St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Allen Craig had a three-RBI game on Sunday as the Dodgers were swept out of town.
Instead of waiting for another chance in St. Louis, rookie Cardinals outfielder Allen Craig helped make it happen by continuing to play hard after being sent down to Triple-A Memphis after an unproductive introductory period as a major leaguer.
His productivity is most evident by his 65 Pacific Coast League RBI in 67 games, good enough to be named by The Cardinal Nation as the Player of the Month across the organization for June.
Given another opportunity with the Cardinals on July 15 means Craig’s major league career is still only 11 games old. Coming into his start at first base on Sunday in place of resting Albert Pujols, some focused on his 2-for-22 (.091) beginning, expecting the worst from the right-handed hitter.
Fortunately, Craig had other ideas, enjoying a big afternoon on his 26th birthday.
Batting in Pujols’ customary third spot, Craig was on base three times, going 2-for-4 with a double and a walk. Further, he plated three of the Cardinals’ five runs in their comeback win over the Dodgers. Craig walked in the sixth, doubled in two runs and scored in the eighth and his single with two out in the ninth plated Yadier Molina with the tying run.
On Thursday, Craig had collected his first two career RBI in game one of the four-game sweep over the visiting Dodgers. Sunday’s three-RBIs in game four served as an impressive bookend.
With a pair of multi-RBI games in the first 11 games of his Cardinals career, Craig put his name on a list that now has just 30 names on it since 1920. As one might expect, Pujols is at the top with four such games, but in Craig, Cardinals fans may have much about which to be hopeful.
St. Louis Cardinals, two or more multi-RBI games in first 11 career games, 1920-present
| Player | Year | G | RBI |
| Albert Pujols | 2001 | 4 | 10 |
| Fred Whitfield | 1962 | 4 | 10 |
| Don Gutteridge | 1936 | 3 | 9 |
| George Puccinelli | 1930 | 3 | 7 |
| Jim Bottomley | 1922 | 3 | 7 |
| Wally Moon | 1954 | 3 | 6 |
| Joe Cunningham | 1954 | 2 | 9 |
| Hal Smith | 1956 | 2 | 6 |
| Enos Slaughter | 1938 | 2 | 6 |
| Heinie Schuble | 1927 | 2 | 6 |
| Allen Craig | 2010 | 2 | 5 |
| Adam Kennedy | 1999 | 2 | 5 |
| Rod Booker | 1987 | 2 | 5 |
| George Watkins | 1930 | 2 | 5 |
| John Gall | 2005 | 2 | 4 |
| Keith McDonald | 2000 | 2 | 4 |
| J.D. Drew | 1998 | 2 | 4 |
| Eli Marrero | 1997 | 2 | 4 |
| John Morris | 1986 | 2 | 4 |
| Vince Coleman | 1985 | 2 | 4 |
| Tom Nieto | 1984 | 2 | 4 |
| Ken Reitz | 1972 | 2 | 4 |
| Julian Javier | 1960 | 2 | 4 |
| Ken Boyer | 1955 | 2 | 4 |
| Stan Musial | 1941 | 2 | 4 |
| Harry Walker | 1940 | 2 | 4 |
| Bruce Ogrodowski | 1936 | 2 | 4 |
| Bill Lewis | 1933 | 2 | 4 |
| Chick Hafey | 1924 | 2 | 4 |
| Les Bell | 1923 | 2 | 4 |
Thanks to Tom Orf for the data table above.
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I’ve had a truly difficult time with understanding how a player who has been so consistently good at Memphis (last year, as well as this) could be so consistently bad at St. Louis. It took a day when Tony presented one of the weakest lineups ever, for Allen Craig to show the stuff of a Major Leaguer. Nay, the insertion of a .083 batter in the number 3 slot was probably the biggest eye-brow raiser in the eye-brow raising lineup! No, Allen did not shine so brightly because of any genius wizardry on the part of the manager. Let’s give credit where ALL of the credit is due – to Allen Craig!
