As spring training 2009 ended, the Cardinals last pitching cut had been a camp surprise to some, P.J. Walters. As such, the rookie had stepped to the front of the line – the line of starters vying to crack the five-man rotation.
Of the youngsters getting starts last season, left-hander Jaime Garcia is out for most or all of 2009, rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Right-hander Mitchell Boggs came into camp as the number six starter favorite, but was slowed by shoulder discomfort.
Oh yes, and then there is Brad Thompson. The veteran is now in his fifth major league season and was the club’s Rookie of the Year in 2005, yet the 27-year-old has yet to seize a role. In fact, the right-hander has not spent an entire season from start to finish in St. Louis and that record remains intact here in 2009.
In 2005, Thompson made his MLB debut on May 5 and picked up his first save. He was the first member of the Cards’ 2002 draft class to reach the bigs. That season, he made 40 appearances, all in relief. During the World Championship season, Brad pitched from the bullpen in 42 games and made his first major league start, on May 24. He also finished a career-high 16 games.
The instability of the 2007 rotation meant Thompson would be called upon to make a career-high 17 starts along with 27 more pen appearances. As his ERA climbed each season, Brad spent more of 2008 in Memphis. His career-low 26 St. Louis outings included six starts.
Prior to Tuesday, Thompson had not appeared in a game since May 17. This is due to several factors, including little need for a long man with the starters in the midst of a very productive period as well as the odd decision to carry an extra reliever even though the offense has been scuffling.
Yet when Joel Pineiro’s back kept him from making his start against Cincinnati at Busch Stadium on June 2, it was Thompson who received the call to replace him. It was to be Brad’s first start of 2009 and 25th of his major league career.
Thompson pitched decently, going five innings and allowing two runs. He received a no-decision, narrowly avoiding being on the hook for a potential loss when Albert Pujols doubled in a fifth-inning run to tie the contest at two each. The offense would break through for three runs in the seventh to distance themselves from the visitors and the club improved its record to 18-7 when Brad starts.
In taking the hill to begin the game, Thompson became the eighth starter used by the club this season, on the heels of them deploying 11 in 2008. It was the sixth start made by one of the “sixth” starters this season. Of the other sixth starters, Boggs has four and Walters has one.
In terms of timing, though Walters may have had the unofficial designation as camp ended, Thompson was the one that made the club when the Cardinals came north. Yet, on April 17, when the team needed a starter in Chicago, Walters was called up to make his MLB debut on the national stage.
His starting tryout lasted just one game as he allowed three runs in four innings. Though he fanned seven, Walters was frequently in trouble. He moved to the pen until being dispatched to Memphis on May 4, replaced on the active major league roster by Thompson, recalled from the Redbirds.
Thompson had gone down on April 15 when Boggs was brought up to St. Louis for the first time this season. Mitchell pitched in relief behind Walters on the 17th and was given four consecutive starts from April 25th through May 14. He was returned to Memphis on May 15.
Of the three sixth starters, Boggs has the best outing and the only decision to date. He collected a win in his first start against Chicago at home on April 25. That day, Boggs allowed a single unearned run in 5 2/3 innings as the Cards went on to defeat the Cubs, 8-2.
Following is the log of the six sixth starter outings this season. Though the three are a collective 1-0 in the role, the club is a solid 5-1 in the games during which they started. In the role, the group has a collective 3.64 ERA compared to 3.69 for all of the Cardinals starters this season.
It is significant when your fill-in starters can deliver an ERA comparable to the top five. Now, I am not saying they can go as deeply into games or have as solid of a strikeout to walk ratio. But when called upon, these three have all performed admirably this season.
After Tuesday’s game, manager Tony La Russa said he is “optimistic” about Pineiro’s return on Sunday. That means the Cardinals’ number six starters may have to wait for awhile for start number seven. Whenever it occurs, they should be ready.
| Sixth starter | Starts | Opponent | Score | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | K | K:BB | ERA |
| Walters | |||||||||||||
| 4/4 – 4/17 | Apr 17 | @ CHC | L 7-8 | - | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 7 | ||
| Boggs | Apr 25 | CHC | W 8-2 | W | 5.2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 4/18 – 5/6 | Apr 30 | @ WAS | W 9-4 | - | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | ||
| May 14 | @ PIT | W 5-1 | - | 4.1 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |||
| May 6 | PIT | W 4-2 | - | 4.1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | |||
| Thompson | |||||||||||||
| 5/7-6/2 | Jun 2 | CIN | W 5-2 | - | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total sixths | 2009 | 29.1 | 37 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 13 | 24 | 1.85 | 3.64 | |||
| All StL starters | 2009 | 312.1 | 315 | 141 | 128 | 19 | 97 | 213 | 2.20 | 3.69 |
Thompson occupies a niche as an infrequent starter or long reliever. He can get rusty as anyone would and need to go down to Memphis to sharpen his pitching skills. However, he is pretty well suited to this niche role. He is an asset.
I thought his breaking pitch worked well today. His delivery loans itself to that inside attack with the breaking pitch away. Sawed off quite a few Cincinnati bats today. He wasn’t getting many breaks from his defense me thinks.
