Pick Number Three
The Cards selected their first college player, Dennis Dove, a 6'4" 205 lb. speedballer from Georgia Southern University. Dove apparently wings it in the upper nineties but doesn't have much of a feel for pitching. He was another guy projected as a possible suplemental first-round or early second round pick because of his great arm. He was 7-2 with a 4.52 ERA in 93 2/3 innings. He showed his good stuff by striking out 118 batters, but he got in trouble with 48 walks, more than one every two innings. Dove will be twenty-two at the end of August. MLB.com said he is long and lean with a tight curve and decnt change too. The guys from Baseball America said he is working on a slider but can't control it. He projects as a closer in the Cards future plans.
In other news, the offensive statistics for our minor-league clubs so far in 2003 must be wrong since we have now taken two pitchers with the first three picks. WTF?
Tuesday, June 03, 2003
Cards Second Pick
The Cards selected Stuart Pomeranz, a 6'7" 220 lb. right-handed pitcher out of Houston High School in Germantown, Tennessee. Pomeranz statistics are beyond ridiculous, as you might imagine with a guy that size pitching to high school kids.
94 IP, 28 Hits, 13-1 with a 0.54 ERA and 2 saves. He struck out 165 and walked 15, allowing no homers and opponents hit .089 against him. Also, six batters were called out after wetting their pants when stepping into the box. Just kidding. Read more about Stuart and his team, who lost in the Tennessee AAA State Quarterfinals, at www.mustangsbaseball.com
Pomeranz was projected as a first-round supplemental pick by Baseball America, who thought the Braves would take him at #36.
Now the Cards task is to make sure his right arm doesn't fall off before he reaches the big leagues.
The Cards selected Stuart Pomeranz, a 6'7" 220 lb. right-handed pitcher out of Houston High School in Germantown, Tennessee. Pomeranz statistics are beyond ridiculous, as you might imagine with a guy that size pitching to high school kids.
94 IP, 28 Hits, 13-1 with a 0.54 ERA and 2 saves. He struck out 165 and walked 15, allowing no homers and opponents hit .089 against him. Also, six batters were called out after wetting their pants when stepping into the box. Just kidding. Read more about Stuart and his team, who lost in the Tennessee AAA State Quarterfinals, at www.mustangsbaseball.com
Pomeranz was projected as a first-round supplemental pick by Baseball America, who thought the Braves would take him at #36.
Now the Cards task is to make sure his right arm doesn't fall off before he reaches the big leagues.
....................
Slightly interesting for the Cards to take a catcher first, considering Yadi Molina is only 20 himself. Barton does not turn 18 until late this summer. He was the first catcher taken in the draft. All signs point to Barton having a lot of power. His scouting report on MLB.com says he has plus power potential and a home run swing. 11 dingers in 87 AB's would suppport that theory. I am a big fan of the 22 walks, though I bet a lot of those were intentional. He doesn't have advanced catching skills, but he has a powerful arm with a good throwing motion. He signed to play at Cal St.-Fullerton but he was expected to go anywhere from the late-first to third rounds, as catchers are often hard to slot, so he may have not been expecting the kind of money he's going to be able to now get. It's highly possible that the Cards had a pre-draft agreement with Barton.
Slightly interesting for the Cards to take a catcher first, considering Yadi Molina is only 20 himself. Barton does not turn 18 until late this summer. He was the first catcher taken in the draft. All signs point to Barton having a lot of power. His scouting report on MLB.com says he has plus power potential and a home run swing. 11 dingers in 87 AB's would suppport that theory. I am a big fan of the 22 walks, though I bet a lot of those were intentional. He doesn't have advanced catching skills, but he has a powerful arm with a good throwing motion. He signed to play at Cal St.-Fullerton but he was expected to go anywhere from the late-first to third rounds, as catchers are often hard to slot, so he may have not been expecting the kind of money he's going to be able to now get. It's highly possible that the Cards had a pre-draft agreement with Barton.
MORE INFO!!!
Okay, his name is Daric Barton, and he attends Marina High School in Huntington Beach, CA. He is 5"11 185 lbs., bats left and throws right. He played mostly third base this year but projects as a catcher. His high school team is currently in the Southern Califronia Division I state semi-finals and are playing TONIGHT at 7 PM Pacific time. Talk about a full day for Mr. Barton!
Here are his unofficial stats courtesy of the Orange County Register:
AB R H RBI 2B HR Sac BB K
87 28 31 29 7 11 2 22 11
AVG. =.356 OBA. =.477 .SLG. = .816
This is twenty-nine games. He hit a walk-off homer in the quarterfinal game to give his team a 4-3 victory.
Okay, his name is Daric Barton, and he attends Marina High School in Huntington Beach, CA. He is 5"11 185 lbs., bats left and throws right. He played mostly third base this year but projects as a catcher. His high school team is currently in the Southern Califronia Division I state semi-finals and are playing TONIGHT at 7 PM Pacific time. Talk about a full day for Mr. Barton!
Here are his unofficial stats courtesy of the Orange County Register:
AB R H RBI 2B HR Sac BB K
87 28 31 29 7 11 2 22 11
AVG. =.356 OBA. =.477 .SLG. = .816
This is twenty-nine games. He hit a walk-off homer in the quarterfinal game to give his team a 4-3 victory.
Monday, June 02, 2003
RED BIRD DIARIES
It's Draft Day tomorrow, and I plan on keeping you stocked with regular updates and amateur (that's me as the amateur baseball mind, writing about the amateur draftees) commentary. So what's going on until we start drafting (I HOPE) hitters tomorrow around lunchtime?
--As Joe "Special Out Maker" Girardi continues his rehab, Pat Borders has made it back to the big leagues with the M's. Ironically, he replaces former Cardinal/Highly Overvalued Tony LaRussa pet John Mabry on the roster. Dry your eyes Ray.
Mr. Medhead Will Carroll's latest Izzy commentary:
In a season where we've seen the elite closers go down for the year, I think we have to be extremely skeptical with Izzy until he proves his health on the mound, and wouldn't want to count on him in anything resembling a meaningful situation until he showed me about 20 good innings at any level.
Well, Will, we'd all love to not HAVE to count on Izzy, but nobody wants to have to count on the town whore either. Sometimes you have to rely on those who have done it the best and the most in the past, especially when there's so few other options. I'd say it won't be long before Izzy starts getting the high-leverage innings, because the Birds ain't waiting to give them to the Russ "His pitches have lots of" SPRING-er when he comes off the DL.
Speaking of relievers and the like, what's going to happen when Izzy, Painter, and Springer (and Carpenter) come back? Hopefully no one will do something as stupid as putting Springer back on the roster. Where has Kiko Calero gone? One appearance in the last seven games before the reliever that probably has the best stuff in the pen? At least Kline and Fassero appear to be coming aropund temporarily, but now Eldred has started to struggle, Crudale has had a couple of shaky outings, and Calero and Hermy are whereabouts unknown. At least we have Esteban Yan to be our "Record in one-run games improver guy"
Another note, I just joined a Baseball Sim league on whatifsports.com. This stuff is cool as hell if you're a big baseball and stat dork like me. Go to the site if you want to know more as there's no reason for me to get a cramp typing it all. I will say this, in the public open leagues you have $80 million to draft 25 players in their one-season form for any season since 1885 (example--my 2nd Baseman is the 1929 Rogers Hornsby). You get 15 hitters and 10 pitchers and you can pre-set a bunch of strategy. 3 games are simulated each day and its a 162-game season. There are also themed leagues where you can get people together under certain rules, like you can only draft players from the forties, or all the pitchers you draft had to have an ERA above 5.00 in that year. I was thinking we could get an all-Cardinals league together, where only Cardinal players can be taken. Check out the site, it's very cool.
It's Draft Day tomorrow, and I plan on keeping you stocked with regular updates and amateur (that's me as the amateur baseball mind, writing about the amateur draftees) commentary. So what's going on until we start drafting (I HOPE) hitters tomorrow around lunchtime?
--As Joe "Special Out Maker" Girardi continues his rehab, Pat Borders has made it back to the big leagues with the M's. Ironically, he replaces former Cardinal/Highly Overvalued Tony LaRussa pet John Mabry on the roster. Dry your eyes Ray.
Mr. Medhead Will Carroll's latest Izzy commentary:
In a season where we've seen the elite closers go down for the year, I think we have to be extremely skeptical with Izzy until he proves his health on the mound, and wouldn't want to count on him in anything resembling a meaningful situation until he showed me about 20 good innings at any level.
