St. Louis Cardinals pitchers are not giving up as many home runs as in most recent seasons.
One big reason the St. Louis Cardinals have continued to hang in the National League Central Division race is the performance of the pitching staff. Led by starters Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright and Jaime Garcia, the team ERA ranks second in Major League Baseball at 3.21.
A major factor in that impressive ERA has been keeping the ball in the park. Through the first 80 games of the season, the 2010 Cardinals pitchers have yielded just 65 opposing long balls.
Since Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan joined the team in 1996, this is the second-lowest total through 80 games. Only the 1997 staff, anchored by Matt Morris, Todd Stottlemyre and the Benes brothers yielded fewer, with 51.
Folks talk about the MV3 of the 2004 team, but the pitchers came up big, also. Starting with game 81 through the remainder of the season, that 2004 staff was stingiest in terms of home runs allowed, with just 30 in 82 games.
One might wonder if the success this season is building upon 2009. In the final 82 games, last season’s bunch was right behind the 2004 club with just 31. From start to finish, last year’s staff was best, with just 99 in 162 games.
Home runs allowed, Cardinals staff, 1996-2010
| G1-80 | G81-162 | Season | |
| 2010 | 65 | ||
| 2009 | 68 | 31 | 99 |
| 2008 | 73 | 55 | 128 |
| 2007 | 80 | 50 | 130 |
| 2006 | 95 | 52 | 147 |
| 2005 | 70 | 49 | 119 |
| 2004 | 89 | 30 | 119 |
| 2003 | 106 | 47 | 153 |
| 2002 | 72 | 47 | 119 |
| 2001 | 105 | 44 | 149 |
| 2000 | 109 | 35 | 144 |
| 1999 | 80 | 53 | 133 |
| 1998 | 76 | 46 | 122 |
| 1997 | 51 | 54 | 105 |
| 1996 | 91 | 46 | 137 |
Here is the breakdown of who yielded the 65 to date this season. Perhaps most impressive is Jaime Garcia’s four home runs allowed in 94 1/3 innings.
Most concerning is Chris Carpenter’s 13 yielded. It is the club’s worst full-half showing since 2006, when Jason Marquis gave up 19 and Mark Mulder 18. Matt Morris’ 24 homers allowed through 80 games in 2004 is the worst since 1996.
Home runs allowed, Cardinals pitchers, 2010 through game 80
| HR | Games 1-80 |
| 13 | Chris Carpenter |
| 9 | Adam Wainwright |
| 7 | Blake Hawksworth |
| 4 | Jaime Garcia, Kyle McClellan, Brad Penny, |
| Jason Motte, P.J. Walters, Adam Ottavino | |
| 3 | Jeff Suppan |
| 2 | Kyle Lohse, Trever Miller, Mitchell Boggs |
| 1 | Fernando Salas, Dennys Reyes, Ryan Franklin |
| 0 | Felipe Lopez, Joe Mather |
Thanks to researcher Tom Orf for offering the data tables shown above.
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Not only did last night’s performance by Jaime prove that there are no chinks in the armor of our elite triumvirate, but the performance (second consecutive success) of Blake also buttressed the reality of a viable rotation of four. When Penny returns, there shall not be any “battle” between Suppan and Blake for number five (Blake is the superior of the two and the one with a future in front of him – rather than behind).
The ONLY problem that we have remaining is an offense which suffers from narcolepsy. With regard to our two Big Boppers, while it appears that Matt is definitely coming out of it, the league’s leading home run producer presents our only inconsistency. We have Greene and Lopez to supply what is missing in the middle infield. All we really need, then, is for Yadier to come out of the hitting funk and for Colby to become consistent.
As blingboy indicated, there is really no reason to go dumpster diving for anything! All we need to do now, to be unstoppable, is to fire on the remaining cylinders.
The Cardinal’s problem is definitely not pitching, that is for sure. The inconsistent offense is driving me crazy. There has to be a reason for it, but damn if I know what it is. If the offense doesn’t get it together soon, the Reds are going to leave the Cardinals in the dust.
Nice nutshell crdswmn. I’m surprised we haven’t heard from Jumbo after the nice performance last night.
Its hard to stay off the emotional roller coaster with this team. If I drive past the stadium today, after last night’s impressive win, I’m sure I’ll still hear that great sucking sound. But every well played win carries the possibility that things are coming together. At least there is less talk about how we need Cliff Lee or Dan Haren or whoever. Like I said a while back, if you can’t win with your aces, it doesn’t matter who your other starters are. Let’s see if we can come up with enough O to win with Carp and Wainy this weekend.
The hapless Cubs actually beat the Reds today; 3 to 1! In 7 2/3s, Randy Wells held them to 5 hits and a single run. Now, if our offense can rise to the occason and give Chris a modicum of support, we’ll find ourselves on the doorstep’; a mere half-game away…
bb, that sucking sound may be the wave…
I experienced countless waves at Busch. They just washed over me in the early innings, but as the game wore on I seemed to become more bouyant, and by last call was bobbing like a cork.
Pshaw and harumpf! I’m not a fan of the wave…
Strasburg is having major trubs n’ probs today, beginning with a 37 pitch first inning; giving-up a double and 3 walks against the Mets… With a 2.48 ERA, he is obviously not invincible, so I am no longer cringing at the prospect of facing him during the four game series against the Nats August 26-29. What’s more; our scouts will have a full book on him by that time and our offense will surely (finally!) have it all together…
JON JAY IS BACK!
“It didn’t seem all that fair anyway when young outfielder Jon Jay, a .302 hitter overall and .375 batsman as a pinch hitter, was sent out by the Cardinals in early June. But now with the official disabling of outfielder Ryan Ludwick today, Jay is back in town.
The lefthanded-batting Jay, in two stints at Class AAA Memphis, was hitting .321 with 16 doubles, four homers and 32 runs batted in. He also was 13 for 13 in stolen-base attempts.
