D-Day

It's deadline day, kiddies. It's no surprise that the Cardinals wanted to have a peek at Carpenter in the Bigs before the deadline. His outing was far from perfect but was better than a spot starter, and I'd rather see him round out that rehab up here. The Cards only outhit the Braves 12-11, but get an easy victory with the rare later inning outpouring. I see the Cards making a deal today. I'm thinkin' that Mayhay will be acquired at the expense of Mather and Todd--just a hunch.

Common, Mo. Don't screw this up.

-CJ

An interesting solution to the bullpen issue.....

I normally try to avoid posting close to John, but I'm pretty fired-up after last night's awesome win and because of the all the rumors flying around as the trade deadline approaches, so I'm going to work a little off John's post and add in my own thoughts. Anyway, apparently there's some talk that when Wainwright comes back, it could be as the team's closer. I'm basically lukewarm to this idea. On the one hand, I've been harping about how we have one glaring weakness, and it's the bullpen. Wainwright has proven he can close-out games in the most pressure filled of situations in the playoffs. He would be an obvious solution to this problem. It also may protect him from further injuries in the future. On the other hand, this move could set-up a big long term problem for us. We obviously can't count on Mulder in the future and are unlikely to pick-up his option for next year. It doesn't seem like Clement will be of help in this regard, as last I heard he is being rehabbed as a reliever (though that does seem wise, seeing the current situation). Lohse and Looper are also free-agents. This would leave us with Carpenter, Wellenmeyer and Pineiro as starters for next season. Certainly, there are some free agent prospects out there, signing Lohse long term might be a good start, but it's always dicey committing to pitchers long term and Wainwright is already signed at a reasonable price. This brings me back to my original point: we have a good team this year, I think a more talented one than the 2006 team. This team has one hole. I think that hole can be filled without threatening our future too much. Using Wainwright to fill that hole, I believe, threatens the future more than a trade would. It's never been the Cardinal's style to make big free agent signings. It's rarely been their style to make big trades. Trading for Rolen several years ago and then Mulder are about the only two examples I can think of, and those worked-out only kind of. Now I have no idea what is being asked for Sherrill or Fuentes, but I have to think it is less than what it took to get Harden, Sabathia, or the Nady/Marte combo. I say keep Wainwright in the rotation, and just make a deal to be the stop gap for this year. Sorry to keep harping on the same thing, but when you see your rivals going for it, it's tough not to see your own team do the same. On a side note, I totally agree with John about the Reyes deal. We at least got SOMETHING for him. He was out of options and wasn't going to play for us in any form next year. Plus, he's a guy that needs a change of scenery. Hey, he won one HUGE game for us, and it's nice that the Cardinals are giving him a second chance someplace else, so I commend management for that at least.




-Trey

Shut Up

There's a lot of negative blogs out there. Sure, we got swept by our division competition, and sure we lost 5 in a row. But news flash: We're Only Three Games Back. After a gutsy 14 inning slug fest, with the Mets doing most of the slugging, the Cards come out on top with El Hombre's 2 HR of July. Now I agree with Trey, the bullpen is frustrating--even downright infuriating, but many blogs and other columns have been trying to write this team off since the beginning of the season. This really was true yesterday. It gets annoying. Right now, the vast majority about Cardinals' reporting is depressing. But it shouldn't be. It should be the opposite. Not only are the Cards contending--WITHOUT THEIR TWO BEST STARTING PITCHERS--but they have a bright future. Things are good right now. We have a GOOD problem. We are not the Marlins who every 5 years mortgage their future for a shot at the title. Sometimes it pays off, but they have virtually no fan base as there is no consistency, AND there are no players staying there long enough to fall in love with. We are not the Pirates who have no money to sign anyone and when they do they over spend on a broken down player. The Pirates, year after year, build up players in their own system or who they have traded for, and then sometime in July they deal them off for more players they can build up and then trade off for more...etc. etc. They truly are the best farm system. We are not the Yankees who have more money than God. They buy buy buy and haven't won in a proportionately LONG time. We aren't the Red Sox whose sole reason to exist is to hate the Yankees. We aren't the Mariners whose owners treat the team as a way to make money, and won't sink enough of their money (and boy, do they have a lot) to make the team remotely competitive. The Mariners scout out the hottest Jerome Walton's and sign them to mega-contracts and then watch them come back to Earth--gravity is 9.8m/s2--translation: they're so high up where they don't belong they come crashing down FAST (see: Beltre, Adrain or Sexson, Richie or [hehe] Weaver, Jeff). We aren't The Angels Angels of Anaheim who's fans couldn't care less cause they're too busy worshiping Pete Carroll. And we certainly aren't the Cubs whose ineptitude as a franchise has been more than well documented.

