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Our focus will be on fantasy baseball, specifically the impact of Albert Pujols’ injury.
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“That All-Star first baseman is Lance Berkman, a Cardinals’ offseason acquisition, who moved to the outfield to play at Busch Stadium. Berkman took over for Pujols on Sunday, and he’s started four games there this season. Mozeliak and La Russa said it was too early to ink Berkman in as the replacement at first base. La Russa suggested that Berkman’s health might be helped by remaining in the outfield and leaving first base to a rotating cast of youths.”
Tony and Mo’s shared statements show that each is “game” and aware of the issues …………
The above statement is a counter to the insinuation made by the Cards that they may make a big short term move ……… a move that could be interpreted as another “exclusionary move” against AP having leverage in the fall………….. Tony knows that what ever happens, AP and his future are tied to together…………Tony is saying he will decide who will stand guard at the monument by first base…. that is in response to the Team position of six weeks minimum or longer…….no hedging, guaranteeing them the income needed to differ salary on a “rent a player”………
The real question is one of ethics…………… will TLR groom this teams accomplishments to his own needs………..or to their aspirations…………… after his many stunts on Sunday……… I personally have reservations ………..
To be clear……….. Berkman has been heroic in the outfield……but any idiot can see his legs are in jeopardy out there …….. all the talk about easier to play right than 1st……… had its purpose……but lets be serious ……….. the only possible reason Tony brings this up is an attempt in influence Mo’s decision on who the rent a player is, and what position they might have available…………. the game is at hand.
The overall team defense may actually improve by moving Berkman to first. The outfield defense certainly improves. If Mo wants to add to the roster, instead of trying to add offense to replace Pujols, which is impossible, why not shore up the defense to help the “ground ball”, “pitch to contact” pitching staff. A strong defensive shortstop would allow them to move Theriot to second base(it seems I read somewhere he is actually average to plus defensive second baseman, but prefers playing shortstop where he is most definitely a horrible liability). Then Schu can take turns in the outfield. I don’t mean counting on pipe dream of getting Jose Reyes, but an upgrade defensively at shortstop would be one way to go. I know Tony has a man crush on Theriot and probably wouldn’t ask him to move to second, but I’m just spit balling here.
The Cardinals have called up Mark Hamilton. I predict Hamilton will get most of the starts at 1B. TLR moving Theriot to 2B is a pipe dream. It is more than just a man crush, it is stubbornness to the extreme.
Prediction for you CRD………..if Tony does that………he doesn’t finish the season as coach (manager)………
Does what? Play Hamilton at 1B?
You’re spitting in the right direction anyway Lee………………
I think Punto is considered the SS option. Once Freese returns, Descalso is an option. Based on his play at 3rd he’d be an upgrade. But it all would depend on Tony’s willingnesss to bump Schu so Theriot’s bat would stay in the lineup. And once Craig comes back, he will probably get time at 2nd to get his bat in there.
TLR has already said DD will not play SS.
I need to read better. You meant DD is an option at 2B, right? Duh.
Craig isn’t going to play 2nd BB………..he will take 1st if anything……… if you recall there were a number of reason the starters tunneled ………… that attitude by Tony being one of them……….
I just read in Bernie’s column where a lot of fans are taking shots at Kozma for his throw to first. That is a direct result of TLRs post game comments after sunday’s game. Shame on him. First off Pujols has always used unorthodox footwork at first base. Many, including fan whipping boy Al Hrbowsky, predicted a possible injury caused by Alberts bad habits at first base. Now I grant you the play he was hurt on was just a freak play. To single out Kozma was extremely unfair. He went into the hole and tried to make a play. Tony wanted him to plant and throw. So now not only does Pujols get to power walk or lightly jog to first base when he hits a ground ball, but the infielders can’t make any low percentage throws to try and make a play for fear of getting Pujols hurt. Just my opinion.
Good post. Be prepared for the TLR is infallible crowd to jump on you though.
