FOX Sports Midwest’s B.J. Rains will be doing a guest host spot from 10:00 A.M. until noon CDT on St. Louis’ KTRS 550 Radio on Sunday.
With the news that Andrew Brown has received the call from Memphis to join the Cardinals for the first time, B.J. asked me to join him on the show to discuss that and other Cardinals minor league news.
I will be on at 10:40 A.M. EDIT: My spot was moved up to 10:20…
KTRS is live streamed over the internet at ktrs.com.
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I’m sure the upper level hot prospects and the high profile guys are of most interest to the general audience. I wouldn’t mind an update on Rosenthal at QC. How is B. J,’s dad Rob doing, by the way.
Some years back, Brian made a data base of amatuer draftees by the Cards. The Univ. of Nebraska was in first or second place as a source. Its possible Brown would be the first among Cards draftees from U Nebraska-Lincoln to reach the majors. Like Stavinoha, Steven Hill, Mark Hamilton, and Matt Carpenter, Brown played high school ball in the Houston, Texas metropolitan area.
Jake Westbrook (6-3, 5.01) vs. Shaun Marcum (6-2, 2.58)
When you look at the numbers this matchup appears dismal for the cards.
Westbrook could crank out a solid 6 innings. With Holliday and Craig out, the Cards match up best against a RHP, like Marcum. They could start 5 left swingers. Its hard to win in Milwaukee, but the odds seem better today.
Oh come on RC, where are your positive vibes?
Solid interview Brian……….. “metronomic”…………………… RC……who screwed with Jay’s setup? Thats not MM is it? They solve, or effect anyway, his waggle issues……….and replace them with a step in move……………… He won’t be hitting second today……….I would hope anyway……Colby either probably…..is Skip headed to the front…………………………………… Luhnow is just BS-ing.
lineup: Theriot SS, Jay RF, Pujols 1B, Berkman LF, Rasmus CF, Yadi C, Schumaker 2B, Carpenter 3B, Westbrook SP
Thats not going to get it done……………
I’m hoping Jon heats back up. I hope he is not heading into a prolonged slump. Jay has changed something and I’m not sure why but it does seem to happen with a number of players. There is no telling what somebody has told him that he should try different. Or maybe he is just trying something different as he has gotten tired. Its not hard to show out for a month but it starts to wear on you when you are in there every day. Last year he showed signs of wearing down and hopefully he is not starting to wear down this year.
Skip looked better yesterday so hopefully he is getting his timing back.
One thing is for sure, as one players has slumped this year there has been another one who has picked up the slack.
Most are hurt………… the ones that get to try have to move through AP litter box……..Brewers are just starting to form……the Reds are refocusing in SF………… Timmy looks to have hemp woes again.
AP played a control game yesterday……. I applaud that………. if we can get his career aspirations somehow aligned to the teams…….maybe we score a few.
Brian, don’t forget to mention Brown’s “power”
Brown may have eluded CN top 40 lists of prospects, probably because perceived to be too old or not an easy defensive fit. Brown illustrates if you labor away for years in the minors, you can make yourself ready for a callup, in case a vacancy arises. He also illustrates one of the virtues of the Cards minor league system is depth.
More RCW coverage:
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/06/11/colby-rasmus-father-is-at-it-again-says-its-fairly-obvious-his-son-needs-to-be-traded/
Here is what I think. I think Rasmus is having a good year. And some fans who do not play OF themselves have gotten a burr under their saddles about second guessing his Colby’s plays. Early in the year, he muffed a drive in San Franciso, but from the replay, its undestandable, because Jon Jay got needlessly close, such that Rasmus caught sight of Jon right at the time the ball arrived. If anyone deserved an error it would have been Jay for distracting the CF when making a play.
Colby’s mother says he is feeling better about fitting in this year. Great.
His father may think Rasmus should be swinging for the fences. He can resume doing this in future. This year his mission is to cut down Ks and catch balls between slow corner OFs, while not running into walls or Jon Jay or the dangerous Andrew Brown.
And in real time……….on a Sunday morning……… what is it thats bothering you Jumbo? Do you feel like talking about some bad dreams…………. was your porridge cold…………
I defended C Rasmus against doubted of his defense, from Andy van Slyke on down. I like his offensive approach this year too. TLR, Colby’s mother, and I could be on the same page.
