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Wainwright Goes Wrong

The Cardinals got their first look at their Opening Day starter yesterday.  They have to hope that it was his evil twin that showed up.

Actually, Adam Wainwright's outing wasn't all that bad.  Two earned runs in two innings, with a walk and a strikeout.  Still, three runs total and five hits isn't exactly what you want to see, but--everybody together now--it is early.  Wainwright has plenty of time to shake of the rust and get back to what we expect out of him.

The pitching wasn't great yesterday, but we've seen much worse.  Blake Hawksworth gave up three in three innings, but it's hard to tell from the box score just how well he pitched.  The pitchers got betrayed somewhat by Tyler Greene, who had two errors, one of which led to two unearned runs surrendered by Jason Motte, who also struck out two.

Speaking of strikeouts, nice to see Trever Miller strike out the side.  Having a lefty who can do that could be very useful during the season.

It was a grudge game in some regards, as Miller, of course, pitched for the Rays last year and now was pitching against them, while Adam Kennedy, very recently of the Cardinals, was wearing the green/teal of Tampa Bay and batting leadoff against the Cardinals.  Kennedy, who still isn't real happy with Tony LaRussa, got two base knocks off of Wainwright.  Probably a little fired up, don't you think?

Offensively, Brian Barton continued to make his presence known with a triple and a stolen base.  Nick Stavinova came in and got a couple of hits off the bench and Rick Ankiel had a two for three day.

Cards take their 3-2-1 record into today's game against the Mets.  The lineup will be:

Rasmus 8
Mather 5
Pujols 3
Ludwick 9
Duncan 7
K. Greene 6
Craig DH
LaRue 2
Thurston 4

Kyle Lohse takes the mound for the second time this spring, so hopefully we'll see about three innings of one run ball, or at least an improvement on his last outing.

Even though the transcripts aren't going up as regularly as scheduled, the UCB Roundtable is still going on.  Today, we discuss ownership over at Stan Musial's Stance.

Playing Pepper 2009: Tampa Bay Rays

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

The Rays shocked the world last year, not only winning the very tough AL East but fighting all the way to the World Series before falling to the Phillies.

Most people knew that the Rays were starting to develop a young, dangerous team, but to pass the large payrolls of the Yankees and Red Sox was quite an accomplishment.  It also begs the question: can they do it again?

I got in touch with Erik of DRaysBay and asked him about a repeat and if the Price is right.

  Continue Reading

Cardinals in Vegas, Day 2

No deals done on the first day of the winter meetings, but a lot of talk going on.  Lots of it, according to Joe Strauss's latest article.

First off, John Mozeliak shot down the Burnett idea, which isn't terribly surprising given since the team doesn't really want to deal out too many long-term contracts right now.  Especially with one that may have some injury issues.  I know the talk is that they don't want to limit their flexibility with Carp, Wainwright and Lohse all signed long-term, but you'd have to think that continuity is fine if everyone is healthy and good.  It worked for the Braves in the '90s, didn't it?

Moving an outfielder is still on the priority list, but it looks like it won't be Ryan Ludwick.  Which makes sense in a lot of ways, mostly because every other outfielder in the system, it seems like, is a left-handed batter.  Problem is, like BrewCards noted in yesterday's comment thread, there are just so many questions around everyone else that it'll be tough to get adequate talent back for them.  I don't believe they'll move Rasmus (unless completely overwhelmed), people have to decide if Schumaker is for real and they can live with the lack of power, Ankiel is a free agent after this season, and Chris Duncan is coming back from injury.

Apparently the braintrust is rethinking the closer position as well.  Either they aren't convinced Perez and Motte can handle it even with a year of seasoning or they want to keep their options open now that the closer market seems to be coming back to them.  Getting a FA closer on a two-year deal (if they could) might open trade possibilities next offseason.

Adam Kennedy looks to be the starter next season at second base.  When you look at his numbers, they really weren't as bad as everyone seems to have in their head.  While an Orlando Hudson would be an improvement, there really isn't any way to get him if Kennedy is still on the roster, and there doesn't seem to be any mechanism for getting him off of it that works for the Cardinals.  He'll be a free agent, so maybe we'll finally get to see what the Cardinals were looking for two years ago.

