Cards Not Done Yet
Written by Mike on September 10, 2008 – 2:54 pm -The Cardinals were able to come away with a win last night in the first game of a three game series against the division leading Chicago Cubs. Two key swings stood out in the win. One, a rocket three run homer off the bat of Albert Pujols to tie the game in the sixth. The other, a weak, check swing dribbler past the pitcher from Cesar Izturis to score the winning run from third. Baseball is funny that way.
This was one of those games that I was waiting for what I thought was inevitable, a Cardinal mistake, and loss. Instead, the Birds got solid contributions from all facets, and picked up an important win.
It started with Kyle Lohse. After struggling early on, he was able to settled in, coming within two outs of another quality start. Aside from Ron Villone, who walked the only batter he faced, the bullpen pitched very well. And the offense, held quiet for most of the game by Chicago starter Ryan Dempster, played a hard nine, ending the game in walk-off fashion, complete with an on-field celebration after Brendan Ryan’s fantastic slide.
The final score was 4-3. Matthew Leach has the full recap, and here’s the complete box score.
The Cards have now matched their win total from a year ago, and have pulled to 3.5 games behind the Brewers in the Wild Card race. It sure is fun to watch a team still in the hunt this late in the year. Braden Looper will hope to keep the winning streak alive tonight in game two. He’ll face lefty Ted Lilly. I’m hoping last night’s win has added some fuel to the Cardinals’ hopes in the playoff race. Boo the Cubs!
Finally, a couple of links. Over at Bird Land, Derrick Goold has a follow up post concerning the latest UCB project, where all the bloggers rated the team’s top prospects. Also from the Post Dispatch, Joe Strauss has the latest news about Pujols’ elbow, and whether or not he’s planning on surgery this offseason.
A Misfire
Written by Mike on September 3, 2008 – 6:53 pm -Last night, the St. Louis Cardinals finally figured out that earning a win takes all aspects of the game. They finally were firing on all cylinders. They had outstanding starting pitching from Adam Wainwright, the offense surged with three home runs to give the Redbirds another early lead, and the bullpen allowed only one run in 3.2 innings to preserve the win. The Cards won big, 8-2.
Today’s game got off to a similar start. The offense got it started, courtesy of Troy Glaus’ 300th career home run, giving the Cards the lead in the third. Kyle Lohse threw a superb six innings of shutout baseball, where he allowed five hits and struck out seven.
The difference proved to be the bullpen once again. Kyle McClellan put Arizona back in the game, allowing two runs in his .2 innings of work. Later, one of the newest Cardinals, Jason Motte, came in with the game on the line and struck out Mark Reynolds to end the seventh. Motte also pitched a scoreless eighth before giving way to rookie closer Chris Perez in the ninth. Perez couldn’t close the door, picking up his third blown save of the year. A misfire. Arizona won 4-3. Here’s the full recap and box score.
The Cardinals really could have used a win today. They picked up a game on the Wild Card leading Milwaukee Brewers with last night’s win, but remain 5.5 games out after today’s loss despite the Mets’ triumph over the Brew Crew earlier.
For those that haven’t seen the complete list of September call-ups, here you go:
- Randy Flores P
- Kelvin Jimenez P
- Josh Kinney P
- Jason Motte P
- Mark Johnson C
- Brian Barden IF
- Josh Phelps IF
- Brendan Ryan IF
Of course we already know what to expect from Ryan, Flores, and Jimenez. Phelps is again getting accustomed to the bigs, and Motte had a remarkable Major League debut tonight. I’m hoping Kinney is as impressive as he was the last time we saw him, during the run to the ‘06 World Series Championship.
The Cards have the day off tomorrow before hosting the Florida Marlins for three games. To stay in the hunt, they’ll need a big boost after their 1-5 road trip.
UCB Roundtable - Midseason
Written by Mike on July 16, 2008 – 7:06 pm -Back in March, just before the start of the season, the United Cardinal Bloggers had a pre-season roundtable discussion on the state of the ball club, and what we expected from the Cardinals in ‘08. Now at the All-Star break, the Cards find themselves right in the thick of a pennant race, and the UCB had our second round of discussion. Each of the participating blogs tossed out a question. Here’s the question I posted, the responses, and the links to the other blogs:
There is an obvious need for an upgrade in the middle infield for next season. There are some pretty good options that should still be available this winter. Should the Cardinals go after one? Who do you see as the everyday middle infielders in ‘09?