Imho blaming that freak injury on an errant throw is gonna make players hesitant to execute. No good can come from that
!st basemen are taught to stay out of the baseline when fielding, same as catchers are taught not to have their legs under them when going down to block. I don’t understand why some people (like Tony and Bochy) have trouble admitting that an experienced veteran can have a mental lapse in the heat of the moment.
Lineup: Theriot SS, Jay RF, Holliday LF, Berkman 1B, Rasmus CF, Molina C, Descalso 3B, McClellan P, Schumaker 2B
No real surprises there………. if Colby doesn’t get focused….Berkman won’t see a pitch………
The reason its weaker is they will be able to flip Berkman and deal with Colby in the same move………that has proven to be the pattern already……….. Tony doesn’t want Berkman going crazy as the three……………………….. real hard to figure out……………………….why that is………..
Is Bastardo considered a lefty specialist? He is legit against righties too, so maybe it doesn’t make a big difference, but Berkman in the three hole is what I would prefer.
LOL, I made a response to this post, but I think the filter may have blocked the Phillies lefty relievers name. Anyway, I simply stated he was legit against righties too, so it may not make much difference in tonights game, but I would prefer to see Berkman in the three spot.
Lets be honest about tactics……………… Philly’s want whats in our BP……….they will make KMac throw the breaking ball for a strike……….they will be looking at pitches…….. Utley and JRoll will be trying to stoke base hits……….they want him in the stretch…..and they want him out there for long periods….
Haladay is vulnerable early in the count………if we’re overly aggressive there…….and aren’t successful………..he will go the distance………… in other words……you will know the outcome of the game in the first 3 innings……………… If KMac doesn’t go 6……it gets ugly…………
Its going to be ugly.
Good grief, its Roy Halladay in town with the best team in the NL against the Albert-less Cards. Back away from your tvs now folks, hide the kids.
Up comes Ryan Howard. Batting .258, much less than Albert. 15 HRs only, though he plays in an easy HR park. Whats Mr. Howard make, maybe $25MM? He makes Pujols worth more than $30MM/yr easy.
Proud of Descalso for obtaining a hit. At least we will not be no-hit at home. I hate it when that happens.
Good call, Jumbo.
Well, K-Mac went 6+, and then it DID get REAL ugly!! I, for one, did not know the outcome in the first 3 innings…but I’m a little slow.
That went well……….nice breaking stuff early……..lets hope he can locate his fastball……as they will likely be hunting it.
Jay is back to his late swooping motion………. the kid is mental……..he just isn’t getting set…..
Haladay knows his weakness is the long ball……MH’s first cut got him walked……….Berkman chases early to a guy thats throwing allot of pitches and has walked 2………………..thanks for sending that runner Tony…………
Westie, in your professional opinion, is Jon Jay mental?
No Jumbo………..but he appears to be a career amateur …………..
I trust your judgment about who is mental. You were all over Khalil. If WCBW does not know nut jobs, I would like to know who does.
Why waste pitches on Howard. Just walk him.
That’ll come later…in a key moment.
The Phillies have been hitting like this…….as long as they do……staying away from Howard is wisdom..
Haladay is good …………….but he predictable………
Maybe the little men will be the hero’s……….. Kmac got away with a bad pitch there………..Halladay has 125……… KMac only a hundred……….we need to take a few “graded” swings here….. 1 base at a time…
Jay is just flapping at the plate……….that swing had nothing to do with that pitch, especially with a guy standing on third…………. his hands aren’t stopping at the back of his swing…….his reads suck…….
If Jay had gotten a hit with the same swing, he would be a genius.
Are you watching this game Jumbo……….likely not……. be quiet…….or be relevant.
Yeah, Jay hacks away. Can’t buy a walk. That should be exploited more than it is.
Westie take your own advice.
That was a big mental inning for KMac………he stands at 70 pitches through 6…….good stuff…..
RC…………Colby is making a better load move………… but he’s standing on the dish…….amplifying all his problems……….. He needs to be 6 inches back and looking to take that low and away pitch OPO… he can’t keep trying to pull everything………… Haladay lets him hit that foul ball rope….its just another strike.
WCBW, to heck with RC, you need to move to StL and take over as Colby’s tutor.
