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Another Heartbreaker

For the second day in a row the bullpen couldn't protect a lead.  Albert Pujols capped a superior effort in his first game off the DL with an RBI single in the ninth to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead; but Ryan Franklin allowed a game-tying HR to Gary Sheffield in the home half of the inning, and Mike Parisi walked in the winning run in the tenth.  3-2 Tigers.

Lots of things to be frustrated about.  Can't hold a late lead.  2-11 with runners in scoring position.  Our #4 and #5 hitters, Glaus and Ludwick, went 0 for 6 and stranded 13 runners (I recognize that's a little misleading; some of those runners are double-counted).  Not to mention that they led the last 2 games in the eighth or later and lost them both.  So, instead of potentially being 5-1 on the road trip headed to KC, they're 3-3.  At least Chicago got blown off the field by Baltimore; the Cardinals remain 4.5 games out of first in the Central.

Heroes and Goats?  Pretty simple for this game.  Hero is Albert Pujols.  Welcome back, AP, we missed you.  4-4 with a walk; did he really sit for 2 weeks?  I couldn't tell based on how he hit the ball.   He missed a HR in his third at bat by about 15 feet, lining the ball off the wall in left.  Goats are Ron Villone and Mike Parisi, for each walking in a run.  Dishonorable mention goes to the Cardinal offense other than AP, for that 2 for 11 RISP stinker.

So on to KC.  Cardinals announced yesterday that Mitchell Boggs will start Saturday, not Mark Mulder.  This is a good thing, as I mentioned earlier in the week.  Your complete match-ups:  Piniero vs Gil Meche tonight.  Boggs vs Kyle Davies tomorrow.  Looper vs Brian Bannister Sunday, in a rematch of the 18 June game in St Louis; Braden outpitched Bannister, but the Royals won 3-2.  The good news is we miss the Royals best pitcher, in Zach Greinke; however Meche won 15 games last year, and Davies is unbeaten in 3 starts this, so the series won't be a picnic.  Not to mention the Royals are tied with Minnesota for the best interleague record in the Majors (12-3).  Should be fun.

Two closing notes:  Cardinals put Randy Flores on the 15-day DL when they activated AP.  Tendinitis in the right ankle was cited as the reason.  Finally, Dan should be back posting starting on Monday.  I may have one more post this weekend, but that will be it for me.  It's been fun; hopefully you've enjoyed reading what I've written, and will consider stopping by the old homestead in the future.

Cheers, God Bless, and Go Cardinals.

Not Quite "Lonborg and Champagne", but We'll Take It

This blog's title is a reference to the famous Boston Globe headline before Game 7 of the 1967 World Series.  Jim Lonborg had already beaten the Cardinals twice in that series, throwing 2 complete games, allowing a total of 4 hits and a run.  Of course, allowing his opponent, Bob Gibson, to see that headline before the game was probably the worst thing the Red Sox could have done; Gibby dominated, and the Cardinals tasted the bubbly.

I was reminded of that when Mickey Lolich trotted out to throw out the first pitch, especially considering the Cardinals had one only once at Comerica since 2000 (but what a once - Game 1 of the '06 World Series).

The result?  The boys won their third game of the road trip, 8-4 over them Tigers.  The game had chills (Cabrera's home run that wasn't), thrills (Schumaker's pinch hit 2-RBI single in the sixth) and head scratchers (how did Barton get caught off third in the first?).  But what matters is the Redbirds FINALLY picked up a game on the Cubs.  It's been 3 weeks (since June 7, specifically) since they gained ground on Chicago.  Let's hope they don't have to wait another 3 weeks to pick up another game.

Heroes and Goats:  it's tough today.  Since LaRussa pegged Brendan Ryan "the star of the game" I won't disagree with him.  Brendan had a nice multi-hit game, and his two-RBI double in the seventh iced the game.  Goat:  We'll go with Brian Barton (tough call) and Rick Ankiel (not so tough) for getting caught off/picked off, respectively, on the basepaths.

Other news/notes:  Albert Pujols' rehab is going well, and he may return as DH in this series.  Otherwise we'll see him in the KC series this weekend.  LaRussa thinks any infielder can play first, an interesting opinion I don't agree with (there's a lot of footwork required around the bag that most people don't think about), although you can't argue with the results (Kennedy played well last night).  Mark Mulder's next rehab step is uncertain. 

