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left turns

that would have been a tough loss to swallow; thankfully, the mets' lefty relief pitcher was as inept as the cards' was. with their 4 hr last night, the cards climbed to 6th place in the national league in that category and now are on pace to whack 170 hr, the same number the pujols-edmonds-rolen-walker-sanders group produced in 2005. they've outhomered their foes 90-75 so far this year, after being badly outhomered each of the last two years.

pineiro got hit pretty hard for the 2nd consecutive start. last night the mets feasted on his fastball. he threw it 32 times (according to gameday), 23 times for strikes; the mets swung at it 16 times and put it into play 10 times, a very high ratio of BIP per swing. (you’d hope to get a higher percentage of foul balls and swing/misses than that.) worse yet, 8 of the balls in play were base hits, 3 for extra bases. . . . . they were getting extremely good looks at his fastball. only one met swung and missed at the pitch --- delgado, who whiffed at it twice in his 5th-inning at-bat. the velocity on pineiro’s fb was normal, right around 89-90 mph, but (understandably) he didn’t throw it nearly as often as he typically does. per fangraphs, he has consistently thrown the #1 about 55 percent of the time over the last four years; last night it accounted for barely over a third of his pitches. in pineiro’s last start, in kansas city (which i witnessed in person), he threw the heater only about 45 percent of the time, although his results with it were decent enough (he did yield a homer and a double off the pitch). pineiro has spent time on the dl this year with shoulder and groin problems; nagging trouble from either injury might rob his fastball of some life --- which, in turn, might explain why he’s backing away from the pitch. i’m just fishing for explanations here; could be way off. but for one reason or another, it’s a fact that he has altered his repertoire the last couple of starts --- he’s not throwing his fastball as much as he usually does. might not mean anything . . . . but still something to look for in his next outing.

moving on to mulder: clearly a mistake to put him into that situation. in addition to all the obvious reasons not to use mulder there, add the fact that carlos delgado (one of the two lefties he was sent in to face) has a .348 / .483 / .565 career line against mulder in 29 plate appearances --- and most of those occurred when mulder was good. i realize the first hit off mulder was another bloop (the 3d cheapie he has yielded in 2 nights), but you can’t really say he was a victim of bad luck last night. he fell behind the first batter 3-1; gave up a solid line drive to delgado; fell behind easley 2-0 before yielding the sac fly (also well hit); and then hit schneider. the bloop was unfortunate, but overall mulder just didn’t make many good pitches; the results were fair. in any case, mulder has never had the ability to throw the ball past hitters since he came to st louis; he has always pitched to contact, counting on the late movement of his pitches to induce weak groundballs. but with his new shoulder and arm angle, mulder can’t keep the ball down nearly as well; instead of topping the ball, hitters (the few we’ve seen so far, anyway) are able to muscle it over the infield. of the 7 balls put in play against him in his two appearances, only 2 have been grounders. that’s not bad luck, it's a reflection of ability --- and, for a pitch-to-contact pitcher, it’s not a formula for success.

how else could tony have played the inning? he could have stayed with mcclellan, who has a very good record vs left-handed hitters (.599 ops against) and at home (.621 ops against). however, kyle needed 17 pitches to get through the first couple of batters of that inning, and he was up to 27 pitches for the game; he has thrown more than 27 in an outing only twice all year. if tony was trying to avoid burning the guy out, it was a good call. but why not villone there for the lefty-lefty matchup? the old geezer has smothered lhb this year, holding them to a .191 average / .298 slugging; over the last 5 years (including 2008) he has faced 561 left-handed hitters and held them to a .208 / .314 / .300 line. villone has only pitched 5 times in the last 3 weeks, facing just 19 batters over that span, and he had a day’s rest under his belt; he ought to have been fresh, no? maybe villone still hasn’t recovered from the beating he absorbed in the 20-2 loss vs philadelphia last month; he threw 66 pitches in that outing, his highest count since 2004 (when he was a starting pitcher), and has appeared in only 5 of the 17 games since. . . . . i also wondered if perhaps tony was saving villone for potential 8th-inning matchups against reyes (a weaker hitter vs left-handers) and chavez --- but if that was his thinking, i disagree w/ it.

hard to know which half of the pitching staff to worry about more at this point, the bullpen or the rotation. i’m still most worried about the latter --- although the starters held it together for a couple of cycles after wainwright and wellemeyer went down, the last two-plus cycles through the rotation haven’t been encouraging. with waino out and wellemeyer ineffective, there’s just not a whole lot to work with; i fear an implosion. re the bullpen --- i’d be all in favor of picking up a left-hander on the cheap, but strongly against yielding one or more big prospects for brian fuentes. as i noted the other day, relievers of his ilk cost a load of talent on the mid-season trade market --- even those heading into free agency. a left-handed specialist just isn’t worth that much to me. HC has mentioned joe beimel as a more affordable target --- that’s the type of guy the cards might get cheap, although i don’t think beimel himself will be dealt (the dodgers are only 1.5 games out of first). but ron mahay might; another possibility is the giants’ jack taschner, although he’s probably due for a regression from his current 2.54 era. the blue jays’ most tradeable lefty, brian tallet, has a wicked reverse split; ditto the mariners’ ryan rowland-smith. i just don’t see a whole lot of options out there on the trade market --- and i’d rather do nothing than overpay for a guy like fuentes, who i’ve watched his entire career out here in denver. i think st louisans would grow to hate him in short order; he’s inconsistent and mistake-prone, capable of losing the strike zone for a week or two at a time.

the cards go for the series win tonight --- tomorrow, the cubs.

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Fastball Performance

Has anyone put together analysis of pitchers’ fastballs. How often they throw it, how often they get a whiff with it, how often the opposing batter gets a base hit off of it? Might be interesting for perspective.

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 9:27 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Not what you asked for

but I found these two Josh Kalk studies on fastballs pretty interesting. One on pitcher fatigue and one on an aging curve.

by azruavatar on Jul 3, 2008 9:56 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Thank you

Those are two interesting articles.

So, are you telling me that big league clubs base their decisions on the subjective impressions of scouts instead of looking at the statistics of just how often a pitcher achieves a certain result with a certain pitch? That seems ridiculous to me.

Another topic that these articles bring to mind is how horrible baseball announcers are and baseball journalists. If your job were to sit around all day waiting for the baseball game to start, how would you not stumble upon some information that would allow you to be informative and worth listening to on the radio or TV? You could look at these articles, then cross-reference them with Pitch F/X data, etc., and give some interesting analysis on when it is a certain pitcher generally begins to fatigue and then point out that TLR has left said pitcher in for entirely too long.

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 10:05 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I doubt if 90% of the baseball watching audience

Would want to hear an annoucer drone on about pitch F/X data.

by Evilfrog on Jul 3, 2008 10:08 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

You don't even have to cite that data

You can even put it in terms that 90% of the audience would understand.

“Over his career, Joe Pitcher has had problems once he hits the 90-pitch mark. He tends to loose velocity on his fastball and location with his breaking ball. We haven’t seen that here tonight, but keep an eye out for it. You know Tony is.”

Sure, this isn’t that different from what they normally spew in ignorance, but at least have a basis for what you are saying.

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 10:14 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Seems to me that

many listeners have no more than a grudging tolerance for their team’s announcers, so if said announcers were providing a little meatier info, it could only help.

by MdRedbirdFreak on Jul 3, 2008 10:21 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Shifts

Another part of the game that they could illuminate without much effort is the use of defensive shifts for certain batters, such as Delgado last night. How hard would it be to look up batted ball data for the opposing club and then, when TLR inevitably uses a drastic shift, say:

“The Cards have shifted three infielders to the right side of the infield with the shortstop on the first base side of second. Delgado hits __% of his grounders to the righthand side and Tony is playing the numbers here. Meanwhile the outfielders play him straightaway because when he gets under that ball, he spreads it to all parts of the outfield.”