Well, Will, we'd all love to not HAVE to count on Izzy, but nobody wants to have to count on the town whore either. Sometimes you have to rely on those who have done it the best and the most in the past, especially when there's so few other options. I'd say it won't be long before Izzy starts getting the high-leverage innings, because the Birds ain't waiting to give them to the Russ "His pitches have lots of" SPRING-er when he comes off the DL.
Speaking of relievers and the like, what's going to happen when Izzy, Painter, and Springer (and Carpenter) come back? Hopefully no one will do something as stupid as putting Springer back on the roster. Where has Kiko Calero gone? One appearance in the last seven games before the reliever that probably has the best stuff in the pen? At least Kline and Fassero appear to be coming aropund temporarily, but now Eldred has started to struggle, Crudale has had a couple of shaky outings, and Calero and Hermy are whereabouts unknown. At least we have Esteban Yan to be our "Record in one-run games improver guy"
Another note, I just joined a Baseball Sim league on whatifsports.com. This stuff is cool as hell if you're a big baseball and stat dork like me. Go to the site if you want to know more as there's no reason for me to get a cramp typing it all. I will say this, in the public open leagues you have $80 million to draft 25 players in their one-season form for any season since 1885 (example--my 2nd Baseman is the 1929 Rogers Hornsby). You get 15 hitters and 10 pitchers and you can pre-set a bunch of strategy. 3 games are simulated each day and its a 162-game season. There are also themed leagues where you can get people together under certain rules, like you can only draft players from the forties, or all the pitchers you draft had to have an ERA above 5.00 in that year. I was thinking we could get an all-Cardinals league together, where only Cardinal players can be taken. Check out the site, it's very cool.
Speeding Towards Mediocrity
The Cards season-long love-affair with the .500 mark continued Sunday as they manged to salvage the last of three from the might Pittsburgh Pirates.
Among the days highlights: Scott Rolen commemorating his bobblehead day with a double, a run scored, and a key key seventh-inning walk that led to Edgar Renteria's two-out, two-strike, two-run single to give the Cards the win. Rolen the iced the game for the Birdos by making a fantastic leaping catch of Reggie Sanders shot down the line for the game's final out, giving Jeff Fassero the save. Also, the Kliner pitched very well, pitching 1 2/3 scoreless innings and picking up the win. And J.D. Drew continued his foray back into the warming hearts of those in the Birdhouse with another home run.
Among the days lowlights: Light-hitting and heavily annoying former Cardinal farmhand Jack Wilson hitting a three-run homer off of Brett Tomko, who served up his usual helpings of nastiness mixed in with Nancy-ness in going six innings and allowing just those three runs to gain a no-decision. Esteban Yan gave up a tater-iffic shot to Amish right fielder Craig Wilson with one out in the ninth. Clearly, the reason for Yan's acquisition was to give the Cards a better record in one-run games. Against the Astros he made a one-run deficit three, thereby insuring the Cards would not lose by one. Yesterday he served up the tater to cut the Cards lead to one and help give them just their third one-run victory of the year. All sarcasm aside, Yan did blow away Randall Simon to get the last out in the eighth after Kline had allowed a two-out single to Aramis Ramirez.
Now what? Interleague play. The smoking, piping, burning, red-hot Blue Jays offense comes to Busch, along with their not-so-good pitching staff. The Cards will face Kelvim Escobar on Tuesday night. Escobar is a one time starter-turned closer-now back to starting. He hasn't pitched five innings in a game yet this year, which is a good thing for the Cards because the Blue Jays pen is very bad. The Birds need to rip into the Bluebirds pen early and often. One factor that will help to chill Toronto's offensive attack is that their DH Josh Phelps has no place to play, and therefor will likely be limited to pinch-hitting duties. Matty Mo will have a challenge in front of him, that is for sure. Maybe the Cards can do something novel this week, like start a winning streak.
By the way kudos to Redbird Nation for their site redesign. You guys are going to have to give me some tips on how to make my boring-ass site much cooler. That picture of Jim Edmonds and Craig Paquette holding hands gives me the wilies. And yes, Mr. Jimmy Jack is back in the lineup, and if nothing else, he is showing good plate discipline, walking twice Saturday and twice yesterday. The whole team showed great discipline in fact. It was three straight two-out walks that led to Renteria's game-deciding hit. That is encouraging even if little else currently is. Even Chris Widger showed that he has some skill in taking pitches. He walked twice! Why they didn't just throw the ball right down the middle every pitch is beyond me. When they did that, he missed it. Hmmm... The whole catcher thing is kiling me. In the Post-Dispatch it said that they're thinking of employing three catchers when Girardi is activated. I swear, I think sometimes Tony just wants to be blasted by every baseball person born after 1960. At least if they keep Widger on the team when Girardi comes back they'll have to get rid of Wilson Delgado or Taguchi. I'd say Delgado based on the fact that Taguchi appears to have at least some patience and took a couple good swings yesterday, even if he does belong in Munchkin Land. (We represent, the Over-Priced Gang, The Over-Priced Gang...)
The Cards season-long love-affair with the .500 mark continued Sunday as they manged to salvage the last of three from the might Pittsburgh Pirates.
Among the days highlights: Scott Rolen commemorating his bobblehead day with a double, a run scored, and a key key seventh-inning walk that led to Edgar Renteria's two-out, two-strike, two-run single to give the Cards the win. Rolen the iced the game for the Birdos by making a fantastic leaping catch of Reggie Sanders shot down the line for the game's final out, giving Jeff Fassero the save. Also, the Kliner pitched very well, pitching 1 2/3 scoreless innings and picking up the win. And J.D. Drew continued his foray back into the warming hearts of those in the Birdhouse with another home run.
Among the days lowlights: Light-hitting and heavily annoying former Cardinal farmhand Jack Wilson hitting a three-run homer off of Brett Tomko, who served up his usual helpings of nastiness mixed in with Nancy-ness in going six innings and allowing just those three runs to gain a no-decision. Esteban Yan gave up a tater-iffic shot to Amish right fielder Craig Wilson with one out in the ninth. Clearly, the reason for Yan's acquisition was to give the Cards a better record in one-run games. Against the Astros he made a one-run deficit three, thereby insuring the Cards would not lose by one. Yesterday he served up the tater to cut the Cards lead to one and help give them just their third one-run victory of the year. All sarcasm aside, Yan did blow away Randall Simon to get the last out in the eighth after Kline had allowed a two-out single to Aramis Ramirez.
Now what? Interleague play. The smoking, piping, burning, red-hot Blue Jays offense comes to Busch, along with their not-so-good pitching staff. The Cards will face Kelvim Escobar on Tuesday night. Escobar is a one time starter-turned closer-now back to starting. He hasn't pitched five innings in a game yet this year, which is a good thing for the Cards because the Blue Jays pen is very bad. The Birds need to rip into the Bluebirds pen early and often. One factor that will help to chill Toronto's offensive attack is that their DH Josh Phelps has no place to play, and therefor will likely be limited to pinch-hitting duties. Matty Mo will have a challenge in front of him, that is for sure. Maybe the Cards can do something novel this week, like start a winning streak.
By the way kudos to Redbird Nation for their site redesign. You guys are going to have to give me some tips on how to make my boring-ass site much cooler. That picture of Jim Edmonds and Craig Paquette holding hands gives me the wilies. And yes, Mr. Jimmy Jack is back in the lineup, and if nothing else, he is showing good plate discipline, walking twice Saturday and twice yesterday. The whole team showed great discipline in fact. It was three straight two-out walks that led to Renteria's game-deciding hit. That is encouraging even if little else currently is. Even Chris Widger showed that he has some skill in taking pitches. He walked twice! Why they didn't just throw the ball right down the middle every pitch is beyond me. When they did that, he missed it. Hmmm... The whole catcher thing is kiling me. In the Post-Dispatch it said that they're thinking of employing three catchers when Girardi is activated. I swear, I think sometimes Tony just wants to be blasted by every baseball person born after 1960. At least if they keep Widger on the team when Girardi comes back they'll have to get rid of Wilson Delgado or Taguchi. I'd say Delgado based on the fact that Taguchi appears to have at least some patience and took a couple good swings yesterday, even if he does belong in Munchkin Land. (We represent, the Over-Priced Gang, The Over-Priced Gang...)