We are the freakin' St. Louis Cardinals and the five year rule applies--where you can't whine about your team within 5 years of winning the World Series. Sure, you can be upset if they make a bad move...or don't make a good move. But the constant whining is disproportionate to the winning percentage. We contend year after year, make smart moves, AND NOW have a farm system in place where the Cards are set at several positions for years to come. Holliday, Burnett, and Fuentes deals would be like the Mulder deal. At least, the asking price appears that way. The time to spend money is in the offseason--when it's available--and you don't have to give up the future. Remember, we aren't the Marlins.

Some people are boohooing about getting an overaged (for his level) relief pitcher for Reyes--and yes the Cardinals should have dealt Reyes in the previous offseason after 2007 or the offseason before that. But they were a bit busy making a huge transition--mistakes will be made during times like that. But the Cardinals traded Reyes, someone that had 0% chance of staying in this organization next year, and got someone who will be in the organization and may really benefit with the Cardinals pitching development. Something and cash is way better than nothing at all. Packaging him with our future stars for Fuentes or Bay WAS NOT THE ANSWER.

Last night showed once again the holes in the bullpen--the starting pitching wasn't so hot either. But Carp is scheduled to come back on Wed. Welly or Looper will be shoring up that bullpen. Once A&W comes back, the other will move back. All of a sudden, that bullpen doesn't look so bad anymore. Sure, a solid LOOGY would be nice, what TLR team is complete without one? But things are looking up. At the beginning of the year EVERY Cardinal fan said, "We just need to hang on till Carp comes back. And if we are in contention then we have a shot." Well guess what? The Cards have exceeded expectations by hanging in there with the two best teams in the NL and Carp and A&W are coming in...NOW is not the time to get depressed and write off the season. Now is the time to get excited.

So to all those gloomy writers out there: SHUT UP!

This is the best time to be a Cardinals fan.

-CJ

P.S. I'm also tired of hearing about Pujols struggling this year by commentators who only how to read one stat column: HR's.

Frustration, bullpen is thy name

Well, the starting pitching was pretty decent against the Brew Crew, and yeah, we got dominated by Sabathia, but we had a chance to win the other three games. The bullpen took the collar in all three. Overall the bullpen gave up 8 runs (one unearned) in only 13 innings of work in this series. Franklin was the culprit tonight, but I have a hard time blaming him because he is being asked to pitch in an unfamiliar role (closer) and is often being stretched past the usual one inning of work (like tonight) because everyone else is so unreliable. When is management going to fix this glaringly obvious problem? Do they not care that we have a chance to make the playoffs this year? Well, that chance took a big hit in these last four games, so it may already be too late. Not just four losses, but four to one of our biggest competitors. I've heard we are interested in both Sherrel from Baltimore and Fuentes from Colorado. Get one of them, and get them as soon as possible. It's a pretty simple solution to a big problem. One item of note is that although I've heard Rasmus has been talked about (surprisingly) in possible deals, he is now hurt, which may temper enthusiasm for him. I think that's good. I don't believe we should totally sell our future to win now, I just think we can get someone to help the pen without doing that. I'm not talking about trying to get K-Rod or Mariano afterall. Well, I'm extremely depressed and disappointed after this series, and we have to go play the red-hot Mets in New York next. Yikes.



