Catch me talking St. Louis Cardinals baseball with Matt Perrault and Ken Miller on KXnO FOX Sports Radio 1460 in Des Moines Friday, July 9 at 5:30 p.m. CDT. Our weekly show is titled “Cardinal Talk.”
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Lineup: Lopez 3B, Rasmus CF, Pujols 1B, Holliday LF, Jay RF, Greene SS, Molina C, Wainwright P, Schumaker 2B
Whaddaya know? Ol’ Mendoza Molina has been demoted to the 7 slot! In view of our humiliating (disgraceful) history with Norris, I would be tempted to bat Adam 3rd or 4th…
Tony has planned to use Molina this way all along. He will rest tomorrow probably? Sunday? Considering our schedule, we better catch the Reds right here because we’re going to be playing that leg soon enough…………………….. I really don’t think LaRue is a step down at this point………so what is Tony’s point?………………….Logic has it that as productive as Wainwright is with the bat, he is qualified to bat 9th in TLR’s scheme………..leaving Molina the chance to go 8th…………… I run with that………..its ego again for Tony concerning criticism of his PB8th.
I love Motte………..I admire what he has been able to do…………… everyone…….including Duncan said he HAD to have a second pitch to be effective……………….. are we that desperate now that we are taking what every he can give………and giving up any logical strategy about how we/he performs late season?
Even if you don’t want to chance the slider against Colorado………you still have to use the pitch……off the plate………in the dirt……..where ever……….. but you can’t “not use it”. There must be a threat offered no matter how remote………….Dexter Fowler started that swing we Motte got to the set position…………………………… How about Alex Rodriguez? etc, etc………
Maybe it will do Yadi some good. I am still hoping for him to come out of it, but if he doesn’t it can’t be good for him, defense or no defense.
Some rather odd news to go along with the bizarre circumstances surrounding Norris: Our best hitter against him (believe it or not) is Yadier! Indeed, there are times when the Cardinal experience is tantamount to the absurd perplexities of Alice in Wonderland…
Speaking of absurd perplexities, consider the following two records and ask yourself what Olivo would say about what it takes for a catcher to become a starter in the All-Star game:
AVG .312 H-69 HR-11 RBI-40 OBP .365 SLG .534 OPS .899 GDP-4 Olivo, Rockies
AVG .226 H-58 HR-3 RBI-33 OBP .306 SLG .296 OPS .601 GDP-12 Molina, Cardinals
Not that I have any objection to my Cardinals being so well represented in the prestigious event, but I wonder what criteria is used by a reasonable mind in selecting a starting All Star Catcher…
CRD…………Yadi does only one thing well…………which is slap right….middle. He is being pitched now to make that difficult……………….his response is to attempt to turn on the pitch which is jamming him…………………he is successful maybe 1/20 attempts………….littered amongst those twenty are the 7 double plays mixed in with a myriad of solo explorations.
The All Star issue is really a dead horse. Yadi is there. If he doesn’t get with the program he won’t be next year.
Only one Cardinal has ground into more doubleplays than Yadier. Now, consider Albert’s record against the guy who was completely snubbed (until outrage caused his admittance into the All Star Game at the very last moment)…
AVG .314 H-94 HR-22 RBI-60 OBP .417 SLG .595 OPS 1.012 GDP-4 Votto, Reds
AVG .302 H-94 HR-20 RBI-61 OBP .409 SLG .559 OPS .968 GDP-16 Pujols, Cardinals
I think if he is coached correctly he should be able to make adjustments.
The proverbial “Bottom Line” is for our absurdly underachieving super stars to begin actually earning what the fans pay them. Sooner or later, unless our guys suddenly get their act in gear, what we are noticing will be causing such outrage in our enemies that the humiliation will be even worse…
You have to admit the offense has done better of late. The pitching in Denver is hopefully an aberration. The defense needs some work.
Indeed, “the offense has done better of late”, but the generalization cannot be applied either to Albert or to Yadier: Their performance throughout the Colorado series suggests that the rest of our offense is leaving the two All-Stars behind…
Perhaps the All Star break will make a difference.
