Decisions.
There is two weeks left to reach some decisions.
One was made this week by ownership to extend the contract of CardinalsGM John Mozeliak for another three years. I believe this is fine and it now gets him out of the shadows of his predecessor, Walt Jocketty.
Other things: Pitching
Jaime Garcia and his innings load will be a topic soon. He has eclipsed 100 innings on a year following his surgery. His last few starts have not been stellar performances. when do they shut him down or will they limit him to 5 or less innings per start?
The Cards can not afford to use 7 pitchers per night on the nights Carpenter and Wainwright do not start. This is wear the bullpen down too much.
Another start or two will be needed but how do we acquire that? Trade? What do we have to give? D-Backs want 2 starters and relief help for Dan Haren. That isn’t going to be us getting that done. Maybe a mid-type start will be the way to go. Cards are linked today with Fausto Carmona and that might work. Maybe a retread like Livan Hernandez can eat innings.
Shortstop.
I wrote this earlier but Brendan Ryan is not cutting it. Tyler Greene, Felipe Lopez and Aaron Miles are not the answer to this position. Cards were linked to Alex Gonzalez and now he is gone. Where do we turn? What do we need here, pop and speed? I would like Stephen drew here but I can be almost sure he can not be pried away with our offers.
Impact Bat.
Everyone wants this. just as I rip Randy Winn, he has a good few nights. Do we have any trading chips we can use in order not to weak our lineup elsewhere? Would you trade Ryan Ludwick for a #3-4 starter? With John Jay emergence I could do that.
End of July is coming soon and DECISIONS need to be made.
Teaching.
Ok, just for point of reference, I recently retired after 34 years of teaching in the public school system. I understand, i see the value of repetition. that is one of the best ways to learn.
Practice.
Someone shows you how to do something correctly. This doesn’t appear to be what the Cardinal coaching staff does very well or maybe not at all. The team is struggling in defense this year. The errors are mounting up.
Situational hitting appears to be left out of the equation. We can teach them to swing from the heels. To turn on a pitch at every count of the at bat. But we can’t seem to move runners along to get in scoring position.
Baserunning is horrid. One thing that would help is for them to watch their base coach and actually do as they are told. Quit this looking over the shoulder while rounding second base and trying to score when the “stop sign” is put up. Another thing is attempting to steal bases because you ‘thought” you could make it. A very few should get the green light and the rest go on a sign.
Now is the pitching. Can’t we talk to pitchers about not throwing the same pitch 6 times in a row? one change-up or two are fine but it doesn’t remain a change-up if it is your pitch a half dozen times in a row. Reliever need to understand they are in the Major Leagues and their fastball is as overwhelming as it was in lower leagues.
Teaching is important in ALL profession in order for them to be successful.
Tony LaRussa has a propensity to surround himself with veteran players and I feel it is so he doesn’t have to “teach” them the ways of the game. I can attest to the fact that I have coached different levels in the school setting and you actually say the same thing over and over at each level. Some more advanced than others but it is really the same thing.
If the Cardinals need a retired teacher, i can work some time in to help out.
Proud to be an American….
I could write words upon words about being an American and how the military has proudly and willingly sacrificed to keep our freedoms…… but how does one improve on the Lee Greenwood song, God Bless the USA?
Let’s look at how I view the song…
If tomorrow all the things were gone,
I’d worked for all my life.
And I had to start again,
with just my children and my wife.
I’d thank my lucky stars,
to be livin here today.
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom,
and they can’t take that away.
(this is the greatest place to live and our military is willing to put it on the line for all of us back in the USA so that we can wake up every morning and go to sleep every night knowing the things we enjoyed will still be there. No one will stifle us or keep us from expressing our ideas or thoughts because they may be different.)
And I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
(my first experience in losing someone to military happened in 1968-69 when I was a Senior in High School and some of the members of the class before me went off to Vietnam and Cambodia and never came back. The names Eddie Stone and James Azbell shall always be synonymous with bravery and freedom to me….thanks to all military members living and dead that allowed me to raise kids and have a comfortable job without worrying about it being taken away from us.)