-Trey

Yea for Miles, Boo for Izzy

Seriously, when is the Cardinals front office going to get the memo? Izzy is done. Release him, demote him, I don't care. It's amazing we are in this race with so many blown saves this year. Get rid of him, and trade for some one that can either A) set up for Franklin or B) Close and allow him to move back to the 8th inning guy. On the plus side......we won this one and Miles was the unlikely hero. The offense has been great the last two series and has carried a pitching staff that is finally showing the cracks that were expected......only it has fortunately taken a lot longer than expected for their faults to really show. I think if we can just acquire the right reliever, we can hold out till Wainwright and/or Carpenter are back. This sweep certainly helped. HUGE series with the Brew Crew next though. Should be exciting.

-Trey

Real Men of Genius!

If you haven't heard the "Real Men of Genius" commercials on the radio or seen them on TV, then please contact NASA to tell them to cancel their Mars program, cause you're already on another planet. But just in case here's a clip. Simply substitute the following lines in ode to Aaron Miles.



::Soft Piano with 80's ballad Rock plays::
The Cardinal Virtue presents: Real Men of Genius!
(Real Men of Genius!)
Today we salute you, Mr. Hitting-a-Grand-Slam-when-a-Sac-Fly-will-Do-Guy.
(Mr. Hitting-a-Grand-Slam-when-a-Sac-Fly-will-Do-Guy!)
Without your overachieving we might be forced to only beat the poor Padres by one run.
(Chicks dig the Long-Ball!)
Like hunting a rabbit with a Howitzer, you blow away the opposition with extreme prejudice.
(Get me a Sport's Shrink!)
Should you trot around the bases like a San Diego Padre pitcher? Or perhaps put extra padding in your helmet?
(His head's like Bond's!)
Sure you've only had two homeruns all season but your surperfulous overkill pushes Buddy that much closer to the unemployment line.
(You've only had 2 homeruns up to this point!)
So crack open a fresh Belgian brew oh master of the demoralizing disaster, because you make for dang sure that we still get our $.25 fountain drink.
(Mr. Hitting-a-Grand-Slam-when-a-Sac-Fly-will-Do-Guy!)


Doesn't matter that it was the Padres. The Cards come back again. I knew they would. We were down, and I just had a good feeling. You know those times where you are watching a game, the Cards are ahead and you know they are going to blow it. Well, this was the opposite. That is, until Izzy took the mound. Now, look. I'm not one of those people who's going to boo him. I'm not going to ride him, but he's getting hammered--before and after his "injury". These aren't little dribblers with eyes. Or bloop hits. These are crushed hits that hit the wall before they hit the ground. It's sad...sadder than Mulder sad.

But I digress. The Cardinals were able to overcome in the end with an unlikely finish. A walk-off grandslam by power hitting...Aaron Miles?! That's right kids, lock up your daughters, turn off the lights, and pretend no one is home...cause chicks dig the long-ball. Too bad he can't hit that when we REALLY need it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of the Miles haters. I think he's underrated. I just find it funny. Anyhow, I couldn't be happier with the offense lately.

Rumors are flyin' about Fuentes. Perhaps the Rockies have dropped their price with the deadline looming. I hope we don't give up too much.

Garcia looked strong (except for the first inning). Schu should have really brought that one down--but the sun was brutal. Glad to see Tony wise enough to not work him too hard in that heat. Not glad to see Tony NOT pinch hit for him, and then relieve him next half inning. Huh?! Of course, Tony pulled all the other right strings--cept Izzy.

Mike Shannon was in great form last night. His interview with Ozzie Smith was classic!

Now here comes the real work--lets beat them Brewers!


-CJ

Thanks For Nothing...

This post is going to be negative REALLY negative. So let me start with with a few positives.

1. Having 49 living Hall of Famers on the field at once gave me chills. It was amazing. The way they announced each player was amazing. I've never seen anything like it.

2. That was one of the best All-Star games I've ever seen. The pitching was great, there were some amazing plays, and it seemed like the players really wanted to win.

3. Aaron freakin' Cook. I've never seen someone get put in that situation by such horrible plays (Uggla) be able to recover like that. 0 outs. Ducks on the pond. He gets the 3 outs without letting the runner score. If the NL wins--he would have been the REAL MVP.

4. Ludwick had a nice catch on a ball he got a bad jump on. He looked like he was really enjoying himself. It might sound weird, but seeing him play was the highlight of the whole game (not counting the pre-game Hall of Famers). Bonus for him, he got 2-3 extra AB's because of the extra frames.

