact that here's a small market team being able to make a play for the biggest name on the trade market.  Sabathia didn't wind up in New York or Boston or Chicago.  That's a good thing for baseball, in my book.

The matchup tonight is not exactly one that screams "win" for the Cardinals.  Joel Pineiro will go into Philadelphia and take on Cole Hamels.  The good news is that the Phillies don't have much of a book on Pineiro, at least not from personal experience.  The bad news is that some of the Phillies that have seen him have done pretty well.  As for Hamels, well, both of those statements pretty much apply to him as well.  Albert Pujols has done a good job against him and hopefully will continue that now that he's gotten #300 out of the way.  As long as they realize that some things you hear about Hamels may be exaggerated, the Cards could be OK.

Housekeeping:  You'll notice a few new links over on the blog roll.  St. Louis Sports Magazine has been nice enough to link over here a couple of times and I appreciate that.  Player to be Named Later is back from hiatus.  And a couple of the more, well, colorful Cardinal blogs, Cardinal Diaspora and Bert Flex, are on the list as well.  Bert Flex was nice enough to include me in their Cardinal Blogger Appreciation Month, which I appreciate.

Another Series Opener, Another Loss

Cards lost to the Royals 2-1 last night.  No big deal.  They'll just win the next two.  They've only done that eight times this year.  Why not nine?

With Davies being so unfamiliar to the Cards (and with no Pujols or Molina) it's not terribly surprising the offense struggled.  Great pitching performance, though, by Hero Joel Pineiro.  Too bad the Goat Ron Villone lost it for him.  Granted, the Cards should have put up more runs, but giving up a HR in a situation like that is unacceptable.

VEB runs down the problems with the left side of the bullpen today.  There's no doubt that something that was such a strength for the Cards just a couple of years ago is now there most glaring weakness.  I mean, does anyone want to see Villone or Randy Flores in a game anytime soon, especially a close one?  I don't think so.  Not sure what the team will do about it, but with an offense that's likely to sputter, the Cards can't afford to give away games with a weak bullpen.

Good to see Jason Isringhausen back, though.  The sooner he is healthy and ready to go mentally and can take the closer slot away from Ryan Franklin, the better in my book. 

Todd Wellemeyer is going to miss his next start, meaning Anthony Reyes will take the mound.  First, does anyone not think Wellemeyer is going to wind up on the DL?  A missed start, a terrible outing, and then another missed start.  Second, I'm excited to see what Reyes can do.  I'd like to see him make the decisions coming up tough.  Third, it is very interesting that Mulder is pitching on the same day at AAA Memphis.  If Reyes flops, Wellemeyer is still hurt and Mulder dominates, I'd expect Mulder to be pitching in Detroit when that rotation spot next comes up.

Chris Carpenter's pain problem isn't really a problem, which is great news.  They may take it a little easier on him for a while, but it's one of the few times where this situation comes out positive instead of more surgery being required.  I personally feel much better about it when Dr. Andrews says it's fine.  Not that we don't trust the Cardinal staff, it's that we don't trust the Cardinal staff.

Mulder on Thursday and Clement on Friday.  Memphis is the place to be at the end of this week!  Plus Carpenter, rematches of the last two Cardinal World Series and another skirmish with the Royals.  I'm sure Mike will have plenty to talk about when he fills in.  (Though you are stuck with me for another day!)

Catching Up (Again)

Our office just went to doing 40 hours in four days, so as to have Friday off, which meant I've been away from the computer for most of the weekend.  Let's recap, then discuss:

Thursday (vs. Cincy)
Hero: Troy Glaus.  1-4, but drove in both runs with a homer.
Goat: Randy Flores.  Both he and Mark Worrell were credited with two runs in the box score, but Flores let them all score.  A bases-loaded walk and then a bases-clearing triple?  Ouch.

