To close out the 4-2 road trip, we waited multiple hours for the rain to stop in Washington on Sunday. Here is a rough approximation of the events.
1:00 p.m. Announcement of 1:35 p.m. start, but the tarp wasn’t even off yet. Steady rain.
1:30 p.m. Tarp removed, Kyle Lohse pulled from start in favor of Kyle McClellan, who as the union rep was also a part of the decision. New start announced for 2:00.
2:00 p.m. Tarp back on, no announce time. Rain slows shortly after.
2:30 p.m. Nats president Stan Kasten talks with the press. Still wants to try to get game in.
3:15 p.m. Tarp drained off and put back on.
3:30 p.m. Game finally called with no makeup date yet.
3:45 p.m. Rain stopped – at least for a short while.
Tony La Russa spoke with the press prior to Sunday’s game as always. I will forego the details of the discussion about how he wanted to play the game since it is moot.
I will share one comment. One writer asked Tony if the weather dictated any of his line up choices. His reply: “I should put the guys out there I don’t care about?” Then he answered the question with Pujols as the example. “Albert didn’t start yesterday because his legs were achy, but he’s playing today. These guys just have to play under control.”
It is interesting to note the manager’s comments on P.J. Walters, who tossed two innings on Saturday and was the only reliever not “hot” on Sunday. After these comments, the decision was made to send Walters back to Memphis with Brad Thompson returning to St. Louis. Look for that to be announced on Monday.
“He (P.J.) hasn’t thrown the ball as hard in relief, which is a bit surprising. Normally when you only pitch an inning or two, you can really let it go. I still think he’s probably learning the role. He’s got the weapons to do that job. Try to settle into it. He’s a starting pitcher we’re using as an innings guy…. I don’t want to set him back, either. He’s got a chance to pitch in this league.”
When asked about a swap between Walters and Thompson:
“We’re evaluating the roster all the time. I’m not going to get into that daily thing. Start getting him paranoid and getting Thompson’s hopes up. I think Brad pitched a couple of good games but the last one wasn’t as good. He’s just got to take care of his business.”
When asked about whether he’d rather play the other division clubs more often (balanced schedule) in the context of making reschedule of games like Sunday’s easier:
“I don’t spend any time thinking about it. The guys that make the decisions are the ones thinking about it. What good is there to think about it? It doesn’t change anything. What they give us is what you’ve got to play with.”
On the bullpen:
“They’re all settling in, understand what is expected and what they have to do. They’re making some progress. What I think about the bullpen is what I think about the whole club. If we don’t improve – if this is the best we play all year – it won’t be good enough. We’ve got to improve.
“When we came out of spring training, I had an idea, Dunc had an idea what Chris (Perez) had to do to get better. Every one of those guys. At the beginning of the season, you see what’s working. Keep tweaking it. Pat them on the back when they do well. That stuff never changes.
“It’s a long season and they each have adjustments. They’ve each had enough success, they feel like they could be a contributor. I don’t think anybody is scared to go out there.”
On the aftermath of Rick Ankiel’s crash into the wall Saturday:
“I know he had a whiplash. I didn’t know if he was going to be able to go today, but he said he was good to go.”
On the ideal back up catcher:
“A guy that understands and accepts his role. A guy that takes a lot of interest and pride in working with a staff. To know it’s the responsibility of the catcher to get something out of the pitching staff that day. A guy that is going to work well with the regular catcher – not sitting there eating his heart out that the other guy will go 0-for-4 or 0-for-12 so he can play.
“The only thing that could make Jason (LaRue) a better fit for us is if he hit left-handed. But that’s not really important. Jason LaRue is everything you want to look for. He catches great. He throws well. Between him and Yadi (Molina), they’re tough to run on. He’s a veteran, a winner.
“A dad comes up to me and asks me how his kid should get noticed. I tell him to be a catcher. That’s the way to get to the big leagues,” said the manager.
I love his comment about the balanced schedule. Why worry about things you can’t control?
