OK, we're off to a shakey start. 1-2 against the Pirates. But it's early. Let's keep up the spirits. We'll get it going, this is a good team.
Remember, we were 10-17 against the Pirates last year. For whatever reason, they have our number. We can even up the series tomorrow afternoon. There are 159 games to go; the Phillies started the season 2-4 last year--anything can happen! :)
Yup. I was thinking about last year's record versus the Pirates as I wrote that post. And when was it? 2004? We were very mediocre through the first part of the season, and then caught fire around the end of May. Lots of games are left and I think we'll be in the thick of it at the end.
Besides Carp is going today and I think he is going to suprize alot of people.
What did I say . A no hitter into the 7th
Go Royals! 8)
Yup...Go Royals too. I can root for them, at least til they get into the WS against the Cards. There just hasn't been much to root about for a good number of years. But they're expecting good things for this season. All the pundits say the AL Central is wide open. Soooo....Go Royals.
^^Carp looked fantastic. We ought to be 3-1, atop the division. But ya forgive Motte this time. First game of the year, stepping into a pressure packed role, adrenalin flowing hot and heavy, it's not surprising if he had the jitters and a little loss of control. Give him some time to settle in. We've got the makin's of a great team.
Hey hey, the Cards get a win tonight to move to the top of the division at 3 and 2. Go Cards.
Wow, Pujols had the hot stick today! A slam and a 3-run shot, for 7 RBIs against the Astros. ;D
Didn't he though! The best player in baseball, playin' for the best team, in front of the best fans. Winning combination. I'll never forget that towering home-run he hit in Houston during the playoffs a few years ago that just totally dismantled Brad Lidge. Lidge was so shook that he didn't show up for several seasons after.
With Pujols we are watching one of the greatest to ever play the game! He hits the ball so hard, though! Wow! That was a laser beam into Big Mac Land for the grand slam; the three run shot was a laser as well. It was funny to watch the fans. They weren't trying to catch the ball...they were trying to get out of the way he hit it so hard. Watch the replay and you'll notice a little detail: the ball was still climbing when it hit Big Mac Land! :o
Here's a new "This Is Sportscenter" spot featuring Pujols that will debut tomorrow. It's hilarious! :D
http://videos.stltoday.com/p/video?id=3729361 (http://videos.stltoday.com/p/video?id=3729361)
That video is hilarious. Pujols had a "human" day today, 0 for 3 with a walk, but Lohse was phenomenal. He pitched a complete game 3 hit shutout. After allowing the first hitter a base hit, he retired 24 in a row until the the first guy up in the 9th got a hit. Cards win 3-0. They're on top of the Central at 5-2. The Cubs play later with a chance to get back to a half game out.
I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but ESPN's live updates on the scoreboard page are smokin' fast this year. I had the page up while my brothers-in-law were watching the Cubs game last night, and every pitch was updated before I could turn my head from the TV to my computer.
I just caught this factoid in the ESPN report of Saturday's game:
Albert Pujols' seven RBIs matched the season output of the Kansas City Royals.
;D ;D ;D
Hah. That's crazy.
A good win tonight in a tight game. It was good to see Welly pitch well. Gives me more confidence for the season. Gotta keep ahead of those pesky cubs.
A total of 3-5 runs scored makes for great baseball.
Well....we've lost Chris Carpenter for awhile. I knew when they first indicated that it was his side that he had pulled it on his at bat. I hope the rest of the pitchers can pick up the slack. I think we'll be okay as long as we don't lose another one.
Tough loss after all that. But we came roaring back this afternoon. Great job! Don't let a little setback get you down.
Quote from: Zephon on April 15, 2009, 10:45:45 PM
Well....we've lost Chris Carpenter for awhile. I knew when they first indicated that it was his side that he had pulled it on his at bat. I hope the rest of the pitchers can pick up the slack. I think we'll be okay as long as we don't lose another one.
Tough loss after all that. But we came roaring back this afternoon. Great job! Don't let a little setback get you down.
Still better than losing Carpenter for the whole year, which would have been the case if he re-injured his arm.
Note to self: Checking the scores and doing the Snoopy Happy Dance in the living room isn't a good idea.
Not when we beat the Cubs 7-4 in the first matchup of the season, and especially not in front of your raving Cubs loonie spouse. :-\
Well, today was another painful loss. We get Zambrano on an off day, and then lose when he leaves the game. We are now on pace for 67 blown saves (we had 31 last year, which was almost a MLB record). If we had a solid long reliever and closer we would be 11-1 so far this year instead of 8-4. :(
Yes...oh for the days of having a dominant bullpen. Oh well, maybe KB's wife will let him out of the doghouse for a day. LOL The good news is we're still up on 'em.
How 'bout those Royals. On top of the AL Central. Record not spectacular at 5-4, but hey, I hope they have a good year.
Ouch, that hurt. >:(
When we get 5 or 6 deep in the bullpen, we might as well be holding tryouts.
The pain of Saturday's loss is eased by seeing what Cleveland did to the Yankees.
22-4? I've seen t-ball games that weren't so lopsided!
Glad to see today's game postponed due to rain. Our BP needs a little rest. Actually, I thought Motte, Franklin, and Perez did alright in their innings, 7 through 10...no runs, got out of some jams. We just couldn't take advantage of our own scoring opportunities. Ankiel, 0 for 6; Pujols, 0 for 4. Not ragging on Albert, he certainly has proved himself. But I'd like to see Rasmus get a couple of starts in CF and see how he does.
Yah, that was a wild one at the new Yankee Stadium. Fourteen runs in one inning? Two runs short of the major league record set back on June 18, 1894, Boston vs. Baltimore.
^Yeah, NY isn't very happy with their Yankees right now. I watched the Indians-Yankees game yesterday and that ruling of a homerun for Posada was a joke! Even with video review the umps still got it wrong. It was total fan interference. The fan reached over the fence and put his glove over the outfielder's glove impeding him from making the catch. In fact, the fan's glove even touched the outfielder's glove. It wouldn't be such a big deal except it was the pivotal play of the game! The problem is the way the rule is written, needing "clear and decisive" evidence to overturn a call. That means that the rule is written so it's almost impossible to overturn a call, right or wrong. I mean, if the ump had originally ruled it was fan interference chances are it wouldn't have been overturned with video review either. What a joke.
I also think it's a joke that the media thinks ARod is a god or something. They kept talking yesterday during the game about how ARod would turn the club around when he returns, and that he'd probably hit only 50 homeruns since he's missing a couple months of the season. Hello! Has he been that pivotal the past five seasons for the Yankees? No. And the team's having no problem scoring runs without him (they're averaging over 5 runs a game right now). The Yankees problem is their pitching, and last time I checked ARod doesn't pitch. All this ARod worship by the media makes me sick. He's a very good player, but he is not a clubhouse leader or a team changer. He hasn't been able to turn the Yankees around since he's been there. This year won't be any different. They talk about him as if he's Derek Jeter, who is a class act, a great player, and a clubhouse leader. The Yankees would be worse off if it was Jeter out with an injury right now.
Anyway, we've got two big series coming up, hosting the Mets and Cubs. We really need to win both series to boost our confidence. I keep waiting to see if Freese will be sent down to make room for another bullpen arm. I'm sure it'll happen some time this week.
Go KC ROYALS
I guess its time to come out of the closet on this thread-- GO CUBS!
Quote from: themeparkguy on April 21, 2009, 01:27:22 PM
I guess its time to come out of the closet on this thread-- GO CUBS!
Out of curiosity, who are your rivals besides the Cards and White Sox? I know we have a big rivalry with the Astros too, and a smaller one with the Royals.
Hey, Hey! Just completed a three game sweep of the Mets to take a 1-1/2 game lead in the Central. The bats definitely came alive today, with Albert jumping into the NL lead in HR's and RBI's. Next up...the Cubs, who stubbed their toes against Cincy.
GET OUT THOSE BROOMS!!! WOOT!!!
What is the current cubs/cardinals face to face record ::)
One of my co-workers is a hardcore Yankees fan, which is pretty hard to pull off in the ArkLaTex region. I give him credit for hanging in there, though; he's a true fan.
Yesterday I was having lunch when he walked by, and I asked him, "Hey, do you think Steinbrenner is going to be able to get that rule change passed?"
??? "...What rule change?"
"Oh, you didn't hear about it? After that Cleveland game he wants a 5 run mercy rule like t-ball!" ;D
"Maaaaan, shut your mouth!" >:(
And he turned away and wouldn't talk to me again. :D
Quote from: themeparkguy on April 23, 2009, 09:51:55 PM
What is the current cubs/cardinals face to face record ::)
Ooh the've played three games against each other (all in Chicago) and are up one game.
I see you failed to mention that they had to take the Cards into extra innings in one game to do it and the fact the only reason they won those two is due a big bat in the LAST INNING.
Luck is what I would call that. If they were a decent team they'd have had the game put away before the last inning of the game and not have to worry about last second heroics -- but what else do you expect from the baby bears? Also seems like they (baby bears) are having a little bit of a losing streak right now (and of all things, against CINCINATTI!)
Quote from: themeparkguy on April 23, 2009, 09:51:55 PM
What is the current cubs/cardinals face to face record ::)
This is why I don't care for many Cubs fans. What's wrong with Cards fans celebrating the first sweep in St. Louis of the Mets since 2004? We weren't dissing the Cubs or anything. Our celebration was not an insult to you or your team. You didn't see us talking smack when you took two out of three from the Brewers earlier this month.
And I don't care if we lose most of our games to the Cubs the rest of the year if we win the division!
I did not disrespect the accomplishment of the Mets sweep- We will revisit the head to head match-up after this weekend. I do agree that a win is a win- I am sure the Redbirds are also glad to have wins no matter how obtained. I am sure if Albert hit a home run in the last inning you would not suggest is was not a quality win. My belief is it comes down to pitching and I am excited about our staff. We should all agree to show excitement over our teams accomplishment. And yes a division win is better than to head to head which is why the last two years have been sweet.
Growing up in a large family that is ALL redbirds fans and I being the only cubs fan- I enjoy a healthy exchange. And swoosh- lets check out your next series with the Reds- I look foward to your observations.
Quote from: themeparkguy on April 24, 2009, 09:35:16 AM
And yes a division win is better than to head to head which is why the last two years have been sweet.
Yeah and remind again how that worked out for you guys in the playoffs? ::)
Not so good- But it is sweet to at least have a chance to be in the playoffs. ::)
Quote from: themeparkguy on April 24, 2009, 09:54:39 AM
Not so good- But it is sweet to at least have a chance to be in the playoffs. ::)
You mean like the Cardinals for most of the last decade?
People must realize that teams have cycles- and while the last 100 years for my cubs is lacking- the cardinals have not been able to find a winning formula over the last few years- look to the pitching Tony- look to the pitching.
Quote from: themeparkguy on April 24, 2009, 10:10:04 AM
People must realize that teams have cycles- and while the last 100 years for my cubs is lacking- the cardinals have not been able to find a winning formula over the last few years- look to the pitching Tony- look to the pitching.
Right, because you know every ball club has a bad century.
Remind me again who has been to the World Series twice this decade?
Quote from: themeparkguy on April 24, 2009, 09:35:16 AM
I did not disrespect the accomplishment of the Mets sweep- We will revisit the head to head match-up after this weekend. I do agree that a win is a win- I am sure the Redbirds are also glad to have wins no matter how obtained. I am sure if Albert hit a home run in the last inning you would not suggest is was not a quality win. My belief is it comes down to pitching and I am excited about our staff. We should all agree to show excitement over our teams accomplishment. And yes a division win is better than to head to head which is why the last two years have been sweet.
I agree. A win is a win no matter how it's obtained.
Here's an amazing stat--in the entire history of the Cardinals franchise they have never had back-to-back losing seasons! After finishing 78-84 in 2007 the Cards finished 86-76 last year. We would've made the playoffs except we played dismally against the teams in our division.
As for pitching, if Carp can come back in June and not have any more problems (a miracle for this franchise; as a side note, I don't expect Troy Glaus to play at all this season) our starting rotation will be pretty strong. Now if Tony can find a winning formula with the bullpen by committee (and closer by committee) we'll have a fighting chance to win the division. If not, there's no way. I was surprised by how strong the NL Central finished last year. We were in 4th place and finished 10 games over .500!
Last year my prediction was we would finish 85-77 and miss the playoffs. This year I have hope, but I keep my predictions realistic: at worst we'll finish 85-77 and at best 90-72. We won't win the division but if we can finish with 87-90 wins we'll have a shot at the wild card.
Quote from: themeparkguy on April 23, 2009, 09:51:55 PM
What is the current cubs/cardinals face to face record ::)
Tied
3-3
6 games and all knotted up!
Today's a perfect example of why I think the Cards will win between 85-90 games this year. We have a great lineup, but going into today's game we were hitting .302 on the year. Obviously we aren't going to hit that for the year. Our weakest spot is our pitching, especially the bullpen. For the rotation, Wainwright and Lohse are fairly consistent. Pineiro's pitched great so far because he's been keeping the ball down, but who knows how long that'll continue. Wellemeyer, don't even get me started! And the spot starter for Carpenter's slot is like a coin toss. Our bullpen from top to bottom just isn't very good.
I think we'll win between 85-90 games because we just can't count on most of our pitching staff. When our lineup doesn't hit consistently we can't count on our pitching to pick us up. I believe we don't have enough talent to be consistently good, which means we could squeak into the playoffs as a wild card, but we won't win the division. This team is capable of a few five game win streaks, but it's also capable of a few five game losing streaks. I don't like the Cubs, but I'm also not in denial. The Cubs have a strong lineup and a strong pitching staff, which is why (barring any major injuries) I think they'll win the division.
Well, sad to say, we couldn't complete the sweep of those Cubs. They managed to get the best of Wellemeyer, who has not been at all sharp yet this season. But, we still have a 2 game lead over Pittsburgh, and 3 over the Cubs, with Cincy sandwiched in between them. Tough series against Atlanta coming up, they've been playing better lately. We've got to stay focused.
sdcforever, I think your wins prediction for this season is probably pretty close. I don't think this is a 100 win team. But, I'm a little more optimistic about where we'll finish. We're not firing on all cylinders yet, but we're still winning games. I like our young guys, I like our vets. I think our pitching staff will hold it's own, although a sure fire stopper in the BP would be nice. The Cubs got lucky with late inning heroics in the series in Chicago, or our record would be even better. It's still early, but I like the way this team has come out of the blocks. Don't sell it short.
Lookie there! Joel Pineiro picks up the win in the first game of the 3-game series with Atlanta. Nice to see the Cards are able to cool down a team that has been "red-hot"
Now let's see if Arizona can beat the baby bears ;D
Swoosh- I'm not sure you have enough oats in your diet. ;D
This was indeed a great win. Piniero was awesome, Perez got his out, MacClellon made his pitches when he had to, and Franklin has been lights out. This team has great potential.
Quote from: themeparkguy on April 27, 2009, 09:22:38 PM
Swoosh- I'm not sure you have enough oats in your diet. ;D
What? I can't hear you over the sobbing of Chi-town over another Cubby loss.
Raise the BIG "L" Flag over Wrigley!
We do not cry over a loss ( as there has been many). We regroup and start anew Mr. Swoosher. Did you have your oats this morning?
^Nah I fed the oats to the Billy Goat ;D
Now THAT'S a great story
Quote from: themeparkguy on April 28, 2009, 09:39:32 AM
We do not cry over a loss ( as there has been many). We regroup and start anew Mr. Swoosher. Did you have your oats this morning?
;D
Oops a 2 to 1 loss and a possible win (up 5 to nill in the 5th).
But it does always seem to come back to that goat :o
I'm out- at 11-1 I think it will be a W- you win we lose, you lose we win- what a season we have in store. ;D
Well McClellen deserved that loss last night, He started to show signs of Ankiel's falldown for awhile.
Speaking of Mets, I just met up with Darryl Strawberry, he now lives near me. He has really turned things around. Remarried, and lives in a nice suburb of StL.
Quote from: oldsdcer on April 29, 2009, 08:05:15 AM
Well McClellen deserved that loss last night, He started to show signs of Ankiel's falldown for awhile.
Not only did he take the loss but also a blown save. He looks more like Izzy of 2007 and 2008, whereas Franklin looks more like Izzy of 2005 and 2006. :)
Well, as Mike Shannon would say, tonight's the rubber game of a three game set. Vazquez vs. Wainwright. Vazquez is a hard throwing right-hander, and he has some nasty stuff. He's 2-1 this year with a 2.63 ERA in 24.0 innings pitched. Here's the scary stats--he has 34 strikeouts and only 7 walks. Opponents are hitting .237 against him and he's only given up 1 homerun. :o Expect the low offensive output to continue tonight unless Vazquez is really off of his game. Wainwright looks to be a great matchup for Vazquez; this should be a close, low scoring game if both pitchers pitch the way they're capable.
CARDINALS win again ;D
Baby bears lose again ;D
everything is right with the world
Quote from: sdcforever on April 29, 2009, 11:35:42 AM
Not only did he take the loss but also a blown save. He looks more like Izzy of 2007 and 2008, whereas Franklin looks more like Izzy of 2005 and 2006. :)
Izzy of 2007 was actually quite good. You're actually thinking of 2006 I believe.