Jumbo……… sometimes, when you do something so much……something that can be very intense, effecting you in ways that are hard to even characterize………… you become “insensitive” to the stimulus…..withdrawn…
RC knows that Colby is there right now………he knows that it is a dangerous place to be, and lets be honest……..bad things can happen when you loose the joy in your profession ……… a change in environment is one of the ways that is most common as an antidote for this problem………”go west young man” was the solution to many problems 200 years ago……….. a simple move in the direction of mystery and the challenge of open ground to express your true nature …………. Its a natural response from a father…………. and yes it is true…….sometimes fathers need to go west too………we all eventually do …… RC will recognize a play when theres one to be made…..he’s a gamer……..
Well Jumbo, I am not advocating that the Cardinals should trade Colby………but I do think he needs a change of scenery. For him.
That being said If the Cardinals offered Colby a long term deal today he would take it because he is actually happy in St. Louis. One year makes a big difference it appears.
Where people get knocked sideways is by thinking that I am on the phone every day with Colby telling him that he needs to be traded. Not the case. Its like Bling said yesterday, Colby has done some things that you dislike a player to do and you now think the worst every time you see him. That is the exact reason I believe he would be better somewhere else. Now I may very well be wrong but I’m not sure many fans here will ever embrace him for whatever reason.
And Jumbo, I don’t think Colby should be swinging for the fences but I am not a staunch supporter of not swinging the bat hard. I would personally trade off the K’s for the power numbers because now as he has slumped you don’t have average or power. His BABIP last year was high and I believe it was because he took a hack every swing so when he made contact it was hard contact. Balls hit harder tend to find more holes. This year he has hit a high number of ground balls as opposed to fly balls and when you hit a ton of ground balls without taking a big hack you hit soft ground balls which are caught more times than they are not.
And I do think his outfield play is better this year but his mistakes have been glaring so that we all focus in on them to the nth degree.
There is a segment of fans who will never be happy with Colby that is true. But there are also a lot of fans who are on the fence and are just looking for Colby to play hard, even if he makes mistakes. The former fans are not worth worrying about. The latter can be turned around. I am still in Colby’s corner but I need to see him play like you have assured us he can.
I agree Rasmus got hyperventilating expectations from fans on the way up in the minors. The Cards kind of did him a favor by moving Skip to 2B, to open up a reserve roster spot so Rasmus could be eased into the majors.
Now a full-time player, unrealistic expectations of the past lead to excessive criticisms. It takes many players 3+ years in the majors, before prepared to take their game to a higher level. Some fans used to berate Yadi when new, but he has turned out ok. Experience is an asset.
I agree Rasmus can hit the ball harder, but he still has this within him and can bring it back again.
Excessive criticisms is an understatement. Just now when Colby hit the RBI double and then stumbled going to third, one twitter follower’s only comment was to curse because he made an out.
I have said many times before that the umpiring this year is the worst I ‘ve ever seen. But I have never understood what good it does to argue with the umpires. You CANNOT WIN. The umpires have all the power. They know it and they use it.
Ridiculous AB by Molina…….and he a catcher………. Skip is stroking……….
Matt Carpenter trying to place the ball???????????? distorts the swing/bat head to do it???????? he has really fell in the ———-.
Molina knows that all they want to do is get him to roll over…… the first pitch was just a setup pitch, for the jam………..he knows that………. and he does it anyway………..
Markum is a solid tactical pitcher……he mixes some pretty good stuff in there………. he is not a dominant guy in my opinion………… the ball is around the strike zone…….. like Jay just did….you get yourself out by letting him move you around………..Jay caught leaning out with 2 strikes……and has to take the inside pitch……….. Molina rolls on his toes liiking to go the other way……nest pitch on his fists, and he offers??????? why all the guessing? Strike zone doesn’t move…….much.
Everyone has a dork attack at sometime or another………. the question was, why all the chop steps going into second base………… was he looking at the play or the base coach???….. mental dissonance??
Weeks can round them………….