Now for the negative.

1. The announcing of the Hall of Famers was where Joe Buck peaked. As the game went long, Joe was bored. This was an amazing game, and it's your stinkin' job for your lousy excuse for a broadcast company to make it interesting. Not only that were you griping about being there, but you whined and moaned about the players that weren't "supposed" to be used. You griped about how long this was taking and how late you had to stay up. (I stayed up and I live in Ireland--you do the math.) When the AL won in the bottom of the 15th with a play AS CLOSE AS THEY COME, what was his reaction?! Hardly a peep! Look, I'm not saying the man has to reinvent "Go crazy, folks!" or "Do you believe in miracles?!" but he can dang sure at least make an attempt to make it exciting. Instead he says, "Safe...and this game is over. Morneau scores. Terry Francona exhales." Worthless. His whole implied emphasis was "glad this game is over with." I've come to expect little of Joe, but if you don't want to be there for a great match, then do us a favor and get a new job. Go watch the Bachelorette and leave us alone. While you are at it, get out of my football booth, I'm tired of hearing you there too. And I'm not the only one. Oh, and don't think for a second I approved of McCarver's performance either--but I'm past ranting about him.

2. Jeanne Zelasko is dealing with a lot in her life, so I won't go on too long about her, but I will say that she delivered another painful post-game MC performance. Seems like Jeanne and Samantha Harris have the same training (yes, I watch that with my wife). Can we get a bit of a script, please? Can we also ditch the Chevy rep? I recommend Jeanne stay in the studio.

3. Dan Uggla. The guy is beating himself up right now--I'm sure. But he won't get too much sympathy here. A record setting 3 errors. But that wasn't the costly part. It was his 0-4 with three mosquito attacking strikeouts and a grounded into a double play with RiSP and one out that really stung. He looked like a deer in headlights in the field. His hesitation going to home even kept the NL from turning a double play. I'm not sure of Hurdle's bench situation at the time, but I sure wanted Uggla out of the game after the GDP. His performance is the BEST REASON to argue against giving home field advantage based on this game. He SINGLE HANDEDLY ruined it for the NL. I'm sure nice guy Pujols would remind me that this is a team game and all that, but it didn't even look like Uggla was trying at the plate. Hey kids! Are you listening? Did you see how he was swinging at balls way out of the zone? Did you see how he took his eye off the ball on EACH of his errors? Yeah, don't do that.

4. Almost forgot to mention...how bad were the NL catchers? What was that? 5 steals? Seriously, I think you could make a good case for Yadi as an All-Star.

So to Uggla and Buck, I say: "Thanks for nothing."

But to end on a positive: Was I the only one who got choked up a bit seeing all those Hall of Famers announced? To them I say, Thanks.

Hey! I had more positives than negatives after all--no wait. It was a push.

-CJ

United Cardinal Bloggers Mid-Summer Roundtable

[Ed. note: The United Cardinal Bloggers teamed up to do a progressive game-analysis blog back on May 2nd, and now we present some mid-season questions and answers about the health, well-being and future of the Cardinals. Each blogger submitted a question, and everyone took a stab at answering. Our question and subsequent responses follow; click the links at the end to view the other questions and answers.]

What is more important? Bullpen or lineup needs?

C70 At The Bat: As iffy as the bullpen as been, I'd probably say the lineup after the last few days. Theoretically, getting Wainwright back and Carpenter into the mix should help reduce the wear on the current bullpen. Getting a bat behind Pujols could make those bullpen outings a little less frequent as well.

Redbird Ramblings: I gotta say bullpen. if you are going to fix the lineup, then were is this "big bat" going to play on the field. the only spots that are open are 2nd base and ss. can you get kinsler or uggla? no? well, let's stick to the bullpen :) lefthanded relief is a must. Mo has to pull the trigger and swing for a LOOGY and maybe a lefty that can get both righthanders and lefties out. maybe garcia is the guy that can get both out, but you still need a LOOGY.

