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

Half-way point thoughts

Well, after the disasterous sweep at home to the Royals, we won 5 of 9 on the road and really let one or two more get away, so you have to say we played well. Not a good start by Looper today, but the offense carried the day. Anyway, most teams have at least played 81 games by this point, so it's the half-way point and we have a pretty good idea who are contenders and who are pretenders. After interleague play, most of the National league seems to be in the latter category. Anyway, here's my thoughts on the state of MLB right now:

Teams that people thought would be good and really are: Boston, Chicago Cubs, Anaheim Angels. I think Boston is the best team again this year. They've actually had a bunch of injuries, and they are still on top of their division along with the surprising Rays. At this point, however, I like the Angels and Cubs to win the pennant. The Angels have tremendous pitching, and that usually prevails in the playoffs.

Surprisingly good but for real teams: Rays, Cardinals. I like these two teams to win the wild cards. The Rays have so many good young players, its scary. The Cardinals have played great despite also having a great many injuries and they should just get better as they get healthy.

Good, but not for real: Chicago White Sox, Twins, Orioles, A's, Marlins. All of these teams have played above their heads so far in my opinion. They all lack the pitching to keep it up. The A's and Orioles actually probably want to fall behind, so they can sell off the few remaining veterans they have and continue their rebuilding. The White Sox stand the best chance of sticking, but I like someone else to win that division eventually.

Should make a run at it........Yankees, Tigers, Mets, Brewers. All these teams have shown signs of life recently, especially the Brew Crew and the Tigers. All of them are too talented not be in the Playoff hunt come September, but in the end I only like the Tigers to make it. Their line-up is too good to not start scoring a ton of runs, and their bullpen is finally geting healthy, which should be enough.

Teams that should be good, aren't, and will not make a run: Mariners, Braves, Padres. These teams were all hip picks to win their divisions preseason, but injuries, poor play, and questionable decisions by the higher-ups have combined to make a perfect storm of sorrow. Only the Braves are even within striking distance of the playoffs, but Smoltz, Glavine and Hampton are all out, so I don't like their chances.

NL Playoff picks: Phils, D-Backs, Cubs, Cards AL Playoffs: BoSox, Tigers, Rays, Angels

World Series: Angels over Cubs

I know what you're thinking: how can I pick the Cubs to win the pennant? Remember: what I'm picking is the most painful thing of all for Cubs fans: to come close to glory, only lose. Now that's delicious.


-Trey

Wainwright Info

Just found this after I published the last post. Guess I was wrong about his injury not being serious. Follow the link and see the depressing news for yourself if you dare.


-Trey

Jekyll vs. Hyde

Good series against Boston. Could've had the sweep, but well played nonetheless. How do we perform that well against the AL's best and after sucking at home against one of their worst? Anyway, so additional good news: Albert may not be out so long after all. The offense, as I mentioned earlier, has really missed this consistency, but at least we've played around .500 without him I believe, which is better than I expected. Well, onto the Tigers in Detriot now. Hopefully, we'll take 2 of 3 again at least. A couple of questions: has anyone heard when Wainwright might be back.....it didn't seem like his injury was real serious, but I haven't heard anything new. Also, who is this Stavinoha guy? I would rather have seen Mather get another look, but maybe they didn't want to use another option on him. Anyway, I guess he's been raking in the minors even if I've never heard of him. Not a great first game for him, but Fenway isn't the easiest place to start in the bigs. I'll reserve judgement for now.


-Trey

Fox

Good gravy are they not they worst broadcast team ever?! I had to listen to it muted.

Get your brooms out kiddies! It's our turn!

-CJ

Uhg

Well, in the last post I said that it was important to beat up on the Royals with tough series at Boston and Detroit coming up. You can forget that. The offense has basically not shown up the last couple of days and wasted quality starts by Pineiro and Looper respectively. This shouldn't be too surprising. We all knew that having Albert out would make the deficiencies of the other guys more glaring. It's not just his mere presence either. His high BA/OBP basically guaranteed that the guys behind him in the line-up would get a couple of opportunities a night to drive in a run. Sorry, but Chris Duncan just can't bring that to the table. Ludwick, Ankiel, Glaus - those guys have the power, but nowhere near the consistency. Well, hopefully they at least won't get swept. Bright side moment of the day - Carpenter has no new damage to his elbow and is likely to come back at some point this year, just probably not as soon as hoped.