Strauss talks today at noon from Vegas, so I'm sure he'll elaborate even more on these points then.

Apparently the Cardinals have been looking at Scott Downs from the Blue Jays and have considered sending either Ankiel or Joe Mather to the Braves.  A quick glance at Downs looks interesting, especially his last two seasons.  He's been playing in a tough division as well, so moving to the NL Central might even help.  I'm a little surprised the Cards would move Ankiel, especially for someone like Mike Gonzalez, but they've got to clear a spot somehow.  Looks like he'll be a popular chip, with the Yanks, Rays and Giants all asking about him.  (Isn't he a little young to be a Giant?)

In fact, the rumor of Ankiel for Ian Kennedy is a little intriguing.  Kennedy, who was actually drafted by the Cardinals in 2003 but didn't sign, has been a top prospect for a while in the Yankee organization.  And, while we all know that Yankee prospects have a heck of a hype machine, his minor league numbers backed a lot of that up.  He struggled this year in the majors, but he will turn 24 next week and still has a long way to go before he hits his prime.  He'd be a long term committment, but a cheap one.  If that's an offer out there, I think (even though I'm a huge Ankiel fan and would hate to see him go) that Mo should take it.

A reminder that the special edition of the United Cardinal Bloggers Radio Hour will be coming to you tomorrow night at 10:00 Central time.  Yours truly is scheduled to be a guest in the first hour.

Odds and Ends

Not much going on, but let's post anyway!

First off, there will be a chat with John Mozeliak at the Post-Dispatch site today.  No matter your opinion of Mo, at least he gets out there and interacts with the fans.  I'm not sure I could picture Jocketty doing that, though obviously there really wasn't this kind of technology in wide use until close to the end of his term.  Maybe a situation of old dogs new tricks.

Secondly, let's talk World Series.  Everyone else is!  Like most people, I have no problem with the suspended game.  Selig is right (for once) in that the Series should not be decided on a rain-shortened technicality.  That said, if he had actually told the team representatives before the game, as he said he did, that they were playing nine one way or another, he should have stopped the game somewhere before the sixth.  I didn't see all of the game, but I turned it on in the top of the sixth and saw that slop.  I knew then that they were just hoping for the Rays to tie or take the lead so they could legally stop the game and not have to worry about calling it.  Selig most likely expected a lot of grief if he stopped it with the Phillies leading but didn't award them the win.

I heard Selig refer to his "four more years" and realized that he is going to wind up being commissioner for 18 years, assuming he actually leaves the position at the end of this contract.  He'll never be considered the best commissioner, I don't believe, but he's done enough to make sure his tenure is remembered.  Not necessarily in the best of ways, but it'll be remembered.

I still want to see the Rays win this thing, but having the Phillies win doesn't bother me much either.  I'm just, in some ways, ready for the Series to be over so we can really stoke the Hot Stove and get the fire going.

Of course, since few are watching, it may be one of those things where if a team wins a title in a forest, does it count?  Though I bet the viewing for the last three innings of Game 5 is much higher than for the rest of the game!

Not sure if I'll get a post up tomorrow, but my Halloween themed one is already prepped and ready to go, so be sure to check back on Friday!

Hodgepodge

Good start to the Series last night.  A game the Phillies had to win, because if you squander a Cole Hamels start, well, chances are you don't deserve to take home the title.  We'll see if the Rays blow up like they did last time they lost a Game 1, though!

Bernie tells us what we already know: Albert should be MVP.  Nice to see the players agreed.

Since the last UCB update, Redbird Ramblings has talked about the bullpen, BertFlex has taken up the outfield issue, Fungoes asked about changing the Busch Stadium experience, and Pitchers Hit Eighth asked when we start thinking about an Albert Pujols extension.

CardinalsGM should have a transcript up soon (for some reason the new filter in my office blocks that site, along with a ton of other things) as we start to wind down the discussions.  I still have to come up with a question that hasn't been used yet!

Small News, But News Nonetheless

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

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

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

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

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

Postseason Preview

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rays-ing Spirits

Let me get this out of the way: I'm no fan of interleague play.  I think of it as a cheap promotional gimmick that causes more controversy and issues than it's worth.  Listening and watching the games this weekend, it was hard to think of them as games that count.  It was more like the team was back in spring training, playing some exhibitions.