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 10:32 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Joe average fan doesn't care about that

It’s pretty staggering, but I’d imagine if they started doing any of that stuff they’d get labeled as “pompous” or (irony alert) “pseudo intellectual”.

"Regression to the mean is so much more fun to watch when it’s a Cub who is regressing." SleepyCA

by joker24 on Jul 3, 2008 10:34 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

-1

I strongly disagree with that. A pompous announcer who talks down to fans might be a problem, but an announcer they like? Nope. In fact, I think a lot of the standard stupidity a lot of announcers indulge in is insulting to fans’ intelligence. I’ll bet a lot of people would appreciate the announcers offering them a more sophisticated way to watch baseball (and those that don’t could easily ignore it). And if they could add to that just a little more (constructive) criticism of the home team instead of sucking up 100 percent of the time? ... Nirvana!

by MdRedbirdFreak on Jul 3, 2008 10:41 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I just think about all the

wasted conversation I hear every night … repeating the standard praise for LaRussa/Torre/Pinella/Duncan/whoever that we’ve heard a million times … why not spend that time giving me just five or six additional facts per game? Improvement would not be hard.

by MdRedbirdFreak on Jul 3, 2008 10:44 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Agreed

Every single game I have to hear something about Ankiel’s “story”—who doesn’t know about this already? It’s been documented for nearly 11 months now, so can we drop it and find some other informative information about the team?

"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller

by fourstick on Jul 3, 2008 11:08 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Except "those that don't" make up 95% of the fan base

It took 140 years for anyone to pay attention that walking was a useful skill and it’s still the extremely interested that even pay attention to that. Like I said, Joe-average fan just wouldn’t want to hear it and I’d guarantee whoever it was would get run into the ground by the fanbase at large.

Here’s how it’d go, they’d report the split like that say 80% of the balls go to the 1B side so we play the shift. Well that 20% to the 3B side is still going to happen 1/5 times and it would…....then Joe-Blow would think “dat show what he know” ignoring sample size, the numbers whatever. People are stupid.

"Regression to the mean is so much more fun to watch when it’s a Cub who is regressing." SleepyCA

by joker24 on Jul 3, 2008 11:23 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

People aren't stupid

There are just certain venues for certain discussions. Do we want to get on a blog back-and-forth about statistics? No. Just give the stat on groundballs as an explanation for the shift. If a grounder snakes through the left side, then say, “That’s one of the 20%. Tony gambled and lost this time around.”

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 11:27 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

This is going nowhere so I'll stop here....

But people are stupid.

"Regression to the mean is so much more fun to watch when it’s a Cub who is regressing." SleepyCA

by joker24 on Jul 3, 2008 11:35 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I tend to agree

in most cases

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 2:23 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

For the most part

People are stupid. The participants and readers on this site, however, are an aberration—rabid baseball fans who love discussing and debating the intricacies of the game. Aside from casual fans, who go to see home runs and down a dozen beers, even most sportswriters have a shallow understanding of the game, as discussed on this website. If you have any doubts about that, go check out firejoemorgan.com, where sportswriters’ astoundingly stupid comments are pointed out and then lambasted. Russell Martin won the Gold Glove last year for Chrissakes, with the most errors by a catcher, I believe. ( in any event, he had 14).

People are stupid.

by Ray Lankford on Jul 3, 2008 11:49 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Exactly

Because it has no correlation to how good a fielder is due to the stupid people who vote for it.

by Ray Lankford on Jul 3, 2008 2:27 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

is there any award

for just leading the league in fielding percentage at your position?

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 2:31 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Bill James does it

but most don’t really care, and they don’t actually get an award or anything. But he does give a boat load of credit to Pujols as the best defensive player in baseball.

by Tackle Box on Jul 3, 2008 2:33 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

although it has nothing to do with fielding percentage

and you should know better than to utter those words around this place.

by Tackle Box on Jul 3, 2008 2:33 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

thanks for the reminder

I’m still getting up to par with these new school, more accurate statistics.

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 2:35 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Derek Jeter won it while being among the worst SS's in the league

It is meaningless.

"Regression to the mean is so much more fun to watch when it’s a Cub who is regressing." SleepyCA

by joker24 on Jul 3, 2008 2:29 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

+1

"Why does he keep saying that?"

by Red Blazer on Jul 3, 2008 2:56 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I strongly disagree with this

most people aren’t stupid. They really aren’t. People are expected to be stupid, and are treated like cattle by society, and it’s a lot easier to act stupid. But when engaged, empowered and not demeaned, people are uniformly quite surprising.

If you give people nothing but stupidity, don’t be surprised when you get stupidity back. I remember when sports fans were much “smarter”, before the ESPN-ification of reporting happened. Now, all that’s happened, is that intelligent fans, gossips and idiots have all created their little fiefdoms on the internet. And we can just complain about “those people over there.”

They say that it's never too late, but you don't get any younger...

by Valatan on Jul 3, 2008 3:04 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

also

firejoemorgan does go out of it’s way to cherrypick the absolute worst out of the hundreds and hundreds of column inches of writing that is printed daily.

They say that it's never too late, but you don't get any younger...

by Valatan on Jul 3, 2008 4:58 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Focus on ESPN.com

There seems to be a focus on ESPN and its website at FJM.com, and it’s understandable. I think that if they took the time to sift through the thousands of column inches printed daily, they could come up with thousands of their own column inches. I think that it is a question of time and manpower. They peruse ESPN.com and are fed other columns and articles are their readership. I don’t think that it’s necessarily going out of their way. I think that their way is dictated by how much time they have to read.

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 5:37 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

BUT

the stuff they’re fed by their readership is the worst of the worst. That’s why it gets fed to them. And then a subset of that is what they choose to run with.

They say that it's never too late, but you don't get any younger...

by Valatan on Jul 3, 2008 8:50 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I just don't buy

that level of pessimism. Even now, as bad as the announcing still is, I’m hearing semi-sabermetric comments from announcers all the time, either on national or local broadcasts-things I didn’t hear a decade ago. A little bit of leadership would go a long way … if a few networks or teams would hire and encourage announcers who would ratchet up the level of discussion a little, I think you could see some change pretty quickly. The baseball establishment has always been very conservative about change, that’s why we haven’t seen much leadership in this area. But it really would not take much - a few policy changes by a few players in the media—to have a big effect.

by MdRedbirdFreak on Jul 3, 2008 11:35 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

problem is

I think they’ve probably been told to dumb it down for quite a while now, so if they started sounding like a legit baseball head it would be weird for a lot of people. although I’m sure that would wear off pretty quickly as soon as everyone got up to speed, and for those who don’t, I’m sure they’ll still throw in enough nonsense to keep everyone happy.

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 12:54 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

A different approach coming

from a familiar source is the solution to that problem. You’re not replacing Dan and Al with Rob Neyer, you’re just asking Dan and Al to boost the number of intelligent comments a little. And then you do a little more next year … etc.

by MdRedbirdFreak on Jul 3, 2008 2:24 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

The way to introduce

statistical analysis as a PBP man is by using it as a “throw-away” line, such as: “The Cards put the shift on for Delgado… when he hits it on the ground, it goes to the right side X% of the time.” Then, don’t mention the stat again; just continue describing the action.