Tony gets some tedious questions, such as the one about whether the weather influences lineups. He ponders the moral implication of the question.
Good Walters has been sent to Memphis. He needs to pitch regularly.
Nice comment about the never-ending quest for individual improvement.
Though not a big fan of Brad Thompson, I respect how he goes to Memphis and does not sulk, but throws strikes and sharpens his game. This enables Brad to shuttle between AAA and the majors and be helpful, at either level.
Back in 2007, the Cards rewarded Ryan Franklin with an in-season 2 year contract extension. This was met with cat-calls from fans posting at the Birdhouse, who thought Franklin should have been dumped in a trade for “prospects” or was over-paid. In retrospect, this personnel decision has worked out well. Franklin is doing a great job as closer, at a low salary for the role, enabling Perez and Motte to gain useful experience in lower stress situations. This past off-season, TLR was right we needed a veteran closer, it just turned out to be Franklin not costly Brian Fuentes. We added Reyes economically to provide a needed lefty. Mo beavered away this off-season exploring deals, but sometimes the best deals are ones that you do NOT make.
The Cards are in a pretty good development situation with Boggs starting right now owing to Carp’s injury, with Mortensen and Walters training at Memphis. These 3 guys seem candidates for 2 open slots in the 2010 rotation, if Pineiro and Wellemeyer leave.
Meanwhile Lynn is up to AA and Gorgen may join him soon. Twenty years back, it used to be that high round collegiate pitchers would begin the season at AA. It seems good to try to get back to that tradition.
There were quite a few interesting moves coming into the season Jumbo. Our perceptions of the logic and relevance of said moves isn’t somehow invalid now because of the struggles of the teams around us. The universal laws of cause and effect are at work here Jumbo. BD is a lucky SOB. I admire him for that. At some point Toto is going to pull the curtain back and we are going to get another peek at the Wizard. Tony is Grandstanding like no other coach in history. What will be his future? A good team is made better by their response to adversity. We have had little in April. Lets see what May brings.
Tony had Colby sitting after a 2 hit with a homer day, in favor of Chris in left on a wet field. I agree with Tony that Colby is trouble a brewing, but how much exposure can Chris stand? Should be an interesting week. Who will be the Coyote, who the roadrunner? Roll cameras.
Cartoon-based thoughts? Duncan, Ankiel, Ludwicks are the regulars. They get most starts, on fields wet and dry. Kid Rasmus gets worked into the lineup to keep the regulars fresh and for the purpose of his development.
After 3 years, we have a very good idea of what Kid Duncan can do: slug, work good at bats, and fumble gimmes. TLR reasonably tries to get Schumaker to LF by the 7th inning.
There is no wisdom in that Jumbo. Schumaker needs to evolve for his own well being. Tony’s platoon concept and defensive maneuvers, is an idea that will be on the rocks shortly. Barden is starting to squirm, Thurston has to except the idea that he is a player thats here for the season, no matter what. He has to keep adjusting to the pitchers who are starting to get his MO. Colby is succeeding almost by accident. Cut out his walks, and he is in Memphis right now. Who will produce when the shit hits the fan. Its coming and you know it, unless someone shows signs of achieving something like Shumakers just did. Blanton isn’t much right? Lets see who base hits him tonight instead of trying to go yard with his sinker.
WC, do you mean that Thurston is guaranteed a spot for the entire season or that he will be dumped aft er the year is over?
You are the KIng of Vulgar Remarks here.
Thanks Dizzy. I think Thurston has a real upside. If he learns to adjust, (the hardest of all professional skills) I think he will be here for awhile. He is feeding on Tony’s platoon concept. He needs to establish an appetite to hold a position, and thats with his bat. If he can defend his hands against the inside pitch, and learns to stroke off field singles on pitches away, he fits right in.
If these guys stop setting the table for Albert, we will all go hungry.
