Silver Sluggers
Written by Mike on November 13, 2008 – 11:12 pm -
The National League Silver Sluggers were announced today, and it was no surprise that the two Cardinal All-Stars were selected. The award, which is voted on by the league’s coaches and managers, is given to the best offensive performers at each position.
Albert Pujols put up a line of .357/.462/.653 to win his fourth Silver Slugger, adding to his already crowded trophy case. He’s also the leading candidate for the NL MVP award.
Ryan Ludwick’s line of .299/.375/.591 was good enough to garner his first Silver Slugger, joining Matt Holliday and Ryan Braun as the three most potent outfield bats in the league.
The Cardinal duo combined to hit 74 home runs and drive in 229 runs in 2008. Yet many, including manager Tony La Russa, believe that an “impact bat” is still a pressing need for the ball club.
Check out Derrick Goold’s Bird Land for more on the story, along with the complete list of this year’s winners.
UCB Project: Top Prospects
Written by Mike on September 8, 2008 – 8:24 pm -The United Cardinal Bloggers are back, and this time, we’re looking at the system’s top prospects. Each of the participating blogs are weighing in on what they believe to be the seven highest ranking youngsters. Here’s my take:
1. Colby Rasmus
I’d be surprised to see Rasmus anywhere but the top spot on these lists. Despite having a rough season for AAA Memphis, he was still ranked among the top prospects in baseball at midseason by Baseball America. He’s considered a five-tool player at a premium position, and we Cardinal fans haven’t anticipated a rookie’s arrival like this in a while.
Rasmus has been known to struggle for a short period following each promotion, and that certainly was the case this season. Unfortunately, his injury kept us from seeing him bust the slump. Depending on what the Cardinals do with their glut of outfielders this winter, Rasmus’ arrival may have to wait even longer. Either way, he’ll be a great major leaguer.
2. Chris Perez
We’ve all seen enough of Perez to be excited about the back end of the bullpen once again. His high nineties fastball and plus slider can make a deadly combination, and it’s nice to see Tony La Russa finally trusting the kid to get the job done.
I’ve got to be honest here. I haven’t seen this kid at all, and aside from a couple of swings I found on Youtube, I don’t know anything about his play. So, I have to stick to the stats on this one. Wallace is a big time hitter, we know that from his peripherals from college. He burst onto the Cardinal map with his very first professional game for Quad Cities. His jump to AA Springfield clearly shows that he’s on the fast track, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a September call-up next season. If we compiled another one of these lists next year, Wallace’s name would be at the top.
Good hitting catchers don’t grow on trees, so the Cardinals are lucky to have one. Anderson was raking for Springfield before cooling off late in the year for Memphis, but he can still hit. I think his defense is improved, and will only get better with time (and some more tutoring from Mike Matheny). I’d think Anderson would be ranked higher for other teams, but the Cardinals already have one of the best catchers in the league, and it’s not like he’s nearing retirement. I look for Anderson to be playing another full season in AAA before he can break camp with the Cards. On the other hand, he’s probably one of the club’s best trading chips.
5. Jason Motte
After seeing his major league debut, I was sold. Motte throws very hard, and is quite capable of handling big league hitters. He still has a lot of work to do with his secondary pitches, but remember, he’s only been pitching for a couple of years. With time, Motte will be deadly. I’m already envisioning a late inning trio of Kyle McClellan, Motte, and Perez. Exciting!
6. Jaime Garcia
I was considering leaving Garcia off this list because of his injury. We won’t see him pitch again for a year, and chances are, he could get passed by other arms by then. But, because he’s so young, it’s easy to still envision him competing for a spot in the rotation down the line. Aside from a couple of bad outings, I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from Garcia, and he gets bonus points for being a southpaw.
7. Daryl Jones
Jones has figured it out, and put together a great ‘08 campaign. He was hitting .326 in 87 games for Palm Beach before his promotion to Springfield, where he hit .290. He’s still only twenty-one years old, and now has the confidence with something to build on. I’m sure we’ll be talking a lot about Jones next year, when he’ll probably be ranked in the top three.
Since we’re stopping at seven, my honorable mentions would include Jess Todd, Jon Jay, and David Freese. With some hesitation, I’ll include Mitchell Boggs too, solely on his minor league resume.
Find the links to all the UCB prospect lists over at C70 at the Bat. You’re sure to see most of the same names, but likely in a completely different order. Check back for updates on this project in the near future.
Looper Gets Shelled in Loss
Written by Mike on August 31, 2008 – 11:50 am -Ugly. Really, really ugly. After getting spotted a three run lead by Rick Ankiel’s homer in the first inning of game two in Houston, starter Braden Looper immediately put the Cardinals in a hole by giving up six runs in the bottom half. Manager Tony La Russa stayed with the pitcher into the fifth, but turned to his bullpen after a two run homer off the bat of Geoff Blum. Looper’s line: 4.1 innings, 8 earned runs on 11 hits, 3 walks, and 1 strikeout. Ugh! Here’s the box score.
It’s tough to watch the Cardinals lose games to lesser teams down the stretch. They’re now back down to only 12 games over .500, with a record of 74-62. What’s worse is they’ve gone 4-6 in their last ten games, and are now tied with the Phillies at 5.5 games behind the NL Wild Card leading Milwaukee Brewers.
Game three against Houston is later this afternoon. Todd Wellemeyer will try to keep the Astros hitters in check to prevent the sweep. He can’t do any worse than Looper.
A Frustrating Loss for the Cardinals
Written by Mike on August 26, 2008 – 11:10 pm -
The clock is ticking, and the Cardinals need wins. We would have liked to see a two game sweep to begin the home stand against Pittsburgh. But the Cards split. We would have liked to see a three game sweep against Atlanta. But the they could only take two. And in what seems like the most important series of the second half, we would have liked to see the Redbirds get redemption with a pair of wins against Milwaukee. Game one is in the books. Brewers 12, Cardinals 0.
From looking at the final score, you would think that starter Todd Wellemeyer had a bad game, and it got out of hand in a hurry. That wasn’t the case at all, as Wellemeyer was down by only three runs after six. He left the game after two batters in the seventh, on 112 pitches, finishing with a line of 6 innings, 5 runs (4 earned), and 5 strikeouts.
The Cardinals used four relievers to finish the game, the worst being Brad Thompson, who allowed four runs in his one-plus. Jaime Garcia allowed three more runs before finishing the top of the ninth.Nothing doing for the St. Louis offense. They managed seven hits, five of which were off of Ben Sheets, but couldn’t get anyone around, stranding eight runners on base. Here’s tonight’s full recap and box score.
So it’s another loss, moving the Cardinals record to 3-3 on this home stand and 73-60 overall. They now trail the Brewers by 4.5 games in the Wild Card race. Is it a more significant loss than any other? Depends on who you ask.
“I think, to us, these are our biggest games all year,” said Cardinal reliever Ryan Franklin.
Manager Tony La Russa knows these games are important, but also acknowledges that they won’t determine whether or not the Cards make the playoffs.
“The biggest thing is that this two-game series will not determine October chances for either club,” La Russa said.
So while we die hard Cardinal fans feel like the playoff bus is leaving the station, and we don’t have tickets, we have to remember a couple of things. First, these same two clubs play again tomorrow, and win for the Redbirds ensures no more lost ground. And secondly, there are still 28 more games after that one. A lot can happen.
Look for Adam Wainwright to lead the Cards to a win tomorrow night, and we’ll all feel better afterwards.
Pitchers Making Headlines
Written by Mike on August 20, 2008 – 4:13 pm -In the stretch run to keep their playoff hopes alive, the St. Louis Cardinals started the current seven game home stand with a 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates last night. The loss was especially frustrating for fans when the offense and defense couldn’t show up to compliment the outstanding pitching performance from Braden Looper. He went 7 innings, allowing 1 run and only 3 hits. Here’s the full recap and box score.
Another starter, Adam Wainwright, is ready to get back to pitching in the big leagues, but is still sitting on the disabled list, waiting for the news on his role, or worse, his next rehab assignment. I cannot fathom what’s going through the heads of those in charge. It seems as if Adam doesn’t understand it either.
“It’s frustrating to know I’m ready to pitch and I don’t have a role,” Wainwright said.
Joe Strauss has the full story, complete with all the quotes from the pitcher, as well as some responses from Tony La Russa. It’s a must read.
For some reason, the indecisiveness leads back to staff ace, Chris Carpenter. He was scheduled to do some more throwing today at Busch Stadium, and the outcome would likely dictate what the Cardinals do with Wainwright. It makes no sense to me.
Update (7:00 pm): Adam Wainwright will start Friday against Atlanta. Hooray!