The reality, however, is this: Since Allen won’t enjoy the playing time that he needs as a platooning OF-1B, he will find his necessary playing time either in Memphis or on another club (assuming that we don’t trade one or two of the other stars who are now crowding our outfield). Whether Allen realizes his potential with the Cardinals or with some other club, it is certain that he is a budding Major League star…
A 0.77 BABIP (about 70% below average) despite a LD rate of 31% (about 60% above average) is all you need to know about why Craig struggled early in STL. It was nothing more than bad luck.
Carioca: You are a recognized source of accurate information. In order to help us who are learning (e.g., helping me to understand how a player could have been so consistently good at Memphis, yet so consistently bad at St. Louis), could you please provide the definitions of such parameters as “BAPIP” and “LD”? I’m not sure, but methinks you’ve just underscored the giving of “credit where ALL the credit is due – to Allen Craig!”
First let me correct above. Craig’s BABIP was .077 (7.7%)
BABIP = batting average of balls in play. I believe the league average is about .290 (29%)
LD = Line Drive The average major league line drive rate is about 17%
The rule of thumb for what a player should hit is his LD rate + .120. This varies slightly depending on a player’s K rate, his speed (speedy guys do slightly better), etc. Using this general rule, Craig could have easily been hitting over .400 in his first stay here with just average luck.
Thank you, Carioca! You and Nutlaw are statistical treasure troves and I will take neither of you for granted…
FROM HIS OWN MOUTH
(this says it all…)
“I honestly don’t know what to say,” said Cardinals manager Tony La Russa. “You fall behind, it’s such a difficult day out there. When you get behind those games, it so hard. I was even thinking when we were down 4-0 and we had a couple of chances, I said this was a heck of an effort. It was a heck of an effort and it got better and better. You can’t give them enough credit for how they hung in there.”
from “Comeback Kids: Cards Do It Again – by B. J. Rains
What began as a gift to an old friend backfired into a gift to the deserving die-hard Cardinal fans. Aye, despite going up against one of the league’s premier pitchers with the weakest lineup imaginable, our guys found ways to valiantly surmount the most daunting assignment so far this season.
57, I am no expert in this as evidenced by the above error I just made. It is BABIP that is normally about .120 above the LD rate (not BA). That would make Craig’s BABIP in the .400′s but not his BA. With his K rate of 25% his average though would probably have been in the low .300′s with even luck.
Sorry for the errors and confusion.
Carioca, I understood the type-o’s: You’re information is nevertheless incontrovertible.
For those who take issue with my Anti-Tony stand, please read the following link with an open mind: I am not the only fan who believes more in the Cardinals than in the hired hand. Long before Tony (during the days of such luminaries as Hutch, Keane, Schoendienst, Torre and Whitey) and long after Tony, there shall always be the truest of Cardinal fans.
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklas/article_a008c354-9f59-58a5-8f95-08be46d43739.html?mode=comments
Speaking of giving credit where credit is due:
“Some things about Jeff Suppan’s start Sunday that got lost in the fireworks of the late-game rally: Suppan pitched a season-high six innings. It was his longest outing for the righthander since Sept. 30 at Colorado. Sunday was the 26th time that Suppan had pitched at least six innings and allowed one run or fewer as a Cardinal. More importantly, at least to me, was Suppan’s three innings of 15 or fewer pitches. Suppan admits that he slows his pace down when there are runners on base, and yet, at the same time, he says his goals are to pitch quickly and pitch effectively. Well, Suppan did both in the first, third and fourth innings. Suppan had a seven-pitch first inning, needed 15 pitches to get the three outs from four batters in the third inning and used 14 pitches to retire three batters in the fifth”.
- Derrick Goold
Like I said yesterday, thanks to Tony, the pitcher who deserved the “W” didn’t get it. No thanks to Tony, the “comeback kids” thrilled their admiring fans with the resounding win.
