Leftovers
Written by Mike on July 17, 2008 – 11:14 am -The break is over. Back to baseball. Before we get to the upcoming series against the Padres, I thought I’d throw out some random thoughts that I didn’t get posted earlier in the week.
First, how about that home run derby? Josh Hamilton put on a show, and it was fun to watch. If you weren’t rooting for the guy by the end of the night, then you don’t have a heart. It’s a shame he couldn’t take home the trophy.
The All-Star parade was really cool, but the on-field pre-game festivities stole the show. It was an amazing celebration of baseball’s best, in perhaps the most famous cathedral in sports, in it’s last year. Great stuff. I know that when St. Louis hosts the event next year, they won’t have all that hoopla, but I hope they do something to make Cardinal fans proud.
The actual game was entertaining. I really thought the National League had a chance to win this one. At least our guys did well. Albert Pujols was 2 for 3, and Ludwick drew a walk and made a nice diving catch. We’ll get ‘em next year!
There’s been some buzz about the pair of aces missing from the Cards. According to Derrick Goold, both Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter are making strides in their rehabs, and could rejoin the staff in August. Here’s the full story.
The outlook for the other disabled starter doesn’t look as bright. Mark Mulder is meeting with doctors this week to try to figure out how to plan his next move. Back in January, before Spring Training even began, I wrote about the fans’ expectations for the lefty. I posed the question, “How many starts will Mark Mulder make for the Cardinals in 2008?” 72 people responded to the poll. Here’s the breakdown:
- More than 25: 0 votes
- 20-25: 8 votes
- 15-20: 17 votes
- 10-15: 17 votes
- Less than 10: 30 votes
Mulder has made one start, that lasted just 16 pitches. Who could have predicted that? It’s a risk that didn’t pan out. Time to cut ties. Here’s the archived post.
Baseball and beer are my two favorite things, and by now, you’ve heard that Anheuser Busch is being bought by the Belgian brew maker InBev. I’m still not sure how I feel about this. Aside from ordering a good beer at a bar or restaurant occasionally, I usually go out of my way to drink AB products. My loyalty is to the point where I feel guilty drinking something else, and I wouldn’t dare buy anything from the competitors, Miller and Coors. All this beer talk is making me thirsty. What are your thoughts?
Finally, the shameless plugs. If you’re a regular visitor, you’ve surely noticed the ad in the sidebar for the Mizzou event. On July 26, the Roaring Reunion will be held at the Busch Stadium Redbird Club. They have a slew of auction items, and the proceeds will support scholarships for St. Louis area high school seniors planning to attend the University of Missouri. For more information, click here.
A while back, I was sent a copy of the St. Louis Cardinals Baby DVD, from Team Baby Entertainment. Now I don’t have kids, and that’s a good thing, because I’m not sure how often you’re supposed to feed and walk them or whatever. But I’m a big time Cardinals fan, and this video is narrated by Ozzie Smith, so of course I had to check it out. Here’s what they say about it:
Providing a fun-filled, colorful and visually stimulating experience to the St. Louis Cardinals and its sports pagentry, St. Louis Cardinals Baby DVD gives parents, grandparents, family and friends a uniquely entertaining way to share their love, loyalty and passion for their favorite team and the Fredbird with the children in their lives.
Ozzie and Fredbird? I’m sold. They’re a hell of a lot better than Barney or Dora, or whoever your kid is learning to count from. Raise your kid right. Buy this video.
That’s it for now. Game one of the San Diego series is later tonight. Hopefully the Cards can start the second half strong.
Mulder Removed After Just 16 Pitches
Written by Mike on July 9, 2008 – 8:48 pm -
I’m back! My trip to St. Louis over the holiday weekend was awesome. I got to watch some Cards/Cubs baseball, drink lots of beer, and hang out with some family and friends. I’ll talk more about the trip later.
For now, after a very impressive start from Joel Pineiro in last night’s win over the Phillies, the Cardinals dropped game two of the series 4-2. The buzz about tonight’s game, however, isn’t really about the loss. Instead, as the title reads, Mark Mulder, getting his first start since September of 2007, lasted just a third of an inning before experiencing some discomfort in his twice repaired left shoulder. After striking out Jimmy Rollins to lead off the game, Mulder walked the next two, and was hitting the showers after only 16 pitches. He’ll be reevaluated tomorrow. Is this the end for Mark? I guess we’ll find out soon.