When Jay went down, just after he had a three-hit game, even manager Tony La Russa felt somewhat guilty about it. But La Russa cautioned that Jay needed to play regularly for a while to stay sharp.”
– Rick Hummel
Lopez 3b
Winn cf
Pujols 1b
Holliday lf
Stavinoha rf
Molina c
Ryan ss
Carpenter p
Greene 2b
It seems to me that Skip ought to be at 2nd Base tonight and Tyler ought to be at Short Stop. Can anyone tell me the reason that Brendan is playing rather than Skip? While you’re at it, please tell me the reason that Randy is playing instead of Colby…
57 – Even if you are correct that Blake should be the #5 when Penny returns (i think you are giving him too much credit – he’s been pretty inconsistent over his career), are you confident TLR will see it that way – I’m not.
It doesn’t matter what our scouts see in Strausburg, we only use video
I can’t argue with you, Carioca. And you can certainly understand my euphoria with regard to Blake (he is inducing far more grounders now than he once did and has demonstrated improvement, with two consecutive quality starts).
With regard to the team’s addiction to videotape, that was quite an article by Bernie, hey?
Of everything said by Bernie in that scathing and reverberating article, following is my favorite portion:
“Stan Musial, Rogers Hornsby and George Sisler didn’t have to sit and stare at a video screen until their eyes rolled back to get a feel for a pitcher’s approach. They took an at-bat or two against him, picked up a clue as to what he was up to, and adjusted accordingly. I think those guys did OK for themselves.
Do you think Enos Slaughter or Frankie Frisch would have needed a video library to go three for four against Bucky Enright?
My gosh, how in the world did Lou Brock manage to stroke 3,023 career base hits without cuddling up to a video monitor each night?”
It seems Skip and Colby are sitting out against the lefty Para.
Yours is the only reason that I can think of, blingboy. However, I wonder how dreadful Skip and Colby actually are against lefties…
Whenever Chris has a tough game, he is always at his weakest in the first inning and at his strongest in the later innings…
Against Weeks, as well as against Fielder, the first pitches were actually STRIKES (but falsely called balls)
The homer was nothing (really!)… Chris went on to strikeout the side and make their biggest boppers look foolish.
I’m happy about Jay getting called up, but I had noticed that the guy leading the Memphis team in OBP is Gotay. ( OBP .422 with 250 AB’s). With Freese DLed Gotay would have been useful. He has 55 walks, and not from getting pitched around. Must be a patient batter with a good eye, willing to get on however he can. Good example to set. Useful top of the order guy maybe. I’ve heard his D isn’t great but we aren’t defensive wizbangs anyway.
If Flip and Skip both weren’t getting back to form as they are, Gotay probably would have been the one to be called up…
Despite the fact that it was only the first inning, Albert DID manage to get himself into scoring position. So it is, that I am disappointed that Matt could do nothing more than a groundout to third…
Did Chris just give his former teammate a gift?
Talk about defensive snafu’s: You really can’t blame that one on Yadier…
If Skip was playing 2nd, Edmonds would have been picked-off by Yadier (by a mile…)
Carp got away with a hanger there.
What happened to that guy who struckout the side last inning?
A lot of strikes are catching a lot of the plate. Lots of trouble with the curve. Lot of pitches up. Yikes.
Shades of Rick Ankiel
Don’t say that!!!
Yadier is now at .228… I sure hope he has finally reached the rock bottom…
Another gift to Jimmy Baseball; this time, wrapped with an RBI…
Whereas Chris is a world class Ace having a bad day, Parra is a mediocre whom I hope that our offense doesn’t make into another brilliant star..
Don’t think much of Stav’s arm, or Brendan’s. (or Carp’s for that matter) (today that is).
That was Brendan’s 12th error in 64 games… That was Tyler’s 2nd snafu in this game…
Carp is getting some charity calls now.
It’s unusual to hear boos at Busch.
I feel like I need to puke…
Brian, that sucking sound wasn’t the wave . . .
With the sorry way we are playing tonight, you’d think that the Cubs were dressed in Cardinal uniforms that the stadium was actually Wrigley field…
Chris is to be commended for running-up the count: The walk was definitely not given to him.
‘Twas good for Tyler to take one (on the jersey) for the team: It must have really stung…
With nobody out and the bases juices, it’s high time for our big boppers to do maximum damage!
Randy’s performance so far tonight has not been any improvement over what Colby might have done….
How many times this season has Albert hit into a doubleplay with RISP? How many times has he hit into a doubleplay when we needed his help most? The booing crowd at Busch must be thoroughly disgusted and wondering why they had spent money to come to the park tonight…
Albert fouled off the pitch he used to hit a mile, nothing good was going to happen after that, and it didn’t. That has to be hard an Carp.
If ever there was a time for our Big Boppers to step-up to the plate, it was with the bases loaded tonight. What a huge let-down!
With his 5 earned runs, Chris’ ERA has ballooned past 3.00…
Yes, Braun’s lazy blooper required the centerfielder to haul ass, but I am certain that Colby would have gotten to it with a diving catch…
Chris did not need for his ERA to balloon to 3.08 and the team did not need for the bases to be loaded now with nobody out. It was very clear, before the Cardinals took the field this inning, that Chris was feeling badly: Tony should not have sent him back out there.
Now, Chris is looking worse and the team has an even steeper mountain to climb.
This year, Reyes had added many runs that he had inherited to the record of the various pitchers he had “relieved”. Here’s hoping that his recent turn-around is really, real… Six earned runs is enough for our fallen Scrapper for one outing!
Was that a wild pitch or a passed ball?
Thank God, amidst everything that has gone wrong tonight, that Reyes’ turn-around is really real. His wild pitch had allowed for no more than another run to be tacked-on to Chris’ account (driving up the ERA additonally to 3.16).
Nice opposite field bash by Matt, where the rightfielder had the setting sun in his eyes. Too bad it was caught.