Past, Present and Future

Well, this certainly has proven to be a resilient team. They haven't lost a series since the May13-15 games with the Pirates of all people. Injuries keep piling up, but somehow, so do the wins. I know this will sound crazy, but I think the upcoming series agaisnt the Royals is HUGE. A few reasons
1. The Royals are bad. They are like the Poland of the American League. We need to win at least 2 of 3, but I'm hoping for a sweep.
2. Following them is a nine game road set of the interleague variety. Three at the best team in baseball Boston, three at a suddenly hot Detroit team, and three again with the Royals. Not an impossible task, but 4 out of 9 would be good. Detroit has owned us the last couple of years (at least in regular season!).
3. Our next home game after the Royals set isn't till June 30th with the Mets. We should be getting healthier by that time, but it's going to be a patchwork team till then at the earliest, and it's important to beat the one bad team we'll be playing over that period.

Overall, were are again at a season-high 13 games over .500. If we can stay at that level or at worst 10 games over by June 30th, I'll feel really good about the rest of the season. Really good.



-Trey

A Holiday Mix-Up

Apparently, the Phillies thought it was Christmas instead of Father's day as they gift wrapped one to the Cards. Nearly identical errors by Gordon (although the first one was scored to Utley) in the bottom of the extra frame give the Cardinals an ugly but "we'll take it" victory. Not only that, but the Cardinals won the series. If I told you that the Cardinals would be outscored by 16 runs in this series how many games would you have thought they would have lost? I def wouldn't have guessed that they would have won the series.

But the win...like so many recently...came with a heavy price. Molina took a nasty blow and somehow...amazingly held on to the ball with a collision at the plate. I'm really hoping and praying that he will be okay. Things didn't look promising the way he was loaded up on the stretcher and carted away. Bruntlett really should have slid...he might have been safe that way. I'm not calling his collision dirty, but I am calling it stupid and careless. Should Molina spend any time on the DL some more reshuffling will take place. Not sure who would be moved off the 40 man--prolly a non-active--but I wouldn't be too surprised to see Bryan Anderson get the call up from AAA. He's hitting the ball nicely and looks very promising at 22 years old. Mark Johnson and Gabe Johnson don't appear to be show worthy. However, since none of them are on the 40-man roster the Cardinals may be rather hesitant to start Anderson's arbitration clock--and possibly start using up options. I think a lot of it depends on just how serious the injury to Molina is. Furthermore, any significant time off may spell curtains for Molina's All-Star bid. I really would have rather seen Bruntlett score and we take the "L" than to have that happen to Molina.

Okay...so it wasn't like Christmas after all. But we'll still take the gift from Gordon. Reyes gets the "W" and Duncan makes the winning play (kinda)--so there's a small--very small--silver linging. Gotta make you smile to see those two having a hand in the win.

One more thing...I saw Pujols in the dugout after the Molina injury. Apparently, he was helping Molina into the ambulance or something. It is against the rules to be in the dugout while on the DL. Anyhow, do they really enforce the no dugout admittance while on the DL? And could El Hombre get into any trouble for being there?

Oh and two more things...hit and run with Lohse yesterday. Pinch hitting with Looper today.
Is Prince Valiant getting a little TOO creative?

-CJ

Happy Father's Day!

In the end, what's the difference between winning 20-2 and winning 3-2? Nothing, which is why the Cards and the Phillies now have equal records. The Cards keep pace with the Cubs as they ride some sparkling D and solid pitching from Lohse. There are those out there who have been riding him hard--but I think he's proved the naysayers wrong. We got lucky on that last call, but we've had more than our fair share go against us this year. Mather and Worrell got sent down. Wasn't surprised about Worrell going down or Izzy coming up, but Mather down and Reyes up was surprising. With Pujols out for at least 2 weeks I thought that Mather would be the backup for Duncan--I guess Glaus is. After a solid start, Mather really cooled off. But overall, I thought it was a positive experience. Worrell showed some good stuff, but in the end he was getting hammered.

