The Cardinal Nation blog

Brian Walton's news and commentary on the St. Louis Cardinals (TM) and their minor league system

Post archive for ‘Players/Staff’

Two more Cardinals minor leaguers suspended

The St. Louis Cardinals have now had 19 drug-related suspensions of minor leaguers since 2005.

Pujols ties MLB career lead in 30-30 power seasons

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols now has as many 30 doubles-30 home run seasons as anyone in MLB history.

Pujols reaches 400 home runs in fifth fewest at-bats

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols became the 47th member of MLB’s 400 home run club, doing it in fewer at-bats than all but four of them.

Pujols third youngest to reach 400 home runs

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols has become the 47th member of MLB’s 400 home run club, doing it faster than all but two of them.

Pujols fans need to watch Votto… and Infante?

Could an unexpected challenger ruin the chase for the Triple Crown?

Pujols joins a more elite list than 400 homers

Albert Pujols hit his 33rd home run of the season Monday night. How does that stack up in the history books?

A Historical Look at Garcia’s Gem

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jaime Garcia tossed a three-hit shutout on Sunday. How often has it happened in the last 90 years?

Bissinger Blasts Birds

Buzz Bissinger, author and friend of Tony La Russa, makes a series of comments critical of the St. Louis Cardinals organization.

MLB’s quick discipline breeds inequity

An arbitrary agreement between MLB and the Players Union led to unfair discipline decisions – a systematic problem that should be fixed.

How rare is Steven Hill’s debut homer?

In his first major league contest, St. Louis Cardinals catcher Steven Hill hit a home run, the 11th time it has occurred in team history.

Wainwright among MLB’s elite, but is it good enough?

Based on success of others before him, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright’s pace though 113 games may have him on a track to win the Cy Young Award.

Matt Holliday and Albert Pujols chasing Curt Flood

In the last half-century, no St. Louis Cardinals hitter has had more seasons of four or more four-hit games than Curt Flood.

Carpenter builds historic streak against Cincinnati

Putting St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter’s nine consecutive wins against the Cincinnati Reds into historical context.

What to do with Kyle Lohse?

Considering from every angle the actions the St. Louis Cardinals could take with rehabbing pitcher Kyle Lohse.

Top Ten Reasons Why Kyle Lohse Doesn’t Want to Make a Fourth Rehab Start

Despite shaky results to date, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Kyle Lohse isn’t happy about having to make another minor league rehab start.

Westbrook’s whiff-fest

New St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jake Westbrook has been striking out NL opponents at a record pace.

Why the Cardinals need help at third base

Rookie David Freese’s season-ending injury and fill-in Felipe Lopez’ leadoff role mean RBIs from the St. Louis Cardinals third base position have been increasingly rare.

If Waino is the ace, Carp is the horse

At age 35, Chris Carpenter has been pitching deep into games for the St. Louis Cardinals this season.

Craig’s impressive RBI pace in early action

Rookie St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Allen Craig has seven RBI in his first 15 career games.

Jon Jay at 50 (games, that is)

After 50 games, outfielder Jon Jay has the third highest average of any St. Louis Cardinals player since 1920.

Westbrook’s first Cardinals start: A historical take

A look at how starting pitchers acquired in deadline deals prior to Jake Westbrook fared for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Closing the Cardinals books on Ludwick

Traded outfielder Ryan Ludwick had been one of St. Louis’ top two offensive leaders since his 2007 arrival.

Managing Garcia’s workload during a pennant race

What is the best way for the St. Louis Cardinals to manage their number three starter, rookie Jaime Garcia?

Reliever MacDougal’s rare introductory feat

New St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Mike MacDougal is the 23rd reliever to win in his first game with the team.

Hall of Fame Sunday thoughts

Anger over MLB’s Hall of Fame Sunday games and wonder about ESPN’s Sunday night choice.

Molina’s pickoffs: The recap

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina is amazingly proficient at picking off opposing baserunners.

Will Wainwright’s home pitching feats continue?

At Busch Stadium, Adam Wainwright has posted among the most impressive results of any pitcher in St. Louis Cardinals history.

Jay’s doubles among all-time Cards early leaders

Jon Jay has nine two-base hits in his first 38 games, joining just 16 other St. Louis Cardinals who could say the same.

Molina snaps out of it

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina has resumed driving in runs.

Time to revisit McClellan in the rotation?

The Cardinals need another dependable starter. They may have one in their bullpen.

The Cardinals ace: A changing of the guard?

Has Adam Wainwright supplanted Chris Carpenter as the St. Louis Cardinals’ ace – on paper, at least?

Can Jon Jay sustain?

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jon Jay has been a pleasant surprise in right field for the injured Ryan Ludwick. When Ludwick returns, can Jay keep it up?

Pujols and Holliday deliver with two out

The two big bats in the St. Louis Cardinals lineup have been driving in runs with two outs in 2010.

Ludwick greatly missed at Coors

Injured St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Ryan Ludwick is the team’s career leader in SLG and OPS in Denver.