Man I enjoy seeing Chicago and Houston at the bottom of the NL Central.
I hope they are forced to get comfortable down there in the cellar.
Royals win 3 out of 4 against Bluejays ,back in first place.YEE HAW.Maybe this is the year ive been waiting for so long although i know its way early in the season.
^wrong thread (why not make one for the Royals) ;)
==========
CARDINALS WIN AGAIN (the Nationals were a "hot" team until StL came to town)
baby bears lose again (doesn't seem to matter who they play)
I like where this is going :D
Cards will probably lose tomorrow though, Wellemeyer is pitching... BD he sux :-[
Our Manger just said today the the cardinals are the best team in the central right now.
Quote from: themeparkguy on May 01, 2009, 10:29:26 AM
Our Manger just said today the the cardinals are the best team in the central right now.
It'll be interesting to see how things are a month from now or so. I've been amazed at how you guys aren't hitting right now, and I know Lou's been shuffling the lineup to try to find something that clicks.
Hey a win today- Yes when your 3,4,5 hitters are all batteling nagging injuries it causes a lot of line-up changes.
WOW! The Cardinals are just playing awesome baseball right now. Best record in baseball at 16-7, on top or near it in most offensive and pitching categories. Not so good on defense with all those errors, but the key is don't let them hurt you. Starters have only allowed 3 HR's, well, make that 4 now; heck of a stat, Washington's starter allowed 3 just tonight. I don't see this team slowing down much. Yah, those numbers will probably come down a bit, but all the elements are there for a great season. We've got a largely untested BP, some ups, some downs. But they're finding their way right now, learning how to pitch in the majors. I think they'll get better as the season goes along. Carpenter, Ryan, Glaus on the DL, due to come off sooner or later. That's just more pieces in place. This Cardinal team is a force to be reckoned with.
We're leading 6-2 in Washington right now with 4 outs to get. Should be another win to make it 17-7. Awesome!
GO CARDINALS!!!!
Quote from: themeparkguy on May 01, 2009, 07:51:06 PM
Hey a win today- Yes when your 3,4,5 hitters are all batteling nagging injuries it causes a lot of line-up changes.
Yah...injuries are a b!tch for any team. We're dealing with them too. The great teams find a way to work through them. But hey...you're back up to .500.
Wow, how about those 17-7 Cards, with a +41 differential!
:o
Yeah, we've got injuries, but when they get the lineup back, it's going to be scary good.
Quote from: themeparkguy on May 01, 2009, 10:29:26 AM
Our Manger just said today the the cardinals are the best team in the central MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL right now.
FIXED
What a strange season to go from 5th place to third place in the span of two days.
We lost?!!!!! What's up with that?
Borrowing from the Cubs Message Board:
Our season is over!
Gloom, despair, and agony on me
Deep, dark depression, excessive misery
If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all
Gloom, despair, and agony on me
Further proof that BOTH Duncans need to leave the organization.
Quote from: Swoosh on May 02, 2009, 10:57:45 PM
Further proof that BOTH Duncans need to leave the organization.
Dave Duncan is fine. He's doing a great job. We've got the second lowest team ERA in baseball so far this year (3.57) and you want to get rid of Dave Duncan?
Sure, Pineiro took the loss yesterday, but he only gave up 1 earned run. He didn't deserve the loss and wouldn't have had one if Chris Duncan learned to catch with two hands.
Dave Duncan is a terrible pitching coach one only needs to look at the last two years to see that.
Game postponed today. That's the official word, anyway. I think it'll be canceled since it's the fourth game of the series and will only be made up if there are playoff implications. Perhaps it's just as well since McClellan was penciled in as the starter in place of Lohse at the last minute. I suspect it was due to the prospect of playing in slippery conditions, since his knee's been bothering him a bit. The report said Lohse would not be skipped in the rotation, so it looks like he'll start tomorrow against the Phillies. This will also give Albert an extra day of rest. :)
Another day- another move in the standings- tied for 2nd.
Quote from: themeparkguy on May 03, 2009, 05:22:58 PM
Another day- another move in the standings- tied for 2nd.
You can tell Mother Nature thank you now -- otherwise you'd still be in 3rd
THe redbirds not playing has nothing to do with us tying up the reds for second place- Explain your logic mr. swoosh!
Without starting a new post- TROUBLE AHEAD
Missouri freshman quarterback Blaine Dalton has been suspended after he was arrested on Thursday night after a traffic stop near the Missouri campus.
Quote from: themeparkguy on May 03, 2009, 07:10:03 PM
THe redbirds not playing has nothing to do with us tying up the reds for second place- Explain your logic mr. swoosh!
I guess you don't understand "games back", let's try to explain this in the easiest way I can.
Team A (team that is in the lead in standings)
Team B (team that is not in the lead in standings)
Both teams played today
Team A wins, Team B wins - no change in games back
Team A wins, Team B loses - Team B falls a game further behind
Team A loses, Team B wins - Team B picks up a game and is one less "game back"
Only 1 teams played today
Team A idle, Team B loses - Team B falls a 1/2 game back
Team A idle, Team B wins - Team B gains a 1/2 game
Team A wins, Team B idle - Team B falls a 1/2 game back
Team A loses, Team B idle - Team B gains a 1/2 game
So in essence, by the Cardinals not playing today, the Cubs were guranteed a 1/2 game gain if they won -- if the Cardinals had played and won today, the Cubs would have still be back 4 games and still in 3rd place in the NL Central.
Quote from: themeparkguy on May 03, 2009, 07:12:41 PM
Without starting a new post- TROUBLE AHEAD
Missouri freshman quarterback Blaine Dalton has been suspended after he was arrested on Thursday night after a traffic stop near the Missouri campus.
Wrong thread and sport.
Why not post it in the SDCfans Lounge?
Good thing there are 2 Blaines and this is not the one earmarked to be the starter -- that's Gabbert
Well, the Cubs were in second place before today's games. A three way tie after Saturday, two way tie after today. So, while they picked up 1/2 game on St. Louis by virtue of the rain-out, they didn't move up in the standings...still in second place.
After Saturday's games:
W L GB
STL 17 8 --
CHC 12 11 4.0
CIN 12 11 4.0
PIT 12 11 4.0
MIL 12 12 4.5
HOU 10 14 6.5
After Sunday's games:
STL 17 8 -
CHI 13 11 3.5
CIN 13 11 3.5
MIL 13 12 4.0
PIT 12 12 4.5
HOU 11 14 6.0
2 back in the loss column and sole possession of 2nd place. :)
Of all our pitchers, I can't believe Lohse gave up a slam to Philly.
Wellemeyer, yeah... I'd believe him giving up the keys to the clubhouse. But not Lohse!
Lohse wasn't the same after he got hit in the elbow by that pitch. And I can understand why, even though it wasn't his pitching arm. You still use your whole body.
I'm praying for a speedy recovery for Rick. Even if nothing is seriously damaged, he'll be sore for quite a while. I don't expect him back for quite some time.
I read on the Post-Dispatch website that Rick was at the hospital tonight and had full use of all of his limbs, plus a really puffy face. I wonder how serious his concussion is and if he has whiplash?
This morning, the news is that X-rays and CT scans came out negative, so that's good news. He probably does have whiplash sort of soreness, and I saw that he is listed as day to day, not on the DL, though that could change obviously. The good thing is, no permanent damage. It wouldn't surprise me if he's in the dugout tonight.
SportsCenter was reporting at noon that he's out of the hospital and is expected to be at the stadium tonight. Puffy face and whiplash-like symptoms.
Tough loss last night, but at least the offense woke up. We're going to have two tough games today and tomorrow against Pittsburgh--Duke pitches tonight versus Boggs and then Ohlendorf versus Wellemeyer. Plus, Pittsburgh has our number for some reason.
Despite the loss, it was nice to see Albert Pujols and Brad Lidge revisit old times last night, wasn't it? :) Man, Pujols absolutely crushed Lidge's fastball!!! ;D
^Yeah, that Pujols smash was great. It took Lidge 2 years to recover from the last one.
Yup, we're on a little 3 game slide. Still in 1st by 2 games, but the pitching has faltered a bit. Looks like the pitchers are having trouble keeping the ball down, letting it drift up in the zone on occasion. I hope they can get back in the groove tonight against Duke and the Pirates. We don't need any long loosing streaks like we've had the past couple of years.
Milwaukee is making a little run; the Cubs slipped to 3rd in the division, sorry themeparkguy. We're still okay, just have to step it up a bit.
It was great to see Ankiel in the dugout last night. He didn't look much worse for the wear. I'm sure he'll be back in the lineup in 4-5 days. Meanwhile, it's time for Rasmus to show us what he's got.
Well, Boggs had kind of an off night, not being able to find the strike zone. But we won! GO CARDINALS!
^Good win today! Wellemeyer was on, going 7 innings, which was much needed after all the work the bullpen had last night. And Franklin picked up his 9th save in 9 opportunities--he's been nails so far this year. A shut down closer right now; in fact, the entire back end of our bullpen has really been great for most of this season. Franklin is definitely benefiting from not having Izzy looking over his shoulder anymore. Let's keep up the momentum as we head to Cincy tomorrow! :)
^Great win. Good job Welly. Two good starts in a row, maybe he's finding his rhythm. Ankiel got put on the 15 day DL. We won't have him back as soon as I thought. Oh well, Rasmus will pull through for us.
Ankiel has got to be pretty darn sore after that face plant, so I don't mind giving him two weeks of jacuzzi time to recover.
Another win; 19-10 now, +2.5 over the Cubs. The Dodgers had been super-hot with 21 wins, but now they lost Manny for 50 games, and it will be interesting to see how it goes for them.
I don't like the way we've been playing lately. Lost 5 of 6. Starting pitching is letting us down a bit. Only a 1 game lead after tonight's lose to Cincy, with Milwaukee beating Chicago.
The Cubs are going to be without Aramis for at least a month (dislocated shoulder), and Derek Lee is scheduled for tests because of his ongoing neck spasms.
The Dodgers didn't seem to miss Manny too bad.
Quote from: KBCraig on May 10, 2009, 09:21:50 AM
The Cubs are going to be without Aramis for at least a month (dislocated shoulder), and Derek Lee is scheduled for tests because of his ongoing neck spasms.
The Dodgers didn't seem to miss Manny too bad.
It's early. They haven't been without him too long. Let's see how they do over a two to three week span.
I was reading an article talking about how fans could still vote Manny to the All Star Game. I've always felt the All Star Game is a joke, and we'll really know when a guy who's played less than 30 games can get voted to the All Star team. ::)
I've thought the All Star voting has been a joke for a long time. Teams with huge markets seem to get their guys in whether they're doing well or not. I would prefer that the players vote for the starting lineups, and let the fans vote for reserves after the starters have been decided. I don't like the fact that the winner gets home field advantage in the WS either.
Heyyyyy! Cards get a win today. Hooray!
Well, the sky has definitely darkened over the Cards. :-[
Injuries are taking over, that in combination with a stagnant offense and rotation and some pathetic defense, it looks like the wheels are starting to fall off. We're down 5-1 today to the Pirates, and barring an unbelievable comeback in the next two innings this will be our 6th loss in 9 games. With Ludwick on the DL I expect Pujols will see virtually nothing to hit unless the 1-2 batters can get on base in front of him (which hasn't happened tonight or lately, for that matter). As Pujols goes, so do the Cards, and his BA has been spiraling down to the .300 mark lately (he's 0 for 3 tonight and his BA currently stands at .319); unless things turn around quickly we could be in 4th place by the end of this month. :-[ Our only light in the distance is the possible return of Carp to the rotation as soon as our next homestand, which starts Friday and runs through May 24th. He had a pain-free bullpen session yesterday.
Yah, the injury bug has stomped on us good. I just hope we can weather the storm and not get too far behind before we get our guys back. After tonight we'll have slipped back into a tie for 1st. I hope they can figure out a way to bring some life back into the club.
Ouch. 3-7 for the last 10, and 2 straight losses to the Pirates. Now tied for first with the Brewers and Reds.
Stopped the losing streak. Big bomb by Rasmus tonight. Pujols had a couple of ribbies. Let's hope this is the start of a long winning streak.
I agree with that -- Brewers are coming to town and I would like nothing more than to sweep them.
Quote from: Swoosh on May 15, 2009, 12:38:59 AM
I agree with that -- Brewers are coming to town and I would like nothing more than to sweep them.
Me too. I thought the whole shirt untucking routine would end with the new manager, but it hasn't. If I was the manager stunts like that would not happen with my team.
Darnit. The weather rooks us out of a game in which we had the lead, Colby gets a HR taken away. And then we can't score against Suppon. That guy really has our number. Might have been a mistake to let him get away as he's been pretty decent for the Brewers. I can't wait til we get our team back from the DL.
Quote from: Zephon on May 17, 2009, 12:13:52 AM
Darnit. The weather rooks us out of a game in which we had the lead, Colby gets a HR taken away. And then we can't score against Suppon. That guy really has our number. Might have been a mistake to let him get away as he's been pretty decent for the Brewers. I can't wait til we get our team back from the DL.
No, he's not even been decent for the Brewers. The only team he pitches remotely well against is us. Suppan's ERA vs. the Cards is 1.66. Against every other team it's 5.12. What do they know that we don't? :-\
Man, this Cardinal team is hard to watch right now. We need some players off the DL to inject some energy into the clubhouse. The joy of snapping a nearly 16 inning scoreless streak by putting up 2 runs is dampened by an 8-2 loss. Hard to believe we started off the month with a win to bring our record to 17-7. We've gone 4-9 since then and have alternated one win with two losses for the last week and a half for our current record of 21-16. Last year we could never get 11 games over .500. I wonder if we can reach, perhaps even surpass, that mark this year once we're healthy?
Well, that was a demoralizing series. It was hard to watch, and this is not the time for the Cubs to come to town. Our bats can't find the baseball and our pitchers can't find the strike zone. It seems like we walked 100 batters the past 3 games. It was bad enough watching the Brewers walk all over us; I'm not sure I can watch this series if the Cubs are going to do the same. GM Mozeliak says we need to weather the storm. He finds courage in Carp starting tomorrow and the fact that Ludwick will not be gone more than the 15 days. I've been waiting for Carp to save us for too long. Exactly how long will he pitch before he goes down again? And it will take a while for Ludwick to heat up. The same goes for Ankiel once he comes back. What if we're struggling nearly this much after all three of them come back? If I'm Mozeliak and I see that happening, then I start looking outside the organization for help.
It's a crazy year over in the AL. Who would have thought the division leaders would be Toronto, Detroit, and Texas. Texas?!?
What, exactly, got into Joel Pineiro last night? He pitched a whale of a game, giving the bullpen much needed rest. Wanna guess what Carp's line will be tonight? My guess is 6 and 2/3 IP, 6 hits, 2 ER, 5 K, 2 BB, and a win. (Pretty optimistic, I know, but I think the club is going to be pretty pumped and positive tonight after last night's win).
Wow, Piñeiro was en fuego! He only faced 28 batters and threw 92 pitches for the complete game.
2-in-a-row!!!
Thanks Cubbies ;D
We've got a weekend series hosting KC, which should be good for at least a couple more victories.
It was a bad night for Chicago, both North Side and South Side. ;D
Quote from: KBCraig on May 21, 2009, 11:46:00 AM
We've got a weekend series hosting KC, which should be good for at least a couple more victories.
Who knows. When the Royals play the Cardinals, for some reason the Royals think they are playing in the World Series (well in a way it IS their World Series). I get rather tired of hearing "85" yelled by the lame KC fans when the Royals pull one off.
Boy, these last 4 games have been great. We're not exactly lighting up the board with runs, but the pitching has been awesome. Even Welly pitched well tonight. And Motte, finishing out the 7th and 8th, well...he couldn't have done a better job. It's strange how they can go from horrible to excellent in the space of a couple of games. Course, we caught the Cubs with some injuries, but we've got some too. And not having to face Greinke this series helps a lot. Tonight's win brings us up to only 1 game out! Let's Go Cardinals!
Thanks to the Brew Crew's loss yesterday we remain tied with them for 1st. It's too bad we wasted another solid start from Pineiro. It's become pretty obvious that we will need some upgrades to stay in contention into September.
I believe Glaus will not be back this year. Who replaces him? Barden and Thurston have been okay so far, but they're streaky at best. That tandem at 3B will not be the answer, I don't think. Brett Wallace is playing well down in Memphis, and the Cards don't want to rush him. The problem is both Freese and Mather are recovering from injuries and cannot step in right now. If Barden/Thurston don't hold up, and the Cards don't want to promote Wallace yet, Mozeliak may have to look elsewhere for short-term help at 3B. I'd rather they find the solution in-house but, if not, Mark DeRosa, Melvin Mora, Garrett Atkins, Adrian Beltre and Hank Blalock are all possible solutions.
