back to basics
does that count as a complete game for reyes?
he simplified things nicely last night, returning to the fastball-changeup repertoire that (ahem) got him to the big leagues in the first place. fastballs up, changeups down, the occasional slurve to keep them honest, and about 5 or 6 strategically placed 2-seamers. the vast majority of his fastballs were above the belt and above 90 mph (on SNY's gun) last night; those are obviously 4-seamers. and 2 or 3 were unquestionably 2-seamers --- they were at the knee or below, and 87 or slower on the gun. one of those was the pitch david wright hit out of the park --- the only clear-cut 2-seamer reyes threw in the entire inning. another one came on his final pitch of the outing, inducing the groundout by paul lo duca with men at 2d and 3d to end the threat in the 5th. maybe 7 or 8 pitches fell into a grey area, ie they were thigh-high and 88 to 90 mph; some of those pitches were probably weak 2-seamers, and the others must've been weak 4-seamers.
he returned his changeup to the fore last night, and it was sharp --- most of his 7 groundball outs last night came on that pitch. for all the endless back n forth about 2-seam / 4-seam, the inconsistency of reyes' changeup has contributed mightily to his collapse this year. the pitch deserted him in his very first inning of this season, and he has struggled with it all year long. but last night he threw it with confidence and to great effect. of course, the pitch works best in tandem with the high heat (let last night serve as an object lesson), so an argumentative person might say that the ineffectiveness of the change has been a direct result of dave n tony's distaste for reyes' 4-seamer . . . . but i'm not the kind of guy who would say such a thing. i will say, however, that reyes blew some high fastballs past some pretty good hitters: jose reyes, lo duca, and delgado all swung through fastballs up in the zone. if he continues to pitch this way, he just might hang on to his increasingly tenuous slot in the rotation.
* * * * * * * *
one of my favorite non-prospects, mike parisi, made a very nice start at memphis last night --- 8 innings, 3 runs in a 3-2 loss. i'm probably the only guy who thinks this guy can pitch in the major leagues --- or who even cares whether he can or not. his overall line at triple A looks pretty bad --- 5.32 era, .296 avg allowed --- but those numbers are distorted by two catastrophic starts in hitter-friendly, high-altitude ballparks (salt lake and colorado springs). in those two outings he gave up 24 hits and 17 runs in 8.2 innings; his line for the other 13 starts looks like this:| IP | H | BB | SO | HR | ERA | WHIP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 79.1 | 78 | 30 | 41 | 7 | 3.97 | 1.361 | .260 | .334 | .387 |
not eye-popping numbers by a long shot --- the k/9 and k/w figures are flat-out unimpressive --- but one might discern in them, if one wished, the vague outlines of a brad thompson-esque pitcher. parisi is a groundball maker (1.70 go/ao) with a hard sinker --- the type of guy who usually gets a look in this organization. i'll admit it's kind of cheap to arbitrarily expunge a guy's two worst games from the record and say "see --- he's really a very good player," so let's chop things up a little more conventionally:
| IP | H | BB | SO | HR | ERA | WHIP | AVG | |||
| first 7 starts | 35 | 52 | 14 | 16 | 3 | 7.46 | 1.800 | .374 | ||
| last 8 starts | 53 | 50 | 18 | 30 | 5 | 3.91 | 1.283 | .243 |
he appears to have made some adjustments, which you like to see --- parisi has increased his strikeout rate and drastically lowered his hits allowed while improving his control. he's no big deal, a 9th-rounder from the scorned 2004 draft who keeps plugging away, advancing one rung a year through a weak system. all the same, he reached triple A in less than 3 years and is surviving there. for reasons i don't really understand, i have always rooted for this player; i hope he keeps taking little steps forward, and if he does i'll write 'em up.
* * * * * * * *
because new stl pitcher mike maroth has a blog, i figured he might be amenable to doing an interview with me. the folks at Gateway Redbirds had the same idea, though, and they got through the door first: maroth has agreed to take questions at GR. if you want to submit a question, put it in this thread. i'll let you know when the answers are posted.finally, a programming note: i'm heading off to a family reunion next week and will be mostly out of pocket. various members of the community will be posting on the main page during the week; please treat 'em with courtesy. how many games out do you figure the cardinals will be by the time i get back from vacation? i reckon the team will be in full "sell" mode by then . . . .