C70 at the Bat: The Cards probably at least should make inquiries on some of the free agents, but I’d expect that they would be too expensive for what they bring. Sentimentally, I’d like to see Renteria back if his option isn’t picked up, but not for a whole lot. Furcal is the only “star” in the group, in my mind, but he’ll be way too expensive for the Cardinals to consider, I’d expect. We’ll probably see Kennedy and Ryan in the middle of the diamond next year, with perhaps Hoffpaiur as the backup.
The Cardinal Virtue: I’m tired of the weak infield. Furcal. Furcal. Furcal. We’re freeing up some major cash next year — I don’t believe he’ll be out of our price range. That said, I see Ryan and Kennedy as being the guys next year — show’s you how much faith I have in the brass pulling the trigger on an expensive free-agent.
Fungoes: A solid free-agent option is second baseman Orlando Hudson, who still figures to provide some ROI, even with a three-year deal. The team could do worse than a Barden (.371 OBP in AAA) - Hoffpaiur (.381) keystone combo, though.
Redbird Ramblings, Cardinals GM, and Bird Land also submitted questions. Find my answers to all six of the other questions at each of the above links (Note: some may not yet be posted).
As far as the middle infield dilemma, I don’t think the combination of Ryan and Kennedy is going to cut it. I think if the outfield is already pretty stacked, some of the freed up payroll should be allocated to an upgrade at either short or second. I’d be fine with either of the above suggested free agents, with Ryan or Kennedy on the bench.
66 more games to go. Hopefully the Cards can hang in there.
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!
Phillies Squeak Past Cards 20-2
Written by Mike on June 13, 2008 – 9:27 pm -I really thought the Cardinals had a chance there in the bottom of the ninth. All they needed was to bat around twice and have all eighteen score. It seemed doable.
20-2! Really!? Not much of a nail biter. I know what you’re thinking…but no, Kip Wells or Mike Maroth didn’t pitch. The Colonel was on the mound for the Redbirds. Unfortunately, he was a bit rusty. The Phils jumped on him early with three consecutive solo home runs in the first. The Cards were still in the game when he departed in the fourth, but not for long.
There’s no need to discuss what went wrong with the bullpen. All you need to know is that the Phillies kept knocking the shit out of the ball, and ran out of bases to run to before scoring.
Seriously, I don’t have a problem with Cardinals getting their asses handed to them, as long as it doesn’t happen with the frequency of last season. After all, a loss is a loss, whether they lose by a run or eighteen. Luckily for us, there were plenty of reasons to keep watching tonight:
- Russ Springer hit Ryan Howard and was ejected.
- Tony La Russa argued and was ejected.
- Rudy Seanez threw behind Brendan Ryan - no ejection.
- Jose Oquendo argued and was ejected.
- Aaron Miles pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.
Granted, at least for me, when I think of Russ Springer, I think of the time that he intentionally threw at Barry Bonds back in May of ‘06, missing him on four pitches before finally plunking him on the fifth. However, I don’t think he was intentionally throwing at Ryan Howard tonight. He was tossed without warning from home plate umpire Larry Vanover immediately after the ball hit Howard in the leg. Fine.
Later, when the Phillies’ Seanez missed with a pitch that flew behind Brendan Ryan, Vanover had absolutely no reaction. What the hell was that!?
Here’s my take. Why the hell would La Russa want to throw at Howard and risk having to waste another reliever in a blowout game? Don’t you think that he just wants to get the third out, and get the game over with as quickly as possible? Why does Seanez and the Phillies get a pass for their retaliation? Until that point in the game, I thought there wouldn’t be any carryover into tomorrow’s matchup. Not any more. We’re sure to see some inside pitches and some hard slides in game two of the series.
One other note from the game. I thought it was awesome to see the fans at Busch give a standing ovation to So Taguchi. He was a fan favorite for many years, and definitely deserved the praise. It made me wonder what I’ll see in Jim Edmonds’ return to St. Louis during the 4th of July weekend. I’m flying in from Miami for the series!
Anyway, if you want to puke, here’s the box score. Hopefully there’s a better outcome tomorrow.
