Carp Destined For DL

If you can find a silver-lining in this article, please let me know in the comments.


From the article:

The “fortunate thing”, according to Carpenter, is that he’s sure it has nothing to do with his elbow — which is twice surgically repaire in the past two years — nor is it anything related to the nerve condition he had in his right shoulder. The strain is on the opposite side of the body.

“It will just take time,” Carpenter said.

Grrrrrreat.

Josh Kinney FAIL, Brendan Ryan FAIL, Brad Thompson FAIL

Despite the injury to Carpenter the Cardinals were in a position to win Tuesday night's baseball game. Josh Kinney had other plans. Cardinals 4, Diamondbacks 6.

Then the Cardinals stormed back with four singles and a walk with one out in the 9th. Tie game. The bases were loaded with just 1 out. Brendan Ryan just needs to put a ball in play, get Skip home somehow, and this is a winner with a save. Brendan Ryan struck out swinging and Rick Ankiel followed. Nothing aggravates me or my friend Dave more than the inability to score a runner from 3rd with fewer than two outs. Dreadful.

Brad Thompson came in and squeaked out a stressful 9th. In the 10th Thompson wasn't so lucky. Drive home safely. Terrible.

Left Rib-Cage Strain

Hurt swinging? God, help us.

Break It Down! April 14th Edition

The Pitchers:
- Cardinals: Chris Carpenter and all the Cardinals faithful must feel better today than they felt five days ago. I know I do. Five days ago I was cautiously optimistic about Carp's performance. Today I am thoroughly optimistic. That having been said, in just 7 innings against the Diamondbacks the past 3 seasons Carpenter has allowed 0 earned runs. That isn't saying much though, since many of the players on the D-backs weren't even in the majors 3 years ago. In fact, D-back regulars only have 23 ABs against Carpenter. I expect big things, frankly, but I will take a quality start. Baby steps. Oh, btw, Cardinals starters are 6-1.
- Diamondbacks: Max Scherzer, a D-back "phenom" starter, is making his first start of the season on Tuesday. This guy gets a lot of press, but he was 0-4 last season in the seven games he started. One of those losses was to the Cardinals, Scherzer's home town team, when Scherzer allowed 4 runs (2 earned) in 7 innings. That game was at Busch though, so there is a road-home off-set, maybe. Whatever the case, it is hard to guess what we should expect from this 24 year-old righty. According to ESPN, the Cardinals only have 6 ABs against Scherzer. That seems impossible, right? Then I looked up the one start Scherzer had against the Cards. So, yeah, not much to glean from that.

The Lineups:
- Cardinals: Albert Pujols (surprise!) is always a safe bet. Also, Skip Schumaker has 2 hits in 3 ABs against Scherzer. Expect to see Skip and Rasmus back in the lineup after a day off.
- Diamondbacks: A few of the losers have had a little bit of success against Carp, but it seems like so long ago. Tony Clark has had some meaningful success (11 hits in 31 ABs), so you should maybe expect to see him to start.

Well that's it in the way of analysis(?). Wish I were in Phoenix. GO CARDS!!

"That's a Winner!" - 6

A good start from Wellemeyer! Seven hits and no walks over 7 IP, only 87 pitches thrown. I could be happier, I suppose (fewer hits allowed?), but Wellemeyer FAR exceeded my expectations. Two holds and a save from the bullpen. Nice night, all things considered, for the Cardinals hurlers.

The game also featured home runs from Mr. Pujols and Brian Barden, who was drafted by the Diamondbacks and picked up off of waivers by the Cardinals in 2007. A nice moment.

Cards win! Cards win!

Patches

The passing today of Harry Kallas, legendary voice of the Phillies, and the recent passing of Nick Adenhart, got me thinking about patches. In baseball there are two kind of patches, those commemorating anniversaries or events, and those commemorating the dead. The Cardinals have had their fair share of both varieties in recent history:

This season:


2007:



2006:


2005:


2002:

Break It Down! April 13th Edition

The Pitchers:
- Cardinals: Todd Wellemeyer was crap in his first start of the year. Thankfully, I didn't have to see it. Wellemeyer was also crap all Spring. I didn't see that either. What I have seen is a very competitive baseball team in every game not started by Todd Wellemeyer, so the dude is on a my s***-list if he is crap again Monday. Giving us some reason to be hopeful, the Cardinals' website (hardly an impartial source) says "[Wellemeyer has] identified a mechanical key that he believes will solve the issue, so the hope is that he'll be sorted out in time for Monday's game." If that makes you hopeful then I have some swampland I'll sell you. In one start against the Diamondbacks last year, Wellemeyer took a loss, with 3 ERs in 6 IP. I would take that.
- Diamondbacks: The Diamondbacks are 4-2 thus far this season and one of those losses was credited to Monday's starter, Doug Davis (4 ER in 5 IP). The Cardinals have a fair amount of history with Davis, who used to pitch for the Brewers, and the Cards should be happy to see his familiar face Monday night. Doug Davis has not beaten the Cardinals since 2006. Since then, he has allowed 16 runs in 4 starts. I expect the Cardinals to get to Davis, but nothing crazy. 4 or 5 ERs in 5 or 6 IP seems entirely possible.