And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.
(being much older this “standing up” thing makes it very difficult physically but knowing what is at stake and smooths it over and more than willing to do my part to ensure my grandchildren and future generations enjoy the freedoms and not experience the tyrannical life some others have had to endure)
From the lakes of Minnesota,
to the hills of Tennessee.
Across the plains of Texas,
From sea to shining sea.
From Detroit down to Houston,
and New York to L.A.
Well there’s pride in every American heart,
and its time we stand and say.
(we Americans are proud of our country and to even say that means much sacrifice has been made and will have to continue to be made so that the United States of America remains a beacon for the world to see that freedom works and it is a great thing.)
That I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.
And I’m proud to be and American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.
(Janis Joplin sang “freedoms just another word for nothing left to lose” and I think those words are just wrong. Freedom is a word that means we have rights. Right to choose, right to live life intentionally the way we wish to. Freedom means we have a lot to lose and we will continue to protect it.)
————————————————————–
Thank you to the military for what they have done, are doing and continue to do to make the United States of America the greatest place in the world!
Go Cardinals!
Sincerely,
Tom and Family
Illinois
It's time.
It is time to see what we can get in the way of a trade for Brendan Ryan. He is out of options so in order to not play him we need to ship him off or he sits on our bench. Yes, he is hard worker. Yes, he is a very good defensive player…. BUT, he can’t hit. He is not in a slump, he is having a bad year. We are just short of the halfway part of the season and he struggles to stay above the Mendoza line.
We need to work on finding someone with some “pop” to replace him. I don’t believe Lopez is the guy, nor Miles, nor Tyler Greene nor Schumaker…. WAIT, that brings up another point. we have FAR too many middle infielders on our roster. If they were good enough, you could cut about 2 more off there and find some sticks that can get us some runs.
Trade him and do NOT overvalue him like many are doing.
Questioning Carpenter?
Don't question this man.
-A couple of things-1. I am no longer going by the secret_sauce tag, im now using my twitter name-ryan_jones29 2. I wrote this piece the day after Carp’s last start but had trouble putting it into the system
There’s been a lot made of Chris Carpenter’s 2010 season thus far. His five home runs allowed in his first two starts (would have been 6 if not for Colby Rasmus) made Cardinal fans question Carpenter’s health. Recently, a comment from Houston Astro Lance Berkman, who said Carpenter’s velocity is down several mph, has only brought more attention to this “issue.” Ken Rosenthal even suggested in an ITD Morning After interview on May 18 that Carpenter might be in the beginning of a slight decline. So should Cardinal fans be concerned about their oft-injured ace?
In a word, no.
First off all, Carpenter’s velocity is down a little, but the amount it is down is exaggerated. Yes Carpenter averaged 93 mph on all fastballs in 2009, which means 2010’s 91.4 mph average velocity is down, but when you look at the past several years, it doesn’t exactly scream Red Flag! To show what I mean, here is Carpenter’s average velocity for the following years-I took out his injury riddled 07’ and 08’ numbers
04’-90.6 mph
05’-91.3 mph
06’-91.4 mph
09’-93.0 mph
10’-91.4 mph
So Carpenter’s 2010 velocity is down, but it is still exactly in line with his career averages. It is hard telling why Carpenter threw so hard in 09’, maybe it was all the rehab he did the previous two years, maybe he had extra adrenaline being in a pennant race after two straight years off, we’ll never know. The important thing is that Carpenter’s velocity isn’t down at a career low, and who knows, maybe as the weather gets warmer and the year progresses his velocity may increase a bit. So going forward, Cards fans can breath easy about Carp’s “diminished velocity.”