I would say the team has a number of unresolved issues. If Glaus isn’t disposed of, and returns, Barden is odd man out. Ryan will be your shortstop next year. How much he plays this year depends on an evolving story with K Greene. The momentary logic of Tony’s use of personnel is subject to the natural degradation of everyday competitions. Barden will go to sleep under the pressure, as surely as Ryan amped out on K Greene’s struggles. Its life. And its vulgar.
Lineup per Hummel:
Skip Schumaker 2b
Joe Thurston 3b
Albert Pujols 1b
Chris Duncan lf
Ryan Ludwick rf
Rick Ankiel cf
Yadier Molina c
Tyler Greene ss
Kyle Lohse p
This is what Tony would like to be true. Alternating Left right when possible. A continued absents of K Greene. The R+L combos seemingly justify the demotion of the Rbi producing Yadi and the swapping of Luddy and Duncan. Each of those spots is a tension point to me. Tony’s pitcher 8th yesterday shows where his head is at. Duncan may hit today, maybe Ankiel finds a ball to tomahawk, who knows. This is Tony’s hope and also his weakness. I see signs of Chris going mental and Rick doing just enough to avoid criticism. This lineup didn’t win last year. Lets hope we get hot.
WC, do you lie awake at night worrying about this kind of stuff? My goodness, what is your purpose here?
I have a strong profit motive Dizzy. Otherwise, its just social work. I see Lohse has a lip full of snuse. Bad for the health, good for the ERA. That means he doesn’t have an upset stomach any way.
Strong profit motice, huh? You got five bucks bet on the Phils tonight?
Yup…………. Lohse sticks to his game plan. Blanton just throwing meat to Cardinals who PoP it up. What a surprise.
Somebody could be going mental, yet fortunately its not Kid Duncan. We need him to contribute.
Lets step back and take stock. 1. WC has familiarity with sprinting and football, different sports from baseball, which rewards patience, endurance, discipline. 2. WC has a lively imagination and accepts odd ideas about the motives of DeWitt, TLR, Albert, etc. 3. At times, WC takes the high road (adagio, the Louvre), at other times not. 4. WC can be fearful of our chances.
Be of good cheer WC and aim high. TLR and Mo will figure out how to compete well in 2009.
Read the thread Jumbo. I scare myself sometimes.
Why is Kyle McClellan the union rep? He seems a little inexperienced with a job that is none too certain. Or is he the only one who would do it?
Why does the union rep have any say in who starts on a given day?
No one wants the job………………… This isn’t about Cardinal pitching. Its about Cardinal offense against Blanton. You knew Lohse would get aggressive trying to keep his pitch count down so he could go deep enough maybe to pick up a few runs to get back into the game. That didn’t work. We may lose the game, but we needed 5 runs against a pitcher like this. Phillies were playing a better pitcher and beat him with good at bats. Lets see how Dunc and Rick respond.
Oh yeah, everyone, especially Lohse knows you can’t pitch Utley up and in. He will hold his ground and let it hit him every time. He’s famous for it.
Utley has led the league the last two years in HBP. He no doubt learned it from his first Little League coach, my friend Denny Mayfield. Utley credited Denny with quite a bit in a Sports Illustrated article a year or two ago.
C’mon Albert. Aw, just didn’t get any air under it.
Dan and Al were just mentioning about how bullpen coach Marty Mason ended up playing pro baseball. I was a little distracted but I think they left out why he ended up in the St. Louis organization.
After the 1981 season the Cards traded Bob Sykes to the Yankees for a youngster named Willie McGee. McGee’s success, coupled with Sykes’ arm problems, led to George Steinbrenner freaking out about things so the Cards seemed to make a “make up” deal that sent solid prospects Stan javier and Bobby Meacham to the Yankees for mason and two other non-prospects.
Meacham and Javier went on to combine for 23 years of major league service while none of the guys the Cards got made it. Mason has arguably been as valuable to the Cards as the guys they let go.
Fox reports the Cards have two grand slams this year, (both) with the bases loaded. Brilliant!
