PYTHAGOREAN BLUES
The Cardinals have seemingly lost an impossible number of close games to start the season, and currently are 9-10. But it's still too early to think about how performance in close games will affect their final season record. Using Bill James Pythagorean formula for runs scored, the Cardinals project to be about 11-8 right now. That's only a difference of two games, but it seems big when projecting it over a whole season. For one thing, the projections get closer to the teams actual winning percentage. The Cards current Pythagorean winning percentage is about .595, which translates to a 95 or 96 win season. Their current actual pace based on wins and losses would be 76 or 77 wins. So a couple close losses can skew the projection mightily at this early point in the season. The Cards are only two wins off where they "should" be and as long as their luck turns around, which it surely will at some point, there's no reason to worry about such things yet.
Thursday, April 24, 2003
LET'S GO AROUND THE HORN (LEAGUE)
This is something I did two Thursdays ago and that I am going to try to do every Thursday, looking at the other matchups in the league and talking about what is interesting about them. First, though, I have to make one more comment about last night's game. Kerry Robinson sucks. Not only does he always make an out, but he usually makes it on the first or second pitch of the at-bat. He is every pitcher's dream. A guy with no power, and no plate discipline. If two teams full of Kerry Robinson's played each other, you'd have nine innings go by in about forty-five minutes. Of course, the game would have to continue because there would be no runs scored. Meanwhile, Eli Marrero is looking more like the Eli Marrero of 2000-01 than the Eli of last year. He is batting under .100. He and Tino had back-to-back pop-ups that made it about a combined fifty feet from home plate. Tino's was an 0-2 pitch right down the middle. Of course he got a hit in the ninth with one out and nobody on. GRRRR!!!!!! Everybody can talk about how we've got such a great and balanced lineup, but the absence of Pujols exposes that there is a huuuuuge drop-off once you get away from the heart of the order, especially now that Palmeiro and Matheny have returned to Earth. Let Albert play, dammit!!!!!!!
SAN FRANCISCO (16-4) AT PITTSBURGH (10-10)
Why the hell isn't Rich Aurilia, my fantasy shortstop, playing? The human out machine Neifi Perez is in there instead. The one problem with old managers like Felipe Alou is that they see some kind of incredible value in Neifi Perez. Lee Sinins', a baseball sabermetrician who has devised his own formula for evaluating players offensive contributions, would probably say that Perez has had more negative impact offensively than any other player in Major League history. He has already pleased his fans by making an out in this game. Looks like Pirate ace Kris Benson got out of a first-inning jam by doubling off Barry Bonds on a lineout back to him from Jose Cruz, Jr. It's been all about pitching for the offensively-challenged Pirates, who are really struggling to score runs without Brian Giles. Craig Wilson is championed by statheads as one of those bats that needs to be "freed" and they are right, but he hasn't gotten regular AB's this season and has struggled. He is now 2-21 on the season after making an out in the second inning. Jeff Suppan is 4-0 for the Bucs, but they got bad news on Giles injury, i.e. possibly another month, and they will struggle to stay close to .500 without him. The Giants have been world-beaters with the hot start of Jose Cruz and by Barry being Barry. But what's really propelled them has been a great bullpen in the basence of Robb Nen, and a little luck, as the G-Men have one more than their share of close ones in the opening weeks. It will be interesting to see if Tim Worrell, F-Rod, and the gang can keep it up, because it looks like Nen could be out until the all-star break, something I feared all along.