The Cardinal Virtue: At the beginning of the year I was pleading for protection for Pujols. What we have here is a legend in the making--if the Cards protect him, not only will he want to spend all his days in a Cardinal uniform, but he'll rack up the stats--and therefore more "W's." By and large, with Glaus, Ludwick, and Ankiel all flexing their slugging muscle (especially lately) I'd put that off till next year and bolster the bullpen. We blow way too many saves. I believe that Izzy is pretty much done--sad to say. I don't know what I'd give for Fuentes though...

Mike on the Cards: As the trade deadline is getting closer and closer, both areas are looking pretty weak. Since we're choosing one, the bullpen gets my vote. Recently the starting rotation has started to come back down to Earth, and it's really taxing the pen. They're all overworked. What may be somewhat underscored, however, is the fact that many of the relievers aren't slotted into any particular role right now. Even though that may change with move of Izzy back to closing, the bullpen still needs help, especially from the left side.

Bill Ja….err I mean Fungoes: Given that the Cardinals have the second-best GPA in the league (.265) and the third-highest RC/27 (5.23) and a bullpen that is third-worst in K/BB, second-worst in K/9 and second-lowest WPA (-2.17), I'll go out on a limb and say bullpen. ;)

Check out the other blogs for their questions and the UCB answers to each:

• CardinalsGM: What type of player or package of players would you be willing to accept in a trade that involved Colby Rasmus in the deal?
• Fungoes: What’s the most radical roster change (lineup, position, pitching role) that just may work?
• Redbird Ramblings: Who do you think will be in the Cardinals starting rotation come opening day 2009? Who should be in or at least get a chance to crack the rotation? Also, come next season, should Ankiel move to right field and give room for Colby to play center?
• C70 At The Bat: Which player or players is the most likely not to be a Cardinal come August?
• Bird Land: Should the Cardinals re-sign Kyle Lohse or save the money and wade into the coming free-agent pitching market for Ben Sheets, C. C. Sabathia, et. al.? How much would be too much to spend on a free-agent pitcher, and where can they find the best value for the contract?

-CJ

The Cardinals at the All-star Break

Well, you have to say we've struggled a little down the stretch coming into the break. The sweep over the Bucs certainly would've helped, but unfortunately, we choked that one game away. Here's how I would grade the team's components at this point:

Offense: B+ The team ranks 6th in the NL in runs scored, 2nd in BA, and 6th in HRs. The power seems to have surged the last couple of weeks with Ankiel and Glaus getting hot and Ludwick finding his form again. The #1 trade rumor for the Cards right now is acquiring Jason Bay from the Bucs. I think this would help mostly because he'd be a more proven threat behind Pujols in the clean-up spot, but I don't think it will happen because I think the Cardinals won't give up too much for him as he'd be taking the place of either Ludwick or Shumaker. I don't view him as a huge upgrade over either. His numbers are similar to Ludwick's this year and Shu has done a great job in the leadoff role which Bay can't provide. Shu is also a very good defensive player. Overalll, you'd have to say Pujols and been Pujols and Ludwick, Miles, and Molina have been better than expected. Glaus is the only real disappointment (I don't count Izturis and Kenneday - I knew they wouldn't hit) and he's shown real signs of life this last week, so I like how we stand in this area overall. I'll reiterate that the one place I might like to upgrade is middle infield, not outfield, but I don't know who we could trade for to do that.

Defense - A- The Cardinals are tied for 1st in the NL in fielding percentage with the Astros and Padres. The Astros have committed one less error, but have played one less game. The infield has been fantastic. Glaus has been a major plus here. Not known for his defense, he's committed only 3 errors so far. Scott who? Izturis has made some spectacular plays, but leads the Cardinals with 8 errors. With his weak bat, you can see why he's lost playing time to Miles and Ryan recently. Kennedy is another plus defender who takes hits away. The outfield has been pretty good, but makes some poor decisions occasionally with their relative inexperience. Shu and Ankiel have cannons for arms and Ludwick is probably above average in that area as well. Duncan is terrible of course, but he seems less so since coming back up.

Starting pitching B+ Lohse has carried the day since Wainwright when down. Who would've figured him for an ace? Wellenmeyer had been great, but elbow trouble seems to have really effected his performance the last six weeks. His most recent start was better, so hopefully he'll get back on track. Pineiro has been average. Looper ditto. Really, IF we do get Carpenter and Wainwright back in the next 3 weeks, you hate to see us make a move here. I just hope it's not too late by that point. If they both come back, Pineiro should be converted back to reliever to bolster the pen. Speaking of which.........