Tony La Russa opted for Brad Thompson out the pen to fill in with two on and one out in the first. Thompson got Phillies’ slugger Ryan Howard to ground into an inning ending double play, and continued his effective pitching into the fourth. The Phillies hit two solo home runs in the eight to take the lead, one off of each of Kyle McClellan and Chris Perez. Brad Lidge continued his dominance with the save for Philadelphia in the ninth.
The Cardinals’ offense had their chances throughout the night, but couldn’t come through. They scored two in the fifth, courtesy of an Albert Pujols sac fly and an RBI single from Troy Glaus. The Cardinals left 12 men on base. Here’s the complete box score.
There’s plenty more news floating around Cardinal Nation, including the recent trades made by the other two NL Central contenders. The Brewers acquired the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner C.C. Sabathia, and the Cubs traded for Rich Harden. Each of the moves makes the teams much stronger, while making the Cards look inferior, especially after the situation with Mulder tonight. La Russa is hopeful that John Mozeliak and the front office won’t sit back and let Cardinals fall from the race without help. Matthew Leach has the full story.
By now you’ve heard that a pair of Cardinals are headed to New York later this month for the All Star game. Ryan Ludwick will be making his first appearance, while this is the seventh time for Albert Pujols.
That’s it for tonight. I’ll discuss more tomorrow. Game three from Philly features Jamie Moyer and Braden Looper. The Cards need a win, as they now trail Chicago by 4.5, and lead Milwaukee by only a half-game.
Lohse Brilliant Against Mets
Written by Mike on June 30, 2008 – 8:56 pm -
In the first home game in eleven days, a series opener with the New York Mets, Kyle Lohse led the Cardinals to a decisive win. Recall Lohse’s last start, in Detroit, when he lasted only 4 innings, and allowed 5 runs on 11 hits. It was his only poor outing in five June starts. Tonight, against the potent Mets’ lineup, Lohse turned in a very impressive 7 innings in his sixth and final start of the month. He earned his team leading tenth win on the season. His only run allowed was unearned. He struck out four and gave up only five hits, and now sports a 3.67 ERA on the year.
The Cardinal offense was able to plate seven runs, two of which were unearned gifts. Aaron Miles continued to impress with another three hit night, and Chris Duncan hit his fifth home run of the season.
The other big story of the night was the long awaited return of Cardinal pitcher Mark Mulder. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning, despite giving up a pair of singles. To his credit, one of the hits, a blooper to left, should have been caught. I really want to point out Tony La Russa’s decision on when to give Mulder his ‘08 debut. He played his Card perfectly, putting Mulder in a position to succeed, and boost his confidence. I think pitching the ninth inning to close out a game, especially for a guy looking to gain some traction, is far more beneficial than pitching some other inning. Besides the normal ovation from the crowd at Busch, when a guy closes out a game, he gets to line up for high fives and pats on the ass from his teammates. Sounds trivial, but for a guy that hasn’t been successful for as long as Mulder, it’s important to get the support of your comrades. Bravo Tony.
The win put the Cardinals at 48-36, and closed the book on June. 7-1 was the final. Here’s the full recap and box score. As I speculated yesterday, the Cardinals did in fact make a roster move today, swapping Nick Stavinoha for Brad Thompson to add a fresh arm in the bullpen. Todd Wellemeyer will get the start for the Birds tomorrow. A win will ensure a series split, and a possible stride toward the division leading Chicago Cubs.
You Can’t Put a Chain on a Junkyard Dog
Written by Mike on June 29, 2008 – 8:15 pm -
It’s a saying that I first heard from my good friend Jimmy, and there’s no better one that could describe the breakout game today from Cardinal backup catcher Jason LaRue. It was his performance, both offensively and defensively, that allowed the Cards to win the series today in Kansas City.
In the first inning, with the Royals threatening to take an early lead, LaRue stood strong at home plate to endure a collision with David DeJesus. The Cardinal backstop was upended, but held on to the ball for the out. LaRue’s two-run homer in the second put the Cards on the board first. He wasn’t done there. Later, in the fifth, he knocked in two more with a ball hit to center that knuckled away from Joey Gathright for a triple. From Matthew Leach’s recap:
“My goodness,” marveled manager Tony La Russa. ”What more can you do? Big hits, big collision at the plate, and he got another couple balls that he hit well that were outs. He just had a terrific day.”