Craig has vulnerabilities 57. Because there is a large difference in the quality of scouting and game planning, Craig feasts at AAA………. Its different up here……………His instincts are first rate. His strength, is first rate. His ability to adapt and counter big league pitching will be his challenge. He has used a timing impediment in his bat position pre-swing. His hands being out and away from his body like (AP) will be his first vulnerability. They will show him sliders and breaking pitches away to get him to open up prematurely, (like AP)…………. if he is willing to stay closed and take the ball deep, going off field, that will take him up to the next level, in which pitching to him becomes more difficult.
The obvious follow up question………….why is Albert so easily beaten in this identical gambit?
answer;……………………. he is greedy, and addicted to the big muscle connection of pulling the ball. His attempt to target all pitches way out front makes him an easy target. His willingness to just slap the center/right when he is caught so far out in front in that speculation is why he is hitting 300+. Any team will be willing to give him those singles just to nullify his extra base power………….. and that where we’re (he) is at.
The authoress blurb on Joe Torre’s contract expiration with the Dodgers in the ST Louis paper is not without purpose…………… Joe loves St Louis………baseball heaven.
Westy, I do not possess the expertise to comment pro or con about your batting stance/stroke critiques. However, my sense that you were once a player at the professional level is affirmed by the Warrior’s respect for your analyses. Whenever you speak, therefore, I listen…
If Joe were once again to become the Manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, he wouldn’t need a gift from an old crony: He would need only the talent that beat the Dodgers he had managed yesterday.
Say what you will about poor li’l Broxton left out in the heat so long; what about Kyle McClellan who was called upon to sweat it out in the same humid inferno two days in a row? Aye, the mighty Broxton had the same pathetic expression on his face when our kids were done with him as he did when the Yankees tore him a new one on the last game of the Interleague play!
No one loves Walt Jocketty more than I do, but everyone will have to admit that yesterday’s come-from-behind was the product of Luhnow’s successful philosophy of home-grown talent.
Brian! crdswmn!
It’s nigh unto 2 hours before game time: Where’s the lineup?
Broxton failed on the same pitch to Molina and Holiday. Molina is sobering, and Holiday was trying to win the ball game………………. AP and CR along with RL would have been trying to win it in the grand style…………and popped that pitch up. He was showing them the ball up and away. Our hitters in this instance were prepared to do the right thing. I applaud them………not for their success, but for their correct intentions. Failing while playing to win is never a disgrace.
Lineup from FOX Sports Midwest. Colby cleaning up…
Lopez 3B, Jay RF, Pujols 1B, Rasmus CF, Craig LF, Skip 2B, Molina C, Hawksworth P, Ryan SS
Remember that game time is an hour earlier than usual and is on ESPN as well as FS Midwest (depending on where you live).
Cardinals:
Lopez 3b
Jay rf
Pujols 1b
Rasmus cf
Craig lf
Schumaker 2b
Molina c
Hawksworth p
Ryan ss
fascinating………………………………….. is Tony helping Mo shop Brendan? I guess Colby is hungry in Tony’s eyes……….Molina is where he belongs.
Why no Matt?
The Phillies have their claws out. They know they will see the front end of the rotation starting tomorrow. They have to get momentum……….. we need runs in this one. 6 might be a good number. Minimum……………
Its hot out there CRD………………early start. Also very clever of Tony. I trust Colby at 4th is more about their relief situation match-ups than his recent performances.
Thank you, Brian!
Despite the fact that Colby was the “Strikeout King” against the Dodgers, I cannot think of anyone better suited (aside from Albert) for clean-up against a rightie on a rest-day for Matt than him! Despite his sub-Mendoza dreariness, I can’t help but love Brendan’s boundless enthusiasm and can only hope that it translates into a turn-around/breakout night for him. It would seem to me, however, that logic would dictate the insertion of Tyler at SS tonight. Skip (as opposed to Albert) has some solid history against Kendrick and Allen has simply earned the playing time.
Just rest for Holliday.
The heat will affect everyone, not just Matt.
“The Phillies have their claws out”
I hope that the two Boppers in our lineup tonight (Albert and Colby) supply the extra runs needed to produce the “6 minimum” which I suspect will definitely be required. The Fightin” Fillies not only “have their claws out” in hopes of gaining some momentum against the menacing front end of our rotation, but also in hopes of healing the grievous wounds that the Flubs inflicted upon them. There can be no doubt that they will be extraordinarily pumped and hungry.