MINNESOTA (9-11) AT KANSAS CITY (15-3)
Can the Royals really be 15-3? Is it possible? Well, they are, though it helps that they've played six games against the Tigers and won them all. Their schedule will get tougher, and Jeremy Affeldt is on the DL with blister problems again, so that hurts. But their bullpen has been great, with fireballers D.J. Carrasco, Ryan Bukvich, Kris Wilson and Mike MacDougal. MacDougal's ball looks like some kind of heat-seeking missile as it moves through the strike zone at nearly 100 mph. Scary, but he's going to have to learn how to throw more strikes if he is to be truly dominant. The Royals have benefitted from a soft schedule so far, but the longer they keep playing well, the more likely it is that they'll break .500 and contend in the AL Central. Chris George is hurling today, and he still looks like a work in progress. The youth of the pitching staff and the fact that Brent Mayne will cease being King Kong at the plate soon will probably contribute to a Royals fade, but boy are people in KC a lot more excited than they were a month ago. Meanwhile, the Twins have had enough of the Yankees, who have swept them twice. The jury is still out on Minnesota, who has been inconsistent and had an imbalanced schedule to start the season. Just keep sending Bobby Kielty out there, Mr. Gardenhire. Has anyone else noticed that Ron Gardenhire looks like he should be Kerry Wood's dad? Twins-Royals are scoreless through three as KC tries to become the first team since the '87 Yankees to win their first ten home games. If the Royals are still in first, it will make for a quite interesting I-70 series when they and the Cards have their home-and-home series this summer, the one that the Cards cleaned up in last year.
BOSTON (14-7) AT TEXAS (9-12)
Kevin Millar is not playing either??? What's the friggin conspiracy?? Millar has been one of the hottest bats for the Sox, who have overcome the early-season, closer-by-committee controversy to jump out to a strong start, not that it's probably going to matter since they are pretty much a second-place lock. My prediction of them as the wild-card team in the AL is looking pretty strong at this early juncture. They've got a lot of offense and they've had some relievers step up and do the job for them lately, notably former Cardinal Mike Timlin and waiver wire pickup Brandon Lyon. Chad Fox has also rebounded from a bad start and is now the "closer" or the closest thing to it for the Red Sox. As always, the Rangers just don't have enough pitching. John Thomson had onoe of those games he has every now and then the other night, but they are too few and far between for this staff. They just cannot seem to find the magic formula. Ryan Drese is starting today and doing poorly, AGAIN. On the bright side, Hank Blalock is pounding the ball, batting .424 currently. Mark Teixeira is struggling. He shows flashes of his power, but is batting only .161. The Rangers look destined for another last place finish in their personal hell known as the AL West.
This is something I did two Thursdays ago and that I am going to try to do every Thursday, looking at the other matchups in the league and talking about what is interesting about them. First, though, I have to make one more comment about last night's game. Kerry Robinson sucks. Not only does he always make an out, but he usually makes it on the first or second pitch of the at-bat. He is every pitcher's dream. A guy with no power, and no plate discipline. If two teams full of Kerry Robinson's played each other, you'd have nine innings go by in about forty-five minutes. Of course, the game would have to continue because there would be no runs scored. Meanwhile, Eli Marrero is looking more like the Eli Marrero of 2000-01 than the Eli of last year. He is batting under .100. He and Tino had back-to-back pop-ups that made it about a combined fifty feet from home plate. Tino's was an 0-2 pitch right down the middle. Of course he got a hit in the ninth with one out and nobody on. GRRRR!!!!!! Everybody can talk about how we've got such a great and balanced lineup, but the absence of Pujols exposes that there is a huuuuuge drop-off once you get away from the heart of the order, especially now that Palmeiro and Matheny have returned to Earth. Let Albert play, dammit!!!!!!!
SAN FRANCISCO (16-4) AT PITTSBURGH (10-10)
Why the hell isn't Rich Aurilia, my fantasy shortstop, playing? The human out machine Neifi Perez is in there instead. The one problem with old managers like Felipe Alou is that they see some kind of incredible value in Neifi Perez. Lee Sinins', a baseball sabermetrician who has devised his own formula for evaluating players offensive contributions, would probably say that Perez has had more negative impact offensively than any other player in Major League history. He has already pleased his fans by making an out in this game. Looks like Pirate ace Kris Benson got out of a first-inning jam by doubling off Barry Bonds on a lineout back to him from Jose Cruz, Jr. It's been all about pitching for the offensively-challenged Pirates, who are really struggling to score runs without Brian Giles. Craig Wilson is championed by statheads as one of those bats that needs to be "freed" and they are right, but he hasn't gotten regular AB's this season and has struggled. He is now 2-21 on the season after making an out in the second inning. Jeff Suppan is 4-0 for the Bucs, but they got bad news on Giles injury, i.e. possibly another month, and they will struggle to stay close to .500 without him. The Giants have been world-beaters with the hot start of Jose Cruz and by Barry being Barry. But what's really propelled them has been a great bullpen in the basence of Robb Nen, and a little luck, as the G-Men have one more than their share of close ones in the opening weeks. It will be interesting to see if Tim Worrell, F-Rod, and the gang can keep it up, because it looks like Nen could be out until the all-star break, something I feared all along.
MINNESOTA (9-11) AT KANSAS CITY (15-3)
Can the Royals really be 15-3? Is it possible? Well, they are, though it helps that they've played six games against the Tigers and won them all. Their schedule will get tougher, and Jeremy Affeldt is on the DL with blister problems again, so that hurts. But their bullpen has been great, with fireballers D.J. Carrasco, Ryan Bukvich, Kris Wilson and Mike MacDougal. MacDougal's ball looks like some kind of heat-seeking missile as it moves through the strike zone at nearly 100 mph. Scary, but he's going to have to learn how to throw more strikes if he is to be truly dominant. The Royals have benefitted from a soft schedule so far, but the longer they keep playing well, the more likely it is that they'll break .500 and contend in the AL Central. Chris George is hurling today, and he still looks like a work in progress. The youth of the pitching staff and the fact that Brent Mayne will cease being King Kong at the plate soon will probably contribute to a Royals fade, but boy are people in KC a lot more excited than they were a month ago. Meanwhile, the Twins have had enough of the Yankees, who have swept them twice. The jury is still out on Minnesota, who has been inconsistent and had an imbalanced schedule to start the season. Just keep sending Bobby Kielty out there, Mr. Gardenhire. Has anyone else noticed that Ron Gardenhire looks like he should be Kerry Wood's dad? Twins-Royals are scoreless through three as KC tries to become the first team since the '87 Yankees to win their first ten home games. If the Royals are still in first, it will make for a quite interesting I-70 series when they and the Cards have their home-and-home series this summer, the one that the Cards cleaned up in last year.
BOSTON (14-7) AT TEXAS (9-12)
Kevin Millar is not playing either??? What's the friggin conspiracy?? Millar has been one of the hottest bats for the Sox, who have overcome the early-season, closer-by-committee controversy to jump out to a strong start, not that it's probably going to matter since they are pretty much a second-place lock. My prediction of them as the wild-card team in the AL is looking pretty strong at this early juncture. They've got a lot of offense and they've had some relievers step up and do the job for them lately, notably former Cardinal Mike Timlin and waiver wire pickup Brandon Lyon. Chad Fox has also rebounded from a bad start and is now the "closer" or the closest thing to it for the Red Sox. As always, the Rangers just don't have enough pitching. John Thomson had onoe of those games he has every now and then the other night, but they are too few and far between for this staff. They just cannot seem to find the magic formula. Ryan Drese is starting today and doing poorly, AGAIN. On the bright side, Hank Blalock is pounding the ball, batting .424 currently. Mark Teixeira is struggling. He shows flashes of his power, but is batting only .161. The Rangers look destined for another last place finish in their personal hell known as the AL West.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOORING
The Cards aren't exactly playing a thrilling brand of baseball right now. They dropped their fourth in a row last night, losing 4-2 to the Braves. They didn't score until Jim Edmonds blasted a two-run homer off of Darren Holmes in the ninth. They managed to get the go-ahead run to the plate in the ninth after John Smoltz came in, but it was the same old story as St. Louis failed to get the big hit when they needed it. Greg Maddux used around 80 pitches to pitch 7 innings, as the Cards flailed away early in the count. Another very good start by Matt Morris was wasted. After he gave up back-to-back solo homers in the first to Marcus Giles and Gary Sheffield, Morris was nearly perfect the rest of the way. Those runs were the only blemishes in his seven innings of work, but he took the loss, and Matty Mo aired out his frustration by dropping an f-bomb well within the audio range of the ESPN dugout camera after he came out. More on the Redbirds continuing struggles later.
The Cards aren't exactly playing a thrilling brand of baseball right now. They dropped their fourth in a row last night, losing 4-2 to the Braves. They didn't score until Jim Edmonds blasted a two-run homer off of Darren Holmes in the ninth. They managed to get the go-ahead run to the plate in the ninth after John Smoltz came in, but it was the same old story as St. Louis failed to get the big hit when they needed it. Greg Maddux used around 80 pitches to pitch 7 innings, as the Cards flailed away early in the count. Another very good start by Matt Morris was wasted. After he gave up back-to-back solo homers in the first to Marcus Giles and Gary Sheffield, Morris was nearly perfect the rest of the way. Those runs were the only blemishes in his seven innings of work, but he took the loss, and Matty Mo aired out his frustration by dropping an f-bomb well within the audio range of the ESPN dugout camera after he came out. More on the Redbirds continuing struggles later.
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
THE MINORS
The Memphis Redbirds have struggled, starting out 7-13, which to be honest, was probably expected, given the little depth that the Cards have in the high minors, particularly at the plate. When you're scoring just over three runs a game, you're going to lose more than you win, no matter what leagure you're in. Really the only offensive threat on the team presently is Jon Nunnally, a minor-league journeyman who already has six home runs, six doubles and thirteen walks. This is one of the best stretches of Nunnally minor-league career and he may get a callup as a reserve in St. Louis if the injuries continue. Meanwhile, the Cards signed Chris Widger to a minor-league contract. Widger has been a backup catcher for several major-league teams and just lost out on the backup job for the Yankees in the spring. He has hit well since joining the team and may be a better alternative than Eli Marrero, who is still nursing an injured thigh, at this point. Pitching-wise, the bullpen continues to be the strength of the team as they wait for Mike Crudale to come back. However, the much-maligned Cardinal bullpen has actually not been that bad, so who knows if or when we'll see the likes of Gabe Molina, Matt Duff, or Kevin Joseph. Kevin Ohme did okay in his stint with the big club but was sent back down to make room for Drew. Jimmy Journell has struggled, posting a 5.55 ERA in his first four starts. Not a good sign for the Cards only real "prospect" at the AAA level. So far Nerio Rodriguez and Jason Ryan have been Memphis' best starters.
The Tennessee Smokies are 11-7 despite not having a great offense either. The difference has been the pitching. Bucky Jacobsen, a mino-league vet, is the only player to hit more than one homer in the first eighteen games. Infielders Dennis Abreu and Caonabo Cosme are hitting .286 and .310 respectively. Yadi Molina isn't putting up big numbers, but is doing okay after leapfrogging High-A ball. Pitching is where the studs are at. Danny Haren has erased any doubt about who the number one prospect in the organization is. He has been dominant in his first four starts, winning all three decsions and posting a 1.38 ERA over 26 innings with a 20/3 K-BB ratio. Nick Stocks also looks like he may be turning a corner, as he has pitched well in all three of his starts. Rhett Parrott hasn't had consistency in his first few starts but has a wonderful 23/4 K-BB ratio. Haren and Parrott could both make it to AAA by the end of the year. If Haren's stock keeps rising, he could be viewed as a candidate for the St. Louis rotation sometime in 2004. The bullpen has been rock-solid, with B.R. Cook and Jason Pearson both allowing zero runs in 10 2/3 innings so far this season. Rick Ankiel has only thrown six innings, allowing two earned runs. He has been a bit wild, walking five, but he has fanned nine.
It's been tough going for the High-A Palm Beach Cardinals, many of whom were on last year's Midwest League championship team in Peoria. There is simply no offense. Shaun Boyd has slumped after an electric start, and Gabe Johnson and Chris Duncan aren't showing the power they did last year, as playing so many games in a pitcher's park has appeared to demoralize the team offensively. On the bright side, there is plenty of good pitching. Chris Narveson and Justin Pope have pitched well in three of their four starts. Pope has allowed only four runs in his last three starts after getting hit around in his opener. Narveson has his ERA down to 2.63. Blake Williams and Tyler Johnson have both looked good as they continue to return from injuries. Johnson has used his big hook to K 16 batters in his first 13 innings and Williams has allowed only four earned runs over his first seventeen innings.
Life is still good for the Peoria Chiefs, though they have dropped five of their last eight to fall to 13-6. There are still several hitters with high OPS figures. Terry Evans is slugging oer .500, while Travis Hanson is getting on base at a .400 clip and slugging .610 with 22 ribbies. John Santor is batting an eye-popping .390, with OBA and SLG over .500. He is 23-59 with 14 walks, four doubles, and two dongs. One of the most encouraging developments has been Tyler Parker, who was considered a steal as an 8th-round draft pick at Catcher last June but struggled in his debut. He is now showing what Baseball America called the best raw power among Cardinal minor-leaguers, slugging .550 with three homers and three doubles in his first 40 AB's. Matt Lemanczyk is looking like an exciting leadoff man, stealing 8 bases in 9 attempts and posting a .397 OBA so far. Miguel Martinez and Tyler Adamczyk both got knocked around a little in their last outing, but still have good ERA's and Blake Hawksworth has been lights-out, with 27 K's and just six walks in 24 innings. His WHIP is sitting at about 0.80 right now, and he's looking like one of the system's best candidates for a quick move up this summer.
That's the minors, and it's the same ol' story. Lots of Arms, not many bats. It's very encouraging to see the potential hitters the Cards have at Peoria because the rest of the system is bone-dry.
The Memphis Redbirds have struggled, starting out 7-13, which to be honest, was probably expected, given the little depth that the Cards have in the high minors, particularly at the plate. When you're scoring just over three runs a game, you're going to lose more than you win, no matter what leagure you're in. Really the only offensive threat on the team presently is Jon Nunnally, a minor-league journeyman who already has six home runs, six doubles and thirteen walks. This is one of the best stretches of Nunnally minor-league career and he may get a callup as a reserve in St. Louis if the injuries continue. Meanwhile, the Cards signed Chris Widger to a minor-league contract. Widger has been a backup catcher for several major-league teams and just lost out on the backup job for the Yankees in the spring. He has hit well since joining the team and may be a better alternative than Eli Marrero, who is still nursing an injured thigh, at this point. Pitching-wise, the bullpen continues to be the strength of the team as they wait for Mike Crudale to come back. However, the much-maligned Cardinal bullpen has actually not been that bad, so who knows if or when we'll see the likes of Gabe Molina, Matt Duff, or Kevin Joseph. Kevin Ohme did okay in his stint with the big club but was sent back down to make room for Drew. Jimmy Journell has struggled, posting a 5.55 ERA in his first four starts. Not a good sign for the Cards only real "prospect" at the AAA level. So far Nerio Rodriguez and Jason Ryan have been Memphis' best starters.
The Tennessee Smokies are 11-7 despite not having a great offense either. The difference has been the pitching. Bucky Jacobsen, a mino-league vet, is the only player to hit more than one homer in the first eighteen games. Infielders Dennis Abreu and Caonabo Cosme are hitting .286 and .310 respectively. Yadi Molina isn't putting up big numbers, but is doing okay after leapfrogging High-A ball. Pitching is where the studs are at. Danny Haren has erased any doubt about who the number one prospect in the organization is. He has been dominant in his first four starts, winning all three decsions and posting a 1.38 ERA over 26 innings with a 20/3 K-BB ratio. Nick Stocks also looks like he may be turning a corner, as he has pitched well in all three of his starts. Rhett Parrott hasn't had consistency in his first few starts but has a wonderful 23/4 K-BB ratio. Haren and Parrott could both make it to AAA by the end of the year. If Haren's stock keeps rising, he could be viewed as a candidate for the St. Louis rotation sometime in 2004. The bullpen has been rock-solid, with B.R. Cook and Jason Pearson both allowing zero runs in 10 2/3 innings so far this season. Rick Ankiel has only thrown six innings, allowing two earned runs. He has been a bit wild, walking five, but he has fanned nine.
It's been tough going for the High-A Palm Beach Cardinals, many of whom were on last year's Midwest League championship team in Peoria. There is simply no offense. Shaun Boyd has slumped after an electric start, and Gabe Johnson and Chris Duncan aren't showing the power they did last year, as playing so many games in a pitcher's park has appeared to demoralize the team offensively. On the bright side, there is plenty of good pitching. Chris Narveson and Justin Pope have pitched well in three of their four starts. Pope has allowed only four runs in his last three starts after getting hit around in his opener. Narveson has his ERA down to 2.63. Blake Williams and Tyler Johnson have both looked good as they continue to return from injuries. Johnson has used his big hook to K 16 batters in his first 13 innings and Williams has allowed only four earned runs over his first seventeen innings.