Who plays SS? I can't mince words; Khalil Greene has been horrendous so far this year (he was great in spring training, however). He's been downgraded to a part-time role and is trying to straighten out some anxiety issues. Brendan Ryan and Tyler Greene have been great filling in this year, but Tyler Greene was just sent down (for now) to make room for Ankiel. Will Khalil right his ship? If not will the Cards just shut him down or can they find another team to take him (the Red Sox might be interested)? I think Tyler Greene is the most attractive option at SS.
Beefing up the bench. Nick Stavinoha could provide some pop off the bench. I also think the Cards need to cut down their pitching staff to the best 12. That means Blaine Boyer and Brad Thompson should not only compete with each other, but also with Jess Todd and Josh Kinney who are pitching lights out down in Memphis, for that 12th spot. Ludwick comes off the DL on Friday, and I think the Cards need to move a pitcher to make room for him.
With Carp back in the rotation and Ankiel and Ludwick coming off the DL the Cards are in good shape to stay in contention for a while. But I think some changes need to be made at 3B, SS, and the bench/pitching staff to remain in contention into September.
Let's hire Eckstein back at SS!
^He'd be an upgrade, that's for sure.
Too bad we wasted a fantastic start by Carp. His ERA for the year is still 0.00. :)
Albert looked bad on his full count strike out in the 8th with a RISP. I actually think he guessed right on the pitch and was trying to foul it off in hopes that he would see a better pitch to hit. Unfortunately, it was way too far off the plate. The way the offense is going Albert's pressing, especially in those situations. It's not like he could've counted on Duncan to have a decent at-bat if he drew a walk in that situation. ::) It'll be better once Ankiel is fully recovered and Ludwick comes back on Friday; Luddy feels really comfortable in the 4 slot hitting behind Albert. Maybe the Cards' offense can get in a rhythm again like they were in April when Ankiel and Ludwick were healthy and hitting. Albert sure saw more pitches to hit, and that always helps. The Cards haven't scored six or more runs in a game since May 10, and it's been 61 innings since they scored more than two runs in an inning. :-\
Stavinoha did pretty good in Ludwick's slot tonight. And we're back in the lead! 8)
^Yeah, I watched the game yesterday. It'll be nice to have Ludwick back in the 4 slot and hopefully Ankiel back in the lineup too after our off day today. Man, Albert has looked exhausted the past couple of days. I hope he takes advantage off the off day today. He's had a lot on his shoulders with both Ankiel and Ludwick out, and it's really started to show. :-[
Some tough decisions coming up with the return of those guys. Who do you send back down? Thurston most likely, but who's next? Barden, Stavi, Tyler Greene? They've all made contributions to keep us in the hunt. Frankly, I'd almost rather keep those guys and just give Khalil Greene his release, or at least trade him for a prospect. He just doesn't seem to want it bad enough.
Greene has been pretty disappointing.
I hate to release anyone, but he'd be my first choice, offensively.
Well, Khalil is on the DL now, some kind of mental disorder, so I guess they're gonna try and get him some help. OK by me. He can't help us til he gets straightened out. Meanwhile, with Luddy and Ankiel back, giving them a little time to get their timing back, maybe our offense will pick up. I'd like to see us scoring runs like we did in April.
Bad loss today, we had so many scoring chances but couldn't get the timely hit. Lot's of guys left on base. One game back of the Brewers now. Hang in there boys.
^With Luddy hitting behind him the past 3 games Albert is 7 for 11. Definitely makes a difference! :)
"Social anxiety disorder", according to the Post-Dispatch.
Man, what is up with getting hammered by the Rockies?
^It's getting further into the season and it's pretty obvious that we are not very good. I think April was just an oddity with everything clicking at once. The same thing happened last year. We started out hot and got 10 games over .500, but then could never get past that and played .500 ball the rest of the way. We got to 10 games over .500 at the end of April this year and have played around .500 ball ever since. The only hitter in our lineup that anyone fears at all is Albert. All of our other hitters in the lineup have not had good seasons more than one season (Ankiel and Ludwick had good years last year, and everyone else is really young and never had to play everyday). Our pitching has come back down to earth. We're playing the Rockies but they're hammering us as if they're a dynasty baseball team in a video game! The past 3 games they're averaging over 9 runs and 11 hits a game!! :o Hopefully we can play better tomorrow afternoon. Thompson's pitching against Marquis. But, to be honest, most days the past 3 weeks or so we've made the opposing pitcher look like a legitimate Cy Young contender, no matter their record coming in.
I think our pitching can hold its own in the long run (we do need a long reliever), but we desperately need a third baseman with some pop to liven up our offense. I'd actually prefer a third baseman that can also fill in at various positions (like shortstop and the outfield). If we don't get someone in the next few weeks we'll be in big trouble.
Rockies are looking pretty good right now.
Swept by the Rockies.
/hanging head in shame
At least my local indy team, the Texarkana Gunslingers (http://texarkanaprobaseball.com/), swept their home stand and are tied for first in the CBL (http://www.cblproball.com) at 10-5.
I love local independent minor league baseball!
^We haven't been swept yet. This is a four game series, so we can still salvage a game this afternoon.
More depressing stats about this team in the Post-Dispatch today: "It has been one month since the Cardinals had one-inning rallies of three or more runs in consecutive games. In their previous 225 innings, the Cardinals have just three individual innings where they've scored three or more runs. The Rockies entered this series with the third-worst ERA in the National League at 4.75, and no team had allowed a batting average higher than their .285 against. The Cardinals have hit .200 in this series. They have one hit with a runner in scoring position." :-[
Let's put it this way: If Albert Pujols decided to take a week off right now we might not score a run the entire week. :-\
I'm watching the ninth inning of what will be a four game sweep by the Rockies at home. FSMW is replaying it tonight, but it's not worth watching unless you're really a diehard Cards fan and must watch every game. This was the first four game sweep against us at home since 1994--the Rockies did it then too.
13 of our next 16 games are on the road. The next three weeks could be very, very ugly. This game was so bad that a pitchout was called and no one covered 2B so the throw sailed into the outfield. :-[
Suffice to say, the Cardinals are in a coma. I don't know how long we can tread water like this. They're looking for help...DeRosa or Holliday are being talked about alot. But still, one person will not make much of a difference unless we start getting the timely hitting and more robust pitching.
A new player isn't going to magically make everything better. The team needs to start doing better for a new player to help them. Too bad we can't have the hitting in April with the pitching now.
Doesn't Carp pitch tonight?
I just don't understand how a team can ALL go cold at the same time.
The blame has to fall on the batting coach.
Batting coach, manager, and front office. It's almost like they're playing with a sense of defeatism, resigned to losing. Heads are not in the game... stupid mistakes in the field and on the base paths, taking pitches right down the middle, really floundering at the plate. Heck, they proved they can be a winning team in April. It really is bewildering to see our club in a funk like this.
Who would've thought that we'd score three runs in an inning for only the fourth time in 228 innings and get a 3-0 lead, only to have Carp blow the lead? And then Motte gives up the walk-off for our fifth straight loss. We've found a new low and a new way to lose. We're hitting .231 since May 1, and haven't won in a month when giving up more than 2 runs. I don't think firing McRae will solve anything. Remember, this is the same hitting coach we had in April. It's not like he suddenly forgot how to coach once May rolled around. He's spending extra hours working with them in various situations, but he's not with them when they come up to bat in games. He's not telling them when to swing and when to hold off during their at-bats in a game. At some point the blame has to fall on the players not performing in game situations. In my opinion, the blame falls on the players. I also think it was a mistake not giving players like Ankiel and Ludwick some minor league rehab stints to get their swings back. And that blame does fall on management.
I'm ticked that Lohse told everyone he was fine to pitch, when he wasn't. Now he's out 4 weeks with a strain. Ankiel did the same thing when he was coming back, telling everyone he was fine to play when he wasn't. Luckily he only missed a few extra games.
Wow, talk about busting out! ;D Not only do we have a 3 run first but also a 4 run eighth; we've scored in five different innings for a 10-4 lead so far in the bottom of the eighth. Nearly everyone in the lineup has at least one hit. This feels good! 8)
EDIT: I posted too soon! A 3 run ninth for a 13-4 win with 18 total hits, 0 strikeouts, and 0 errors!
Hopefully they didn't waste all their runs on one night! ;)
Wow, the Rockies are doing the same thing to the Brewers that they did to us. We've moved up to a half game back.
Isn't it refreshing to see them score some runs, get some hits, hit some HR's?
Quote from: Zephon on June 11, 2009, 11:37:51 PM
Isn't it refreshing to see them score some runs, get some hits, hit some HR's?
It definitely is. Good to see AP red hot right now, too. Read an article where he said he's been dealing with the flu for over a week. A bad case too. Runny nose, head congestion, dehydration, and inability to sleep. He's still hoarse. He played through it, though, which explains his mini-slump; he lost some power because of it and didn't have the legs to drive the ball. He's recovering. I don't think I could play through it. :)
Pretty decent game tonight. The guys seem to be hitting the ball with a little more authority lately (with the exception of that last Cleveland game). I think...I hope, they're starting to turn the corner. Man, AP crushed the ball tonight on a line drive up into Big Mac land (5 HR's in last 5 games).
^Yeah, that was a fun game to watch! They said AP's home run went over 446 feet, one of the 10 longest in new Busch history! :o
When Duncan went back-to-back with AP with a 418 foot home run of his own it was the first time two Cards had gone back-to-back since AP and Luddy did it last season!
Holy cow! I thought a thunderstorm had just developed right over me! I didn't realize until just now checking Google Maps that the stadium is just a couple blocks behind me..... Pretty fireworks... :D
Joy
^Wait a minute. Last night's game was in KC, so I assume that's where you live. The Royals lost to the Cardinals last night...and they still shot off fireworks?
Anyway... two good wins for the good guys. Last night was a blowout. Tonight, another HR for Albert, but things got pretty sticky there in the bottom of the 8th. But Franklin limited the damage, and we got a bunch of insurance runs in our part of the 9th.
AND NOW WE'RE BACK IN 1st PLACE. GO CARDINALS!!!
^Any home Royals baseball game on a Friday night is "FIREWORK FRIDAYS" sponsored by HyVee -- they've been doing this the last 5 years or so.
Sort of like Tuesday ball games are "T-Shirt Tuesdays"
Quote from: Zephon on June 20, 2009, 10:55:16 PM
^Wait a minute. Last night's game was in KC, so I assume that's where you live. The Royals lost to the Cardinals last night...and they still shot off fireworks?
Anyway... two good wins for the good guys. Last night was a blowout. Tonight, another HR for Albert, but things got pretty sticky there in the bottom of the 8th. But Franklin limited the damage, and we got a bunch of insurance runs in our part of the 9th.
AND NOW WE'RE BACK IN 1st PLACE. GO CARDINALS!!!
Actually, Joy lives in Springfield now so she's talking about the fireworks after the Springfield Cardinals games! :)
LOL... Did I get confused as to which Cardinals you guys were talking about in here? *covers face* Oh well, the fireworks were still pretty anyhow.
Joy
^^^Ohhh. OK Makes sense now. Nice of the Royals to do that for their fans on Friday nights.
^Yah, usually when we say "Cardinals" here, we're talking about the St. Louis Cardinals. But sometimes the Springfield Cardinals comes up too. I see that they're having a pretty good season, tied for the lead in their division. Good stuff. I haven't been up to see them (or the St.L Cards) yet this season. Gonna have to get up there. I usually make it to a couple of games a season.
I titled this thread "Baseball" first, "Go Cardinals" second. So, while I'm first and foremost a St. L. Cards fan, as are most of us here, I don't mind talking about other teams too. I'll root for the Royals anytime they're not playing the Cards (wish we had Greinke on our team). We have one or two Royals fans here. And I'll even put up with the rants of Cubs or Brewers fans, if they should happen to rear their ugly heads here, although they won't get much sympathy.
Oh you mean like yesterday when it took the baby bears 13 innings to beat a Cleveland team that has lost 5 in a row? Which team is the more pathetic team in that situation?
Oh and I loved how the WGN announcers were going on and on about how the Cubs are getting "hot" -- yeah beating up on a team with a lot of injuries does not equate becoming "hot" you just played above yourselves last year and you became a little more grounded this year.
Three thoughts from this series with the Royals. Glad we scored a lot of runs, Albert is a legend, and if we let him walk after 2011 I will wear black for a year.
WOO HOO! GET YOUR BROOMS!!!
Cardinals SWEEP the Royals...
I'm sorry, '85 what?
^^^Yah, Swoosh. They've been extremely lucky in three of their last four games...with those walk-offs against teams they should be crushing...the ball was literally bouncing in their favor.
WOW! is about all you can say about Albert. It's great to see the Cards back on the winning track.
Another WOW! for Albert. We're hanging in there by the skin of our teeth.
Yeah, it was a great day for Albert. Interesting news. Apparently the Cardinals have intensified their pursuit of A's outfielder Matt Holliday. They're willing to trade Ryan Ludwick, a young reliever (Jason Motte, Kyle McClellan, or Chris Perez) and a young prospect for him. Also DeWitt is on board to assume the remainder of his $13.5 million salary. This is at least something to try and give Pujols a little more protection. The problem is it'd be a half year rental since he's a free agent at the end of this season. I'd rather see something like this only if we'd be willing to sign him after this year. That's a lot to give up for a half year.
This Just In-
The Cardinals have traded Chris Perez and a player to be named later for Mark DeRosa, formerly of the Cleveland Indians, last year with the Cubs.
http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090627&content_id=5574664&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl
DeRosa has been playing well this year, hitting .270 with a .342 on-base percentage, a .457 slugging percentage, 13 HR's and 50 RBI's so far. He will be a welcome addition, scheduled to join the club Sunday, and probably starting at third. That means that the Holliday talk will probably subside, or maybe not.
Quote from: Zephon on June 27, 2009, 10:55:20 PM
This Just In-
The Cardinals have traded Chris Perez and a player to be named later for Mark DeRosa, formerly of the Cleveland Indians, last year with the Cubs.
I swear "a player to be named later" sure does get moved around a lot. ;)
LOL, yah, that guy has to have the record for playing on every team in baseball. Oddly though, you don't hear much about him when he makes it to the bigs.
Hey, how about rookie Colby Rasmus getting his first career homer as a walk-off in the 10th, while Albert was on deck?
^Yeah, that was cool. 8) It was pretty obvious that if Albert came up the Giants would've intentionally walked him. In extra innings for that game either the Giants or the Cards minus Albert were going to win. No way the Giants would allow Albert to beat them in extra innings.
I've run out of words to express my admiration for Albert. Another grand slam tonight and an RBI double. I am still in disbelief that Dusty Baker had Albert pitched to with the bases loaded that late in the game.
Quote from: SDC Rules! on July 03, 2009, 10:55:44 PM
I've run out of words to express my admiration for Albert. Another grand slam tonight and an RBI double.
From the ESPN report:
"I don't want to talk about that," Pujols said. "You should talk about Hoffy and [Skip Schumaker] getting on base. That's the whole point of the game. We put some good at-bats together. I never think the game is over until there are 27 outs."
That's just part of what makes him such a great player, and his humility is part of why he's so well loved.
BTW, this is his 4th slam of the season, which ties Musial for the club record. It was also his 350th career homer, making him the 3rd youngest player to reach that mark (behind A-Rod and Junior).
I admire Baker for pitching to him. Dusty is a class act. I hate it when other teams pitch around him, but that's why he's also #1 in base-on-balls (64).
I bet tails are draggin' in the Astros locker room tonight. Down 13-0 after three innings? :o
A little bit of a rebound lately. Pitching has stepped it up a bit, and our hitting is starting to come around. How bout that Albert? And it looks like Luddy has found his stroke. Things are looking up for the Cards. Big series against Chicago...took the first game, now a couple more would be fantastic going into the AS break. Congrats to Pujols, Molina, and Franklin for making the All Star lineup.
We are playing a lot better lately. I thought Duncan was bad in LF, but then I saw Soriano yesterday... :D
LOL! Even Cubs fans call him Sorryano. He and Duncan are pretty much a matched pair. Both pretty worthless in the field, and not making up for it with the bat.
Loss today. Kind of expected though with Thompson pitching against Lilly. I think we match up pretty good for tomorrow's double header though.
Not sure how your pitcher coming off the DL is going to be.
Lohse-Zambrano will be a good match.
I'm pretty confident we'll take Wainwright over Wells for the second game.
I expected a loss with Thompson pitching and Lilly being a lefty...we are hapless against lefties most of the time. With Lohse back, is Thompson out of the rotation now? (Please?)
I'll be happy with a split today, meaning a split in the series. Pujols has to sit one game today. I wonder which one? We're capable of winning without him for one game, it just doesn't happen very often. That's why I think we'll split today. I'd be ecstatic if we won both games today, though! ;D
7-3 going into the 8th- feeling a little better about game 1.
I like our lineup for game 2. I thought for certain Albert would sit one of these games, but it's not the case. Wainwright will hopefully have another strong start.
I think whoever wins this division will be limping into the playoffs. The Cards, Cubs, Reds, and Brewers all have a chance, but all of us have so many issues that one or two trades before the deadline will not be able to adequately address all of them.