One final thing:  Get out and VOTE for our all-stars.  25 votes per email address and as many as you can fill out at the ballpark.  Ryan Ludwick, Albert, and Yadier should be all-stars this season; don't leave it up to Clint Hurdle to have them added to the roster.

Removing The Ace From the House of Cards

I was off the Net, as it were, yesterday, so I had to do a double take when I saw the thread title at CCH last night.

Wainwright to the DL?  Say it ain't so!

"Surgery is not looking like something that is going to be needed," Wainwright said. He added that the finger felt Monday as it did Saturday: "I can't bend it like I should be able to. It's like a bad jammed finger. The weird thing is there's no swelling. It needs time."

This does not inspire Cardinal fans with confidence.  How many times have we been told that a pitcher or player just "needs rest" and then, three months later, goes under season-ending surgery?  With the Cardinals recent track record with injuries, is there anyone that thinks this is just going to be a 15-day thing?

I recently jammed my finger playing softball, so I get some idea what he's talking about.  Not having swelling to go with it, though, seems concerning.  There's some talk about it being a ruptured tendon, which would mean the season would be over for the Wagonmaker.

So what does this mean for the Cardinal season?  Pitchers are dropping like flies, though it looks like Todd Wellemeyer isn't as bad off as we thought (again, if you believe what you read) and Joel Pineiro could be coming back soon.  Matt Clement's second minor league start wasn't as dazzling as the first, but he's still making progress and will pitch in Springfield again Friday.

Short-term, the Cardinals have to fill holes.  Mitchell Boggs will make his first major league start tonight and there is talk of moving Kyle McClellan into the starter role.  VEB lays out the problems with that and the only real solution out there.  Since Anthony Reyes is sporting a 3.14 ERA in Memphis, skewed by a bad outing two times ago (without that, it's a 2.38 mark) and is striking out a batter an inning, if he doesn't come up during this troubling time, I hope he's traded soon to an organization that will actually use him.

Long-term, catching up with the Cubs without Wainwright might be a tough task, especially if the little bears improve their pitching at the deadline.  I like what Bernie is saying about having the numbers to fill in for injured pitchers, but losing the one guy you could pretty much count on to give you a win is a chore to overcome.  The Cards have to do it, though.  They sit 2.5 back and right now may be the only serious challenger to the Cubs for the NL Central title.  For the good of mankind, they must keep Chicago out of the playoffs!

Cards and Reds square off today with a couple of young pitchers and fresh slates.  Obviously, Boggs hasn't faced the Reds before.  Homer Bailey, just recalled from AAA (the Reds' version of Anthony Reyes, basically) hasn't seen the Redbirds this year, but had a disastrous outing last year against St. Louis, allowing 7 runs in just 3.2 innings last July. Ryan Ludwick hit two home runs off of him, so he'll be ready to go for this evening.

Congrats to Ken Griffey Jr. on hitting #600.  I didn't realize that the Reds played last night until right before ESPN cut in to his AB.  I thought the Cards were going to get a chance to be on the end of both #500 and #600, which would have been neat.  The last game I saw in person was Griffey's #500th in Busch and it couldn't happen to a better player.

Era Ending? Edmonds Exits

The Padres have released Jim Edmonds.

I don't think many of us really expected that when he was traded back in December.  Sure, the contract was up at the end of 2008, but he should be able to put together the semblance of a decent year.  Even last year, a down year by his standards, he stroked 12 homers and hit .250.

Apparently, that wasn't the case.  After a .178 average and the fact that San Diego is struggling, sitting in last place in the NL West, he now finds himself without work.

If this is it for the man nicknamed Hollywood and Jimmy Radio, he leaves with a career .286 mark, 363 HR and numerous Gold Gloves.  Is he a Hall of Famer?  That'll be for more knowledgeable people than I to determine.  I do know that he's a shoo in for the Cardinal Hall of Fame, though.

If you wanted to be slightly melodramatic, you could say he couldn't stand playing anywhere outside of St. Louis.  A movie script would have him coming back to the 'Lou, taking a bench role, then producing down the clutch for one last hurrah.  Unfortunately, this isn't a movie, and the Cards have too many outfielders as it is.  Though if he wanted to do some coaching, I'd think the door would always be open.

All this does make that trade in December look more and more like a huge steal for the Cardinals, what with David Freese moving up the prospect ranks.  Maybe Mozeliak knew more than we gave him credit for.

For now, though, I'll say what I said in December.  Thanks for the memories, Jimmy!

Wash It Away

The Cardinals played some baseball yesterday.  You just can't prove it by the record book.

It was a heck of a game for the 2 1/2 innings they played, though.  Adam Wainwright was probably a little overexcited about the Opening Day start, but limited the damage to one run in the top of the first.  Then the floodgates opened.  The baseball kind, that is.

Jeff Francis had the hardest time finding the strike zone, throwing 10 straight balls (and it'd probably been 11 if Pujols hadn't swung at a questionable pitch).

And talk about irony, folks.  Francis walks the bases loaded.....and faces Rick Ankiel, who at times is synonymous with lack of control.  Do you think, just for an instant, some empathy was felt by Rick?  Maybe, but that didn't stop him from taking advantage and smacking a double.  Molina follows with one and the score is 4-1.

The only other real Cardinal highlight was Albert Pujols's home run.  Which brings to mind a quote that was on my Cardinal daily calendar just this weekend:

"I don't like to sound egotistical, but every time I stepped to the plate with a bat in my hands, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the pitcher."--Rogers Hornsby.

It looks like it could be that kind of year for Mr. Pujols as well.

Unfortunately, all those stats and great momentum was wiped out when the flood started in the third.  I guess that's what happens when Cesar Izturis reaches base twice in a row!  And it's not like hitting the reset button on a Playstation game.  The Cards can't run out Wainwright again today, because even though he hasn't officially pitched, I'm thinking his arm would tell you differently.

You lose all the pomp and circumstance as well.  I doubt they'll bring the Clydesdales back, or have the players show up in the red convertibles, though maybe they can actually get their honorary first pitcher to show up this time.   I'm guessing tonight will be just like a regular game, save that it turns out to be the first one.

So the ironic matchup of the night is Kyle Lohse against Kip Wells.  A pitcher only signed a couple of weeks ago vs. a pitcher that was the key FA signing of the last offseason.  I've defended Wells at times here--look through the archives to see that he wasn't always as bad as we thought--but by the end of the year, it was obvious he had to go.  Colorado doesn't seem to be the best place to rehab your career, but whoever will sign the checks, right?  The Cardinals should be looking forward to facing Wells, though that probably will mean he'll shut them down. Only Pujols and Jason LaRue have had much of a history against Wells, though with four home runs in 37 PA against the Kipster, Albert's ready to go.

Lohse had some problems against the Rockies in the postseason last year, but they've not seen him much in the regular season.  Only Scott Podsednick has more than 10 PAs against him, so you'll probably see that speedster in tonight's lineup.  Bernie says keep an eye out for the curveball.

So they'll try it again tonight.  Hopefully the momentum that they had working will carry over and the Cards can officially start the season with a win.

Santana and the Mets

Being that it's the biggest deal in a while to come down the pike, I guess I should mention a little something about the Johan Santana trade, even though it's not really connected to the Cardinals.  For complete coverage and a very happy blogger, be sure to check out Loge 13.

While it's a "rich get richer" scenario, it also is an underdog story.  And when was the last time the Mets, they of the large market and large payroll, were an underdog?  But getting Santana kept him out of the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry, which needs no more attention.  Everyone expected one of those teams to snag him, so getting him into the NL, the "weak sister" according to most experts, was a coup.

And, of course, this really pushes the Mets into favorite status.  If Pedro comes back at anything approaching his norms, they'll have a nasty 1-2 punch.

The Cardinals play the Mets June 30-July 3 in St. Louis.  If he's healthy (and he should be), it's almost a guarantee they'll see Santana then.  Should be fun!

Cross One Off the Shopping List

Mark Prior is going to pitch for the Padres.

While I would have liked the Cardinals to get him, the fact that he just wanted a one-year deal--and, apparently, that's what he got from San Diego--wouldn't have worked out for St. Louis during their rebuilding year.  However, if he has a strong 2008 (whatever portion he actually pitches) the Cards should keep him in mind for '09.

Quick Hit

Just a short note, since I don't have much time today.  Not a lot going on in Cardinal Nation anyway.

Cards are keeping an eye on Mark Prior, which is nice to know.  Of course, I've advocated for him in the past, though apparently he just wants a one year deal.  That's not what the Cardinals need, since he won't be around until June or so.  If there's a team option with it, then that's another thing.

Cards missed out on Carlos Silva, which is not a bad thing.  Silva would be an interesting Cardinal, since he's very much a pitch-to-contact, ground ball type, but at those prices, St. Louis was smart not to spend much time looking.  Hopefully they are doing the same with Kyle Loshe.

May not get a post up tomorrow and who knows with the holidays when I will, so in case I'm not back until after Christmas, have a wonderful Christmas with family and friends and always remember the reason for the season.

New Cardinals, Former Cardinals

The Cardinals made a minor move yesterday, signing D'Angelo Jimenez to a minor league contract.  There are a couple of things that come to mind when I hear about Jimenez.  One is that, when they were coming up in the Yankee organization about a decade ago, observers were split on whether he or Alfonso Soriano would be the better player.  That comparison doesn't happen much anymore.  And, secondly, I remember he had a pretty solid year for the Reds a few years back.  Looking through that PD article, they note it was 2004, with a .270/12/67 season.  Boy, if the Cardinals got anything close to that, they'd be thrilled.

His signing, however, is just one of those insurance things.  If Jarrett Hoffpauir needs more time at Memphis, then Jimenez could be the backup guy on the bench.  You figure that Brendan Ryan and Adam Kennedy will be the usual starters in the middle infield, but Cesar Izturis and Jimenez could be the backups.  Jimenez can play third base as well, which ups his value.

Then we have our former backup catcher, Gary Bennett.   Not as bad of a week as you'd expect for someone named in the Mitchell report.  Bennett admitted he used HGH, then signed a new contract with the Dodgers.  Which is surprising, because Bennett isn't that great with extra help, but anyway.  It just goes to show me that the culture of baseball hasn't done much changing with these allegations and admissions.  You aren't going to be punished.  You aren't going to have that much of a stain on your reputation, especially if you come out and admit it.  I mean, how much focus on Andy Pettitte has there been versus Roger Clemens?

There's the big focus on Bonds and Clemens, but other than that, the steroid stuff is going to just go away, I think.  Hopefully the testing and the mindset has been changed enough that it won't happen again, but without serious punishments for those that did it, I wonder if that's the case.

Site note: I plan to use Wordpress's new option for tags to take former Cardinals out of the categories section.  So in case you start looking, now you know.

More Random Thoughts

Just because there's not that much out there:

• The Mitchell Report is due tomorrow.  Assuming that the dog doesn't eat his homework, I'm sure Mr. Mitchell will give us plenty of things to talk about in the grand scheme of baseball.  Will there be any Cardinals on the list?  Supposedly 60-80 current and former players will be, so it'd be hard to have the Cardinals passed over.  Also, what are the odds that the report makes it to tomorrow with no leaks?  I'd place those odds pretty darn low.


• Apparently our good friends to the north have picked up another outfielder.   We'll see how well he translates to the major leagues.  He's 30, so he's in the middle of his prime.  Being the Cubs, you'd figure it'd blow up in their faces.  Even if he does well, I don't think he's a difference-maker, but maybe I've just not followed him enough.  I still think the Brewers are the team to beat in the NL Central.


• That same article indicates that Mark Prior will be non-tendered today.  I've talked about picking up Prior a couple of times, under the non-tender scenario and the trade route.  I think Mozeliak should be on the phone with his agent as soon as the paperwork clears the MLB front office.


• I remember reading something (and I've searched for a link, to no avail) that Mozeliak said before the winter meetings that he expected to have stuff done by mid-December.  It's getting to that point and not much has happened.  I know the Cards are in an awkward position of basically giving up on '08 for '09 and '10, but still Mo, throw us bloggers a bone and make some sort of move!


• If you want to look around the Cardinals minors while the news is slow, check out Future Redbirds' prospect lists.  That should give you a pretty good indication of who is who in the farm system.  I'm guessing Erik and company will be adding the community top 25 they just finished to that page soon.

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]