This is a great time for Yadier to finally hit one: After fouling-off the ball 5 times, he earned it!
After 4 innings, Parra is firing a 2 hitter! Once again, our offense is transforming a miserable mediocre pitcher into a dazzling superstar!
What a morale-boosting wonder it would be, if we could make up deficit over the next 5 innings and then win the game!
If a .186 hitter (Yadier’s replacement) could also smack key hits and add to such a deficit recovery, what a wonder it would be, indeed!
Judging by the fact that I am the only redbird chirping on this blog, I am assuming that the other redbirds have done what half the crowd at Busch Stadium had done…
I had absolutely NO IDEA of how accurate Brian would possibly be, with regard to the possibility of following-up out our shutout with something that really sucked…
It can be assumed Otto was not ready to field his position since he got hit on the ass. I guess they don’t teach that anymore.
Nice call on the .146 guy 57.
What a wonder of wonders! Our worst hitter does what neither of our Boppers could do!
This sucky game certainly hasn’t deterred Flip…
“Oh, for…!” Randy simply refuses to make-up for striking-out with bases loaded… Now, we have two outs, instead of none…
I wish that Albert would have done that the last time up…
A solo home run! As blingboy would say, “Pshaw, harumpf!”
What are the chances of us scoring 8 runs in 4 innings?
Last time it mattered and he couldn’t get it into the outfield, this time with a 9 run lead the pitcher was laying it in there. I’m sure Ian’s chart would show it as one of those center cuts. Padding the stats is all it is.
I quite agree… ‘Twas spectacular in it’s untimeliness. We shall stick it in the smelly orifice labeled, “Too little, too late”.
“Oh, for…!” While piling-up more errors in the field, Brendan is now .199 at the plate. How wise of Tony to put him in the starting lineup!
I would say that Tyler Greene is here permanently…
If Tyler were playing Short Stop and Skip was at 2nd Base, it is very possilbe that we would have 6 or 7 runs (instead of 5). As it is, we must consider our chances of scoring 6 runs in the 3 innings remaining.
Speed? ? ? I’m confused.
Hits, hustles, plays short, speedy top of the order type. Nah, can’t use that.
I suppose that we simply cannot fathom the profundity of a genius…
All right, guys! All we need to do is to keep ‘em shut-down and to score 2 runs in each of the 3 innings remaining!
Surely, the Winn-Pujols-Holliday combo can handle that this inning!
I like LaRue getting down in the Tony Pena set to take advantage of the low strike zone.
Wow! You ARE a fellow old fart! You actually remember THAT?
Pena used to frequently stick one leg forward, however
That was outstanding! The throw beat-out Albert (at a full gallop) by 3 steps!
All right, guys! Since our big boppers were typically impotent to rise to the cause, we’ve got 2 innings to score 6 runs…
When I consider Winn’s “Oh, for…!”, I naturally wonder how much better his performance was than what Colby’s might have been…
All right, guys! All we need to do now is to score 7 runs in 2 innings…
I applaud the wisdom of the Genius, in leaving Ottavino in there for over 3 innings… The 4 runs he’s given up have certainly contributed to the cause of winning, hey?
I know! I know! We need to lose this game, for the sake of a rested bullpen, right?
In my years in the Army, we used to repeat the old saying, “We had to destroy the village in order to save it”
Well, when life gives you lemons, you can waste your time making lemonaide, or you can find someone whose life gave them vodka. Hows that for profundity.
He stuck that youngster out there for 3.2 innings so that he could keep the bullpen rested, by giving-up 9 hits and 4 runs! Let’s hear it for the Genius! It was therefore decided in the 4th inning, that we did not need to win this game…
In effect, that’s precisely what we’ve done, blingboy.
I figure that we can get 3 of those runs with the bottom-half of our lineup. Then come back in the 9th and get the remaining 4 with our big boppers (unless, of course, Tony takes out the A Team and brings in the bench).
Yeah! THERE’S the genius: We can do it, by taking out the A Team and bringing in the bench!
Damn it! I really like Jon Jay!
“Oh, for…!” Brendan is now crusing along at a .198 clip! Putting HIM in the starting line-up instead of Skip was really a stroke of genius!
LaRue sure looks like a stranger, with all his hair missing! Coincidentally, he’s got 3 hits on the night!
C’mon guys (as Tyler fouls-off one-after-the-other); all we need is 3 this inning!
Now, all we need is 7 in the bottom of the ninth!
The Cubs gave us a gift today, but we weren’t interested: We’d much rather continue to cough in the Reds’ exhaust – a game and a half out…
“Oh, for…!” After going 0 for 5 tonight, Randy Winn is now sporting a .228 batting average!
I can’t honestly say that I enjoyed the game. Thinking that there were at least a few guys with fire in the belly and a hunger for winning, I hung in there believing… all the way through the 8th inning.
I left at 8-0. How do I want to spin this? Waino crapped out in Toronto, Jaime in KC, so I guess it was Carp’s turn. The offense? SOS.
That error on the throw in from center started off with Wynn not bothering to get in position to make a good strong throw. He threw it in flatfooted, his weight on his back foot. Not an impresive throw. The Greene fails to go out to cut off position. With the center fielder at the wall, Greene was just behind second, a couple steps onto the grass. WTF. I guess they don’t teach middle infielders where to position for a cut-off. Then he cant move a couple steps and take the hop. WTF. Then Ryan is not in line behind him at he bag. WTF. He can’t field it either. I think it was Albert who got it finally between the mound and 2nd, too late to get the guy who came around from 2nd. Albert gave Ryan and Greene one of those WTF looks, and for good reason. Tony didn’t seem to mad at postgame. Bad day defensively is all.
Also I am pissed that Greene screwed up Yadi’s pickoff.
That too. Maybe Gotay will get a chance.
Bad chemistry doesn’t fix itself or spontaneously go away. Unless something happens we are in for a brutal and frustrating second half.