2 to 1 after the 1st- looks like a long night.
All four runs so far are from Ludwick homers. ;D
Pictures speak louder than words so....
(http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs183.snc1/6090_755447789570_15924968_43074790_3231275_n.jpg)
Cardinal's division lead at the All Star break = 2.5 games. Wish it were 10, but good enough. I wouldn't have predicted this at the beginning of the season, but I thought we would be close. This division could still go to anybody except maybe the Pirates. Houston is back in the thick of things, watch out for them, they're usually a second half team.
Home Run Derby going on now. Like to see Albert in there at the end. And for goodness sakes, can the National League please win the game tomorrow.
Albert gave a nice run and put on a good show; no shame in bowing out in the second round. He did better than I thought he would since Dave McKay wasn't available to pitch to him. He had to use Luis Dorante, the Pirates bullpen coach.
I hope Albert gets a couple of big hits tomorrow in a win by the National League! ;D
Albert obviously wasn't comfortable in the Derby, and he surely had a good reason to be tired: he played a double-header the day before in some serious heat.
For me, the best part of the Derby was seeing Albert and his son A.J. having a good time together. :)
Well, a loss today puts us at 51-44 and maintains our tenuous 2 game lead in the NL Central. It perturbs me that management is "content" after the little surge we had the past couple of weeks (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/44C6004A35445875862575F8000F2F54?OpenDocument (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/44C6004A35445875862575F8000F2F54?OpenDocument)). I don't think we should give up a whole lot for someone like Halladay, but I would like to see a move made to better the team before the deadline. We have too many holes (I'm thinking of Duncan, Thurston, Ankiel, and Wellemeyer especially) and there are far too many variables (we can't count on Glaus being able to make an impact and DeRosa's wrist to hold up). We started out 17-7, but haven't played .500 ball since then. We play in a weak division, but I'm afraid that if we just go with the status quo we will falter, just like we did last year. :-\
It's much easier to talk about getting players than actually getting them without mortgaging the farm.
I sure wouldn't mind getting Lincecum from the Giants, but I suspect his price tag is about to go waaaaay up.
Quote from: saladdays on July 21, 2009, 01:58:28 PM
It's much easier to talk about getting players than actually getting them without mortgaging the farm.
I don't want them to mortgage the farm. There are players we can get that will help us without doing that. That's who I want them to pursue.
Wellemeyer is really our "best option" for a fifth starter? I'm starting to feel the same way about him as I did Kip Wells, a loss every game when he starts. 6 runs should be enough for a win.
Quote from: SDC Rules! on July 21, 2009, 04:22:45 PM
Quote from: saladdays on July 21, 2009, 01:58:28 PM
It's much easier to talk about getting players than actually getting them without mortgaging the farm.
I don't want them to mortgage the farm. There are players we can get that will help us without doing that. That's who I want them to pursue.
So who would you pursue?
^Nix numbers 1, 2, and 10 on this list. The rest I would pursue. http://www.nesn.com/2009/07/top-10-players-to-watch-before-the-2009-trade-deadline.html (http://www.nesn.com/2009/07/top-10-players-to-watch-before-the-2009-trade-deadline.html).
Also, it's been reported that Mo' has strong interest in Adam Dunn. The Washington Nationals had scouts at AutoZone Park yesterday (home of the Memphis Redbirds) checking out some of our prospects that we would give up in a deal for Adam Dunn. I wouldn't mind his bat in our lineup either. It could get interesting there if this deal is a strong possibility, since we have a make up game at Washington tomorrow night.
The Cards have had scouts in Colorado to evaluate pitcher Doug Davis. (BTW, all of this is according to beat writer Joe Strauss).
Clearly, something is in the works...
^I was right, but not about Dunn (so far). The Cards have acquired SS Julio Lugo from Boston in exchange for Duncan! Interesting...
They're also focusing on pitching, since they went to Colorado last night to watch Doug Davis pitch. In addition to Davis, I think the Cards could reasonably acquire Ian Snell, Bronson Arroyo, Jon Garland, or Aaron Harang without giving up too many prospects. A Toronto source said today that the Cards wouldn't have to give up Rasmus to acquire Halladay. One thing's for sure, the next 10 days or so should be interesting!
According to sources close to the talks, the Cards are back in the fray for Matt Holliday. And the price includes Brett Wallace. Have we not learned from the Mulder trade where we gave up Dan Haren that Billy Beane is not a man to conduct trades with? Apparently not. Worst part is the source says the chances of a trade right now are 50/50. :-\
It's official, pending the passing of physicals. Third baseman Brett Wallace, outfielder Shane Peterson and right-handed pitcher Clayton Mortensen to Oakland. The Cards acquire Matt Holliday. It's a good deal if (and it's a big if) we're willing to spend money to sign him after this season. We're giving up too much for a rental.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4353256 (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4353256)
I'm excited. Two through five in the lineup tonight: DeRosa, Pujols, Holliday, Ludwick. Pretty awesome! Then Molina, Ankiel, and Ryan. Lugo leading off. Not too shabby.
Just heard Mo on TV saying that anyone should be able to see that "we're committed to winning." I'd say so. Some pretty big moves lately. Although picking up Holliday pretty much puts us out of the picture for Halladay, but that was going to be pretty much an impossibility anyway, with what Toronto was asking for him.
Let's just hope the "new" team gels quickly. It usually takes a few games to acclimate to a new situation. We're heading into Philly, which has been very hot lately. It's time to cool their jets, and the new look Cardinals are just the team that can do it.
Hmmm... is it time to get a "ring for a toe" ? ;)
26 YANKEES
10 CARDINALS
09 ATHLETICS
07 RED SOX
06 DODGERS
05 REDS
05 PIRATES
05 GIANTS
04 TIGERS
03 WHITE SOX
03 BRAVES
03 SENATORS/TWINS
03 ORIOLES/BROWNS
02 PHILLIES
02 INDIANS
02 BABY BEARS
02 MARLINS
02 BLUE JAYS
02 METS
01 ROYALS
01 ANGELS
01 DIAMONDBACKS
Holliday and Lugo sure earned their keep on offense tonight!
The White Sox are my third-most-hated team (behind the Yankees and Braves), but Buehrle's perfect game was some impressive baseball. I'm surprised he settled for the hug with Wise: he should've kissed him square on the mouth, maybe even slipped him a little tongue.
Wow. 6 is a serious number, but...14 is a very serious number. On the plus side, Holliday and Lugo have had a huge immediate impact. Ludwick is still hitting well and Ankiel has really picked up his play offensively and defensively. If only Albert could get out of his little funk. The Phillies scored 5 runs in the 6th and 6 runs in the 7th, and batted around in both innings. I think that is by far the worst pitching I've ever seen in consecutive innings in a MLB game (Cardinals or otherwise). Lohse getting through only 4 innings was bad too. I have to seriously wonder: Do we have the pitching staff to make a successful playoff push? Our lead in the division is down to a half game.
You have to give the Phillies credit though, they have a very good ball team.
What it comes down to is, the relief was not there today and that is unexcusable.
I still say that it is time for Papa Duncan to leave the organization.
We are only a 1/2 game out. With the cubs getting players back it will make for a interesting final two months. I believe the team with the brst pitching staff by the trade deadline will be the one to bet on.
^Do you still have Sorry-ano playing for you? ;D
Cubs played above their ability last year. When they have to play REAL teams they cannot buy a win -- hence why they'e had such a problem with the Cardinals this year.
There is no way we make the playoffs if Wellemeyer stays in the rotation. He's basically a guaranteed loss every time he starts. The problem is, we don't really have anyone that can take his place. I think the Cards are looking at making another trade for pitching, though.
Lets see swossie- a 526 winning percentage to your 525- I guess all your wins are against quality teams- lets talk again after your series with the dodgers.
I find it interesting that you (themeparkguy) only surface in this thread when the Baby Bears have a little luck go there way. Ah to be a fickle baby bear fan. Must be a tad exhausting. ::)
-----------
Back on topic: I agree that Wellemeyer needs to go. I find it hard to believe that we do not have someone in the bullpen that could step up into a starter's role. Lohse is still not 100% and in all honesty we need 2 starters at this time. Carpenter, Wainwright and Pineiro cannot get it done all by themselves.
Why can't we move Brad Thompson back into the rotation?
I'm always here swoosie- please explain the winning percentage- your good at ducking questions you don't like the answer to ;D
Fine the Series this year with the Cubs is: Cards 8 Cubs 5
IDK what is so hard to understand about, but there you go.
of those wins, 4 of them were blowouts (>3 points)
not to mention the Cardinals have the only series sweep this year between the two organizations.
Answer the wrong question to avoid the truth- if we are an inferior club -why is your winning percentage lower than ours and we are tied for first. You would not do well on the stand under cross exam. The simple truth is we have better pitching but worse hitting.
For the Cards/Cubs bickering, who cares? Whoever wins the Central (be it the Cards, Cubs, Brewers, or Astros) I don't think that team will make it to the World Series (the only thing that matters) having to go through Philly and LA. No to mention, it's only July 26. Let's see who's in first come October before we start bickering over .006 winning percentage differences. ::)
I've heard rumors that Mo' is shopping Glaus around for a trade for a pitcher, since he doesn't really have a spot on the team anymore. I've also heard that Blake Hawksworth may take Wellemeyer's spot in the rotation.
For a really crazy rumor, here you go: the Brewers are looking at calling up Carlos Castillo (http://espn.go.com/mlb/players/stats?playerId=3593), who is currently playing/managing with the South Louisiana Pipeliners, a team in the independent Continental Baseball League.
My local team (Texarkana Gunslingers) just blew out the Pipeliners in a 4 game sweep.
Quote from: themeparkguy on July 26, 2009, 05:27:33 PM
Why is your winning percentage lower than ours and we are tied for first
Um, maybe it's because you've played 5 less games then the Cardinals?
IDK, that seems to be a pretty good reason to me. ::)
In fact out of all the Central Division teams, the Cubs have played the FEWEST games this year - and the Cardinals have played the most.
Quote from: themeparkguy on July 26, 2009, 05:27:33 PM
if we are an inferior club
Until you get 8 more rings, the cubs will always be an inferior club.
END OF STORY
I'm so sorry you were an only child ;)
I have always been the adventure is just begining kind of guy and yes who will have the best pitching at the trade deadline.
Quote from: themeparkguy on July 26, 2009, 06:37:23 PM
I'm so sorry you were an only child ;)
Really? That's the best you got?
What's next, relying on "your mom" jokes?
The truth - I only speak the truth :)
And after today, we're 1/2 game back. I fully expected Welly to loose. We've got three dependable pitchers in Carpy, Waino, and Peniero, with Lohse being iffy, and Welly pretty much a lost cause. Would be nice to pick up another pitcher, no one in the minors that's ready to be a force. But, I'm not sure we have the pieces to offer in trade for a good pitcher anymore after the last couple of moves that we've made. Certainly out of the running for Halladay, altho that would be nice. This trip to LA scares me, even tho we have our top 3 going.
I still say put Brad Thompson in the starter's role. He's proved himself numerous times
I'd rather call Mitchell Boggs back up as the fifth starter.
^I'd take either Boggs, Hawksworth, or Thompson. Heck, anyone's better than Wellemeyer. He's the worst starter in the majors. Look at his stats. He has the highest ERA (5.79) and is allowing an MLB-worst rate of 15.99 base runners per 9 innings. The hitters' OPS against Wellemeyer is .898, worst in the majors. It's akin to Adrian Gonzalez (.900 OPS) taking every at-bat in a game against Wellemeyer. It's even worse when he faces LH hitters, who have a line of .348 / .424 / .617 against him — which is akin to Joe Mauer taking every AB against Wellemeyer. Yikes!
I think we also need a stable right-hander to serve as an eighth inning setup man. If you look at the stats, Motte and McClellan aren't cutting it. I expect these needs to be addressed internally, but wouldn't be surprised if a trade was made before the week is up.
We've dealt 4 of our top 6 prospects to get DeRosa and Holliday. If we don't sign them after this year we will have sacrificed those prospects for two-month rentals. That cannot happen. It would be even worse if we didn't make the playoffs and DeRosa and Holliday walked at the end of the year. :o
This is craziness tonight. We got swept at Houston, lost a series in Philly, but now we're beating the Dodgers?
^^I hear what you're saying about Welly. I think Thompson needs more work in the BP, he's been lit up quite a bit in the last month or so. I think Boggs and Hawksworth might be worth another look, but they haven't been exactly tearing it up down at Memphis. More wins than losses for both, but very mediocre ERA's, not what you want to see at that level in someone who's supposedly ready to be brought up.
I think we're going to have to hope Lohse gets back to form, and endure a loss from the #5 starter, or pick someone up from outside the organization.
^Remember, one of those Houston losses was a blown save, something that thankfully hasn't happened much this year. I'm just glad we have our top guys lined up against LA. With this lineup, I believe we can compete with anyone.
yeah Good Guys win again!!! ;D
Good win tonight. Soriano got a walkoff slam in the 13th to give the Cubs a 5-1 win over the Astros, so we stay 0.5 game behind. Go, 'Stros!
How about Willingham getting two slams in one game off the Brewers? And one was off of Suppan. ;D ;D ;D
Yah, that was pretty cool. Still doesn't beat the feat of Fernando Tatis some years ago, hitting two Grannies in the same inning off of the same pitcher. I doubt that will ever be done again.
GO Cardinals! Wainwright against Billingsley. Could be a low scoring affair. Hope our hitters fair just a little better than theirs. Rain delaying the start at the moment.
Houston did their part and beat the 'baby bears' -- come on CARDS!
Well now that's more like it -- 6 runs in one inning for the CARDS!!! ;D
CARDS WIN!
CUBS LOSE!
All is right with the world again as the Cardinals take over the lead in NLC again. :D
FYI: Wellemeyer has been taken out of the rotation. *happy dance*
The 5th starter on this rotation is Boggs. He will pitch Friday in the final game against LA
A 12-0 win today. Lets see what happens in the City of Angels tonight. Care to make a wager swoosie? ;D
Why would I care what the Angels are doing in LA tonight.
Yeah, D.A. the game is in St. Louis ::)
So all the board can be aware of your true nature- what specifically does D.A. mean- although I have some things to do with the legal profession, I am not a district attorney- You also failed once again to answer a simple question- what is your enlightned prediction?
Rather dense aren't you. Ok, I think today the Angels will win in the City of Angels, since that is what you asked me to predict -- and low and behold they won.
Now if you had actually be in tune with MLB and could actually think outside of all things baby bears, you'd know that Los Angeles Dodgers are playing St. Louis. Had you asked me what you thought would happen in St. Louis tonight, I would say that considering the outcome of the two previous nights, and the way Pineiro had been pitching, I would be confident in saying that the Cardinals should in all intesive purposes win tonight.
With that being said the game is now going into the 9th inning and the Dodgers are up by a run. I do feel that the Cardinals could match that run when they come up in the 9th, whether they do or not has not unfolded yet.
Look I get it, you think that I am an ass and love the attention I give you, but seriously enough is enough. The name is Swoosh, not swoosie, or any other pet name you come up with. If you don't like my posts, you are free to completely ignore them or better yet just go away completely. Yes I called you out and you didn't like it. Tough get over it. I've had enough of you. So cool it. Like we've mentioned time and time again but you cannot seem to grasp the concept - this is a ST. LOUIS thread. You are more than welcome to start one for the Chicago Cubs.
/rant
I get it- You are use to people doing what you say-and as a teacher, that allows you a certain amount of control. The problem is the world does not conform to your wishes. I am going nowhere and look forward to joining the 1K club some day. I am not the first person to note your abrasive style on these boards. I come from the "you get what you give" school of mutual respect. You treat people with respect you get respect.- You call people a district attorney, you get swooshie. The thread deals with the central division of the national league (as other posters have noted) the good the bad and ugly of it all. In the end one team will be the division winner. I can live with whatever team that happens to be, hopefully you can acknowledge the best team also at the end of the season. Who that is remains to be seen. Good to have a new friend on the boards.
CARDINALS WIN.
oh wait did you say something themeparkguy? ::)
So many walk-off opportunities!
I couldn't believe that one went 15 innings. Combined 5 runs scored on 24 combined hits.
That's what's happens when "an unstoppable force meets and unmoveable object" ;).
Love that quote from the Dark Knight
Last day to pick up pitching without waivers- Pitching- the key to the central.
Pitching for the Cardinals the last three nights against the Dodgers (you know the team with the best record in MLB) has been very efficient. I was quite impressed last night with that new kid, Hawksworth. I think he is going to do a great job for the organization.
Anyone else find it weird to see Jeff Weaver pitching last night for the Dodgers. Apparently that was the first time he's been in Busch Stadium since winning Game 5 of the 2006 World Series for the Cardinals.
To win the division a team must have 4 quality starters and possibility a 5th. To me philidelphia is that TEAM for now in the national league. Good to get some dividens on our investments:
Soriano is batting .383 with five homers and 15 RBIs in 12 games since being dropped to the No. 6 spot in the lineup.