The Lineups:
- Cardinals: Albert "The Machine" Pujols (surprise!) has enjoyed quite a bit of success against Davis (1.227 OPS). No one else has been particularly spectacular. Molina has been particularly bad (.077 BA), and LaRua has been pretty good against Davis (.304 BA), so Molina may sit, but who knows.
- Diamondbacks: The Diamondbacks only managed 3 hits yesterday against Randy Wolf and the Dodger bullpen. Not impressive. They have only scored 5 runs combined in their 4 losses. Not impressive. They have, however, scored 9 runs in each of their two wins. Not bad at all. These characters don't have much experience against Todd Wellemeyer. A few Diamondbacks have some success against Wellemeyer, but all in small sample sizes.

Well that's it in the way of analysis(?). Wish I were in Phoenix. GO CARDS!!

"That's a Winner!" - 5

Kyle Lohse was by all accounts "superb" today, beating the Astros with a 3-hit shutout. It was arguably Lohse's finest start of his career. Offensively, Greene, Ludwick and Duncan did the damage.

Break It Down! April 12th Edition

The Pitchers:
- Cardinals: Kyle Lohse battled with the Pirates early last week, allowing 2 earned runs over 7 IP. Lohse won, but struggled at times, allowing six baserunners and throwing 108 pitches. Still, Lohse was 3-0 against the Astros in 4 starts last year with a 2.42 ERA. I generally have luke warm feelings about Lohse. I expect 6 or 7 innings, 3 or 4 runs allowed. Hopefully that will be enough.
- Astros: Wandy Rodriguez, a pitcher that throws the ball with his left hand, was 1-2 against the Cardinals last year in four starts. Great, right? Only problem: he had a 1.11 ERA over those four starts, allowing a mere three runs over 24 1/3 innings. That is not good news for the Cardinals. In his first start this season, Rodriguez allowed 1 run in 6 IP, with 4 hits and 3 walks given up. This is also not good news for the Cardinals. Personally, I hate it when the Cardinals face this guy for one simple reason: His name is Wandy. Losing to a guy named Wandy is like getting beat up by a girl.

The Lineups:
- Cardinals: Albert Pujols has been pretty dreadful against Rodriguez (actual surprise!). Pujols only has 3 singles in 18 ABs against Rodriguez. I am NOT saying that we should sit Pujols, expecially since he is a MAN who hits MAN-SIZE homeruns, but Tony might give it some thought since the Cardinals have so many consecutive games to start this season. Pujols' defense should keep him on the field, in my mind.
- Astros: Carlos Lee, Hunter Pence and Geoff Blum have hit pretty well against Lohse. Berkman hasn't been so bad either. These happen to be the Astros off to the best starts (Pence and Blum) and the Astros that are most fearsome (Lee and Berkman). Still, these guys haven't been very good this season, and I am pretty confident they won't be very good Sunday.

UPDATE: Bernie had a great piece on Pujols in today's paper. His point: Pujols is an Indescribable Winner. The point is well taken. I have only been writing this blog for a week, and I have to agree, Pujols makes it hard to not feel like you're repeating yourself. Anyways, read the article, it is written MUCH better than anything you'll find here.

Well that's it in the way of analysis(?). Wish I were in St. Louis. GO CARDS!!

Hockey Post!

By my calculations, if the Blues beat the Avalanche on Sunday then they lock up the 6 seed in the NHL Western Conference Playoffs. The 6 seed, rather than the 8 seed, means playing 3rd seeded Vancouver rather than the best team in the NHL, the San Jose Sharks. The Blues split their season series with both teams, but I have got to believe their preference would be to play the Canucks. Whatever the case, playoff hockey is on its way and I am going to do my best to follow the Blues!

"That's a Winner!" - 4

Two dingers and seven RBI for Pujols. Seventeen other hits for the Cardinals. Pretty impressive day for the Cardinal bats. Pretty darn impressive. Can't wait to see the video of Alber's 1st homer again! Man-sized!

Wainwright still concerns me though. His first 3 innings were pretty dreadful. Sure, he did a good job of limiting the damage, but 79 pitches through the first 3 innings is pretty dreadful and it puts an awful strain on the bullpen. He was much better in the 4th and 5th, however, and I am hopeful that Wainwright will find his stride soon and have many more 10 or fewer pitch innings and far fewer 20+ pitch innings.

Break It Down! April 11th Edition

The Pitchers:
- Cardinals: According to ESPN, "Adam Wainwright loves to see the Astros. He's 5-0 in his career against Houston, with a 2.14 ERA as a starter." My thoughts exactly. Still, Wainwright wasn't that good in his first start. WAY too many pitches. 5.2 IP and 5 walks aren't going to cut it. The Astros aren't quite as patient as the Pirates though, and I expect an improved performance. 6-7 IP, 1-3 runs.
- Astros: I can't stand Roy Oswalt. He used to own the Cardinals, I think. So I look it up and I am right, only Oswalt did not own the Cardinals last year. It was a small sample size (2 starts), but was 0-1 against the Cardinals last year with 6 ER in 13 IP - nothing stellar. Anyways, Oswalt was pretty sharp in his first start this season against a good lineup (the Cubs), and I expect him to make life difficult for the Cardinals tomorrow.