Life is still good for the Peoria Chiefs, though they have dropped five of their last eight to fall to 13-6. There are still several hitters with high OPS figures. Terry Evans is slugging oer .500, while Travis Hanson is getting on base at a .400 clip and slugging .610 with 22 ribbies. John Santor is batting an eye-popping .390, with OBA and SLG over .500. He is 23-59 with 14 walks, four doubles, and two dongs. One of the most encouraging developments has been Tyler Parker, who was considered a steal as an 8th-round draft pick at Catcher last June but struggled in his debut. He is now showing what Baseball America called the best raw power among Cardinal minor-leaguers, slugging .550 with three homers and three doubles in his first 40 AB's. Matt Lemanczyk is looking like an exciting leadoff man, stealing 8 bases in 9 attempts and posting a .397 OBA so far. Miguel Martinez and Tyler Adamczyk both got knocked around a little in their last outing, but still have good ERA's and Blake Hawksworth has been lights-out, with 27 K's and just six walks in 24 innings. His WHIP is sitting at about 0.80 right now, and he's looking like one of the system's best candidates for a quick move up this summer.
That's the minors, and it's the same ol' story. Lots of Arms, not many bats. It's very encouraging to see the potential hitters the Cards have at Peoria because the rest of the system is bone-dry.
I'M BACK!!!! THE CARDINALS OFFENSE HAS LEFT
Hi everyone, and sorry for neglecting my writing the last week or so. I've been busy, out-of-town, and my keyboard has been broken. All problems are over and solved!!! However, a whole new rash of problems in my sports-related life has emerged. This has been one of the worst weeks for my sports teams that I can remember in a long time. My beloved University of Illinois Fighting Illini lost their basketball coach, when he decided to sell them out for Kansas. The Blues choked away a playoff series, calling the question to my attention of "Why exactly do you root for the Blues, Mike? They're nothing but guaranteed heartache. Well, I can't help it, but it's going to be tough to watch the next round of the NHL playoffs with this sick feeling in my stomach, probably much like the flu bug that Scott Mellanby got that started this monumental collapse.
But alas, this is a site dedicated to the Cards. And boy have they been stinking it up lately too. A great win last Friday by Woody "I just don't give up runs" Williams had the Birds at 9-6, but coincided with the news that Albert Pujols will not play regularly for the next three weeks because he sprained an elbow ligament while making a throw from the outfield on the last day of the series in Houston. Since then, the Cardinals offense has gone into hibernation. A pair of one-run losses over the weekend put the Cards at an incredibly unlucky 0-6 in one-run games. Simontacchi pitched better, but still not very good on Saturday, giving up a 2-run homer to Luis Gonzalez on an 0-2 pitch that pretty much decided the game, as well as giving up a 2-out double to Bung-Hyun Kim, the pitcher. Brett Tomko was brilliant on Sunday, giving up just one run in eight innings, but the Cards were shut out. This just doesn't seem to be a team that the powers that be like very much. I mean, what is next?, now that Pujols has gone down with such a bizarre thing that it seems it could only happen to the Cardinals. Albert is only going to be available as a pinch-hitter for at least the next two weeks apparently. His injury couldn't have come at a worse time, as Orlando Palmeiro and Mike Matheny have cooled off considerably, Rolen has gone in to an 0-for-16 slump and Vina has returned as an unproductive leadoff hitter, though he did have three hits last night.