I’ve broadcast college and high-school baseball for years on radio… I’d love to have such statistical analysis available! (You’re lucky if you can get even standard stats in high school games…) So, I use the Jack Buck School of Baseball method and describe each player’s batting stance, pitching motion, and the like…

"In this game, don't nobody know nuthin' about nuthin'." -- attributed to Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra

by The Ol Goaler on Jul 3, 2008 10:41 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I used to call college sports

And painting a visual with your words is very important—the Jack Buck School. Sprinkling in stats is nice as well. It is interesting to find different ways to describe the situation (runners on base, score, inning, outs, count, etc.) so that folks who have just tuned in know what is going on yet folks who have been listening since the first pitch don’t get annoyed. It is not an easy job and preparation is the key. I view lack of preparation as laziness and that is why I think MLB broadcasts should be so much better. The stats and time to research are both available.

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 10:46 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

If you're witty and cool

like Jack, that can be damned entertaining. But yes, some more in-depth stats would be interesting as hell.

What I can’t wait for is for some team to ask Bill James or someone like that to do analysis for a whole game. (I know, I have a rich fantasy life.)

by MdRedbirdFreak on Jul 3, 2008 10:47 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Wretched Breed
Another topic that these articles bring to mind is how horrible baseball announcers are and baseball journalists. If your job were to sit around all day waiting for the baseball game to start, how would you not stumble upon some information that would allow you to be informative and worth listening to on the radio or TV?

Because they’re too busy thinking up anecdotes about their shirts and their golf scores. Baseball announcers are for the most part a wretched breed and we have some of the very worst (apologies to Mr. Shannon).

Al and Dan should stick to drink slinging and hockey, respectively. John and Jay should do their bootlicking in silence.

by rowboat on Jul 3, 2008 12:27 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

with as bad as our bullpen has been

at this point in the season, shouldnt we go with out best 7 relievers regardless of if they are righty or lefty ( this is probably unrealistic with tlr as the manager). i guess the problem then becomes realizing who your consistently best 7 are

by truemun12 on Jul 3, 2008 9:35 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

our*

going with out our best 7 relivers would be stupid

by truemun12 on Jul 3, 2008 9:36 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

That's unrealistic

regardless of who the manager is.

THE SKIP IS LEGIT!!

by stltrav09 on Jul 3, 2008 1:27 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

If Mulder can't handle that situation

We need to get him off the roster. We already have a better innings eater in thompson.

by Evilfrog on Jul 3, 2008 9:44 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I was shocked

I didn’t pay at all close attention last night, but the first time I checked MLB gameday I saw Mulder was pitching in the 7th inning. At first we still had a lead, but then I saw where the Mets put up a crooked number in the 7th and went ahead. I was upset that Mulder was being used two nights in a row (he’s NOT a relief pitcher, he is a starter trying to get healthy enough to start.)
Anyway, that caused me to give up and turn to other interests… so I missed the whole comeback deal.

by the Tewk on Jul 3, 2008 11:53 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Don't be upset

It wasn’t 2 nights in a row.

by Tackle Box on Jul 3, 2008 11:57 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Ryan's socks

Has anyone heard an explination for why Ryan wore his socks like a normal major leaguer last night? Has he accepted that he is a major leaguer now and wanted to dress like it? Just makes you wonder.

by StLHugo on Jul 3, 2008 9:45 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

more than likely

He was just trying to break out of a slump. He’s gone with the normal look a few games. Once because Skippy barrowed his socks to break out a of a slump.

by Evilfrog on Jul 3, 2008 10:03 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

a major leaguer now??

i wish the whole team would go to the high socks, i dig it.

by UNCDubya on Jul 3, 2008 10:12 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Yeah, it looks right

The Tigers do it, or most of them at least show some stirrup. The painter-pants look doesn’t do anything for me.

by Red in Chicago on Jul 3, 2008 11:24 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

back in the day

Vada Pinson and Frank Robinson were the only two guys on the Reds that were allowed to wear the really high-cut stirrup sock. Where very little, if any, color showed on the calf or the shin, but there were spectacular lines going down the sides. I loved it as a kid; to me it was classy.
I neither like nor understand the modern ‘baggy’ look below the knee. You sometimes see fabric so far down the back of the leg it almost completely covers the heel of a guy’s spike shoe.
I also have an issue with the extra-long trunks basketball players now wear. Why, in god’s name, would you want fabric rubbing against and interfering with your KNEES on a basketball court.
But then, I am old now… and don’t ‘get it.’

by the Tewk on Jul 3, 2008 12:05 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

As long as we're complaining about

the look, my peeve is guys like Glaus, Wagonmaker and many others who can’t button the top button on their uniform. If I can see the Cardinal logo on your undershirt, Troy, you’re looking like a slob!

by MdRedbirdFreak on Jul 3, 2008 2:27 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I tend to agree

I don’t like the unbuttoned look either.

I can deal with the oversized pants and high socks and other stuff, but please button up your shirt.

by Tackle Box on Jul 3, 2008 2:34 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Rentaria

How about the Rentaria “my uniform is too large for me” look. At least one could get a few cheap HBPs with it.

born Dodger blue, now dyed Cardinals red

by totalloser on Jul 3, 2008 3:01 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

speaking of buttoning up

gotta love Mo’s style in this picture… no wonder he gets along so well with the stats geeks ;)

"If thats bad luck, lets DFA our luck away." -DriverZN

by SleepyCA on Jul 3, 2008 3:35 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I always loved that photo.

I hope someone has had a talk with him about how that makes him look. Or maybe he’s embracing his inner dork.

by MdRedbirdFreak on Jul 3, 2008 3:52 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Geeky

Mo’s pandering to the SABR crowd. Isn’t geekiness in? See Bill Gates.

born Dodger blue, now dyed Cardinals red

by totalloser on Jul 3, 2008 3:58 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Dude

is the white f’ing Erkel.

I have discovered in twenty years of moving around a ball park, that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats. ~Bill Veeck

by bukowski on Jul 3, 2008 4:57 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

To me, he looks like LaRussa's twin in that photo

Like they were seperated at birth, and one was raised to be a businessman, and the other to be a gritty ballplayer

They say that it's never too late, but you don't get any younger...

by Valatan on Jul 3, 2008 5:00 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

maybe he figured Barton has that as part of his repertoire now

and he changed it up. either that or he lost his socks!

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 1:04 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Maybe Moz can dig up

some righthanded reliever(s) who does well against lefties?

by MdRedbirdFreak on Jul 3, 2008 9:51 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Problem

TLR would have to use a righty vs. a lefty, which he has shown no willingness to do (ever in his managerial career, I believe).

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 9:58 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

TLR plays the #'s.. we all know that

and 90% of the time, LHP’s do better against LHB’s. So that’s why you don’t see him using RHP’s against LHB’s. In the somewhat rare case when a RHP does have crazy splits against lefties, he will use them. It’s all about the #’s.

So yes RedbirdFreak, I think that’s a good proposition considering the small market for loogys this year.

THE SKIP IS LEGIT!!

by stltrav09 on Jul 3, 2008 1:30 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Like Kyle McClellan?

bgh is right; while they may exist, Tony won’t use them as such.

by Huck Finn on Jul 3, 2008 10:06 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

He used Josh Kinney

against them, IIRC (limited sample size, obviously, but shows that he might not be completely unwilling to do it).

by k randolph on Jul 3, 2008 10:13 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Closer and Set-Up Man

If he has a set hurler as closer or set-up, he tends to stick with them through the performance of their role.

In ‘04, Tavarez threw to 83 lefties. In ‘05, to 68. Franklin last year threw to 130 lefties, and to 57 this year.