See that step out play by Braun again………… it a play
no way I figure Tony lets him pitch to Fielder there……..Salas and the whole pen is ready………tragic loyalty………
WC, don’t you know better by now?
No outs to boot…………….. why carry Miller……..that was his spot…..his inning….and a transition to middle relief…………….
TLR should not have let Westbrook pitch to Fielder. Bad decision, game lost.
at that moment I was thinking Westbrook is done…get him out.
Great competitive at bat by Colby………… great defensive play………….. what can you do…….
hands looked better to me today. I see some pop coming in the near future. Good AB
The hands I like, the feet not so much.
Poor kid can’t win for losing can he?
Good game. The Cards got 3 runs out of only 5 hits, so were efficient. Westbrook tired in the 6th. Lets win the next series.
It was a good competitive game. Brewers just took advantage of Westbrook when he was losing it and that was it.
Missed the game but it seems like a carbon copy of yesterday. Top of rotation starter handed a lead, fails to hold it, offense can’t come back.
The only difference was there was an obvious decision to be made in the 6th and TLR blew it. Take out Westbrook after Braun and put in Motte or Miller to pitch to Fielder. That was the game right there.
BB people give it up……..Fielder is the best hitter in baseball right now…….. sinker was expected…sinker was delivered……..a little up……….. guy was starting to struggle in an important game, its a team sport……..day off…..fresh arms……Tony sometimes gets caught up in the Hero myth……………I wonder why…………
Bottom line………Marcum is a finesse pitcher………go after him, and you’re playing his game……..
You stay back…..on balance……and take the fastball OPO………if you are taking everything deep….the change up becomes his liability, not yours……….the guy could hit his spots……..but they were obvious spots………if you gave him credit for his accomplishments……… if he had a 95 mph fastball with the 76 mph change…..he beats everybody……… 89mph? you have time to set him up…….
Marcum pitched a smart game as well as a good one. You can usually get an idea how good the pitcher was by looking at how Berkman did. He’s a professional hitter. You’re not going to get him out all game because he’s not smart enough or observant enough to adjust to what he sees. You just have to be too good, that’s the only way to shut him off.
Marcum struck him out in the first and got him on a grounder in the sixth. The only time Berkman could really hurt him was the fourth with Jay on with a leadoff double. Marcum gave him nothing and gave up the walk. Smart.
When Fielder, on a tear, comes up in the middle of a rally with two in already and a man on, there has to be a pretty good reason to risk giving him anything. Jake new how his stuff was holding up, how is command was holding up, and how much gas he had left. And he knew that a walk wouldn’t have burried us. Jake is an experienced hand out there, and Tony was entitled to count on him to be smart. Jake lost it for us because he wasn’t smart, not because he wasn’t good.
All plausible BB………. have you checked out the grip…..and release of that pitch? It wasn’t that bad. Could of got a ground ball……….. but Fielder was trying to lift that thing……..and he did………. He walks Fielder and he’s out of the game anyhow…………… Tony didn’t like the Motte match up with Prince…who would……Sanchez is to wild ………. tough call if you think about it………..
Starters are unstable at this point………… Garcia is off center…….KMac goes against a guy we usually don’t hit…….and Lohse has Lanam…….Lefty………… If we don’t start pounding these pitchers, the swoon will go monsoon ………………. Washington is a big trap right now……..just like last year…… they will score runs…….we need all the injured to return………. the starters have lost there swaggers…every one of them right now………… Matt Carpenter is bust……..Brown got one AB….tried to make it memorable, may not get another……… Theriot has hit the wall……… and Pujols is smiling…….all bad omens…………
That’s what we need, but I’ll be happy if I just don’t have to see the pen in the 6th.
The Westbrook matchup with Fielder was better? After he had just given up hits to Weeks, Kotsay and Braun? Come on WC. Not a tough call. I bitch about TLR a lot, and most times there is an argument the other way, but this one was a no brainer.
I am going to have to call you on this one WC. Up above you said, “no way I figure Tony lets him pitch to Fielder there……..Salas and the whole pen is ready………tragic loyalty………”
I’m different CRD………I put in the part…….let it fail…..and get rid of it……..period. What I said was, “Tony, as he sees it, was protecting his fragile BP”…………… a pen that for him offered no solution.