J.D. Drew was activated from the DL Sunday and got his first hit last night, hitting the ball hard a couple of times. The Cardinals really need him to go on a tear without the services of Pujols. The good news is that the NL Central isn't looking that strong. The Cubs are off to a hot start, but have played an easy schedule and will wear down a little. The Astros just don't look to have the combination of hittign and pitching that many predicted they would, and Pittsburgh is simply average. But I also don't think the Cardinals can win ninety games with Stephenson, who was horrible in last night's 5-3 loss to the Braves, the new Cardinal killers, and Simontacchi at the back end of the rotation. Word from ESPN's Jayson Stark is that Chuck Finley is still a possibility to sign with the Cards and everyone would welcome Chuck with open arms right about now. If the Cards stay in the hunt, we could be looking at another trade deadline pitching acquisition, depending on what Chris Carpenter is ready to do. Tonight Matt Morris is assuming the role of rotation stopper, as in trying to stop the Cards three-game losing streak. Greg Maddux is going for the Braves. The Cards usually pound him or get shut out, and with the way the offense has been going, that's a slightly scary thought. But maybe tonight is a breakout night. Let's hope so. I'll return with a minor-league report later and I'll talk about some of the things I wanted to talk about last week, including Lee Sinins' and Will Carroll's report on the abuse of young pitchers.
Hi everyone, and sorry for neglecting my writing the last week or so. I've been busy, out-of-town, and my keyboard has been broken. All problems are over and solved!!! However, a whole new rash of problems in my sports-related life has emerged. This has been one of the worst weeks for my sports teams that I can remember in a long time. My beloved University of Illinois Fighting Illini lost their basketball coach, when he decided to sell them out for Kansas. The Blues choked away a playoff series, calling the question to my attention of "Why exactly do you root for the Blues, Mike? They're nothing but guaranteed heartache. Well, I can't help it, but it's going to be tough to watch the next round of the NHL playoffs with this sick feeling in my stomach, probably much like the flu bug that Scott Mellanby got that started this monumental collapse.
But alas, this is a site dedicated to the Cards. And boy have they been stinking it up lately too. A great win last Friday by Woody "I just don't give up runs" Williams had the Birds at 9-6, but coincided with the news that Albert Pujols will not play regularly for the next three weeks because he sprained an elbow ligament while making a throw from the outfield on the last day of the series in Houston. Since then, the Cardinals offense has gone into hibernation. A pair of one-run losses over the weekend put the Cards at an incredibly unlucky 0-6 in one-run games. Simontacchi pitched better, but still not very good on Saturday, giving up a 2-run homer to Luis Gonzalez on an 0-2 pitch that pretty much decided the game, as well as giving up a 2-out double to Bung-Hyun Kim, the pitcher. Brett Tomko was brilliant on Sunday, giving up just one run in eight innings, but the Cards were shut out. This just doesn't seem to be a team that the powers that be like very much. I mean, what is next?, now that Pujols has gone down with such a bizarre thing that it seems it could only happen to the Cardinals. Albert is only going to be available as a pinch-hitter for at least the next two weeks apparently. His injury couldn't have come at a worse time, as Orlando Palmeiro and Mike Matheny have cooled off considerably, Rolen has gone in to an 0-for-16 slump and Vina has returned as an unproductive leadoff hitter, though he did have three hits last night.
J.D. Drew was activated from the DL Sunday and got his first hit last night, hitting the ball hard a couple of times. The Cardinals really need him to go on a tear without the services of Pujols. The good news is that the NL Central isn't looking that strong. The Cubs are off to a hot start, but have played an easy schedule and will wear down a little. The Astros just don't look to have the combination of hittign and pitching that many predicted they would, and Pittsburgh is simply average. But I also don't think the Cardinals can win ninety games with Stephenson, who was horrible in last night's 5-3 loss to the Braves, the new Cardinal killers, and Simontacchi at the back end of the rotation. Word from ESPN's Jayson Stark is that Chuck Finley is still a possibility to sign with the Cards and everyone would welcome Chuck with open arms right about now. If the Cards stay in the hunt, we could be looking at another trade deadline pitching acquisition, depending on what Chris Carpenter is ready to do. Tonight Matt Morris is assuming the role of rotation stopper, as in trying to stop the Cards three-game losing streak. Greg Maddux is going for the Braves. The Cards usually pound him or get shut out, and with the way the offense has been going, that's a slightly scary thought. But maybe tonight is a breakout night. Let's hope so. I'll return with a minor-league report later and I'll talk about some of the things I wanted to talk about last week, including Lee Sinins' and Will Carroll's report on the abuse of young pitchers.
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