Opening Day BP: Bryan Augenstein, Miguel Batista, Mitchell Boggs, Ryan Franklin, Trever Miller, Jason Motte, Brian Tallet
Current BP (before callups) : Boggs, Octavio Dotel, K Mac, Motte, Rhodes,Scrabble, Salas.

There’s at least six blown saves/losses in the first month that would put us in the lead in the WC and/or possibly the division. Even if we converted only 3 of those into wins, we’re basically tied w/ATL.

So in spite of losing Wainwright, trading away defense (Boog), mortgaging the future (Raz), injuries to Freese, Pujols, and Holliday, AND the Brewers having a career season, it’s easy to envision the Cards in the playoffs with better roster management of the bullpen. This season is a textbook example of why games in April as just as important as games in September.

that Tony has done a horrendous job of managing this team, I will give him credit for not letting this team give up. It seemed like when the team was really down and out (over 10 games back), Tony was the only one on the planet who continued to say the Cards still had a chance. While the chances of making the playoffs are still slim, these last couple weeks have certainly been entertaining, if not just infuriating. Even if the Cards don’t make the playoffs, I feel like we’ve been treated to near playoff-like intensity.

When all is said and done, and we just barely miss the playoffs, there is going to be a lot of things that we can point to as the reason why, but in the end it’ll be undeniable that Tony just fucked it up. 119 mostly ineffective appearances by Franklin, Batista, Miller, Tallett, and Rhodes. 118 mostly ineffective appearances by Ryan Theriot. Repeatedly pulling players like Lance Berkman, David Freese, and Allen Craig in the late innings, even though we only had a 1 or 2 run lead and then wound up in extra innings without some of our biggest bats. Corey Patterson with about 300 9th inning at bats with the game on the line. The JV lineups on the 3rd game of the series after winning the first 2 games – how do you expect to have a prolonged winning streak when you don’t play your best lineup for a prolonged period of time?

To be fair, Johnny Mo deserves some of the heat as well. After all, he is responsible for the players who are on the roster (supposedly), just not how they are used. He should have cut the cord on Franklin and Batista long before he did. He should’ve never let Augenstein and Batista make the roster over Salas and Sanchez. He should’ve never assumed that Ryan Theriot was a starting SS (I was crying “dooooomed” when I first heard about this late last year). There is still not a reason in the world for having Corey Patterson on the roster at all – this is like keeping heroin stored in the home of someone you know is a heroin addict. You know its gonna get used. Same goes for Rhodes.

Injuries also gutted this team of Waino, Holliday, Freese, Craig, Pujols, and others….but this is clearly no excuse.

“A lot of guys may not get to that ball. But, for me, I’ve got to catch that ball,” said Patterson, who had the ball pop from the palm of his glove. “I just dropped it. I may have gotten to it a little quicker than I thought.”

Got to love a guy who screws up, and then blames it on his incredible speed. Kind of reminds me of all the job interviews where I give half-assed reasons as to why my weaknesses are really strengths.

3.5 games out of the playoffs. Outlook is much better than it was a two weeks ago.

…

http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2011/9/17/2431175/september-playing-time