Listening to Tony on postgame, its obvious he is in denial. Full frontal denial. I don’t know about Mo.
Maybe the team getting bood at home will jar something loose somewhere, upstairs I mean. Its going to have to start up there and flow downhill.
That throw from center play was worse than I thought. Not only was Brendan not in proper position to back up Greene, the cut-off man who himself was out of position, but it wouldn’t have mattered since Brendan wasn’t even watching. He had turned his back on the play and was wandering away. He was startled when the loose ball went bouncing past him.
Memo to Tony: That’s not an example of having a bad day defensively.
Also, that throw home by Brendan was pathetic.
Memo to Mr. DeWit: Your product stinks.
What say ye tomorrow mates???????? Can we split with these Brewers? Will we remember to bring our Mitts?
Also, Mr. Dewit, the same day your customers bood your product, they gave Jimmy ballgame a very nice hand for his very fine effort, 4 hits, solid outfield. So no, it was not just a rough crowd.
Tomorrow, Westy? Tomorrow we will have quite a crowd here at the house, four generations. I’ve got a stack of Hickory next to the firepit out back, and will start burning it down in the morning. We’ll have three bar-b-que pits, so I’ll need lots of coals. Have five kinds of meat, including Bison. For proper balance, I’ve got five kinds of beer, already on ice. Today, my daughter and grandson painted the stakes in the horseshoe pits red, white and blue. It will be a hell of a good day.
I still like the smell of a good barbecue BB……………..outstanding menu.
Tomorrow is an important moment……………………. it is a point where Tony has to make a statement..
I have no idea what it will be. Sounds like Brendan might sit. All problems are festering. I throw Pujols on the coals for a while………….Tony? He can’t afford to. His power numbers will continue to go up as the team slides down. That appears to be his focus.
Tomorrow, Westy? Hell, I ain’t go nowhere to go and nuthin’ better to do than to offer myself a glutton for punishment. If you’ve got the intestinal fortitude, I’ll meet you here at 1:15 CST (11:15 in the morning where you are). If it was a matter of our Ace going against their Ace (one of their two honest-to-God pitchers), we would probably win. Alas… it is likely that we will be given another clinic of inept bungling… I am quite anxious to see what comes of all the recrimination…
Get a load of these three Post-Dispatch Headlines:
GAME UPDATE: BREWERS 12, CARDS 5 (FINAL)
Carpenter exits early: Cardinals’ defense collapses
CARDINALS HAVE BECOME AN EMBARRASSMENT
The Cardinals embarrassed themselves Saturday in a 12-5 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.
CARDINALS IMPLODE VS. MILWAUKEE BREWERS
The Cardinals arrive wheezing at the midpoint of their regular season, unsteady in the standings, stinging from their ugliest loss of the first half and leading the manager to demand more urgency in their play.
Yesterday’s fielding blunders certainly furnish a rich arena for controversy and condemnation, but the defensive performance pales in comparison with all the patterns which have been established in our offense and in Tony’s manipulation of the offense. Yesterday’s offensive snafu began before the game even started, with the unacceptable and discounted answer to the question of why Randy Winn and Brendan Ryan were in the starting line-up, rather than Colby Rasmus and Skip Schumaker (“We’re facing a southpaw today”). The result of their insertion not only included the humiliating fielding blunders by both, but also their offensive ineffectiveness (0 for 5 – .245 Winn and 0 for 4 – .186 Ryan). Against a lefthanded pitcher notwithstanding, would you dare to argue that the defensive and offensive performances of .274 Colby and .259 Skip would not have been better?
Ah, but the offensive disgrace does not end with that… At a critical point in the game, with no outs and the bases loaded, Randy Winn went down swinging. The embarrassment was compounded with the next batter, Albert Pujols, who bounced into a demoralizing rally-killing, inning-ending double play! The very next time that he came to bat, with the game out of reach and nobody on, he smacked a meaningless home run. On the ESPN reviews, however, his home run was portrayed as though he were valiantly giving his all, the only one showing any real effort, in a doomed cause! It made me want to puke! What really made me sick was not so much the false portrayal, but that Albert has pulled the same stunt on 14 occasions so far this season (hitting into a double-play with men on base and the game on the line). Matt Holliday’s 0 for 4 performance underscored the pattern established of offensive output one day, followed by complete ineffectiveness the next. Not only that, he also is guilty of hits when they don’t count and disappointment when runners are on base or when the game is on the line. Indeed, our two big boppers, with their impressive (deceptive) batting records (.306 Albert and .300 Matt), happen to be the two biggest culprits of our “offensive narcolepsy”!
Projecting Albert’s performance to the completion of the season, he will have 180 hits, 40 home runs and 120 RBI. The record will blend-in very well with his year-by-year career statistics, but it will also be hollow…
We now enter the second half of the season without a single 3 game sweep. Remember, it takes 10 or more 3 game sweeps to enter postseason play. Do you think that our performance this season will represent an exception to the rule? I wouldn’t count on it…
Too bad the Cardinal beat writers dont have the balls that the haedline writers do. Is Tony that scary in person?
Whatever type of fear that Tony instills in them, it evidently skews (inhibits) their presentations of his views and his persona. Perhaps it may not be a fear of Tony so much as a fear of how the public would react to candid assessments…
Behold! The “CARDINALS HAVE BECOME AN EMBARRASSMENT” headline is now accompanied with the words, “Team hasn’t been locked in at the plate, in the field or on the bases for a long time. And La Russa isn’t helping matters”!
As Bernie Miklasz said in his scathing article:
On this Fourth of July in America’s best baseball town, the Cardinals’ vibe doesn’t seem right. But they have half the season remaining to get it right.
If they can.
In response to Bernie’s article, a fellow with the screen name “Miszourian” wrote:
1May to 3 July = 29 won 29 lost.