Sure, in the last 12 games, but for the season his avg is .251
Apparently we wanted to lose tonight since we put in Wellemeyer in the 10th. Should have stayed with Reyes or Franklin, but NO we had to put in our biggest joke of a pitcher in the most critical part of the game.
TPG, congrats your baby bears are back in the lead by a 1/2 game for a day.
Probably won't last for long.
Quote from: themeparkguy on July 31, 2009, 08:37:38 AM
Probably won't last for long.
Yeah, it looks like it's going to be back and forth in the Central the rest of the way. Despite the fact that the Astros and Brewers are 4 games back right now I wouldn't be surprised if it was a 4 team race the rest of the way. There are so many variables it's hard to tell who'll come out on top. I would be surprised if any one team pulled away; I think it'll be close all the way into October. The Cubs will have it tough the rest of the way, since most of their games are on the road now; they don't play very well (even against bad teams) away from Wrigley. I think health will be an issue for them, even in the rotation. Z, Lilly, and Harden have had some minor injury issues already this year, and they have to hope that they hold up the rest of the way. The Cards have pitching issues with the lack of a true 5th starter and RH 8th inning setup man. Mo' is open to deals and will keep looking into August for outside help. The issue is there may be players out there that he likes, but the other team has to want what the Cards are offering. They may end up resolving these issues internally, and I believe there are players in the system who can be effective. The Astros' biggest issue is Oswalt's health; if he goes down the wheels may fall off. He's in St. Louis with the team today and is due to be reevaluated. He is tentatively scheduled to start Sunday. The Brewers have so much talent that I think they will start to gel soon and really start contending in the division.
Whoever comes up as the winner of the Central this year will have to deal with the Phillies and Dodgers. Can the winner of this division compete with them (especially with the Phillies)? I have serious doubts. I also think the wild card will come from the West this year, so it's win the Central for the Cards, Cubs, Astros, and Brewers...or stay home.
Actually, I was pleased with the way Lohse pitched last night, even though the game was lost. I think he's returning to form nicely.
Mitchell Boggs tonight against Houston. He's been pitching well down a AAA. Hopefully the Astro's will roll over and play dead for us like they did against Chicago.
Well, the Astros didn't exactly roll over, but we did get the win, thanks to a key hit by Ricky. Boggs wasn't sharp, but he held us in the game. Chicago's loss means we're back on top by .5
I can't remember when the acquisition of 3 new guys has made this much of an immediate impact on a team's success. Kudo's to Mo for picking up DeRosa, Holliday, and Lugo. I sure hope we can find a way to sign Holliday to a contract at season's end.
Quote from: Zephon on July 31, 2009, 11:28:45 PM
I sure hope we can find a way to sign Holliday to a contract at season's end.
Me too. I keep fearing that his price keeps going up, he is playing so well (plus his agent is Boras, yuck!). (Note: Despite this fear I definitely hope he keeps it up). He's making $13.5 million this year and will be a free agent. Pujols is making $16 million, and he'd have to be willing to sign for less than Pujols is making because Pujols has to be your highest paid player. If St. Louis (the team, the city, especially the fans) can win him over maybe he'd be willing to play here for a little less than he'd make somewhere else. We'll see. I also hope we can sign DeRosa, and Lugo will be here next year (with Boston paying his full salary for us! Yay!)
I was impressed with Boggs last night. The kid really has poise. He got in jams, but he was able to work his way out of them. That's what a big league pitcher does.
Our big move was to get two pitchers from the pirates- don't know much about them yet-adding pitching is usually a good thing.
^It wasn't really a big move. You got Grabow, a LH reliever, and Gorzelanny, a LH starter. Neither has spectacular numbers, but they're both decent. Grabow's thrown about 50 innings in relief so far this year with a 3.42 ERA and .246 BAA. Gorzelanny's more of a question mark as he's pitched only 8.2 innings so far this year, spending most of his time in AAA. We'll see how he does, as he'll be starting Tuesday.
Thanks for the info- I meant "big move" in the sarcastic vain.
^No problem, and you're welcome. :) Not a big move, but they both look to be nice additions to a pitching staff nonetheless.
WOW! Carpenter pitched a gem tonight, one mistake that C. Lee took over the fence. Holliday...2 HR's and continues to carry the team during Albert's "slump," which hopefully won't last much longer. He (AP) hit the ball hard a couple of times tonight and was more selective of the pitches he swung at, usually a good sign of starting to come out of it.
Mo said in an interview that they were going to do everything they could to sign Holliday and DeRosa. And, I don't think Albert would mind a bit if Holliday made a little more than he does...if that's what it takes. He'd be tickled pink just to have Holliday on the team. As would we all.
A crazy win by the cubs to keep pace- At least the hitting is coming around.
The Cubs led the NL in July with 36 homers.
^^If, and it's a big IF, Holliday signs with the Cards before free agency in November I think he'll have to be paid more than Pujols for a little while. If Pujols signs an extension (and Mo' and DeWitt have both said they will start negotations with AP this coming off-season) he will be signed for more than Holliday makes. That's a given. What worries me is his agent is Scott Boras and the fact that the Rockies offered him a 4 yr, $72 million contract this past off-season that he turned down, resulting in his trade to Oakland.
^The Cubs played 18 of their 27 games in July in the friendly confines of Wrigley, and the ball really carries in Wrigley in July, so that definitely helped the HR total. Although Wrigley is nothing like Minute Maid, Citizens Bank, or new Yankee Stadium. :)
Wow, the pointy fish really did a number on the baby bears today! Blown game on two consecutive pitches!
Baby bears have a hard time winning away from Wrigley Field. They are 22-29 away from their friendly confines of the "a pop-fly is a home run here" stadium.
Man talk about a weird day though, how often do both the Cards and cubs lose on the same day? Seems like it is one or the other but never both.
Cubs will finally make up one of their "5 less games played this season" tomorrow as the Cards have the day off and the Cubs will go to the "hard to win at for them" Great American Ball Park in Cincy.
Our only hope of winning is that fact that we are playing the reds.
Oh yeah. If the Cubs lose it will be because the Cubs beat themselves and their whole "we can't win at the Great American Ballpark" kick they get on every so often.... and not because it's the Reds
The season continues on. :)
Chicago Cubs 56 48 .538
St. Louis 58 50 .537
Milwaukee 52 53 495 4.5
Houston 52 53 495 4.5
Cincinnati 45 60 429 11.5
Pittsburgh 45 60 429 11.5
Interesting that the Cubs have STILL played the fewest number of games in the Central and the Cards have STILL played the most.
Yes, its always good when a team can get in a few more days off.
Cubs won tonight :(
But the Cardinals battled back for a great win against the Mets. Albert might have broken out of his slump :), with a 4 for 5 night, 2 HR's, one of them a grand slam. 5 grannies so far this season.
A win-win night- we both battle on :)
I would wager that Pujols' grand slam was a little more impressive then FukUDoMe?'s homer. ;)
The grannie was impressive as was our new leftys first game as a cub.
Gorzelanny stymies Reds, drives in run in debut with Cubs
-espn headline.
Someday they will learn not to pitch to Pujols with the bases load. Here are his stats this season with the bases loaded: 7 for 9 (.778), 5 HRs, 24 RBIs, a 2.444 SLG!!! :o Those are video game stats or Little League stats when everyone hits a HR all the time. AP is doing that in the major leagues! Crazy!!! That SLG percentage looks like a GPA!
Gorzelanny is a good pick up. I heard that the Cards were interested in him but we didn't have what the Pirates were wanting. It will be interesting to see how he does against lineups like the Cards, Phillies, and Dodgers.
Now I can use my old account again, so I deleted my new account. I just want to say that Pujols's slam last night not only cleared the bases, but also cleared the stadium. I've never seen a stadium empty so quickly! :)
What a difference a day makes! This game was ugly. No one could hit with any consistency except for Pujols. Don't watch the replay tonight if you're a Cards fan. However, themeparkguy, you might want to tune in. You'd probably enjoy it. :)
I have seen my own share of those types of games from my own team- no need to watch another.
A lose-lose day. Standings are unchanged. >:(
Both teams are off Thursday. I expect the Cards to do better in Pittsburgh than the Cubs do in Colorado.
Yes- we are on the road and playing a better team- we have a challenge.
Ugh, but the Pirates can be our Achilles hill at times... but then the Cubs DID steal all of the Pirates pitching so we might be in luck ;D
How the heck do the Cubs have a day off? They are still 4 games behind (played) the Cardinals.
Nothing like a little payolla to the league office. ::)
A redbird win and we are behind in the 6th. Not looking good. Ye cardinal faithful are a quite lot tonight.
^It's nice to see the Cards come back for a good team victory tonight. The see-saw at the top of the division continues with the Cubs loss. Let's see what happens tomorrow; there's a long way to go yet.
Marshall didn't pitch too well in a (literally) last minute emergency start for the Cubs. I don't care what Lou said earlier today, it seems like Z's back is not "fine". I wonder what the long-term prognosis is for him? The more I see of Milton Bradley the less I like. He's very flippant and prone to angry, boastful outbursts. I can understand being upset with your swinging strikeout in the 7th tonight, but was the temper tantrum really necessary? Throwing your bat so it shatters, then throwing your helmet, and screaming? That's over the top.
Of all the additions- Bradley is the one I wish we could give back.
Quote from: themeparkguy on August 07, 2009, 09:58:30 PM
A redbird win and we are behind in the 6th. Not looking good. Ye cardinal faithful are a quite lot tonight.
Sorry, we went out last night and didn't get in until late.
Hooray for the Cards. ;) (there you go. I know a little late, but still)
A win/win night- good to win on the real against a quality club.
We are now 44-44 since May 1, and have reached that mythical 10 games over .500 plateau for the second time this year! Can we surpass it today? If so, it will be the first time we've reached 11 games over .500 for a long time (I know we never reached that mark last year). This afternoon we face lefty Zach Duke, who is 4-2 against us so far this year.
Wellemeyer will be starting against the Reds Tuesday. They say he's "our best option"; I say we can already mark Tuesday as a loss. I'm sorry, I have no confidence in him whatsoever.
AT the rate we keep loosing players (Big Z, Rod again) we are limping to the finish line. Thank heavens for Wells- a leading rookie of the year candidate.
^By Rod, do you mean Aramis Ramirez?
The Cards won today! Hopefully Capps gets suspended for hitting Pujols. That HBP was uncalled for. We're now 11 games over .500, and I was wrong. We were 74-60 on Aug. 27 of last year, so we have been more than 10 games over .500 in the last couple of years prior to today.
yes- he is the one- it going to take a rally for a cubs win currently down 6-3 in the 6th...... well now 7-3 as i am typing this :'(
Can the Cubs play the Rockies at Colorado more often ;D
Thank goodness we are finally starting to pull away from the pack now.
^We only have a 2 game lead, and there's a lot of baseball left. Besides the Cubs, I wouldn't be surprised to see Houston or even Milwaukee make another serious run before the season is over.
Playing better ball now. Since that Houston series when they swept us, we are 11-5. It was really nice to take 3 from the Pirates while the Cubs lose 2 of 3 at Colorado. In the series coming up against Cincy, I hope we can get 2 of the 3. Lohse against Cueto tomorrow, I'll give the nod to us because Cueto hasn't been pitching all that well lately; but then Lohse hasn't really found his stuff since coming off the DL either. Tuesday's game has Welly going against Lehr, who pitched very well against the Cubs in his last start. Advantage Reds. Then we get to Carpy against Bailey. Advantage us. We need to keep winning, keep the pressure on.
You have done well- i would play the pirates any day over colorado.
^lol, especially now that you stole all of their pitchers
Breaking news (as in 15 minutes ago): Wellemeyer won't start tomorrow. He had elbow discomfort in this afternoon's bullpen session. Boggs will start in his place.
Hooray a guranteed loss avoided ;D
^LOL, yah, at least now there's a chance for a win.
I have nothing positive to report- headed to 3 games back :'(
...and you lost another pitcher. This time one of the two you picked up from Pitt.
Quite the lesson in batting practice the Rockies gave the Cubs tonight. Ouch.
a loss-loss night, no ones happy :'(
Cards were coming back but then Holliday struck out looking there in the 9th.
Oh well, you win some you lose some.
I guess the Cubs couldn't come back in extra innings? Phillies are tough no matter where you play them
^The Phillies are tough, but especially on the road. They're only .500 at home, strangely enough.
I think Boggs pitched well enough to be given another look. We're looking for RH relief help for the bullpen, and I hope we find some. I'm not surprised at our futility against Lehr last night; we don't do well against unfamiliar pitchers (unfamiliar=little to no video available beforehand). Carp vs. Bailey tonight. Not sure what to expect.
Let's stretch that lead to 4 games, what say you?
CARDS win tonight and CUBS once again get a batting lesson.
Talk about some lopsided losses here lately by the Baby Bears
(http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs183.snc1/6090_755447789570_15924968_43074790_3231275_n.jpg)
Yeah, it was an ugly loss for the Cubs. But it was even uglier than necessary with that fan throwing beer on Victorino in the OF as he's trying to make a catch (which he still made). That was stupid, and dangerous, because the beer could've blinded him and the ball might've hit him in the face or on top of the head. I know not all Cubs fans are like that (and most are upset with the guy who did it), but it makes all of them look bad nonetheless. BTW, that wasn't you, themeparkguy, was it? ;)
An off day today for the Cards, then the Padres come to town.
Quote from: SDC Rules! on August 13, 2009, 07:44:38 AM
Yeah, it was an ugly loss for the Cubs. But it was even uglier than necessary with that fan throwing beer on Victorino in the OF as he's trying to make a catch (which he still made). That was stupid, and dangerous, because the beer could've blinded him and the ball might've hit him in the face or on top of the head. I know not all Cubs fans are like that (and most are upset with the guy who did it), but it makes all of them look bad nonetheless. BTW, that wasn't you, themeparkguy, was it? ;)
Plus, the guy who did it wasn't even the one that got the blame for it.
Um, Themeparkguy. Not trying to rub it in or anything, but the Cubs are now 4.5 games back after today's loss. This is the 5th game in a row the Cubs have lost and the last 10 games the Cubs are 3-7. In fact it has almost been a week since the Cubs have won a game -- and if you overlook last Saturday's win, you have to go all the way back to 4th to see another win.
I have nothing to report- at least we are done with the Phil's for the rest of the regular season.
Are you planning on the Cubs meeting the Phillies in the playoffs?
I have said all along in this forum that I expect the Phil's and Dodgers in the playoffs- beyound that I don't know who the other two teams will be.
Well, the Cubs certainly gave some back today... a 17-2 win in that batting practice against the Pirates.
Hey a win/win day have not said that in a while. There is a silver linning on the horizon also-
The game began a stretch in which the Cubs will play 28 of 33 games against teams with losing records. They are 40-22 against such clubs, espn online.
Quote from: themeparkguy on August 14, 2009, 10:49:59 PM
Hey a win/win day have not said that in a while. There is a silver linning on the horizon also-
The game began a stretch in which the Cubs will play 28 of 33 games against teams with losing records. They are 40-22 against such clubs, espn online.
That does not bode well if you do make the playoffs. That means you are 19-33 against teams with winning records. :o
The Cards play at the Dodgers for three Aug. 17-19, then the Cubs play at the Dodgers for four Aug. 19-22. This week should be a good gauge as to where both of us are at this point in the season.
As for playing teams with lowly records- it has help to also build your lead- while you were playing your last three series- we were playing colorado and philly.
St. Louis (66-52) was percentage points behind the first-place Chicago Cubs on Aug. 6, but has rapidly built a 4 1/2-game lead by winning seven of eight over Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and San Diego (49-69) -- owners of three of the NL's four worst records. The Cardinals defeated the Padres 7-4 on Saturday to move a season-high 14 games over .500.
Yes, the dodgers should prove to be a good measuring stick for post season chances.
Quote from: themeparkguy on August 16, 2009, 12:29:30 PM
As for playing teams with lowly records- it has help to also build your lead- while you were playing your last three series- we were playing colorado and philly.
St. Louis (66-52) was percentage points behind the first-place Chicago Cubs on Aug. 6, but has rapidly built a 4 1/2-game lead by winning seven of eight over Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and San Diego (49-69) -- owners of three of the NL's four worst records. The Cardinals defeated the Padres 7-4 on Saturday to move a season-high 14 games over .500.
As with all sports, you can only beat who you're scheduled to play. That's why I dislike RPI in basketball and strength of schedule. You can't help it if you play in a lowly conference. You can only beat the teams that are on your schedule, no matter who it is.
The Cards aren't spectacular against teams with winning records (21-21), but it is worrisome when you are 19-33 against teams with winning records. That means you're really only beating who you're supposed to beat. But when you play teams you might meet in the playoffs you aren't competitive at all.
I agree that unless we get healthy we are doomed.
Quote from: themeparkguy on August 16, 2009, 02:47:03 PM
I agree that unless we get healthy we are doomed.