0 recs |
109 comments
Comments
Buehrle
He has no idea what is going on and said "I don't know anything about it. Apparantly they drugged me last night and I signed the deal. I guess I'm here for another 4 years."
Then he went on to say that he personally had had no conversations with management about an extension.
So, reports are now that if the deal is not completed by Friday, they'll deal him.
Take that all for what it is.
by Big Red on Jun 28, 2007 8:23 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Please deal.
by gibbyfan on Jun 28, 2007 9:34 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Put an end to the speculation
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=270627130
I like him a lot, but honestly I was biased because of his St. Louis roots. We need much more than just another pitcher, so this offseason the brass needs to open the pocketbooks on a SS and an OF. Two of Buerhle's teammates (Dye and Iguchi) are both free agents. Any chance So played in Japan with him?
by gforce on Jun 28, 2007 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ken Williams said Buerhle and his wife
That doesn't sound like a player who wants to get traded or a GM who wants to trade a player. Williams said, yes, it's a business, so we gotta do what we gotta do. Having said that, recall that Jimmy Edmonds signed for two years with the Cardinals last winter, <<mais non>>?
by kwhiteside on Jun 28, 2007 2:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ken Williams said Buerhle and his wife
That doesn't sound like a player who wants to get traded or a GM who wants to trade a player. Williams said, yes, it's a business, so we gotta do what we gotta do. Having said that, recall that Jimmy Edmonds signed for two years with the Cardinals last winter, <<mais non>>?
by kwhiteside on Jun 28, 2007 2:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Dye and Iguchi
Look, I live in Chicago and have the opportunity to see these guys on a regular basis. Dye is old and useless. He's about a step faster than Yadier. And Iguchi has fallen fast in the past year.
This isn't 2004 anymore. That whole team got real old, real fast. I wouldn't take one of 'em (outside of Buehrle, Garland and some of the young starting pitchers like Danks or Masset).
by Big Red on Jun 28, 2007 5:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Let's move on from Buehrle
by lefty fan on Jun 28, 2007 9:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Lots of pressing needs
But yea, we need someone who can hit the friggin ball.
by paCardsFan on Jun 28, 2007 9:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
We've actually got 2 starting everyday OF
I guess we are still in the 'baby steps for Chris' mode.
Hey, whatever gives us more of Juan in the #4 spot, I'm all for. Lord knows we already score too many runs as it is.
by Hardcore Legend on Jun 28, 2007 10:19 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You're right on
by lefty fan on Jun 28, 2007 10:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Rolen
Rolen is making way too much money for the fuedal bat, and so-so defense.
by briferg07 on Jun 28, 2007 11:03 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The Dodgers don't want him
by Hardcore Legend on Jun 28, 2007 11:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Also, you realize Rolen was the only Cardinal
by Hardcore Legend on Jun 28, 2007 11:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Don't know about that...
He's still a helluva defensive third baseman, and he gives us a shot every time up. This so-so defense line of thinking bothers me...he still can pull it off, and perhaps we're questioning his defense because he's getting so many more "opportunities" (read: pitching sucked). Anybody got any stats on that?
I don't think he's fully healthy, and I think he's pressing.
If he has a strong second half - which is entirely possible - I think we should look at what we could get for him based on that...but if they don't trade him, I'm not going to get upset.
by bukowski on Jun 28, 2007 4:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yadi
A wrist is very important for the swing - Juan E????
Yadi was swining the bat so well before the injury, I'd hate to see him struggle with pain and post another sub-.250 clip the rest of this year.
by cardsfaninmass on Jun 28, 2007 8:58 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Not me
by chuckb on Jun 28, 2007 10:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If the bone is healed
by silent_bob on Jun 28, 2007 11:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's been barely
by cardsfaninmass on Jun 28, 2007 12:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
SilentBob is our resident Medical Expert
by Ankiels Missing Curveball on Jun 28, 2007 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
BP
by ChiTown CardFan on Jun 28, 2007 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
the medical staff
by bukowski on Jun 28, 2007 4:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
what does full sale mode actually mean
by gonzostl on Jun 28, 2007 9:26 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Izzy?
by gibbyfan on Jun 28, 2007 9:37 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
We do have Percival..
