Hit for your Mother, we beg
by azruavatar on May 9, 2010 8:00 AM EDT
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PrintEntering the season, it seemed like the Cardinals had a number of offensive options on paper. Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday would serve as the foundation. Yadier Molina, Skip Schumaker and Ryan Ludwick should all be average or better offensive contributors. Colby Rasmus still gave scouts that special feeling and David Freese had a compelling statistical case for being a starter.
So it's been understandably frustrating watching the Cardinals through the last week or so as the offense scuffles its feet like a 13 year old boy at a school dance. With 7 runs over the last 5 games, it's been rough to say the least. Funny thing though, in the 3 games before that they scored 18 runs. Those were the good old days. The problem seems to be a collection of small issues occurring at the same time: Matt Holliday's groin strain, Freese & Rasmus coming back to earth, Albert Pujols inability to carry the team by himself. It's nothing that's endemic to the process, but rather an unpleasant blip we're seeing.
What makes it perhaps the most frustrating is the teams it's happening against. The Phillies are a good team and you'd like to see the Cardinals perform well against them to prove the validity of their prowess thus far. You can forgive those losses but you don't like them. Even more frustrating is dropping games to a team you're unquestionably better than. The Pirates are a really terrible team. Their starting pitching is mediocre and they lack any great players outside of Andrew McCutcheon. This is a team that you should pound on.
* * *
Jeff Karstens downed the Redbirds with smoke and mirrors last night. He only struck out just 4 batters and allowed 3 hits. The Cardinals had a BABIP of .188 last night with just 3 out of 16 balls in play landing for hits. That's bad and it continues to illustrate the bad luck the Cardinals are running into right now.
Jaime Garcia on the other hand was a site to behold. He struck out 7 over 6 innings, had 8 of 11 outs on balls in play on the ground and walked just 2 batters. If there's one minor criticism of Garcia I have at this point, it is that I'd like to see him throw first pitch strikes a bit more often. But, as I said, it's minor. He's mixing all 4 pitches (fangraphs is classifying a fastball, cutter, curve and changeup -- I'm inclined to say the cutter is more of a slider) with incredible precision. Garcia has yet to allow a HR in 38 innings in 2010.
* * *
The good news is that the Cardinals still have the largest divisional lead out of any team right now.The NL Central is pretty terrible and we're still pretty good.
2010: 19-12
2005: 19-11
* * *
The Cardinals are still an average offensive team with a .327 wOBA entering Saturday's game. League average is .326. The primary offensive shortcomings are named Skip Schumaker (.274) and Brendan Ryan (.241). Even accounting for Ryan being an outstanding shortstop defensively, that's a difficult wOBA to live with. Schumaker has little defensive value to counter his anemic hitting.
* * *
The narrative for the team at the moment seems to be runners in scoring position. Through 30 games the Cardinals have a .754 OPS. They have a .759 OPS with RISP. I don't have splits for the last week or so but RISP isn't a problem when looking at the big picture. Looking at the small picture, the Cardinals only have 2 homeruns in the last 7 games (1 from Nick Stavinoha and 1 from David Freese). That power outage goes a long way in describing the recent scoring drought. It won't last but it's part of the overall malaise the Cardinals seem to be suffering from.
* * *
Call your mother. Wish her a happy Mother's Day. Baseball starts at 12:35. Go Cards.
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During the five game slide...
they’ve hit 229/303/282, which isn’t quite as bad as one might have thought, especially considering Hamels when he was on and Halladay. In the five games prior to that we hit 328/385/517. In short, there really isn’t a problem even though it’s excruciating watching these guys struggle against Karstens and Kendrick.
We need to consider an alternative to Floppy. Two options: Jose Lopez and Asdrubal Cabrera.
Both are young and would be kind of spendy in terms of prospects, although since they aren’t good defensively maybe their value has declined with the popularity of UZR and the like. They’d also need to play everyday or they’d sulk. Skip would have to go.
I don’t see any other position that could feasibly be upgraded except second base.
Franklin !#@$!&*%#
good point about 2B, but
be prepared for some argument!. Some feel Skip is “untouchable” because 1) he is a TLR favorite; and 2) signed an extension. Others said the solution to 2B is on extended Spring Training. :))
I still say give it another two weeks. The MIF situation will be clear by June 1. Skip will either be hitting and /or platooning with Floppy, or Mo will be dealin’.