Carpenter had a setback...but good news about other relievers...waiting with bated breath.

-CJ

Since We Need a Pick-me-up

Nothing good about a 20-2 beat down. So here's something to help make you smile. Here's me holding my 3 month old, Gloria. Clicking on it will bring up the full image. And yes, that is a 43-56 Cards hat. Oh yeah, and Happy Father's Day!

God may be cruel, but at least he's fair.

Well, the team certainly responded better than I did to Pujol's injury. Looper pitched his best game ever as a starter and the offense exploded behind Ludwick, and Ankiel and JASON LaRUE? Who would have guessed. On another note, with Wainwright and Pujols down, I was really just hoping we could remain in good wild card position and bascially conceding the division to the streaking Cubs, but then, boom! Soriano goes down for 6 weeks. Maybe he's not AS important to them as Albert is to us, but it's not coincidense that their hot streak has coincided with him finding his swing after a slow start. Overall, they still have more healthy talent than we do, but I hate them, so this gives me some hope we can keep contact until the All-star break, when (hopefully) we'll start to get close to whole again. Anyway, props again to the boys for coming out and making a big statement yesterday. Pineiro back on the mound tonight. Let's keep it rolling before the tough series against Philly.


-Trey

Don't Ya Just Wish...

...that we could trade for Will Clark right now?

That is all.

-CJ

When it rains..........

Yeah, we won tonight. Whoop-de-frakkin-doo. If there are two completely indispensible players on the team they are Pujols (obviously) and Wainwright. Wainwright is on DL as of today. Strained finger. Hopefully won't miss more than three starts, but no one is sure right now. Pujols had to leave the game tonight with a calf injury. The dreaded "will be re-evaluated tomorrow". Maybe its not serious and he won't miss much time, or any time at all, but it is not the news we needed today of all days. I'm glad we are a season-high 12 games over .500 and that we are playing a not great cincy team followed by the Phils at home (thought the Phils are pretty good). Hopefully we can play around .500 while we get healthy. Ankiel was back tonight. Wellenmeyer is supposed to be OK. Pineiro will be back soon. I guess those are good things, but the importance of those guys pales in comparison to Pujols and Wainwright in my opinion. Ludwick had better keep playing like an All-star, that much is for sure. That's enought. I'm getting myself too depressed.


-Trey

Winnable and Losable

Or in this case not Losable and Losable.

Saturday's game was much closer than it should have been. The Astros had no business bringing the tying run to the plate after the 7 run inning by the Cards. Sunday's game was also not what it should have been. The Cardinals had NO business whatsoever in this game.

Sat:
McC's stat line was not pretty. But upon closer inspection the hits the Astros got against him had eyes. They were poorly hit balls that just managed to move runners onto base. Some accused him of not hitting his spots...I suggest otherwise. Rewatching that inning shows the Astros swinging at pitches out of the zone and hitting the ball in such a way that would normally generate outs. Just simple bad luck. This game showed the power of the homerun to generate runs without the need to string together as many hits. The longball CAN be so underrated. The Astros brought up the tying run later in the game--but the tying run was at the plate only because of these weak hits and the Crawford Cheap Seats. This game was not what I would call Losable

Sun:
The Cardinals were stymied by one Wandy Rodriguez...ahem. That was until the game got handed to them with HBP's, wildpitches, walks, and one well timed hit. They should have lost this game hands down. Instead the Cardinals steal one. Outhit 4 to 9 is not a recipe for success. This game shouldn't have been winnable, instead the Cards get the best of both worlds and take 2 at the worst stadium ever.

-CJ

Broken bones and broken hearts.......