The trend started with the loss of the 20inning game Tony decided not to play to win with runners at third by batting the pitcher with two outs.His public reason was to finish the season uninjured.The message given to players was to preserve yourself over effort to win. April W15 L7 before that message was enshrined. Enuff said. Injuries happened anyway…
Point: go all out like JimBallgame, Rolen to win
Who would disagree with “Miszourian”? I am personally a competitor and I am not seeing the winning spirit on my beloved club. Every time the winning spirit manifests itself, Tony is there to snuff it out or some timid hand-wringer is there as an enabler to justify something less.
Here’s one from a fellow with the screen name “Dr. Roberts”:
Lou Brock said it in the booth Friday night before the subject was quickly changed…..this team has no chemistry. The only way La Genius gets fired though, is if the team continues its lackadaisacal ways and falls out of the race. Then panic WILL set in during a season which promised unlimited potential in April. Chances are it will already be too late by then. Cardinal fans should treasure Bernie’s pieces. The “truth” is in such short supply in our country.
A fellow with the screen hame of “stevepinet” expresses sentiment which is alarmingly similar to blingboy’s:
I’m really going to enjoy this day. After some barbeque, I’ll go down to the Navy Pier on the lakefront, maybe have another sausage and watch the fireworks, because certainly I must be in Chicago, and these guys must be the Flubs.
At least, today’s line-up and batting order is more in line with what ought to have been yesterday. We can only hope that the roaring fire of a winning spirit in a few will ignite a spark in the others…
Lopez 3b
Rasmus cf
Pujols 1b
Holliday lf
Jay rf
Schumaker 2b
Molina c
Wainwright p
Greene ss
Westy, you will notice that Yadier is now down to the 7 slot…
It looks like poor ol’ Gallardo had a banged-up Carpenter kind of day…
Leave it to Adam Wainwright to give a clinic in how to use a bat… Sure hope Albert and Matt were intently listening!
After 7 innings, we can clearly see that the cheif offensive weapon of the Cardinals is the man they sent to win it for them on the mound…
Lest anyone should get the false impression that our offense has awakened…
It should be noted that all 5 runs in the third inning (of which Adam drove in 3) were unearned.
Until Jon Jay smacked his homer in the eighth, Adam’s double had been our only extra base hit…
(Prediction made Sunday evening, June 27th)
When the dust settles on Monday, the 5th of July, I predict that we will have gone 3-4 and that the Reds will have gone 4-3. The result:
46-37 Reds
44-38 Cardinals (1.5 games behind)
Instead, both teams have won a game additional to the prediction. The bottom-line, however, is the same…
47-36 Reds
45-37 Cardinals (1.5 games behind)
I sure hope everyone enjoyed the Fourth of July festivities. This grateful veteran enjoyed what our troops overseas ought to have enjoyed yesterday…
Nice thread 57………… have a nice fireworks.
Cincinnati has bear fur on their boots again………… I hope they run hard all the way to October, and we’re forced to beat them by a step. That would be a team builder.
Sad part about this………..its all for show……… Albert Pujols is a sure bet to remain a Cardinal….all the BS is just negotiating a price…………all teams will be involved in this Dance and demonstration of their new market place “realism” and restraint ……….. Lozano knows this………. AP may not………
Holiday showed some emotion, but he will not produce as cleanup. AP will continue to be the big dog on a losing team with numbers padded by “off” situations……. Starting pitching crumbling around him……..
Without AP, this team wins the division by 5 games. It took the disinterested Brewers to make a laugh-er out of it.
In this environment……….Brendan isn’t going to make………who else really can’t cut it?
Damn Westie, just when you had me convinced Albert would be traded (of course that was after you convinced me there was conspiracy to have him signed by a big market team).
AP plays for a losing team? If there was ever any doubt about Westie’s delusional nature, he just cleared it up.
During the week ahead, both of the namby-pamby Central Division leaders will have their hands full against real contenders in tough divisions. While the Reds hopefully run into a buzz saw in the Big Apple, the Cardinals will pit their lack of chemistry against the Rockies in Denver. The weekend may be somewhat decisive, since the Reds will be in the midst of a 4-game series in Philadelphia and continuing to get worn-down by an actual contender, while the Cardinals go to Houston where our impotent offense will depend upon Adam Wainwright’s bat to beat Bud Norris.
When the dust settles on Monday, July 12th, we will have gone 3-3 and the Reds will have gone 3-4. Indeed, we will have gained a half-game and the first full week of the second-half will feature no 3 game sweep: So what else would be new?
50-40 Reds
48-40 Cardinals
You ought not look to our two Big Boppers to suddenly make any difference and you would be foolish to depend on the Genius to mastermind any clever moves. The ONLY thing that will prevent the above scenario from unfolding would be a miraculous infusion of chemistry, which could be caused by the contagion of refreshing energy brought on by Jon Jay and Tyler Greene.
We will be hitting some pitching shortly 57. I remain unconvinced about Jay or Green being impact players at this point………………….. what they don’t have is the big C. They’ll get it soon enough.
It would appear Brendan will be the first fatality………… trying to imitate the super star prerogatives of AP has him completely lost………………. he evaluates a defensive play or an at bat as an open ended opportunity to speculate with his performance expectation. Big cuts……impossible defensive speculations………. lack of focus on routine plays because he is day dreaming about a myth making leap at glory.
On one level I would fault MM on his handling of young impressionable role players like s
Skip and Brendan. Skip is only starting to focus a little………..every time Brendan seems to settle down, He hits a home run which is just a dime bag of trouble to his wandering ego. The league is aware of AP’s vulnerabilities at this point, the way they’re targeting them………… his value has crashed. Albert should just ask to clean up……………..and everyone’s fortunes would change, including his own. He believes that teams only pay for stats……….???????????? He would destroy a team like Boston of NY…………with his pouts and funks.