We are all hoping (praying) that we will sweep Houston and then come back after the break and prove that the sweep wasn’t just a case of stepping on a bottom-feeder…
The correct response to the idea of defeat 57, is that the experience breeds lessons. In humility, in admiration, in love and respect for virtuosity and its many manifestations………………… if that energy is wasted on self pity, which breads the “humiliation” and it shield “denial,” you often speak of, that is a problem…………… I think I would avoid that word or outlook if I were you. Its just a game. You should avoid that organization of your ideas and perspectives, because it may cloud your judgment when you come to the plate.
The best attitude you can display when “your up,” is a respectful appraisal of what your opponent does well. If you can give that, your prepared to take what is rightfully yours………..and maybe even a we-bit more if it is your privilege to teach.
“breeds” may work better……unless your cooking.
Nobody is feeling the pressure more than the “unnamed ones” guys. Pujols has maybe 2 at bats? Molina less. He starts but won’t bat a second time…………. It has them both on edge.
I shall remember your wise words to live by the next time you aggessively express the desire to “really pound these guys” and say such things as, “there’s enough kill for everybody”. As a competitor and winner, I admired your expressions of the past and wish you well in your reformation and amendment of life. Me? Well, I shall continue to express a respectful appraisal of what my opponent does well (e.g., my calling attention to the records of Votto and Olivo). And, yes, I shall continue to promote the attitude of kickin’ butt and takin’ no prisoners. Aye, the correct response to defeat, is to get back up and make damned sure that your opponent cannot defeat you again. If your enemy should smite you on one cheek, turn and SMASH him on the other! Nothing that a winner (like CardFanSince57) says can possibly be construed as “wallowing in self-pity”, but ‘constructive self-abasement for the purpose of living-up to one’s proven potential”.
Tell the owners, the agents and the players when they engage in their high-stakes negotiations that “it’s just a game”. Try to convince a season ticket owner, when he watches needless defeat after needless defeat that “it’s just a game”. Yes, it is “just a game” ONLY for the passive “fan” who has no more enthusiasm for professional baseball than he does for a game of Monopoly.
The obvious………….Howard and Votto now……….Manuel wants to win this game.
Nice 57…………. you can say that every time from where I sit………….its better than the H word.
Denial is a sly customer. Its wears many disguises. The emotional energy your talking about reveals the core issues. If it can’t be faced, and takes on an a life of its own, and that is a very corrosive element. Denial is its only containment.
We discussed it here in October. And it returns. Mindless self immolating attacks on a baseball tee, or in the cage are what brings the elbow bandage out…………… not the game itself. Someone is feeling the feared H, and finds the sympathy and excuses, invited from others, to be a soothing balm.
Denial is a sly customer. Its wears many disguises. The emotional energy you’re talking about reveals the core issues. If it can’t be faced, and takes on a life of its own, that is a very corrosive element. Denial is its only containment.
Try this one.
Sometimes you have to wait for a guy who’s well outside the loop to speak about the unspeakables. Somebody put Bill McClellan up to this I’m sure, even coming up with the guise of an out of towner giving an objective point of view.
“. . . . There is no way Bill DeWitt will allow the team to re-sign Pujols. It would mean overpaying him. That is the nature of the contract an established star demands. A team is not signing a young player for what he is going to do in the future. A team is signing an older player to a long-term contract based on what he did in his prime. . . .In the case of Pujols, he will have to be overpaid dramatically . . . . He has been one of the best players ever for the past several years, but already, his production is beginning to slide. . . .If the Cardinals want to avoid a huge distraction next year and get something while they can, the team has to trade Pujols now.”
Refusal to acknowledge what must be felt and done in order to win (denial) does not come to us in the disguise of CardFanSince57, but in the sly disguise of one who projects upon the accused his own shame and shortcomings. Projection, my dear Westy, is a psychological self-defense mechanism, which is craftily used in order to remove the focus from one oneself to another. It is especially foolish when it is used without cause. At it’s most efficient and effective might, projection can only buy a little time. When you apprehend constructive self-abasement to be nothing more than “mindless self-immolating attacks on a baseball tee”, your disguise becomes blatant and easily exposed. The emotional energy of which I speak reveals an inner drive to realize achievement and conquest. When you face it as an enemy, it will ultimately mow you down. A word to the wise is usually sufficient…
Unwillingness to consider the logic of blingboy’s quote, in my estimation, would be a classic case of denial…
I know I am new, but am I missing something?