And looking at your injuries, I don't think you will this season. Aramis Ramirez's shoulder injury is lingering, and Lilly and Z look to have lingering issues as well. Not to mention it seems like Harden is always on the verge of a DL stint for some reason. ::)
Boy, what a game! The Cards had been playing lackadaisically the whole game, which wasn't helped by two long rain delays. Losing by 1 run going into the bottom of the ninth and facing Heath Bell (4-1, 1.75 ERA, 29 SV, 30 SVO), one of the best closers in the game. His only blown save was May 30 at Colorado. Ludwick leads off with a single, DeRosa moves Luddy up to scoring position with a ground out, then Molina drives Luddy in with a single to tie the game. Rasmus comes in and hits his second walk-off homer of the season and the Cards win 7-5!!! It may have been a win against the Padres, but we did it against a very, very tough closer. These are the type of wins of a championship-caliber team! ;D We have good momentum heading to LA too! :D
I agree that a win is a win. Good work.
CUBS fell into a burnin' ring of fire -- they went down down down and the flames went higher. And it burns burns burns the ring of fire -- the ring of fire. :D
CARDINALS WIN!!! LEAD IS NOW 6 GAMES.
Starting to really pull away now. I sure hope this makes it tough on the other teams to try to make a late season run *cough*BrewCrew*cough*'stros*cough*
We're playin some awesome baseball right now. Good road trip should just about nail it down for us.
^Yeah, we're playing really well. I'm glad we won last night because I'm not as confident about Boggs vs. Billingsley or Wainwright vs. Kershaw. I would be really happy if we took 2 of 3 from the Dodgers (and ecstatic if we swept them). :)
Quote from: Swoosh on August 18, 2009, 12:03:31 AM
I sure hope this makes it tough on the other teams to try to make a late season run *cough*BrewCrew*cough*'stros*cough*
The 'stros have already given up: they gave up Pudge to the Rangers, which is the same as saying "Season's over, we'll try again next year."
^Works for me. ;D
Well, a loss-loss night for the Cards and Cubs, so the lead remains 6 games. I feel better about tonight's match up of Wainwright vs. Kershaw. It'll be tough, though. Meanwhile, the Cards should add Smoltz today at noon. I like that move. He has friends in the Cards' organization (DeRosa and Wainwright) and is eager to play for us. It looks like he'll be a temporary fill-in as a fifth starter until we can find a more permanent fix; long-term he'll be a much needed RH 8th inning set-up man for Franklin. Smoltz is a class act and will be a great veteran presence along with Carp on the pitching staff.
My only major concerns right now are the fifth starter and the right handed 8th inning set up man (Miller is a good LH reliever). Smoltz is a step in the right direction to fill those needs. I think Lohse will settle down, so I'm not too concerned about him.
Final thought: With their recent play, the Cubs' 4 game series at LA starting tomorrow might be very, very ugly. :o
The Cards only need a 5th starter a few more times I think, due to off days. If Smoltz does start out as the 5th starter, then I suppose they could move him to the bullpen when he isn't needed.
Smoltz is a bargain. The Red Sox are on the hook for his contract, and the Cards only have to pay the league minimum, pro-rated for the rest of the season (about $100k).
Cardinals are rollin' along. 17 games over .500, 7 game lead over the Cubs, biggest lead in any division. Things look soooo good. Can you image what our record would be if we had picked up Matt Holliday during the last off season? Not that DeRo and Lugo haven't helped also. But I bet we would easily have the best record in baseball. It will be interesting to see what Smoltz is able to do for us. Glaus may be back up in a couple of weeks, so there's another bat for the post season.
^We do look good, and it's nice to know that 'Mo is still looking for bullpen/rotation help. Both Pujols and Holliday look tired, though; I think they'll both get a day off in this Padres series (but I don't think it'll be the same game :)).
I think if the Cardinals can stretch the lead to 8 games over the Cubs, then they'll pretty much be a lock for winning the Division. We're getting pretty close to the point where the "magic number" comes into play.
Boy, that Padre pitcher, Clayton Richard, really quieted the Cardinals bats last night. Luckily, we didn't lose ground though...the Cubs are having their own troubles with the Dodgers. Lohse strained a groin so he's out for awhile, don't know if he's gone on the DL yet. Maybe they'll let Hawksworth start one. Carpenter goes tonight so we've got a good chance for a win.
^They keep track of the "magic number" on the Card's MB. They say it's down to 35 after last night's game.
Well, Richard's a lefty with good movement; we don't hit lefties well.
I heard Lohse will probably only miss one turn in the rotation, and that Boggs will probably be called back up to take his spot in the rotation. They're also thinking about giving Hawksworth the start. Either way, a roster move is likely.
Look at these numbers on the road trip from our "big bats": Pujols, 2-17; Ludwick, 1-16; Holliday, 2-17; DeRosa, 2-14. Adds up to 7-64. (.109) Amazing we're 3-2, isn't it? :-\
Yah, they were talking about the lack of hitting during the game tonight. But some of the bats came alive tonight. 7-0 win, with HRs by Holliday, Rasmus, and Ankiel. But, get this, Albert struck out 3 times in a row. That's only happened a couple of other times in his career. Cards are up by 8 games now, with the elimination # at 32.
On a side note, Chase Daniel, wearing the familiar #10, had a great night in the second half of the Redskin vrs. Steelers game tonight. From the Redskins site:
"Fourth-string quarterback Chase Daniel threw two second-half touchdown passes as the Redskins came from behind to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 17-13 at FedExField. The win evened the Redskins’ preseason record at 1-1. Daniel, who finished the game 6-of-8 for 58 yards, tossed a 3-yarder to Marko Mitchell and an 18-yarder to Fred Davis, to provide the winning points."
I sure hope he makes the team rather than the practice squad. I loved him at MU.
10,000th win for the Cardinals franchise tonight.
on a similar note it was the 10,000th loss for the Cubs franchise tonight as well... I kid, I kid ;D
It got a little dicey there in the bottom of the 9th but the Birds held on. Smoltz pitched very, very well. That was great to see. Hopefully he can keep that up. Great way to end a great road trip. Keep it going Cardinals!!
Yeah, it was nice to see Smoltz pitch so well. Judging by how well Holliday and now Smoltz have performed after joining teams in the NL, I'm beginning to believe that there really is an overall talent discrepancy between the AL and NL. It was also great to see Pujols hit with power to the opposite field. :)
Well we're getting closer to the point where we can safely say that the CARDs will win the NL Central. Ready for the playoffs and the WS. :D
Good win today, which kind of hearkened back to the first half of the season, as Pujols provided our only run with a RBI double. :) This was actually our first 1-0 win of the entire season. Our lead in the Central swells to 9 games as the Cubs are getting hammered at home by the Nationals.
Ouch! :o Have the baby bears just given up?
9 games out now. I would say that their season is over.
We are clearly playing like a team that has no business in the playoffs or a 2nd place team in a division. :'(
^To be fair, the Nationals are one of the hottest teams right now.
I'm still impressed by Wainwright last night. Going in the Astros had a team BA of .288, which I think was tops in the NL.
Well, our magic number is down to 26! :) That was a good win last night. It was nice to see Khalil come through and get a curtain call. And what more can you say about Albert? The best player in the game. That HR was absolutely crushed. Wow! :o And Smoltz was impressive again in his six innings of work. In two starts he's struck out 15, walked one, and only given up one run. The first start was against the Padres, who have the worst team BA in MLB. This start was against the Nationals, but they have the 12th best team BA in MLB (for comparison, the Cards are 16th in MLB in team BA).
Sportswriters are starting to talk about who should win the NL MVP, and of course Albert is the clear favorite. One ESPN writer even said that Pujols could leave the country for the rest of the season and he'd probably still win the MVP! :D
If the Cardinals win both games this weekend the magic number will be basically "0" as 10 games back (the Cubs) going into September is basically a "death wish" for a club this late in the season.
Count 'em --- 10 GAMES BACK!!!
I would think it is safe to say the Cardinals have now clinched the Central.
^It's a safe assumption. Let's put it this way: If the Cards play .500 ball the rest of the way (15-15) they would finish 92-70. In order to even tie for the division lead at the end of the season the Cubs would have to play .794 ball the rest of the way (27-7)!
So, it's highly unlikely that we will fail to win the division. 8)
BTW, our magic number is now...
(http://www.perfectpeople.net/photo-picture-image-media/Michael-Jordan-346x500-40kb-media-483-media-0079.jpg)
I have to admit, I've been surprised at how tough the Nats are playing, both against us and Chicago. They're hitting the field like they're playing for the wild card, when they're almost 40 games under .500!
^Yeah, the Nats are playing tough. The difference, though, is that the Nats took 2 of 3 from the Cubs and then we swept the Nats! :D
Do I hear 10.5 games back and another game off the magic number?
Yes I do believe I do. :D
Hey what happened to ThemeParkGuy? He sure has become quiet. lol
No- I'm here- work is busy- just enjoying the chatter- nothiong postive from my end to report.
I hope Pineiro pitches well tonight. I've been impressed with him this year; he deserves a better record as he didn't get much run support through the first half of the season. It will be interesting to see how Looper is received at Busch tonight too.
I'm pretty excited as my friend Brian (who lives in St. Peters, MO) called me last night a little before 10 and told me he had two tickets to the Cards game Wednesday night and asked me if I wanted to come. He attempted to sell his offer further (as if I needed anymore convincing! ;D) by saying, "Apparently there's a really good pitcher pitching". :D (Brian is a Cards fan, but only a casual one). Of course I said yes! I'm really pumped because I haven't been to a Cards game since June 18, 2002 (I will never forget the date as it was Darryl Kile's last start and the day Jack Buck passed away). This will be my first game at new Busch, I'll get to see Carp pitch, and watch Pujols, Holliday, and the rest swing away! :)
I will be at the game Wednesday night, too. I'm also going Thursday.
^Cool! You should just camp at the park since Thursday is a 1:15 game. ;)
I hope you get to see two strong pitching performances from Carp and Smoltz.
A rare two game win streak for the cubs. Were not done yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :o
Doesn't matter if the Cards keep winning.
What's going to happen when the Cubs leave the Little League Ballpark and go to a field that actually has an "outfield" ?
^^Had a lot of fun at the ballpark last night! It's nice to see our offense come alive for two consecutive games!
^Not only will it be hard for the Cubs if the Cards keep winning, but being 6 games back and looking up at 4 teams for the wild card doesn't help either. The Cubs will have to get white hot to even take the wild card (and San Francisco and Colorado will have to cool off as well).
Magic Number is now 20!
With both Cards and Cubs losing, magic number is now 19.
So with the cubs being 11.5 games back now, can we just go ahead and make the magic number zero? There's no chance they can come back from that many games down
^Not unless something really, really drastic happens. We've got the division wrapped up though, technically, the magic number is now 17. :)
Hopefully they don't become complacent in this last month of ball.
I think TLR will keep them focused. Along with giving certain regulars lots of rest. Tonight for instance... AP, Yadi, DeRoe, Holliday, B. Ryan are all sitting out.
Nice to see Albert not only get a rest, but come in as pinch hitter in the 10th to hit a game-winning solo homer!
Another day, another Cardinal win ;D
^And another notch taken off the magic number--it now stands at 16. 8)
How Sweet. 16 is a Magic Number
Carpy pitched a wonderful 1-hitter today with 10 K's. Magic number = 14!
It's so nice not to feel like we're out of it even if we've looked inept at the plate for 2/3 of the game! :) Cards win it 4-3 thanks mostly to Pujols' 45th homer of the season and Holliday's two run shot in the ninth.
Magic Number is...
(http://gusornstein.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/kurt-warner1.jpg)
Another day, another Cardinal win! :) Wainwright pitches a wonderful 7 innings, and the bullpen does the rest for a 5-1 win thanks mostly to Albert's 2 home run game.
Another notch taken off the magic number, which now stands at...
(http://static.nfl.com/static/site/img/superbowl/history/mvp/14-bradshaw.jpg)
Off day tomorrow, then we host the Braves.
I think Pujols' smile directed at the Cardinals' dugout after his second home run today reflects the sentiments of all of Cardinals Nation right now. ;D
(http://stltoday.mycapture.com/PHOTOS/STLT/832776/25484144E.jpg)
I'm having entirely too much fun with this! :D
(http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/646/imageth.jpg)
That's good, had to send a copy of it to my wife.
Congrats to the cards as they continue to wrap up the division. Long live the central division teams.
Quote from: themeparkguy on September 10, 2009, 07:17:29 PM
Congrats to the cards as they continue to wrap up the division. Long live the central division teams.
Thanks, themeparkguy! I take your point of view (and some Cards fans may not like this). Want to let you know that in 2007 and 2008 I was pulling for the Cubs in the postseason. Once the regular season is over and if the Cards aren't in it, I pull for the NL Central team(s) in the postseason, no matter who it is. And if the NL Central teams are eliminated I pull for the NL team. Besides being a Cards fan, I like to see NL Central teams do well, and once they're out, the NL do well. The more NL Central teams that do well, the more credibility our division has. :)
It's time again for Cards vs. Cubs, in St. Louis. Both teams have been struggling a bit of late. If the Cards can win or sweep this series, they will definitely lock up the division. Despite the Cards' recent struggles the magic number is now...
(http://www.celebritywonder.com/picture/Rex_Grossman/RexGrossman8_Grayson_6846578.jpg)
Walk-off solo by Holliday, and now the magic number is...
(http://chicagoist.com/attachments/chicago_benjy/2008_02_sports_derosa.jpg)
(Old DeRosa picture chosen for deliberate sarcasm. ;D )
Actually the magic number is now down to...
(http://lh6.google.com/jrfinger/Ro1qEj_CyqI/AAAAAAAACrc/WyS0AN1bz3w/howard.jpg)
Two is shaved off the number because the Cards won and the Cubs lost! ;D
Yeah, you're right, I wasn't paying attention. The number was 6, but the pic of DeRosa was appropriate, since he scored the winning run on an RBI walk-off today. Which brings the number to:
(http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2006/writers/albert_chen/10/20/nlcs.game7.closer.look/Molina_homer.jpg)
And wow, what a game: 21 combined hits, but only 3 runs.
^Yeah, quite a game today. I'm a little worried about our ability to get guys home lately. We've been getting a lot of hits and a lot of guys on base, but we've been stranding most of them. Also, I'm a little worried about Franklin; he blew his third save today in his last five attempts. But we won--and a win's a win! Let's get the sweep tomorrow night! :)
Woo Hoo and then there were 4!!! ;D
I guess three walk-offs in a row was too much to ask. :-[
Boggs sure laid a big egg last night >:(
Win/win makes it "Gnarly, duuude!"
(http://images.stltoday.com/stltoday/resources/khalilgreene625apr13.jpg)
I thought Lohse pitched very well tonight. We're gonna need him for the post-season. It was good to see them bring their bats to the park tonight. Go Cardinals!
Magic number is Khalil!
Could we not find a better representation of #3?
Ugh. That kid has issues.
If tonight is win/win, wait 'til you see what I have for #2. ;D
Magic number is now...
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JBvd06RNFD8/SSltTQiuVjI/AAAAAAAAAfs/FNTa6UnrPVY/s400/Jeter.jpg)
Come on...lets find a Cardinal for that magic number.
(http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll238/Zephon907/SDC%20Stuff/redschoendeist.jpg)
Darn internet connection at work went out tonight, so I couldn't post my #2 until now.
But how about high fives all around? Thanks for your support, guys!
(http://nbcsportsmedia2.msnbc.com/j/apmegasports/200905031527556454149-pf.widec.jpg)
;D ;D ;D
Quote from: SDC Rules! on September 22, 2009, 10:03:53 PM
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JBvd06RNFD8/SSltTQiuVjI/AAAAAAAAAfs/FNTa6UnrPVY/s400/Jeter.jpg)
Damnyankees!
(yes, all one word!)
Tonight is looking like "the night"
Go Cards and Go Brew Crew
Grrr... Cards had to go and make it interesting.
If the Cubs lose tomorrow against San Fran, the Cards will clinch it on an "off day"
A lose/lose night only takes us halfway there. That makes the magic number:
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b375/maddog91786/ozzie_smith_5.jpg)
And how does that make you feel, Mr. Smith?
(http://media.schadenfreude.net/2009/04/smitphu008001ozzie-smith-1985-world-series-flip-posters.jpg)
(Even though I love Albert, Ozzie is my all-time favorite Cardinal. I'm still ticked that they let Eckstein get away, because I thought he was the next Ozzie.)
^My favorite all-time is Bob Gibson, although Ozzie was a great one.
I'd say our chances of clinching tonight, without having to play a game, are about 50/50. Dempster against Penny. SF's lack of offense would tend to favor Chicago for this game, but tomorrow night, SF has Lincecum pitching so that would favor SF, and a clinch, even if we lose against Colorado.
^I keep thinking about how it would be a shame for us to clinch tonight without playing a game. I love watching the celebration in the locker room after they clinch! :) They might do it tomorrow night, win or lose, after playing Colorado even if they actually clinch tonight; if they do, I don't think it would have the same feel.