The fact that both righties and lefties are hitting better than .300 against Blake is rather ominous, but… 5 innings and 2 runs (just what He gave us the last two starts, against Colorado and Houston), is all that we need from him again tonight! Kyle, Mitchell and Jason (or perhaps Fernando), with help from our offense, can supply all the rest.
Again this is off topic, but if you watch the ABC Nightly News tonight, the person they are talking to about unemployment is me. 5:30 pm. I know, late notice.
The Cubs won’t climb back into the race……………but they will likely decide it. Cinci is doing everything it can to contend……….. we are a little short on testosterone. Penny, while having pains, is likely structurally sound to pitch. He isn’t being pressed……….either is Lohse……all the talk about return dates is about relieving tension in fan-dom about the need to make a costly move………
Brian…………… who was it that did the Torre contract expiration tag on the paper sight……………??
Wouldn’t that play well in November. Albert on the cusp………..suddenly Tony gone………..Joe’s entire Dodger staff coming to the mid west…………. I doubt that topic hasn’t been discussed in a number of venues.
I’ll try to catch that CRD.
Are you into politics or finance CRd???? I tried to show BD’s ties to SxGoldboys 2yrs ago………and no one here was interested……….. but alas………now I’m a big fan………….showing only respect of his “cleverness”………………..
That was like 5 seconds of the 15 minute interview. Should have known.
No. Just an unemployment victim.
Hey, Westy!
The guy who made the daring and successful transition from Catcher to 3rd Base (while in a Cardinal uniform), who was the National League batting champ for the Cardinals in 1971 (with a whopping .363 average), who was a 4-time All-Star as a Cardinal, who was the NL MVP as a Cardinal and who successfully managed us for 3 complete seasons in the early ’90s? THAT guy? Although he would be just another hired hand, to me, he would also be (as he is even now) much more of a Cardinal than Tony could ever hope to be.
Ah, indeed! Under the circumstances you’ve described, “Wouldn’t THAT play well in November”?
crdswmn: Damn it! I caught your message and tuned-in to my local ABC channel too late for the “5 second” portion of your interview. I hope that they didn’t butcher it too badly…
They may air it on Good Morning America tomorrow if you want to get up that early.
I will make it a point to do just that. Thanks, crdswmn!
Its starting to play right now is my point 57……….distant canon fire………………..
Sorry Crd………….
A great effort on the part of Albert, but alas… Our ex-Cardinal, Placido, is a speedster…
The double which was actually a foul ball… the result: a score for the Fillies
I’ll be GDed…………..Colby picks it up and LOOKS before he throws…..with a second hop step…………………….incredible.
I expected we might lose this one. Two sweeps in a row is too much to ask for.
5 hits, 3 runs and 32 pitches later… Here’s hoping that we’ll answer the barrage with a barrage of our own and that Blake will settle-in…
It’s like Yogi used to say, “it ain’t over, til it’s over”!
Rollins rolls over…… he is ahead if Ibanez………..Yadi uses the strikeout pitch without preparation, a good hitter slaps it………… take it from there…………Hawksworth is locating well. He is just a victim at this point.
Right on, Flip! How many games has he thus led-off?
So, our Jon stays hot and starts a no-out rally!
We’ll accept an RBI productive out… So now, we’ve got a RISP
The bad part about that……………the pitches that AP “missed” the last being inside third…..and he still hit it off the end of the bat…………2 in scoring position and he tries to pull an outside pitch on number two……………………………?????????????
Craig SHOWS HIS VULNERABILITY………..THEY WOULD LET HIM PULL …so he didn’t.
So, Blake follows-up the fiasco with an 11-pitch performance. With a run scored and Blake settling-in, the flames of hope are being fanned…
Skip knows that a lead-off walk represents the stuff of which rallies are made..
Yeah, ol’ Skip took the gimme… Right on!
Now, with Yadier’s walk, we got ourselves another no-out rally!