“A team is signing an older player to a long-term contract based on what he did in his prime…”
Isn’t that precisely how you described the modus operandi of one Tony LaRussa, blingboy?
“It’s not in how a player is performing now and will perform, but in how a player performed in the past” is so very closely related to “A team is signing an older player to a long-term contract based on what he did in his prime…”
Trade Albert? Good God.
When you ventured into this vista, crsdwmn, you found yourself in the arena of those who dare to think outside the box. Therefore, what is discussed in this blog is unconscionable to those whose thoughts are restricted the comfort zone of “acceptable wisdom”.
No. The Cardinals will not trade Pujols. No chance. Not even if they fall preposterously far back in the standings, which they also won’t do. Pujols still holds the second highest OPS in the NL by a large margin and while his production is a little bit off of his norm, I don’t see it as being uncorrectable.
He’s too good and too well loved and the Cardinals are too heavily designed to win now rather than later. It will not happen.
I can think outside the box as well as the next person 57, but trading Albert, to me, is thinking outside the universe.
At least the Rangers landed Cliff Lee rather than the Yankees. Rumors earlier in the day had them draining their farm system to land Lee and swap Vasquez for Jason Werth. That would have been scary even across leagues.
Nutlaw: While the Reds will get powered-up from within and the Phillies are evidently seeking to get powered-up from without, the Cardinals can easily get powered-up more than either of them; without the addition of anything more than a viable closer (and THAT could easily be Mitchell Boggs). All the Cardinals need to do is jell and play according to their stats…
crdswmn and Nutlaw: I don’t think that anyone is thinking of trading Albert during this season. “Trade Albert?” Speaking beyond this season, when I am persuaded that it would promote the appearance of a Cardinal on each side of the bat, I will enthusiastically consider it. My mind is open… Albert declining at his age is something The Man did not do (Stan Musial declined at a much later age). So, the comparison ends right there…
I think the idea that Albert is ‘declining’ is a little over the top. On what is “declining” based? On the fact that his numbers aren’t off the charts? This sounds like a lot of hysteria to me.
I’m also not willing to toss Franklin aside after one bad outing.
Alberts not going anywhere crdswmn. He is bigger than GOD in St. Louis. I believe you will get to watch Albert for years to come put up huge numbers culminating in his introduction to the Hall of Fame when he retires. But I also believe his long term signing dooms the cards for the term of his contract.
I have never been comfortable with a closer who is a contact pitcher and cannot throw consistently above 90 mph. Give me an intimidating fireballer with 3 or 4 tricks in his toolbox.
Warrior, you are a polished political tactitian! I love the way you bridged the accepted hysteria with contractual reality. My hat is off…
blingboy brought up the Bill McClellan quote in order to show something which a number of us consider to be arranged: The quote represents the vanguard of conditioning; a gentle, incremental guiding of the population into the realms of that which is inevitable… Someone higher up is well acquainted with axiom known in media circles, that “the masses are asses”.
Your getting pretty frisky 57……………….. my metaphors aren’t really aimed at you. The direction I must admit was aimed at your frequent use of the word humiliation though. You would/should be hesitant to use it around ball players……………..
Nut is right about Albert……………he isn’t going anywhere. The collusion lies there, and what that means to all salary precedents. ARod was the last mega contract. MLB has a deeper purpose in its AP commercials than flattery. You’ll see in the end……………………………..Lozano intend to fight it. There are many variables, including the collateral damage to AP’s baseball performance in 2010.
The Philly’s made an independent and disruptive move in the Howard contract. They are paying for it in their own team chemistry at present.
Only 4 righties plus Wainey to take aim at the Crawford boxes. Don’t really like that.
I will take your thoughts of using the word, “humiliation”, around ball players under advisement, Westy. However, they, like all the rest of us, need to avoid being riled-up over flag words: It’s not as though we are operating among streetgang thugs. I will always follow with interest how you are blown about hither and yon in your changeable thoughts concerning Albert. To me, he is a St. Louis Cardinal who will undoubtedly be inducted into the Hall of Fame, whose huge contract and natural decline are becoming issues that the adoring public is being forced to address.