Boggs has pitched 20.1 out of 36 innnings in his 4 starts, but allowed 8 of the 9 runs, the bullepen has came through for him. (as well as the offense)
i would much rather use wellemeyer and his salary to acquire any FA-to-be bat (derosa), or pineiro for that matter.
the “6th SP’s” have outpitched him. you might be able to get 2 more outs per game out of welly, but what we’d be giving up in our “6th SP’s” is more valuable long term than FA’s-to-be.
and then there’s the payroll difference in how much STL would have to assume if dealing just minimum salaried players or thompson.
Just to play devil’s advocate, Boggs has had a moderately terrible season in AAA with a 5.57 ERA and 1.81 WHIP in 21 IP. Walters has looked considerably stronger.
Wasn’t PJ a finesse pitcher Nut? Good motion, lives on location? If we were a power house offensive club like the Phillies, heck yes. Until then, Joels sinker is about all we can support….sometimes.
Brad may be getting another chance sooner than we had thought; Lohse just left the game in the third with an apparent injury.
Agreed, JMo. I just posted the same thought in a Hot News item on Scout. If another starter is needed, Thompson deserves another chance. Little did we know it could happen so soon, but the small bumps and bruises are starting to add up.
Yikes.
Well, you know, the Braves just cut Glavine…
Wow, good job by Boyer to eat 5 innings in 56 pitches. Who would have thunk it? OTOH, the Reds are not the Big Red Machine of yore.
I wonder if we could DL Ankiel? We could let Rick do a minor league re-hab to try to find some hits in his bat.
Three runs still crossed the plate during Boyer’s first two innings. After that, he was fine, but the game felt much different at 4-0 than it was at 1-0 when Lohse departed. So I am not celebrating. These uninspiring Reds are now 2-1 this series. Cards don’t look like a first-place club.
Update: Milwaukee won, so the Cards are not in first place.
Boyer exceeded my expectations. I leave it that.
Hi Jumbo. Care to speculate on tomorrow’s lineup? Tony will be desperate to protect Carpenter. Rasmus will be hit 2nd. Maybe Stava batting 4th. I expect some moves overnight. They might shut down Lohse to clear his system of Anti-inflammatory just to see whats wrong with him. I see Rick hits a meaningless double. He is psycho.
Another positive amid the gloom. Joe Mather is a fine player setback by a hamate injury last summer and he had a hand operation recently. Yesterday and today, he has finally had some hits at Memphis. If Joe begins to bounce-back, he could become a nice contributor to the ML team.
Westie, I defer to TLR on the daily lineup. He’s my go-to guy on that topic. I let Jeff handle my recruitment of amateurs, TLR manage the MLers, Daddy Dunc advise my pitchers, and I like the job Hal does.
You are becoming my go-to guy for psychological insights, since you observe the patients while they run around in uniform and try to hit or catch the little white ball. I have never had a psych advisor before, so we will see how it turns out, in the fullness of time.
All the best to everyone then…………
Player AB R H RBI TB BB K AVG OBP SLG
S. Schumaker, 2B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .301 .347 .420
C. Rasmus, CF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .248 .314 .438
A. Pujols, 1B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .343 .469 .680
R. Ludwick, RF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .240 .307 .464
R. Ankiel, LF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .223 .296 .369
Y. Molina, C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .263 .346 .356
J. Thurston, 3B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .267 .377 .435
C. Carpenter, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
B. Ryan, SS 0
Well gang, Tony avoids criticism with Chris but takes Luddy and Duncan to the crossroads. Looks to me like he is trying to force Mo/BDs hand on a trade if these guys can’t cut it.. Luddy will have to go to right field to have a chance. Ankiel will be pitched away also. He could have avoided confrontation, but chose it at the expense of Carp. Lets watch.
Well, Jumbo, apparently Boyer did not exceed the Cardinals’ expectations since he was DFA’ed Thursday.
Its going to get better than that Brian! He can’t possibly clear waivers. Brian Barton….poof!!!
Boyer was insurance early in the season, since we were worried about how the pitching staff. would unfold Boyer was 8th man insurance in a 7 man pen. Now the roster needs some changes, we must reclaim his slot.
This has nothing to do with Boyer Jumbo. Barton probably is in line before Stavinoa if he is here. They cleared him out. He was offered, not requested by the Braves. I could care less, but it does appears that his rule 5 function last year was maybe about being a counterfeit Fabergé egg……..maybe. The wizard is exposed again I have a feeling. How about Luddy and Rick. Two hits………. and I would say Lurch wasn’t exactly on his game either.
While the bullpen was unsettled and Carp out, TLR wanted an extra pitcher. Understandably so. The Braves had DFA’s Boyer. The Cards bid Barton, then hitting poorly in early going at Memphis. He served his function last year as a platoon OF and was now lost amid the swell of our many players.
Baseball is a war and there are casualties. We had to sacrifice Barton for the pen. Now Boyer is taken from us. The customary hardships of war. Do not fear, fans, Mo and Tony know the way forward for our intrepid squad. .