Obviously has closing experience, and has been impressive at Memphis. Perhaps he would be an option.
I for one hope that they hold onto Izzy as he seems to be back to his old tricks, and we might miss him VERY badly next season.
by cardzfanbub on Jun 28, 2007 9:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You have to be ahead
Bottom-dwelling teams make serviceable closers out of journeymen all the time (see: Roberto Hernandez, Lance Carter, Shawn Chacon, etc.). Russ Springer can close, because by that point it won't make any difference. If he blows a few, it's only the difference between 75 wins and 72 wins.
by blove121 on Jun 28, 2007 10:14 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I, for one,
by silent_bob on Jun 28, 2007 11:37 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I agree
by chuckb on Jun 28, 2007 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Extend?
by awpierce on Jun 28, 2007 3:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Reyes changed delivery...
I know very little about pitching mechanics, but in conjunction with your post find this comment very interesting.
Anyone else notice the higher leg kick?
by cardzfanbub on Jun 28, 2007 9:42 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Where was Mikey Shannon?
by cardsfaninmass on Jun 28, 2007 10:00 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Mike Shannon
by jjray on Jun 28, 2007 10:04 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not living in STL....
by cardsfaninmass on Jun 28, 2007 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Since when...
by cardzfanbub on Jun 28, 2007 10:05 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
no
by beanocook on Jun 28, 2007 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Where you been, sir?
Normally, we would activate your Bat Light - someone complaining real hard about "Tony/Dave screwing up our Cy Young-caliber phenom" - to get you back on the boards. But there has been so much grousing about that this year you must have thought somebody left the "beacon" on.
(All meant with much respect. Welcome back.)
by Solanus on Jun 28, 2007 5:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Parisi
Also this was the same game Ankiel hit 3 bombs and went 4-5. We got free tickets 2 rows behind the memphis dugout from a bartender the night before. It was fun to see Rick go off... and its always fun to mouth off to cub fans, even if it is AAA.
by thewizard3 on Jun 28, 2007 10:06 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
you mean this game
6 ip, 8 hits, 4 earned, 1 bb, 7 ks.
i thought he threw harder than 88 mph. if that is as hard as he throws, though --- well, that about matches wonderbrad's velocity.
i'm not crazy about soft-tossers either, but having two or three on a staff can be useful. the cards' problem recently has been that the whole staff consists of soft-tossers.
by lboros on Jun 28, 2007 11:23 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Last night
He was getting clobbered the first two innings, and it took him almost 50 pitches to finally get one swing and miss.
But then he settled down and pitched fairly well the rest of the way. He was helped out by some spectacular defense behind him yesterday though.
by whopperman on Jun 28, 2007 11:54 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yes...
But whatever it was, if they were sitting on it they tatooed it and if they weren't they whiffed badly. I suppose that means he needs to develop another pitch or be more consistent with his out pitch.
As far as the velocity, I questioned the gun at first but it stayed pretty consistent. Is there a scouting report anywhere that could prove me wrong? He looked big enough to throw in the 90's.
by thewizard3 on Jun 28, 2007 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Milton Bradley?
Has anyone else heard this? Is this good? I'm wary...
by joeyart on Jun 28, 2007 10:21 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I don't think it is good
Cry, more than likely.
And tell us dinosaurs don't exist. Or was that Carl Everett?
by Hardcore Legend on Jun 28, 2007 10:33 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That was crazy carl
by Alxfritz on Jun 28, 2007 10:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Maybe this is why Tony
I'm not sure that Bradley would be an improvement right now over an OF of Duncan, Taguchi, and Juan but I guess it's worth a shot.
by chuckb on Jun 28, 2007 10:43 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Fellas...
When the Royals tried to deal for him they were only giving up a double a middle reliever who never projects to make it to the majors, but the deal fell through because Bradley is hurt again and the Royals backed out. Wasn't Bradley designated for assignment anyway? I'm sure we'll just scoop him up for league minimum a la 30% of our roster.
by lopey986 on Jun 28, 2007 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
PJ WALTERS...
by stanchar on Jun 28, 2007 10:39 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
a nasty rumour at scout.com...
by SleepyCA on Jun 28, 2007 2:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Tucked away in that...
by guayzimi on Jun 28, 2007 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
How a teammate sees Daric Barton's torrid...