Another question: what offense does B. Ryan have to contribute to make him a plus? If the answer is “About what’s he’s doing now,” then I think it’s even more crucial his 2B partner be a plus offensive player. This lineup cannot afford two weak hitters.
"They're so stunned they didn't even boo!"
John Rooney 5/3/10 referring to Philly fans on Cards 5-run 7th inning
Exactly...
but Skip has to hit b/c he can’t field. If Boog can just manage 250/310/330 he’s acceptable. Skip has to hit 300/350/400 and he’s no where near that. If Floppy can come back, there’s no problem whatsoever, but I think he’s BS-ing us when he says the elbow is all better.
Franklin !#@$!&*%#
Don't expect a move for another two months,
if one happens at all. Frankly, I don’t see a trade for a second baseman being made at all. It’s incredibly frustrating to have the guy getting the most PAs on the club struggle so mightily at the plate—especially when he can’t really field very well—but a month does not make a season and we don’t really have any reason to suspect Skip won’t bounce back, or, Lopez won’t come back healthy and get a good chunk of the PAs as second baseman if Skip doesn’t bounce back.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
Pretty sure
that Asdrubal Cabrera is supposed to be a whiz with the glove…dunno where I read/heard that, though. I know he is in video games, but that don’t mean ____ for real life.
I've wanted to say this since the middle of Spring Training:
I wipe with paper.
But seriously, I’m watching close to see how this team bounces back from adversity. Memphis was able to do it last year despite TLR raiding the cupboard and the losing streaks. There is a massive chunk of the clubhouse that’s all-mafia. Is that gonna matter? The pep talk in Philly is a beginning; this is crunch time. This team has the weapons. I want to see them come together, instead of watching their record and projected records.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
I heard Al say something the other day
that made me think (seriously).
He was pointing out how the Cards have, in recent memory, struggled mightily against the “unknown” pitchers. We at VEB obviously notice this; just look at all of the bitching that goes on when we make Bud Norris, Kyle Kendrick, Jeff Karstens and [insert random call-up with shitty numbers] look like Cy Young-caliber pitchers.
Anyway, this has been the case for a while, yeah? Well, back to Al. He was complaining that these guys are too reliant on video and are up there simply guessing. They don’t trust their hands or some such business.
It’s an interesting suggestion because the ineffectiveness isn’t limited to one or two guys (even Albert has looked terrible against some of these no-name pitchers). And that’s what gets so frustrating for me…when the "approach’ just looks terrible.
I mean, Albert has been a nearly automatic K with 2 strikes if you just throw him some offspeed junk low and away. Ditto Holliday and Lud. It seems like the book is out on us and that book says “Don’t throw them any fastballs.”
Anyway, I wonder if Al might actually be on to something here.
he said it was via McGwire, fwiw
during multiple games
(who talks privately with Al? seriously. Carp talks privately with him at Schnucks. he’s just going to blurt it out on live tv.)
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
I'm ready to call bulls*it on this whole "we can't hit unknown starters thing"
Who have we lost to?
Santana
Haren
Hamels
Halladay
Arroyo
Wolf
Lincecum
Zito
Cueto
Karstens
Kendrick
Norris
Who have we beat?
Bush
Rodrigo Lopez
Bailey
Cain
Hudson
Lowe
Kawakami
Jurrjens
Maine
Duke
Edwin Jackson
Harang
Harang
Blanton
Cueto
Gallardo
Wandy
Myers
Oliver Perez
I haven’t looked at 2009, but so far we’ve beat the bad ones and lost to the good ones… with only a couple exceptions.
Franklin !#@$!&*%#
(you got some relievers in your win/loss soup.)
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Perhaps when you lose to a starter that does not have good stats it
sticks out more and hurts more. We are expecting a good “let’s go get ’em day” and it just doesn’t materialize.
It does seem like the hitters look foolish against some “not as good” pitchers. You expect to see some flailing against Halladay.
I don’t know how you would blame it on video though. Does that mean on the days when the Cards tee off on a pitcher they didn’t watch the video.