Friday
Hero: Skip Schumaker.  As much as anyone can be in a 20-2 game.  Three hits, including a home run.
Goat: Pick a pitcher.  I guess I'd have to go with Todd Wellemeyer, since his eight runs in three and 1/3 innings really put the game out of reach.  Ron Villone's six in an inning and two thirds was pretty ghastly as well, and Worrell, Russ Springer and Ryan Franklin didn't cover themselves with glory either.  When the best pitcher of the night is Aaron Miles, that's a bad night.

Saturday
Hero: Kyle Lohse.  To come out the afternoon after that shelling and to shut down the same offense is pretty impressive. Runner up to Ryan Ludwick for his acting job.
Goat: Rick Ankiel.  0-4 with two left on.

Sunday
Hero: Can we say Tom Gordon?  No, the rules say just Cardinal players.  So it comes down to Schumaker and Glaus again, both with two hits and a home run.  We'll go with Skip this time, since he left one fewer man on base and his home run came in a tighter game.  (Granted, Glaus's was just a couple of batters later, but you have to drawn the line somewhere.)
Goat: Randy Flores.  You come in with two on and two out. Then you walk two guys, forcing in a run?  Springer wasn't much better, walking in another one, but at least he got an out.

Wonderful thing about baseball.  The Cards scored less in the series than the Phillies did in the first game, yet they won two of three.  It really proved that momentum is tomorrow's starting pitcher.  The Cards still couldn't gain any game on the Cubs, but it could have been much worse.  Sitting 3.5 out at this time of year is pretty much beyond anyone's wildest expectations.

And best wishes to Yadier Molina.  That was a nasty collision in the ninth inning.  All reports seem to indicate that it wasn't as severe as it appeared on the field (I thought it was great to hear "Yadi! Yadi! Yadi!" as he was being taken off) and it should "just" be a concussion.  Hopefully he'll rejoin the team quickly--with Pujols and Wainwright already being down,  you'd hate to see Molina be out as well.

Lot of activity this weekend, with Joe Mather and Mark Worrell going back to Memphis in exchange for Jason Isringhausen and Anthony Reyes.  Izzy's definitely saying all the right things, so hopefully he's got his mindset right and he'll be able to restore order to the ninth inning soon.  Reyes already got a win in his first game back and apparently will be used out of the pen as a long relief guy, though he could start for Wellemeyer Thursday if there are medical questions.  In other words, we may not see him again for a week.

Speaking of medical questions, Chris Carpenter is getting a second opinion after being shut down last week.  I don't think a lot of people are surprised.  Carpenter was being talked about as being back in the next couple of weeks, but that seemed like a stretch for the surgery he had.  Besides, it's the Cardinals and pitching.  Everyone has at least one setback that extends the return timetable.  It'd be nice to hear that it's not needing more surgery or that it isn't anything serious, but that may be too much to ask.

The rehab calvary might actually be close to arriving, though.  Mark Mulder had a very impressive outing in Springfield Saturday, getting up into the 90s on the gun and throwing five shutout innings.  Granted, he's been good before in the minors, but he never was throwing that hard.  Matt Clement was a little less impressive, but he had a decent outing.  We'll see if the innings continue to take a toll on him, however.  Personally, I'm a little more excited about Mulder now.  I don't know if it'll hold up, but as excited as people that should know are about this new arm slot and seeing the first results, it's very encouraging.

Day off today for the Redbirds (Yadi needs it, for sure) before the Royals series starts Tuesday.  I'll take a look at the pitching matchup, etc. then.

Cards Beat Nationals, Mother Nature

That was a heck of a game, huh?

Not that it was anything dramatic.  After Yadier Molina's home run, it was unlikely that the weakest hitting team in the National League was going to make much of a run.  But two rain delays really ruined whatever rhythm you could get in the game (not to mention my watching, which had to give up during the first one).

I don't do it very often, but I think you've got to give Cesar Izturis Hero of the Game honors.  A steal of home (on the front end of a double steal, but still)?  Plus three hits?  And no errors on a sloppy field?  Sounds like a pretty good all around game to me.