Philly’s look terrible……………….we should savage these guys……………….
What an absolutely BEAUTIFUL bunt! Attaboy, Blake!
Attaboy, Brendan! Another productive RBI out!
“we should savage these guys”
My sentiments and my observation also…
Werth didn’t get the memo.
Werth’s meek roller was an “Oops, single” if I ever saw one… ‘Twas inadvertently given to him.
And what does our All-Star catcher do? Hell, he promptly picks him off!
So Blake gets out of it with a short 12-pitch inning!
Somebody ordered-up a “Double-A-La-Albert”!
Well… we’ve got six more opportunities in this game to flex our muscles (and I’ve no doubt that we will – with a vengeance)
Having struck-out no one and having walked the pitcher, it is amazing that Blake hasn’t given-up more runs tonight. Having given-up 10 fly balls (6 of them hits), you can bet that he is very thankful for fielders who are being particularly attentive tonight.
If that ball Yadi hit had been a foot to the pitcher’s left it would have been a base hit. He hit it hard.
We have only a 2 run deficit after 4 innings. Last night, we had a 4 run deficit much later in the game than that. I’m a bit concerned, but yet filled with belief…
Yeah, Yadier smacked a vicious bullet… A near-miss if we ever saw one…
A snappy classic Skip-Brendan-Albert DP!
With 84 pitches after 5 innings, Blake is not looking pitiful enough to pull just yet. He normally averages a strike-out per inning and he normally induces groundouts. This has definitely not been a typical outing for him. We can be very, very thankful to be only 2 runs behind. Now, with the top of our order coming up, it’s time to let loose…
Brendan is just too eager and hungry! Rather than a fly-out, that particular pitch would have been called a ball (low).
Let Flip show Brendan how patience can pay off with a walk…
Did our Jon just hit another double? Did he indeed get an RBI?
Did Albert just pull a Pujols? Did he indeed get 2 RBI? Are we really leading by a run?
(“Now, with the top of our order coming up, it’s time to let loose…”)
(“We have only a 2 run deficit after 4 innings. Last night, we had a 4 run deficit much later in the game than that. I’m a bit concerned, but yet filled with belief…”)
Did Allen just pull a Craig?
Did Skip just pull a Schumaker?
We entered this inning with a 2 run deficit. We shall leave it, having totally screwed-up Kendrick’s bid for a quality start…
Can we take Kendrick on the road with us mom………………..
We are, as Westy so brilliantly put it, “savaging them”!
I liked Shu’s the best……………..he didn’t just jump on that…….he was waiting, weight back, and it just got fatter and fatter until the fat lady started singing………………
Finally! With his 95th pitch, our Blake gets his first (only) K of the night. Despite one of his worst outings, our offense will be giving him a gorgeous “W” for his record.
Our offense, for once, is firing on all cylinders… Small-ballers acting like Boppers and our Big Bopper supporting them!
Let’s see how the Phillies bullpen does.
…and Matt says to himself, “Of all the nights for me to take a rest…!”
Durbin is but one of a few of their excellent relievers…
Damn! Did Randy just pull a Pujols-Craig-Schumaker?
Poor Brendan…
Does our Jon have the discipline and patience of a Major Leaguer, or what?
Durbin is pitching consistently low… For as long as they keep him in, he will be a force to be reckoned with…
We were small balling. Now we are long balling. I like it very very much.
Jay is making a statement…………………………Colby……………… don’t think that it can’t happen….
The Reds-Washington game has just resumed. When you’re facing Dunn-Willingham-Zimmerman, their 2 run lead don’t mean diddly squat…
That was a neat groundout of a righty, but Trevor is death on lefthanders…
What’d I tell ya?
The St.Louis native has the talent necessary to overcome the effectiveness of Trevor…
I hope Jason does better than he did the last time.
Here comes “Motte the Merciless”!
I’m sure that he will, crdswmn. He was overdue for a bad outing. Now, if Yadier will allow him to simply throw ‘em high n’ hard, he will make ‘em all look foolish…
That one was low and inside: He’s all over the place: He needs to settle-down!