Friday, May 30, 2003
This hurts to watch
I decided I'm not going to wait to the end of the game becuase this just too depressing. I'm starting to take a lean back towards my pessimistic thoughts on how this season is going to turn out. Why? This team just doesn't appear to have what it takes to be successful. The talent is there, as evidenced by the statisitcs which say this club should be doing better in the W-L column than what it is. But the combination of injuries, lack of focus and smarts (Cairo just got picked off first), crappy depth and a crappy bullpen, with the first major failings by the front office interwoven into all of this, and Tony LaRussa's insistence of managing the way he always has (except with the starting rotation, which he is overworking) looks like it might be too much to turn this team around. The bullpen is still poor. The offense is too inconsistent, the team plays very poor situational baseball, and there is not the minor-league talent or the financial resources available to make upgrades this season. Our bench is a joke, and three of our starting pitchers are iffy propositions on most nights. It's not a formula for sustained success and even if the Cards did happen to win the NL Central, they would get crushed by any number of good teams in the playoffs. The Cards could fail to improve significantly and still be in the race in this weak-ass division, there's no question in my mind. Hell, the Pirates may still get back in the race. The Bottom Line is, nothing that this organization has done since last October has been inspiring, not in the front office, not on the field , not in the managerial department. And I'm starting to wonder if it's not going to curse us in the years to come, because it will be seen as an aberration and no one will think that maybe we've had more than our share of good fortune from 2000-2002.
One thing is for certain. This team needs a better bench, a better bullpen, and at least one more good starter to be a really good team. Are we going to get those things this offseason? Will we have any money? And if we do try to upgrade, is there any guarantee that Tony won't try to ruin it by having So Taguchi or Kerry Robinson on the team, along with whatever ancient backup catcher that has the type of "style" that Tony likes? Has anyone else noticed that my approval rating of TLR has plummeted? Maybe a season like this is what the organization needs to slap it back into reality a little bit.
I decided I'm not going to wait to the end of the game becuase this just too depressing. I'm starting to take a lean back towards my pessimistic thoughts on how this season is going to turn out. Why? This team just doesn't appear to have what it takes to be successful. The talent is there, as evidenced by the statisitcs which say this club should be doing better in the W-L column than what it is. But the combination of injuries, lack of focus and smarts (Cairo just got picked off first), crappy depth and a crappy bullpen, with the first major failings by the front office interwoven into all of this, and Tony LaRussa's insistence of managing the way he always has (except with the starting rotation, which he is overworking) looks like it might be too much to turn this team around. The bullpen is still poor. The offense is too inconsistent, the team plays very poor situational baseball, and there is not the minor-league talent or the financial resources available to make upgrades this season. Our bench is a joke, and three of our starting pitchers are iffy propositions on most nights. It's not a formula for sustained success and even if the Cards did happen to win the NL Central, they would get crushed by any number of good teams in the playoffs. The Cards could fail to improve significantly and still be in the race in this weak-ass division, there's no question in my mind. Hell, the Pirates may still get back in the race. The Bottom Line is, nothing that this organization has done since last October has been inspiring, not in the front office, not on the field , not in the managerial department. And I'm starting to wonder if it's not going to curse us in the years to come, because it will be seen as an aberration and no one will think that maybe we've had more than our share of good fortune from 2000-2002.
One thing is for certain. This team needs a better bench, a better bullpen, and at least one more good starter to be a really good team. Are we going to get those things this offseason? Will we have any money? And if we do try to upgrade, is there any guarantee that Tony won't try to ruin it by having So Taguchi or Kerry Robinson on the team, along with whatever ancient backup catcher that has the type of "style" that Tony likes? Has anyone else noticed that my approval rating of TLR has plummeted? Maybe a season like this is what the organization needs to slap it back into reality a little bit.
Thursday, May 29, 2003
EDMONDS HURTS HIMSELF
But it doesn't sound all that serious. Of course the Cards injury staff makes every injury sound as if it will be life-threatening. Edmonds will probably take a few days off and be back at it when interleague play starts on Tuesday.
I'm getting ready to go out of town, but I just wanted to say thank you to Jason Simontacchi for shutting my mouth in a big way last night. That was the best I've ever seen Simo pitch and it will hopefully boost his confidence. Last night was the first time that Simo didn't seem to be waiting for something bad to happen.
Meanwhile, Tina Martinez is still playing everyday. That's right Tino's new name is Tina because he/she plays ball like a girl.
Dan Haren had his second good start in a row yesterday afternoon for AAA Memphis. He was perfect thru five, setting down the first fifteen Omaha Royals he faced. He ended up getting a no decision after going 7 innings, allowing 2 earned runs on three hits, striking out six, and walking none.
But it doesn't sound all that serious. Of course the Cards injury staff makes every injury sound as if it will be life-threatening. Edmonds will probably take a few days off and be back at it when interleague play starts on Tuesday.
I'm getting ready to go out of town, but I just wanted to say thank you to Jason Simontacchi for shutting my mouth in a big way last night. That was the best I've ever seen Simo pitch and it will hopefully boost his confidence. Last night was the first time that Simo didn't seem to be waiting for something bad to happen.
Meanwhile, Tina Martinez is still playing everyday. That's right Tino's new name is Tina because he/she plays ball like a girl.
Dan Haren had his second good start in a row yesterday afternoon for AAA Memphis. He was perfect thru five, setting down the first fifteen Omaha Royals he faced. He ended up getting a no decision after going 7 innings, allowing 2 earned runs on three hits, striking out six, and walking none.
Wednesday, May 28, 2003
Cards can't get over the hump
A win last night could've moved the Cards two full games ahead of the Astros and within a half game of the Cubs. It wasn't meant to be as Brett Tomko gave up the go-ahead run in his final inning of work (the 7th) after already having thrown 110+ pitches. LaRussa continues to ride his starters like never before, and last night it could've been the difference in the ballgame. Of course the relievers didn't help much either. Kiko Calero gave up a solo shot to Jeff Kent, and Esteban Yan, who I had no idea was actually going to make it St. Louis by game time last night, much less pitch, was greeted to two runs, off an RBI double by Craig Biggio and an RBI single by Jeff Bagwell. Tell me, if you're Tony LaRussa, exactly what is going through your mind when you call on a guy who hasn't pitched in a week and just finished a whirlwind plane trip to St. Louis and ask him to preserve a one-run deficit in the ninth inning against the Houston Astros. Yan berely had time to put on his jock, much less get acquainted with any of the catchers, coaches, signs, etc. The results were predictable. He hit Adam Everett with the first pitch and gave up two more hits and the Cards ended up losing 7-4. Maybe Tony was just conceding the game since Billy Wagner was coming in and our pinch-hitting options were Mike Matheny and Tino Martinez. Hey, at least Esteban kept the Cards from losing another one-run decision.
It was incredibly pathetic to see Wilson Delgado pinch-hitting in the eighth against Octavio Dotel. At least he was able to pull a Rudy Stein and take one for the team, but our bench is now officially a joke. So Taguchi? WTF?
Trader Walt, if you're in the trading mood, take heed: After Palmeiro and Perez, our bench sucks. That's Widger, Taguchi, and Delgado. That doesn't include Cairo, who hardly a worthy regular, and Martinez, whom you know what I think about. This team might have needed another Bat more than it needed Esteban Yan. It certainly didn't need So Taguchi, and it certainly hasn't needed Wilson Delgado at any point this season. Rise up Cardinal Fans, and protest these monstrosities. Oh and by he way, we all get treated to watching Jason Simontacchi pitch to Bagwell, Kent, and Berkman tonight, as well as a piping hot Biggio and royal pain in the ass Adam Everett. Should be great fun. The only solace is that the Astros are calling up Jonathan Johnson, he of the lifetime ERA near 7, to make his first start in two years. We could be looking at a football score.