I hate to give Albert Pujols the Goat tag, because there's really no telling how much that calf was bothering him while he was in there, but he definitely tried to do too much in his first at-bat.  After all the stats about him crushing Odalis Perez, he reached for ball 4 and hit a weak grounder that would have been two if Felipe Lopez hadn't bobbled it.  A walk would have been fine there instead of going after that pitch.

All that aside, hopefully the calf won't be a problem and he can be back out there today.  The lineup loses so much without him and, since the Cubs apparently will never lose again, the Cards need to keep winning if they are going to stay close.  Though if he had to miss a game, the ones against Washington probably would be the least damaging.

It's almost mind-boggling that Kyle Lohse came back out after both rain delays.  After throwing four innings and having an almost two hour stoppage, you rarely see the starter continue.  But to add another one on top of that was just asking for trouble, I'd think.  I know TLR wanted to get him a win if at all possible, but was it worth risking him hurting himself?  It panned out, though, so I guess we'll defer to the skipper on this one.

Matt Clement had a strong rehab outing yesterday.  It's tough to get worked up about these--even Mark Mulder had some good starts--but it definitely is better than the alternative.  And Derrick Goold gives reasons why even though the numbers are similar, Clement had a better outing than Mulder.

Pitch time:  I occasionally get a message from XM's marketing agency asking for a plug in the blog.  Since I'm a big XM fan, I try to oblige.  This time, it has to do with the First-Year Player Draft coming up tomorrow.  You'll be able to hear the whole thing on XM 188.  That's the official feed, with no comments or anything.  If you want a little analysis with your draft, try XM 186.  And there's a special XM/ESPN special on XM 141 today starting at 6 pm.

I know Future Redbirds is all over the draft and they've gotten me interested to see what direction the Cardinals take.  It'd be nice to get a high-ceiling guy for once and have him pan out!

Today's game features the NL Pitcher of the Month against John Lannan.  Lannan's first start this year was against the Cardinals and he allowed two runs in 6.2 innings.  Unfortunately for him, that was enough to get the loss tacked on to his record as Loshe shut out the Nationals.  That was his only career outing against the Cards, so he's still somewhat of a blank slate.

Wellemeyer hasn't faced the Nationals this year.  He's going to be even fresher to the Washington hitters, as they have only a combined 16 plate appearances against him.  Hopefully his May success will carry over and give the Cardinals a series win with a game to play.

Playing It On The Field

My father used to tell me, "That's why they play the game."  You don't play it on paper (unless it's fantasy baseball, but that's a totally different topic), you have to actually go out there and try to win a game that everything says should be yours.

The Cardinals would have liked to have it stay in the realm of the theoretical last night, though until the seventh everything was panning out just like you'd expect.  I didn't get to see much of the game, having a meeting to go to last night, but when I turned off the radio the Cards had just scored their third run and were looking for more.  I figured it was their night, since Pujols smashed a 3-0 pitch right to the third baseman and everyone was safe.

I turn the game back on after my meeting and Pittsburgh is up 5-4.  It wasn't until later when I read about the pinch-hit grand slam, which turned the game completely around.

I think Adam Wainwright said it the best:

"You just can't give up a grand slam right there. It's the worst I've ever felt after a game."

Again, the Cards showed that they have trouble finishing off a struggling pitcher early and adding on to early leads.  There is no way that Gorzelanny should have gone six innings with the way he started off the game.  This offense tends to sputter sometimes, catching early then dying off.

Heroically, Albert Pujols was at it again, with a 2-4, 2 RBI night.  Pujols said that not having the postseason to worry about would probably help him be rested and ready for the season.  I think we've seen that theory has some merit.  Joe Mather also had a very nice game as the rookie gets adjusted to major league life.

That wasn't the best way to send the team off on a long road trip, but you deal with what you have.  Tonight the Cardinals will be playing in our nation's capital, with Kyle Lohse taking on Odalis Perez.  Lohse has been OK against the current National hitters, giving up a home run only to Dmitri Young.  Lohse also has faced the Nationals this year and threw seven scoreless innings against them in April.