Bullpen: D This is really the difference between us and the Cubs. Their pen has been great......ours not so much. McClellen and Springer have shown some good things. Flores was OK before he got hurt (he should be back after the break, thank God). Franklin has filled a variety of roles with decent success. That's about the only good things I can say. We all know what a disaster Izzy has been. Perez looked awesome at first, but he needs to find a second pitch to go with the fastball consistently. If I'm the Cardinals GM, what I need to do at the trade deadline (and preferably sooner) is pretty clear: find at least one, but really two plus relievers. Fuentes from the Rockies would be a good place to start. He can close, and he's a lefty, we need both of those things.

On that note, I think we have to be happy with where we are right now compared to the expectations at the beginning of the season. We are in the division race, much less the wildcard, and our main competitions are well-known chokers like the Cubs and the Mets, or inexperienced chokers like the Brewers. If we can add some relievers, I like our chances going forward.


::WHOAH! Check this out. Debunked rumor concerning Jason Bay -CJ::

-Trey

A truly sickening defeat

This could be the one that sends us into a bad tailspin. Leading 10-4 heading into the bottom of the eighth, the cardinals bullpen gave-up two runs in the eighth and four in the ninth to let the game into extra innings. Glaus led-off the tenth with a solo home run, but the lead was again surrendered, this time permanently with Perez giving up a two-run shot to Michaels. The Cardinals blew TWO saves to bring their major-league leading total to 22, but really four different pitchers tried to hold the lead and failed. Franklin, Izzy, McClellen, and Perez in that order. They won't the only ones to blame though (just the MAIN culprits). The offense banged-out a season-high 22 hits, but left 12 men on base (including six by Wellenmeyer in the 8 hole - still think that's a good idea Tony?). They also hit into 3 DPs, and had a runner thrown out at home. All these things left a comeback by the Pirates within reach when it really shouldn't have been. Still, no excuse for the bullpen. We have to win those types of games. The Cubs did today, we didn't, and that's why were behind them right now.



-Trey

Welcome Jaime Garcia

Following the quite predictable yet just as sad 1st inning exit of Mark Mulder, the future looks doubtful. So doubtful that I will simply wish Mulder best of luck cause I don't see a comeback from this. I hope Mulder hangs his hat on the nice inning of relief he had when he first came back. It's a small silver lining--but no less gutsy.

All signs indicate that the Cardinals will purchase the contract of Jaime Garcia. Since he already has two full years of pro-baseball experience under his belt (coming into this season), he will NOT be eligible for a fourth option year. His first option will not be exercised--until, that is, if/when the Cardinals send him back down. He's got a decent 1/2 BB per K. His AAA ERA is 4.59 with 4-4 on the season.

I have updated the 40-man roster chart to include Garcia at 1, 3, 1. Hopefully the ending of one career will neatly open the door for another to take off.

-CJ

More Good News

So the Cubs have heightened the arms race in the NL Central by acquiring Rich Harden in a long-rumored deal with the A's today. I think this is actually worse news than the C.C. deal because here the Cubs are shoring-up probably their worst area - their starting rotation. Now the A's have been trying to deal the talented Harden for a while now, and with good reason: he's spent about as much time on the DL as he has actually playing during his major league career. In other words, this may not be that big a deal. IF he stays healthy, however, it's going to make the Cubs the huge favorites in the NL. A big if for sure, but it raises some questions for the Cards. They could, as I suggested yesterday, just wait for pitchers to get healthy that are already on their roster. Adding Carpenter and Wainwright among others at the end of July or August is better than trading for anyone on left of the market and they don't have to give up anything to do it. This is the tact I believe they will take. Afterall, no one was expecting much from this team to begin with this year and felt that next year would be when they might be good again. If that was the team's strategy, then the events of the last couple of days are unlikely to change that. Then again there is the thought that when you have the chance to win, you take it. The Brewers and Cubs are certainly acting along those lines. They are young teams like the Cardinals as well, so they have given up some prospects for the future to win now. Should the Cardinals follow suit? Can they even if they wanted to? I'm not sure, but it will interesting to see what they do over the next month.