"It's borderline absurd,'' said Oakland lefty Dallas Braden, who was recalled from Sacramento on Monday. "Daric could go up there with a toothpick and a blindfold right now and still hit. He's just dangerous right now.''
Ugh...
by stanchar on Jun 28, 2007 10:49 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Daric Barton
by Alxfritz on Jun 28, 2007 11:00 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Who cares?
by Ankiels Missing Curveball on Jun 28, 2007 11:04 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
At the time of the trade...
And giving up Barton wasn't even a concern for me. I thought Haren might be good (not this good), but what can you do?
Some trades just don't work out the way you thought they would. Time to move on.
by joeyart on Jun 28, 2007 11:09 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Who cares?
by Carps on Jun 28, 2007 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Have you guys not noticed
by whopperman on Jun 28, 2007 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
so where would you put this guy?
by chuckb on Jun 28, 2007 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Who knows
But I can't see automatically saying defense when we're watching Chris Duncan attempt to play an outfield position.
by whopperman on Jun 28, 2007 1:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He's not up now.
by Carps on Jun 28, 2007 1:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Opportunity, mainly.
He's not up yet mainly because he broke a bone in his elbow last year. If he'd been with the Cardinals, that freak collision might not have happened.
The biggest reason is that it's easier to get into the Cardinals' bench than it is Oakland's right now. They've got more talent in the upper levels of their farm system and more capable AAAA veteran depth.
by whopperman on Jun 28, 2007 2:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Trade value
Maybe we could have traded him and actually gotten back something good...and not had to throw in a top tier pitcher either.
by RedbirdRay on Jun 28, 2007 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Barton's "position" will be DH...
Seems to me they'd be happy to put Swisher back in the OF and not worry about that. If Barton's stick is all everyone says, then if he could actually hold down a spot on a daily basis, he'd be in Oaktown. Otherwise, he has to figure out a way to beat out Jack Cust.
by kwhiteside on Jun 28, 2007 2:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Did I just read...
by Timbo02 on Jun 28, 2007 11:18 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Well, they've probabl got to see if Yadi
by sdrone on Jun 28, 2007 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
No
by chuckb on Jun 28, 2007 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Rotoworld
by rockin redbird on Jun 28, 2007 5:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wait a minute
But if he is healthy i think he will be an improvement over what we have.He was SMOKING the ball in the playoffs last year wasnt he one of Oaklands best hitters in the playoffs?
by Calhoun on Jun 28, 2007 12:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
MB (not Mark but Milton)
Career AVG/OBP/SLG/OPS : .271 .354 .430 .784
but last season's numbers are all above that (w/ 351 ABs). He has ML exp at all 3 OF positions, decent speed- though not sure how long that will last given injuries and age (he's 29 years old). Signed 1yr contract for $4M (2007). DFA'd 6/21/07.
by redrey on Jun 28, 2007 1:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Watched Bradley in L.A...
by Timbo02 on Jun 28, 2007 1:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Reyes
I also see that in his 12 starts this year the Cards have only scored 14 runs while he was in the game. I wonder when he is in Vegas does the craps table it 7 out when he walks by?
Maybe instead of "Iron Bill" we should call him "The Cooler"
by Harknights on Jun 28, 2007 2:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
But remember
[/willievinceterry]
by whopperman on Jun 28, 2007 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You can stop
by Hardcore Legend on Jun 28, 2007 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I once saw Reyes...
by Ankiels Missing Curveball on Jun 28, 2007 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Now that you say that
...holy crap Reyes is one of the four horsemen.
by Harknights on Jun 28, 2007 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Luckily Jose Reyes traced his steps soon after
by effin fisk on Jun 28, 2007 5:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
hmm
by Birds on the Matt on Jun 28, 2007 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Anthony Reyes
It could be the new Hamels Facts!
by the red baron on Jun 28, 2007 2:53 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
For something entirely different

Like, do the Mets not have a PR guy to tell them 'This is not a good idea'?