And, though he doesn't have the greatest numbers against Lohse at least, the Cards will probably dodge a bit of a bullet this series as Ryan Zimmerman continues to sit out nursing an injury and could be placed on the DL soon.

Perez has always been Pujols's favorite whipping boy. The rest of the Cardinals aren't anything special against him, but AP has 5 HR and 14 hits in 21 ABs.  That's dominance and it'll probably get him four wide ones in any situation with runners on tonight.  Perez gave up five runs in four innings against the Redbirds in the earlier meeting between the two teams.

The Washington YNOT is up and the series preview will be up later this morning.

Oh, there's been a Matt Clement sighting!  Apparently today will start his 30-day rehab stint in the minors.  Hopefully it has a better ending that Mark Mulder's did.  It's not obvious who he'd replace in the rotation, really, but a fresh arm around the All-Star Break could be a nice addition to the team.

And congratulations to Todd Wellemeyer for being NL Pitcher of the Month, an award that puts him in good company.  (Hat tip: VEB)

Snapping the Streak

Nice to see the Cardinals won the second game of the doubleheader, beating the Marlins 5-4.  Let's look at the box score.

The only real hitting star was Amaury Marti, who went 2-4 with a run scored and one driven in.  Marti is an interesting character, but odds are he'll be playing in AAA this year, at least for a while.  He might get a call up if there is an early, short-term injury.

Rasmus went 0-2, but you have to like the fact that he drew two walks and stole a base.  If he's going to bring plate discipline to the majors, he'll be even that much more successful.  I have to say, everything that I've "seen" from him this spring has gotten me excited for his St. Louis debut, even if that's going to be May.

Skip Schumaker got a hit in four trips as he keeps making a push not only for the team but for the leadoff spot in the lineup.   He really wants the job, but I don't know.  He can hit for a decent average, but it's about as empty of an average as you can get.  I've got nothing against Skip, but I can't see him being one of the starters in the outfield, especially after Rasmus comes up.

On the pitching side, looks like Wainwright got victimized by a Brendan Ryan error, as he gave up three runs in the three innings he pitched, but none were earned.  Hanley Ramirez took him yard, but there's not a lot of shame in that.  No decision for the Wagonmaker, as Jamie Garcia pitched very well--three innings, one hit--and got the win.

Oh, and apparently Tyler Johnson will start the year on the DL. Yeah, we didn't see that one coming at all.

Clement throws to hitters Friday, Mulder is coming along well (apparently) and Carpenter is four months away from the majors at least.  That would get him to St. Louis before the All-Star break, something I'm still not counting on.

The Marlins and Cardinals match up again today.  They have to be sick of each other after spring training.  They share the same complex and seem to play each other 15 times in the month.

Wrapping Up the Weekend

The first of the United Cardinal Blogger week entries is below.  Be sure to check that out as well.

Well, the Cards stand 2-2 in Grapefruit play.  They swept the Mets, then got swept by the Marlins.  What can we take from all of these games so far?

First off, it looks like Tyler Johnson will need an MRI.  Hopefully it's nothing serious and TJ can get back into the bullpen mix.  If it is something that will have him start on the DL, that could be a problem, because you know how LaRussa wants two or three lefties in the pen.  Would that mean Villone would make the team?  Possible, I guess.  Not exactly a thrilling idea.

Everyone seems to be pretty enamored with Kyle McClellan.  Not that he did anything yesterday to disprove that theory.  We're not going to see him start the year in St. Louis--he only pitched part of last year at Springfield, and even then in relief--but he could be someone to keep an eye on this summer for a late season callup or for next year.

It's the first cut day, as players are sent back to the minor league camp.  It's not a big deal, as I figure most of those players will be people that see action at AA or maybe even A ball this year.  In other words, they didn't plan on making the team.