Yet another tough loss to those cursed Astros tonight. It's tough to blame any one person for this one, but the offense does seem to the scuffling the last week or so. Injuries haven't helped (Ankeil, Pujols, ect.), but more consistent production is needed from the "big bats" other than Albert. Ludwick has definitely cooled off. Glaus has finally hit a few HRs, but still hasn't hit well enought to bat clean-up on a nightly basis. Certainly Mather has brought a spark, but I think the primary problem is in the middle infield. Izturis has hit better than I expected, but that's because I expected nothing. Miles has been OK when he has played, but not great. Kennedy - terrible. John talked earlier about trading some young talent. We seem to have a glut of young OFs, so I would start there, and look for an upgrade at either SS or 2B. I'm not sure who that would be exactly at this time, but I'm just thinking that's the way to go. I think we have enough pitching, and hopefully, we'll get some injured guys back to bolster the staff around the trading deadline without actually trading for someone. I'd love to trade Duncan and Reyes, but in order to get something worthwhile.....you have to give something in return, and I'm not sure they qualify. IF Ludwick can continue to put up good numbers, he's the guy I'd dangle. Mather, Ankiel and Rasmus will be the full-time OF next year if not sooner anyway I think.

Well, enough ranting about the Cardinals....how about an old story about my dear friend John. Hopefully he won't mind. His story of breaking his toe reminded me of this. When we were like 10 or 11 we were playing football in his backyard with several other guys. John was playing really well as a receiver and a corner back throughout the game. John tried to intercept a pass, which I think would've been his second of the game. He succeeded or at least deflected it I think, but he injured his finger in the process. He tried to keep playing, but it swelled up really big. Since it was a very hard thrown ball, we all thought it was broken, so we went inside to tell his parents. His dad didn't believe us and thought it was just jammed. He pulled on the finger to pop it back out for like three minutes. How John didn't cry out in complete pain I'll never know. Turns out, it was DEFINITELY broken. Moral of the story: John - go get your toe looked at, but not by your dad.

That was Odd

Was hoping that we might make up more than just a half game on the Cubs yesterday. It was not to be, as the double bill was split. A few thoughts:

-AP seems to be rather okay. Glad to see him PHing.
-Worrell and Parisi got in on the RBI's...ooookay. Too bad Parisi gave up too many. He'll prolly get moved to the pen...could he be demoted?
-Mather does it all...again. I enjoy those rare moments where am I so right.
-PreDraft MLB.com predicted that Brett Wallace would probably only play 1st base in the majors. Think that's what the Cards have in mind? Ha!
-I think I broke my toe on the stairs yesterday. It wasn't one of my more graceful moments in my life. I'm still amazed how I did it. I'm still unsure how I did it. I wonder if I should have it looked at. What does this have to do with the Cardinals? The way I fell reminded me of Chris Duncan playing the OF. That was offsides now wasn't it?

-CJ

Random Thoughts

Had a friend from the States come visit me this weekend. So, I didn't have tons of time to post. Splitting versus the Pirates is never acceptable in my book. Those are series you have to win. Last night was just another winnable game. However, 4 runs is just below the league average, so you're not going to take home too many W's with that. I really enjoyed how the Cardinals wasted an option on Jimenez--not (although it may never be a problem), but it's a sign that they brought up the wrong man. Hopefully, at least they have corrected the situation. All griping aside, I am loving the young team, and I am loving seeing the farm system FINALLY pay off. The Cardinals had been riding the strength of Jocketty's horsetrading skills for too long. After cooling off a bit, it was good to see Lud's get in on the RBI column--even in the loss. Really likin' the Mather call up. Lately, the question seems to be, should we deal young talent for contending this year? I think we'll have to part with some, but not the crown jewels. Soooooo...What do you think? If you had to place odds on some of the Cardinals/Redbirds moving...what would you give:

Duncan?
Reyes?
Schumaker?
Mather?
Rasmus?
Barton?
Ankiel?
Ryan?
and just for fun
Pujols?

-CJ

I hope Duncan gets his swing back, but.........