Poor Rick! He might be the most star-crossed athlete I’ve ever seen. The guy has all the talent in the world but just keeps getting bad breaks. I have rooted harder for him as a pitcher and then a player than for anybody in my life.Let’s hope for the best.
What a way to see the outfield mess sorted out.
Dan also fell for the Joe Morgan dopey perception that Billy Beane wrote “Moneyball”. Obviously if he had actually read the book, he’d know who the real author is – Michael Lewis.
nutlaw, I didn’t mean to imply the union rep decides pitchers, but they are involved if games have to be rescheduled that are outside of negotiated agreements regarding consecutive days played.
If I remember correctly, Braden Looper was the prior rep. Perhaps he deputized McClellan last season.
Well, Brian and nutlaw, WC has convinced me we have no Rhodes scholars on this team so maybe McClellan was caught working a crossword puzzle or a Soduku and drafted as player rep.
I went to a movie after the 6th. Sorry to hear about Rick. I have a sneaking suspicion that they will 15 day him on a concussion watch. I will be interested to see who comes up. If its Stava, be pissed. Mather me thinks. I’m glad Thurston showed life. We need a roll player like that. Will Barden sit tomorrow? Bull pen seemed stable, and thats good news. We have problems. They’ve been talked about enough. Lets see what this week holds. Does Waino stand up as the Ace stopper? Will he get any support? Cubs 2.5 back.
I think Mather will be the guy that gets the call.He’s doing a little better. Too bad Daryl Jones is lefty all the way. He’s really coming on at AA if the stats don’t lie.
Speaking of “roll” players, I’m watching the Dodgers game and tonight, for the first time this season, during the singing of “God Bless America” we had a guy from the cast of some show actually attempt and hit the high note. I’d rather listen to a recording of Kate Smith or Ronan Tynan anytime than to listen to somebody take the easy out on that song. Hitting the high note brings tears to my eyes.
Left after the sixth inning tonight, right WC? Quitter!
I hope Rick only misses about 15 games. That looked like a pretty nasty collision with the wall but an outstanding play. He clearly caught the ball and removed it from the glove with his bare hand before hitting the wall. Had it simply fallen out of his glove after he hit the wall it would’ve been a triple.
I agree that we’ve talked enough about the “problems” this team has. You’re the guy that seems to bring them up every time we don’t pitch a perfect game and win 30-0.
I have one more observation to share about Ankiel’s play tonight. Albert Pujols was one of the first guys out there, all the way from first base, to check on his teammate and was the guy hovering over him while everybody else was sort of standing around. I teared up a little when I saw thaw that. What a man!
Albert stayed at the hospital with Juan Encarnacion, the night of his terrible misfortune.
Happily, Rick seems ok, though needs some days off.for observation and soreness.
Shane Robinson would be one plausible candidate for promotion, but may have a pulled muscle. Mather is helped by ML experience, yet has not hit much, in spring training or at Memphis. Another plausible candidate for temporary promotion is Jon Jay.
It would be nice to send down a reliever, if Rick is blessed to not have a DL worthy injury and can resume play in a few days. If this happens, it could be Thompson or Motte.
There may be a division of interests coming here. Tony may want to rest him a few days, Mo may want him on ice. Lets see what happens there. It may depend on tomorrows game results.
One thing that is certain is no Ankiel decision is riding on tomorrow’s result. The first consideration will be the health of the player. If he needs two weeks+ of recuperation, he will get it. But if Ankiel only needs a few days off, then the Cards may be hesitant to lose his services for a couple of weeks by putting him on the DL.
Another possibility: how is K Greene’s forearm soreness progressing? If it is not progressing, then Khalili might be a candidate for the DL, to free up a roster slot for Jay.
Or if his arm is getting better, K Greene can play SS and T. Greene return to Memphis, providing a roster slot for Jay.
Since he has been pinch-hitting all along, K Greene will not go onto the DL without a terrible setback. They may be hesitant to add Jay to the 40-man yet.
I posted an update on Ankiel on Scout. Good news. Net is that the CAT scan and x-rays found no fractures. He remained in the hospital overnight for observation. Official status is day-to-day.