With regard to Howard… Bless his native St. Louis heart, but I laughed with scorn at the early Spring rumors of a trade of Albert for him. Yes, Howard is a great slugger, but he ain’t anything near the all-around, multi-dimensional ball player that Albert is.
This is the second consecutive game in which Colby has sparkled!
That ball wandered into Albert’s wheelhouse and he did what an Albert Pujols is expected to do. Right on!
Matt will come back on Norris the next time around (assuming that Norris will still be pitching). We have considerable pay-back to attend to…
Last winter I said my preference was niether to re-sign Albert quickly nor to trade him. We should enjoy his services through the end of his contract next year, then see what he looks like then. I am still in favor of that. I disagree with the idea BDW will not ‘overpay’. He knows Albert will probably be worth more to the Cards that just what his future stats might be. But he is not stupid. There is no way to know anything at all about Albert’s value, on and off the field, in 2012 and beyond right now.
No ground balls. That’s a plus.
Keen observation, crdswmn… Contact pitchers who allow for a preponderance fly-balls always beg for trouble.
If Adam is “on” tonight, you will notice far more ground balls than fly balls (as well as an ability to induce doubleplays).
“Tis wise to pitch around Lance (he smacked two home runs for the locals yesterday)
Those Crawford Boxes seriously influence pitch selection.
Talk about someone who is noticeably on the decline, but yet very potent: Berkman is the last of the legendary “Killer Bees”; way back when Houston was a competitive rival…
Tyler wants to stay with the club…
I always hated Berkman less than Bigio and Bagwell, but dang, they were all good.
Whaddaya think would have happened if someone had been on first? Tyler had plenty of incentive to hit that double!
I liked the batting stance (squat) of Bagwell: He looked to all the world as though he were taking a dump.
Well 57, at least he didn’t hit it in front of Greene, which is what I expected.
Atta boy, Skip! He is definitely on-the-mend!
You’re right, blingboy; he normally taps it between 3rd and 2nd….
Me too 57, Albert kind of looks like that sometimes. Getting his backside down there.
We’re doin’ things to Norris that he didn’t think we could do… The party’s over, Bud!
Skip was hitting his role……………..and that’s a good thing.
Is there hope for Yadi? I want there to be.
His troubles are 100% in his head crdswmn, so who knows. No physical reason he can’t be OK.
“Hope springs eternal”, crdswm, and as long as Yadier is wearing our uniform, we will be rooting for him.
blngboy: How ’bout Biggio? He always looked like a young little leaguer, with a batting helmet which always appeared to big for his head…
Yadi’s had his biggest leap forward when he went down and sat the bench with the brothers during the WBC……………away form AP………….
Somebody must have given Greene some good news………….he’s playing like a man with a job.
Yah, I always expected his mom to march onto the field and grab his ear a drag him off.
HIlarious!
Norris read the book on Colby: He threw the ol’ “down and in” and our boy went after it…
Both our boppers “grounded out to second”… Damn! We need to begin dismantling “The Bud Norris Club”!
Reds are pounding Philly………………they can play…………..
We can only hope that the Phillies will take them 2 out of 3, because the Reds are running away with this one…
Did I say, “2 out of 3″? Surely, I meant 3 out of 4!
Historically, Yadier is the only one of our hitters with any substantial success against Norris…
Give him an “E” for effort, fellas! The Mendoza Line must surely suck with hella gravitational force!
I know you all recognize the signs. 2 run are very vulnerable. Houston uses those short boxes to their advantage……………the pitch away from them and use them to sucker the dopes. The greed factor is like an Ace in the hole.
All, RIGHT! This time Adam challenged the great Lance and made him to go down swangin’ !
You’re right about those leftfield boxes, Westy. I’m wondering why our guys can’t adopt the philosophy, “Two can play the same game”.
Castro wasn’t supposed to do that: He is their version of a Brendan Ryan…
He had to throw to many pitches there…………….63/4…………….. Probably not going to see the 8th. We better score 4 more.