Seriously, did you see that catch Mather made? I know he is not known for his defense usually, but there is no way Duncan comes even close to a ball hit that sharply. John called for this move in the blog a while ago I think, and I definitely believe it was a good move. They can now rotate two RH and two LH hitters in the outfield with Barton playing the PR, defensive sub role he is better suited for. The team is playing pretty well right now, but if things can improve, it is on the offensive end. I'd personally like to see Brendan Ryan play instead of Izturis more. Izturis has hit better recently, but for a while he was doing worse than the pitchers and actually DESERVED to bat ninth. He is a good defensive player, but so is Ryan. I really think LaRussa likes Ryan on the bench because he can play any infield position. That's all well and good, but I say let your best players play every day. I've never been a big platoon guy, but maybe I shouldn't be complaining. We are ten games over .500, so LaRussa must be doing something right.

Ahhhh...That's Better

A 6-1 victory over the Astros after an 8-2 loss will always make you feel a bit better. The Cardinals took an early lead based mainly on mistakes. I would have rather seen them get a few more runs in the first with 3 on and 0 out. But I guess I'm just greedy. It didn't matter as WW was up to the task. 3 hits in 8 ip, 8k's, and 1 er. Niiiice. This is the WW we all love and EXPECT now. Ankiel had a very nice catch--and that makes up for that horrible throw from throw from yesterday. Now about Pujols tryin' to take 2nd on the Luds flyout to right. Now I know that everyone loves him and he does seem to make quite a few errors on the basepaths. But if we are going to praise him when he takes the chance and it pays off we can't jump all over him when it doesn't pay off. Pence has got a noodle (see him in action here). Luds is out. It could have made something happen. The only real complaint I have is that he didn't stay on the bag. Ehh "we'll call it a draw."

With the Cubs pulling "W's" faster than disenfranchised republicans and their bumper stickers, we need to win games against pitchers like Wandy. With the likes of Oswalt comin' up the hill today, we'll need another strong offensive performance and the good Lohse to show up. Although, Oswalt has been less than stellar this year... It's still Oswalt. That could just mean he's due.

-CJ

I'm a sore loser today.

Though I'm still a true cardinal and my least favorite team is the Cubs, living in Houston has made be REALLY hate the Astros, so I'm extra angry after last night's loss. I know we have a tough time against them at their place (because they can cheat there), but I expect us to do better at home. Looper has been the anti-Wainwright so far this year. Good record, but horrible ERA, WHIP and BAA. If Mulder can (by some miracle) come back and rejoin the rotation, Looper may be the guy we should send back to the bullpen, and not Wellenmeyer. On the plus side, the bullpen again pitched great and Albert went deep. Hopefully, that means he is mentally recovered from that disturbing game he had against the Padres last week. Anyway, they had better win today.......or I don't know what I'll do....but it won't be pretty.

RiSP, Clutch, Luck, and Production

As a case study, last night's game was fascinating. The Cardinals got out hit 7 hits to 4. The Cardinals only had 6 AB's turn into base-runners. This is usually not a recipe for success. 4 hits in one game. How many times do you think that will garner you a win? If you said 19 times outta 20, I'd take the over.

"Only 4 LOB!" the masses proclaim. "OooooOOOooo Only 1 Team LoB," the peons announce. This is how numbers are deceiving. Why so? Because, as we have mentioned before, OBP means men on base to get stranded. What does that leave us?

It leaves us with RiSP/Clutch strength or luck.

Does a good team just try to produce hits (preferably extra base hits) in such quantity that hopefully due to the mass production of said hits some will be close enough in proximity that a runner will eventually reach the fourth base?
OR
Does a good team intentionally rise up and are able to string together hits when the pressure is on? Teams like this are full of players who are "clutch" and statistically do better with RiSP?

Ask a stat junkie if clutchness exists and you'll get a clear and to the point: "No, way."

Ask someone who has played ball before or who is currently playing ball and you're sure to get: "Absolutely."

Does Pujols bat 3rd because he just gets hits more often than others and thus since people with high OBP are ahead of him he will improve the proximity hits? Or does Pujols bat 3rd because when the pressure is on he performs stronger than others?