Duh, I forgot we have Schumaker for OF depth. We could give Rick a couple of days off and make no moves at all.
Or, if too short-handed, we could DL Rick, bring back Freese, letting Schumaker play OF. There is no need to promote Jay, Mather, or Robinson.
A variety of choices.
All plausible. Lets see what happens. I’ve noticed that when given a chance to move on the long range plan, they do.
Tony’s likely line-up
1) Shu
Waino
2) Thursty
3) Puj
4) Dunc
5) Luddy
6) Yadi
7) K. Greene
9) Colby
I don’t care for it. Meyers is the only favorable for the Cards here, And yet, he is allot like Blanton. Barden was contributing and now seems to be the odd man out. If Duncan doesn’t bat forth, Tony could toss him up to the 2nd slot. Seems unlikely but it does pressure Meyers.
WC, what goes on in your mind? You make a guess about a lineup and then tell us you don’t like it.
You are reaching way down into the barrel to create controversy this time.
Tony has been batting Rasmus 2nd.
Against Blanton or Myers, Barden should sit, unless he plays SS. Its a right/left platoon. Platoons are winning tactics. The Cards are able to deploy 4 lefty swingers against the RHP, even with Ankiel out of action.
The Phillies are defending champs, but the Cards are tough at home. Odds in favor of the home team tonight.
Barden’s morale is super. He would rather sub here than play for a 5th year at AAA.
A guy hits two doubles and a single, and you move him out because you think Rasmus might get a walk? Maybe………. I think Tony tries his pitcher hits 8th in which he uses Colby ninth. Yes, Barden sits, but when he didn’t, we scored runs. Lets see what happens. Thurston then is liable to out produce Chris and Luddy batting behind them, and into an early pitcher at 8th. That makes Tony look bad. He is vain in that way. Put up your line-ups boys. Don’t be shy.
How does the pitcher hitting eighth make Tony look bad? His idea has caught on a bit. Joe Torre has batted his pitchers eighth and Juan Pierre ninth a few times to get that second leadoff type hitter ahead of Manny.
I’m not into the art of crystal ball gazing so I’ll trust TLR to make out the lineups. he’s done pretty well over the years.
Rasmus has more speed and power. He gets more at bats in the 2nd slot, whereas Thurston has less long-term potential. Reasons Rasmus bats 2nd. (Ozzie Smith often batted 8th; its useful to get production from low in the lineup, so its fine for Thurston to bat low in the lineup.)
If Thurston outproduces Kid Duncan and Ludwick, TLR will be happy for him.
“whereas Thurston has less long-term potential”
Jumbo, he hit second to take pressure of Ankiel. He succeeded big time. Yesterday was Tony’s big “these are your St Louis Cardinals” line up. Thursty is trained outside this system. He has already been caught making adjustments. If they win yesterday and no one is hurt, it would have been the same today, right? If he starts toying with Shu in the outfield, he is stupid because in the end, from 3rd place, he will look like an ass. Tony needs a 2nd place hitter that isn’t Colby Rasmus. Who ya gonna call……………………….. McRae, opening Lohse’s stance even more last night, was inviting him to step into an inside pitch…….idiot……. I bet Tony fixes that himself.
TLR has been using Colby 2nd in the batting order. The Cards are developing Rasmus and they want him protected by Pujols, if he can hit well enough. So far, Rasmus is hitting enough to bat 2nd. His on base percentage is .360. Tonight, Rasmus will start in center. Since Rasmus is in the 2nd slot, Thurston cannot hit there as well. Thurston probably bumps down to 6th or 7th. The order will probably be: Skip, Rasmus, Albert, Chris, Ludwick (the guy you wanted to release), Thurston, Molina, Greene, Wainwright.
When Colby is on the bench, like yesterday, then TLR can slip Thurston into the 2 hole, to see how he does. Yesterday, Thurston did well. With Ankiel out, Colby goes back to 2nd in the lineup.