That one was high n’ hard; enough for a sky-popper and a Gold Glove catch!
All right, guys: A 4 run lead against the Fillies ain’t enough. Time now to ruthlessly run-up the score…
“Oh, for…!” Colby is the only starter not to reach base. Well… at least he didn’t strikeout tonight.
Going into the 7th inning of their game, it’s time now for the Nats to demoralize the Reds and their bandwagon fans with a resounding “come-from-behind”.
Did you notice that Romero had induced 3 consecutive groundouts? He read Duncan’s book…
Jason’s pitches are cruisin’ too low over the plate. He needs to keep the 98 mph fireballs higher…
There’s another time and place for mastering another pitch or two for the toolbox. Right now, every time Yadier forces Jason to pitch a slider (or something low), contact is invariably made…
We’ve got an attentive infield tonight and our pitchers are being supported accordingly…
7,8 & 9 coming up. Will Matt pinch hit?
The bottom of our order is perfectly capable of mounting a rally for the top of our order to take this game out-of-reach…
Good call, crdswmn: It is more probable than possible
Madson is one of their few mediocres… We need to be more opportunistic…
Someone has surely gone to the books already, to look-up the last time that we enjoyed a 6 game winning streak…
Too bad Yadi lost his 5 game hitting streak.
Well, he complemented his masterful Glove and arm work by getting that walk. The pick-off was just plain thrilling!
Go get ‘em Kyle! Do to the Fillies what Broxton thought he would do to us!
Strange bullpen choices tonight. Would have seemed logical to see Salas with a cushion. TLR likes to rehabilitate guys so I’m surprised Boggs didn’t see an inning. Oh well, we’ll really only know if he made the right choices later in the series.
Attaboy! We won the most problematic of the four game set. Now, they must face the front end of our rotation!
How many catchers can pick off runners at 1B?
crdswmn: I’m sure that there are others, but I’ve only seen one (and I’ve had the privilege of watching him do it three times).
Carioca: As you are aware, I am not a Tony fan, but I am personally glad that he allowed Kyle to show his ground-balling stuff again. As long as he refused to make him our 5th starter, he might as well make him our closer (I think that he’s a lot more intimidating than Franky).
Carioca: I can hardly wait to see Fernando Salas again! Would either you or Nutlaw happen to have any specialized stats on him?
Despite one of his worst outings, our potent offense gave Blake a gorgeous “W” for his record!
I’m having difficulty containing my joy! What a great bunch of guys! “I can’t believe what I just saw!” Our offense went berserk and did some serious carpet bombing!
What is more, our relievers came on and preserved a win for a starter who otherwise had a rotten night!
Now we need to get Colby going again.
Nothing to specific on Salas except when he is on he seems to have pin point control.
David Freese broke his toe. Damn.
The first step was for him to stop striking-out. Now, the next step is for him to exercise the patience and discipline for walks. Then, we can talk about being satisfied with singles and going after the homer ONLY when the ball can be comfortably golfed low-and-in. For all that to happen, Colby just may need the able coaching of the Warrior.
Thank you, Carioca. That “pin-point control” appears to be part of a well-deserved reputation. I see nothing, but a great relief record with Memphis an a great relief record with us. In fact, I am unable to see anything, but a bright future for Fernando!
Salas’ BABIP at STL is .182 — pretty low so he has gotten a little lucky but with such a small sample size I dont think it says much.
crdswmn: Broke his toe? I was under the impression that he had severely strained a few ankle ligaments. What in Hell is this latest finding all about? Where did you hear of it? Surely, it must have been the result of an unfortunate accident, subsequent to the ankle injury…
Carioca: .182 is DEVASTATING! It’s the same phenomenal record that yesterday’s Dodger starter has against lefties… Although the sample may be slow, it is certainly in line with the rest of his record…
I meant, “Although the sample may be low…”
It was announced suddenly during the post game show. He dropped a weighted ball on his foot.
57, with rare exceptions, BABIP (over time) reflects little upon the skill of the pitcher and will settle close to the norms (Aprox .290). what separates the pitchers is the ability to avoid HR’s, get ground balls, avoid walks, and Strike out batters.