Not surprisingly, Izzy over the last three seasons has thrown to 281 lefties.

If TLR has a reason to mix and match, he will.

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 10:22 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I had the same thought

Spurred by LBoros comment about Tallet having a wicked reverse split, I wondered if there weren’t some RHRPs out there (a cheaper commodity) that handle lefties particularly well. I did a little cursory poking (during my lunch hour, so quick and dirty… the poking, not the lunch… well, ok, the lunch too) around for guys that fit that profile, aren’t promising young guns that a team would want to keep and who play for teams that are pretty likely to be sellers:

Saul Rivera, Nats – 30-yrs old. Against LHBs: .236 BAA, .586 OPSA in 106ABs; 3-yr splits: .240 BAA, .660 OPSA – 242 ABs
Matt Herges, Rocs – 38-yrs old. Against LHBs: .218 BAA, .571 OPSA in 78 ABs; 3-yr splits: .268 BAA, .759 OPSA – 257 ABs

Those are really the only two that stand out. Herges’ success against lefties looks to be a little better than historical, so there may be some regression, but Rivera’s numbers have been reasonably consistent. I agree with everyone who says Tony would never go for it. I was just curious what I’d find.

The other thing I thought of was what about going after a mediocre LH starter with great splits against lefties and see if they can be successful out of the pen. Oliver Perez? Mark Hendrickson? Just thinking out loud.

by punditmoi on Jul 3, 2008 3:23 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Damaso Marte

I have read that he is available from the Pirates. I don’t know what it would take to get him, but I would like to see him here.

by gonzostl on Jul 3, 2008 4:11 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

From what I’ve read this week, he’s now off the table.

by redrey on Jul 3, 2008 4:13 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Celebration

That game was incredible! There should be fireworks going off on this site! Jumped all over Pedro, back and forth battle, come from behind victory, walkoff HR, and a little vengeance against Endy Chavez for his ‘06 theft. That one made me smile; this team has got some serious guts.

by Huck Finn on Jul 3, 2008 10:05 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

What you say is true...

but there is an ominous note to Larry’s words today…I, too, have felt uneasy the last couple of turns through the rotation, and the Cardinals are going to have to do something about it or risk falling through the floor the second half of the season…I’d almost rather take our chances with the guys in the current ‘pen and go get another starter than cough up some good prospects for a guy like Fuentes.

Still, it WAS a great win…anytime you can come back and beat the Mets is a great win!!

by tbell61 on Jul 3, 2008 10:12 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

good prospects?

you dont anticipate giving up good prospects for a starter?

by UNCDubya on Jul 3, 2008 10:15 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I believe what he is saying is...

...that he’d rather burn prospects on a starter than a reliever, which is a valid point.

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 10:36 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

what isnt valid

if we are a “new era” team is dealing away top prospects for 4 month rentals. otherwise just bring jocketty back. i say go to the wire with what we have unless someone is available on the real cheap.

by UNCDubya on Jul 3, 2008 10:45 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I disagree

We have received very poor bullpenmanship and offensive production from the middle infield. Yet, we are still very much in the playoff hunt. I believe in prospects and younger guys, but it’s a cost-benefit analysis. This year is no longer a transitional year. You have to look at the potential of prospects and that of the big leaguer. It’s not an either/or proposition. There is a vast swath of middle ground in this debate.

For instance, our MIF prospects are still a few years out, if they even develop into big league-ready players. Acquiring a MIF that will be in St. Louis for two or three more years might be a worthy pursuit. So might a LOOGY, if the price is right. I’m not saying that we should clean out our farm system for these types of players, just that it would be silly not to make a move if the price in prospects is acceptable as it relates to the benefit of our playoff chances.

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 10:53 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

somewhat agree

but as a fan ‘in it’ for the long haul {creds from 1957 on} I hope our unexpected competitiveness this season doesn’t cause Mo to pull a rental deal that may not get us over the hump anyway.
Worries, yes, but this has been a very enjoyable season for me, more so than ‘04 and ‘06 even. The tasty delight of hustling and achieving despite low expectaions.

by the Tewk on Jul 3, 2008 12:16 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I think the key phrase in your comment

is “that will be in St. Louis for two or three more years.” Most that don’t want to trade prospects don’t want to do it for rental for 2008 only.

Those Pilgrims ain't lookin' so proud now...

by giveml on Jul 3, 2008 4:10 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Pineiro

is a looming disaster. He’s either weak, tipping pitches, or just not that good. We’re going to be stuck with him for a while, too. If Carpenter can rejoin the rotation, he should be sent to the pen to take Thompson’s spot.

by Red in Chicago on Jul 3, 2008 11:26 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Hmm

I could have sworn he’s made a lot of good starts this year…oh well, I guess I’m wrong…

by saladdays on Jul 3, 2008 11:32 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

he had a lot of no decisions that were good

which makes his record appear worse than it actually is. that said, he hasn’t been very good his last two starts

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 1:22 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

tipping pitches

at the rate the mets were on the fastball last night i have to think duncan will be looking at the tape for just that. hopefully they find something prior to his next start.

by UNCDubya on Jul 3, 2008 12:02 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

whoops

wrong Duncan there. maybe I should read before I post, heh.

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 1:23 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I too am a huge fan of Sandy Duncan

Star of stage and screen!!! Magnificent in The King and I and greatly unerappreciated on the hit tv show “Valerie”.

Big Big Fan!!

by Tackle Box on Jul 3, 2008 1:27 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

oh

guess I should have read too…......

by Tackle Box on Jul 3, 2008 1:28 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

One glass eye

Little-known fact. Plus the star of Peter Pan.

by Red in Chicago on Jul 3, 2008 1:28 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

nice

she’s cool

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 1:45 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

wasn't he tipping pitches last year?

I vaguely remember that Albert point that out to him and he fixed it and his results improved… but i have absolutely no data or stats to back it up, just my memory

When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say?

by RosevilleRedbird on Jul 3, 2008 12:11 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Duncan claimed he was tipping pitches

but the list of pitchers who were “tipping pitches” and get it “fixed” but still suck is a sizable list. This isn’t a tipping pitches problem. it’s a Pineiro’s not very good problem.

by azruavatar on Jul 3, 2008 12:32 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I'm sure if I can be any more a Cardinals fan

but last night’s game I think actually reinforced my Cardinal fan status

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 1:19 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Rowland-Smith

His reverse split is due to a ridiculous difference in BABIP for lefties vs righties (.383 to .240). His K/BB ratio and HR/9 are both better vs lefties.

by mikedallas45 on Jul 3, 2008 10:12 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Taschner a lefty, not a LOOGY

RH .221
LH .269

born Dodger blue, now dyed Cardinals red

by totalloser on Jul 3, 2008 10:20 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Something I noticed after the Duncan homerun

He went back into the club house and chewed on a piece of gum with Ankiel. Instead of chewing on tobacco. Can anyone recall when the last time they saw for sure that he had chew in his mouth?

Just a curiosity…

by Evilfrog on Jul 3, 2008 10:14 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Monday night.

He walked, and when he got to first the camera caught him reaching in his mouth and taking it out.

by k randolph on Jul 3, 2008 10:27 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

overpaying

in my opinion anything this year is a bonus, i really hope we dont jeopardize the future for a moderate upgrade to either our bullpen or rotation

by UNCDubya on Jul 3, 2008 10:14 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

A solid seven

out of Boggs tonight would make us all feel better with the Cubs coming to town.

by MdRedbirdFreak on Jul 3, 2008 10:23 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Its kinda sad

but I have more faith in Mitch Boggs right now than anyone else in the rotation not named Kyle Lohse. I have actaully been looking forward to his next start.

by Tackle Box on Jul 3, 2008 11:04 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Really?

