How do you spell relief? E-L-D-R-E-D
And to think I was ready to release this guy after two appearances. Guess that's why I'm typing on my PC with no shirt on right now.
Great win, fun game to watch. How about that mammoth blast by Drew. WOW. Woody toughs another one out. The Cubs long game yesterday may have helped us, because I think had that not occurred there's a good chance they pinch-hit for Clement in the top of the 6th. Nice to see Fernando have a great game and the defense was wonderful. Goddamn this team can be so good! Let's hope this is the start of a fun weekend.
Thursday, May 15, 2003
MORE DEVELOPMENTS
--DAN HAREN HAS BEEN PROMOTED TO AAA Memphis.
This comes off the Roto-World wire, with the comment that Haren might not be far from contributing in St. Louis, as in this season. While I highly doubt that, who knows? I am glad to see him get the promotion to AAA though because he deserved it. And if the bullpen situation continues to be a problem, who knows, maybe he will be called up here to start or relieve or something.
Also, this coming hot off the "Mike was dead wrong" wire, nobody claimed Ruben Mateo. That's right, the D-Ray's, Tigers, Pirates, Brewers all took a pass on Mateo. So now he's in AAA still with the Reds. And Jose Guillen still wants a trade. I'm looking forward to our next chance at "Red Revenge" which won't be until June 24, back at Busch.
The Cubs and Brewers are currently engaged in a 13-inning struggle. I hope it goes 25 innings and wrecks the Cubs pen for the upcoming series. That'd be sweet. Oh yeah, and the Cubs need to lose too.
--DAN HAREN HAS BEEN PROMOTED TO AAA Memphis.
This comes off the Roto-World wire, with the comment that Haren might not be far from contributing in St. Louis, as in this season. While I highly doubt that, who knows? I am glad to see him get the promotion to AAA though because he deserved it. And if the bullpen situation continues to be a problem, who knows, maybe he will be called up here to start or relieve or something.
Also, this coming hot off the "Mike was dead wrong" wire, nobody claimed Ruben Mateo. That's right, the D-Ray's, Tigers, Pirates, Brewers all took a pass on Mateo. So now he's in AAA still with the Reds. And Jose Guillen still wants a trade. I'm looking forward to our next chance at "Red Revenge" which won't be until June 24, back at Busch.
The Cubs and Brewers are currently engaged in a 13-inning struggle. I hope it goes 25 innings and wrecks the Cubs pen for the upcoming series. That'd be sweet. Oh yeah, and the Cubs need to lose too.
TOP 9th
--Well, it's now a 5-run lead so there's not too much pressure, and it's not a save situation anymore unless Fassero stays in the game. He does, and gives up a single to Reggie Taylor to lead things off. I personally don't think Fassero should be allowed to pitch more than an inning, just my two cents. It has seemed to lead to bad things. There's a hit for Casey. Please God, this is not happening....
--Guillen singles. Bases loaded, nobody out. Please Tony, for the love of Christ take him out of the game.
--Eldred comes in.
--He gets Boone to fly out to shallow right and Dunn hits a sac fly. One out to go, 6-2 Cards. Griffey comes up. Base hit, 6-3 Cards.
--Bob Boone, much to my shock, does not pinch hit with Kearns. Instead Castro goes up to the plate. Eldred falls behind 3-1, runs the count full, and.....GOT EM SWINGING!!! Cards Win!
--Nothing like a little excitement. God, I hate our bullpen. Both runs are charged to Fassero, Eldred picks up the save, the first of his career. Cards are back at .500, at 19-19. Garrett Stephenson gets a well-deserved win to move to 3-2. I'll have more after I catch my breath.
--Well, it's now a 5-run lead so there's not too much pressure, and it's not a save situation anymore unless Fassero stays in the game. He does, and gives up a single to Reggie Taylor to lead things off. I personally don't think Fassero should be allowed to pitch more than an inning, just my two cents. It has seemed to lead to bad things. There's a hit for Casey. Please God, this is not happening....
--Guillen singles. Bases loaded, nobody out. Please Tony, for the love of Christ take him out of the game.
--Eldred comes in.
--He gets Boone to fly out to shallow right and Dunn hits a sac fly. One out to go, 6-2 Cards. Griffey comes up. Base hit, 6-3 Cards.
--Bob Boone, much to my shock, does not pinch hit with Kearns. Instead Castro goes up to the plate. Eldred falls behind 3-1, runs the count full, and.....GOT EM SWINGING!!! Cards Win!
--Nothing like a little excitement. God, I hate our bullpen. Both runs are charged to Fassero, Eldred picks up the save, the first of his career. Cards are back at .500, at 19-19. Garrett Stephenson gets a well-deserved win to move to 3-2. I'll have more after I catch my breath.
BOTTOM 8th
--Eduardo Perez leads off with a double and makes it to third on a grounder to short by Albert. I, for one, would like to see Eddie get some more AB's as he has been smoking the ball lately.
--Edmonds. First Pitch. Gone. Thanks a lot Jim, why didn't you tell me you were gonna dong one so I could put you in my fantasy lineup today? Well, hopefully that gets Edmonds going, and hopefully this gets the Cards going with a somewhat important, at least for May, 4-game set starting tomorrow with the Cubs. Three in the 7th and two in the eighth is something to build on. In any normal season, I'd be relaxed and celebrating a much-needed victory. But alas, this is 2003, the year of Murphy's Relief Pitching Law in St. Louis......Cards 6, Reds 1.
--Eduardo Perez leads off with a double and makes it to third on a grounder to short by Albert. I, for one, would like to see Eddie get some more AB's as he has been smoking the ball lately.
--Edmonds. First Pitch. Gone. Thanks a lot Jim, why didn't you tell me you were gonna dong one so I could put you in my fantasy lineup today? Well, hopefully that gets Edmonds going, and hopefully this gets the Cards going with a somewhat important, at least for May, 4-game set starting tomorrow with the Cubs. Three in the 7th and two in the eighth is something to build on. In any normal season, I'd be relaxed and celebrating a much-needed victory. But alas, this is 2003, the year of Murphy's Relief Pitching Law in St. Louis......Cards 6, Reds 1.
TOP 8th
--Well considering that Stephenson had two consecutive outings where he went 8 innings and threw well over a hundred pitches, I was shocked to see him pulled. Yes, the bullpen has been good two nights in a row, but if anything doesn't that mean it's time for them to combust? Well, the extra run makes me feel a little bit better. Here come the pinch hitters for Cincy....
--Larkin is the first one. It's Fassero in the game and he got Castro to start the inning. He gets ahead of Larkin, and then walks him. Arrrrrggggghhhhh.
--Felipe Lopez steps in, and after watching from the on-deck circle as Fassero missed badly with his last few pitches, Lopez proceeds to ground into a double play on the first pitch. Inning over, heartache temporarily diverted. Cards 4, Reds 1. I wanna see Mike Crudale in the 9th.
--Well considering that Stephenson had two consecutive outings where he went 8 innings and threw well over a hundred pitches, I was shocked to see him pulled. Yes, the bullpen has been good two nights in a row, but if anything doesn't that mean it's time for them to combust? Well, the extra run makes me feel a little bit better. Here come the pinch hitters for Cincy....
--Larkin is the first one. It's Fassero in the game and he got Castro to start the inning. He gets ahead of Larkin, and then walks him. Arrrrrggggghhhhh.
--Felipe Lopez steps in, and after watching from the on-deck circle as Fassero missed badly with his last few pitches, Lopez proceeds to ground into a double play on the first pitch. Inning over, heartache temporarily diverted. Cards 4, Reds 1. I wanna see Mike Crudale in the 9th.
BOTTOM 7th
Rolen gets on for the third time today, this time on a Hit By Pitch. Come on Edgar.... By the way those Edgar batting splits.