If we take what Jamie Moyer gives……..we will crush him………….if we try to do what we want, he can beat you.
1st at bat Albert missed some good pitches trying to pull the bomb……….. he pulled off the second pitch and missed it by 3 inches off the end of his bat………….a choice……………second at bat with no one on and 2 strikes………he doubles on the same pitch………..because that was the smart play to boost his average…………………………… that is exactly what happened………look at the video. This is a problem…………the home run pitches to all couldn’t be avoided. Terrible locations.
Point is Albert is thinking Albert right now……….and that sucks……..lucky the Phillie’s are in the death mode.
RC…….Colby is swinging off his shoulder again…….he is doing it fairly well, but his contact Zone is so narrow, he is an easy target. It is coming at a bad time. There is a point where they may try to reduce his value a bit……………..it could be avoided and I have explained how.
Craig seems to be reluctant to go off field………. Moyer will eat that up…………. I don’t expect to see him tomorrow. Look for Miles and Greene………maybe Wynn in the outfield.
If Freese has recently smashed his toe, this is a rare injury that cannot be attributed a misdiagnosis by Dr. George Paletta.
What is it about Freese and his wheels? Achilles had sturdier feet.
TLR apparently said it would not increase his out time.
Ubaldo Jiminez didn’t win tonight. Will Adam pass him? Stay tuned.
The main advantage of JImenez over our Ace has been the support of a potent offense. Now that ours is coming alive, it’s like you said, crdswmn; “Stay tuned”"
Carioca: I just got through copying and pasting your words into the notebook that I am assembling. As you can see, I take quite seriously what you and Nutlaw care to pass along to us: I am hoping to eventually gain valuable insight concerning all our players.
Roger that, Westy: I hope that our guys will adjust to take what Moyer gives them and not attempt to make anything more of his pitches. While his win record is sufficient to gain consideration for the Hall of Fame, we need not add to it. Since he is a lefty, I would have no problem with seeing Miles in the lineup tomorrow. Since Brendan continues to sputter and Tyler continues to hit, he would be a welcome sight. If Chris is able to pull-off another decent outing and if our offense is no more than half of what it was tonight, I see no problem with taking game two of this series…
Magnificent win, perfect evening at the park, not too hot.
Brendan looked pretty good at the plate. Good at bats. Hit the ball hard. He did a splendid job in the field, turned some tough DPs.
Hawk wasn’t missing by much most of the time, but he was missing. The key thing is he didn’t give in and put it down the middle, so he walked a few but didn’t get his bell rung too much. He could very easily have gotten blown out in a couple innings but didn’t.
It looked from the stands like Mott’s arm motion and delivery was a little different. A bit less of that pronounced short arm delivery. Looked like he was bringing the ball farther back rather than just behind his ear. Anyone notice anything like that?
It is time once again to remind those who matter that Colby is not out of options. He needs to rehab his hitting approach in a different environment. When Luddy comes back up from Memphis we will be able to live without our young friend quite easily for a couple weeks.
It’s no secret that I admire 99 year old Jamie Moyer, but he’s dead meat tomorrow.
Albert’s homer driving in the tying and winning runs was down right Albert-like.
Now that we are getting some offense, we have just seen that we can win with Supp and Hawk. All we have to do is make the post-season because from there on out we only need three starters anyway.
Rasmus can work on his batting stroke at the ML level. McGwire doesn’t want to go to Memphis.
Lohse is one of our best hopes for another solid starting pitcher. If they fixed his arm, finally, Kyle is a gamer.
Its not a good time to be on the DL if you’re a position player. Somebody ready to jump in and play. With Luddy coming back, and Stav, we have our old familiar problem back again with a glut of outfielders. Except unlike last year these guys can all play. Our pitching staff is loaded up with homegrowns as well. Maybe that Jeff guy is OK.
If Colby and Mark can fix it, perhaps they should go ahead sometime soon. My feeling is that the batting fairy needs to pay a visit and that would be best done out of the MLB spotlight and closer to home.