The answer is in the middle. It always cracks me up to read those Baseball Prospectus-esque articles that compare how a player does normally versus how they do "in the clutch" and they say, "The stats show that he doesn't do any better with RiSP." Of course not! But the question we should be asking is: "Does he do worse?" If someone maintains their Avg or Slugging % with RiSP it means that all the heightened psychology of the situation does not get to them as badly as others. Why would we expect someone to do better?! What a weird suggestion. Yet, to say that the law of averages have nothing to do with it is just as weird.

Last night's game told us 1 of the following: 1) the pressure did not get to the Cards' bats during the one inning and they got lucky to gets the hits in such close proximity or 2) the pressure got to Penny as he gave up another big inning (see his recent previous outings). The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

Either way, I'd like to see more hit and runs, speed on the base-paths, and more HR's. A team needs to be less reliant upon luck or pressure performance. Which has made me completely rethink my position on Brian Barton (see TLR's most recent comments). That kid is needed for his speed. If we brought up Mather he'd just park it on the bench and afaik he isn't as fast as Barton. Barton's speed should be used more often to give folks the chance for more RBIs. It also strengthens my opinion that a power 2B or SS should be added. Where we are going to get that other one is another story...

So what am I getting at with all this? The Cardinals are going to get some nights like last night where they had no business winning the game (from an offensive standpoint) but pull it out after all.

the weight is on Wainwright

Sorry for the grammar errors in the last post. There will be more most likely, but I'll try to at least proof read before I hit "submit" in the future. Anyway, I wanted to post how Adam Wainwright had pitched us to another win tonight, but the game is delayed currently with one out in the bottom of the ninth and I want to go to sleep (how is it raining in LA hard enough to delay the game?). I'll just say what I want to say and ASSUME Franklin saves the game. Wainwright should be, by all rights, only our #3 starter behind Mulder and Carpenter, but instead, he's the ace. And he's pitched like it. That's pretty remarkable for a guy in only his second year starting in the big leagues. Granted, he's seen some pressure closing games in the playoffs, but starting is a different ball game. This year, however, he has continually gone deep into games, saving the bullpen and giving us a chance to win. His W-L record isn't stellar, but his ERA and innings pitched count are. The other guys seem to be following his lead as well. I know expectations aren't as high for the other guys, but that makes Wainwright's performances that much better in my opinion. He HAS to be the man for us to contend, and so far, he's lived-up to that billing. Oh yeah, and Ludwick hit another (hopefully) game winning HR tonight. Sick.


Trey

I bleed red

Seriously, that's what happens when the skin is broken and blood is exposed to oxygen. In all seriousness, I am a huge cardinal's fan and have been basically since I can remember thinking at all. I want to thank John for letting contribute to this blog. It's going to be great fun for me to talk baseball with him again. Sadly, I have a lot of venting to do because I've stuck in Houston the last four years. That's right, surrounded by astros' fans and going to games in that mockery of a ballpark known as Minute Maid. I wore my cardinal's hat every day to class though and endured the abuse. Oh, and I was watch game 5 of the 2005 NLCS with some "friends" and got whoop and holler and yell "in your face" when Pujols hit that memorable bomb off Lidge. Of course, we lost the next game and the series, but it was a sign of good things to come in 2006 at least. Speaking of good things, watching the Cardinals this year has surprisingly been (usually) one of them. I'm back in Oklahoma now, and more of my own kind are here, so I feel liberated and optomistic. I'll admit, I wasn't that way in spring training. Few proven bats in the lineup and even less in the rotation. So, though there is a long way to go, I'll be hopefull that I'll do less of the venting I promised earlier and more praising the way this team has defied the odds and played winning baseball.


Trey

It's Nice to Share...

So my mother says. So...here you go, Mom. In all seriousness, I'd like to introduce a new contributor to the Cardinal Virtue. Growing up I had some really close friends. Trey Paschal was one of the closest--if not the closest. At that age where baseball becomes huge, Trey was a Cardinal fan before me. And is one of the main reasons why I became a Cardinal fan in the first place. We cheered for McGhee, Smith, Coleman, Clark, Herr, Pena, Pendleton, Oquendo, Worrell, Tudor, I could go on...