Going forward with Carpenter, it is fair to expect more ace-like performances from the right-hander. He’s off to a good start in 2010, with a 5-1 record, 2.80 ERA, 3.70 FIP and an expected FIP of 3.33, compared to last years 3.38 mark. Remember FIP takes a teams defense out of the equation and comes up with an ERA like number based on the amount of things that a pitcher controls-Walks, Strikeouts, Homeruns. The reason Carpenter’s FIP is higher now is because of all the homers he gave up early this season, but his expected FIP is a better measure of what to expect going forward. The difference between this year and last is his home run rate. Last year Carpenter gave up homeruns on only 4.6% of his fly balls, which is very low. This year that number is at 14%. For his career, it is at 10.9%. Over time I would expect to see that number closer to his career average, but for his overall numbers to stay around the same still. His batting average on balls in play is still a little low, so going forward Carpenter might allow a few more runs on hits and a few less on homers. Overall Carpenter is still an ace pitcher, and appears to be in great shape going forward. Rest easy, Card fans.
-All statistics from fangraphs.com and despite Bernie’s column in the post dispatch, I didn’t get the idea to write this from that. Honestly I began this piece at 8 am, and didn’t see Bernie’s until I checked the site at 1.
Talking points
Several things….
David Freese has been a pleasant surprise. I ragged on him opening week and he has been very good with the glove and bat. Hopefully, he can sustain respectability.
Jaime Garcia is another surprise. This guy is for real.
McGwire effect- Not there. We have gone away from the home run and now can score with other hits.
Pujols- He is not leading the team in several categories….. yet. He will.
Rasmus- except for his inability to throw runners out he seems to be ready to be the regular centerfielder.
Molina- clutch hitter. Don’t tempt him.
Franklin- We always seem to worry and he has done the job so far.
Any thing else?
Good month of April.
The McGwire effect
Does it exist?
The Cardinals have hit an N.L.-high 22 homers. They are scoring the majority of their runs via the long ball.
We can debate this but simply, do you believe Mark McGwire has caused this to happen or is it just a coincidence?
Is his teaching causing some to swing for the fences?
The Cardinals know Meat Loaf.
Now don’t be sad (Don’t be sad)
‘Cause two out of three ain’t bad
Now don’t be sad (Cause)
‘Cause two out of three ain’t bad
I will take this ALL year long!
So what does 4-1 mean?
It means a good start to the season. I has shown the Cardinals on the first round of the rotation had good starters to throw out there. Probably the most frustrating was Lohse. Maybe it was the slowness he used but I had problems watching him pitch. Garcia got my attention with his ability to get hitters out and keep the ball mostly out of the air and in the park. Carp and Waino are just good so I guess they don’t get my praises this early in the season. Penny was a delightful surprise with his outing.
It means Rasmus has drawn a lot of attention with his new found ability to take walks. I love that effortless swing. Don’t hurt me when i say it reminds me of JD Drew and his swing.
It means Yadier Molina has stated en fuego with 7 RBI’s so far. It means the opposing pitchers have to pitch to the complete lineup right now (not just Pujols, holliday or Ludwick) as none have shown to be an easy out.
It means we might be a bit concerned about the bullpen if anything but they really only blew one game so that is short-sighted…. we will dismiss that for now.
….. and it means we are in first place in the NL Central!
2-0. The way too early observations.
It is only two games that I am drawing these observations from and we all know that is a small sample size.
I like Rasmus in the 5 hole. He gets a chance to drive in runs. He seems so effortless in his swing and he is seeing the ball well and taking some walks. All good things. Also, he can run from the 5th spot. good place for him.
David Freese has not lived up to his name. He has stayed calm and by all accounts he is confident in his abilities. Definately can make some connection to the baseball.
Brenden Ryan has range. No surprise he can get to many balls in the hole and up the middle. I am not crazy about his flip to first base but if it works for him, it works for me. Glad he is back.
Ryan Franklin- he seems so hittable. Glad to see Ryan Ludwick get the save in game two. A few grabs on hard hit balls made all the difference in the world.
—————-
Now let’s see what Brad Penny can do for us.