Nice hitting by Goad…………just trying to score that run……………….Kmac is puffing right now…he is likely finished…..1 more maybe………….. we got to there pen first…….advantage is still us.
Here comes Stutes, 9th round selection of the Cards, DNS
I wish we could squeeze………..like other teams…………
You always want whatever you do not have……..Predictable whining……..Its a smart formula, keep it up, its fooling some of the people some of the time!
Thats the bench again Jumbo………….. have a nice month…………..
Phills feeds had a nice shot of the Cardinals rotation paying there respects to Kmac…….. good bunch of guys……………………. it appears the the little men are rising out of the cornfields…..lets hope the destroyers put this away with a flourish…………
Miller against Utley and Howard. Gulp.
The ump is blind.
We will find out if Howard likes fastballs.
Everyone here has to decide for themselves what there seeing right now…………… A right handed breaking ball guy shuts them down………and now its match up??????? at all costs????? Wheres Boggs??????????…now you have Motte? against Howard??????????
Howard may not be able to catch up to Jason.
Smart play by Howard. He cannot hit it, so let it hit him.
Uh-oh.
TLR does not have any choices, with the lousy Tallet his only other lefty.
Lets get Franklin warming for the 9th.
Oh Sugar he called for Tallet anyway. Best to get Motte out of there. Lets see what Mr. 84 mph can achieve.
Good job Tallet old buddy, you must have popped a greenie out in the pen.
Oh goodness, I cant watch Tallet pitching to Francisco. What is Tony thinking.
Tony: WTH, why couldn’t Batista pitch to Franciso?
Its a post-Pujols fiasco shaping up.
Maybe I like Batista less for bases loaded situations.
Any doubt we need to add to pen instead of an infielder?
Tony is politicking KB………… this is how he does it ……… He hasn’t made moves like this all year……
Unless Tony is telling his relievers to stop throwing at the strike zone, I’m not sure that this can be laid at his feet.
He is saying he is tired of limping along with no move Nut……………. he is protesting…….. he wants some help………..some places you could loose your job doing this………….
I don’t think he could have planned that if he tried. It didn’t seem to be the result of matchups as much as poor pitching. Walks and HBPs scored
At least we have the boppers due up in the 8th.
what for BB???………………….. tony is insuring that he gets pitching…….not another “contestant”…..even for the most jaded readers here…….Tony is completely unemotional about whats happening…….he is making a statement………….as he did on Sunday……………
In that case, we need to lose by 1.
I hear some boos.
Never thought I would hear such loud cheers for a first strike in the 8th inning.
Okay. How many young guys can be called up to fill out the ‘pen?
Mo needs to get rid of Franklin and Tallet about a month ago.
Off with his head.
Is Cleto going to be spectacular, or a debacle????
At least when he misses the plate, he misses it quickly.
I think that Motte was the team’s best option. Might as well injure your opponents if you’re going to give them a free base. Accomplish something.
Good thinking.
Off wth his head, too.
I don’t know why I care anymore. Clearly Cardinal management doesn’t.
Welcome to the post Albert era, in which all the little guys rise up, because Albert has kept them down for so long.
Jumbo, if you are going to mock me, at least make sense doing it.
Just invoking Westie logic
Jumbo-is there such a thing as Westie logic? I think its just a ranbling mishmash of incoherent babble.
Ahhhhh, it’s Mr. Flame and Run.
Crdswmn-a fine comment coming from the master of the whiny reply. Since you are a lawyer i see why you like WC `s rambling nonsense.
That’s enough now, everyone. Your baseball comments are much appreciated, but simply posting shots at other posters is not okay. Please cut it out.
good one Bw
Well I know WC and you are no WC. Don’t quit your day job.
Crdswmn-just keep those tin foil hats on at your next meeting of the grassy knoll group.
Love the 100 mph stuff
It just means quicker walks if he can’t aim it.
Cleto is clearly not yet a major league pitcher.
He’s hardlhy spent any time at AA. This is good training for Cleto. Someday he may make Crdswmn forget Brendan. Just not tonight.
Oh, sure. You have to like his potential. There would be better options to fill out the major league roster, however. They can’t simply call up anyone with a 40-man roster spot.