Right on about Lohse, Jumbo. Nobody knows the recovery time with his kind of surgery though.
crdswmn: I’m not sure which person being interviewed on Good Morning America was you, but I will say this: The “99ers”, composed of folks from all walks of life and from all political parties, are a mounting force to be reckoned with. It will soon be the unification of voices which say, “You take away the jobs and then you punish me for not having one! Come November, we will take away YOUR job and punish YOU for not having one!” ‘Nuff said on a Blog which demands to remain apolitical and areligious (except for the religion of the St. Louis Cardinals). You have my sincerest empathy…
Don’t think Stava will be back BB…………Mo will keep the backup 1st baseman……….
The luxury of having Ludwick go to Memphis is a testimony to Mo’s interest in current events. and player combination’s………………… watch it. If he isn’t hitting at AAA, do they rush him for the weekend? If he is……….why wait?
It is likely Tony has been looking for a “wrench” to use on Colby. He may try to ground him a bit. He is hitting the ball hard but has settled back into to his early season romance with targeting only in front of the plate. He is vulnerable inside and on the hands, and turning up his nose” away”. Can’t do it in the big’s. They save 2 million in his first year of arbitration if they can afford to bring him along a little slower. Maybe try to get his defense up to snuff. If he hit 260, but has 25/30 Hr’s, they pay the power numbers, not the average.
Outfielders are like droids. They only need think before contact. Speed in reaction time is in the programing and the “wheels”……………. Colby continues to evaluate “something” during a play. The time he takes……….and when he takes it………is a fatal flaw for an outfielder. They have been covering for him out of necessity. If he is not essential, they will take it out of his play day and his payday.
Those are rather dire words concerning the lad, Westy. Here’s hoping that the Warrior can somehow translate them in a way that he will digest them. The language (yours, his and his dad’s), of course, is unintelligible to those of us who’ve never worn a baseball uniform in exchange for money – and a living.
“If Lohse sticks to the timetable, he will almost certainly return to active duty before fellow injured starter Brad Penny, who is still trying to recover from a strained right lat muscle.
“I went into it trying to be as positive as I could and as smart as I could at the same time,” Lohse said. “Not trying to overdo it with the rehab work. But I think in my mind, I’m pretty close to where I want to be. Today was a great day. I didn’t expect to get on a mound and be as sharp as I have been. I’m just trying to keep that rolling.”
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Cardinals have a clear path it would appear to show Penny by next week………. if he is healthy, I can’t see the Cardinals not trading him. The market is high and he probably gets you something you need…..besides salary bail………….. Hawksworth to the Pen as the long man and your set………………………… I’m not so sure BP isn’t grooming this situation for such an event.
Lohse is unlikely to have complications from this surgery…………in some ways, non invasive.
Qualification;
BP’s treatment considering all the variables, suggest to me that the Cardinals did take out some sort of performance protection policy…………… some one is paying for their patience. Allowing Lohse to run with his present rehab intensity validates someones time sensitive valuations.
Penny, meanwhile, threw lightly on flat ground on Monday as he tries to come back from a strained right lat muscle. It remains unclear when Penny will throw off a mound again.
“Just playing catch,” Penny said. “You can’t tell anything [from that].”
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Who is the ” you ” here………really. Sounds like an “I ” sometimes……….. could mean a caution to the writers trying to invade his process by spying on him…………….????
WC, an important request please. Whenever you cut and paste from other sites, please provide the link back to the entire article. There are two main reasons for this.
1) It is against proper posting etiquette to copy without attribution.
2) Any of us who are interested and want to read the entire story have no idea where to go to find the rest.
Thank you for your consideration…
Seems like a good practice. Easier…………………… Penny asked for an independent medical exam, by Andrews I think, last week……………………….. what does it mean when that happens Brian. Curious if some remember those precedents.
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/article_49644e9e-7640-59cf-9d59-7521e21a60e0.html
issues are mentioned in this story………….but came up a few days earlier………….this story reveals a developing adversarial posture between Penny/Agent and Cards.