Going into tonight, TLR has doubled Thurston’s major league at bats. He had 66 before this season, now Joe has 132. For a fringy AAAA guy, Joe is doing great. Go Joe Go.
AB R H RBI TB BB K AVG OBP SLG
S. Schumaker, 2B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .262 .330 .321
J. Thurston, 3B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .303 .378 .485
A. Pujols, 1B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .344 .460 .700
R. Ludwick, RF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .282 .319 .541
C. Duncan, LF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .296 .396 .531
Y. Molina, C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .313 .376 .458
C. Rasmus, CF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .266 .360 .359
T. Greene, SS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .083 .154 .083
A. Wainwright, p
Well, the absents of K.Green is the surprise. He flipped Duncan back which is wisdom. Molina moves up, Colby is in a help yourself son situation. Better than my projected.
“Better than my projected.”
Wow! Who woulda thunk it? A Hall of Fame bound manager came up with something better than our resident genius.
Do hitting coaches work with the pitchers on their hitting? That may be the case but I’d never even considered it. Of course, I guess any chance to bash McRae must be taken.
Hardly Dizzy. Better than the line up I projected for him! If Meyers pitches well, we’re in trouble. They pay Lohse to pitch. He is one of Hal’s “yes sir” players. There aren’t many.
Brian, I’m starting to get curious about K Greene………. Tony wanted defense so it must be his throw?
Whether Thurston or Rasmus bats 2nd or 7th is not much of an issue, one way or another. TLR must be hoping Thurston stays hot.
Duncan’s OPS is 80 points higher than Ludwick’s, so why he bats 5th is unclear. Maybe Ludwick has hit Myers well.
Not much huh? Chris is going mental is why he is moving back. It isn’t like we have a bench full of pitch hitters. There isn’t one. Tony is fighting a possible collapse which he sees is very possible. I hope Meyers goes crazy and goes after Albert. He might.
“If he pitches well, we’re in trouble” We play 162 games, mostly against competent pitchers. Hitters have to obtain hits off competent pitching. Its normal. Nothing to be scared about.
Jumbo,
Duncan has an OPS of .829 (42 PA) batting fourth this year and 1.104 (32 PA) batting fifth. For his career its’ .792 fourth and .828 fifth.
Ludwick is at .912 batting fourth this year (65 PA) and 1.040 fifth (only 17 PA). Last year, Ludwick OPS’ed .956 batting fourth (264 PA) and .949 batting fifth.
Duncan may press a little in the four hole. It doesn’t seem to matter to Ludwick.
I’m watching the pre-game show and Jim Hayes identified Yogi Berra as the manager of the 1969 Miracle Mets. Sorry, that was Gil Hodges. Berra took over after Hodges died in the spring of 1972.
This is a very fragile team right now Jumbo. Ankiel, Duncan, very likely Greene are mental cases. Colby is just trying to have fun. Barden can’t find his way back in. Our weaknesses are starting to be exposed. If they get blistered tonight, and run into trouble the rest of the week, they may never recover. It happened last year after KC and the Brewers cleaned their clocks. I hope Waino dominates, but if there were any questions about that, he is most vulnerable now.
Any word of any roster moves today? Who is available to piNch hit?
DD: The .792 versus .828 for Duncan seems pretty close and accordingly immaterial.
It is nice that Ludwick was .956 and .949 last year, still closer, suggesting the irrelevance of his batting in one position versus the other.
To move Luddy up, TLR may be going on history against this particular pitcher.
WC: I think Dave Duncan is very smart. Chris, I am not so sure, because I hate his one handed fumbles. But Chris is not going mental. In this regard, my concerns are for someone else.
DD, if you mean did they put Ankiel on the DL, the answer is no.
Absolutely. For example, in DC where I just came from, the starting pitchers were taking batting practice together on consecutive days in a cage out of sight underneath the stands.
I heard that too and was surprised. Then they bragged at the end about their world-class research. Hmm…
WC: Its a long season. It has ups and downs. This is normal.