Wainwright’s big July 4 boom stick

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright was the team’s top pitcher – and hitter – on Sunday.

Breaking down Pujols’ declining slugging percentage

What Albert Pujols is swinging at, where and resulting contact rate leads to a lower slugging percentage in 2010.

Trading Shelby Miller – legal or not?

Summarizing a Twitter discussion about rules regarding trading of recently-drafted players.

La Russa pal Bissinger rips Sweet Lou

One of the oddest and most famous of Twitter personalities aims a series of shots directly at the manager of the Chicago Cubs.

Cardinals starters exiting games early

St. Louis Cardinals starters have gone five innings or less in four consecutive games.

La Russa “Housecat Housecall” appearance on Saturday

St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa and family to appear on feline-focused television show Saturday morning.

Holliday serious about six consecutive hits

Picking out one of St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday’s hot hitting stats.

Cardinals organization roster matrix: 2010 short season

The St. Louis Cardinals full system roster view will reflect changes during the remainder of the 2010 regular season.

Skip moving up Cardinals leadoff hitter lists

Batting first, St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Skip Schumaker has been getting on base regularly.

Jeff Suppan solid in Cardinals return

Analyzing returned St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jeff Suppan’s four-inning outing on Tuesday evening.

Cardinals lead MLB with three starters with sub-3.00 ERAs

Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter and Jaime Garcia are among MLB’s top pitchers this season.

Suppan is a bad option, but not that bad

The St. Louis Cardinals added Milwaukee’s reject, Jeff Suppan. How much trouble will ensue?

Wainwright’s one-run or less outings ends

On Wednesday night, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright failed in his attempt for a fourth straight one or no run outing of seven innings or more.

The Cardinals’ Bud Norris club

The St. Louis Cardinals have been held to no runs by 11 opposing starters in the first 59 games in 2010.

Cepeda enters new Latin Baseball Hall of Fame

Ex-St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Orlando Cepeda is a Latin Baseball Hall of Famer.

Studying Adam Ottavino’s second start

Graphs tell the story of St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Adam Ottavino’s second start of his major league career.

Wainwright joins Cardinals two-hit complete game list

Adam Wainwright registered the 97th two-or-less hit complete game for the St. Louis Cardinals since 1952.

Cardinals extend MLB lead in stingy seven inning starts

No team has more seven or more inning starts with no or one run allowed this season than the St. Louis Cardinals.

Pujols breaks big home run game knot with McGwire

Albert Pujols had his fourth three-home run game on Sunday. Mark McGwire had just three as a St. Louis Cardinal.

Breaking Down Ottavino’s Debut

An over reliance on a fastball declining in velocity, no viable off-speed pitch and minimal pitching inside add up to a shaky debut for St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Ottavino.

Salas joined six other here and gone Cardinals #59s

Like a number of short-timers before him, St. Louis Cardinals reliever Fernando Salas wore number 59 for his one-game MLB introduction before returning to Triple-A.

Pujols extends decade multi-RBI game lead

Ho hum. Albert Pujols drove in multiple runs in Thursday’s game – again.

Jaime’s hard luck continues

St. Louis Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia already has three no-decision shutout outings this season.

A dozen strikeouts for Wainwright not enough

Adam Wainwright pitched a great game for the St. Louis Cardinals against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night, but great wasn’t great enough.

2010 Freese laps 2009 Cardinals third basemen

David Freese is delivering considerably better offensive production from the third base position than the St. Louis Cardinals received in 2009.

Ludwick: Mr. Clutch dons the golden sombrero

Streaky St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Ryan Ludwick had a rough day on Sunday, striking out four times.

Gibson watches Penny’s grand slam

Brad Penny is now one of a select group of St. Louis Cardinals pitchers with a grand slam. Bob Gibson, who watched Penny’s shot Friday night, has two.

Jaime Garcia tidbits from Wednesday’s wreckage

A handful of factoids relating to St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jaime Garcia.

Ludwick has earned clutch tag

On Tuesday, outfielder Ryan Ludwick collected his ninth final-at bat winning hit in the last three-plus years for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Three Cardinals on pace for 100 RBI

Three St. Louis Cardinals hitters have at least 24 RBI through the team’s first 39 games and are on pace for 100 RBI seasons.

Quality starts: And then, there was Jaime

Two of three St. Louis Cardinals starters working on quality start streaks saw them end over the weekend.

Ludwick the hit machine

Streaky Ryan Ludwick is in the midst of one of his hottest runs as a St. Louis Cardinal.

Garcia on Fernando’s rookie track

St. Louis Cardinals rookie Jaime Garcia’s 2010 start invokes memories of another left-hander from Mexico who made his MLB debut 30 years ago, Fernando Valenzuela.

Wainwright’s quality pitching continues

The St. Louis Cardinals Adam Wainwright has 25 quality starts in his last 26 outings, including all seven in 2010.

Garrett Jones, the Pirates’ Ryan Ludwick

The Pirates and Cardinals right fielders this weekend traveled long roads before achieving major league success.