Westy, I certainly wouldn’t expect either Jon or Tyler to be “impact players”, in the sense of ten game hitting streaks or clusters of home runs. Neither was I expressing any sort of certainty, but merely a hope for that “which could be”! Any type of “refreshing energy brought on by Jon Jay and Tyler Greene” would certainly serve as a “contagion”, revitalizing the spirit of one teammate after another – leading to “a miraculous infusion of chemistry” throughout the clubhouse. However, it may be that the deadness and lethargy may be so pervasive that any energy brought up from Memphis would be ultimately overcome.
A writer for the Post-Dispatch has already noticed Brendan’s side-arm hot dog tactics. I once admired his aggressive “angry bat” stance, but am now convinced he must learn that substance is the style and that style is not the substance.
Yadier appears to be so smug in his ability to handle pitchers and pick-off runners, that he is complacently unaware that his weak hitting is presenting a significant problem. In fact, I think that he is satisfied to be a Del Rice, rather than a Ted Simmons. Satisfied with exuding the purely defensive prowess of such luminaries as Mike Matheny, I doubt that he would hold the careers of either Yogi Berra or Johnny Bench as enviable standards.
I’m really sure that Yadi taking extra batting practice and playing a full game hours after his daughter is born is just for show. That smug bastard {sarcasm}.
The flickering flame of hope is being fanned by the imminence of significant personnel changes. Hasn’t the recent call-up of Tyler Greene and Jon Jay been exciting? The following may be a secret to some of you:
Another player may soon be added to the Cardinals’ major league roster…
If that player isn’t a first-time addition of a minor leaguer to the 40-man roster, in preparation for his initial call up to St. Louis (perhaps either of the Memphis starters, Brandon Dickson or Lance Lynn) then that that player could be either a replacement for injured Ryan Ludwick, another pitcher, a trade target or a free agent.
You may fairly ask how I could possibly know of such a “secret”…
I joined The Cardinal Nation blog 12 months ago for the purpose of becoming a smart Cardinal fan. I’ve gotten smarter through interaction in this blog with some of the most intellectual and knowledgeable of all Cardinal fans. My knowledge from you guys has also been buttressed through my subscription to Brian’s “Scout.com: St. Louis Daily Newsletter”.
The idea that “Yadier appears to be so smug in his ability to handle pitchers and pick-off runners, that he is complacently unaware that his weak hitting is presenting a significant problem” emanates from a recent article written by a respected Post-Dispatch journalist.
The idea that “Yadier appears to be so smug in his ability to handle pitchers and pick-off runners, that he is complacently unaware that his weak hitting is presenting a significant problem” emanates from a recent article written by a respected Post-Dispatch journalist.—–Well that changes everything.
The idea that Yadier would have such an attitude is just as repugnant to me as it is to any Cardinal fan. That being said, the attitude is certainly no reflection upon either his character or his chief duties as a catcher. Being a Del Rice or a Mike Matheny, as any Ace pitcher would be quick to inform you, is no shame. Such an attitude merely reflects a possible reason for Yadier remaining so close to the Mendoza Line.
Colby is our kid and we love him, but when he messes-up and needs discipline, we all come down on him. Neither is Yadier exempt from the scrutiny of ardent fans who want their Cardinals to win. While The Cardinal Nation blog is the best forum in town, informed fans are interested in as much input as they can get their hands on. For those whose affectionate emotions for Yadier are unduly influencing their better judgment, may I suggest a review of what other Cardinal fans are saying…
http://interact.stltoday.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=731917
Thank you for pointing my lack of judgment out to me.
crswmn: I personally would not know if you possessed “lack of judgment” to any degree. I DO know, however, that you are a respected contributor to this blog.
I meant crdswmn (I apologize).
While I absolutely disagree with Westy’s characterization of Albert’s attitude to be a malignant cancer, I neither become offended nor take him to task. He has taught so much to me that I would never think of trying to alienate him. Instead, I attentively consider everything he says (eating the fish and throwing away the bones). I do not think that any of us are in 100 percent agreement with each other about anything, except for our love of the St. Louis Cardinals. Since you joined us, I have every reason to believe that you are a true, bona fide lover of my team.
My reaction to your posts has nothing to do with any ‘affectionate emotions’ I may have for Yadi. My reaction is based on the suggestion that Yadi’s hitting slump is a result of a smug attitude on his part. What you see as an underperforming offensive player (of which you could say about almost every player on the team) I see as a dedicated team player trying his best to contribute but just having some mechanical issues. I don’t deny that Yadi’s offense has been poor of late. I do deny that he is smug or lazy or doesn’t care how his offense affects the team.
Well said, crdswmn! Since blame is certainly being poured-out upon just about every member of the team, Yadier is certainly not being singled-out. What is meant by “smug” is his expressed attitude that his achievements in his field position are sufficient and outweigh any need for worry about his hitting performance. Since the “expressed attitude” is true, who can fault him, except those of us who don’t want him to be a Mike Matheny, but a Johnny Bench. Even if he finished the year at .216 (like he did several seasons ago), no one would consider him for trading away, simply because he is a Gold Glover and the most feared catcher in the Major Leagues for stolen base wannabe’s. But those of us who want more offense out of their catcher would certainly snort and fuss (as we are doing presently)!
When did Yadi express this attitude? Was it in an interview, or did he do it clandestinely and he was outed? I know that Tony LaRussa has expressed this attitude about Yadi and I disagree with him. If Yadi has stated publicly that his defense outweighs his need to contribute offensively, please cite a source to me.
Because of the same reasons that I believe you are unable to cite the source where “Tony LaRussa has expressed this attitude about Yadi”, I cannot readily call-up the particular article and quote that you are wanting. In the same way, however, that I trust your veracity with regard to the fact that you actually read (or heard) that attitude expressed by Tony, I ask the same level of trust that I actually read the article which contained a couple of quotes from Yadier that unmistakably indicated he was quite complacent and appearing to be resting upon his laurels. While I will make an earnest attempt to go back through the Post-Dispatch archives in search for it, I hasten to inform you that I am not an unquestioning fan of Tony LaRussa and have absolutely no problem with your disagreement with him about anything…
Since Walter Alston’s entire managerial career was spent with the Dodgers, it was said that he bled “Dodger Blue”. What is more, during his tenure of 23 years, he led that team to 7 pennants and 4 World Series championships. Conversely, since this is Tony’s third team as Manager, he is regarded as a hired hand (and not a true lifelong Cardinal fan). In his 15 years with St. Louis, there have been only 2 pennants and a single World Series championship. I have no problem with entertaining the idea that Tony’s self interests may occasionally diverge from the interests of the team and the fans.