I wouldn't want to share my blog with anyone. In fact, Trey would probably be the only exception. However, when I asked him if he blogged, he knew exactly what I was thinking. Trey knows Cardinals. Knows baseball.

Here we are. Two friends. One ocean and several years separating us. I'm glad Trey will be contributing to this blog and I'm looking forward to his posts and insights!

Welcome, Trey!

-CJ

Classy = Pujols

I don't have much time today. I am under the gun with a paper due tomorrow and I can't believe I'm going to even take time out today to see the Irish Premier of Indiana Jones. So...I'll be brief.

Let me simply start by saying that my best wishes go out to Chris Young and Josh Bard. I hope they recover quickly. You hate to see a team get injuries especially when they're down on their luck these days.

Next, I'd like to say that the Cards were fantastic last night. Pounding out 16 hits in a rout to win the series. It could have easily been a sweep, but I guess I should never complain about taking 2/3 on the road.

I'm going to take a moment to say that Pujols is a classy fellow. Sure, he'll let you know how he feels. And he'll tell ya when you've screwed up. But wow. Pujols was visibly upset. As soon as the play was over he hovered near the mound in concern. Soon he was joined by Adrian Gonzalez as they bowed their heads in prayer. After taking out Bard's leg at home-plate, anyone would be shaken. El Hombre is El Hombre...but he's still a man. And any man would not be able to think straight after that--especially the Young injury. TLR even took him out in the 8th. I hope that this doesn't have any long term effects on Young, Bard, or Pujols.

Am I wrong, or is this the first break of the season for the Redbirds...(checks schedule in the sidebar)...since the 14th of April?! Common people! The Cards went from red hot, to slumping, to playing well again. Over a month of baseball without a day off?! Give the guys a break. I hope the Redbirds enjoy today. They've earned it. Perhaps some might think that it allows them to build up momentum. More likely not. Whoever is in charge of scheduling needs to be, as they say over here, sacked. I'm glad that Pujols gets the day off after that harrowing game.

Lost amidst all the other stuff going on: Schumaker makes an insane catch, and guess who's back...Ankiel gets a pinch-hit homerun.

Wish me luck on my paper. And I hope Indy is as good as the previous ones. Guess I wasn't as brief as I thought I'd be.

-CJ

1 Swing

Was all the difference...Too bad. J.P. pitched a decent game and the bullpen did alright. The offense really let us down. Is it just me or do the Cards seem to let down pretty hard after a big night at the plate? Although, I do like to see Luds batting behind Pujols. I think that is a big part of Pujols' seeing more pitches lately. However, I do not like Duncan as a number two. Furthermore, while I do like having the speedy Barton on the bench, he is simply not cutting the mustard. 2 more K's. And an 0-4 on the evening...leading off.

"Excuse me? I'm kinda new to this whole...baseball...thing.... Call me crazy. But aren't lead-off men supposed to...I don't know...get on base?!"

This message brought to you by the letters M and A and T and H and E and R.

-CJ

Back on Track

I was about to make a post about how LOB and high OBP is a sign of a team that doesn't hit enough HR's--something Earl Weaver would have appreciated. But then last night happened. 4 HR's and an 8 run performance. The 19 LoB is a deceptive stat. The team LoB of 11 is better. And the education of Cardinal John continues. What is more, even Izturis got into the act. Cards were really lucky to not have to face a healthy Peavy--or even an unhealthy one.

Pujols' upper deck HR was absolutely sick. It was a frozen rope. The tape measure 405 feet does not do it justice. Am I the only one who hates how they measure those things? There's no way that a ball seemingly still going up into the 3rd basket of the Western Metal Supply Co. building only went 405. Ludwick continued his hotstreak by hitting his 4th homerun in 7 AB. The next person that mentions trading him while he's hot is going to get a beatin'. I don't want him being the next (offensive) Danny Haren. What's crazy is not just his OPS but his cumulative stats for how few AB's he has.