Sticking with starters, Kyle Lohse has received a five game suspension from Major League Baseball for throwing a pitch up and in to Cincinnati’s Edinson Volquez. Are you fucking kidding me?! He didn’t even hit the guy. He just threw it inside. What is this game coming to when you get suspended and fined for throwing near a batter? I was furious when Volquez and manager Dusty Baker weren’t ejected in that game after Felipe Lopez was hit. Both benches had already been warned. Why no ejection? I know that it’s the umpires discretion, and if he believes a player was hit intentionally, he can throw out the pitcher without warning. If he can also leave a pitcher in after a warning, then what the hell is the point of the warning? Seriously. Anyway, here’s the press release.
Finally, the news on Jason Isringhausen. The results of his latest MRI revealed a partial flexor tear, and thus puts an end to his season. Robert Falkoff has the story. It’s a tough break, in a rough season for Izzy. I was hoping to see him reach the 300 saves milestone soon.
Bird Bits
Written by Mike on August 17, 2008 – 10:13 am -First off, I’d be remiss to not point out a debate going on over at Viva El Birdos this morning. houstoncardinal, one of the regular posters at VEB has sparked some heated conversation on the subject of Cardinal prospect Colby Rasmus. He claims that it would benefit the team to call up the youngster and play him in the outfield everyday in place of Skip Schumaker. I think it’s an asinine idea, but rather than hash out why again, I’ll let you read my comments, as well as many others, here. There’s nothing like a baseball debate, and if nothing else, the author did get me in the mood for some baseball today.
Next, check out the odds of who’s going to win the National League Wild Card in an article in the Post Dispatch from Joe Strauss. I still like our chances.
And finally, for those like me that were wondering if we’d see the “B team” out there today for Tony La Russa, here’s the Cardinals’ starting lineup:
- Skip Schumaker CF
- Ryan Ludwick RF
- Albert Pujols 1B
- Rick Ankiel LF
- Troy Glaus 3B
- Adam Kennedy 2B
- Yadier Molina C
- Kyle Lohse P
- Cesar Izuris SS
It’s nice to see the regulars in there while the Cards go for the sweep. With only 36 games left in the season and so many off days coming up, I think it’s time to play the best nine every day.
Four Straight Wins
Written by Mike on August 16, 2008 – 7:59 pm -
With a fine performance from Cardinal starter Joel Pineiro, and four home runs from the supporting cast, the Cardinals picked up a decisive win against the Reds in Cincinnati.
Pineiro earned his third win in as many starts with six strong innings. He allowed 3 runs on 7 hits, and struck out 6 without issuing a walk. Jason Isringhausen, Russ Springer, and Ron Villone each pitched a scoreless inning in relief.
Skip Schumaker and Ryan Ludwick each had a home run, while Albert Pujols hit a pair. 9-3 was the final score. Here’s the complete box score.
You can bet I switched over to the Cubs/Marlins game as soon as the Cardinals recorded the final out. Wouldn’t you know, Kevin Gregg was in trouble again in the ninth, clinging to a one run lead. The Fish prevailed this time, so St. Louis picks up a full game in the standings.
I mentioned yesterday that Adam Wainwright was scheduled to pitch tonight for the Springfield Cardinals. As Matthew Leach reports, the outing went well.
The Cards will go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon with Kyle Lohse on the mound. The Reds will hand the ball to All-Star Edinson Volquez. I’m anxious to see if Tony La Russa uses his typical “getaway day lineup”, or sticks with the big guns due to the off day on Monday. I’ll have a pre-game post up early tomorrow after the lineups are announced. Already at 6-3, a Cardinal win would put an exclamation point on a very successful road trip.
Mike at the Cards vs. Marlins
Written by Mike on August 13, 2008 – 12:13 pm -
I was in attendance for both of the first two games of this four game series, and although the Cards were able to win the first one, the second left a lot to be desired.
On Monday night, I had field level seats, right behind the tarp in the first row down the third base line. Third base coach Jose Oquendo was literally ten feet away. The view from there was awesome, especially on ground balls to the left side of the infield. I had a shot at several foul grounders, and a bat that got away from Albert Pujols on one of his three strikeouts. If I was a little taller, I’d have a handful of souvenirs. Interesting side note: A friend of a friend was sitting in the section next to us, and is good pals with Rick Ankiel, and they chatted for a couple of minutes before the game. I found out that he was even at Rick’s wedding. Okay, maybe that’s not that interesting after all. Anyway, there were quite a few Cards fans at the game, including a couple that sat next to us. They were from St. Louis, but now live in Naples. It was fun to talk baseball with them, because most people here in Florida don’t even like the sport, which should have been evident from the abundance of empty seats in the park. Travelers tip: If you get the opportunity to sit at field level, order your second beer as soon as the server drops off your first one. Keep that pattern going, because they take forever. They should know better when the Cards are in town. As far as the rest of the action, I was really surprised to see Tony La Russa call on the youngsters Kyle McClellan and Chris Perez to finish the game. Good call, and good results. Keep it up Tony!