The Lineups:
- Cardinals: Albert Pujols (surprise!) is the Cardinals with any meaningful success against Oswalt. Molina has been crap against Oswalt (.100 BA), so I won't be surprised if Jason Larue (.276 BA) gets the start Saturday. Ludwick may also sit Saturday, but since he is one of the hottest hitters wearing the birds on the bat right now I'd be surprised if he has to sit.
- Astros: Lance Berkman has 2 dingers and a .300 BA against Wainwright. Everyone else has sucked against him, basically. Hunter Pence is off to a decent start this season, so maybe keep an eye on him. Ugh. I just can't stand these guys.

UPDATE: Matt Leach has today's Cardinals' lineup. Raises a few of the same issues that I did, and then some.

Well that's it in the way of analysis(?). Wish I were in St. Louis. GO CARDS!!

"That's a Winner!" - 3

First off, before I get to a very good Cardinals victory, I just want to acknowledge the Blues clinching a playoff spot. The Wild beat the Predators, the Blues beat the Blue Jackets, and the St. Louis Blues, against all expectations, clinched a spot in the playoffs. Also, depending on what the Ducks and the Blue Jackets do, the Blues could also finish 6th or 7th in the Western Conference. Good stuff.

As for the Cardinals, they got a good performance from their number 5 starter, J.P. If you would have told me before the game that J.P. could pitch 6.2 and allow 2 runs then I would have taken it. Btw, isn't J.P. the number 4 starter in light of Wellemeyer's performance? Anyways, J.P. performed well and Ludwick and Schumaker were the offensive stars. The only real bit of intrigue from this one, as far as I can tell, is the closer situation. Motte wasn't great, though he wasn't as bad as his first appearance. He got replaced by another right-handed pitcher though, so that should tell you something. Whatever the case, this is clearly going to be an issue for a some time.

Break It Down! April 10th Edition

The Pitchers:
- Cardinals: On Friday Joel Pineiro takes the bump for the Cardinals for the first time in 2009. (Editorial Note: For the remainder of this post, and maybe the remainder of the season, I will call Joel Pineiro "J.P." (I have been misspelling his name "Piniero").) J.P. had a good Spring by most accounts. He hasn't face the Astros since 1007, however, so Lord knows what he is going to do against the fellas. What I do know is that last season J.P.'s ERA was better at home than on the road, it was better during at night than during the day, and it was best during the month of April. A lot of signs point to J.P. pitching well, but I ain't convinced. I expect 6 IP, 3 or 4 runs allowed.
- Astros: Ten years ago Mike Hampton won 22 games for the Astros. That seems like a lifetime ago, right? Since then he has become generally regarded as the most fragile pitcher in baseball. Most recently, Hampton has bounced around a little bit, but he hasn't been terrible when he has been healthy. I'd expect a quality start from him, 6 or 7 IP, 3 or 4 runs allowed.

The Lineups:
- Cardinals: Albert Pujols (surprise!) and Khalil Greene have enjoyed some success against Hampton. I don't expect LaRue to get his first start of the season, he is only 2-for-11 against Hampton. Since Hampton is a lefty, Rasmus and Schumaker may sit.
- Astros: Carlos Lee (1.199 OPS), Lance Berkman (1.417 OPS) and I-Rod (.967 OPS) have had some success against J.P. Berkman and Lee have both homered twice off of J.P., but that may have been at Houston's juice box, I am not sure. Whatever the case, I am concerned about J.P.'s ability to get through the middle of this lineup.

UPDATE: Cards lineup:

1. Skip Schumaker, 2B
2. Khalil Greene, SS
3. Albert Pujols, 1B
4. Ryan Ludwick, RF
5. Chris Duncan, LF
6. Yadier Molina, C
7. Rick Ankiel, CF
8. David Freese, 3B
9. Joel Pineiro, P

Ankiel has fallen to 7th already? Thanks, as always, to CardsClubhouse.

Well that's it in the way of analysis(?). Wish I were in St. Louis. GO CARDS!!

"That's a Winner!" - 2

This fella really exceeded expectations today, I think. Awesome. Exciting. Grrrrreat!

I am very thankful the Cardinal bats woke up in the bottom of the 7th. How awful would it have been if the Cards lost that game 1 - 0?

Please also note: The Blues have two games to play and they are tied with Anaheim with a two point lead for 7th/8th in the Western Conference playoff race. Nashville is 2 pts. back and play tonight at Detroit and tomorrow at Minnesota. Speaking of The Wild, they are 3 pts. back and play Nashville on Saturday (I just said that) and at Columbus on Sunday. Feeling good, real good.