A win last night could've moved the Cards two full games ahead of the Astros and within a half game of the Cubs. It wasn't meant to be as Brett Tomko gave up the go-ahead run in his final inning of work (the 7th) after already having thrown 110+ pitches. LaRussa continues to ride his starters like never before, and last night it could've been the difference in the ballgame. Of course the relievers didn't help much either. Kiko Calero gave up a solo shot to Jeff Kent, and Esteban Yan, who I had no idea was actually going to make it St. Louis by game time last night, much less pitch, was greeted to two runs, off an RBI double by Craig Biggio and an RBI single by Jeff Bagwell. Tell me, if you're Tony LaRussa, exactly what is going through your mind when you call on a guy who hasn't pitched in a week and just finished a whirlwind plane trip to St. Louis and ask him to preserve a one-run deficit in the ninth inning against the Houston Astros. Yan berely had time to put on his jock, much less get acquainted with any of the catchers, coaches, signs, etc. The results were predictable. He hit Adam Everett with the first pitch and gave up two more hits and the Cards ended up losing 7-4. Maybe Tony was just conceding the game since Billy Wagner was coming in and our pinch-hitting options were Mike Matheny and Tino Martinez. Hey, at least Esteban kept the Cards from losing another one-run decision.
It was incredibly pathetic to see Wilson Delgado pinch-hitting in the eighth against Octavio Dotel. At least he was able to pull a Rudy Stein and take one for the team, but our bench is now officially a joke. So Taguchi? WTF?
Trader Walt, if you're in the trading mood, take heed: After Palmeiro and Perez, our bench sucks. That's Widger, Taguchi, and Delgado. That doesn't include Cairo, who hardly a worthy regular, and Martinez, whom you know what I think about. This team might have needed another Bat more than it needed Esteban Yan. It certainly didn't need So Taguchi, and it certainly hasn't needed Wilson Delgado at any point this season. Rise up Cardinal Fans, and protest these monstrosities. Oh and by he way, we all get treated to watching Jason Simontacchi pitch to Bagwell, Kent, and Berkman tonight, as well as a piping hot Biggio and royal pain in the ass Adam Everett. Should be great fun. The only solace is that the Astros are calling up Jonathan Johnson, he of the lifetime ERA near 7, to make his first start in two years. We could be looking at a football score.
Tuesday, May 27, 2003
Cards Acquire Esteban Yan
The Cardinals traded High-A Centerfielder Rick Asadoorian to the Texas Rangers today for righty reliever Esteban Yan and cash.
This is a perfectly ok move to make because it is a very low-risk gamble. Asadoorian is regarded as an outstanding defensive outfielder, but he is one of the worst hitters in the organization, and his chances of being a big-league ballplayer are near zero. And the Rangers are paying most of Yan's salary, which is on a one-year contract. Yan was designated for assignment by the Rangers about a week ago in the midst of what has been a nightmarish 2003 for him so far. His ERA is currently a whopping 6.94 ERA. That said, his ERA has been below league average the past two seasons, where he was the on again off again closer for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Given Dave Duncan's track record with relievers who have had prior success in the majors, this is a worthwhile gamble. Yan certainly can't be a worse option than Gabe Molina or Russ Springer.
Here are Yan's career numbers going into 2003.
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA *lgERA *ERA+
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+---+----+----+-----+-----+----+
1996 21 BAL AL 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 9.3 13 6 3 3 7 5.79 4.90 85
1997 22 BAL AL 0 1 3 2 0 0 0 9.7 20 17 3 7 4 15.83 4.39 28
1998 23 TBD AL 5 4 64 0 0 0 1 88.7 78 38 11 41 77 3.86 4.89 127
1999 24 TBD AL 3 4 50 1 0 0 0 61.0 77 40 8 32 46 5.90 4.87 82
2000 25 TBD AL 7 8 43 20 0 0 0 137.7 158 95 26 42 111 6.21 4.92 79
2001 26 TBD AL 4 6 54 0 0 0 22 62.3 64 27 7 11 64 3.90 4.48 115
2002 27 TBD AL 7 8 55 0 0 0 19 69.0 70 33 10 29 53 4.30 4.47 104
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+---+----+----+-----+-----+----+
7 Yr WL% .456 26 31 273 23 0 0 42 437.7 480 256 68 165 362 5.26 4.76 90
Here's his line from 2003
W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV SVO IP H R ER HR HBP BB SO
0 1 6.94 15 0 0 0 0 0 23.1 31 19 18 5 2 7 25
As you can see, Yan is a power pitcher, who has usually had pretty good K/BB ratios, including over a K an inning this season. This speaks well for his chances of improving with the Cardinals defense behind him, as long as he can avoid the longball, wich should be somewhat easier to do out of the AL and the Ballpark in Arlington. A guy with those peripherals should not have an ERA of nearly seven.
The Post-Dispatch says a reliever will be sent down to make room for Yan and that will almost assuredly be Gabe Molina. Now the Cards might want to think about making a trade for another utility player. I guess this means the Cards won't be trying to get Ugueth Urbina any more, which is what Peter Gammons had been reporting, probably incorrectly. If they were, I guess they got tired of the Rangers saying no to their overtures for Urbina and gave them Yan instead. The seemingly impending return of Izzy made the acquisition of Urbina or someone like him not as critical.
The Cardinals traded High-A Centerfielder Rick Asadoorian to the Texas Rangers today for righty reliever Esteban Yan and cash.
This is a perfectly ok move to make because it is a very low-risk gamble. Asadoorian is regarded as an outstanding defensive outfielder, but he is one of the worst hitters in the organization, and his chances of being a big-league ballplayer are near zero. And the Rangers are paying most of Yan's salary, which is on a one-year contract. Yan was designated for assignment by the Rangers about a week ago in the midst of what has been a nightmarish 2003 for him so far. His ERA is currently a whopping 6.94 ERA. That said, his ERA has been below league average the past two seasons, where he was the on again off again closer for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Given Dave Duncan's track record with relievers who have had prior success in the majors, this is a worthwhile gamble. Yan certainly can't be a worse option than Gabe Molina or Russ Springer.
Here are Yan's career numbers going into 2003.
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA *lgERA *ERA+
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+---+----+----+-----+-----+----+
1996 21 BAL AL 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 9.3 13 6 3 3 7 5.79 4.90 85
1997 22 BAL AL 0 1 3 2 0 0 0 9.7 20 17 3 7 4 15.83 4.39 28
1998 23 TBD AL 5 4 64 0 0 0 1 88.7 78 38 11 41 77 3.86 4.89 127
1999 24 TBD AL 3 4 50 1 0 0 0 61.0 77 40 8 32 46 5.90 4.87 82
2000 25 TBD AL 7 8 43 20 0 0 0 137.7 158 95 26 42 111 6.21 4.92 79
2001 26 TBD AL 4 6 54 0 0 0 22 62.3 64 27 7 11 64 3.90 4.48 115
2002 27 TBD AL 7 8 55 0 0 0 19 69.0 70 33 10 29 53 4.30 4.47 104
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+---+----+----+-----+-----+----+
7 Yr WL% .456 26 31 273 23 0 0 42 437.7 480 256 68 165 362 5.26 4.76 90
Here's his line from 2003
W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV SVO IP H R ER HR HBP BB SO
0 1 6.94 15 0 0 0 0 0 23.1 31 19 18 5 2 7 25
As you can see, Yan is a power pitcher, who has usually had pretty good K/BB ratios, including over a K an inning this season. This speaks well for his chances of improving with the Cardinals defense behind him, as long as he can avoid the longball, wich should be somewhat easier to do out of the AL and the Ballpark in Arlington. A guy with those peripherals should not have an ERA of nearly seven.
The Post-Dispatch says a reliever will be sent down to make room for Yan and that will almost assuredly be Gabe Molina. Now the Cards might want to think about making a trade for another utility player. I guess this means the Cards won't be trying to get Ugueth Urbina any more, which is what Peter Gammons had been reporting, probably incorrectly. If they were, I guess they got tired of the Rangers saying no to their overtures for Urbina and gave them Yan instead. The seemingly impending return of Izzy made the acquisition of Urbina or someone like him not as critical.
MORE!!!
I just checked out Redbird Nation and saw a very cool little feature the Big Gunns did on Walt Jockettys trades as Cardinals GM. I had a few thoughts about it.....
1. Woody and Ray the K were able to pass thru waivers because whomever would've claimed them would've been on the hook for the $3 million they were both owed that year, plus the approximately $7 million for the next year. It was a swap of "bad" contracts. Well, at least one of them was bad :) I'd say getting rid of Lankford's money in exchange for Woody's makes that a pure A.