Last year we blamed it on a “jump on the first pitch” philosopy that was the rumored mantra of the hitting coach. This year it’s “gotta trust your hands”. I wonder if both are bullshit speak for “I don’t have a clue.”
*do* the Cards tee off on pitchers they've not got a lot of video for?
on a regular basis?
that would go a long way to settling this.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
well for a no-name pitcher
wouldn’t you think it would be just the opposite. There wouldn’t be much video or it wouldn’t be very recent?
it doesn't matter what I think
logically if they have teed off on pitchers w/o video, therefore lack of video is not the culprit (and we’re out of small sample size territory.) all other hypotheticals fall away.
…right? did I grab that from the right end?
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
dgoold
Bud Norris, Kyle Kendrick and Jeff Karstens have three wins combined this season. All three are against #Cardinals. #stlcards about 2 hours ago via web
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Speaking of old buddy boy
Carp get’s to face him Thursday. Should be fun! He’s the guy I want out there with his intensity…
but kendrick at least has been around for a while.
He crushed the cards in a kip wells special back in 2007. There’s a difference between crap pitchers and pitchers we’ve never seen and don’t have video for.
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
by tom s. on May 9, 2010 1:21 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
why would they have much video on them? other teams will take walks and/or hit pitches in the zone.
all the Cards would have on video is them getting shelled (perhaps after swinging at the first pitch.)
but seriously, I think it’s really the difference between their suckiness vs. the rest of baseball, and their utter dominance vs. the Cardinals.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Colby is a streaky hitter
He will get hot again. Freese carried the team for a week. We can’t expect him to keep doing that. The ones I am worried about are Albert and Holliday. Albert had a bad 1st 6 weeks of the season once. I believe this BA was .268 on May 15th or 16th. something like that. And I believe that Scott Rolen totally picked up the slack and more. He was Rolen fire burning at third base.
Anyway by the end of the year both had returned to normal. So I guess it’s too soon to worry.
A little scary about the streakiness
of our hitters, especially Colby and Ludwick. In a playoff series, it could seal our doom.
Think Jimmy Edmonds in the 2000 NLDS or the 2004 NLCS.
If one of either Colby or Luddy is hot during a series, look out…
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
I hope things return to normal
but I can’t ever remember Albert having such bad strike zone judgment for such an extended period of time. An at bat here or there or a day or two, sure, but he’s been this way the entire season. It’s like he can’t see the ball as well as in past years. Perhaps he needs glasses – :)
it's possible
or that ten-year warranty
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
seriously
I wonder if Albert, with Holliday behind him, is expecting to get more pitches to hit and thus is more geared up to hit. If so, he’s wrong. It doesn’t matter who is behind Albert, pitchers will still tend to pitch around him, or at least throw him a lot of junk.
there's something to that
he should’ve listened to big head. said last year it wouldn’t matter who hit behind Albert. could be Babe Ruth.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
I really don't think Colby is a streaky hitter
I mean, he is streaky right now. But I think he gets hot once he figures out what pitchers are doingto him and makes an adjustment. I also believe those adjustsments come quicker every time.
colby's season number still look really great
.300/.419/.600
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
His Fire's Burning...
Geiger
Let’s go
VivaElBirdos: Celebrating glorious mustaches since 2009
by redbirdnation8206 on May 9, 2010 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions
I really don't think
the offense will be helped appreciably by trying to bolster the weaker spots in the lineup. If the core four, AP, Lud, Holliday and Colby, don’t develop some consistency we’re not going to be much better off getting a few more hits out of the middle infielders.
I know it’s an un sabermetric analysis but it has seemed to me that the “chemistry” of the offense has been out of whack since the Holliday trade last year. It seemed so weird to see Holliday ripping the cover off the ball but the team not scoring any more runs. Now we’ve guys like Freese, Yadi and Colby giving us more than we could have hoped for but the big guns, including AP, going punchless in key situations.