In that same story is the note that Sidney Ponson is throwing on Cardinal mounds.  I'm pretty sure that the tryout for other teams is the only time he'll be pitching in Cardinal land, but I could be mistaken.  If he's turned himself around as the story indicates, maybe there's something there.  I wouldn't count on it, though.

Rasmus has cooled down a bit, throwing up an 0-3 on Saturday to drop his spring average to .200.  More days like that are going to make the decision to send him to Memphis a lot easier.  That's probably where he needs to be anyway, but there will be a lot of attention paid during the summer to when he will be called up.

Clement and Pineiro seem to be coming along.  Good to hear that Pineiro should be starting within the week.

And today's lineup, again from Bird Land:

1. Adam Kennedy, 2B
2. Rick Ankiel, CF
3. Albert Pujols, 1B
4. Troy Glaus, 3B
5. Chris Duncan, LF
6. Ryan Ludwick, DH
7. Skip Schumaker, RF
8. Jason LaRue, C
9. Aaron Miles, SS

Starting pitcher: RHP Braden Looper. Followed by: RHP Ryan Franklin; RHP Jason Motte; RHP Mark Worrell; RHP Clayton Mortensen; LHP Ron Flores; RHP Hugo Castellanos and RHP P.J. Walters and RHP Mitchell Boggs.

The game will be on XM 180, if you can handle the Washington announcers.

Refocusing

Hey, CATB is back and perhaps better than ever, depending on your opinion of the actual quality here.  Sorry for the delay--most of last week was spent away from the computer coughing up a lung and just wanting to sleep.

Things are picking up now.  By the end of the week, it will be March and the Cardinals will have spring training games under their belt.  We will have some more data points to discuss and be a little more ready to tell whether the glowing, spring-like talk is going to be backed up or not.

The major issue in Cardinal camp right now, apparently, is pitching.  Bernie Mikhasz rails about the staff (and his requisite shots at ownership) in his most recent column.  Heck, even Roger Clemens's name has been floated about, which is completely crazy for more than one reason.  (Well, I thought it was, at least, until the next story.)

Last I checked, Matt Clement's arm didn't actually fly off, knocking down half the remaining starters and putting them all in the hospital.  You can never be terribly sure with the Cardinals and injuries, I am aware, but if Clement and Mark Mulder are ready to go mid-May, having another body in the rotation--and basically, that's all that are available, no one that has a lot of upside or could really turn things around--will cause a number crunch and more wasted money. 

I've mentioned before that I don't think the pitching situation is as dire as some would make it out to be.  The pitching was terrible last year, but a lot of the deadweight is gone and there is some optimism on who is left.  And if the laser surgery did what it seems to have done for Anthony Reyes, there's a nice front of the rotation with him, Wainwright and Pinerio until the rehab corps is ready.  If we have to plug in a Hawksworth for a few starts, it's not the end of the world.

Then, I see where LaRussa thought about buying Bonds.  Got to say, it's nice to see that he doesn't have the rubber stamp we thought he did.  Having the distraction of Bonds is really the last thing the team needs.  I understand the attraction of Bonds's offense, though that is declining as well, but when you put it together with everything else, it's too many cons, not enough pros.  If nothing else this season, let us have a team we can root for, not one that has such a polarizing figure on it.

The rotation for the week has been set up.  Wednesday's game against SLU will be prospects-only, probably not only on the mound but also in the field.  Thursday, the Cardinals open the Grapefruit League against the Mets.  Anthony Reyes gets a chance to show if it's all been talk so far this spring.  Friday, the Cards get the Mets again and thrown Adam Wainwright.  He's going against some guy the Mets got in the offseason, doubt you've heard of him.

We've got games on KTRS and the Cardinal Radio Network this weekend against the Marlins.  Heck, there's even a game on ESPN (non-Cardinals, but still baseball) on Friday.  It's time to get excited!

The First Drop In The Bucket

Cardinal fans have known for a while that, for 2008 to be an sort of a successful season, not much can go wrong.  So it's not encouraging to read that Matt Clement won't be ready for opening day.  The first drop in the bucket?

Notice what Bernie Mikalsz says in the comments in that link:

No one, including me, should EVER under ANY circumstances believe it when the Cardinals insist during the offseason that so-and-so pitcher is mending beautifully and will be ready to go by Opening Day. This organization really has a problem being forthright about injuries.

I'm not always one to agree with Bernie, but he seems to have hit the nail on the head with this one.  I've always thought that this organization didn't really know how to deal with injuries.  They'd sit a guy for almost two weeks, thinking that rest would do it, instead of putting him on the DL.  Pitchers almost always return months after they were originally scheduled to pitch.  It's one reason I wouldn't be shocked it Carpenter didn't pitch at all this season.

I wish I could find the link, but I swear once at VEB I read an interview where someone said that the Cardinals were doing some cutting-edge things in the front office dealing with injuries.  Being up front with them, or at least getting a good handle on them, doesn't appear to be it.

People are still harping on the Pujols news.  I heard on "Mike & Mike" today Buster Olney put the Cardinals in the "ugly" category because Carpenter might not pitch until mid-season (which showed some lack of knowledge, I thought--no one expects him before then.  If he pitches in July that's a major plus) and the possibility of Pujols elbow apparently blowing out and taking the first row of fans with it.  I think some of the AP stuff is overblown--according to the PD story he's had the injury in one form since 2003--and that he'll be able to be Pujols for most of the year.

'Course, if that elbow does cause problems, we go from a drop in the bucket to the bucket being half full.

Spring Training Eve

Forget the lovey-dovey stuff.  Tomorrow is much more important than that.  It's officially time for pitchers and catchers to report!

Officially the key word there.  Apparently, a number of Cardinals have already made it down to Jupiter, which means Cardinal coverage in the Post-Dispatch.

If you want to keep up with Spring Training, your must-click site is Derrick Goold's Bird Land.  He's there and filing dispatches on a fairly regular basis, at least this week.  Some of what he's written about:

Matt Clement has taken the mound.  He's saying all the right things, about how his arm is fine, that he's doing a regular routine and workout.  Hopefully it's all true.  A return to health by Clement is a key to a successful 2008.  If he can stay healthy and pitch at his level, he'll win a good number of ball game for the club.  Of course, as it's been mentioned, just because he's healthy now doesn't mean he will be in July, but the longer he goes, the closer you are to having Mulder or Carpenter fill in for him.

The young arms are getting some pre-camp work. In fact, it's a camp all to itself.  I think the name to watch is Jamie Garcia.  Could he pitch his way into the conversation for fifth starter?  The back half of the rotation is pretty crowded right now, but with a strong spring, he could at least make a case for being the first promotion from AAA Memphis.

Other notes:  Mark Mulder is still feeling upbeat.  If that early-May timetable holds and if we get to see something closer to the Oakland version of Mark Mulder, that'll be a big addition.  That may be too many ifs, though......It was a big hit last year, so they are doing it again.  Joe Strauss Live returns today at 1:00 PM.  Send in your questions to the Cardinal beat writer and see if he answers....Rick Ankiel did a live chat yesterday at MLB.com.  The transcript is here and you can find out more about Rick at his new web site.  I wouldn't say there are any deeply profound answers in that chat, but it is good to see Rick interacting with the fans.  No HGH questions made it through the screeners, apparently....The UCB All-Star teams continue to trickle in.  Readin' Redbird is back up and running with their selections.

Also on the Network: √ Yanks Beat A Lefty? [Depressed Fan] √ Yanks Start Second Half With "W" [Green Pinstripes] √ All-Star Breather: The Giants Catchers [El Lefty Malo] √ Rock Is Dead; Shea Stadium July 18, 2008 [Loge 13] √ Citi Field Revealed (FYI: No Loge Here) [Loge 13] √ My Rifle, My Pony and Me [Beantown West] √ Quick Chicago roundup [Tremendous Upside Potential] √ Giants Reveal New Stadium Ticket Plans [Loge 13]