2. The player to be named later in the Chuck Finley deal was Covelli "Coco" Crisp, who played some for Cleveland's big club last year and currently has an OBA of about .400 with a ton of stolen bases in AAA Buffalo. He will probably be the Indians leadoff hitter starting in 2004. So that takes a little bit of luster off of the deal, especialy since the Cards didn't re-sign Finley. But Chuck sure helped us last year. The other player in the deal, Luis Garcia, who was supposedly the big prospect, and was acquired from Boston in the Hermanson trade, is hitting under .200 at Buffalo. Put that in your pipe and smoke it Gammons.
3. In the Hackman-Tomko deal, the Cards also sent San Diego Mike Wodnicki, who is currently the closer for the Padres High-A team after starting for the Peoria club last year. Wodnicki is doing very well right now, but alas, he is a High-A reliever, which means that a lot of things have to happen and several years must go by before this trade could be even considered remotely even, and even then it's a long shot.
Truly, the only trade I really think Walt regrets making is the Young-Brantley deal. Gilkey had one good year with the Mets and was done, so that was no big deal. Losing Cliff Politte turned out to not be good, but he hadn't shown anything at the time and Stephenson, though much-maligned, was instrumental in 2000 and still could be again.
One other deal that didn't work out so well for the Cards: Joe McEwing for Jesse Orosco. Little Mac has never been as much of a ballplayer as a fan favorite, so trading him might have been a blessing in disguise, as he fits the profile of a player TLR would keep on the team for no other reason than his scrappiness and ability to play multiple positions. The disappointing thing about the trade was that St. Louis happened to be the one stop in Jesse Orosco's long, long career that he didn't help the team he played for. I'm sure Card fans thought Orosco was done after the Cards broke ties with him, but he is in the middle of his third successful season since, which will probably be his last.
The Gunn's are right about another thing. Injuries have hurt the Cards trade flexibility. When the time comes to make a deal, a minor-league arm is almost certainly going to be what is dealt. It won't be Haren, and it won't be Hawksworth, but it could be pretty much anyone else. Brace yourself.
I just checked out Redbird Nation and saw a very cool little feature the Big Gunns did on Walt Jockettys trades as Cardinals GM. I had a few thoughts about it.....
1. Woody and Ray the K were able to pass thru waivers because whomever would've claimed them would've been on the hook for the $3 million they were both owed that year, plus the approximately $7 million for the next year. It was a swap of "bad" contracts. Well, at least one of them was bad :) I'd say getting rid of Lankford's money in exchange for Woody's makes that a pure A.
2. The player to be named later in the Chuck Finley deal was Covelli "Coco" Crisp, who played some for Cleveland's big club last year and currently has an OBA of about .400 with a ton of stolen bases in AAA Buffalo. He will probably be the Indians leadoff hitter starting in 2004. So that takes a little bit of luster off of the deal, especialy since the Cards didn't re-sign Finley. But Chuck sure helped us last year. The other player in the deal, Luis Garcia, who was supposedly the big prospect, and was acquired from Boston in the Hermanson trade, is hitting under .200 at Buffalo. Put that in your pipe and smoke it Gammons.
3. In the Hackman-Tomko deal, the Cards also sent San Diego Mike Wodnicki, who is currently the closer for the Padres High-A team after starting for the Peoria club last year. Wodnicki is doing very well right now, but alas, he is a High-A reliever, which means that a lot of things have to happen and several years must go by before this trade could be even considered remotely even, and even then it's a long shot.
Truly, the only trade I really think Walt regrets making is the Young-Brantley deal. Gilkey had one good year with the Mets and was done, so that was no big deal. Losing Cliff Politte turned out to not be good, but he hadn't shown anything at the time and Stephenson, though much-maligned, was instrumental in 2000 and still could be again.
One other deal that didn't work out so well for the Cards: Joe McEwing for Jesse Orosco. Little Mac has never been as much of a ballplayer as a fan favorite, so trading him might have been a blessing in disguise, as he fits the profile of a player TLR would keep on the team for no other reason than his scrappiness and ability to play multiple positions. The disappointing thing about the trade was that St. Louis happened to be the one stop in Jesse Orosco's long, long career that he didn't help the team he played for. I'm sure Card fans thought Orosco was done after the Cards broke ties with him, but he is in the middle of his third successful season since, which will probably be his last.
The Gunn's are right about another thing. Injuries have hurt the Cards trade flexibility. When the time comes to make a deal, a minor-league arm is almost certainly going to be what is dealt. It won't be Haren, and it won't be Hawksworth, but it could be pretty much anyone else. Brace yourself.
TAGUCHI GETS CALL
So Taguchi, who has no homers, 10 RBI, and a .254 batting average at AAA Memphis will be called up to take Fernando Vina's place on the roster. Taguchi is one of the worst hitters on a terrible offensive team in Memphis, but appaently is making too much money to be ignored for another callup. I was at least excited to hear that Jon Nunnally's name was mentioned among possible candidates for a callup, so maybe he'll get a chance after Taguchi goes 0 for his first 12. Elsewhere, Rotoworld.com has speculated that the Cards may make a trade for a stopgap at the position, possibly Mark Loretta or Eric Young. I'd certainly have no problem with this and it would make sense, if only as a bench strenthening move. As of tonight, the Cards will have three complete offensive zeroes on their bench in the form of Chris Widger, Wilson Delgado, and Taguchi. Grabbing Loretta or Young would not be tough and it would send Cairo back to the bench, making it better.
In the minors, Chris Narveson gave up only one run over seven innings a couple nights ago, but lost because Palm Beach can't score runs. Narveson and Tyler Johnson continue to give solid performances for Palm Beach while receiving no run support.
Jimmy Journell continues to pitch well in relief. He has two more scoreless innings in a weekend outing, and looks like a better bet right now than Gabe Molina, who had a poor ERA in Memphis and has looked shaky since his recall.
Travis Hanson has slumped at Peoria. He's in a 1 for 23 skid that has dropped his average below .300. However John Santor continues to destroy Midwest League pitching. He's batting .357 and drawing a ton of walks.
The Cards will have Brett Tomko going against the Astros Jeriome Robertson tonight in a rematch of last Thursday's 5-2 victory by the Astros in Houston. This series sets up well for the Cards. Houston has pitchers going the next three nights who typically don't go deep into games, and their middle guys got heavy use yesterday. Also, Geoff Blum is recovering from meningitis and Richard Hidalgo will be out the whole series. No Roy Oswalt or Wade Miller either. The Cards have great chance to take three out of four and could sweep the series, especially if they get into the Astros pen early tonight.
So Taguchi, who has no homers, 10 RBI, and a .254 batting average at AAA Memphis will be called up to take Fernando Vina's place on the roster. Taguchi is one of the worst hitters on a terrible offensive team in Memphis, but appaently is making too much money to be ignored for another callup. I was at least excited to hear that Jon Nunnally's name was mentioned among possible candidates for a callup, so maybe he'll get a chance after Taguchi goes 0 for his first 12. Elsewhere, Rotoworld.com has speculated that the Cards may make a trade for a stopgap at the position, possibly Mark Loretta or Eric Young. I'd certainly have no problem with this and it would make sense, if only as a bench strenthening move. As of tonight, the Cards will have three complete offensive zeroes on their bench in the form of Chris Widger, Wilson Delgado, and Taguchi. Grabbing Loretta or Young would not be tough and it would send Cairo back to the bench, making it better.
In the minors, Chris Narveson gave up only one run over seven innings a couple nights ago, but lost because Palm Beach can't score runs. Narveson and Tyler Johnson continue to give solid performances for Palm Beach while receiving no run support.
Jimmy Journell continues to pitch well in relief. He has two more scoreless innings in a weekend outing, and looks like a better bet right now than Gabe Molina, who had a poor ERA in Memphis and has looked shaky since his recall.
Travis Hanson has slumped at Peoria. He's in a 1 for 23 skid that has dropped his average below .300. However John Santor continues to destroy Midwest League pitching. He's batting .357 and drawing a ton of walks.
The Cards will have Brett Tomko going against the Astros Jeriome Robertson tonight in a rematch of last Thursday's 5-2 victory by the Astros in Houston. This series sets up well for the Cards. Houston has pitchers going the next three nights who typically don't go deep into games, and their middle guys got heavy use yesterday. Also, Geoff Blum is recovering from meningitis and Richard Hidalgo will be out the whole series. No Roy Oswalt or Wade Miller either. The Cards have great chance to take three out of four and could sweep the series, especially if they get into the Astros pen early tonight.
Monday, May 26, 2003
Another thing, I totally take anything back I said about Chris Widger being an "adequate backup". He is 0 for 11 at the plate and has shown nothing defensively when he's in the ballgame. He is particularly unadept at catching thows home and transferring the ball from glove to hand. I now side with the Birdhouse on this topic. FREE PAT BORDERS!! Speaking of the birdhouse, Ray what happened? My Astros-Cards preview from Houston is still up on the website? Is my material slipping? :)
Well, Fernando is going to be out a lot longer than expected. I guess it's just Murphy's Law with Cards and injuries this year. Marrero was a loss we could handle, and Vina's is too, but it hurts. In addition to his sterling D, Fred has picked it up at the plate big time in May, slugging over .500 (and of course getting on base more often).
The lineup I would like to see in Vina's absence.
LF Palmeiro
RF Drew
1B Pujols
CF Edmonds
3B Rolen
SS Renteria
2B Cairo
C Matheny
OR................
RF Drew
1B Perez
LF Pujols
CF Edmonds
3B Rolen
SS Renteria
2B Cairo
C Matheny
Notice who is not in this lineup (Hint: He's from Tampa)
Maybe the Mets will do a Alomar for Terrible Tampa Tino swap. HA!
Well, Fernando is going to be out a lot longer than expected. I guess it's just Murphy's Law with Cards and injuries this year. Marrero was a loss we could handle, and Vina's is too, but it hurts. In addition to his sterling D, Fred has picked it up at the plate big time in May, slugging over .500 (and of course getting on base more often).
The lineup I would like to see in Vina's absence.
LF Palmeiro
RF Drew
1B Pujols
CF Edmonds
3B Rolen
SS Renteria
2B Cairo
C Matheny
OR................
RF Drew
1B Perez
LF Pujols
CF Edmonds
3B Rolen
SS Renteria
2B Cairo
C Matheny
Notice who is not in this lineup (Hint: He's from Tampa)
Maybe the Mets will do a Alomar for Terrible Tampa Tino swap. HA!
Right now, the Cards are beating the Astros 3-0, so I'm happy, BUT there are some things I need to vent about.
--Vina hurt himself yesterday and is probably headed to the DL. The Post-Dispatch is saying that either Kerry Robinson or So Taguchi is the likely callup as a replacement. Hey, here's a novel idea.... Why don't we call up someone that can actually HELP the team. Like Jon Nunnally, who has a .303/.471/.572 line at Memphis right now with 43 walks, or Dee Haynes, who is leading the team in homers and RBI's and is slugging .503? I mean, is a late-inning defensive replacement or pinch-runner better than someone who can actually hit?
--Tino Martinez simply has to be put on the bench. His three-run homer on Friday night is the only good thing he has done in a month. Yeah, his defense has been good, but he made an error yesterday that cost us the game, and he's already made an error, in addition to stranding four runners today. Did you see that last pop-up on the first pitch. He's a joke out there. Matheny is now 2 for 2 and if he had been hitting in the 7 spot instead of Tino we'd be ahead 5-0 right now. When is Tony going to swallow his pride and put him on the bench?
--Just got done reading Josh Schulz's Cards blog and he is right on about the talent on the team. We've got a handful of great players and a greater number of guys who are killing us when they play. Going into yesterday's game, the Cards had the two starters with the lowest ERA in the league, and two of the top 4 batters in OPS. Yet, we're 25-23. Hopefully when Izzy and Carpenter get back, Simo and some one else can be eliminated. I would say I hope that the bench and starting lineup would be filled out differently but I know better.
--Nice shot by DREEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWW, Cards 6-0.
--Vina hurt himself yesterday and is probably headed to the DL. The Post-Dispatch is saying that either Kerry Robinson or So Taguchi is the likely callup as a replacement. Hey, here's a novel idea.... Why don't we call up someone that can actually HELP the team. Like Jon Nunnally, who has a .303/.471/.572 line at Memphis right now with 43 walks, or Dee Haynes, who is leading the team in homers and RBI's and is slugging .503? I mean, is a late-inning defensive replacement or pinch-runner better than someone who can actually hit?
--Tino Martinez simply has to be put on the bench. His three-run homer on Friday night is the only good thing he has done in a month. Yeah, his defense has been good, but he made an error yesterday that cost us the game, and he's already made an error, in addition to stranding four runners today. Did you see that last pop-up on the first pitch. He's a joke out there. Matheny is now 2 for 2 and if he had been hitting in the 7 spot instead of Tino we'd be ahead 5-0 right now. When is Tony going to swallow his pride and put him on the bench?
--Just got done reading Josh Schulz's Cards blog and he is right on about the talent on the team. We've got a handful of great players and a greater number of guys who are killing us when they play. Going into yesterday's game, the Cards had the two starters with the lowest ERA in the league, and two of the top 4 batters in OPS. Yet, we're 25-23. Hopefully when Izzy and Carpenter get back, Simo and some one else can be eliminated. I would say I hope that the bench and starting lineup would be filled out differently but I know better.
--Nice shot by DREEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWW, Cards 6-0.
Saturday, May 24, 2003
The First Inning
Tonight, in the first inning, Cardinal hitters saw forty pitches, an average of five pitches per hitter. Out of the forty pitches, twenty-two were not swung at. The results, three runs stemming from a triple, a walk, and three singles. The triple and one of the singles were two strike hits, the other two singles were one-strike hits. It was all the offense the Cards would need on their way to victory. The moral lesson: Controlling the strike zone creates runs. That is all.
Tonight, in the first inning, Cardinal hitters saw forty pitches, an average of five pitches per hitter. Out of the forty pitches, twenty-two were not swung at. The results, three runs stemming from a triple, a walk, and three singles. The triple and one of the singles were two strike hits, the other two singles were one-strike hits. It was all the offense the Cards would need on their way to victory. The moral lesson: Controlling the strike zone creates runs. That is all.
PASS ME THE MAALOX
If there is one inalienable truth about the St. Louis Cardinals baseball season, it is this: It hasn't been boring.
Sorry, I neglected to post this afternoon but unfortunately I have to work at my job some times. It's so weird that games like last nights non-descript loss to the Astros are so few and far between that it's like we bloggers don't know how to react to it. Tonight's game was more of what we were used to. A near five-hour game made that way by an hour and twenty minute rain delay that ended with the Cards scoring eight runs in the last three innings, blowing one save and retiring the heart of the order to finally get the save (Thanks, Mr. Fassero). Tony looked equal parts dunce and genius, running his bench dry after nine innings and electing to pitch to Craig Wilson with the winning run, the only run that mattered, ninety feet away, and Wilson, the Pirates second-best hitter, at the plate with a base open. Of course it worked, and then when Tony sent Brett Tomko to the plate to pinch-hit because he wanted to keep Mike Matheny in the game catching and needed to save Chris Widger on the bench, Tomko of course got a base hit and then scored on J.D. Drew's two out-two strike triple, which was followed by a RBI bunt single by Albert Pujols, who was a cool 5 for 6 on the evening. All of this doesn't even take into account Tino's (yes that Tino) two-out three run homer in the 8th, and Scotty Rolen's two-out two-strike three-run homer in the ninth to catapult the Cards from down two to up one, only to see that lead promptly blown by Cal Eldred, who served up an RBI double to the mighty Jeff Reboulet, setting up Drew's ninth inning heroics, which consisted of a deep fly to center dropped by KENNY LOFTON!!! YESS F**K YOU KENNY!!!
Whew, I'm out of breath. Well, it certainly is fun to win games like this, and theoretically it should give us some momentum. The last time we won an extra-inning game on the road, we won our next six. What I like is that now we are well-positioned to take two out of three, with a possible sweep. The Astros beat the Cubs, which is good, now we need for the two teams to split the next two while we dust the Pirates. Morris vs Suppan tomorrow. Matty should dominate a weak Pirate offense, better than a certain unnamed Cards starter did tonight.
Okay, sorry he is not going to go unnamed. Simo sucks. If the Cards management and ownership are serious about putting the best product on the field that is possible, then Jason Simontacchi does not belong in the rotation, it's as simple as that. Walking the tightrope towards a decent start and being successful one out of every three starts does not qualify you as a starter for a team of this caliber. My solution: I agree with the Brother's Gunn, get Chuck Finley, if for no other reason than he might go to Houston if we don't. If we don't go for Finley, how about Kiko Calero, who continues to sparkle in long relief. Or Nerio Rodriguez, who has been good at AAA Memphis? Calero possesses something that Simo doesn't have, which is called an out pitch. Simo makes it so painfully clear as he continues to give up two strike hits. Tonight he had some bad luck, but it just bears out the idea that if you can't miss any bats, you have a lot more chances to have stuff like that happen. Simo has had good luck in the past. If he has good luck, he's average. If he has bad luck, he's beyond bad.
The bullpen continues to make progress. That's two more scoreless innings for Kiko, a not-so-great inning for the recently recalled Gabe Molina (bye-bye K-Rob), a good inning for Kliner, who won a great battle with Giles, a good job to keep us from losing the game by Eldred after he made some bad pitches, and about as easy of a save by Fassero as you would ever expect. And..despite the craziness of the game and Simo's brief outing, Crudale and Hermanson didn't get used.
I was going to get on here and write about how I think our "approach" at the plate is hurting us from scoring as many runs as we could. I started reading "Moneyball" tonight and started getting mad because so many of the concepts are so anti-Cardinal, or more specifically, anti-Tony and anti-Mitch Page. I nthe early innings tonight, we were looking at first-pitch fastballs and then swing at bad first pitches. The whole idea of being naturally aggressive just leads to too many bad choices in my opinion. I mean, if you're just reacting, that's pretty tough to be successful when you have less than a second to swing. Whereas, if you have a philosophy of going up there looking at some pitches and controlling the strike zone (a la Rolen) you are going to be so much better. Sure enough, once the late innings came around, the guys started looking at more pitches. I don't know if Salomon Torres' fastball just looked really hittable or what, but when the relievers were in there, our approach was much better. It led to eight runs in three innings, and a bunch of big hits deep in counts. The one guy who I still maintain needs to work on it is Edgar, who saw four pitches in his first three at-bats, but later walked. Everyone was guilty though in the early innings. Rolen, Vina (of course) and Drew all did it early in the game. This team continues to hit well with two strikes, which in my mind should be even more reason to go up there looking at pitches, waiting for the right one. Torres was throwing a lot of first-pitch strikes, and it seemed like guys timing was just off when he was on the mound. They'd let one right down the middle go by for strike one, and then swing at a crap pitch and bounce out. And it's frustrating to watch that as a fan, stranding runners on base with bad swings, especially when it's known what the lineup is capable of, like what it did in the 8th, 9th, and 10th. So here's to hoping that the offense continues to thrive. Keep Drew in the lineup, he's not hurt!!! Okay, I'm rambling now, so I'll take a break, but one good piece of news before I go. Dan Haren logged a quality start in his second outing for AAA Memphis. After cruising through five scoreless innings, Haren was touched for three runs in the sixth. He struck out five and walked 0 allowing eight hits. Jimmy Journell picked up the win with another scoreless inning in the ninth as Memphis won 4-3.
If there is one inalienable truth about the St. Louis Cardinals baseball season, it is this: It hasn't been boring.
Sorry, I neglected to post this afternoon but unfortunately I have to work at my job some times. It's so weird that games like last nights non-descript loss to the Astros are so few and far between that it's like we bloggers don't know how to react to it. Tonight's game was more of what we were used to. A near five-hour game made that way by an hour and twenty minute rain delay that ended with the Cards scoring eight runs in the last three innings, blowing one save and retiring the heart of the order to finally get the save (Thanks, Mr. Fassero). Tony looked equal parts dunce and genius, running his bench dry after nine innings and electing to pitch to Craig Wilson with the winning run, the only run that mattered, ninety feet away, and Wilson, the Pirates second-best hitter, at the plate with a base open. Of course it worked, and then when Tony sent Brett Tomko to the plate to pinch-hit because he wanted to keep Mike Matheny in the game catching and needed to save Chris Widger on the bench, Tomko of course got a base hit and then scored on J.D. Drew's two out-two strike triple, which was followed by a RBI bunt single by Albert Pujols, who was a cool 5 for 6 on the evening. All of this doesn't even take into account Tino's (yes that Tino) two-out three run homer in the 8th, and Scotty Rolen's two-out two-strike three-run homer in the ninth to catapult the Cards from down two to up one, only to see that lead promptly blown by Cal Eldred, who served up an RBI double to the mighty Jeff Reboulet, setting up Drew's ninth inning heroics, which consisted of a deep fly to center dropped by KENNY LOFTON!!! YESS F**K YOU KENNY!!!
Whew, I'm out of breath. Well, it certainly is fun to win games like this, and theoretically it should give us some momentum. The last time we won an extra-inning game on the road, we won our next six. What I like is that now we are well-positioned to take two out of three, with a possible sweep. The Astros beat the Cubs, which is good, now we need for the two teams to split the next two while we dust the Pirates. Morris vs Suppan tomorrow. Matty should dominate a weak Pirate offense, better than a certain unnamed Cards starter did tonight.
Okay, sorry he is not going to go unnamed. Simo sucks. If the Cards management and ownership are serious about putting the best product on the field that is possible, then Jason Simontacchi does not belong in the rotation, it's as simple as that. Walking the tightrope towards a decent start and being successful one out of every three starts does not qualify you as a starter for a team of this caliber. My solution: I agree with the Brother's Gunn, get Chuck Finley, if for no other reason than he might go to Houston if we don't. If we don't go for Finley, how about Kiko Calero, who continues to sparkle in long relief. Or Nerio Rodriguez, who has been good at AAA Memphis? Calero possesses something that Simo doesn't have, which is called an out pitch. Simo makes it so painfully clear as he continues to give up two strike hits. Tonight he had some bad luck, but it just bears out the idea that if you can't miss any bats, you have a lot more chances to have stuff like that happen. Simo has had good luck in the past. If he has good luck, he's average. If he has bad luck, he's beyond bad.
The bullpen continues to make progress. That's two more scoreless innings for Kiko, a not-so-great inning for the recently recalled Gabe Molina (bye-bye K-Rob), a good inning for Kliner, who won a great battle with Giles, a good job to keep us from losing the game by Eldred after he made some bad pitches, and about as easy of a save by Fassero as you would ever expect. And..despite the craziness of the game and Simo's brief outing, Crudale and Hermanson didn't get used.
I was going to get on here and write about how I think our "approach" at the plate is hurting us from scoring as many runs as we could. I started reading "Moneyball" tonight and started getting mad because so many of the concepts are so anti-Cardinal, or more specifically, anti-Tony and anti-Mitch Page. I nthe early innings tonight, we were looking at first-pitch fastballs and then swing at bad first pitches. The whole idea of being naturally aggressive just leads to too many bad choices in my opinion. I mean, if you're just reacting, that's pretty tough to be successful when you have less than a second to swing. Whereas, if you have a philosophy of going up there looking at some pitches and controlling the strike zone (a la Rolen) you are going to be so much better. Sure enough, once the late innings came around, the guys started looking at more pitches. I don't know if Salomon Torres' fastball just looked really hittable or what, but when the relievers were in there, our approach was much better. It led to eight runs in three innings, and a bunch of big hits deep in counts. The one guy who I still maintain needs to work on it is Edgar, who saw four pitches in his first three at-bats, but later walked. Everyone was guilty though in the early innings. Rolen, Vina (of course) and Drew all did it early in the game. This team continues to hit well with two strikes, which in my mind should be even more reason to go up there looking at pitches, waiting for the right one. Torres was throwing a lot of first-pitch strikes, and it seemed like guys timing was just off when he was on the mound. They'd let one right down the middle go by for strike one, and then swing at a crap pitch and bounce out. And it's frustrating to watch that as a fan, stranding runners on base with bad swings, especially when it's known what the lineup is capable of, like what it did in the 8th, 9th, and 10th. So here's to hoping that the offense continues to thrive. Keep Drew in the lineup, he's not hurt!!! Okay, I'm rambling now, so I'll take a break, but one good piece of news before I go. Dan Haren logged a quality start in his second outing for AAA Memphis. After cruising through five scoreless innings, Haren was touched for three runs in the sixth. He struck out five and walked 0 allowing eight hits. Jimmy Journell picked up the win with another scoreless inning in the ninth as Memphis won 4-3.
Friday, May 23, 2003
I have to admit, I took a night off from watching baseball to do some other things. It won't happen again I promise. Looking at the boxscore in disppointment but not really surprise. Though the pitching matchup favored us on paper, Tomko was due to give up some runs, the meat of the Astros order was due to do some damage, they had a soft-tossing lefty in there, and Tony decided tonight was a good night to play the B team. On the plus side, the bullpen is pitching much better, it is now official. Taking two of three from the Pirates would make this short road trip a success in my opinion. I'd love to win all three at PNC, of course, though, and will not be pleased if we win less than two.
Tomorrow, a look at how the minor leaguers have been doing lately, as well as a full report on just how well the Cards have done when their triumvirate of weak bats get on base.
Tomorrow, a look at how the minor leaguers have been doing lately, as well as a full report on just how well the Cards have done when their triumvirate of weak bats get on base.
Thursday, May 22, 2003
A HUUUUGE WIN
Okay, I'm calm now. Last night's win was a huge win, maybe the biggest of the season so far, at least when you consider what losing could have meant to the team's psyche. It would've been Houston's fifth win over us by one run if they had somehow charged back in the ninth, and they would've been going for a sweep today and a chance to pull three games ahead of us in the standings. Instead we are in second place by percentage points and only 1.5 games out, in the part of the season where it's all about staying close. Coming into this series, and I know the Birdhouse will want to kill me for saying this, I said I would be very happy taking two out of three. In fact, all I was really worried about was that the Cards didn't get swept. Why? As long as you don't get swept, you lose no more than one game, and the Cards have Houston coming to Busch for four games, and OSWALT AND MILLER WILL NOT BE PITCHING IN ANY OF THEM. If we can somehow win tonight, and Jeriome Robertson has not been good very often this year, then we could bring the 'Stros into our house and the process of us making them our bitches like in 2002 could commence again. That's why I was positively rejoicing after Cal Eldred was able to compose himself and get Bag-Pipes for the game ending DP.
Speaking of Eldred and the pen, they are starting to come around. Both Crudale and Fassero came in and got big strike outs last night. Both threw some nasty pitches and that was the sharpest I've seen Fassero this year, even if it was just one batter, so poo on my statement about not liking him in the game last night I guess. The news on Izzy continues to be positive and if the starting pitching continues to be as good as it has been, the Cards could be taking an big upturn in their season.
I feel woefully inadequate after reading all of the awesome posts from the Redbird Nation about last night's game. Man those guys are good! To comment on some of the points they brought up.....
First, and this goes back to the bullpen and their state right now, Tony is starting to border on the overusage of his starters. There is no reason to bring Woody out for the eighth inning. In my opinion, one of the reasons that the Cards always tear through the second half of the season is because their players are not as fatigued as some others. Woody is an old guy and he throws pretty effortlessly, but two very high pitch counts in a row for his is dangerous. I think it's pretty obvious how important TLR thought last night's game was to win. Hopefully, he is starting to gain some more confidence in his relievers and it will be time to take some strain off of the starters. It has been a total change in philosophy from years past, and while I must say I am fond of not having to sit through "The nightly parade of a thouand relievers" (one of the big reasons the Cards games have been shorter this year) I don't want our men on the mound to wear down in the second half.
Vina has been looking better at the plate no doubt. He got a couple hits Tuesday, and had a couple hits AND A WALK last night. I'm going to do a little research on that bet that Mark made because that intrigues the hell out of me. As for the Vina/Dodgers trade rmor, that really doesn't make much sense to me. They have Alex Cora, who is very good defensively (at least he has been this year) and they've got Joe Thurston at AAA. Vina doesn't seem like a likely pickup for them as a one-year helper.
You've got to like what you see out of Drew. That single to the opposite field off of a lefty made me drool. And he's covering some serious ground in right. He actually didn't look afraid of the wall for once. I swear that guy that caught Pujols home run ball was at the sereis that I went to in St. Louis raising hell. Good to see Cardinal fans irking old people everywhere. I wonder if that old lady realizes that she was being shown on every sports highlight show in America taking her husband's cane and whacking a twenty-something with it while he proudly holds the ball in the air and smiles.
Tino still sucks. It's as if there is some force of nature preventing him from driving in runs. The umpires are now even taking away his RBI, obscuring the fact that the fly ball he hit to right was supremely WEAK. At least he plays good defense.
Speaking of defense, man our defense is great. I don't even want to try to talk about advanced defensive stats, because I've tried reading abotu them in WinShares and they are just too much for me. I mean, does everyone realize that Bill James can start making up numbers in order to create his complicated formulas and everyone will go along with it because A) They are totally lost and B) He is Bill James?
All I know is that our defense is awesome. Renteria and Vina are probably quite comparable to the other keystone combos of the past, but Rolen is just such a good third baseman that I don't see how any other Cards infield could be better historically.
Okay, I'm calm now. Last night's win was a huge win, maybe the biggest of the season so far, at least when you consider what losing could have meant to the team's psyche. It would've been Houston's fifth win over us by one run if they had somehow charged back in the ninth, and they would've been going for a sweep today and a chance to pull three games ahead of us in the standings. Instead we are in second place by percentage points and only 1.5 games out, in the part of the season where it's all about staying close. Coming into this series, and I know the Birdhouse will want to kill me for saying this, I said I would be very happy taking two out of three. In fact, all I was really worried about was that the Cards didn't get swept. Why? As long as you don't get swept, you lose no more than one game, and the Cards have Houston coming to Busch for four games, and OSWALT AND MILLER WILL NOT BE PITCHING IN ANY OF THEM. If we can somehow win tonight, and Jeriome Robertson has not been good very often this year, then we could bring the 'Stros into our house and the process of us making them our bitches like in 2002 could commence again. That's why I was positively rejoicing after Cal Eldred was able to compose himself and get Bag-Pipes for the game ending DP.
Speaking of Eldred and the pen, they are starting to come around. Both Crudale and Fassero came in and got big strike outs last night. Both threw some nasty pitches and that was the sharpest I've seen Fassero this year, even if it was just one batter, so poo on my statement about not liking him in the game last night I guess. The news on Izzy continues to be positive and if the starting pitching continues to be as good as it has been, the Cards could be taking an big upturn in their season.
I feel woefully inadequate after reading all of the awesome posts from the Redbird Nation about last night's game. Man those guys are good! To comment on some of the points they brought up.....
First, and this goes back to the bullpen and their state right now, Tony is starting to border on the overusage of his starters. There is no reason to bring Woody out for the eighth inning. In my opinion, one of the reasons that the Cards always tear through the second half of the season is because their players are not as fatigued as some others. Woody is an old guy and he throws pretty effortlessly, but two very high pitch counts in a row for his is dangerous. I think it's pretty obvious how important TLR thought last night's game was to win. Hopefully, he is starting to gain some more confidence in his relievers and it will be time to take some strain off of the starters. It has been a total change in philosophy from years past, and while I must say I am fond of not having to sit through "The nightly parade of a thouand relievers" (one of the big reasons the Cards games have been shorter this year) I don't want our men on the mound to wear down in the second half.
Vina has been looking better at the plate no doubt. He got a couple hits Tuesday, and had a couple hits AND A WALK last night. I'm going to do a little research on that bet that Mark made because that intrigues the hell out of me. As for the Vina/Dodgers trade rmor, that really doesn't make much sense to me. They have Alex Cora, who is very good defensively (at least he has been this year) and they've got Joe Thurston at AAA. Vina doesn't seem like a likely pickup for them as a one-year helper.
You've got to like what you see out of Drew. That single to the opposite field off of a lefty made me drool. And he's covering some serious ground in right. He actually didn't look afraid of the wall for once. I swear that guy that caught Pujols home run ball was at the sereis that I went to in St. Louis raising hell. Good to see Cardinal fans irking old people everywhere. I wonder if that old lady realizes that she was being shown on every sports highlight show in America taking her husband's cane and whacking a twenty-something with it while he proudly holds the ball in the air and smiles.
Tino still sucks. It's as if there is some force of nature preventing him from driving in runs. The umpires are now even taking away his RBI, obscuring the fact that the fly ball he hit to right was supremely WEAK. At least he plays good defense.
Speaking of defense, man our defense is great. I don't even want to try to talk about advanced defensive stats, because I've tried reading abotu them in WinShares and they are just too much for me. I mean, does everyone realize that Bill James can start making up numbers in order to create his complicated formulas and everyone will go along with it because A) They are totally lost and B) He is Bill James?
All I know is that our defense is awesome. Renteria and Vina are probably quite comparable to the other keystone combos of the past, but Rolen is just such a good third baseman that I don't see how any other Cards infield could be better historically.
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