He’s pretty much Looper’s clone.

Looper/Boggs

ERA 4.26/4.37
WHIP 1.40/1.46
K/9 3.99/3.97

Plus, Boggs has 11 walks to 10 strikeouts.

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 11:10 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I didn't mean to say that it was

I’m just saying that I don’t have “more faith” in Boggs than any starter but Lohse. I have equal faith in Boggs and Looper. I agree by and large with the “right now” aspect of it. Right now, I do have more faith in those three than El Pineiro and The Colonel (due to injury).

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 11:30 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Thats exactly what I'm talking about

And honestly, I forgot about Looper when I made my origional statement. For some reason, he always slips my mind. Anyway, I get a little excited when I have a good feeling about the team’s chances to win the game. And right now, Boggs is almost it for me. Lohse, Boggs and Looper (and like I said, I forgot about Looper). Just something in a Mitch Boggs start right now that makes me feel all comfy inside.

I actually felt a little down this morning when I realized he wouldn’t be pitching against the cubs. And I actually fear for his life against that lineup. He just gives me the warm and fuzzies right now.

by Tackle Box on Jul 3, 2008 11:46 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I haven't heard him speak

but he looks like he would be just a good ole’ tough Georgia boy. Kind of feel like he won’t get rattled no matter how many snakes he finds in the yard.

by Red in Chicago on Jul 3, 2008 11:28 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Throwback

His name, etc. make me think he should have played in the 1930’s.

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 11:31 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

future redbirds

anyone else having issues getting the site to come up?

by paposse on Jul 3, 2008 10:23 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

doh

after trying off and on this morning i finally post that and now it comes up. ugh. nevermind.

by paposse on Jul 3, 2008 10:24 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

aaron miles is amazing

he’s retelling that story of when he got robbed and taken as a hostage on 1380 right now. It’s pretty unbelievable to hear him tell the story himself. Wow.

mel

by mel1975 on Jul 3, 2008 10:30 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Has he gotten to the struggle for the gun, yet?

When the guy bit a chunk out of Miles’ back?

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 10:33 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

oh yeah

he said that he had a perfect circle of like 7-8 teeth marks. he also said that he was biting the other guy too and ripped the gun away. Did you know that he escaped by going out the window onto the awning after the cops shot the guy 6 times? I’d heard the story before but never heard him tell it. too cool.

mel

by mel1975 on Jul 3, 2008 10:35 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Miles Tamland

I saw that. Miles killed a guy. Did you throw a trident?

That said, the Cubs do deserve my pity, but never my support.

by Solanus on Jul 3, 2008 10:45 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

He kept his head on a swivel,

and that’s what you’ve got to do when you find yourself in a vicious cock fight!

by capeboda on Jul 3, 2008 10:56 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I've been meaning to talk to you about that.

You should find yourself a safe house or a relative close by because you’re probably wanted for murder.

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.

by Dave Barry on Jul 3, 2008 11:01 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Damn you

Dave Barry! Damn you to hell!

Well who the hell can see forever?

by Alxfritz on Jul 3, 2008 11:03 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

great minds

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.

by Dave Barry on Jul 3, 2008 11:05 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Aaron,

I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. You should find yourself a safehouse or a relative close by. Lay low for a while, because you’re probably wanted for murder.

Well who the hell can see forever?

by Alxfritz on Jul 3, 2008 11:02 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

+1

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 1:29 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

fyi

they do. mel1975 sent me on a scavenger hunt in the thread today but did answer the quesition. go to stltoday.com archives.

by Tackle Box on Jul 3, 2008 1:31 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Wha?

I’ve never heard anything about this before.

by saladdays on Jul 3, 2008 11:34 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Here's a link

Most of the stuff is on espn insider, damn capitalist pigs.

http://www.whitesoxinteractive.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=77669

I have discovered in twenty years of moving around a ball park, that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats. ~Bill Veeck

by bukowski on Jul 3, 2008 12:14 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

what about

scott downs. Nice splits, free agent at the end of the season, consistent,someone that’s good enough to fill in the closers role if need be. in my mind he’s someone who should be on the cardinals radar in the off season anyways, why not get a head start.

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.

by Dave Barry on Jul 3, 2008 10:43 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

they do

for the morning after, which is the show it was on. you’ll find the archives on insidestl.com. the link to the archives is down on the first page there.

mel

by mel1975 on Jul 3, 2008 11:10 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

oops

up one reply to tackle box.

by mel1975 on Jul 3, 2008 11:11 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Thanks.

You make it about as difficult as 1380s website to find the archives by hiding your replys in other threads, but persistance pays off!!!!

by Tackle Box on Jul 3, 2008 11:48 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

now that you worked for it,

your satisfaction will be more complete. you should thank me. :)

p.s. i forgot that the normal person who puts the segments up on the site is in las vegas today, so I’m not 100% they’ll be up.

mel

by mel1975 on Jul 3, 2008 11:51 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I've been pushing for Downs for awhile now

him or Marte are my ideal candidates.

boo cubs, hooray beer

by Raconteur on Jul 3, 2008 11:42 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

good pitcher, bad contract

downs is signed through 2010, at $4m a year for each of the next two years. i don’t like that big a commitment to a middle reliever.

by lboros on Jul 3, 2008 12:08 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I did too

and I don’t know if I would classify him as solely a middle reliever

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.

by Dave Barry on Jul 3, 2008 1:17 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I can't believe I'm saying this but....How bout that Miles the little scrappy guy is playing tough.

He doesn’t look so out of place at 2B and for the moment I like his bat in front of Pujols.

"Why does he keep saying that?"

by Red Blazer on Jul 3, 2008 11:14 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

yeah

to me, he’s won a starting position by now

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 1:35 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I'm surprised how few people

have brought up the fact that Duncan now has TWO PH HRs against Feliciano (the first coming in game 5 of the NLCS, turned a 3-2 lead into a crucial 4-2 advantage for the cards (that was the final score). No one could make any sense out of Tony pinch hitting a lefty vs. a lefty…the world series DVD later revealed that Dave told him to do it and he followed his advice).

I can’t believe it happened again!!

by cardsfaninmass on Jul 3, 2008 11:22 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Which raises a question about our hitters

Does Duncan meet with McRae to help him plan an attack for the opposing pitcher based upon what he sees as the pitcher’s weaknesses? I’m not even going to ask the reverse, because there is absolutely nothing McRae could share with Duncan that he doesn’t already know.

by Red in Chicago on Jul 3, 2008 11:32 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Wow

I had forgotten that the NLCS HR was off Feliciano.

by saladdays on Jul 3, 2008 11:35 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

FSN broadcast

Did anyone else have issues hearing the FSN broadcast last night? The first 3-4 innings all I heard was the sound of the game ie. mitts, bats, ump calls, etc.

Then finally dan and al came in after awhile. Just wondering what the deal was, since the guys didn’t mention it once they came back on.

by cd on Jul 3, 2008 11:42 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

it was in the Post today

don’t have the link, but they said there was an equipment failure at one of the main headquarters. Apparently it only affected those with Cable, not with Dish.

by k randolph on Jul 3, 2008 1:33 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

heh

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 4:09 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I love when that happens

In a game earlier this year the first inning was announcerless, only the ballpark sounds were audible.