Adam had to really fight for that strikeout. It’s not as if he is throwing an inordinate amount of balls (rather than strikes): They keep fouling them off and so the pitch count is higher than normal for Adam after 4 innings…
Judging by the time (8:18 PM), I’d say we were both thinking about the same thing at the same time, Westy…
Lopes is showing signs of fatigue…………….he has no plan up there……………..If we pass the hero’s again without a run, that’s a big concern. …………………. I can’t believe that no on has a plan against this guy.
With a quick fly-out, ground-out and strike-out, Norris took care of our three batters in less than 4 minutes!
Michael Bourn is incredibly speedy!
Here come the four big guns, fellas!
Well, Yadi can still pick off runners. That’s something.
The was a close play. The bounce probably helped get the ball down. He slid right into it.
Even a runner as slick and cunning as Bourn cannot escape Yadier’s watchfulness and accuracy!
That one was low and away and Colby was too eager and impatient…
Obviously not enough. That’s why Molina is an All Star.
If Matt and Jon cannot solve Norris, we are in deep doo-doo…
Er, the above was in response to the CFS post regarding how speedy Bourn is.
As I said, Nutlaw; “Even a runner as slick and cunning as Bourn cannot escape Yadier’s watchfulness and accuracy!” The fact remains, that he is going to the All-Star Game with an embarrassing batting average: No one can dispute that, anymore than anyone can dispute the fact that he normally hits between .290 and .300…
I wish Yadi were an All Star with a better batting avg.
DP was timely…………….. I feel like we are just a bunch of individuates trying to make a statement. This guy has the ball around the plate……………….. hit his pitch somebody………stop looking for yours.
Leave it to Adam’s expertise, to induce the pitcher’s best friend…
Jay didn’t wait for his: He connected with something off on the other side of the plate…
How can you hit in run in front of F’in molina.!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Yadier, however (sigh!), grounded-out to third… Nutlaw is observing the fact that he is now down to .223…
WOW that was my thought when I saw it. Twasn’t really thought out well me thinks
With the pitcher hitting 8th?????????????
Norris continues to let ‘em fly, but we’re not hittin’ ‘em where they ain’t: He’s been flirtin’ with disaster and getting away with murder.
Once again, we gave that bona fide mediocre an indisputable quality outing…
They’re sweating in Vegas at about 2/1 cardinals………………
Colby had a big grin on his face after that first swing RC. My hat blew off out here.
Can ya believe the Fightin’ Fillies?
91…………he tries 8……………but they will be trying to slow him down so they can see Franklin in the 9th……………no way they don’t try to get him to throw 15 next inning.
Looks like the Reds caught the disease.
Yeah, leaving Norris in there was not a good idea. He was clearly done.
Colby rattled him…………..he got wild………..left it up………..we may have enough. I wonder if he uses Franklin here………he needs work.
There goes the Bud Norris curse.
That’s how my Matt does it: He rewards the double that his young buddy put out there ahead of him and he punishes Norris for the walk that he gave to Albert. The cockles of my heart are being duly warmed!
Matt is the man…….
The damned fool Astro club could have left Buddy Boy with a quality outing, but no… They just had to tie the poor li’l goat up, hearing the pounding footsteps of Tranny Matt!
Brian, methinks you can do away with The Bud Norris Club: I just know that Matt has a few statements to make to more than a few mediocres during the second half…
If Jon has any say in the matter, he’ll run up the score…
So where is Jay going to find his ABs when Ludwick returns from the DL?
If got split screen…………Ibanez has a lead-off double. Dusty has Rhodes under the whip again tonight,
C’mon Yadier; SURPRISE THEM! Think, “How DARE they walk a guy to get to me, thinkin’ that I’m so weak!”
Somebody’s got to go to make room for Jay.
For the Cardinal baseball team………..they will start a Rotation. Holiday needs breaks as does Ludwick and Pujols.
Nutlaw: Then the Cardinals will have the nightmares we’ve been dreaming of!
Phillies walk off.
Sigh.
I’d be interested to read WC’s take on who goes between Luddy and Colby when Luddy gets back.
Give poor ol’ Yadier another “E” for another good effort (The Mendoza Line sucks… hard!)
I like seeing Schumaker in the outfield now and again.
crdswmn: You will notice what all those fly balls did for Norris. When a pitcher does that, it’s only a matter of time when all the chickens come home to roost. We let the mediocre get away with murder for 7 innings, until Colby and Matt said, “Enough is enough”!