Last night, I had infield box seats, in the thirteenth row, behind home plate. I bought them from the stadium ticket office, about thirty minutes before game time. Pathetic huh? I actually could have sat much closer, but I wanted an isle seat, so I had to settle for thirteen rows back. The seats were good, but I didn’t really like looking through the screen. Lesson learned. It was awesome seeing the offense come out swinging in the first. The look on Oquendo’s face when Pujols ran through his stop sign was hilarious. I don’t know what happened to the offense for the rest of the game. I wandered around during the rain delay, but they wouldn’t let me in the club level. Bastards!
Tonight’s tickets are free, but I have no idea where we’re sitting. I don’t care though. Just being at a Cardinal game is good enough for me. I’ll post my pictures from all the games after the series, so check back.
Here’s the links to the box scores: 08/11 W 4-2, 08/12 L 4-1.
The Cards are in desperate need of a winning streak. The Cubs and Brewers just won’t stop winning, and the Redbirds have fallen of the pace, and are now four games out of the Wild Card race. There’s no reason why the streak can’t start tonight with Braden Looper on the mound. Just in case, though, I’m going to wear the same stuff to the game that I wore on Monday! Go Cards!
Bats Go Quiet
Written by Mike on August 7, 2008 – 7:18 pm -Four hits? That’s it? Really? Since the Cardinals couldn’t seem to put any good wood on the ball today, they relied on the free passes to put runners on base. Unfortunately, only one of their nine base runners came around to score, and the Redbirds fell to the Dodgers 4-1.
On paper I thought St. Louis had the advantage. Their best starter, Kyle Lohse, was on the mound, and the Cards were coming off a pair of wins, trying to sweep the Dodgers right out of town. Lohse wasn’t bad, allowing four runs in seven innings, while striking out five. Too bad Clayton Kershaw was better.
One positive to take from the game, however, is the fact that struggling closer Jason Isringhausen pitched two scoreless innings in relief, including a three strikeout ninth. Now that both he and rookie Chris Perez are coming off stellar outings, the closer’s role looks to be even more complicated than before.
Here’s today’s box score. The loss puts the Cardinals six games behind the division leading Cubs, and a game behind the Brewers in the Wild Card race.
The upcoming series in Chicago is huge, although chances are Tony La Russa will say it’s no more important than any other series this year. The Baby Bears aren’t going to make it easy, starting Ted Lilly (11-6, 4.35 ERA), Carlos Zambrano (12-4, 2.76 ERA), and Ryan Dempster (12-5, 2.93 ERA). To make matters worse, not only do the Cubs have the best record in the National League, they’re virtually unbeatable at home, sporting a record of 43-16 at Wrigley. Hopefully the Cards are up to the challenge.
Cards on a Roll
Written by Mike on July 18, 2008 – 9:19 pm -The St. Louis Cardinals are a fun team to watch. No one could have predicted the club to be in the position they’re in. After winning the first two games of the second half, the Cards are 12 games over .500, at 55-43, trailing the division leading Chicago Cubs by only 3 games. The Small Bears are the only team in the National League with a better record than the Cardinals.
The San Diego series started with another gem from starter Kyle Lohse. He’s now 12-2, with a 3.35 ERA, and as close to automatic as you can get. Rick Ankiel and Joe Mather each hit a home run, while Troy Glaus hit a pair. The Cards won last night 4-3.
Game two was back and forth. Braden Looper was knocked around for six runs in three-plus innings, but the Cards were able to get to Maddux as well. Ankiel and Ryan Ludwick each hit their 22nd home runs and collected three RBI a piece. The Cards practiced what Tony La Russa preaches, played a hard nine, and scored 11 runs on 17 hits, winning it by 4. Here’s the full recap and box score.
Poised to win the series tomorrow afternoon, the Redbirds will send Todd Wellemeyer to the mound to face lefty Randy Wolf. Jaime Garcia is scheduled to make his first Major League start on Sunday.
The Cards made a couple of roster moves prior to tonight’s game. Randy Flores was activated from the disabled list and Joe Mather was sent back to Memphis. Also, Kelvin Jimenez traded places with Chris Perez. Lee Hurwitz has more on the story.