Way too early to panic but I don’t think the answer will come from personnel changes. I would prefer to see some tinkering with the lineup, particularly in the 3 and 4 spots, but Tony takes a long time to give up on cherished notions.
huh?
we started scoring more once we acquired Holliday. In September/Oct we averaged almost 5 runs per game, more than during any other stretch of the season except our ridiculous(ly lucky) March/April (5.8 runs). He was definitely an offensive boost, and that boost translated over to the scoreboard. Looking through these stats those, it is interesting to see that our absolute worst month of scoring was…May, of course (3.5 runs). Who knows, maybe we just blow in May for whatever reason.
hmm..
so far in May Cards look to have the worst O-swing to O-contact ratio except for the Indians. Its only been a few games, but clearly we’re swinging at lot of pitches out of the zone, and making very poor contact when we do. Compare it to a team like the Yankees, that doesn’t swing out of the zone, and makes better much better contact when they do (probably at least in part due to the fact that they’re swinging at “closer” balls out of the zone). Sometimes I wish I could just walk into the clubhouse with a spreadsheet and bullhorn, and say, “Attention millionaires. Stop wearing your asses as hats and only swing at pitches in the strike zone.”
by mattyp on May 9, 2010 11:05 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I'll give ya a $100 if you do.
You're the fail to my win?
"There is not a better feeling in the whole world than knowing that you are the best team in both leagues."- Bob Forsch on winning the 1982 World Series.
by MaytheForschbewithyou on May 9, 2010 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions
...you realize he'll just be taser'd, right?
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Ants provide electricity?
Who knew? The little bastards could’ve solved the world’s energy crisis years ago. Of course the oil,coal, and nuclear power companies would’ve gone on a campaign to eradicate them for stealing profits.
You're the fail to my win?
"There is not a better feeling in the whole world than knowing that you are the best team in both leagues."- Bob Forsch on winning the 1982 World Series.
by MaytheForschbewithyou on May 9, 2010 12:13 PM EDT up reply actions
What do you think the $100 is for?
You're the fail to my win?
"There is not a better feeling in the whole world than knowing that you are the best team in both leagues."- Bob Forsch on winning the 1982 World Series.
by MaytheForschbewithyou on May 9, 2010 12:09 PM EDT up reply actions
another one went right over my head
yeah, I could spot a ten for that
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
And, with that said...
… it’s nice to hear McGwire’s comment in this morning’s P-D: “I think we’re trying a little too hard, and when you try too hard, you tend to swing at pitches that are not in the locations where you want to hit. It’s all in knowing your strike zone.” It would be easy for him to preach aggressiveness given how the media/public will not likely hold off blame/questions for long about his influence on the offensive malaise… glad he’s still emphasizing the importance of hitters staying within themselves and waiting for better pitches to hit.
That quote is very heartening.
Hopefully, McGwire’s thoughtful diagnosis leads to a more relaxed lineup.
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
May slumps bring June staches?
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
He was a "loser,"
for some reason. Oh yeah, because his team didn’t score any runs…
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
Who is this kid on my milk Carton?
Cardinals:
Mather cf
Ludwick rf
Pujols 1b
Freese 3b
Molina c
Stavinoha lf
Ryan ss
Wainwright p
Greene 2b
Pittsburgh:
Iwamura 2b
LaRoche 3b
McCutchen cf
Jones rf
Doumit c
Milledge lf
Clement 1b
Cedeno ss
Maholm p
Hey. New leadoff guy.
calm yourselves
it’s Joe Mather
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
who?
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
they really ought to find that kid
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
Yeah but how many homers on one knee has he ever hit?
by jd is legend on May 9, 2010 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions
maybe it's good-looking
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
or maybe it's pink bats
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
well why the F not I guess
I predict Adam wins this game on his own, both on the mound and at the plate.
Good thing for TLR it's Adam and not Carp
I could see Carp coming to the stadium, seeing the lineup, and losing his shit.
Carp: “MOTHERFUCKER!”
TLR: “Carp, relax, it’s the third game of a series, it’s our getaway lineup.”
Carp: “I DON’T GIVE A FUCK!”
by jd is legend on May 9, 2010 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions
And this would be followed by a large piece of luggage flying across the room
VivaElBirdos: Celebrating glorious mustaches since 2009
by redbirdnation8206 on May 9, 2010 1:11 PM EDT up reply actions
This is terrible.