-Trey

the Brewers? Really?

I'm sure you've seen the surprising news today that the Brewers traded for C.C. Sabathia. It's pretty shocking that a mid-market team like them would make such a bold move, but I've heard from several sources that they currently have the best and deepest pool of talent in the minor leagues of any team, so I guess they felt they had the youngsters to spare at this point. I received a message this morning from one of my "friends" in Houston saying "Too bad for for the Cardinals. With the Brewers trading for C.C., they can kiss the wild-card goodbye and join the Astros in the cellar". Classy. Anyway, I disagree with him on a couple of levels. First I'll address the obvious positives for the Brewers. They've been playing really well lately, basically since Mike Cameron has come back from suspension and solidified both their offense and outfield defense (is there a more underrated centerfielder? I mean, he's as good Andrum Jones, or Tori Hunter or anyone, but he's cheaper and he plays harder). C.C gives them a great 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation with Ben Sheets to go with their tremendous everyday line-up. On the other hand, he does not address their most glaring weakness, the bullpen. Gagne is back, but really they have no one that is proven to be able to close games. Torres has done OK, but has been shakey at times. Shouse is the only other reliable guy they have back there. Maybe they'll make another move, but until they do, I'm not convinced they are better than us. Now certainly, the Cardinals have their own issues. We lead in the majors in the blown saves, but I think things have stablized over the last month in the pen. Certainly I believe we are going to start to get some starters back healthy and maybe be able to move Looper/Pineiro back to the pen to help out. I think our line-up, though maybe not as explosive as the Brewers, is as good through and through as both them and the Cubs (though we didn't really show it this weekend). For instance, the Brewers have no one with a .300 or better batting average and the Cubs have only Theriot and Lee slightly over that mark. Do we have our work cut-out for us? Certainly. right now, you'd have to say the three best teams in the NL are in the Central (who would have thought that at the beginning of the year?). We have conceivably two playoff spots to split between those three teams. I think our best baseball is still ahead of us and that we can get one of those spots. I know this much: we are a heck of a lot better than the Astros.



-Trey

Best. Game. Ever.

I was pretty much ready to cry myself to sleep tonight, but things sure turned around in a hurry. A couple of apparently uncharacteristic Kerry Wood walks to Ludwick and Molina (I couldn't believe he had only nine coming into the game - he wasn't known for his control as a starter) got things going. Kennedy then redeemed a poor game at the plate up to that point with a double down the right field line that scored Ludwick. Intentional walk to PH Duncan. No outs, bases loaded, Shumaker at the plate. We have to score at least one more right? Well, we did, but it did not go down the easy way. Shu grounds out to a force at home. Miles PHs and I think popped out weakly to SS. Ankiel up, and 2nd pitch, line drive base hit to center to score Kennedy and Duncan and win the game. Old Jimmy Edmonds' throw not near in time. I knew there was a reason we got rid of that guy. Great way to start the evening here in Tulsa. Not even FOX's crappy announcing could ruin that one. And, if we win again tomorrow, we are in the division race for real.


-Trey

Options Etc.

I've been busy for a while, but just because I was absent doesn't mean that I haven't been following the ball games, or that I have completely shirked my blog. I have done a little homework and I hope that you find it useful. Please read the notes carefully as it will describe in detail what I was trying to do with this chart. This is a chart of MLB service time, options, and current consecutive years played for the Cardinals. It was made to help give people an idea of where the 40 man roster stands with regard to options, 3 year veto rule, 5 year veto rule, 6 year free agency eligibility, and the 10 and 5 rule. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to post them. Players/numbers in bold indicate the most recent changes. (last updated 7/21/08)