Following such a resounding win, I’m a little surprised to see the outpouring of negative comments continue. There are a good number of positives to take away here.
I’m with crdswmn in being reluctant to blame players’ attitude as the cause of their struggles in most cases.
Molina, like Pujols, is chasing more pitches outside of the strike zone this year (30.2% vs 22.8% in 2009 and 25.8% career). Unfortunately, he’s also swinging at fewer pitches in the strike zone (68.6% vs 75.6% in 2009 and 73.1% career). His strikeout rate is up as a result. His ground ball rate is also the highest it has been in his career, which is questionably bad due to his lack of speed.
I would have to dasagree about the negative comments Nut. Wainy was a god on the mound and got the clutch hit. Offensively, it was as disappointing as a 7-1 win can get. The middle of the order guys did nothing at all, except squander chances, and that has been the problem all along, generating those comments. We get a masterful pitching performance and the bad guys throw the ball around so we win. We’ve seen that material before.
Albert owes Fielder a big thank you for muffing his DP grounder with two on in the first.
Jay will be in the dog house for steeling a page out of Albert’s book with the late gratuitous HR.
“Jay’s home run to lead off the eighth inning represented the only hit in 6 1/3 innings against the Brewers bullpen”
The cause of Yadi’s limp wristed Offense might be subliminal. It cannot possibly be good for a guy to know he will play everyday whether he ever hits another baseball or not. Tony has all but said that is the case. IMO Tony is doing Yadi a dis-service by by not requiring him to be a complete ballplayer. That will end up costing Yadi in several ways, not the least of which is a shot at the Hall.
The utterly false impression that our offense has awakened is ruined by the fact that all 5 runs in the third inning (of which Adam drove in 3) were unearned! Until Jon Jay smacked his homer in the eighth, Adam’s double had been our only extra base hit… The homer was “gratuitious”, because the game had already been won. Aye, it was the pitcher who won the game; on the mound, as well as at the plate.
“…Tony is doing Yadi a dis-service by by not requiring him to be a complete ballplayer. That will end up costing Yadi in several ways, not the least of which is a shot at the Hall”
Regardless of the high esteem paid by great pitchers to non-hitting catchers who are otherwise the best at their position, the indisputable fact remains…
Yogi Berra and Johnny Bench are Hall of Famers; Del Rice and Mike Matheny are not.
Lest anyone should think that I seek to denigrate Yadier in any way, consider…
Concerning his All-Star appearance despite his low batting average, Yadier said, “If they vote for you, there has to be a reason for it. I’m glad they did”. Aye, he is well aware of the fact that he is the best Catcher in the Major Leagues. The “reason for it” is simple: No one picks-off would be base stealers with anything near his success. In subtle (insidious, in the estimation of opponents) ways, Yadier changes the dynamics of any game far more dramatically than the steroid-propped Barry Bonds could ever hope for! Those facts do not change the fact that I do not want a Mike Matheny, when Yadier is perfectly capable of being a Johnny Bench.
CardsFanSince 57
We will have to agree to disagree about Yadi.
crdswmn: As I said before; “I do not think that any of us are in 100 percent agreement with each other about anything, except for our love of the St. Louis Cardinals”.
Ozzie Smith went into the HOF despite a career batting avg. of just .262. It was his defensive prowess that got him in. Nevertheless, as good of a catcher as Yadi is, I don’t see him as a HOF’er. I hope I am wrong.
Voting Yadi in as an All Star is a complete joke, there is no other way to sugarcoat it. Yadi is not to the catching position what Ozzie was to short, sorry. Give me McCann every day. Brian doesn’t walk out ground ball outs. I can see Ozzie right now hitting a ground ball to short and darn near walking to first and maybe never making it and Tony saying he works so hard saving us runs at short stop it is ok. A complete joke.
Agree RC, but fan perception lags you know. Hope your bunch is well. Colby’s little one growing like a weed I’ll bet.
Here is the new lineup I’ve been thinking about:
Greene . . . . .ss
Lopez . . . . . .3b/2b
Holliday/Wynn . lf
Ludwick/Stav . rf
Pujols . . . . . .1b
Rasmus/Jay . . cf
Schu/Freese . . 2b/3b
Molina/Larue . .. .c
pitcher
Albert in the 5 slot? Wow! While I am not strongly opposed to the lineup, I must say that it is the most radical that I’ve seen on this blog! One thing is for certain, Westy will heartily approve of Yadier in the 8 hole…
It’s Larue in the 8 hole. Yadi is the late inning defensive replacement. As to Albert in the 5 hole, we need to get rid of the sacred cow. We’re up to our ass in sacred cow crap.
I hear you…
Bling, are you proposing the cardinals trade the sacred cow? Consider yourself in timeout.
Brian, you’re right, obviously. But you will agree that the cards have not lived up to the expectations that many had for them to this point?
Suggest Albert be traded?? I would rather be covered with bees. Albert has been made into a sacred cow, and can be unmade as well. That is what I suggest.
Bling, thats like saying the chief of staff could put President Obama in his place.
Alberts play on the field has shown his status as the best baseball player in the Big Leagues and his PR team has made him into the second coming of jesus christ as a person. Tony can’t do anything to him, nobody can.