Dan and Al add so little to a broadcast; in fact they often detract from my enjoyment of the game. When that happened I was really hoping it was a gamelong experiment, but alas, they were back on when the second inning began.

by Youneverknow on Jul 3, 2008 3:56 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

they should really allow an option

to turn off the announcers

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 4:08 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Carp Update

The P-D has a piece on Carp.

Carpenter is visiting Busch Stadium this week to throw two aggressive sessions in the bullpen, and he came bearing tempered enthusiasm. The righthander, who is recovering from elbow surgery, threw a 60-pitch session Wednesday and will repeat the workout Friday before returning to Florida for a simulated game Monday. After that game, the Cardinals and Carpenter will map out a plan that could put him on a rehab assignment within a couple of weeks.

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 11:46 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Sounds promising

Though I refuse to be blindly optimistic.

by mojowo11 on Jul 3, 2008 11:47 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

"Tempered" enthusiasm

That is Carp’s approach. It’s worth a read.

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 11:48 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

TLR accepting OBP as a worthy trait in the #2 hole?

From “Cards’ Notes” in the P-D:

Aaron Miles started his third consecutive game at second base and immediately pushed his hitting streak to 14 games with his first swing Wednesday. Miles entered the game with a .421 average in his previous 13 games. He has done most of his best hitting in the No. 2 spot in the order, a slot manager Tony La Russa has preferred to reserve for extra-base “damage.” “Besides damage, if you can get as many on base in front of Albert (Pujols),” La Russa said, “that’s another objective.”

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 11:50 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

He's always accepted that

Why do you think he hits the pitcher 8th?

by Tackle Box on Jul 3, 2008 11:52 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Always?

Juan Encarnacion, God rest his soul.

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 1:02 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Enc...

didn’t die. He just stopped playing ball.

by guayzimi on Jul 3, 2008 1:03 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Anyone heard any Juan updates?

I know there’s probably not a lot of info available since he’s no longer playing, but I hope the guy is doing okay. A career-ending injury must be terrible. Physical limitations, loss of a job, plus I’m sure there is rehab and medications and all sort of other stuff. I hope he’s well.

by effin fisk on Jul 3, 2008 1:58 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I heard 20/400 vision...

out of the affected eye. Dunno if it’ll get better…

by guayzimi on Jul 3, 2008 2:02 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

And for clarity sakes

that means he can only see from 20 feet what the “normal” person can see from 400 feet.

by Tackle Box on Jul 3, 2008 2:05 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Yeah...

I think I read that in an mlb.com chat with Mozeliak. I don’t know if it’s something that will improve over time.

by guayzimi on Jul 3, 2008 2:41 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

All of this recent success

by Miles has to be driving his detractors up the wall. I honestly believe that they’re hoping he’ll go into a slump, just so they can bring out the “I told you so” line.

If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.

by cardsrul on Jul 3, 2008 1:03 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I'm actually on the ceiling...

Some key points:

  • isolated power is 55
  • OPS+ is still under 100
  • BABIP for the season is .348
  • BABIP over the past two weeks is .429
  • defensively he appears to be somewhere between bad and terrible

I don’t know how anyone likes this guy going forward. That said I am rooting for him…

by guayzimi on Jul 3, 2008 1:13 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I'm a big Miles detractor

but I think your statement about Miles’ defense is unfounded.

He doesn’t walk, doesn’t hit for extra bases, doesn’t have the speed to steal, but he is not “between bad and terrible” defensively.

by k randolph on Jul 3, 2008 1:36 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

He does seem to get on base and come up with a slap single just when you need one...

& the switch hitting is a plus he can face righties and lefties

"Why does he keep saying that?"

by Red Blazer on Jul 3, 2008 3:03 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

yeah

nothing wrong with being able to find the gaps!

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 3:15 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

His .785 RZR at 2nd would put him in the bottom 3 of the qualifiers

"Regression to the mean is so much more fun to watch when it’s a Cub who is regressing." SleepyCA

by joker24 on Jul 3, 2008 1:43 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

ouch

is he any better at other positions? I’m guessing no.

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 1:48 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Looking it over

That’s selling him a little short (no pun intended), he’s been better over his career….....but not by that much. He’s been at best a tick below average and if he’s lost any range “bad/terrible” is pretty accurate.

In a microscopic sample he’d be the worst third base qualifier.

At SS he’s gotten 17/20 balls apparently which would be average (tiny sample)..............but last year in a semi-real sample he would’ve been by a wide, wide margin the worst shortstop in the league. The difference between last place and 8th place was .060 points. The difference between last place and Aaron Miles would’ve been .064 points.

Maybe Kennedy is a better player….....

"Regression to the mean is so much more fun to watch when it’s a Cub who is regressing." SleepyCA

by joker24 on Jul 3, 2008 1:59 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

true

but it would be a negligible difference. plus, Miles is a survivor

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 2:08 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Survivor!

Miles a survivor
Miles not gonna give up
Miles not ‘gon stop
Miles gon work harder
Miles a survivor
Miles gonna make it
Miles will survive
Keep on survivin’

by Tackle Box on Jul 3, 2008 2:12 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

hah!

nice

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 2:13 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Look at the out-of-zone numbers...

8 in 281 innings. Kennedy has 19 in 391 and he’s no spring chicken. Miles doesn’t move laterally very well.

by guayzimi on Jul 3, 2008 2:12 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

but Miles is probably the better hitter

so either way I guess, we’re a little bit under average. although with Izturis out, you’d think Kennedy would be getting more playing time for defensive purposes, trying to balance that out.

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 2:14 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Miles, Ryan, Izturis, Kennedy

they all need to contribute because none of them are really complete ball players at this point.

The one thing they all have in common is zero power…................

Mike Fontenot has more homeruns than our entire middle infield while only getting 121 AB’s…........

by ICbirdfan on Jul 3, 2008 2:20 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

sad thing is

Kennedy probably has the most power of all 4!

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 2:26 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I don't think...

I’m ready to concede that Miles is the better hitter.

They both have about the same number of plate appearances (218 for Miles to 211). They’re tied in XBHs with nine each. Kennedy has 13 non-intentional walks to 11 for Miles. The difference is that Miles has 56 singles to 42 for Kennedy. Basically a large number of his groundballs have found holes. Going forward they’re the same offensively.

On the defensive end, Miles has failed to convert 20 of 93 balls in his zone into outs, and he’s only reached 8 balls out of his zone. Kennedy has only failed on 15 of 117 in zone, and he’s reached 19 balls out of zone (granted in 100 more innings).

That’s a clear advantage Kennedy.

by guayzimi on Jul 3, 2008 2:36 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

it's funny that this is all coming to light

after so many wanted to lynch Kennedy for over a month

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 2:37 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I don't think it has too much to with that

As much as that Miles isn’t very good at the game of Major League baseball either.

"Regression to the mean is so much more fun to watch when it’s a Cub who is regressing." SleepyCA

by joker24 on Jul 3, 2008 2:39 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Not lynch

Just DFA. AK does not possess much in the way of offensive skills.

Miles is in full-on Bo Hart mode right now. The crash will be a horrendous sight to behold. (And Miles is absolutely among the worst defensive secondbasemen in the league.)

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 2:42 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I think that's more accurate

We can debate Miles vs. Kennedy all day long, but we have to realize that we are choosing between two shitty options.

by Ray Lankford on Jul 3, 2008 2:45 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Yeah...

but if I remember correctly, everyone from BP to the Worldwide Leader in Sports was saying that Jocketty got a steal in Kennedy while the Cubs were idiots to overpay for DeRosa.

That’s the way it goes…

by guayzimi on Jul 3, 2008 2:52 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

yeah

ya can’t win ‘em all

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 2:54 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

great post! where did you find the information?