Molina was everywhere Friday night

Yadier Molina found himself in the middle of most of the pivotal plays in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 4-3 series-opening win in Pittsburgh on Friday night.

Six reasons why Carpenter should defeat Pittsburgh

History is on the side of Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals Friday night in Pittsburgh.

Stavi’s hot pinch-hit home run pace

Nick Stavinoha is only one short of tying for the most pinch-hit home runs in a season by a Cardinal since Tony La Russa became manager in 1996.

Garcia invokes early memories of another “Lefty”

Of course it is early, but Jaime Garcia’s 2010 start matches that of a couple of Hall of Famers, including one named “Lefty.”

Lohse adds to list of Cardinals tough-luck starts

Kyle Lohse deserved a win on Saturday after tossing seven innings of one-run ball for the St. Louis Cardinals, but instead took a no-decision.

TCN blog’s Freese article featured on KSDK Channel 5

The Cardinal Nation Blog will again be highlighted on KSDK Channel 5, the Sunday home of the St. Louis Cardinals. This time, the focus is on David Freese’s six RBI on Thursday.

Rasmus’ unusual run-scoring day

On Thursday, St. Louis’ Colby Rasmus did something only four other Cardinals in team history had accomplished in a single game.

Freese’s six RBI in historical context

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman David Freese drove in six runs against the Atlanta Braves Thursday afternoon. We tell you how unique that is.

Penny matches Wainwright stingy streak

Two St. Louis Cardinals hurlers have current runs of four starts of seven innings or more and two or fewer earned runs. The last time it was done even once to start a season was in 1973.

Wainwright extends streak to four in Saturday loss

Three St. Louis Cardinals starters are working on pitching streaks of six innings or more while allowing two or fewer runs.

Did Lopez risk a “Canseco” by pitching injured?

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Felipe Lopez took the mound with a sore elbow, not disclosing pre-existing discomfort until afterward. Was he tough or careless?

Carp’s 10K report

Chris Carpenter added his name to an exclusive list on Thursday night with his second consecutive ten-strikeout game for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Cardinals starting streak broken at seven; not close to record

The St. Louis Cardinals’ run of seven consecutive starts of seven innings or more allowing two or fewer runs ended Tuesday night in Arizona. The team record may be 12, set in 1944.

Penny extends Cardinals starting streak to seven

The St. Louis Cardinals are working on run of seven consecutive starts of seven innings or more allowing two or fewer runs.

Wainwright extends Cardinals best streak in almost a quarter century

With his complete game on Sunday, St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright extended the team’s streak of seven or more innings pitched while allowing two or fewer earned runs to six games, longest since 1986.

Garcia extends Cardinals best starting streak since 1993

The St. Louis Cardinals are working on run of five consecutive starts of seven innings allowing two or fewer runs.

Lopez’ and Carpenter’s Friday feats

Felipe Lopez and Chris Carpenter powered the Cardinals to a comeback win over the Mets Friday. Each man’s feat was notable in the context of team history.

Cardinals organization roster matrix: 2010 regular season

The St. Louis Cardinals full system roster view will reflect changes during the 2010 regular season.

Another bad Bud idea: More MLB wild cards

Major League Baseball’s commissioner sees more Wild Card teams as “very attractive.”

The Cardinals’ Mike Leakes

Brothers Lindy and Von McDaniel along with Bob L. Miller joined the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1950’s without playing in the minor leagues first.

Pujols’ four runs scored put him in elite company

When he crossed the plate four times on opening day, Albert Pujols tied for the fourth-most such games in St. Louis Cardinals history.

The Cardinals organization roster matrix: Season-opening update

The St. Louis Cardinals full system view is refreshed to reflect tentative opening season rosters and extended spring camp invitees.

Smoltz clinging to the past while moving ahead

Former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher John Smoltz accepts three broadcasting jobs.

La Russa reacts to Pujols-Howard trade rumor

St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa didn’t mince words when asked about the Ryan Howard-Albert Pujols trade rumor.

La Russa sinks floating realignment speculation

A wild idea reportedly offered up in an MLB brainstorming session seems to have many overly concerned while a key member in the room denies it even came up.

Roger Dean Stadium protects McGwire’s backside

“Tasteless” radio station stunt targeted at Mark McGwire leads to banishment.

Fleischer losing clients

The man behind the Mark McGwire media plan has lost a couple of high-profile gigs.

Joe Rigoli, Professional Scouts Hall of Famer

Long-time St. Louis Cardinals scout received his profession’s highest honor.

A different kind of prospect list focused on 2010 impact

St. Louis Cardinals prospects stack up very differently when looking at potential contribution at the major league level this season.

Mozeliak ranks #18 in SI’s general manager rankings

The St. Louis Cardinals’ GM isn’t considered by a Sports Illustrated writer to be among the top half in his field.

Would La Russa and Torre have been the Yankees’ dream team?

Joe Torre recounts the story of how the Yankees wanted him as GM and Tony La Russa as manager back in October 1995. Imagine how the MLB landscape might have changed.