I ate lunch with Joe Strauss just the other day and my comment to him was Albert is the most powerful man in St. Louis, hands down. Royalty is what he is. Don’t let it stress you out. The best player in the Major Leagues is playing for your favorite team so just enjoy and every time Albert doesn’t live up to what you hope from him remember that he points to the sky and it will allow you to understand that this is what GOD wants
I would like to see a Cardinal perched on each side of the bat, rather than a sacred cow. Hell, I wouldn’t mind a Matt on one end and an Albert on the other. We’ve got two big Alpha dogs that must be trained to lead this sled.
No top flight sled man has two lead dogs. it never works, you can only have one. Albert is that guy.
Damn! Albert is the guy and Matt is here for 6 years…
I know a lot of people who agree with that RC. A lot of the ones who don’t are lifelong Cards fans, going way back, long before Albert. Like me for example, and like Mr. DeWit. People forget that the Cardinals and the DeWits go back to Branch Rickey. In terms of royalty, that’s some mighty blue blood.
I am a lifelong Cardinal fan, dating back to 53 years ago, and I am hoping (upon hope) that the two human alpha dogs will eventually share in the lead… Otherwise, ’twill be a never ending source of consternation with Albert as the guy and Matt not going anywhere for 6 years…
I buy a lottery ticket once a week because there is a chance I hit that big money pot and have it made in the shade. I’ve bought one a week for 15 years I’ll bet. To date……nothing. But I keep playing and hoping. Don’t ever give up hope 57.
Just curious, RC. Who picked up the check for that lunch? If “Team Rasmus” has an expense account, it would seem to have been the place to use it.
Ah yes, Warrior! “Hope springs eternal”!
RCWarrior== I was not comparing Yadi to Ozzie Smith. I said I didn’t think Yadi was a HOFer.
Brian McCann is not a better catcher than Yadi. If Yadi were batting .300 right now everyone would be saying he is the Second Coming.
Why don’t we replace the whole team since they suck so much.
Having multiple converstions going, on and off, on two different threads, among a bunch of folks, is damn confusing. Enjoyable though. I appreciate all the various thoughts put forward today.
It’s difficult, at times, to determine where to jump in!
crdswmn wrote, “Ozzie Smith went into the HOF despite a career batting avg. of just .262. It was his defensive prowess that got him in.”
This read to me like you were comparing ozzie’s lack of offense to Yadi’s while also saying Ozzie’s defense got him in. Insinuating that Yadi may very well do the same. If you didn’t mean that good for you, because that view looked awfully cardinal colored.
Yadi’s not batting .300. And .229 shouldn’t be going to any all star game. No matter how much you like him.
The team doesn’t suck in my mind, those are your words. They definitely haven’t played well or even close to their capabilities in my view. But now that you mention it trading some of them away for some new blood may kick start the team much like it did last year.
For what its worth, Yadi’s and Ozzie’s career averages are within 3 points. I’m not sure I agree that Yadi isn’t to catchers what Ozzie was to shortstops. But the fact is catchers have to be a substantial offensive contributor to get in. My original thought was Yadi is still fairly young, even for a catcher, and maybe could put up enough career stats to get considered. Not at this rate though, and time is wasting.
No one has mentioned it, so I’ll point out the Suppan is getting skipped rather than Hawk. I recognize that Hawk has had a couple nice starts, but Sup hasn’t been bad, and he was hired for the job. What happens when Penny comes back?
No Yadi is not batting .300 Neither is most of the team.
I am not going to do the All Star argument. I’ve had my quota of Yadi bashing for awhile. If the NL loses the All Star game we can blame that on Yadi and that will get me up to date.
My sarcasm is an acquired taste.
As long as Tony remains laissez-faire concerning Yadier’s offensive production, there really doesn’t appear to be much incentive for him to “put up enough career stats to get considered” for the Hall of Fame. Comparing the field position of Catcher with Short Stop, in my view however, is tantamount to comparing an apple with an orange. What the Warrior said about the .229 deserves further comment: Not since Davey Lopes, can I remember a player going to the All-Star game with such a pitiful batting average!
You know something 57, maybe it won’t be such a bad thing having that avg. go up on the board at the game, and up on the TV screens for all of baseballdom to see. There will be some comments made I’m sure.
I agree ONE HUNDRED PERCENT!
There are plenty of comments being made about Yadi’s batting average right now. But hey, humiliating him may just do the trick. Good idea.
Humiliating him? are you kidding, the guy practically walks to first base on a ground ball. You can humiliate somebody who doesn’t care what anybody thinks.
Its not to humiliate him, its to remind him that there are negative consequences attached to sub-par performance. That is a manager’s job but Tony has taken a pass.
Some dare to call it “tough love”: Whatever it takes, for the sake of the TEAM, to light a fire under the butt and give the underachiever incentive for realizing his potential…
Well then humilating him is not the answer. How about flogging?
The humiliation of his average being placed upon the scoreboard is sufficient, crdswmen. None of us suggested anything beyond that. Flogging is strictly YOUR idea…
Ok, I need to cut it out. Everyone will hate me if I don’t shut up. I guess I am just not convinced that Yadi doesn’t want to get better. But what do I know?
Not convinced? Why don’t you watch him trot towards first base, after hitting a grounder to either short stop or 3rd base? All stars with self-respect and a developed work ethic owe it to their teammates and themselves to hustle!
My man I won’t hate you no matter what you write, the differing opinions on this blog is what I enjoy the most. We are not all soaked in cardinal red so that we can’t see clearly. Your opinions are every bit as valid as are anyones.
Well said, Warrior. I have also assured and reassured crdswmn of as much.
I am a woman but thank you anyway.
On the contrary crdwmn, keep it coming. Perhaps you will be proved right in the end. I for one hate it when no one takes up the other side of an issue. Fight the good fight.
Not so fast to dismis flogging 57. . . . Well ok, but surely name calling is acceptable.
Well if I am proved right I won’t let anybody forget it.
Damn, you are a woman. I thought you were kidding.
Wise ass.
Bling, my wife had to come over check on me I was laughing so hard.