The pitch to Fielder was a good pitch, by any other standards…….just not for Prince who eats up down and in…………….. We are in the swoon………just like last year……….we went into Washington and got our clocks cleaned……….. this looks allot like that……same pitchers pretty much……..
We have Descalso at third…….with Freese as the savior…….common. Greene is so useless, that he can’t even give our SS a rest…..who isn’t so useful himself………. Colby is having a crisis of some sort….he looks thin to me…..add addled to that……….Jay as an unpressured Big Leaguer, has alway went flat……shoot his hitting coach……… will Holiday run up against an entrenched AP……. of course he will…. I predict the arrival of mister DP himself in response… killing all RBI chances for the 4th spot. In all fairness, I think Yadi is playing above my my expectations for him…….whats wrong with that picture?……………… The starters have been holding up this team while the tiny hero’s punched away…….. now it appears they have tired (pitchers and tiny hero’s)……… we need to be able to execute bunts…DP’s…Sac flys……..but we don’t………….Tony said we were out managed……no sh– Sherlock ………. We win a laugher in Houston when he throws AP over too third, bringing Berkman in……….does that tell you anything……….any change is good change here…….AP is still a target…sometimes to be avoided now………but none the less…….predictable. He needs to hit 4th. He is not the “man” on a winning team…..only on a loser……..
An aside……………… Volkez stepped in some dodo in SF…….after a number of foolish plays, he makes a real foolish play………. Votto who had hit the ball…..was flaming him on his way to the dugout, Phillips scowling at Votto…..with racial undertones……. couldn’t hear what Joey said, but I’m guessing the Reds have their own problems……..as will the Brewers……… Toronto let a pitcher go for a reason, as did KC……… they have to face all the challenges of a big league schedule too………its the Pittsburgh’s and Houston’s and Washington’s that will decide this……..
If the front office was serious……..they would make a chemistry type of move……… because we need one………….will they? Lets face it……and this is the word……. the Craig at second//// Theriot nonsense, has undermined the currency that binds our rotation together…….its tough to get that drive going again………..what happens if Garcia loses to a no name on Tuesday????????? because they score 4 runs………..or if Kmac isn’t gold against a wily veteran……..or Lanam just no hits a team that can’t hit lefty’s??????????? and Lohse’s 3 runs are too much???? ………….it called free fall………
I know you’re different WC.
I was watching the Red/Giants when Volquez got nailed at 2B. Votto was clearly furious. I didn’t see Phillips’ reaction. Would have wanted to be a fly in the wall in that clubhouse.
I saw this on stltoday.com, the P-D site. Its the blurb referring to the Hummel article about Saturday’s game. In the article itself, Hummel doesn’t refer to Carp as the former ace, but there it is.
Carpenter hits wall
Brewers’ 5-3 win over the former ace
You think someone is ogling the salary bail opportunity ….maybe chumming the water a bit………… he would bring something nice in trade………….Yankees would die to have Carp…………. he puts them over the top…… all the guy needs is some runs………….. You can bet this much……….teams will be calling, not waiting around……there will be aggressive offers………………….
I don’t see how trading Carp can help us, unless we get a better starting pitcher. The starting rotation has no depth and trading Carp will just make it worse.
If we fall out of the race he’ll be worth more to a contender than to us.
Well I am not looking at us falling out of the race, are you?
Not at all. As the season wears on, we will get reenforcements, Holliday, McClellan, Punto, Freese. So I don’t think Carp will go.
The run support arguement is valid, but I don’t think its the whole story. An ‘ace’ quality pitcher should be able to win more than once in 14 starts with the support Carp has gotten. But not a whole lot more than once with the kind of defense he’s had behind him.
Carp is a leader………he is a feeder………the team has not followed his lead…….the success of the of the young pitchers was similar to AP being buried by Colby in front, and Holiday/Berkman behind……..
He needs to be leading………everyone is just watching him pull………. the Yankees score him runs out front, he feeds with the Hero’s…..he is an ace again………
Alls sorts of Aces out there BB……. Lincecum is an ace….. he is breaking down with personal problems……
The kind I’m talking about are the kind that kick our a$$. :>