It is wrong to opine that Ankiel, Duncan, and Greene are mental cases. Ankiel extended himself a trifle too far last night to catch a ball when we were five runs down; he did not have to try so hard, but gave his all and wound up with a face full of fence. The good news is he was not hurt and will bounce back. Duncan is a tough guy too. Greene has had arm soreness, not a sore head. Mental fragility lies with posters.
Barden does not start often against right-handers. Barden can play SS, but Tony must prefer Tyler Greene’s D. Greene is fast and has a rifle.
I hope that the Phillies are setting them selfs up for a fall here. I really though Colby had a play on Meyers bloop. Yeah Luddy!
Yeah boys. Yadiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice short cut by Tyler………. Myers won’t last, they have a bull pen. Did you notice Tony walking up the dugout away from the approaching Rasmus, who stares at his back. TV is fun.
Not a good match up for Shu. Good Tony’s pinching.
Damn that was close.
Perez hits Werth, then goes strolling down there. I know he just wanted to talk to Yadi, but he almost emptied the Philly bench. The vets will be talking to him shortly.
Come on Rasmus, get an appetite.
Pretty good swing on a bad pitch by Colby. Win or lose, I like the response by the players. Now the short bench grinds on you.
A brief summation. The teams is game. The young players must be allowed to contribute. Barden plays 3rd tomorrow. Tony will be studying the last Duke start which we lost. I feel like Tony may be realizing that Chris is not going to hit 4th for this team. Chris is an American league talent. He needs to be there.
Thursty got a couple of hits and Duncan sat last time. La Rue catchs one of these games with Pittsburgh. Thursday likely. Pittsburgh can hit so lets hope our long man holds. I don’t see Boggs in the 4th. Crystal ball action for Jumbo and Dizzy.
“The teams is game.” ??????????????????????????????????????????????
Doesn’t it seem much more likely that Schumaker would sit against a lefty and either Thurston or Barden starts at second?
You feel like Tony is realizing Chris is not going to hit 4th? Congratulations! Read post number 51 in this thread. TLR can find the same info that I did. Ludwick has been an OUTSTANDING cleanup hitter for the last calendar year plus. TLR will fit the jigsaw puzzle together faster than most.
Yadi may have a day off but he rested on April 30 and again on May 3 with the rainout. He looked pretty fresh tonight.
I prefer to have an optimistic view of Boggs’ start rather than your sad doom and gloom. I feel sorry for you.
Your not even in this Dizzy and I know you would like to be. I can’t be your adversary if you hope to learn. Month 2. Yadi will catch the Reds series. He will likely rest Thursday. What does your optimistic view have to do with anything? I hope he throws a no hitter. He likely won’t reach the 4th inning. That doesn’t mean the game is lost. It means Tony needs to be decisive. No more than 4 runs. Learn to ask question whose answers might mean something to you.
1. Brian Barden, 3B
2. Joe Thurston, 2B
3. Albert Pujols, 1B
4. Ryan Ludwick, RF
5. Yadier Molina, C
6. Chris Duncan, LF
7. Khalil Greene, SS
8. Mitchell Boggs, P
9. Colby Rasmus, CF
Well here it is a day late. Chris continues to slide. I hope Colby plays an aggressive CF.
Glad to see Kid Duncan quoted in the P-D saying he is not going to be “leading with his head” in future. I assume this means no more of the head first swan dives in the OF that cracked a bone in his neck and gave him a sports hernia. We need Duncan to play well, with Joe Mather seemingly having a tough time bouncing back from his hamate injury.
Self preservation and playing within a safe operating envelope is important. A guy can help a team more by playing everyday and not hurting himself. Ankiel lost his footing, resulting in his injury. He was not making a reckless play. Duncan used to endanger himself and paid a serious price for it. Now he’s a bit wiser.
Duncan’s annoying with the one handed fumbles, but he is not going mental. Neither is Ankiel. Nor Greene. Nor Albert.