Goes where? If Colby swings up to 300………30 Hr’s…….They will pay him. If not, they will battle you for a few years…………. and then decide……….they won’t pay Ludwick 7 million. They will have to offer him 3 yrs……..21/24 and he will leap at it……………lets face it…………..if Albert continues on this course he will take the 5 year deal………… they won’t show any cards right now. They are playing the big boy. July 31 changes many things…………….Albert might just elect to have the surgery next year.
They know that.
Adam is up to 106 pitches and it’s starting to show…
Adam has a well-earned quality outing and a 12th win to boot! Time now, for the reliever (whoever it may be) to come in and give some heart…
Adam pitched great but I believe he is done.
I can’t defend Yadi, but I can’t bash him either. I’m a sucker.
Ricky Horton just said putting Jay in CF is Tony making a statement about who his best defensive players are. Thats good stuff right there. So maybe Jay will get the AB’s in CF when Luddy gets back and Colby goes……….
Yeah, leaving Wainwright in there for the 8th was no better than leaving Norris in for the same amount of time. Our boy was just more fortunate.
Yadier did superstar excellence at his field position tonight: There is not a catcher in Major League baseball who routinely throws-out more runners than him…
They will release Winn to reduce congestion. Stava will be hurting for playing time. They are going to build a young gang for Holiday to lead. Jay looks comfortable.
Is it that late out, RC? Are you already dreaming? You wouldn’t possibly again suggest that the Cardinals trade Colby for no reason whatsoever, would you? Nah…
That’s “Flip with a Vengeance”
Warrior: Colby and Jon are the guys with a future. As wonderful as Ludwick is, much of his career is behind him…
No way RC………….. especially in that center field. Look at it this way…………if they traded Colby, it would only be for a player they wouldn’t want to pay anyway………..Ludwick is the Vulnerable player.
They may use KL insurance money to pay a salary bail on a temp.
Bench Nut….go to the bench.
Brendan’s “E” for effort was further proof of the sucking power of that Mendoza Line…
57, yes he is a marvel defensively but that doesn’t excuse the poor offense.
Will the clowns walk Albert and face Matt again?
Well the ‘Stros were screwed six ways to Sunday. They had to pitch to Albert and boom.
Well, I s’pose not!
Tonight, our Big Boppers did what Big Boppers do!
The bullpen better not screw it up this time.
It’s nice that the Cards should rightfully push around the hapless Astros. Way to drop an exclamation point on ‘em, Pujols.
Agree! I’m a big believer in running-up the score, knowing that other clubs (like the Astros) are only too happy to do it to us…
That was an eight pitch AB (with 5 foul-offs): McClellan had to be sweatin’ bullets against Hunter Pence (he is one of the Astros who will NOT be traded)
Don’t feel too bad, Brendan and Yadier: Castro is down to .182…
Cinci faces Hallady and then Hamels………we could be tied at the break………We better score 10 in each of these next games to protect the helpless..
You know, if Jimenez implodes or gets hurt……..
3 up and 3 down: McClellan locked it in for Adam and we have hope of a sweep…
It’s those resounding “Cardinal Moments” that turn clubs around. May it be, for our sake only, that the Fightin’ Fillies had one of those tonight…
If the Phillies took the 4 game series from the Reds, Cincy’s vociferous bandwagon fans would be silenced….
How delightfully appropriate it is to see Adam at 13-5 after the same game in which both Albert and Matt had bashed 3-run homers! How appropriate it is to see the dismantling of The Bud Norris Club, with such a resounding shut-out! Firing on all cylinders; our pitching, offense and defense never looked better!
Rename to the Kyle Kendrick Club? (4-0, 1.67 ERA vs. StL vs. 4.62 career ERA)
Well, he’s no Bud Norris.
Hopefully we will pummel the mediocres from here out.
First time this season for Albert and Matt driving in 2 or more apiece. At least I think that’s what I heard on postgame.
Colby has a ‘tight hammy’. Let’s not turn it into another medical drama.
With half a season to go Jimenez doesn’t have to get hurt or implode. If he just cools down a bit Wainy can smoke him. Still I like crdswmn’s thinking.