Braden Looper didn’t have it today, and left the game with the bases loaded and only one out in the fourth, clinging to a two run lead. Chris Perez came in to put out the fire and pick up the win. The Cardinals used five relievers, combining for 5.2 innings and allowing three runs.
Luckily, Junkyard LaRue and all of his facial hair showed up to play today. His action has been limited, but when you let him off the porch, LaRue has shown that he’s quite capable. Other notables from the game:
- Albert Pujols hit his 299th home run of his career.
- Former Cardinal Mark Grudzielanek went 4 for 5.
- Adam Kennedy was the only Cardinal without a hit.
- Mark Mulder warmed up, but didn’t get in the game.
The final score was 9-6. Here’s the complete box score.
Looking ahead, the Cardinals may be short handed in the relief department for the series opener tomorrow against the Mets. I would imagine that Perez, Jason Isringhausen, Kyle McClellan, and possibly Ryan Franklin, will all be unavailable due to their taxing workload. Now that interleague play is over, I think there will be a roster move made before the game, possibly sending down Nick Stavinoha for a pitcher.
Kyle Lohse will start the game for the Redbirds tomorrow night. He’s coming off a subpar outing in Detroit, but the talented Mets club is having a subpar season. John Maine gets the start for New York.
Finally, don’t forget to vote your favorite Cardinal players into the All-Star game. Only three days of voting left.
Fifth Time’s a Charm
Written by Mike on June 28, 2008 – 8:05 pm -
Finally. The Cardinals beat the Royals. Heading into tonight’s game, Kansas City had taken all four previous meetings between the two clubs, including a sweep of the Redbirds at Busch. With the win, the Cardinals are poised to take this series with a win tomorrow afternoon.
Mitchell Boggs was the story in this one. He got the nod over recently activated Mark Mulder, and after a shaky start, cruised to his third win of the season. He pitched six plus, on 96 pitches, allowing 1 run on just 4 hits, while striking out 6. The lone run scored after Boggs had departed with two on in the seventh. Kyle McClellan pitched two innings, and Russ Springer finished the game.
The Cardinals managed seven hits from seven different batters, including Rick Ankiel’s fifteenth home run of the season, a two run shot in the sixth. Only Troy Glaus and Brendan Ryan didn’t reach base. 5-1 was the final score. Here’s the complete box score.
Now back at ten games over .500, with a record of 46-36, the Cardinals trail Chicago by 3.5 games. After tomorrow’s finale in KC, the Cards will host the Mets for four, followed by a very important three games series against Cubs over the 4th of July weekend. I’ll be making the trip to St. Louis to see us kick some Baby Bear butt!
For now, it’s one game at a time, starting with Braden Looper against Brian Bannister tomorrow. Go Cards!
Take 5
Written by Mike on June 27, 2008 – 8:04 pm -Well the Cardinals couldn’t get it done against the Royals in their first four opportunities, so they’ll try again tomorrow.
Tonight was game one of the series in Kansas City, and although the action was a little different from the three games in St. Louis, the outcome was the same. The Royals won. Yeah, the Royals. Joel Pineiro pitched for the Cards, and wasn’t very sharp. On the plus side, he did go deep into the game, allowing some much needed rest for the relief crew. Pineiro lasted 7.2 innings, allowing 7 runs on 10 hits. The final score was 7-2. Here’s the full recap and box score.
The Cardinals made a roster move today. The long awaited return of Mark Mulder has finally arrived, although not as originally planned. Upon activation, Mulder was sent to the Cardinals’ bullpen, where we’ll wait to see his first ever relief appearance. Mike Parisi was sent back to AAA Memphis.
So the fifth take in the I-70 series is tomorrow night. After three straight losses, the Cardinals will look to rookie Mitchell Boggs to turn things around. Kyle Davies will pitch for Kansas City. How about a win?
Wainwright Placed on DL
Written by Mike on June 9, 2008 – 8:42 pm -
The Cardinals made it official today. After meeting with team doctors to diagnose the finger injury that took him out the game in his last start, Adam Wainwright is added to the long list of disabled Cardinal pitchers.
Although fellow starter Joel Pineiro will be reactivated, Wainwright joins pitchers Chris Carpenter, Mark Mulder, Matt Clement, Jason Isringhausen, Brad Thompson, Tyler Johnson, Josh Kinney, and Kelvin Jimenez on the shelf. Todd Wellemeyer will miss his next scheduled start, but won’t need extended time off.
Luckily, the Cardinals have so many arms in which to try to fill the rotation. The scheduled starter for tomorrow’s series opener in Cincinnati is Mitchell Boggs. So far, there’s no word on who will pitch in Wainwright’s spot on Thursday. Mike Parisi made two starts and several appearances in relief before being sent back down to Memphis. Of course Anthony Reyes is an option, as well as Cardinal reliever Kyle McClellan, and farmhands Jaime Garcia and Jess Todd.
Derrick Goold has more on Wainwright, and be sure to check out Bernie Miklasz’ take on the situation.
Cards Take First Two
Written by Mike on May 6, 2008 – 9:37 pm -Last night, the Cardinals used their old motto, “Play a hard nine” to win the first game of the series against Colorado. Tonight, they held off a late comeback from a Rockies team that seemed to be living by the same slogan.
A few highlights from last night:
- Ron Villone continued to impress with 2 scoreless innings.
- Mike Parisi made his ML debut with 2 of his own.
- Yadier Molina had a three hit night.
- Albert Pujols scored from second on a ground out!
Some from tonight:
- Braden Looper came within 2 outs of a complete game.
- Rick Ankiel had 2 unbelievable outfield assists.
- He also hit his 6th home run of the season.
- Ryan Ludwick had 4 hits and a walk.
In my opinion, Ankiel has the best outfield arm in the league. We saw some great throws from him last season, and the two tonight were just as good or better. He’s a lot of fun to watch out there.
With the win, the Cardinals move to 22-12, ten games over .500, and keep a 2.5 game lead on the Chicago Cubs. Tonight’s win also guarantees at least a series split. Out of the twelve thus far, the Cards have only lost one series, dropping 2 of 3 at home to San Francisco last month. At some point, we’re going to have to declare this team legit.
Tomorrow night, Adam Wainwright goes against Jeff Francis in a rematch of the Opening Day rainout.
Now, a few links. If you haven’t heard, rehabbing pitcher Mark Mulder has had yet another setback. The news conveniently comes after his second poor outing for AAA Memphis. Find the full story here.
Secondly, Bernie Miklasz, of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, points out Chris Duncan’s power outage in his latest column. Duncan had an awful night at the ballpark in the series opener.
Finally, a tribute to Matthew Beaudoin, the Red Sox fan who was tragically killed last Friday. 2672243457
Cards Close Out April With a Win
Written by Mike on April 30, 2008 – 6:06 pm -Today’s rubber game against Cincinnati was the final game of the month, and the Cardinals earned a franchise record 18 wins to start the season with their victory today. In two other seasons, St. Louis won 17 games in April.
Cardinal starter Braden Looper saw his last outing end in a no decision after a blown save by closer Jason Isringhausen. Today, he was less sharp, but still handed it over to the bullpen with the lead. Isringhausen closed this one out for Looper, earning his ninth save of the seaon.
Rick Ankiel continued to swing the bat well, with multi-hit games in all three contests against the Reds. The Cards won it 5-2. Matthew Leach has more.
During today’s telecast, they mentioned the status of rehabbing pitchers Mark Mulder and Matt Clement. Mulder made the start for Memphis today, lasting only 3.2 innings, and allowing 9 runs on 9 hits. Rick Hummel has the full story. With an outing like that, I doubt he’ll be in St. Louis anytime soon. They say Clement won’t even begin his 30-day rehab until June. The way the current staff is pitching, however, there’s no hurry to get the others back.
Finally, it’s official. Former Cardinal ace Matt Morris has retired. After being released from Pittsburgh on Sunday, he has no intention of making a comeback with another team. The Post Dispatch has the story.
It’s an off day for the Redbirds tomorrow. Friday, the division rival Chicago Cubs come to town. More on that tomorrow.
Reyes Gets the Win
Written by Mike on April 9, 2008 – 2:52 am -
Who would have thought? The once mighty St. Louis Cardinals, clearly on the decline (according to the “experts”), start the 2008 season 6-2. Maybe the ease of the April schedule should get some credit for the hot start. Obviously the outstanding pitching performances from the starting five weren’t going to last forever. Most of us would have been happy to be a .500 club right now. Either way, a win is a win.