Another Blown Save
Written by Mike on May 9, 2008 – 10:03 pm -
In the first of four games against Milwaukee, the Cardinals lose on a blown save by closer Jason Isringhausen. With a 3-2 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, Izzy was able to retire the first two batters on just two pitches. Two singles, a walk, and a walk-off hit later, the Cards lost 4-3.
Overall, it was a sloppy game for the Cardinals. Brendan Ryan, Todd Wellemeyer, and Yadier Molina each had an error. Wellemeyer also balked and threw a wild pitch, although Molina probably should have blocked it. Both runs allowed by Wellemeyer were unearned.
Aside from Albert Pujols solo blast in the first, the offense was just as sluggish as the defense. The two runs in the second were the result of a hit batsman and a pair of walks.
The relief work from Kyle McClellan and Ryan Franklin was good, but you knew when Isringhausen was warming up it was time to buckle your seatbelt. Izzy started the year converting his first 5 save opportunities, and 8 of his first 9. Since then, he’s only been able to close out 3 of 7. Of course there have been a couple of those that Isringhausen isn’t entirely responsible for, most notably Wednesday’s game in Colorado. Although tonight’s was a team loss, the Brewers’ ninth inning comeback is only on Isringhausen.
All the pitches that were hit off Izzy were right down the middle, with very little movement. Major League hitters will certainly be able to get the barrel of the bat on pitches like that, even slumping, soft hitting second baseman like Rickie Weeks. His walk-off hit ended the Brewers six game losing streak, and builds confidence and momentum for Milwaukee with three more games to play in this series.
The Cardinals now have their jocks wrapped in a three game losing streak of their own, their first of the season. It’s a shame that it comes on a game that the Brew Crew didn’t show up to play until two out in the ninth.
Lost in Isringhausen’s mess is a nice performance from Wellemeyer. He lasted 6 innings, and was able to pitch around a couple of errors and a bad call on an infield single in the first. He struck out two, and didn’t walk a batter.
Other game notes worth mentioning include Troy Glaus coming out the game after being hit by a pitch, Aaron Miles trying to lay down a bunt with two out, one on, and Albert Pujols on deck, and the continued funk that Chris Duncan can’t seem to get out of. Here’s the full recap and box score.
I expect a DL stint for Isringhausen in the very near future. Hopefully he’ll be able to come back after a break and rack up the 8 more saves he needs to reach 300.
In other news, former Cardinal and fan favorite Jim Edmonds was officially released by the Padres today. Joe Strauss has the full story. I’m not sure if he’ll latch on elsewhere or just retire, but either way, I wish him the best. He’d get my Hall of Fame vote.
Tomorrow’s game features Joel Pineiro and Ben Sheets. Sheets is off to an excellent start this season, and will make it tough for the Cardinals to turn things around.
Pujols’ Elbow Holding Up
Written by Mike on March 20, 2008 – 3:31 am -
The Cardinals traveled south to face the Baltimore Orioles in Ft. Lauderdale today. The game comes after a rare off day, where manager Tony La Russa whittled his roster down to maintain only a couple of question marks. With the final outfield spot merely a technicality, only one spot on the 25-man roster isn’t accounted for. The final right-handed relief role remains a competition between Kelvin Jimenez, Cliff Politte, Chris Perez, and Kyle McClellan.
Ankiel Powers Cards Past Dodgers
Written by Mike on March 15, 2008 – 12:58 am -
In the Cardinals’ final visit to legendary Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida, the Redbirds rode Rick Ankiel’s two home runs and four RBIs to their second straight win. Ankiel improved his batting average to .368. The final go-ahead runs were actually scored on a wild pitch, but without the damage done by the Cardinal outfielder, the Dodgers win.
Cards Lose, Johnson Shelved
Written by Mike on March 2, 2008 – 12:12 am -
The Cardinals hoped to extend their winning streak today in a game against the Florida Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium. Although the pitching was good, the Redbirds lost 3-2. I was at work all day, and didn’t get to see or hear the game, but I did follow along with the box score.
Cards Starting Strong
Written by Mike on March 1, 2008 – 12:58 am -The Cardinals won their third straight game of the spring today with a 5-4 victory over the Mets on the road. Three in a row is what we call a winning streak.