Westy sounds downright giddy. Keep those vibes coming. Let’s hope Jumbo drops in.
How bout dem birds.
The main issue for the rest of the season is starting pitching. We began with Carpenter, Wainwright, Penny, and Lohse, plus a competition of Hill/Garcia/McClellan, with Walters/Ottavino/Lynn in training at AAA. Since then, injuries to Penny and Lohse are wasting $20MM. Hill is gone, Ottavino hurt, McClellan needed in relief.
While Mo was lucky to find Suppan and Hawk is doing about as well as can be hoped, its a less than ideal rotation. Neither will go much more than 5 innings, so they put stress on the pen.
Adding Jay and Greene, the Cards have enough offense. The goal this July is to add another starting pitcher.
Heya, Jumbo. Thought we’d lost you. Also, I agree.
I still say we haven’t lost too many due to faulty starting pitching. Maybe we will if we don’t get a guy, but maybe we won’t. The thing that costs us games is the inconsistant and flat play, which can best be addressed with the ‘clubhouse’ guy Mo talks about. That’s a tricky fix, but I’d go that route if anything.
I agree with the fact that “we haven’t lost too many due to faulty starting pitching”. The only problem we’ve had is an offense which has not been matching career norms. The “jelling” mechansim is something so seemingly minor as a morale-building, clubhouse-loosening experience/humor man.
The Clubhouse stuff is unimportant. We are paying adults to play baseball, not to laugh at each other’s jokes. For them, its a job. If a guy is boring but he makes a good play, he becomes more likeable. If they win, nobody cares that they don’t like each other. If they lose, nobody cares if they liked each other. Its all about winning. So Mo is right to focus on who will help us the most. And the guy who will help the most will be a pitcher who sometimes can go 7 innings.
The Reds have Leake and Cueto. Arroyo has been ok. They are due to get back their ace, Volquez. Chapman might be able to contribute as a fireballing reliever. Walt made an offer to the Mariners for LHP Lee. He has trading chips and should be able to land help. The Cards do not have as many trading assets, so may need to absorb a salary.
The Cards need to add a pitcher like they did Willy Williams (2002?).
Let’s consider the Reds rotation. Their ace Edinson Volquez will return next week, after a year off for Tommy John operation. This will give them:
Volquez
Leake
Cueto
Travis Wood (Southern League AA pitcher of the year in 2009; 2nd rounder 2005 out of an Arkansas high school)
Brandon Arroyo.
For extra starters if they need them, they have Harang; Bailey; and Maloney.
The Reds look strong, in terms of rotation. Even if the Cards match up at 1-3, the Reds have the advantage at 4-5. The injuries to Penny and Lohse are looming larger.
Agree, Jumbo. A strong rotation. That is why I was surprised Walt tried to get Lee. He has other far more pressing needs that should be less costly.
Lee is a terrific pitcher, coveted by the Cards, among many others. Pursuing Lee shows Walt wants to win the division. If Yadier Alonso had not had a hamate injury, Walt might have been able to give him up to win Lee.
The Reds look well staffed to make a strong stretch run. If Cabrera were hurt, they have a Cowart at AAA. If Rolen goes down, they have Franciso or Frazier at AAA.
Chapman could be called up to serve as a reliever to pitch to Rasmus and Jay.
One of the problems for the Cards this season has been the terrible burden of high expectations. They were able to trade for Matt Holliday and resign him, both surprising. Brad Penny looked good early. Jamie Garcia stepped up. Felipe Lopez signed cheap. The Cards looked in a good way.
Who expected Rolen to rebound this much (thanks to his last operation being by the Reds doctor)? Little Leake to pitch well without a day in the minors? Votto’s shrink to outplay than the nut-doctors we used on Khalil Greene? Little Cueto to return effectively?
One sign of the times: the Cards were lucky to find Suppan unemployed. Suppan is pitching as well as can be expected. Yet its not good enough.
Or, Brendan Ryan has a sore wrist, gets an operation to relieve the pain, yet suffers a loss of hitting ability.
LaRue, Winn, and Suppan seem on the bubble.
Winn never made any sense with Jay on the roster, except to ride the pine while Jay got regular ABs in AAA. Suppan was always a temporary fill-in. I can’t see LaRue going anywhere, however. Why would that happen?