I don’t think TLR could construct a lighter hitting lineup if he set out to do so (as opposed to using his patented method of pulling names out of a hat).
"I'm gonna throw the nastiest curveball I have ever thrown...if he hits it, I'll tip my cap, but if not we're going to the Series."
--Adam Wainwright on the final pitch of the 2006 NLCS
sure he could
Put skippy in at 2nd and move greene over to third. Give Yadi the start at 1st with Larue behind the plate.
john jay has been hitting. i wouldn't mind seeing him start.
"Did you just grow a mustache?"
"While SPINNING."
You wanna bet?
C-LaRue
1B-Molina
2B-Skippy
3B-Greene
SS-Boog
LF-Stav
CF-Colby
RF-Mather
Skippy, Greene, Colby, Molina, Mather, Stavinoha, LaRue, Pitcher, Boog
Over under on number of runs is set at 1.5. And… Go!
VivaElBirdos: Celebrating glorious mustaches since 2009
by redbirdnation8206 on May 9, 2010 1:16 PM EDT up reply actions
What a horrible, horrible lineup
That would be like being a Royals fan if Billy Butler got hurt.
VivaElBirdos: Celebrating glorious mustaches since 2009
by redbirdnation8206 on May 9, 2010 1:25 PM EDT up reply actions
yeh Tyler Greene!
i just hope he does something
/can’t be worse than skip….
Rasmus can hit lefties
cardinalred
St. Louis Sports blog
by stlcardsfan4 on May 9, 2010 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions
I hope the real Tyler Greene shows up
where is the D, T!
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
im hoping for a good day
something like this: 1-3, BB…. NO ERRORS
something better would be splendid but i don’t wanna get greedy here
Rasmus can hit lefties
cardinalred
St. Louis Sports blog
by stlcardsfan4 on May 9, 2010 12:26 PM EDT up reply actions
NO ERRORS
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
maybe he didn't hear us clearly
but Tyler, don’t committ ANY ERRORS… NONE… a hit would be nice as well
Rasmus can hit lefties
cardinalred
St. Louis Sports blog
by stlcardsfan4 on May 9, 2010 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions
might be one of the weirdest (and worst) lineups
i’ve ever seen tlr have.
Best moment I've ever seen at a Cards game in person
@zoomzoomj88
Revive the stache, Boog.
i think you've missed some doozies.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
we'll always have Aaron Miles
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
the lineup appears weird but
it’s not like the regulars having been doing much
so I re-read the prison visit article
which, y’know, a straussicle, I didn’t read it well the first time.
Skip has a criminal justice background? he was gonna take down perps?
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
he was gonna take down perps while being incredibly good looking?*
by LandSickness on May 9, 2010 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Would he have to
click and re-click the handcuffs?
by Iowa on May 9, 2010 12:16 PM EDT up reply actions 6 recs
you know you're a cardinals fan when you get offended
by slams on position players pitching
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
by Yadi2Second on May 9, 2010 12:33 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
back to hitting
we’ve been shutout 10% of the time
not to mention the 1s and 2s
ghost of hal mcrae needs to be exorcised
I may be in a rut, but at least I know where I'm going
Boog did make top plays (#2) and web gems (#1)
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5174938
VOTE VOTE VOTE
http://espn.go.com/mlb/
down at the bottom. Boog is leading, but Jay Bruce is right there.
Lick that shoulder—you're in the doghouse now.
"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there..." - THT
haha
he’s got 34%, the next highest i believe is 13%…. in Missouri he has 89% while the next highest is Mitch Maier (Royals, KC)…..
Rasmus can hit lefties
cardinalred
St. Louis Sports blog
oh, look, it's matt holliday
.314/.404/.576 .407 wOBA
no, wait. that’s actually albert pujols
wat
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
i just don't know how to feel
about colby being the best hitter on the team
"Moneyball: It's kind of like communism."
dangolemarecek
My audio is still not working on this computer, so can anyone tell me what Tony had to say about this? I am guessing Skip is staying in the leadoff spot?
I DON'T GIVE A FUCK!
they are discussing it
because of freeze, they aren’t so concerned with the middle of the order as they are with the top right now, so it’s something you might see (colby at leadoff)
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
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