Kopp and Samuel can be removed from the 40 man, freeing two spots. Franklin and Tallet can be released freeing two more. Then the Cards could bring up Marte, Valdes, and Ottavino.
What I do not like is protecting vets like Franklin and Tallet. They have to go, because we need more useful pitchers.
The only thing good about this game is it puts pressure on Mo to get off the dime.
Jumbo- would like to see Valdes and Ottavino get a shot.Tallet and Franklin or Batista can say sayanora anytime.
100mph beachballs.
Well, its nothing that two salamis can’t cure.
There, that was not so ugly now was it?
I hang this stinker on Mozeliak. Franklin and Tallet needed to go a month ago. What are we running here, a retirement community for lousy relievers? TLR needs a stronger pen.
He’s waiting for the market to go up.
You forgot old man Batista.
Batista sucked tonight, big time, but I keep him around for now.
Rather have Ottavino instead of Batista.Got to look ahead instead of the past.
Batista was awful tonight, but is still well ahead of Tallet and Franklin. The latter two are dead wood that a competitive team cannot keep on its roster.
You keep Batista even when he has thrown more walks than strikeouts on the season?
Nutlaw, in the case of Batista this ratio is not important. It does not reflect what his game is about. The guy throws a 93 mph sinker. After thousands of innings in the rear view mirror, Batista is not a starter anymore, but he still has a good fastball for an inning. He is not trying to strike people out and he will pitch around hitters, so he will walk people. Tonight was awful of course, but he has been better. Tallet was terrible last season and it has carried over, so he seems done. Franklin seems done.
I’m actually at ease with this now…………. obviously a little tension between Tony and the Front office…………… this will be an interesting week…………
You called it Westie. We got rid of the cancer and everybody manned up. Good thinking.
Oh yeah, because Albert was the best relief pitcher we had.
Crdswmn, you do not seem to grasp the psychological aspects of the game, as taught by the master. Albert’s presence held down all the rest of the roster, including pitchers. I agree with you, this seems unlikely.
Jumbo, if you never believe a word I say believe this—–I know more about what WC is about than you ever will.
crdwmn, rest assured I believe you. I have no interest in what Westie is about.
I like that he is uninhibited. He is a musician, a good thing. And for baseball, I enjoy his “………………………….”es. These seem very peaceful.
The group has no moderator………..so I will take my leave again in protest…….. my apologies to the thoughtful new board members ……….. it is you that define what this group is………. say so……..
Why don’t you just ignore Jumbo and BW? It’s not like it’s hard to do.
Right, I have been ignoring you both for years. Cheer up.
What’s the name of that Abba song? Drama Queen? Oh, I guess it is actually Dancing Queen. Westie just got me confused.
Okay, Westie…I get the message…
“SETTLE DOWN, EVERYBODY! Baseball is a fun game; if you don’t have fun watching it, maybe you should try something else. I’m not saying I don’t get frustrated and upset when we BLOW a game like last nights’, but the world continues spinning just fine this morning. Life is good…and so are the CardBirds…and so are you!”
FM-nice thoughts………………………that said you won`t stop the Western windbag or the leader od the ANTI-TLR group.They rant loudly and often.
Whats the bright side? Nifty game by McClellan.
We eked out a couple of runs against a good pitching staff.
And there is now one less game remaining to be played before Albert’s return.
Now that’s the ticket, Jumbo! There really ARE things to be thankful for.
I wonder what “Plan B” is?
Cardinals have released Batista and brought up Lynn from Memphis for the bullpen.
They need to release Franklin and Tallet as well. Bring up Valdes to replace Tallet.
I’m with you. One down. Two to go.
Tallet is next to go IMHO.Franklin stays a while longer to see if he can fill any role.Lance Lynn needs to go to the rotation and Mac to the pen.Thats my hope.
I hope that doesn’t mean that the office thinks we don’t still need outside help for the pen. Hopefully just a band-aid for now.
Fair enough, but I’m actually happy to see Lynn get a longer look. He has put up solid numbers in Memphis.