Still it's always good to win a series, no matter who you are playing against.  It wasn't easy, but the fact the Cards were able to take two of three from the then-first place Tampa Bay Rays should give them some confidence as they head on the yearly West Coast road trip.

There's not much point to recap--everyone's pretty familiar with the games by now, I'd figure--but we've got some hardware to hand out.

Friday, the only Rays win of the series, you'd have to go with Chris Duncan as the Hero, since he was pretty much the only bit of offense out there, capped off by his fourth homer.  Troy Glaus did have a couple of hits and Chris Perez was outstanding in his first outing.

For the Goat, you might choose a number of players, but with an 0-4 ending his 42-game on-base streak and an error to boot, it's one of those rare nights off for Albert Pujols.  I almost went with Skip Schumaker after his fourth-inning at bat resulted in a double play after two were on with none out, which was a big blow to the Cardinals' chances.

Saturday was a wild one, from what I can tell.  I was at the zoo with the family and missed most of it, but obviously when you have a two home-run day (including a walkoff) like Ryan Ludwick had, well, that's Hero material.  The Goat is a little up in the air.  Duncan had an 0-5 and left five men on base on a day where everyone was getting hits.  Another shaky outing by Adam Wainwright almost gives him the tag.  Thirteen baserunners in less than six innings is a recipe for disaster, though it's possible conditions affected him as well.  If not, the Cardinals have problems, because if Wainwright starts struggling, this team is in a lot of trouble.  But Randy Flores allowing three runs in a third of an inning really takes the cake.  The whole bullpen seemed to struggle on Saturday.

The last game was a pretty interesting one as well.  I got to watch most of it and didn't think the Cards were ever going to mount the rally they needed.  It would have been fitting if Pujols would have driven in a number of runs with the bases loaded in the sixth, being the closest thing to Stan Musial the team has, but that wasn't to be and I thought that'd be their last chance.  This team plays the hard nine, though, and it was good to see.

Obviously, Skip Schumaker could have gotten the Hero tag for his walk-off hit and Aaron Miles could have gotten it for his game-tying double.  But I want to go a different direction and give it to the newest Cardinal, Chris Perez.  In only his second game, he was given the ball after the team had tied it up in the eighth.  Not only was he able to keep the game tied, he didn't even make it that agonizing, throwing five strikes and turning it over to the offense.

Our final Goat would be Troy Glaus, who went 0-4 and had a big strikeout in the fifth, ending another potential rally.  That said, Glaus has been coming on of late and it's very good to see.

So the Cardinals head out to San Diego trailing the Cubs by two games.  And, as a gift, they miss Jake Peavy, who is out with an elbow issue.  Instead, they'll face Will Ledezma.  Ledezma has only started one game this year, usually working out of the pen, so it's not that likely he'll be around much past the fifth if the Cardinals are able to get the men on that they usually do.  However, the Cardinals seem to struggle against pitchers like this, especially when they've not seen them much before.  They'll possibly have to continue their patient at-bats, because that ballpark in Petco isn't usually that conducive to hitting.

The Cardinals throw Todd Wellemeyer at the Pads.  If you thought the Cardinals didn't know much about Ledezma, that's a wealth of first-hand knowledge compared to the Padres and Wellemeyer.  I don't think we'll be able to make many judgment calls there.

The Padres have definitely not had the season that people expected, as they have the worst record in baseball, but they still can be a dangerous team.  Hopefully the Cardinals will be able to extend their misery for a few more games.  And there's still time for the Padre YNOT!

Also on the Network: √ Doing It The Hard Way [C70 At The Bat] √ Bobby Jenks Saves Sox's Win Over Seattle [Tremendous Upside Potential] √ Deadline moves [Feeling Dodger Blue] √ Manny's impact [Feeling Dodger Blue] √ Shea Stadium Plays Citi Field [Loge 13] √ Frustration Revisted [C70 At The Bat] √ Not So Fast, T-Mac [Tremendous Upside Potential] √ Payroll breakdown [Feeling Dodger Blue]