An optimist is a man who upon discovering that a rose smells better than a cabbage concludes it will make better soup.

HL Mencken

by akaitori on Jul 3, 2008 5:48 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Arthur Rhodes is..

our guy. He seems to be back. He’s 38. He’s on a loser team. Send John Jay to the M’s and release Flores to make room for him.

by guayzimi on Jul 3, 2008 1:00 PM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Flores getting well

would mean he’d have to be hurt in the first place.

THE SKIP IS LEGIT!!

by stltrav09 on Jul 3, 2008 1:35 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Jay is overpayment for Rhodes

i’m willing to bet you could get him for less.

boo cubs, hooray beer

by Raconteur on Jul 3, 2008 1:59 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Perhaps...

but Rhodes seems to be back. He has struck out 18 in 15 innings…. granted, limited action. It took Terry Evans to get Weaver two years ago. Evans was a year older and somewhat more accomplished than Jay is now, and Weaver was a DFA washout.

by guayzimi on Jul 3, 2008 2:10 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Big difference between Jay and Evans

Evans was a career minor league under achiever who finally put up a big year at age 25.

Jay is younger, with higher upside, and has done nothing but hit at every level of the minors. If not for an injury sidelining him for a good portion of last year, he’d be in AAA now.

boo cubs, hooray beer

by Raconteur on Jul 3, 2008 2:31 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

And now Jay's hurt as well

Although it’s not supposed to be for too long

by saladdays on Jul 3, 2008 2:36 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

What about Ohman

with Atlanta?

Might not be easy now because they are still in the hunt, but it looks like they aren’t going to make it. Ohman’s in his last year of his contract, consistently good against LHBs (although has shown sporadic suckiness vs. RHBs), and knows the NL central. Plus it’s always poetic to have a former Cub on the team.

Otherwise, I really like the Mahay idea. He’s a reverse Ankiel, first came up as a CF now a lefty pitcher!

by enoscountry on Jul 3, 2008 1:30 PM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Worth a look

I posted his name yesterday. Also Schoenweiss. But no one had any comments. Ohman’s career:
RH .266
LH .189
Wasn’t ATL looking for SP help in the worse way?

born Dodger blue, now dyed Cardinals red

by totalloser on Jul 3, 2008 3:10 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Who knows what the Braves will be needing in a couple of weeks

Everybody wants starting pitching, but their actually better in pitching than in hitting right now – mostly thanks to Hudson and Jurrgens. What they really lack this year is outfield offense. Plus their young pitchers who replaced Smoltz/Glavine aren’t doing well but Jo-Jo’s only 23, Chuck James 26 – they could still be projecting them.

I don’t think they have a chance this year and they could be looking at getting outfield/1b help. Right now their young outfielders aren’t performing, Francouer’s only 24, but he’s been in the league so long you’d expect better. Chipper is (as always) banged up, and it sounds like Teixera is not staying in ATL after this year (heck, he might get traded again).

by enoscountry on Jul 3, 2008 4:02 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Reyes and Colorado

If I were Anthony, in between my Memphis rehab starts, I’d be perusing the internet for places to live in Denver. I can only assume that Mo is selling his behind off trying to get the Rockies to take AR in a package of others for Fuentes.

by Hinkster on Jul 3, 2008 1:33 PM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

oh yeah

no doubt…......but the right package….....and I’m sure Stl brass figures AR comeback haunt has less chance there…........I’m sure AR is ready to try his craft anywhere….....even in pitcher’s hell

by Hinkster on Jul 3, 2008 1:39 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

And why wouldn't they take him.....

they already have a pitcher who features a 4-seam fastball in their rotation-I think Colorado could work with him to minimize that risk. Gone unnoticed his last go round at Memphis, he drastically cut down on his fly balls and home runs. If you don’t believe it, go check his minor league splits. Also his last game here, he got 2 ground balls and one fly ball out. Don’t be surprised if he hits the ground running where ever he lands…...and I ‘m going to be mad at Mr. Mozeliak until he trades or releases him. Shame on him for the roster wars-it is wrong IMO for him to do that. Because most teams just go ahead and trade players they don’t want. They don’t say it, they do it. They don’t fret about what they get-they take the best of what’s offered.

I like Mr Reyes a lot-ha, as if you all didn’t know that- and I hope he ends up somewhere else-real soon.

She isn't crazy, she's just not impressed.

by jillsinmo on Jul 3, 2008 2:56 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

As tired as I am of this argument

But I do have to say, that despite your advice, I WILL be surprised IF he “hits the ground running where ever he lands”. VERY surprised.

And I have no idea why you would be mad a Mo for this. He inherited the situation and can’t really do anything with it. It’s not his job to do things in the interest of Anthony Reyes if it isn’t in the best interest of the team, which is what dumping him for peanuts or releasing him would be.

by Tackle Box on Jul 3, 2008 3:01 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

You know, I really just intended to say my piece and drop right back out today.

I’ve got things to do….....sure, maybe he won’t do well wherever he ends up.

Yep, Mr. Mozeliak did inherit the situation and I feel he’s made it worse. I don’t see how it helps the team to keep a player that they have been so public about wanting to get rid of. He hasn’t done well here. Any player they might use has value over any player they won’t. Holding onto him only decreases his value more. The organization, before Mo was in charge and since effed this one up big time…..

Reyes bad pitching + long standing orginizational ineptitude= severely diminished value.

No way around that. Really, that’s all I have to say. Adios.

She isn't crazy, she's just not impressed.

by jillsinmo on Jul 3, 2008 3:19 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Coors + Humidor = not so much anymore?

I thought the humidor since 2002 has really toned down HRs.

born Dodger blue, now dyed Cardinals red

by totalloser on Jul 3, 2008 3:12 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

somewhat

it went from an extreme hitters park that inflated HR’s by 60%+ to an extreme hitters park that inflates the numbers 20-30%.

"If thats bad luck, lets DFA our luck away." -DriverZN

by SleepyCA on Jul 3, 2008 3:27 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

off topic: I need some help for tomorrow night

Does anybody know what the fireworks situation is for the game tomorrow night? I have called the St. Louis visitors bureau and they said that the show starts at 9:30 which should be in the latter stages of tomorrow night’s game. Seems silly to me that they wouldn’t either move the game forward an hour or the fireworks back an hour.

by FredbirdisaDork on Jul 3, 2008 1:58 PM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Fireworks info

The official site says 9:15 for the start.
http://celebratestlouis.org/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=41&Itemid=92

Also the official starting time of the game is still 7:15. I would assume they would have to pause the game since the loud noises and flashes would be very distracting to the batter since that would be his backdrop. Meh wish I was going to be at the game though, awesome view of the fireworks and the Cards v Cubs all at the same time.

by StLHugo on Jul 3, 2008 2:13 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

We are going to be at the game...

I just wish that we could watch the fireworks after the game and not during it… Am I being wierd or do you guys agree?

by FredbirdisaDork on Jul 3, 2008 2:15 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

yeah

you’d think they’d start it so it would be over before the fireworks. guess you have to choose between baseball and full on firework action

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 2:18 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

They usually wait

Until after the game. Traffic is terrible because most people decide you can get a real nice view of the fireworks if you stop in the middle of the street. I went on the 4th a few years back and I will never do so again.

by Turkatron on Jul 3, 2008 3:00 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Fireworks moved

This year should be better. Because of the flooding they’ve moved the concerts to Soldier’s Memorial but they are still shooting the firewords off the barge. So the crowd is probably divided into two.

born Dodger blue, now dyed Cardinals red

by totalloser on Jul 3, 2008 3:15 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I MISS TYLER JOHNSON

I realized this more when FSN was recapping game 7 of the 2006 NLCS during the pregame and they had TJ on there talking. But every day that I watch Flo, I miss him more

The only one who liked the Cardinals so much he became a St. Louis Cardinals football fan.

by coachnick39 on Jul 3, 2008 2:16 PM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

so do I

I think he kind of grounded the bullpen last year too

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 2:17 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Tyler Johnson

was NOT that good. He had a great 06 postseason, but so did Randy Flores.