Have I mentioned that I hate Minute Maid Amusement Park? I'm glad to see Jimmy Ballgame still up to his old tricks--even if it is in that horrible uniform.

Looks like the struggling Padres were exactly what the Dr. ordered.

-CJ

The Cardinal Zone

Doo doo doo doo doo. Doo doo doo doo.
Daaaaaadunnndunndun.

You unlock this season with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension - a dimension where the Rays are 8 games over .500, a dimension where Edmonds is a Cub, a dimension without Izzy. You're moving into a world not of a rebuilding season but a hot start, now a slump and questions. You've just crossed over into the Cardinal Zone.

Portait of a slumping ball club: the St. Louis Cardinals, 2008, NL Central, 3 games out, and a strikingly young team. Pujols has just had his OB streak come to a screeching halt--a streak where he spent the last month and a half getting on base, the onset of which took place amongst a searing start from the Cardinals. But these last few weeks have been dissimilar than from before, in a ballpark very much like the one which the Cardinals are about to play the Rays in interleague play, tonight, the Cardinals are at home yet on their way to a destination which, unbeknownst to the Cardinal fans, happens to be in the darkest corner of the Cardinal Zone.

Astros! Astros! I'm not imagining it! They're out there. Look they're out there now! They jumped passed us when you weren't looking!

"There's something out on the wing! Some...thing!"

And if you look to your left...you'll see the Astros passing us in the standings. The last of the killer B's is hammering away like never before. Sure, a lot of it has to do with the Crawford "can of corn homerun" Boxes. But he has always been underrated.

Anyhow, here we are, mediocre/poor starting pitching and abysmal offense make for losses. Pujol's streak comes to an end and the bullpen does well.

So which is the real Cardinals of 2008 and which is the twilight zone? The team that started the season or the team that is mired in a offensive and bullpen funk? Only time will tell.

Perhaps today may contain a hint of reality. In a Saturday matinée (which means that I won't have to kill myself to stay up to watch it over here in GMT), Wainwright takes the hill and Perez should be available after only 17 pitches last night. Let's hope Pujols and co. avoid those evil donuts and show some patience.

The season of the St. Louis Cardinals is far from over now, a season not only from April to October, but also from the fear of recurring bullpen breakdown. The Cardinals have that fear for a while longer, though, for the moment, the Cardinals have this assurance: LoB can be a good thing--'cause it means runners are getting on base. Single digit LoB is usually a sign of a LOSS. Happily this fear won't hang over our heads for long, either the thread will hold or the Sword of Damocles will come crashing down. This tangible manifestation is very often left as evidence of trespass, even from intangible a quarter as...the Cardinal Zone.

-CJ

Dooo doo doo doo...

Good Rotation? So What?

What good is a solid rotation if the bullpen is going to piss it away every time? Look, I love Izzy. He did some great things, but he is missing his spots, leaving balls up, and is getting hammered. Albeit, Bay's homerun was weak sauce. But that wasn't even the BS...walking the leadoff man...again?! Doing his best Tigers 2006 World Series impression?! Villone wasn't pretty either. This bullpen is in shambles. I still think that the Cards need a bigger bat, but I don't know where one is going to come from. Perhaps it would be best at this time to realize that a big bat won't be ready till the trade deadline--maybe not even then. Finding another couple arms for the bullpen would be an easier task in my estimation.

With the amount of LoB I still think it's just a matter of time till the runs come around. Heck even Izturis' bat is picking up. But we have no chance of winning games if the bullpen gets tagged for more runs than the starters do--that's just not good baseball.

The problem right now is: our two biggest pieces of trade bait aren't going to solve the Cards' problems. We really blew it on Reyes. I don't see anyone wanting to pick him up. Duncan, although batting better lately, is still a liability in the field. Seriously, I'm embarrassed to watch him play left field. It's not a pretty sight. (Fair enough, he'd play it almost as good as me...yes, I'm that bad).

We're inching much too close to .500 for my tastes. And in the division that we are in...it could be costly.

-CJ