As for winning against Colorado tomorrow night, I like our chances. Carp vs. a so-so RH named Cook; Cook's not a rookie or an unknown, so that helps. We rely so much on video to succeed against pitchers. Whoever we play in the 1st round would be smart to just bring up some promising pitchers from their AAA squad to face us. If they did, we'd probably get swept. ::)
Rockies walk-off and Cubs win leaves us stuck. >:(
^This team is maddening right now. Night in and night out we gets the hit and we get on base, but we can't follow through. Last night we out-hit the Rockies 8 to 6, but we still lost. Well, we can clinch tonight with a win (or Cubs loss)--Waino vs. U. Jimenez. The Cubs play at 3:10 on Fox--Gorzelanny vs. Zito; call me crazy, but I'd rather the Cubs win this afternoon and we clinch with a win tonight. Not clinching on the field is so anticlimactic.
More bad news: Talks with Matt Holliday are on hold until after the Cards exit the playoffs. If we make it to the World Series we will only have a 15 day window after the Series is over to try to sign him before he enters free agency. If all he cares about is money he will walk. We can't compete with a NY or LA team in the money department; we need money to extend AP's contract. It'll be too bad if he walks because he really provides protection for Pujols; Luddy's good, but he doesn't put up the numbers Holliday does. I'm hoping Holliday cares more about the intangibles than he does about money; if not, we gave up a lot for a three month rental. Here's the article: http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/E8CDDC6F02E403FF8625763D000B2798?OpenDocument (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/E8CDDC6F02E403FF8625763D000B2798?OpenDocument)
The St. Louis Cardinals are 2009's National League Central Champions! A tense and exciting game against Colorado in which Waino gave a gutsy, if imperfect, performance, striking out 11, Jason LaRue hit a go ahead HR in relief of an injured Molina in the 7th, and Franklin weathered a valiant come back attempt in the bottom of the 9th to secure a 6-3 win. A total team effort. Now the task becomes to try and secure home field advantage while resting up for the post season.
GO CARDINALS!!!!!
(http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll238/Zephon907/SDC%20Stuff/2h2px6tqfd3rf9e7q0k3.gif)(http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll238/Zephon907/SDC%20Stuff/NeonSign3.jpg)
edit: My bad on jumping the gun with the NL Champion rather than Central division champ thing. Don't know how I missed that. It's corrected now.
Quote from: Zephon on September 26, 2009, 11:59:49 PM
The St. Louis Cardinals are 2009's National League Champions!
Make that the 2009 NL
Central Division Champions. We won't award the NL pennant until the playoffs. ;)
Key points: the Cards are the first MLB team to clinch. They have now won the division 6 times in this decade. Wainwright is the first NL pitcher this year to hit 19 wins. He struck out 10+ in two straight starts, the first Card to do so since Rick Ankiel in 2000 (remember when Ankiel was a pitcher?!?). This is the first time we've hit 90 wins since '05, and the first trip to the post season since winning the Series in '06.
Goooooooooo Cards!
^Also of note, with 11 strikeouts yesterday Waino now has 204 K's on the year! :)
I don't know about being able to secure home field. LA has a three game lead over us with only 7 games to go. It's possible, but if Tony rests a bunch of our starters the rest of the way I don't think it'll happen.
GO CARDS!!!!
(http://images.stltoday.com/stltoday/resources/cardscelebrate625sept27.jpg)
(http://mlb.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pMLB2-6662575dt.jpg)
Congrats to the redbirds!
Great nod to Missouri's vintners with the celebration! I believe it was Mount Pleasant, or one of the other local Augusta wineries that supplied the "bubbly" for the clinch party.
Quote from: themeparkguy on September 27, 2009, 05:13:38 PM
Congrats to the redbirds!
Thanks, TPG. There's many fans (really on both sides of the fence) that wouldn't even acknowledge something like this.
Being married to a Cubs congenital raving loonyfan, I've come to appreciate the baby bears and their poor fans. I love the rivalry, but a good rivalry only counts when teams are closely matched. That's why, unless they're playing each other, or the Cub are ahead of the Cards, I cheer on the Cubs too.
I too live with a Cub fan and since I work in a university atmosphere - alot of Chicago students and Cub fans. I like to tell them that we are trying to acquire Lilly since we have an open pitching position.
Which makes me wonder what the Cubs are going to do with Big Z and Milton Bradley?
Personally, I am concerned about Ankel - I want to see some fire in him again!
Quote from: KBCraig on September 29, 2009, 03:26:21 AM
Being married to a Cubs congenital raving loonyfan, I've come to appreciate the baby bears and their poor fans. I love the rivalry, but a good rivalry only counts when teams are closely matched. That's why, unless they're playing each other, or the Cub are ahead of the Cards, I cheer on the Cubs too.
Like you, Craig, I am a more laid back Cards fan when it comes to the Cubs. Unless we're playing each other, I don't get too fired up when it comes to the Cubs. I've begun to realize that we don't have much of a rivalry due to the ineptitude of the Cubs, excepting the past couple of years. I think this may be why the Cards vs. Cubs games don't get much national attention like the Red Sox vs. Yankees. At least they regularly compete against each other during the regular season and the postseason.
Quote from: Twinsmom98 on September 29, 2009, 06:47:12 AM
Which makes me wonder what the Cubs are going to do with Big Z and Milton Bradley?
Personally, I am concerned about Ankel - I want to see some fire in him again!
Big Z wants to be traded. I have a feeling the Cubs will eat some of his salary for a team to take him. He's not a very good teammate, doesn't have a good work ethic, and didn't live up to the expectations of an ace this season. As for Bradley, the Cubs owe him $20 million over the next two years, he's not good enough to warrant $10 million a year, and he's a clubhouse cancer. The Cubs will have to eat almost all of his salary for a team to take him. I heard one GM say that they might be willing to take a chance on Bradley
but only if the Cubs ate at least $19 million of what's left on his contract! :o Unloading Z and Bradley will really handicap the Cubs salary-wise over the next year or two.
As for Ankiel, some GM will over-pay for him after this year; Boras is his agent. I guarantee you he will not be a Cardinal next season. Some of his problems might be from the shoulder injury he took early in the season when he slammed into the outfield wall. But he doesn't have good plate discipline; a shoulder injury does not account for poor at-bats and a high number of strikeouts.
Quite frankly, not too many of the Cardinals have had "good plate discipline" lately. Don't know if the fact that we are so far ahead in the standings, and they're just swinging for the fences has anything to do with that or what. I hope they fix it by post-season.
I'm not one who roots against the Cubs no matter what either, although my wife probably is. I was kinda hoping they would go farther in the post-season the last two years, at least making it to the WS before losing. On the other hand, it sure is fun to point out to rowdy Cubs fans...100 years and counting.
Apparently, having clinched with 90 wins, they're determined to stay there. >:(
^Actually, there's a more disturbing trend at work. Going back to Sept. 11 and the start of the last homestand when we played Atlanta (after the sweep of Milwaukee) we're 6-10. Most of the past 16 games have been against quality competition, teams we could see in the playoffs (Atlanta, Florida, Colorado). Over those 16 games we're averaging less than 4 runs/game. However, 22 of those runs were scored in two 11 run victories. If you take out those outliers, we're averaging less than 3 runs/game. We're scuffling right now, and home field advantage throughout is looking less likely. We're locked in a tighter race with the Phillies for home field in the first round. Hopefully we can at least secure that.
I sure hope this is a case of just resting the starters due to the game not really meaning anything, but golly let's at least pretend that you're playing to win the game.
I haven't gone over the recent box scores in detail, but it seem like these recent losses have been from giving up 1or 2 big innings early on, and then never answering in kind.
Yesterday, Smoltz gave up all of the runs in the 2nd and 3rd innings; he felt the balls were being rubbed up and didn't like the texture. He kept trading balls with the home plate umpire. (Smoltz felt Arroyo was getting the upper hand by using pine tar on his cap and rubbing the baseballs with it. If you look at the pictures from last night there is a dark smudge under the bill of Arroyo's cap...). I think the problem is a lack of motivation; we locked up the division weeks ago and have little to play for except home field (which I think is quickly getting out of reach, even for the first round). The way it stands right now LA would have the 1 seed and Colorado would be the wild card. The WC and 1 seed can't play each other in the first round if they're from the same division, so Colorado would play Philly and we would play LA in the first round (if we're the 3 seed). However, LA only has a .5 game lead over Philly for the best record. If Philly ends up with the best record and Colorado gets the wild card then Philly would play Colorado and we would still play LA in the first round. Hopefully we'll start playing better once the playoffs begin. However, you can't flip it on and off like a switch.
Today we face old friend Kip Wells and counter with Carp. If we don't win today...well, I don't even want to think about it. Pujols is getting the day off, so Holliday is hitting 3rd and Glaus is batting cleanup. Molina and Ryan are back in the lineup. Even without Albert our lineup should be able to squeeze out a victory off of Wells. EDIT: Late lineup change--Freese is out of the lineup and Albert is in!
LOL!!! Carp says, "You haven't given me runs in my last two starts, I'm gonna do it myself!" Carp hits a GRAND SLAM in the 2nd inning for a 5-0 lead! :D We can still count on quality Kip Wells pitching. ;) This was the first career home run for Carp and nearly doubles his career RBI total, which now stands at 10. Believe it or not, this was the 10th GS hit by a Cards pitcher, but first since 1998 (Kent Mercker).
UPDATE: Carp adds a 2 out, 2 RBI double in the 5th for 6 RBIs today! Cards lead 9-0 now and Carp is beating the Reds with both his pitching arm and his bat.
When they decided to get off the stick, they did it with style!
Any more questions about the 2009 Cy Young winner?
Quote from: KBCraig on October 01, 2009, 07:43:28 PM
Any more questions about the 2009 Cy Young winner?
Looking at the write-ups (voters handing out their season-ending awards), it won't be Carp. Wainwright will probably win the Cy Young. He has pitched for more than 200 innings, has more wins, and more strikeouts. He won't match Carp's NL-lowest ERA, but that won't be enough for the Cy. However, Carp will still be our ace and #1 starter, even if Wainwright wins the Cy Young.
Carp still has an outside chance for the award, though. We could end up with three major awards after this season: Carp or Wainwright with the Cy, Pujols with the MVP (that's a given), and Mozeliak with Executive of the Year. :)
Quote from: SDC Rules! on October 02, 2009, 08:27:23 AM
Wainwright will probably win the Cy Young. He has pitched for more than 200 innings, has more wins, and more strikeouts.
How many Grand Slams did he hit? ;D
Boy, I am sooooo glad they pulled Waino in the 7th. I mean, he gave up 2 singles! If he'd stayed in, he might have given up 6 runs or something!
^I just don't like the way this team has been playing for the past month. They have the talent to go deep into October, but momentum matters. Sure they turned it around after a dismal September in 2006, but circumstances were different. In 2006 they were decimated by injuries and got key players back for the postseason. This year injuries are not a problem. Hence, my concern. :-\
As for the Cy Young Award, Wainwright, Carp, and Lincecum are all deserving. They're pretty deadlocked in all the major categories. I'd hate to see Wainwright and Carp lose out because they're pulling votes from each other.
Well, we certainly ended the season with a resounding THUD! >:( I'm glad I wasn't able to watch the last three games; if so, I would've seen the Brewers untuck at Busch Stadium three days in a row. Terrible! At least the Dodgers are struggling as much as we are, and their playoff rotation is up in the air still due to poor performances and injuries. Ours is only set for the first three games: Carp, Wainwright, and Pineiro. Past that, who knows? Here's the schedule, just released by MLB:
Game 1 at LA … Wed, 8:37 p.m. St. Louis time
Game 2 at LA … Thurs, 5:07 p.m. St. Louis time
Game 3 at STL … Sat, 5:07 p.m. St. Louis time
Game 4 at STL … Sun, TBA
Game 5 at LA … Tues., TBA
The one catch to the above schedule is if the New York Yankees select to start their series Thursday instead of Wednesday. (Which … why? I mean why?) If the Yankees do that (the unthinkable) then the Cardinals would play late Thursday night as well — with a game time set for 8:37 p.m. St. Louis time. All games are on TBS.
Yes, thank goodness, that's over. I only got to see the end of today's game, and I was sorry I did. You can't give it away any easier than that. I hope the incentive of playing for something again is enough to inspire them.
Then I switched over to watch a bit of the Rams game, and I must say...I've never seen a sorrier excuse for a team than that. They couldn't beat a high school team.
^Yeah, I watched some of the Rams game. Sports writer Bernie Miklasz of the Post-Dispatch says the 2009 Rams are the worst non-expansion NFL team he's ever seen. After losing 35-0 today historical ineptitude was reached. The Rams haven't been shut out twice in a season since 1942 and haven't been blanked twice in their first four games since 1937 — the first year of the franchise. So this is the worst Rams team after playing four games in a season since the first year of the franchise!
The Rams won't provide much entertainment in the coming weeks, so I hope the Cards can pick it up now that they have something to play for...
Latest news is that Rush Limbaugh is trying to buy the Rams.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9B5OF6O0&show_article=1
All right, time for postseason play! ;D
October 1 was last Thursday, but for me, today is when October really begins!
Pitching matchup tonight is Carp vs. Wolf (this comes as somewhat of a surprise, since I expected Kershaw; perhaps Kershaw is still ailing a bit). Wolf is a lefty, but in the one game we played against him (a 6-1 win for Carp, but we only got 2 runs off of Wolf) we hit .292 as a team. I'm going to just throw a few things out there before giving a prediction. I think we are definitely armed for this series, but the question is will we hit? Everything hinges on if we can get our starters some run support. If we can do that I think we win this series; we'll face Wolf and Kershaw the first two games (two lefties). Our pitchers will keep it close, I think, so our hitters need to drive in some runs to put us over the top. I have some reservations, but I'm keepin' the faith: Cards win in 4!
I'm tired of going over the "what ifs" of game 1 (and there are a lot of them). This is all I have to say: Since 1996 (LaRussa's first year as Cards manager), the Cardinals are 1-5 in playoff series when they lose the first game. The only series they won after losing the first game is the 2006 NLCS over the Mets 4 games to 3. I would think it would've happened more often than that. History is not on our side, and my prediction is in jeopardy. :-[
Well, I don't have much to say about game 1 other than...lack of execution and sound fundamentals offensively as well as defensively cost us the game. Carp was not the pitcher he was through most of the summer. But then, he hasn't been sharp in many of his last 4 or 5 starts. The hitting woes of September continue.
That said, I think Wainwright will be sharp tonight. He hasn't lost his edge. Just hope he can get some run support.
He has looked good so far, and a HR by Holliday helps. 1-0 Cards early.
GO CARDINALS!!!
The way the bullpen has been performing lately, it scared me when they didn't let Waino finish the game.
Franklin scares the crap out of me in general, but especially with a 1 run lead in the bottom of the 9th.
And this is why. >:(
Quote from: KBCraig on October 08, 2009, 08:16:41 PM
The way the bullpen has been performing lately, it scared me when they didn't let Waino finish the game.
Franklin scares the crap out of me in general, but especially with a 1 run lead in the bottom of the 9th.
And this is why. >:(
Also, some blame falls on Holliday for the error on the fly ball that would've ended the game.
Obviously, my "Cards win in 4" prediction is not going to come true. I predict we lose the series in 4. We scratch out a win Saturday night with Pineiro vs. Padilla, partly due to playing at home and partly because Padilla is a righthander. Sunday will be Smoltz vs. Billingsley, and I think the Dodgers will get to Smoltz. Of course, it's not over until it's over, but we have no momentum right now. You can't win games if you make silly mistakes and leave so many runners on base. We have a total of 21 hits in the series but only 5 runs to show for it. Pathetic! >:( In fact the Dodgers only had 5 hits tonight and we had 10!
Part of LaRussa's success is that he sticks to the formula: he plays the statistical probability. He never makes emotional decisions.
But every now and then, particularly when you've got some slumping players, you need to go with your gut and shake things up.
If we do scratch out a win tomorrow things could get interesting. I could see LaRussa starting Carp in game 4 on three days rest, then (if it comes to it) Wainwright on three days rest in game 5.
I'm really sick of pulling a "Cubs" thus far in the playoffs. shesh, talking about going cold as a ballteam
Yup...we let one slip through our fingers last night (pun intended). And that makes the road ahead extremely difficult...but it's possible. Think Red Sox against Yanks in 04.
I can't hate on Holliday. One error in 63 regular season games, and that was his second since joining the team.
Yeah, it was critical. Yeah, it sucks to be him. But I still can't hate on him for playing his best, especially since he's one of the key players who got us to the post-season.
The only thing Holiday did was extend the inning but Franklin still did not do the job of a closer and close the game. I think I will rename him Izzy. I just wish they would use Miller more. I think he is a much better pitcher and they are under utilizing him.
Go Cards!!!
Quote from: KBCraig on October 10, 2009, 03:45:18 AM
I can't hate on Holliday. One error in 63 regular season games, and that was his second since joining the team.
Yeah, it was critical. Yeah, it sucks to be him. But I still can't hate on him for playing his best, especially since he's one of the key players who got us to the post-season.
Yeah, I can't get too upset at Holliday. Without his addition we wouldn't even be here. I heard a lot of Cards fans talking about giving him a standing o during his first at-bat today. That would be a nice touch, and really make him feel better.
Man, the drama is almost gone from the division series; only the Phillies/Rockies split the first two games. Of course, anything can happen.
Well, that was quick. :-[ Not only is it upsetting for us as Cards fans, but also disappointing for the NL Central. Since the Cards won it all in 2006, the NL Central is 0-9 in the postseason (largely thanks to the Cubs, of course).
Was this game the final game as a Cardinal for Pineiro, Smoltz, DeRosa, Holliday, LaRussa, and Duncan? (Hitting coach McRae will definitely be gone). It most certainly was the final game as a Cardinal for Ankiel, who appropriately was a pinch hitter in the 9th inning. Even more appropriately, he struck out swinging for the final out. (Interestingly enough, he struck out swinging as a pinch hitter for the final out of the regular season as well).
At least we weren't shut out, as Albert got an RBI single in the final at-bat of his sure-to-be MVP season. :) The Cardinals will start to pursue a contract extension for Pujols this off season (he's signed for 2010 with an option for 2011). How the team shapes up for next year will play a lot into whether Pujols signs an extension before next season.
The Cardinals may have a very different look come spring training. This will definitely be an interesting off season.
Quick yes, but not entirely surprising. The Cards were playing pretty lackluster ball throughout the whole last month of the season. It wasn't very realistic to assume that they would somehow magically step it up for the post season. Hitting woes continued with many of them losing plate discipline, too often swinging at stuff out of the zone. Our pitchers, even Carp and Wainwright, whether because they were tired or what, I don't know, but toward the end they were leaving pitches up in the zone instead of hitting those corners at the knees consistently. One thing though, I've got to give the FO high marks for acquiring help to make the push at the end of this season. They didn't sit on their hands as in years past. This post season failure rests entirely upon the shoulders of the players.
This off season will be one of the most interesting we've seen in years. Who will we be able to sign? Who will we let go? The team could look much the same, or it could change dramatically.
Only four months til spring training starts.
BREAKING NEWS
Looks like TLR will announce his return tomorrow morning. McRae is out as hitting coach and, get this, Big Mac is in as hitting coach! Details below from the Post-Dispatch.
TLR Back, McRae Out, Big Mac Appears In
By Joe Strauss
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The Cardinals will announce at a Monday morning press conference Tony La Russa's decision to return for a 15th season as manager. Today's run-up, however, features mounting evidence that La Russa's return after a 2-week deliberation will be dwarfed by former Redbirds first baseman Mark McGwire's return from a self-imposed 8-year exile to become the team's hitting coach.
The club on Friday notified hitting coach Hal McRae it would not renew his contract, the Post-Dispatch has learned.
Multiple sources, including McRae's son Brian, have confirmed McRae's ouster following a five-year term as hitting coach.
A club source confirmed a plan to bring back McGwire but cautioned that a formal announcement could wait until after Monday's press conference. McGwire is believed to still be negotiating a deal that would put him back in uniform for the first time since he abruptly retired after the 2001 season due to chronic injuries.
Club sources indicated Saturday that La Russa's return was all but certain; however, La Russa deferred, saying he still had loose ends to tie before confirming he would be back.
General manager John Mozeliak offered no comment Sunday. La Russa, who arrived in St. Louis to attend a Sunday night Bruce Springsteen concert, did not return phone messages.
As recently as the day after the Cardinals were eliminated from the Division Series by the Los Angeles Dodgers La Russa insisted he did not foresee changes to his coaching staff should he return. Growing speculation arose during the season's final weeks that the club was considering replacement McRae, whose contract expires Oct. 31. McRae becomes the fifth hitting coach dismissed during La Russa's term in St. Louis. His 5-year term is the longest of any.
The club remains extremely sensitive to reaction about McGwire's return. After setting the single-season home run record by hitting 70 in 1998, McGwire became the face of an ongoing controversy surrounding the prevalance of performance-enhancing drugs in the game. The club offered him a spot as a guest hitting instructor during 2007 spring training, an invite McGwire briefly entertained before rejecting due to a family issue.
McGwire has operated a de facto off-season hitting camp in Orange County for a number of major-league hitters in recent years. Current Cardinal outfielders Skip Schumaker and Matt Holliday along with recently-traded outfielder Chris Duncan are among the campers. Daric Barton, Bobby Crosby and Garrett Atkins also have attended.
McGwire has eased a bit from his seclusion from media in recent months, serving as a panelist on a Sporting News opinion board. He also spoke to the Post-Dispatch shortly before the 10th anniversary of his breaking Roger Maris' single-season home run mark. However, he has yet to address the smear to his reputation that followed him from Congressional hearings on steroid abuse on March 17, 2005. McGwire famously insisted he did not attend to "talk about the past."
http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/commishs-hot-stove/commishs-hot-stove/cardinal-beat-updates/2009/10/tlr-back-mcrae-out-big-mac-appears-in/ (http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/commishs-hot-stove/commishs-hot-stove/cardinal-beat-updates/2009/10/tlr-back-mcrae-out-big-mac-appears-in/)
Any word on Duncan returning as the pitching coach? I know he was ticked his boy got traded and it would be nice to see new blood there as imho he sucks and is the reason our pitchers have so many injuries
^Word on Duncan is that he'll be back if TLR is back. So, it looks like Duncan will be back next year.
Tony is back for one year, Duncan is also back and Big Mac is the new hitting coach.
The obvisous questions on him have been raised and Mr. DeWit has suggested that he deal with it, and Tony does want him to clear the air with the STL media and fans.
It took nine seasons, but MLB is finally recognizing what Cards fans have known all along: Albert Pujols is a once-in-a-generation player. Congrats, Albert, on winning your third MVP in a unanimous decision! 8)
It sounds like the Cards are quickly switching Plan A and Plan B around with Holliday. Cardinals ownership has made recent statements that make the point that they may not be strung along by Boras in the Holliday sweepstakes very long before moving to Plan B--spreading out the money they would use on Holliday for two or three good free agents and allocating more money to extending Pujols. I don't blame them. Why allow yourselves to be strung along by Boras, because the longer you wait the more affordable, good free agents get signed by someone else. Then, if Holliday signs elsewhere in February or March the Cards would be left with whoever remains unsigned (likely no one good would be left). I think they'll make a legit/formal offer to Holliday, then wait a few days or so before aggressively going after a few other quality free agents.
I don't have a problem with this as long as the Cardinals don't go CHEAP with Plan B. Then, I'll have a problem. It's important to surround Pujols with quality talent so he knows the Cardinals are serious about winning so he'll sign the extension. It would be hard to build a quality team if 40-45% of your payroll is tied up in two players (Holliday and Pujols). I also hope the Cardinals have communicated to Pujols their stance on Holliday. It would be terrible if Pujols believes the Cardinals are prepared to do a lot to sign Holliday, then observes them letting Holliday sign somewhere else without much negotiation from the Cardinals. There could be a backlash from Pujols, if that's the case.
Pujols has said he wants to be a Cardinal for life, and wants the team to be able to construct a quality team around him. He might take a discount to help that happen. (He's not obligated to, of course. He should be paid what he's worth, and being the best player in a lucrative business, that's a lot. I think he can be offered at least six or seven years for $26-27 million per. It will be backloaded, like his current deal, and offer incentives for milestones. The biggest question will be the length--it could be for as long as ten years).
I believe the Cards have started off on the right foot with their arbitration offers (offered arbitration to Holliday, DeRosa, and Pineiro; did not offer it to Glaus). It'll be interesting to watch the chess moves as the offseason moves into the winter meetings. :)
^Yah, I agree with you.
I also read on MLB Trade Rumors some discouraging comments by DeWitt about signing Pujols. They're gonna do everything they can, but there is a limit to how far they'll go....
"We can pay Albert $95 million per year and give $5 million to the rest of the guys, but how good would we be? We'd have minor leaguers out there and Albert," DeWitt said. "We can make it work. It's just at what point does it become counterproductive at a competitive standpoint in terms of one player. That's the balancing act. That's not a set number.
"But we do know at a certain kind of range on an annual basis it gets beyond a rational decision. I'm hopeful. I think he understands."
I guess it makes sense from a business standpoint, but I sure would hate to see Albert in another uniform.
^I read that too. I think those comments are more trying to address the ability of the club to sign both Holliday and Pujols. He never mentions Holliday, but the team has consistently said that they want Albert to be a Cardinal for life (and Albert has echoed those sentiments). I also believe Albert and DeWitt are on the same page about the club being able to remain competitive and sign/keep solid players around him so they have a chance at going to the World Series every year.
I think the club is willing to give Albert close to or at market value with his extension. It's just a matter of ironing out the details once negotiations begin. The tricky part is this offseason and next year, making sure that Albert feels they are serious about remaining competitive in the marketplace. That's the key to signing Albert to an extension.
It goes without saying that if Albert walks the club would be facing a PR backlash like none they've ever seen before. Ticket sales, merchandise, everything would go into free fall. I know DeWitt doesn't even want to think about that happening. :o
The Cardinals have a one year deal pending with starter Brad Penny, worth around $9 million (the physical is scheduled for tomorrow). I like him, and wondered last year if the Cards might pursue him. He seems like a good fit, and with a group of competitors around him should perform well. It is expected that DeRosa will decline the Cards arbitration offer, especially since comparable players (Palanco and Figgins) signed multi-year deals worth between $6 and $9 million per year. DeRosa is reportedly seeking a 3 year $21 to $24 million deal. Penny's signing doesn't mean the Cards are no longer pursuing Holliday. Mozeliak had a 90 minute meeting with Boras a couple of days ago, and another meeting with him during the winter meetings is possible. Mozeliak did say that if the Cardinals acquired another starter, filling the rotation, it would mean the Cards have ended their pursuit of Holliday (the arbitration offer to Pineiro does not apply to this condition).
http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/commishs-hot-stove/commishs-hot-stove/cardinal-beat-updates/2009/12/mozeliak-acknowledges-pending-deal-with-penny-meeting-with-boras/ (http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/commishs-hot-stove/commishs-hot-stove/cardinal-beat-updates/2009/12/mozeliak-acknowledges-pending-deal-with-penny-meeting-with-boras/)
Well, the Cards made their formal offer to Holliday last week, Boras discussed it with his client, then Boras and Mozeliak sat down again. This past weekend the Cards presented a revised/tweaked offer for Holliday, trying to address some objections. If reports are true, the Cards are really going all out for Holliday. The tweaked offer is for 8 years with an average of $16 million per season (plus incentives). Here's the kicker, though: the offer has an opt-out option for Holliday after five years, meaning he can test the market in 2014 if he so chooses. :o That's an offer you run with, unless a team is out there with a better offer. The only other team that appears to be a candidate (and they haven't come out publicly declaring interest) are the Mets. Why would Holliday take a little more money to play for a bad team at Citi Field, a park that is not power hitter friendly unless you're a pure pull hitter (Holliday is not)? It's crazy! I agree with the Post-Dispatch's Bernie Miklasz, the Cards have nothing to apologize for in their pursuit of Holliday. You might even argue that they're being too generous with their offer. If Holliday turns the Cards down and signs somewhere else, I think the Cards have gone above and beyond in their efforts to sign him. If he doesn't sign, he's not a good fit for the Cardinals. Pure and simple.
As for the other teams, the Mets have made a formal offer (and tweaked it) to Bay. It's rumored that Holliday is out of their price range. The Yankees have publicly stated they're not interested in Holliday. However, they did the very same thing last year regarding Mark Teixeira; feigned no interest until the very last minute, then swooped in with an outlandish offer and signed him. Let's hope they don't do that with Holliday this year. :-\
The good news: Holliday has not rejected the Cards offer yet. Once Bay signs somewhere, then things will get moving. It's believed we may know the answer to that by early next week. Oh, the intrigue... :)
Read more here: http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/bernies-extra-points/bernies-extra-points/bernies-5-minutes/2009/12/cardinals-and-holliday-no-apologies/ (http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/bernies-extra-points/bernies-extra-points/bernies-5-minutes/2009/12/cardinals-and-holliday-no-apologies/)
Here's a nice article from ESPN.com's Jayson Stark declaring Pujols the MVP of the decade. Enjoy! :)
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=4765077 (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=4765077)
As if there was any doubt!
If Pujols was a Yankee, he'd be one that I grudgingly hate.
DeRosa has signed with the Giants--an announcement will be made today--for 2 years for about $12 million. He'll turn 35 soon, and it's believed that the Cards were wary of signing him to more than a one year deal due to his age and wrist problems. DeRosa was viewed as a plan B if the Cards didn't sign Holliday. The Cards have been in a holding pattern on DeRosa (no offer was made) while waiting on Holliday. No decision will be made by Holliday before the new year.
The Cards have more than DeRosa as a plan B for a 3B/LF. They have interest in Jason Bay, Xavier Nady, Felipe Lopez, Miguel Tejada, and Jermaine Dye.
Players are starting to fall into place. The Mets have reached a deal with Bay, pending a physical. Reportedly it is a 4 year/$66 million deal, or about $16.5 million per year. That is right within the range the Cards have on the table for Holliday, but the 8 year option in the Holliday deal is definitely a plus for the Cards. With the Mets out of the Holliday picture there appear to be no other teams in the running. Theoretically, the Yankees could swoop in, but as was noted earlier, they are looking for a more short-term solution in LF in order to go after the bigger free agents that will be available a year from now. What, exactly, is Holliday waiting for? The ball is in Boras's court now.
In case you hadn't heard, Holliday signed with the Cards -- a seven-year deal worth a guaranteed $120 million, including a $17 million vesting option for 2017.
I'm glad it's over, and that the Cards didn't bid against themselves. They said from the beginning that they wouldn't pay $20 million a year, and they stuck to it. Some think Pujols will pout since he's not making the most on the team anymore, but they don't know Pujols very well. He only cares about winning, and pulled for the Cards to sign Holliday from the time the season was over. He's certainly a happy man today. And the Cards know what they're doing. They'll find the money in the next year or two for their next big goal: sign Pujols as a Cardinal for life. 8)
Good long term signing, makes last year go for broke landing of Holliday pay of for years to come.
Pujols and the Cardinals are currently in negotiations for a contract extension, though neither side will discuss it publicly. This is good news! 8)
Read more here:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/rumors/post/Pujols-and-Cardinals-finally-talking-extension?urn=mlb,217590 (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/rumors/post/Pujols-and-Cardinals-finally-talking-extension?urn=mlb,217590)
They need to just buckle down and sign Pujols to a lifetime contract. He doesn't want to play anywhere else, and the team would collapse without him.
One of my free agent wishes came true today. Felipe Lopez signed a one year, $2 million deal and is already in Jupiter, FL for spring training! He really beefs up our bench. Mozeliak played the market perfectly with this signing! :)
"This has been my first choice since I played here back in '08, " said Lopez, "They treated me like always--with open arms."
Read more here:
http://interact.stltoday.com/blogzone/commishs-hot-stove/commishs-hot-stove/cardinal-beat-updates/2010/02/new-cardinal-lopez-i-knew-who-i-wanted-to-play-for/ (http://interact.stltoday.com/blogzone/commishs-hot-stove/commishs-hot-stove/cardinal-beat-updates/2010/02/new-cardinal-lopez-i-knew-who-i-wanted-to-play-for/)
Lopez is a great addition to the team, a steal at 2 mill, considering the numbers he's put up in the last couple years.
I'm excited about this season, signing Holliday, picking up Penny. We're favored in the Central. Mo has done a great job this off season. I hope it all pans out.
Wow, an ugly start to spring training for the Cards. The plus side is there was good hitting. The minus side is there was a lot of bad pitching and fielding mistakes that led to a 17-11 loss to the Mets. That's what these games are for, though. To prepare for the regular season and iron out mistakes.
Luckily our lineup won't look exactly like this when the regular season starts (this is yesterday's lineup):
1. Skip Schumaker, 2B
2. Julio Lugo, SS
3. Nick Stavinoha, DH
4. Ryan Ludwick, RF
5. Colby Rasmus, CF
6. David Freese, 3B
7. Joe Mather, 1B
8. Jon Jay, LF
9. Jason LaRue, C
And these won't be our pitchers either: LHP Evan MacLane. Followed by: RHP Adam Ottavino, RHP Eduardo Sanchez, RHP Francisco Samuel, and RHP Charlie Zink.
Yes...our first spring training win today. Go Cards!
After that shaky little mini-slump, it looks like the Birds are Back. ;D
Redbirds, anyway. That Oriole Orange is sucking pretty hard.
Yah, what's up with that? It seems like they always slump in May. I guess they like the hot weather. But anyway, it's good to have them back. For awhile there, it was like on the old game show "To Tell The Truth." "Will the real St. Louis Cardinals please stand up."
Well, the ole team is hanging in there. One-game lead on Cincy as of today. Pitching is still leading the way, Carpy and Waino are still studs, but what a pleasant surprise from Garcia. As of late, offense is beginning to heat up, and Holliday is starting to look like Holliday. Pujols, nuff said. We need to keep stepping it up. Go Cards!
Yep, back to business as usual, including Franklin scaring the crap out of me when he closes.