by Hardcore Legend on Jun 28, 2007 3:01 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
haha
by PGeorge on Jun 28, 2007 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Reyes looks like Mercutio
by ColinMacLeod on Jun 28, 2007 3:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That picture would've been so much better
by Ankiels Missing Curveball on Jun 28, 2007 4:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
These two
by cardsgirl95 on Jun 28, 2007 6:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
interesting take on the cubs
by PGeorge on Jun 28, 2007 3:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
random thought of the day...
am i alone in wishing that we still had polanco playing the 2 sack for us????
high average, good obp, scores runs, great guy....
back to reality.
let's go adam kennedy!! you da man, kid!!!! go get 'em!
by busch league on Jun 28, 2007 4:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I wish our all-World 1st basemen
I miss El Hombre.
by Hardcore Legend on Jun 28, 2007 4:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah,
by bukowski on Jun 28, 2007 4:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
there's an interesting article at BP right now
Dan Fox discusses pitchers and hitters who get the benefit of the doubt on called strikes and balls, and uses "pitch/Fx" data to measure umpire bias. Albert pujols this year has been the worst victim of having balls be called strikes, and it's not even close- and that's just taking into account mis-calls in the stadiums where the umpires know they are being watched. I have to wonder if that is at least part of his problem. Even one 3-0 or 3-1 ball called a strike every week could be enough to turn a 1.000 OPS into a .930 OPS.
On a side note, Jake Peavy was one of the "luckiest" pitchers, when it came to having balls called strikes. It made me very happy to see some accountability made there, as thinking about the calls he got in the game he pitched against us in san diego still makes my blood boil.
by SleepyCA on Jun 28, 2007 6:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He's the worst victim
by chuckb on Jun 28, 2007 6:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
you're right
though I guess that if he's been forced to expand his strike zone somewhat, that could account for some of that...
by SleepyCA on Jun 28, 2007 6:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He's also seeing a bunch...
He's also swinging at the first pitch only 9% of the time. The league average is 27% and his previous low came last year (19%). Why isn't he up there hacking? God knows he's a one-man show more now than ever.
by guayzimi on Jun 28, 2007 6:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's funny...
by DiscoJer on Jun 28, 2007 4:33 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
And Rolen, who never asks to come out of a game
by Hardcore Legend on Jun 28, 2007 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Pujols sitting tonight
by OCCardsFan on Jun 28, 2007 4:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Who plays first base?
by Hardcore Legend on Jun 28, 2007 5:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Duncan?
by Ankiels Missing Curveball on Jun 28, 2007 5:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well, whatever he decides to do
by jillsinmo on Jun 28, 2007 5:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well,
I also expect Reyes to go soon, LaDunc can't wait to scrape him off of the bottom of their shoes. Did anyone hear Al Hrabosky call the game last night? He was highly critical of almost every pitch Anthony threw during the game, even stated on the air that a change of scenery was needed for him to succeed. And that was while he mowed 8 batters down in a row. And when he got out of the jam, that ground ball to Rolen hit by LoDuca, he said something to the effect that he hung a curve and got lucky. Huh? Really, I hit the mute button and turned on my radio, Ricky Horton was heaping tons of praise on Reyes for doing some masterful pitching to get out of the jam. I wondered if they were watching the same game. One thing Reyes has proved to me is that he is one tough dude. No whining, no blaming, no complaints, just went out there and kept working. There's been glimpses of him figuring it out, even in some of the bad starts. Guess what? You all saw how Mike Maroth pitched the other night--when he was 26, in his first full season as a starter, he was 9-21. You might say he was with a bad team, and he was. But Detroit stuck with him, and he figured it out. You might see the same kind of thing with Reyes. We don't think of our team as a bad team, but they sure played a lot of games like they were a bad team. I look at Reyes as someone who is in the process of making the transition from thrower to pitcher, and it just takes some longer than others. I'd really like him to be a Cardinal for a long time, but I know the only way he stays is if LaDunc is not coming back.....
by jillsinmo on Jun 28, 2007 5:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Reyes
by chuckb on Jun 28, 2007 6:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What do we do with Stinnett
by stltrav09 on Jun 28, 2007 5:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
It's pretty simple
He's not worth worrying about.
by Big Red on Jun 28, 2007 5:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Tonights lineup
Juan batting 3rd?!?
Check please!
by Harknights on Jun 28, 2007 6:28 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs



