40-Man Roster with years and options

Name	Years of MLB service†	Options*	Years w/ Cards**
Ankiel, Rick	3	0	2
Barton, Brian	1	3 (R-5)	1
Boggs, Mitchell	1	2[1]***	1
Carpenter, Chris	12	0	5
Clement, Matt	10	0	1
Duncan, Chris	4	0	4
Encarnacion, Juan	10	1	2
Flores, Randy	6	0	5
Franklin, Ryan	9	0	2
Garcia, Jaime	1	2	1
Glaus, Troy	11	2	1
Hawksworth, Blake	7	2	0
Haerther, Cody	0	2	0
Hoffpauir, Jarrett	0	2	0
Isringhausen, Jason	13	0	7
Izturis, Cesar	8	1	1
Jimenez, Kelvin	2	1	2
Johnson, Tyler	4	0	4
Kennedy, Adam	9	2	2
Kinney, Josh	2	2	3
LaRue, Jason	10	0	1
Lohse, Kyle	8	1	1
Looper, Braden	11	2	3
Ludwick, Ryan	6	0	2
Mather, Joe	1	2	1
McClellan, Kyle	1	3	1
Molina, Yadier	5	2	5
Motte, Jason	0	2	0
Mulder, Mark	9	0	4
Parisi, Mike	1	2	1
Perez, Chris	1	2[1]***	1
Pinerio, Joel	9	0	1
Pujols, Albert	8	3	8
Ryan, Brendan	1	1	1
Reyes, Anthony	4	0	4
Schumaker, Skip	2	0	2
Stavinoha, Nick	1	2[1]***	1
Springer, Russ	16	0	2
Thompson, Brad	4	0	4
Villone, Ron	14	0	1
Wainwright, Adam	4	2	4
Washington, Rico	1	2	1
Wellemeyer, Todd	6	0	2
Worrell, Mark	1	2	1

†All numbers reflect play time this year. However, should a player not get the necessary games to constitute a “full season” then that number will be less one at the end of the season. E.g., Stavinoha will not have enough games to be considered a full season. Since he is back in the minors he will prolly NOT earn a full season in the Bigs. A player must spend 172 days on the MLB active roster and/or 15/60 day DL in order to qualify for a full year of service time.

*Options are tricky. However, I can now say with relative certainty that the number of options listed in the chart The number of option years in the above chart is based upon when the player's contract was purchased according to Cot's Baseball Contracts (pending an update).

Keep in mind that if a player has 5 years of Big league experience that he can veto any attempts to demote him—even if he has options left.

Reminder: a player has an option used only once a year. Once that player is optioned than he may be moved up and down all season without penalty (10 day waiting period applies).

If a player is only in the minors for 20 days or less than the option is not used.

A player has an option used up ONLY by being in the minors or by being “optioned” to the minors. Getting called up does not use up an option. E.g., Rico Washington started out the year on the active roster. However, when he was sent back down, he was “optioned down.” It was only when he went down that his option was used. On the other hand, Mather started the season on the 40 man roster but in the minors—thus when the season started one of his options was used. Another example: Stavinoha started the season NOT on the 40-man roster. When he was called up his “contract was purchased” and was added to the 40-man roster AND to the active roster. At that time, his option had not been used. But when he was recently sent down they used one of his options.

You might be thinking, “Then why put minor leaguers on the 40-man roster if it just eats up their options but staying out of the majors but on the 40-man roster.” The problem comes in when you want to protect players from the Rule 5 (R-5) draft which kicks in after the 3^rd or 4^th season of a pro player’s career. If that player isn’t on the 40 man than another team can scoop him up (although with provisos; see: Brian Barton).

A player with less than 5 years pro experience is eligible for an extra option year. This will be reflected with a number in brackets.

**Like with MLB years, this column is dependant upon seeing another time to constitute a full season. This column is the number of consecutive years a player has played for the Cardinals currently. If a player has played for the Cardinals in the past, left for another team, and is now back w/ the Cardinals, then the first years with the Cardinals are not counted. The purpose of this column is for the 10 and 5 rule which allows for a player to be able to veto trades.

***Mitchell Boggs, Chris Perez, Nick Stavinoha, and Mark Worrell will be eligible for a 4th option year IF any of them has had 3 options used before his 5th year as a pro. Subject to change.

Would like to add that even though a player is moved and down several times in a season, those movements are still called "optioned". E.g., when Parisi was recently sent back down he was "optioned" to the minors--EVEN THOUGH his option for this year had already been used. Thanks to Matt Leach for the instruction on this. Would also like to thank my friend, Peter White, for pointing me in the right direction for this.

-CJ