History is on the side of Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals Friday night in Pittsburgh.
Having just witnessed the St. Louis Cardinals’ four-game series in Philadelphia, I understand the problems with the offense. They went 4-for-35 with runners in scoring position over the four games, the final three defeats. But the Phillies missed Chris Carpenter.
Friday offers a new series in a new city against an old foe, the Pittsburgh Pirates, coming off a sweep of the Chicago Cubs. With Carpenter, 4-0 with a 2.84 ERA, taking the mound in Game 1, the Cardinals, who could really use a win, should get one.
Here are six reasons for my optimism:
1) He is a fast starter.
Carpenter is 7-0 in April and May over the last two years.
2) He has momentum.
In his last start, Carpenter worked seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball, fanning eight Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. He is tied for fourth in the National League in wins and seventh in the League with 39 strikeouts.
3) He owns the National League Central.
Carpenter is 13-0 against NL Central opponents the last two years.
4) He is on a streak against the Bucs.
Carpenter last faced the Pirates on August 7 of last season, when he registered his 10th consecutive win over Pittsburgh.
5) He has owned the Pirates like no other club.
Carpenter is a career 11-1 with a 2.27 ERA in 13 career starts vs. Pittsburgh, his most wins against any opponent.
6) He pitches well in Pittsburgh.
Carpenter is 5-1 with a 2.77 ERA in seven career starts at PNC Park.
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The betting line has eroded 40 points/cents….. since it opened. unusual? I guessing there is going to be some guessing about Tony’s lineup. It is still 180/
Do I think the Pirates will lay down……..no……..do I think many teams aren’t closely watching how to pitch St Louis…yes……. Everything is on Carpenters side…..except maybe the Cardinals.
We will be looking for a smaller dog to maul. They can score runs. If we don’t start a beating somebody up, Carp will give of something and we will pressure our selves. Somebody is betting early that this team has problems. I know why Tony had the meeting. Whether he is reactive in today line-up remains to be seen. Maybe these guys will roll over? I watched them yesterday. As usual they hit better than ST Louis.
Schumaker 2b
Ludwick rf
Pujols 1b
Holliday lf
Freese 3b
Molina c
Rasmus cf
Carpenter p
Ryan ss
There is an element of Tony desperation here, predicated on his ” this left hander” theory. This is a defensive line up all the way………….so you know what he’s thinking.
I saw the ‘M’ word so I took the article with a grain of salt, knowing it is intended for the unwashed masses rather than true believers. Other than that, I think its right on, Carp and the boys should smoke ‘em.
Holliday catches a break……….. Ludwick does the right thing,,,,,,,,,,Yadi sets him up for the pitch he wants to work with…and gets it. Freese does the right thing.
Lets be honest………… 2 runs on an error. The Pirates are cowering, Zack is grinding.
Carp sets at 51 through 3……the bull pen will be seen.
Got home just in time to see Yadi blazing down the first base line, beating it out,,,sort of.
The Pirates are looking like their reputation BB. They will hit our bull pen so we better get more than 3………
Matt went into home like a guy with a full belly. No fire.
He didn’t expect a play. There really wasn’t one………if the guy wouldn’t have been in the air. That makes his obstruction legal. Could be a record breaking game. Molina just keeps rolling them through.
Carp is at 107……………….. if he stays in………that’s desperation………
Motte is not the man for this job I wouldn’t think.
Westy, if the guy beats the throw yet fails to score, its due to being a big fat sissy.
Ludwick had that look. He wanted something big…..along with that RBI. This game has loss all over it.
I would have taken a little uniform on my spikes……..but that’s just me.
3 unearned……..and allot of faerie dust.
They didnt hit our pen. Our pen hit them
What the hell did he throw there………….was that a splitter that just bit hard. Can’t see him burying a breaking pitch with a Guy on third.
Nice one CC.
Man Tony is superstitious, keeping Franklin in. A finesse win …maybe.
Holiday padding his average with dinkies to right…….. that’s been Albert’s domain. A small dish to growl over me thinks.
I’ll tell ya…..I’m a believer………..
Franklin keeps rolling like Old Man River.
When Miles gets promoted, he can do double-duty as the junior batting coach, specializing in dinks.
See, nothing wrong with this team that pitching Carp and playing a mediocre opponent cant solve!
Jay’s probably bought himself at least another month on the roster and bought Lopez an extra week on the DL.
Pittsburg didn’t achieve mediocrity tonight, they stunk. Bungled their way to a loss.
At least Matt did something other than make inconvenient outs. That’s a start. But there’s something about his body language I don’t like, maybe a lack of intensity, as if these games right now are not worth too much effort.
Luddy seems to have forgotten he’s the two hitter and his job is to get on somehow. Lots of K’s will not work there for long.
Obviously, Ludwick didn’t have a great game, but coming into the day, his OBP hitting second was .386. He is notoriously streaky.
When he cools down, the top of our lineup will really suck.
What you term “streaky” Brian is I think something else entirely. These guys are all playing for future paychecks……..period……..
Look at what Molina did tonight, by just taking away the predominate tactic of everyone playing the Cardinals. He went to right field with the pitch away. Freese stopped doing it in the last few games. Look at his numbers. Look where Holiday went. You have to stop the tactic by beating it. In between will be the counter pitches” in”……….there will be mistakes that translate in to HR’s as they make the more difficult pitch……………..Look at what Colby hit. His hands now are to close to his body. He is look to take everything out in front. That”s nonsense. All of a sudden his pitch selection reflects that. He is laying off of the “away” pitch because he can’t reach it.
Albert has crashed. Screwed the pooch. He has know power to right. He is so out of position, he has no jam…………………Holiday holds his right elbow so high for a reason. It helps him drop the right elbow to his side to cover what was once his weakness probably…..down and in. All his is getting is down and away, with some up and away. Today he finally just took what he was given. Singles…………. Tony had planned to have a runner before he even got that last hit. He is hurting.
Shumaker wants his cuts before he paces his swing and targets the defense. That is no accident. That has to be coming from MM. Ludwick acted like he was closing in on a gold mine today. Big slow lefty. He senses his RBI numbers are going to cost him hitting 2nd……………..In my opinion, these behaviors are a response to Cardinal business practices. Ludwick knows he isn’t getting multi years here if Pujols signs. Rasmus will be arbitrating for three years too.
Albert’s swing. When I came here I was interested. I studied it. He started making changes second half 09. This was to adjust to the fact that he was being pitched to. He has lost sight of what he has done, the pathway he has taken.. His solutions are all wrong……but that is obvious. Whats not obvious, is why he can’t see it…….won’t see it. MM from the very beginning wanted to help him. He is an island. He has organized his adjustments using a highly personalized “self evaluation”. He has lost himself is the problem. That is the nature of learning. You don’t grow because you master something. You grow because you learn the art of change. That is the nature of understanding. As soon as you focus a skill, it becomes apart of a larger organization of efforts. It evolves by becoming simpler, requiring less effort. I call it ..Reductive Symmetry.
On Dying
When we stand before this Creation, in our final act of selfishness, we need not fear our trespass, or wrongful passage. At the end of our great life journey, it is only the remains of our ego that fears what is now dawning, the light of true understanding illuminating our rightful passage. As our physical remains bow, immersed in this radiant light, the ego is unbound, revealing our true undivided self as it had always existed, having endured this long blind night of denial that haunts all worldly incarnations.
This was written by the great Sufi Mystic………. WcBw.