0-0-- 9-27 3 2B, 1 HR, 8 RBI
0-1-- 6-17 2 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI
0-2-- 0-3 2 K
1-0-- 6-12 2 2B, 6 RBI
1-1--12-24 1 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI
1-2-- 4-14 1 2B, 4 RBI
2-0-- 1-3, 1B
2-1-- 4-12, 3 2B, 1 RBI
2-2-- 5-16, 1 2B, 1 RBI
3-0-- 0-0, 6 BB
3-1-- 2-5, 2 1B, 6 BB
3-2-- 4-13, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB
I wasn't really right, of course Edgar is hitting great on all counts so far this season. I think these stats do bear out one thing that I was trying to suggest though and that is that Edgar is a very good two strike hitter and a great one strike hitter, and so that's why I get frustrated when I see him grounding out on 2-0, because I know he's still very dangerous if he takes a strike or two. Not much to complain about with the Colombian Captain.
--And there he goes!! Edgar comes through on a 3-2 pitch with an RBI double!!! Advances to third on the throw!!! That probably means bye-bye Mr. Riedling, hello lefty.
--I am so smart :)
--Tino gets that elusive 10th ribbie with a single to score Edgar!! 3-1 Cards! Off a lefty no less! Widger sacrifices him over and TLR PINCH HITS???? Whoa, was not expecting that one at all. We'll talk about that more in a minute.
--Cairo grounds out as pinch-hitter, Tino goes to third on wild pitch, and ....Vina drives him home with a 2-OUT RBI SINGLE! RBI singles by Tino and Vina off of a lefty in the same inning. Impressive. Vina gets picked off which means K-Rob has to lead off an inning unfortunately. But the damage has been done, at least until our bullpen gets on the field. Cards 4, Reds 1.
Rolen gets on for the third time today, this time on a Hit By Pitch. Come on Edgar.... By the way those Edgar batting splits.
0-0-- 9-27 3 2B, 1 HR, 8 RBI
0-1-- 6-17 2 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI
0-2-- 0-3 2 K
1-0-- 6-12 2 2B, 6 RBI
1-1--12-24 1 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI
1-2-- 4-14 1 2B, 4 RBI
2-0-- 1-3, 1B
2-1-- 4-12, 3 2B, 1 RBI
2-2-- 5-16, 1 2B, 1 RBI
3-0-- 0-0, 6 BB
3-1-- 2-5, 2 1B, 6 BB
3-2-- 4-13, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB
I wasn't really right, of course Edgar is hitting great on all counts so far this season. I think these stats do bear out one thing that I was trying to suggest though and that is that Edgar is a very good two strike hitter and a great one strike hitter, and so that's why I get frustrated when I see him grounding out on 2-0, because I know he's still very dangerous if he takes a strike or two. Not much to complain about with the Colombian Captain.
--And there he goes!! Edgar comes through on a 3-2 pitch with an RBI double!!! Advances to third on the throw!!! That probably means bye-bye Mr. Riedling, hello lefty.
--I am so smart :)
--Tino gets that elusive 10th ribbie with a single to score Edgar!! 3-1 Cards! Off a lefty no less! Widger sacrifices him over and TLR PINCH HITS???? Whoa, was not expecting that one at all. We'll talk about that more in a minute.
--Cairo grounds out as pinch-hitter, Tino goes to third on wild pitch, and ....Vina drives him home with a 2-OUT RBI SINGLE! RBI singles by Tino and Vina off of a lefty in the same inning. Impressive. Vina gets picked off which means K-Rob has to lead off an inning unfortunately. But the damage has been done, at least until our bullpen gets on the field. Cards 4, Reds 1.
BOTTOM 5th
A quick and easy 5th for Riedling. Tino's back down to .270 and Widger popped out to the catcher. I bet Ray is stroking his Pat Borders bobblehead doll right about now. Hey wait, Garrett works a walk!! At least that gets Vina out of the way this inning. He grounds out. I'm bored. I think I'll go get something to eat even though I'm not really that hungry. Cards 1, Reds 1.
A quick and easy 5th for Riedling. Tino's back down to .270 and Widger popped out to the catcher. I bet Ray is stroking his Pat Borders bobblehead doll right about now. Hey wait, Garrett works a walk!! At least that gets Vina out of the way this inning. He grounds out. I'm bored. I think I'll go get something to eat even though I'm not really that hungry. Cards 1, Reds 1.
BOTTOM 4th
--Albert starts it off with a double. He's one guy you can count on never slumping for long. Now would be a good time for Edmonds to break out of his funk. Nah, Ground out on the first pitch. I think Edmonds just gets bored after the first thirty games or so. He does move the runner to third though so another RBI situation *cringe*
--Hey, whaddya know, a single!!!! Rolen's back up to near .300 and he drives in RBI number 29. Come on, we can pound this guy!!!
--Or Edgar can hit into a double play on 2-0. Hard to say anything negative about Edgar's season so far, but his plate discipline could use some work. He too often reaches for pitches when he's ahead in the count. He almost seems to hit better when he's even or behind in the count. I'll research that. Cards 1, Reds 1
--Albert starts it off with a double. He's one guy you can count on never slumping for long. Now would be a good time for Edmonds to break out of his funk. Nah, Ground out on the first pitch. I think Edmonds just gets bored after the first thirty games or so. He does move the runner to third though so another RBI situation *cringe*
--Hey, whaddya know, a single!!!! Rolen's back up to near .300 and he drives in RBI number 29. Come on, we can pound this guy!!!
--Or Edgar can hit into a double play on 2-0. Hard to say anything negative about Edgar's season so far, but his plate discipline could use some work. He too often reaches for pitches when he's ahead in the count. He almost seems to hit better when he's even or behind in the count. I'll research that. Cards 1, Reds 1
TOP 4th
--Stephenson gives up a one-out single to Jose Guillen. Guillen is one of the worst players in the history of the league to receive regular playing time in several different years, according to Lee Sinins of the Baseball Encyclopedia. However, this year Guillen has been absolutely red-hot and was quoted yesterday as saying he wants to be traded now that Griffey is back because he believes he should be starter. What a joke. One good month and he's Babe Ruth. This guy sucks.
--After retiring Boone, Stephenson does not throw any of four pitches to Dunn remotely close to the plate. Probably not a bad idea with Kelly Stinnett on deck. Stinnett grounds out, inning over. Reds 1, Cards 0.
--Stephenson gives up a one-out single to Jose Guillen. Guillen is one of the worst players in the history of the league to receive regular playing time in several different years, according to Lee Sinins of the Baseball Encyclopedia. However, this year Guillen has been absolutely red-hot and was quoted yesterday as saying he wants to be traded now that Griffey is back because he believes he should be starter. What a joke. One good month and he's Babe Ruth. This guy sucks.
--After retiring Boone, Stephenson does not throw any of four pitches to Dunn remotely close to the plate. Probably not a bad idea with Kelly Stinnett on deck. Stinnett grounds out, inning over. Reds 1, Cards 0.
TOP 3rd
--Easy 1,2,3 for Stephenson. Reds 1, Cards 0
BOTTOM 3rd
--Easy 1,2,3 for Riedling, although Robinson actually takes a pitch, four of them in fact. The problem is that two of them were strikes and he strikes out looking. What is that, 18 straight innings without a run? This is all my fault, I cursed the team by putting wallpaper of Edmonds, Renteria, and Pujols on my desktop when they were 1-2-3 in the batting race. Reds 1, Cards 0
--Easy 1,2,3 for Stephenson. Reds 1, Cards 0
BOTTOM 3rd
--Easy 1,2,3 for Riedling, although Robinson actually takes a pitch, four of them in fact. The problem is that two of them were strikes and he strikes out looking. What is that, 18 straight innings without a run? This is all my fault, I cursed the team by putting wallpaper of Edmonds, Renteria, and Pujols on my desktop when they were 1-2-3 in the batting race. Reds 1, Cards 0
BOTTOM 2nd
--Cards get the leadoff hitter on for the second straight inning as Rolen walks. Now let's see if the Renteria-Tino lineup flip helps things.
--It does for now. Edgar singles. Now Tino realizes that 2 men are on and warms up his double play swing.
--Wow, just now noticed that Chris Widger is catching today, his first start in a Cardinal uniform.
--Tino manages to avoid the double play and hits one deep but not quite deep enough. Rolen goes to third and Widger has an RBI chance. He swings and misses at a 2-0 pitch right down the middle. Works it to a full count and then grounds into a double play. This season has been an absolute nightmare. Can anyone, ANYONE get a hit with a runner in scoring position? Of course a fly ball would've sufficed there. Reds 1, Cards 0.
--Cards get the leadoff hitter on for the second straight inning as Rolen walks. Now let's see if the Renteria-Tino lineup flip helps things.
--It does for now. Edgar singles. Now Tino realizes that 2 men are on and warms up his double play swing.
--Wow, just now noticed that Chris Widger is catching today, his first start in a Cardinal uniform.
--Tino manages to avoid the double play and hits one deep but not quite deep enough. Rolen goes to third and Widger has an RBI chance. He swings and misses at a 2-0 pitch right down the middle. Works it to a full count and then grounds into a double play. This season has been an absolute nightmare. Can anyone, ANYONE get a hit with a runner in scoring position? Of course a fly ball would've sufficed there. Reds 1, Cards 0.
TOP 2nd
--Aaron Boone is retired for the third time this season by Cardinal pitching. Okay, that's an exaggeration. Is anyone else feeling a sarcastic, negative vibe coming from me?
--Interestingly, Stephenson currently has a 4.53 ERA, exactly the same as his career ERA.
--Not anymore. Dunn hits a home run. The Cardinals are losing. Funny thing is, as I was writing that last line, I thoguht to myself, I bet he hits a homer. I'm starting to be able to smell bad Cardinal pitching like Sharks smell fear. The opposition home runs just keep on coming. Stephenson has now given up eight taters in 44 innings. For those of you wondering, that is not good.
--Two K's to end the inning, Reds 1, Cards 0.
--Aaron Boone is retired for the third time this season by Cardinal pitching. Okay, that's an exaggeration. Is anyone else feeling a sarcastic, negative vibe coming from me?
--Interestingly, Stephenson currently has a 4.53 ERA, exactly the same as his career ERA.
--Not anymore. Dunn hits a home run. The Cardinals are losing. Funny thing is, as I was writing that last line, I thoguht to myself, I bet he hits a homer. I'm starting to be able to smell bad Cardinal pitching like Sharks smell fear. The opposition home runs just keep on coming. Stephenson has now given up eight taters in 44 innings. For those of you wondering, that is not good.
--Two K's to end the inning, Reds 1, Cards 0.
BOTTOM 1st
--A hit for Vina to lead off the game!!! Mr. Goatee is now batting a robust .226
--And now K-Rob does what he does best!! Making an out on the very first pitch he sees!! Robinson has made an art form out of grounding out on the first pitch. At least he hits on the ground, I guess. Sigh.
--A balk gets Robinson into scoring position but Albert grounds out and so does Edmonds. Cards 0, Reds 0. Riedling throws only 11 pitches.
--A hit for Vina to lead off the game!!! Mr. Goatee is now batting a robust .226
--And now K-Rob does what he does best!! Making an out on the very first pitch he sees!! Robinson has made an art form out of grounding out on the first pitch. At least he hits on the ground, I guess. Sigh.
--A balk gets Robinson into scoring position but Albert grounds out and so does Edmonds. Cards 0, Reds 0. Riedling throws only 11 pitches.
Okay here goes....
TOP 1st
--Stepehenson hits the first batter, signaling that the fix is on. Let's start calling them the "Blackbirds"
--No Griffey, Larkin, or Kearns in the lineup today. Kearn's legs probably hurt from trotting around the bases so many times. More likely Boone figures he can rest him since even if the Reds lose they will have a 6-1 SERIES EDGE :(
--Just noticed that Stephenson hit Lopez on an 0-2 pitch. Nice, Garrett.
--The rest of the inning is uneventful, Reds 0, Cards coming up
TOP 1st
--Stepehenson hits the first batter, signaling that the fix is on. Let's start calling them the "Blackbirds"
--No Griffey, Larkin, or Kearns in the lineup today. Kearn's legs probably hurt from trotting around the bases so many times. More likely Boone figures he can rest him since even if the Reds lose they will have a 6-1 SERIES EDGE :(
--Just noticed that Stephenson hit Lopez on an 0-2 pitch. Nice, Garrett.
--The rest of the inning is uneventful, Reds 0, Cards coming up
AFTER HE'S COOLED DOWN A BIT.....
Okay, in a possibly futile attempt to reverse Redbird fortunes I am going to follow the game closely today online, makng comments on players and strategies as I go. Hey, I'm bored, why the heck not?
In other news, the only team hitting less than the Cards right now is my fantasy team. Eric Hinske, yeah that was a great pick. I dropped him today for on-base machine Bill Mueller. It'll probably come back to haunt me but "The Mighty Wingmen" (named for the fabulous Coors Light commercial that we've all seen) are fading fast and need a boost from somewhere. Also it might help if Jim Edmonds started hitting again seeing as how he's on my team too.
John Riedling gets the ball for the Reds today. The Cards should be able to hit him, though I suppose that means little. He got bombed by the Brewers his last time out. First pitch is coming up. Yo Garrett, let's see if you can keep that little round, white thing in the yard today, aaight?
Okay, in a possibly futile attempt to reverse Redbird fortunes I am going to follow the game closely today online, makng comments on players and strategies as I go. Hey, I'm bored, why the heck not?
In other news, the only team hitting less than the Cards right now is my fantasy team. Eric Hinske, yeah that was a great pick. I dropped him today for on-base machine Bill Mueller. It'll probably come back to haunt me but "The Mighty Wingmen" (named for the fabulous Coors Light commercial that we've all seen) are fading fast and need a boost from somewhere. Also it might help if Jim Edmonds started hitting again seeing as how he's on my team too.
John Riedling gets the ball for the Reds today. The Cards should be able to hit him, though I suppose that means little. He got bombed by the Brewers his last time out. First pitch is coming up. Yo Garrett, let's see if you can keep that little round, white thing in the yard today, aaight?
CARDS-REDS RELOADED
Cincy hands the Birds their asses, part 6.
Agent Smith/Bob Boone as Austin Kearns hits another homerun: That, Mr. LaRussa, is the sound of inevitability.
Yeah, I've got a little Matrix fever. I went to see the premiere last night, and let me tell you, there's nothing like Carrie Anne Moss in tight black leather to make me worry a little less about the fact that MY TEAM SUCKS!!!!!!
Is this some kind of strange punishment from God? Losing six in a row to the Reds, who a couple weeks ago weren't worth the toilet paper I wipe my butt with? Too bad this isn't the Matrix, and it's all some program that isn't real. Oh yes, this is real folks, and it's real ugly. That's seven out of eight ending with a big L. And the thing is now, the Cards aren't hitting. At all. Who cares about the bullpen (that has now pitched 10 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings by the way) when you can't score a frickin' run? Tino, go take a seat on the bench you dog.
The pitching still isn't there, even Matty Mo got into the homerun fever last night. I think "1999" by Prince is the pitching staff's theme song this year, as in "Our offense puts up zeroes inning over whooops out of time.....So now we're yielding homers like it's 1999"
Yes, it brings us back to 1999, the first time since 1955 and just the second time in history that the average number homers went over one a game, when the men in red take the mound. The Birds have allowed a tateriffic 53 dingers in 37 games, including notable performances by Russ Springer and Jason Simontacchi, who have allowed a quite incredibly horrifying 15 homers in 46.1 innings. This is one of the many reasons that the Cards suck right now. It's hard for your great defense to help you when the ball is sailing over the wall. What is the Reds slugging percentage against Cardinal pitching right now? I don't even want to know. Oh well, I guess we get another shot at em today. Maybe there'll be a pulse because there sure as hell wasn't one last night.
Cincy hands the Birds their asses, part 6.
Agent Smith/Bob Boone as Austin Kearns hits another homerun: That, Mr. LaRussa, is the sound of inevitability.
Yeah, I've got a little Matrix fever. I went to see the premiere last night, and let me tell you, there's nothing like Carrie Anne Moss in tight black leather to make me worry a little less about the fact that MY TEAM SUCKS!!!!!!
Is this some kind of strange punishment from God? Losing six in a row to the Reds, who a couple weeks ago weren't worth the toilet paper I wipe my butt with? Too bad this isn't the Matrix, and it's all some program that isn't real. Oh yes, this is real folks, and it's real ugly. That's seven out of eight ending with a big L. And the thing is now, the Cards aren't hitting. At all. Who cares about the bullpen (that has now pitched 10 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings by the way) when you can't score a frickin' run? Tino, go take a seat on the bench you dog.
The pitching still isn't there, even Matty Mo got into the homerun fever last night. I think "1999" by Prince is the pitching staff's theme song this year, as in "Our offense puts up zeroes inning over whooops out of time.....So now we're yielding homers like it's 1999"
Yes, it brings us back to 1999, the first time since 1955 and just the second time in history that the average number homers went over one a game, when the men in red take the mound. The Birds have allowed a tateriffic 53 dingers in 37 games, including notable performances by Russ Springer and Jason Simontacchi, who have allowed a quite incredibly horrifying 15 homers in 46.1 innings. This is one of the many reasons that the Cards suck right now. It's hard for your great defense to help you when the ball is sailing over the wall. What is the Reds slugging percentage against Cardinal pitching right now? I don't even want to know. Oh well, I guess we get another shot at em today. Maybe there'll be a pulse because there sure as hell wasn't one last night.
Wednesday, May 14, 2003
At Least It Wasn't A One-Run Loss.....
Not much to really say about last night's game. These guys look like a bunch of whipped pups. With the injuries and the bad luck that have befallen them in the first month and a half, this organization has so many questions right now and I just don't know what the answer is. One thing I forgot to mention about Eli is that he could be a very important piece of trade bait. That is wiped out for now. The one good thing about last night was that the bullpen went 7 1/3 scoreless, including 3 scoreless innings by closer candidate Mike Crudale. I wonder who pitches the ninth tonight if the Birds are winning, considering that Calero pitched 2 1/3 last night? Probably Fassero, since he's the latest guy to actually manage three outs in the ninth. Just the thought of Fassero pitching to Aaron Boone in a close game gives me chills (the bad kind). Is it me, or does somebody need to put one in Boone's ear? How about Jose Guillen? Ah hell, we'd have to put one in the whole team's ear.
A great start tonight would be for Morris to try to get through the first inning without giving up a run. The Reds have scored in the first in four of the five games between the clubs so far, and have scored at least three in the first in three of those four. The offense deserves blame too for this latest collapse, but it's gotta be not fun to be down 3-0 every game after the opponent's first at-bat. Can anyone drive in a run? Can anyone get a two-out hit with runners on base? The answer is no. Ti-no.
Lack of clutch hitting aside, Simontacchi was beyond awful last night. I've never seen a pitcher have so many bad things happen with two strikes. This outing was a near carbon copy of his shelling in Atlanta last year. He walked a guy on a couple borderline pitches, gave up a cheap hit, and then proceeeded to get the crap beat out of him. Maybe the whole two strike thing was what TLR meant when he said that Simo was pitching "backwards." It's almost like Simontacchi was trying to give up two-strike hits. He hung some of the fattest breaking pitches I have ever seen on two strikes. It was ugly and though Simo has had a couple of good outings, I really don't see why we can't find someone better to fill the 5 hole. Chuck Finley anyone? At the very least, let's hope Chris Carpenter is still making good progress. If not, maybe it's time to move Eldred or Calero into the rotation. I can dream...
Vina is still doing way too good of a job of making outs at leadoff. Edmonds is in one of his patented slumps a couple weeks after I proclaimed him a stud, and Tino is still being Tino, except he's mixing in a few more singles with no one on base. This offense is WAY overrated. It's so inconsistent. The numbers look good, but that's beacuse of big games in Houston and Colorado and floggings of the Brewers and Mets. Overall, it's been a struggle to score runs in a lot of games and it seems to linger on from one game to the next. A lot of it is the fact that we just can't get the runs home when they're out there. It's a very frustrating time to root for the Cards.
But alas, if this season has taught us anything, it is that your fortunes can change on a dime. Let's hope that is the case when Matt Morris, who has been the starting pitcher in the last two Cardinal victories, takes the hill tonight against Danny Graves. The Cards currently sit in fourth place in the NL Central at 18-18. (YECCH!!)
WHAT A NIGHT IN THE MINORS
Last night was probably the best night of the year for Cardinal affiliates. In Memphis, Dee Haynes and John Gall led the offensive onslaught. Haynes hit his 8th homer and was 2 for 3 with a walk and HBP. He leads the team and is creeping into the league leaders category in dingers. And John Gall is enjoying AAA pitching much better this time around. He was 3-4 with his second homer since his recall, 2 RBI and a walk last night. Dan Haren keeps boring us by being unhittable. Last night was just another ordinary night for the young righty, as he allowed four hits and fanned 11 in seven scoreless innings to go to 6-0 with a 0.82 ERA.
Season totals: 55 IP, 36 H, 49 K, 6 BB
Haren has not only distanced himself as easily the organizations no. 1 prospect, but he is now moving on to Top 50 major league prospect lists. Danny, Memphis is calling your name bro.
At Palm Beach, Tyler Johnson, who had been a victim of his teammate's inability to score runs, gained his first win with 7 1/3 strong innings. He allowed six hits, one run, and K'd 8 while walking 2. His ERA is 3.20.
In Peoria, Blake Hawksworth is back and throwing smoke. He was nearly untouchable with seven shutout innings last night, allowing just two hits and walking two while fanning eight.
Season Totals: 36 IP, 4 ER, 18 H, 8 BB, 41 K
One of the best things about Haren and Hawksworth's dominance is their wonderful K/BB ratios and the very few number of hits allowed. These type of numbers spell dominance and Blake could be taking his act to South Florida later this season.
So if you take nothing else out of last night, take solace in the fact that somewhere in the organization there are pitchers who can put away a guy who has two strikes. And they may be coming to St. Louis sooner than you think.
Not much to really say about last night's game. These guys look like a bunch of whipped pups. With the injuries and the bad luck that have befallen them in the first month and a half, this organization has so many questions right now and I just don't know what the answer is. One thing I forgot to mention about Eli is that he could be a very important piece of trade bait. That is wiped out for now. The one good thing about last night was that the bullpen went 7 1/3 scoreless, including 3 scoreless innings by closer candidate Mike Crudale. I wonder who pitches the ninth tonight if the Birds are winning, considering that Calero pitched 2 1/3 last night? Probably Fassero, since he's the latest guy to actually manage three outs in the ninth. Just the thought of Fassero pitching to Aaron Boone in a close game gives me chills (the bad kind). Is it me, or does somebody need to put one in Boone's ear? How about Jose Guillen? Ah hell, we'd have to put one in the whole team's ear.
A great start tonight would be for Morris to try to get through the first inning without giving up a run. The Reds have scored in the first in four of the five games between the clubs so far, and have scored at least three in the first in three of those four. The offense deserves blame too for this latest collapse, but it's gotta be not fun to be down 3-0 every game after the opponent's first at-bat. Can anyone drive in a run? Can anyone get a two-out hit with runners on base? The answer is no. Ti-no.
Lack of clutch hitting aside, Simontacchi was beyond awful last night. I've never seen a pitcher have so many bad things happen with two strikes. This outing was a near carbon copy of his shelling in Atlanta last year. He walked a guy on a couple borderline pitches, gave up a cheap hit, and then proceeeded to get the crap beat out of him. Maybe the whole two strike thing was what TLR meant when he said that Simo was pitching "backwards." It's almost like Simontacchi was trying to give up two-strike hits. He hung some of the fattest breaking pitches I have ever seen on two strikes. It was ugly and though Simo has had a couple of good outings, I really don't see why we can't find someone better to fill the 5 hole. Chuck Finley anyone? At the very least, let's hope Chris Carpenter is still making good progress. If not, maybe it's time to move Eldred or Calero into the rotation. I can dream...
Vina is still doing way too good of a job of making outs at leadoff. Edmonds is in one of his patented slumps a couple weeks after I proclaimed him a stud, and Tino is still being Tino, except he's mixing in a few more singles with no one on base. This offense is WAY overrated. It's so inconsistent. The numbers look good, but that's beacuse of big games in Houston and Colorado and floggings of the Brewers and Mets. Overall, it's been a struggle to score runs in a lot of games and it seems to linger on from one game to the next. A lot of it is the fact that we just can't get the runs home when they're out there. It's a very frustrating time to root for the Cards.
But alas, if this season has taught us anything, it is that your fortunes can change on a dime. Let's hope that is the case when Matt Morris, who has been the starting pitcher in the last two Cardinal victories, takes the hill tonight against Danny Graves. The Cards currently sit in fourth place in the NL Central at 18-18. (YECCH!!)
WHAT A NIGHT IN THE MINORS
Last night was probably the best night of the year for Cardinal affiliates. In Memphis, Dee Haynes and John Gall led the offensive onslaught. Haynes hit his 8th homer and was 2 for 3 with a walk and HBP. He leads the team and is creeping into the league leaders category in dingers. And John Gall is enjoying AAA pitching much better this time around. He was 3-4 with his second homer since his recall, 2 RBI and a walk last night. Dan Haren keeps boring us by being unhittable. Last night was just another ordinary night for the young righty, as he allowed four hits and fanned 11 in seven scoreless innings to go to 6-0 with a 0.82 ERA.
Season totals: 55 IP, 36 H, 49 K, 6 BB
Haren has not only distanced himself as easily the organizations no. 1 prospect, but he is now moving on to Top 50 major league prospect lists. Danny, Memphis is calling your name bro.
At Palm Beach, Tyler Johnson, who had been a victim of his teammate's inability to score runs, gained his first win with 7 1/3 strong innings. He allowed six hits, one run, and K'd 8 while walking 2. His ERA is 3.20.
In Peoria, Blake Hawksworth is back and throwing smoke. He was nearly untouchable with seven shutout innings last night, allowing just two hits and walking two while fanning eight.
Season Totals: 36 IP, 4 ER, 18 H, 8 BB, 41 K
One of the best things about Haren and Hawksworth's dominance is their wonderful K/BB ratios and the very few number of hits allowed. These type of numbers spell dominance and Blake could be taking his act to South Florida later this season.
So if you take nothing else out of last night, take solace in the fact that somewhere in the organization there are pitchers who can put away a guy who has two strikes. And they may be coming to St. Louis sooner than you think.
Tuesday, May 13, 2003
GRIFFEY ACTIVATED
In a surprise move, the Reds have activated Ken Griffey, Jr. for tonight's game. This is a dumb move in my opinion for a couple of reasons. First of all, Griffey is apparently not ready to start, as he has not had extensive "gearing-up" time or a rehab assignment for activation and he is not starting tonight per ESPN News. All this does is start the clock on the amount of time the Reds have to figure out what to do with Ruben Mateo. Mateo will likely be claimed by the Tigers or D-Rays or some team with a terrible record at the top of the waiver wire because he is a great talent that has been buried in Cincy. There is no way in hell he will pass through waivers so the Reds are surely looking to trade him. But if all Griffey is going to do is pinch-hit, why now? Jose Guillen is red-hot and was King Kong Godzilla against the Cards last week, part of the reason why Mateo is getting dumped. Just doesn't make much sense to me unless the Reds already have a trade basically worked out. Anyway, as I said, Griffey is not in the lineup tonight and who knows if he will be later in the series. I'm sure at most he'll start one game given that Thursday is a day game. Opening pitch is in exactly two hours..........
In a surprise move, the Reds have activated Ken Griffey, Jr. for tonight's game. This is a dumb move in my opinion for a couple of reasons. First of all, Griffey is apparently not ready to start, as he has not had extensive "gearing-up" time or a rehab assignment for activation and he is not starting tonight per ESPN News. All this does is start the clock on the amount of time the Reds have to figure out what to do with Ruben Mateo. Mateo will likely be claimed by the Tigers or D-Rays or some team with a terrible record at the top of the waiver wire because he is a great talent that has been buried in Cincy. There is no way in hell he will pass through waivers so the Reds are surely looking to trade him. But if all Griffey is going to do is pinch-hit, why now? Jose Guillen is red-hot and was King Kong Godzilla against the Cards last week, part of the reason why Mateo is getting dumped. Just doesn't make much sense to me unless the Reds already have a trade basically worked out. Anyway, as I said, Griffey is not in the lineup tonight and who knows if he will be later in the series. I'm sure at most he'll start one game given that Thursday is a day game. Opening pitch is in exactly two hours..........
Marrero
Will Carroll says from what he has heard, he says eight to twelve weeks on Eli. I still remain unconvinced that this is going to be as big of a loss as what some are making it out to be. Eli has consistently had low OBA's his entire career and while he is very versatile, so are the other hundred guys we have in the organization that are brought there for one purpose; because they can play lots of positions. The "versatility" suspect that will probably be coming to St. Louis. I'm betting on Craig Paquette, which is probably a step down from Marrero defensively and certainly on the basepaths. But Paquette has some pop and has loved hitting at Busch Stadium over the years. As long as he is only playing once a week and is delivering some clutch hits, his specialty in 2001, I can tolerate him being on the roster. We'll see if the future return to St. Louis snaps him out of his long funk. The early returns have not been invigorating. Paquette is 2 for his first 12 at Memphis with one walk and three strikeouts. Maybe he won't be coming back to St. Louis. Meanwhile Kerry Robinson is batting .364 at Memphis and is the leading candidate for a recall should the Cards decide to go with 11 pitchers. In true K-Rob form, he has yet to draw a walk in 33 AB's, where he's probably seen about 37 total pitches.
I have yet to hear anything about Drew's back stiffness on Sunday so I assume he's fine and that'll he'll be in there tonight against Wilson, who he hit hard last Thursday. Don't expect Izzy back for at least two more weeks and probably closer to three or four. I'd say the Cards, who are now being very careful with him, are looking at at the end of May as a best-case scenario and assessing what they can do if he is not availiable to come back.
Will Carroll says from what he has heard, he says eight to twelve weeks on Eli. I still remain unconvinced that this is going to be as big of a loss as what some are making it out to be. Eli has consistently had low OBA's his entire career and while he is very versatile, so are the other hundred guys we have in the organization that are brought there for one purpose; because they can play lots of positions. The "versatility" suspect that will probably be coming to St. Louis. I'm betting on Craig Paquette, which is probably a step down from Marrero defensively and certainly on the basepaths. But Paquette has some pop and has loved hitting at Busch Stadium over the years. As long as he is only playing once a week and is delivering some clutch hits, his specialty in 2001, I can tolerate him being on the roster. We'll see if the future return to St. Louis snaps him out of his long funk. The early returns have not been invigorating. Paquette is 2 for his first 12 at Memphis with one walk and three strikeouts. Maybe he won't be coming back to St. Louis. Meanwhile Kerry Robinson is batting .364 at Memphis and is the leading candidate for a recall should the Cards decide to go with 11 pitchers. In true K-Rob form, he has yet to draw a walk in 33 AB's, where he's probably seen about 37 total pitches.
I have yet to hear anything about Drew's back stiffness on Sunday so I assume he's fine and that'll he'll be in there tonight against Wilson, who he hit hard last Thursday. Don't expect Izzy back for at least two more weeks and probably closer to three or four. I'd say the Cards, who are now being very careful with him, are looking at at the end of May as a best-case scenario and assessing what they can do if he is not availiable to come back.
BACK HOME AND READY FOR REVENGE
Last week, when the Cards strolled into Cincinnati riding a seven-game winning streak to face the NL's worst collection of starting pitching and worst defense, the thought of a 4-game sweep by the Reds was almost laughable. Well, nobody's laughing now. The Reds swept the Cards, to simultaneously pull themselves back into the race and drop the Cardinals from the top of the division. The Reds have arrived a half game behind by St. Louis by kind of being the anti-Cardinals. They are one of the worst defensive teams while the Cards are one of the best. Their starting pitching has been terrible while the Cards has been pretty darn good. But the Reds bullpen has been much better and their hitters have hit better in crucial situations, pulling out almost as many improbable wins as the Cards have suffered improbable losses.
Currently the Cards are the best defensive team in the NL per the Baseball Prospectus defensive efficiency ratings. The Reds are 12th. The Cards are leading the league in Equivalent Average. The Reds have pulled themselves up to 7th. The Cards starting pitching is ranked 5th in the NL in adjusted runs allowed, but first in support-neutral value added. Meanwhile the Reds are dead last in the majors in both categories. This looks like such a complete mismatch on paper. What the hell has happened???
Well, a lot of things. First of all the Reds starters have had better luck, and they have had better support from the bullpen. The Reds and Cards bullpen stats are close to the same, but that's only because the Reds had Josias Manzanillo, a one-man natural disaster, on the roster for a couple weeks, making games that the Reds were already losing just uglier. The Reds pen has done a much better job of holding leads. They have Scott Williamson, who is the closer but can come in and get outs in the eighth and pitches well with runners on, having been both a starter and a reliever in the past. Also, the Reds have hit fourteen more total homers than the Cards and are batting over 40 points higher than the Cards with 2 outs and runners in scoring position. The Reds have the best mark in the NL at .269, while the Cards are at a measly .222. As part of their late-inning heroics, the Reds have 22 homers in the seventh inning or after, number one in the majors.
Though the Cards overall ERA is much lower than the Reds, the Reds bullpen ERA is over a half-run lower than the the Cards. Take out Manzanillo, who has long since been excised from the roster, and the Reds have one of the top 4 bullpens in the NL. And behind Williamson, their best three relievers have been lefties: Kent Mercker, Felix Heredia, and Gabe White. This was a problem for the Cards in the first series and will probably continue to be. But there's more to it than just one team blowing late-inning leads and one team making late-inning comebacks. The Reds ahve gotten much better starting pitching the last ten or so games. Danny Graves has come around and John Riedling and Jeff Austin, two former relievers have stepped in and done well. Austin, in particular, has some pretty nasty stuff if he can keep his command. He could be a steal from the Royals. Injuries have meant that Jimmy Haynes and Ryan Dempster have not pitched and that has also been important to the Reds turnaround, as both of them have been completely awful when they've been on the mound. They both are back or coming back, so Reds fans beware. Still, with Griffey on the mend sooner thaan expected, my statement earlier this year that the Reds were "done" was obviously a bit premature.
That said, there is NO reason why the Cards shouldn't just pund the Reds in three games straight. They are offensively and defensively superior and have better starters. Paul Wilson is pitching tonight for the Reds and the Cards should tear him up. Let's go bullpen, now it's your turn to shine!!!! And offense, you can pick it up a little bit too. The hitters have been absolutely deplorable at 2-out hitting and hitting crucial situations. Tino has 9 RBI, NINE!!! Edmonds has cooled off, which I'm sure surprises nobody, and Mike Matheny looks like Mike Matheny again. The Cards need Vina to keep up his hot hitting and the same goes for Drew, who left the game Sunday with a stiff back but is hopefully okay and ready to play more regularly, given the absence of Marrero.
In the minors, Rhett Parrott had one of his best outings of the year for AA Tennessee, giving up just one run in eight innings and K'ing 6 to get the win. Reid Gorecki went 5 for 9 in a Peoria doubleheader and after a slow, slow start has his average up to .242.
The Birdhouse (Ray) gave a lighthearted "what the hell are you thinking" statement to me yesterday when I said that Widger would probably do about as good of a job as Pat Borders, Ray's new favorite player, as the backup catcher in STL. Let me be clear that i definitely think that Borders would be better than Widger, especially defensively. And he is hitting .395, but I doubt that a deal would be orchestrated to get him. Stranger things have happened though. I think if we get Borders he should be our co-starter, as Mike Matheny's stretch of being a decent hitter looks to be over. Probably part of it is because Matheny has caught more innings than any other catcher in the league. Tony, sit the dude down once in awhile! It's not like youre going to miss his bat and a catcher's defesne, while important, doesn't make that huge of a difference on the game's outcome.
Last week, when the Cards strolled into Cincinnati riding a seven-game winning streak to face the NL's worst collection of starting pitching and worst defense, the thought of a 4-game sweep by the Reds was almost laughable. Well, nobody's laughing now. The Reds swept the Cards, to simultaneously pull themselves back into the race and drop the Cardinals from the top of the division. The Reds have arrived a half game behind by St. Louis by kind of being the anti-Cardinals. They are one of the worst defensive teams while the Cards are one of the best. Their starting pitching has been terrible while the Cards has been pretty darn good. But the Reds bullpen has been much better and their hitters have hit better in crucial situations, pulling out almost as many improbable wins as the Cards have suffered improbable losses.
Currently the Cards are the best defensive team in the NL per the Baseball Prospectus defensive efficiency ratings. The Reds are 12th. The Cards are leading the league in Equivalent Average. The Reds have pulled themselves up to 7th. The Cards starting pitching is ranked 5th in the NL in adjusted runs allowed, but first in support-neutral value added. Meanwhile the Reds are dead last in the majors in both categories. This looks like such a complete mismatch on paper. What the hell has happened???
Well, a lot of things. First of all the Reds starters have had better luck, and they have had better support from the bullpen. The Reds and Cards bullpen stats are close to the same, but that's only because the Reds had Josias Manzanillo, a one-man natural disaster, on the roster for a couple weeks, making games that the Reds were already losing just uglier. The Reds pen has done a much better job of holding leads. They have Scott Williamson, who is the closer but can come in and get outs in the eighth and pitches well with runners on, having been both a starter and a reliever in the past. Also, the Reds have hit fourteen more total homers than the Cards and are batting over 40 points higher than the Cards with 2 outs and runners in scoring position. The Reds have the best mark in the NL at .269, while the Cards are at a measly .222. As part of their late-inning heroics, the Reds have 22 homers in the seventh inning or after, number one in the majors.
Though the Cards overall ERA is much lower than the Reds, the Reds bullpen ERA is over a half-run lower than the the Cards. Take out Manzanillo, who has long since been excised from the roster, and the Reds have one of the top 4 bullpens in the NL. And behind Williamson, their best three relievers have been lefties: Kent Mercker, Felix Heredia, and Gabe White. This was a problem for the Cards in the first series and will probably continue to be. But there's more to it than just one team blowing late-inning leads and one team making late-inning comebacks. The Reds ahve gotten much better starting pitching the last ten or so games. Danny Graves has come around and John Riedling and Jeff Austin, two former relievers have stepped in and done well. Austin, in particular, has some pretty nasty stuff if he can keep his command. He could be a steal from the Royals. Injuries have meant that Jimmy Haynes and Ryan Dempster have not pitched and that has also been important to the Reds turnaround, as both of them have been completely awful when they've been on the mound. They both are back or coming back, so Reds fans beware. Still, with Griffey on the mend sooner thaan expected, my statement earlier this year that the Reds were "done" was obviously a bit premature.
That said, there is NO reason why the Cards shouldn't just pund the Reds in three games straight. They are offensively and defensively superior and have better starters. Paul Wilson is pitching tonight for the Reds and the Cards should tear him up. Let's go bullpen, now it's your turn to shine!!!! And offense, you can pick it up a little bit too. The hitters have been absolutely deplorable at 2-out hitting and hitting crucial situations. Tino has 9 RBI, NINE!!! Edmonds has cooled off, which I'm sure surprises nobody, and Mike Matheny looks like Mike Matheny again. The Cards need Vina to keep up his hot hitting and the same goes for Drew, who left the game Sunday with a stiff back but is hopefully okay and ready to play more regularly, given the absence of Marrero.
In the minors, Rhett Parrott had one of his best outings of the year for AA Tennessee, giving up just one run in eight innings and K'ing 6 to get the win. Reid Gorecki went 5 for 9 in a Peoria doubleheader and after a slow, slow start has his average up to .242.
The Birdhouse (Ray) gave a lighthearted "what the hell are you thinking" statement to me yesterday when I said that Widger would probably do about as good of a job as Pat Borders, Ray's new favorite player, as the backup catcher in STL. Let me be clear that i definitely think that Borders would be better than Widger, especially defensively. And he is hitting .395, but I doubt that a deal would be orchestrated to get him. Stranger things have happened though. I think if we get Borders he should be our co-starter, as Mike Matheny's stretch of being a decent hitter looks to be over. Probably part of it is because Matheny has caught more innings than any other catcher in the league. Tony, sit the dude down once in awhile! It's not like youre going to miss his bat and a catcher's defesne, while important, doesn't make that huge of a difference on the game's outcome.
Monday, May 12, 2003
Around the Minors
AAA--Well if Jimmy Journell is going to make a case for closing, he'll need to do a better job at AAA first. I just found out that he was hit hard last night in another relief appearance allowing a couple earned runs and walking a couple batters. I'd say the idea of him closing in St. Louis right now just really can't be plausible. Meanwhile, on the hitting side of the ledger, Dee Haynes had a 4-4 evening this weekend and hit his sixth homer. He has major league power and is starting to come around this season, but he still isn't showing enough for a callup. He's still batting under .240. John Gall was demoted to AA a while back, a fact i'm not sure I ever discussed. Anyhow, he tore up AA and was recalled to AAA for last night's game, where he went 2-4 with a homer and 2 RBI. So maybe he's straightened himself out.
Speaking of possible closers, maybe we should let Dan Haren come up and pitch. He actually had the audacity to allow a run in eight innings of work the other night, raising his ERA to 0.94. He struck out 8 and walked one. I was obviously just joking about the closing thing, but this kid is starting to edge into the nothing left to prove neighborhood of the Southern League. Nick Stocks followed up Haren with seven scoreless innings the next night, allowing just two hits. Stocks recovery from past injury and focus problems is the best surprise of the first month-plus of the minor-league season. In hitting news at Tennessee, Yadi Molina is still batting over .300.
Chris Narveson and Tyler Johnson both continue to be good-and-not-great at Palm Beach. Their ERA's are both in mid-3's and they are getting next to no run support from their mates.
John Santor and Travis Hanson continue to be two of the most feared hitters in the Midwest League. They are both batting around .350 and continue to churn out multi-hit games with regularity. Palm Beach could sorely use some of their offensive prowess.
One last note, Rick Ankiel first start was a bust (two innings, five runs, four walks, etc.) and with every outing, the probability of him ever forging a career in a Cardinals uniform becomes more and more remote. If the Cards can get anything of value for him in a trade, which isn't likely, I'd say it's time to thin about pulling the trigger. In the meantime, keep sending him out there every fifth day and make him get his head out of his ass on his own.
AAA--Well if Jimmy Journell is going to make a case for closing, he'll need to do a better job at AAA first. I just found out that he was hit hard last night in another relief appearance allowing a couple earned runs and walking a couple batters. I'd say the idea of him closing in St. Louis right now just really can't be plausible. Meanwhile, on the hitting side of the ledger, Dee Haynes had a 4-4 evening this weekend and hit his sixth homer. He has major league power and is starting to come around this season, but he still isn't showing enough for a callup. He's still batting under .240. John Gall was demoted to AA a while back, a fact i'm not sure I ever discussed. Anyhow, he tore up AA and was recalled to AAA for last night's game, where he went 2-4 with a homer and 2 RBI. So maybe he's straightened himself out.
Speaking of possible closers, maybe we should let Dan Haren come up and pitch. He actually had the audacity to allow a run in eight innings of work the other night, raising his ERA to 0.94. He struck out 8 and walked one. I was obviously just joking about the closing thing, but this kid is starting to edge into the nothing left to prove neighborhood of the Southern League. Nick Stocks followed up Haren with seven scoreless innings the next night, allowing just two hits. Stocks recovery from past injury and focus problems is the best surprise of the first month-plus of the minor-league season. In hitting news at Tennessee, Yadi Molina is still batting over .300.
Chris Narveson and Tyler Johnson both continue to be good-and-not-great at Palm Beach. Their ERA's are both in mid-3's and they are getting next to no run support from their mates.
John Santor and Travis Hanson continue to be two of the most feared hitters in the Midwest League. They are both batting around .350 and continue to churn out multi-hit games with regularity. Palm Beach could sorely use some of their offensive prowess.
One last note, Rick Ankiel first start was a bust (two innings, five runs, four walks, etc.) and with every outing, the probability of him ever forging a career in a Cardinals uniform becomes more and more remote. If the Cards can get anything of value for him in a trade, which isn't likely, I'd say it's time to thin about pulling the trigger. In the meantime, keep sending him out there every fifth day and make him get his head out of his ass on his own.
Hello Again
I added two new sites to my links, the "Redbird Nation" and a blog entitled "Go Cardinals". The former is done by Brian Gunn and his brothers and is very good, with lots of new content being added regularly. The latter is done by Josh Schulz and is also very informative and detailed. These guys know their stuff and if you want to be in the know when it comes to the Cards you should read these sites (and my site!!) regularly.
Well, I'm back from another weekend. It seems as if I have been out of town or had visitors just about every weekend, negatively affecting my ability to continually update the site. Sometimes I am just too pissed off to write anything, it's been that kind of season, but if I am going to pretend to be a real info source, I need to post stuff win or lose, no matter how many homers the pitching staff allows. My time left in New Orleans is at two months and dwindling, and the weekend traffic will continue. Once I get back to Illinois the volume of material on the site will likely increase (and I'll finally get back to Busch!)
18-17 despite outscoring their opponents by 1.5 runs per game. That is the story of the 2003 St. Louis Cardinals so far. How is this possible? Even with Clay Davenport's adjustments, it seems the Cardinals could be reasonably expected to be no worse than 20-15 right now. Of course we know how this is possible. Having 15 of your 17 losses be by two runs or less tends to do this to your actual record. Yeah that wasn't a stutter amigo, 15 OF 17 LOSSES HAVE BEEN BY ONE OR TWO RUNS!!!!! And when the Cards do win, they can't do it in close fashion. They finally got a couple one-run wins, but when they do win their average margin of victory is closer to five runs (4.555 to be exact). This makes for an especially alcohol-binging type of fandom because every fricking game that is close ends in an L. I've seen it so many times this year that I can barely watch a close game because I see the inevitable coming at me like a freight train. Is it going to get better? The law of averages say yes. The Cardinals right now are on pace to finish about 83-79 with 47 one-run losses and 23 two-run losses. The likelihood of that actually happening is about as probable as trading Tino for Mark Prior. At some point. one would expect the Cards to gain a little ground in W-L record in close games department, but history says that if your bullpen stinks, you usually have a poor record in one-run games, and if you have a poor record in one-run games, you usually don't make the postseason. The Cards just got swept by the Reds in a four-game set where the Reds scored six more runs than them total. Earlier this year the D-Backs took 2 of 3 from the Cards despite scoring one fewer run. The Astros have beaten the Cards three out of 5 despite scoring three fewer runs in those games. The Braves swept the Cards with a +5 run margin. The point is that the Cards haven't been outplayed by anyone this year at least not for more than a single game. They are clearly a team with the talent to play in October and do well. But something has to be done about the ability to win close games, and most of the fault there simply has to lie with the bullpen (see: record, broken).
The new possible plan is that Jimmy Journell could be given a chance to close. At least that's what the Post-Dispatch is reporting. I had originally heard from my daily prospect e-mails that Journell worked out of the bullpen because his start had been rained out earlier in the week. But, I do tend to usually take Joe Strauss at his word. It would be an odd thing, a very odd thing, for a pitcher who had never pitched in the big leagues to come up and debut as a closer. It's even more odd that Journell has been a starter in the minors and has pitched poorly in that role for Memphis so far this season. But he was a closer at my alma mater, the University of Illinois, and the Cardinals bullpen situation is dire right now. Apparently Jocketty has talked to Tony, Dunc, and others about the possible move. It certainly couldn't make things any worse could it? Journell, who has been struggling in AAA, came in and pitched two scoreless innings of relief over the weekend.
In other transactional news, Marrero is being sent to the DL, which means that the Cards will have to recall a catcher before tomorrow night's game. That will almost certainly be Chris Widger, a career backup who lost the backup job to John Flaherty in the Yankee's Spring Training. Widger is hitting much in Memphis but is a prefectly serviceable backup. He is not a bat defensive catcher and he will take a walk, meaning that he is not the automatic out that so many backup catchers are. The Birdhouse is calling for the Cards to sign Pat Borders as the backup. Borders was an incredible 6 for 6 in a AAA game this weekend for Tacoma of the Seattle Mariner's organization. A nice sentiment that probably won't happen, as the Cards already have a card-carrying member of the backup catchers union in Widger who will probably be just about as good in the role as Borders could be. Also, the Cards signed Brian Lesher and Craig Paquette to AAA contracts. Lesher has always been been one of those guys who kills the ball at AAA and can't carry it over to the majors, a la Ernie Young. He'll play the outfield some in AAA and provides some organizational depth. Paquette's story is one most Cards fans are probably familiar with. He parlayed a moderately successful 2001, where he happened to hit very well with runners on, into a grossly bloated contract with Detroit. Paying a right handed fly-ball hitter with moderate power and no speed or plate patience is about as stupid of a thing that the Tigers could have done, given the park they play in, but they did it and Paquette has been a complete bust. He's never been a favorite of mine but if he could do now in a reserve role what he did in a semi-regular role in 2000 and 2001 for the Birdos, he could be valuable bench player. With Rolen here now, Paquette would never play third and see a few AB's against lefties as a fifth or sixth outfielder. With Marrero's injury, he could be called up after a week or two in AAA, especially considering that the Cards starters are handling a large load right now, making seven relievers unnecessary. I predicted to myself that the Cards would sign Paquette, given that he made it public that he'd like a chance to come back here and play and given Tony's love for his old players who can masquerade at several positions.
I added two new sites to my links, the "Redbird Nation" and a blog entitled "Go Cardinals". The former is done by Brian Gunn and his brothers and is very good, with lots of new content being added regularly. The latter is done by Josh Schulz and is also very informative and detailed. These guys know their stuff and if you want to be in the know when it comes to the Cards you should read these sites (and my site!!) regularly.
Well, I'm back from another weekend. It seems as if I have been out of town or had visitors just about every weekend, negatively affecting my ability to continually update the site. Sometimes I am just too pissed off to write anything, it's been that kind of season, but if I am going to pretend to be a real info source, I need to post stuff win or lose, no matter how many homers the pitching staff allows. My time left in New Orleans is at two months and dwindling, and the weekend traffic will continue. Once I get back to Illinois the volume of material on the site will likely increase (and I'll finally get back to Busch!)
18-17 despite outscoring their opponents by 1.5 runs per game. That is the story of the 2003 St. Louis Cardinals so far. How is this possible? Even with Clay Davenport's adjustments, it seems the Cardinals could be reasonably expected to be no worse than 20-15 right now. Of course we know how this is possible. Having 15 of your 17 losses be by two runs or less tends to do this to your actual record. Yeah that wasn't a stutter amigo, 15 OF 17 LOSSES HAVE BEEN BY ONE OR TWO RUNS!!!!! And when the Cards do win, they can't do it in close fashion. They finally got a couple one-run wins, but when they do win their average margin of victory is closer to five runs (4.555 to be exact). This makes for an especially alcohol-binging type of fandom because every fricking game that is close ends in an L. I've seen it so many times this year that I can barely watch a close game because I see the inevitable coming at me like a freight train. Is it going to get better? The law of averages say yes. The Cardinals right now are on pace to finish about 83-79 with 47 one-run losses and 23 two-run losses. The likelihood of that actually happening is about as probable as trading Tino for Mark Prior. At some point. one would expect the Cards to gain a little ground in W-L record in close games department, but history says that if your bullpen stinks, you usually have a poor record in one-run games, and if you have a poor record in one-run games, you usually don't make the postseason. The Cards just got swept by the Reds in a four-game set where the Reds scored six more runs than them total. Earlier this year the D-Backs took 2 of 3 from the Cards despite scoring one fewer run. The Astros have beaten the Cards three out of 5 despite scoring three fewer runs in those games. The Braves swept the Cards with a +5 run margin. The point is that the Cards haven't been outplayed by anyone this year at least not for more than a single game. They are clearly a team with the talent to play in October and do well. But something has to be done about the ability to win close games, and most of the fault there simply has to lie with the bullpen (see: record, broken).
The new possible plan is that Jimmy Journell could be given a chance to close. At least that's what the Post-Dispatch is reporting. I had originally heard from my daily prospect e-mails that Journell worked out of the bullpen because his start had been rained out earlier in the week. But, I do tend to usually take Joe Strauss at his word. It would be an odd thing, a very odd thing, for a pitcher who had never pitched in the big leagues to come up and debut as a closer. It's even more odd that Journell has been a starter in the minors and has pitched poorly in that role for Memphis so far this season. But he was a closer at my alma mater, the University of Illinois, and the Cardinals bullpen situation is dire right now. Apparently Jocketty has talked to Tony, Dunc, and others about the possible move. It certainly couldn't make things any worse could it? Journell, who has been struggling in AAA, came in and pitched two scoreless innings of relief over the weekend.
In other transactional news, Marrero is being sent to the DL, which means that the Cards will have to recall a catcher before tomorrow night's game. That will almost certainly be Chris Widger, a career backup who lost the backup job to John Flaherty in the Yankee's Spring Training. Widger is hitting much in Memphis but is a prefectly serviceable backup. He is not a bat defensive catcher and he will take a walk, meaning that he is not the automatic out that so many backup catchers are. The Birdhouse is calling for the Cards to sign Pat Borders as the backup. Borders was an incredible 6 for 6 in a AAA game this weekend for Tacoma of the Seattle Mariner's organization. A nice sentiment that probably won't happen, as the Cards already have a card-carrying member of the backup catchers union in Widger who will probably be just about as good in the role as Borders could be. Also, the Cards signed Brian Lesher and Craig Paquette to AAA contracts. Lesher has always been been one of those guys who kills the ball at AAA and can't carry it over to the majors, a la Ernie Young. He'll play the outfield some in AAA and provides some organizational depth. Paquette's story is one most Cards fans are probably familiar with. He parlayed a moderately successful 2001, where he happened to hit very well with runners on, into a grossly bloated contract with Detroit. Paying a right handed fly-ball hitter with moderate power and no speed or plate patience is about as stupid of a thing that the Tigers could have done, given the park they play in, but they did it and Paquette has been a complete bust. He's never been a favorite of mine but if he could do now in a reserve role what he did in a semi-regular role in 2000 and 2001 for the Birdos, he could be valuable bench player. With Rolen here now, Paquette would never play third and see a few AB's against lefties as a fifth or sixth outfielder. With Marrero's injury, he could be called up after a week or two in AAA, especially considering that the Cards starters are handling a large load right now, making seven relievers unnecessary. I predicted to myself that the Cards would sign Paquette, given that he made it public that he'd like a chance to come back here and play and given Tony's love for his old players who can masquerade at several positions.
Sunday, May 11, 2003
ROAD TRIP FROM HELL
..ends in a washout. Again, as with the Astros rainout, probably not a terrible thing, as this team has a great chance of losing that game and blowing up an already shattered bullpen. The only real downer is the Marrero injury, which is a big downer because of Eli's versatility. And Tino's probably down because he found an environment he could actually drive home runs in and now his stats don't count. I've been in North Carolina since Thursday, hence the lack of updates. I'll be doing a big write-up on all things Cardinal tomorrow. Good to be back loyal reading crew and I haven't forgotten about you. Tomorrow is an open date and a perfect time to tie up all the loose ends from the weekend and this damned infernal road trip.
..ends in a washout. Again, as with the Astros rainout, probably not a terrible thing, as this team has a great chance of losing that game and blowing up an already shattered bullpen. The only real downer is the Marrero injury, which is a big downer because of Eli's versatility. And Tino's probably down because he found an environment he could actually drive home runs in and now his stats don't count. I've been in North Carolina since Thursday, hence the lack of updates. I'll be doing a big write-up on all things Cardinal tomorrow. Good to be back loyal reading crew and I haven't forgotten about you. Tomorrow is an open date and a perfect time to tie up all the loose ends from the weekend and this damned infernal road trip.
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