He has terrible control issues and couldn’t get a righty out to save his life (which wouldn’t be a big deal if TLR used him like a true LOOGY, but TLR doesn’t do that)

boo cubs, hooray beer

by Raconteur on Jul 3, 2008 2:19 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

would you take him right now...I think so

TJ missing is a huge hole in our pen, and I felt that way from day one.

The only one who liked the Cardinals so much he became a St. Louis Cardinals football fan.

by coachnick39 on Jul 3, 2008 2:25 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I would take him right now, yes, but only because of how absolutely terrible our pen is from the left side

but I definitely do not feel that him missing is a “huge hole”.

boo cubs, hooray beer

by Raconteur on Jul 3, 2008 2:29 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

His BAA last year was.217

that includes his numbers vs. righties

The only one who liked the Cardinals so much he became a St. Louis Cardinals football fan.

by coachnick39 on Jul 3, 2008 2:31 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

last year's splits

.211 .307 .329 vs RHB
.224 .307 .418 vs LHB

And you say he had issues with getting righties out?

by StLHugo on Jul 3, 2008 2:34 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

does that mean you miss him too?

The only one who liked the Cardinals so much he became a St. Louis Cardinals football fan.

by coachnick39 on Jul 3, 2008 2:37 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

yes

I thought he was one of the best options we had last year

by StLHugo on Jul 3, 2008 2:44 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

yup...we dont need the 9th last night if TJ pitches where Mulder did

The only one who liked the Cardinals so much he became a St. Louis Cardinals football fan.

by coachnick39 on Jul 3, 2008 2:47 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

If if's and but's were candy and nuts

we’d all have a Merry Christmas

Tyler Johnson is hurt.

Period.

End of Paragraph.

by Tackle Box on Jul 3, 2008 2:55 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

heh

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 2:56 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

and in 2006

he had a whip of 1.86 against righties and a BAA of .276

Not good

boo cubs, hooray beer

by Raconteur on Jul 3, 2008 2:37 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

so in other words...

he got better after his rookie year

The only one who liked the Cardinals so much he became a St. Louis Cardinals football fan.

by coachnick39 on Jul 3, 2008 2:39 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

wait

Players don’t peak in thier rookie year?

by Evilfrog on Jul 3, 2008 2:56 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

shocking isnt it

The only one who liked the Cardinals so much he became a St. Louis Cardinals football fan.

by coachnick39 on Jul 3, 2008 2:59 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

all in good fun

The only one who liked the Cardinals so much he became a St. Louis Cardinals football fan.

by coachnick39 on Jul 3, 2008 3:04 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

also

not poking fun but he also had a .326 BABIP vs RHB that season….like the anti Franklin

by StLHugo on Jul 3, 2008 3:06 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

KMac's arrival took some of the sting off Kinney's loss

We still have to look at Villone and Flores. Whereas with Kinney gone we went and got Springer and Franklin, as well as the emergence of KMac

The only one who liked the Cardinals so much he became a St. Louis Cardinals football fan.

by coachnick39 on Jul 3, 2008 2:44 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Kinney was nails

And a big part of the 2006 World Series run.

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 2:48 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Not discounting that

I thought it was pretty special the way we had 3 rookies take charge in our pen during that run, and I will forever love Kinney, TJ and Waino for that

The only one who liked the Cardinals so much he became a St. Louis Cardinals football fan.

by coachnick39 on Jul 3, 2008 2:50 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

OT: there was a great quote

in the BTF thread talking about the game last night:

(regarding the game ending with Endy jumping and not-quite-catching the glaus home run)

“As far as I’m concerned it represents a sign from God that the Cardinals truly won the Troy Glaus-Scott Rolen trade.”

Awesome.

"If thats bad luck, lets DFA our luck away." -DriverZN

by SleepyCA on Jul 3, 2008 2:34 PM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

that makes me smile

I’ll always think fondly of Rolen, but I sure am glad he’s not in our lineup this year.

Speaking of all-star third basemen… I just found out that my cousin is married to Brooks Robinson’s neice. I was at their house last weekend and they were just chatting about baseball since they knew i was a fan. Then she told a story about her “Uncle Brooks,” and said, “oh yeah, you might’ve heard of him. He played baseball.” She tossed me a ball he’d left at the house and said she’d invite us to a BBQ to meet him someday. Looking forward to that.

by effin fisk on Jul 3, 2008 2:41 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

After missing the first 20-some games

Rolen is playing pretty well. I often check in on Redbirds of yore. Rolen has been productive this year. Not 2002-2004 MV3 great, but okay. He only has 6 homers, but has is hitting .283/.375/.464/.839. His OPS is 11th in MLB; Glaus’s OPS is 8th.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad that we have Glaus on our team. I think Glaus will have better cumulative stats for the season, but Rolen is far from the shell of himself that he was last season.

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 2:55 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

It's hard to say that Rolen would have come anywhere close to

those numbers while playing in St. Louis.

Bad situation all around. Plus, they’ve got a 10-12 home run a year third baseman on their hands for 2 1/2 more years.

by Tackle Box on Jul 3, 2008 2:57 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I wonder why his homeruns went down from 25-30

to about half that? I’m guessing the shoulder…

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 2:59 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

how many did Glaus have at the end of May

Remeber Glaus hit most of his in June, Rolen missed about a month, he could easily catch up.

by StLHugo on Jul 3, 2008 3:08 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

3 homers for Glaus

I don’t know that Rolen “could easily catch up.” He might get to twenty homers, but Glause will likely be in the 25-30 range.

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 3:10 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I don't know about that

I don’t think he’ll be able to catch up.

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 3:12 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

at the end of may he had 3 home runs

8 in June.

2 so far in July.

If Rolen’s gonna catch up, he better find a time machine.

by Tackle Box on Jul 3, 2008 3:12 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I agree 100%

That post was far too narrow in focus. Mo made the absolute right call. The feud between TLR and Rolen was unacceptable. We were held hostage by his long contract whereas Glaus gives us more flexibility. I was happy for the Glaus/Rolen trade when it happened and the results have not dampened my enthusiasm for it one bit.

by bgh on Jul 3, 2008 3:00 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

that trade

combined with signing Lohse has already made me a fan of Moz

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 3:03 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Im still waiting

For that one 5 game stretch where Glaus, Ankiel, Ludwick and Pujols all get it together. That will fun to watch.

by Evilfrog on Jul 3, 2008 3:09 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

If only that could be against the Cubs

and you could include Duncan in that so we could have 5 guys on fire.

The only one who liked the Cardinals so much he became a St. Louis Cardinals football fan.

by coachnick39 on Jul 3, 2008 3:12 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I like the sound of

a team with 5 30+ homerun guys

strikeouts from left-center

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 3, 2008 3:13 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Well, Al always talks about Duncan only having one good half

and that rules out the 1st half. If we could play Dunc, Ank, and Luddy in the OF and get them hot…look out

The only one who liked the Cardinals so much he became a St. Louis Cardinals football fan.

by coachnick39 on Jul 3, 2008 3:15 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs