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

Jimmy = Cub

It's all over but the signing. Even if Jimmy wants to be a Cub to stick to those who traded him, he'll always be a Cardinal to me. Besides, it was that defiant attitude that we all loved about him to begin with. No, I won't like to see him in Cub blue. Overall, I don't feel that this is the best opportunity for him. I think that the Cub fans won't want him there, it will hurt his restaurant, and won't win any friends within Cardinal nation. Honestly, I thought that the Cards were MORE than loyal to him. The deal he got at the end of the 2006 season was MORE than generous. On the other hand, TLR's comments "that we don't need another left handed AB" (can't find my source...it disappeared on me) don't seem to help matters much as it appeared rather dismissive--but it was probably beyond that anyway.

For me it's shame, but if I could be there at Busch, I don't care if I'm the only one standing, I'll be applauding on my feet chanting "Jimmy! Jimmy!"

-CJ

SAY IT AIN'T SO, JIMMY!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Don't Worry Be Happy

Seriously. Relax. Don't do it. It's okay. The sky is not falling. When you think about how many times the Cardinals have had 6+ runs put up on them, you should be glad. Wainy had one bad inning. That's allowed. We all knew he wasn't Gibby. Yes, I know, I've been talking to my 8 week old baby so much that it's effecting my languagy.

The problem with this road trip was two things. I bet you can guess. 1) weak run production 2) bullpen issues. Notice that the Cardinals score 3 runs they tend to lose. It's simple math really. Score less and you will lose more. Other than two 8+ run losses, the pitching staff is simply posting below average numbers (a good thing in case you aren't following the logic). What does this mean? Help is needed for the bullpen...but more importantly...
GET A FREAKING NEW BAT FOR THE LINEUP!

-CJ

Okay...you can worry a little.

Too Disgusting

I was almost too disgusted to post. But then I got to thinkin'...who's really to blame. Earlier I watched the Mets crush the Dodgers. Brad Penny had a rough outing. I watched as pitches which were down or out of the strikezone got golfed into the outfield. Several deflections led to some infield hits. Penny wasn't pitching great...but he wasn't pitching that bad either.

"Wait...wait...wait!" you say. "What do the Dodgers have to do with the Cards' game last night?"

Izzy was and has been getting hammered. By and large, we're not talkin' bad luck. People are launching on him like a pack of Mentos in a two liter of diet Coke. Sure, Pujols slipped up. He does from time to time. But there are still a fair amount of you out there who keep clamoring for him to "be held accountable." To those who keep claiming this...you are silly. Go back to your corner. Annnnnyhoo...where was I? Oh yea! It's not just Izzy. He was put in a tough situation. It's the bullpen in total. Apparently, TLR has confidence in the bullpen: "We have a bullpen that can shut them down, but it just didn't do it." I don't know if this is well founded. Give me more than three occasions where the bullpen looked like it could shut anyone down and I'll grant TLR's claim. But I don't think there are!

Some people want to chalk up the loss to the bats. Yes, it is true that 3 runs is below average for the Cards (they're averaging about 4.7 per game this year). But 4.7 is only .1 per game above the league median (yes, I was too lazy to do the averaging). Yes, the need for a better bat still weighs heavily--and is rightly the priority. However, the bullpen should not give up 4 runs in 2 innings. I suggest that 1.7 runs below your average in a game is not half as bad as giving up 4 runs in 2 innings. The goat, as C70 would say, is the bullpen.

Ankiel's got one...

...and it's not for taking pictures. Other than preserving a "W" for the Cards, the best thing about his two throws (which, if you haven't seen click here) is that many teams are going to seriously think twice before running on him in the future. What's amazing on both the throws was his accuracy from such a distance...ironic, no?

So...TLR was obviously trying to get the bullpen some rest. But I wouldn't be too surprised if there is some hesitancy to pass on close games to the bullpen. Nevertheless, it was good to see Looper go that long. Although it did get a little shaky at the end. I'm going to have to chalk this one up as "losable". No, not all 1 run games would be considered "losable". However, if it wasn't for solid hitting from Looper and those throws from Ankiel then our beloved Redbirds might not have pulled it off. Perfect throws to third from deep center and batting heroics from pitchers is not something I want to rely on.

Okay...okay...I admit. We have it good right now. Real good. Second best record in the bigs. I really can't complain. However, before the break there needs to be a move. Duncan and Reyes and change for a good bat. In the near future, I'll be posting my most wanted list (a good want). In the mean time, let me know your wish list. Who would you like to see join the Cardinal ranks? Who should go? I'd love to get your feedback.

-CJ

What was Worse?

What was worse last night: the Rockies announcers last night or the officiating? McKay was clearly playfully pushing Helton at first. The Cardinals clearly have had the high socks for some time--since the 1800's. Hurdle clearly was making just as many moves as TLR. Izturis clearly didn't put his glove up "in self-defense." Molina was clearly safe. Molina clearly didn't catch the foul tip third strike.

Ryan looked silly at the plate in the 9th.
Pujols looked like he was running better.
Pujols looked like his back was hurting on the pickoff bluff at 2nd.
Pujols looked like a genius in the 9th.

For that 1% of the population gripin' about Pujols in the clutch: Shut up.

Edit: I'd like to add that I really enjoyed the outing from Parisi. You could tell he was a bit nervous, but he had quality stuff. Good to see Izzy pitch well. His BB was controversial. That's two strong outings in a row. Let's keep it up. Flores pitched better than his stat line showed. The hits that came off him were either extended zone hits, or that weak "excuse me" swing hit that went just a bit farther than my 7 week old daughter can spit up. Def. what I call a "losable" game. But we'll take it.

-CJ

Parisi for Reyes

Mike Parisi was called up today. Always glad to see a youngin get his first shot in the show. Reyes was sent down. With all the trade rumors that were circulating around Reyes, I can't help but wonder if this will lessen his value. Last year started a chain of events which Reyes has never quite recovered from. His World Series heroics of 2006 seem to have been a premature pinnacle. I hope that he is able to get back to that form. In the end, I hope this move helps rejuvenate the bullpen. Do you agree with this move? Disagree? What do you think?

Edited: Perhaps they want Reyes to get more time starting in AAA in order to demonstrate his abilities?
-CJ

UCB Game Blog: 2nd Inning

Thanks for the great start, Mike from Stan Musial's Stance.

After a perfect first, Lohse looks to carry over his sharp April to May. Lohse has been one of the most pleasant surprises about this season--and this season has been full of em. The outfield is playing out nicely. The rotation is sharp. And Pujols looks strong. Lohse was a great pickup, who, I must say, I had my doubts about. However, Dave Donuts has pulled another pitcher from his hat.

Lohse quickly pulls ahead of Fukudome only to give up a leadoff single. Leadoff batters reaching base was a big problem for the Cards last year. This year it seems to have been kept to a minimum.

The pitcher's best friend smiles upon Lohse as DeRosa grounds into the DP. Speaking of which, I just found a store that sells Dr. Pepper here in Ireland. Now if I could just rustle up some IBC Rootbeer I'll be good to go...oh yeah...the blog.

With the bases cleared Lohse gets Soto to ground out to shortstop. Another strong inning for Kyle. I'm really likin' him more and more with each start.

Bottom of the 2nd:
Luds strikes out on four pitches. 1st pitch swinging again. I love Luds. IMHO he should be more regular in the outfield, however...Luds gets behind a bit too often. I'd like to see him laying off some more in order to be more effective in front of Pujols. Since the lineup has been changed again it's a bit different. Nevertheless, does anyone think that Luds could be good enough protection from Pujols? I don't know if he is the long term answer. As I have said several times before: Protection for Pujols should be the number one acquisition priority. Number two? Bullpen issues. Who would you be comfortable with? Izzy? Not anymore. Reyes? Still not what was expected. Springer? Hardly. Fraklin, Villone, Flores, and McC? Better but still not where we wanna be. Number three? Doing something with Izturis. His glove aside, he's got to go. Reyes for Greene (SD) sounds promising. Once Carp gets back the bullpen will be strengthened.

Surprise, surprise. Glaus flied out again. Think he's been scouted? Seriously, they know how to pitch him every time. I'm really gettin' fed up with folks talkin' about how many RBI's he's getting. Seriously, I could get RBI's when Pujols et.al. are ALWAYS gettin' on a head of me.

Ankiel is in a different spot in the lineup. I think these changes are NOT good for the team. I'd like to see more of a rhythm get setup. Skip should be leading off. Luds with his sick OPS should be second. Pujols third. Ankiel cleanup. Glaus 5th--IF he starts slugging. Kennedy and Molina 6 and 7. Pitcher 8th and Ryan (not Izturis) as the additional leadoff. Ankiel grounds out.

A rather lackluster inning for the Cardinals here. Bummer--I hoped I would have more to talk about. Well, here's hopin' that the Redbirds come to life with the bats later on.

Thanks for stoppin' by. Feel free to stop by in the future as we rant, rave, and review more Cards action. I'll now pass the baton over to Mike at Mike on the Cards. Enjoy the progressive blog and go Cards!

-CJ

Benjamin Linus Would Be Proud

I was about to make the case that the Cardinals are losing a lot of close games and are thus better than their record shows. They are making silly errors (see: Duncan, last night), stranding more people than Oceanic Flight 815, getting line-drives caught like colds in January, and having overall simple bad luck. 7/11, no, not the store, of the Redbirds' losses are what I call winnable (winnable means that if one small thing had gone differently it could have easily been a W for the good guys). The Cardinals lead MLB with 231 LOB. Sure, that's partially due to the Cardinals ranked #1 OBP (tied with the Cubs at .367). This is actually good news, because it is just a matter of time before those base runners get home. The Cards, while having made a few very untimely errors, only have 12 errors on the season--good enough for a tie for 5th best. However, I started looking at the W's and there are a slew of single run wins as well. 6/16 were one run games. Add in a couple of losable games and we're lookin' at 50% of our wins. What's that mean? I think it means our record accurately reflects the team thus far. Perhaps we're a bit better than we appear in the standings.

You know the guy I'm talkin' about. He has Austrailia--the purples. He doesn't look menacing in his little corner of the board. He has to fight through the mess that is Asia. But then all of a sudden, one turn, his paltry forces have accumulated into a fearsome pile of plastic impunity. I'd like to think that the rolls will go the Cardinals' way soon.

Looks like I might make that case after all.

-CJ

Batting McClellan Bottom 8th

It might be a little too early...but it's been two games that one might expect Izzy and TLR has avoided him. Sure, today was not a save situation (4 run lead), but McClellan was left in the game (with one out) to sacrifice with Molina at first. Doesn't seem to be a sign of a whole lot of confidence in our normal closer. Sure, you could say that TLR is simply giving Izzy some time to recover from the fiasco a couple of nights ago. But the night before TLR let a pitcher go all the way for the first time all year--which, btw, was a save situation. It's too early to come to any conclusions, but I wouldn't be surprised to see McClellan or another pitcher be groomed for the closer role in the near future.

-CJ

That's one way...

..to handle the bullpen issues. I've always preferred Wainwright closing out games.

Bullpen Issues

We have them. We have them badly. Something needs to be done. No, we still need protection for Pujols. A little more offense and we still mighta pulled it off. But Izzy is getting HAMMERED. Perhaps we can just move some from the rotation once the big guns get back.

-CJ

For Love of the Cardinals

Dear Cardinals Admin,

I'm not the only one. Sure, I've brought it up before, but I'm saying it again now. Pujols is in the prime of his career and you all didn't sign him to that big contract to watch him get walked 1/3 of his AB. Even worse, he isn't on this team so that he can get waked 50%+ with MoB. I'm not saying Pujols isn't a team player, but you have to think that he may get the itch to play with a team that will give him chances.

But, even if you don't do it for the team or for Pujols, you should do it for me. I don't want to watch Skip stretch a single into a double only to watch someone fly out and then 1b is glaringly open. With Pujols 3rd, 9,1, and 2 are not gettin' on base enough. EVERYONE knows that's why the pitcher hits 8th on this team. But I'm gettin' off topic.

I'm not even saying that you have to go out and get Barry Bonds. But, if you care for Pujols, who obviously cares for this franchise (look how cheaply you got him for many years), if you care for his legacy (and thus the future legacy of the Cardinals), if you care for releasing a quality product for your fans, then by any and all means necessary GET SOME FREAKING PROTECTION FOR THE MAN! Ortiz has Manny, A-Rod has an entire team, and Vlad has half a team. I'm not saying that the Cards go out like the American league Warbuckses. But this team needs another superstar. Rolen filled the roll nicely for a couple of years, but the time has come for protecting YOUR INVESTMENT. Your money will be better spent if a fearsome hitter is acquired. Glaus is solid, but not even close to your answer.

I am thrilled for the potential of Ankiel, Ludwick, Ryan, et.al., but they are not the answers either--at least not that I can see now.

Don't get me wrong, I love the Cards, but this is a glaring weakness and problem. Pujols is one of those players that will be legendary. He's one of those guys who is willing to get paid less than others of lesser talent just for the team. Let's make sure this continues to be a place where the relationship is mutually beneficial. Ask not what your Pujols can do for you! Ask what can you do for your Pujols!

-CJ
This message brought to you by the blogger who hopes his progressive dinner inning isn't like the 6th inning of tonight's Astros game (Looper singles, Ryan flies out, Schumaker double play).

Why are you a Cardinals fan?

Someone asked about my "Cardinals experience." Therefore, I thought I would share my brief response.

My first memory of baseball was my dad jumping up and down screaming as the ball rolled underneath Buckner's legs. Now, I'm not as young as that may sound, but I didn't start watching baseball from the cradle. However, I wasn't old either--7 years old. I'm sure in my household I would have watched some games before that--but that is when it stuck. Following the '86 World Series, I started watching the Cardinals in '87. It was my first full season of following baseball. As far as I'm concerned they're the greatest team ever and they got hosed in the series against the Twins. Tommy Herr was SAFE! That stupid Metrodome and those stupid hankies. Seriously, that's when I fell in love with the Cards. Ironically enough, I loved the 3rd base incident with Will Clark--who even though I loved the Cards became my favorite player. When Clark ended his career with the Cardinals I was thrilled. I enjoy the classy nature of the Card's organization yet they have a gritty and "bootstraped" history. I am proud to be a Card's fan especially because of the overall class and IQ of Cardinals fans (when I sent out that response I misspelled "especially" LOL). Soooo, enough about me. Tell me, if you like, when did you come to like the Cardinals?
BTW If you didn't see it, watch Osgoo...errr Pineiro with the kick save.
-CJ

ROFL

Here's a comment made on Obviously You're not a Golfer

"...in Cardinals Nation, not knowing how to spell Albert's last name is like not knowing the pledge of allegiance..."

Seriously, I think I need stitches...
-CJ

What They Were Thinking

Here's a snippet from one of favorite Cardinal blogs, Fungoes: "Happily, the team corrected the problem today, but we’re concerned about the thought process that animated such a reckless decision."

This was regarding the decision to option Washington (536 OPS; .158 BA) instead of the expected Brad Thompson. The decision to go short handed in the infield caused some unorthodox moves to say the least. Fungoes does a great job of explaining the potential disaster that could have occurred from having too many pitchers.

The slight injury to Izturis has forced the call-up of Brendan Ryan (SS) and the demotion of Thompson.

However, I offer these thoughts on the aforementioned "thought process".

A. There have been several times that TLR has played his cards differently than the norm. Yet, often times it seems as though those gambles have paid off. No, they don't always work, but when they do they appear as genius.

B. It is clear that no one could have predicted the injury to Izturis. Had TLR et.al. known this, I doubt Washington would have been moved down.

C. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that player options had something to do with it. Washington was a flier and if I am not mistaken has never been called up before. I mean, if you don't want to lose an option on Thompson, who else are you going to send down?

D. TLR was having a tough time fitting Washington into the lineup as it was. And with that anemic OPS who's to blame him? Don't get me wrong, Rico was a feel good story about a guy finally getting his chance (been in the minors from 10+ years). 2/7 of Washington's appearances were in the outfield anyway.

All in all, I agree that sending Rico was prolly the wrong move. However, eating up one of Rico's options (especially if he is eligible for a 4th) is not half as bad as taking ANOTHER of Thompson's. However, the semi-injury to Izturis makes this all moot.

So...now the real question becomes: Why isn't Ludwick starting every game?

-CJ

Another...

Another..."good loss". Okay, but there are beginning to be to many. Perhaps I got to excited with our hot start and we are slowly drifting back to reality. Maybe I just shouldn't complain about splitting a series with the Brewers. It's only the second split series of the year (only one lost series). Please excuse the construction, but I had to get rid of a lot of dead links and put in links to new blogs.

Big Mac Land

On the anniversary of the longest homer ever, Pujols' left the yard in a HURRY! More on this in the AM.

That's How to Lose

This is how you want to lose a ball game. Fielder's quasi-pop fly had bifocals and dropped catastrophically into left field. This was the only reason why we went to extra innings. It's the way you want to lose. Last night, in my weekly poker match, I made it to head's-up play by some tight play at a loose table. I was short stacked but with confidence. I flop trip 8's. I go all in, my opponent calls with Q-4 of hearts. One heart on the flop. You know what came on the turn and the river. See that's what I'm talkin' about. That's how you want to lose. Put yourself in position to take care of those and we're talkin' October. Sure 3 runs isn't enough to install massive amounts of confidence, but we're going to have those games. I'm more than happy to take 2 outta 3 against the Brewers.

So....ehhh...Ludwick is on fire. I told ya! Actually, I've been yellin' about him for several seasons now. Huh? You checked my archives and you only saw one post on him. Okay...but I said I've been yellin' about him. I didn't necessarily mean posting. Anyhoo...I knew it. Proof or not. Now the question is...how much staying power do Ludwick and co. have?

-CJ