Although Jumbeau takes issue with a perceived necessity to loosen the clubhouse, he accurately calls attention to the Reds’ superior rotation, saying; “The Reds look strong, in terms of rotation. Even if the Cards match up at 1-3, the Reds have the advantage at 4-5″.
He then joined all other Cardinal fans in bewailing our failure to obtain the services of Cliff Lee. May I suggest the pitcher who beat us last night? Aye, Brett Myers is available and his contract would be much less expensive than Lee’s.
Nutlaw, last night LaRue got start, to give Yadier a breather. After a couple of outs, TLR pinch-hit Miles for LaRue and used Molina at the end of the game. TLR had to use 2 guys off the limited bench to try to make up for LaRue’s lack of offense. At some point, the Cards need to simply replace LaRue with Anderson.
Winn made sense to spell Rasmus against lefties. However, Jay is showing hits in his bat, while Winn may no longer have many. Once Ludwick returns, Winn may get to retire.
Jumbeau makes great points and I agree completely in regards to the clubhouse issue. It is obvious that many of these guys will never be snuggle buddies nor should it matter if they like each other or not. They are played to play baseball not to socialize. They are gonna do the right things in front of the camera and they are gonna say the right things when asked so as to make everything look good to the cardinals paying customers. Thats all that matters. Now they just need to win a few more than they lose. And I actually believe they will turn things around and put together a few 5 or 6 game winning streaks the second half.
So, what you are saying today RC is that you think the Cards will in fact finish above .500? Must have clearer vision after a good night’s sleep!
You guys are being totally unrealistic on the ‘clubhouse’ issue. Human nature is what it is and humans are social animals. Morale and group dynamics affects motivation and performance. The team building and motivation industry exists to exploit this fact of nature.
I don’t know if a helpful clubhouse dynamic can be achieved by design, or if its just something that happens by chance with the right mix of personalities. But Mo is right to recognize that it is not helping matters on this team, and hopefully some improvement can be made.
Hear! Hear!
bb, I feel sorry for whoever the Cardinals bring in because some number of the media will be expecting the poor guy to magically transform the clubhouse to a happy place himself while batting .330 or pitching scads of complete games and leading the team to 95 wins. Too many seem to oversimplify complex issues.
…and the media would dare to say “the masses are asses”? Once upon a time, Journalism was a calling, wherein the objectivity was religiously practiced: It served to educate the masses; not exploit their hysteria.
Agree Brian. I believe it matters, but don’t know if its ‘fixable’. The media guys should perhaps consider the possibility of a guy who is more a catalyst than a major ingredient. It may not take a heavyweight to tip the scales.
Well said, gents…
Human nature being what it is, the problem is as distressing as it is perplexing…
What goes on in the Clubhouse should stay in the Clubhouse. Players can be judged by what they do on the field. Reporters do not need to speculate about what players may do or think when out of the public eye.
I agree with that 100% Jumbo.
Right. I’m interested in the play on the field.
One reason why there is talk about interpersonal chemistry is because of high expectations. Since the Cards are not in first place by 10 games, some assume there must be personality disfunctions.
IMO, the real problem has been injuries to Penny and Lohse. Also a lineup that has too many right swingers. Pujols, Holliday, Ludwick, Freese, Molina, Ryan swing right, only Rasmus and Schumaker swing left. The Cards to not match up well against RHPs, though they are the most common pitcher. As a result, the team is offensively inconsistent. This gets called bad chemistry, but its really an imbalanced lineup. For the second half, the Cards can improve by making more use of Jay and Lopez.
Valid points about the injuries and the unbalanced lineup. But that doesn’t mean that a chemistry problem is not there overlaying the whole thing.
Making Lopez a fixture at the top of the lineup, and Jay playing regularly has definitly helped. That raises the question of what happens when Luddy and Freese come back. I heard Tony saying maybe Jay would spell Luddy a couple times a week and maybe Colby once or so.
There will be the same issue with how to keep Lopez in there. He’s not an everyday SS, but then again, we haven’t had the greatest defense there anyway. Perhaps one or the other of those issues will resolve in the next couple of weeks.
As always, Skip isn’t an everyday 2B, for one.