friday morning miscellany

by lboros on Apr 13, 2007 8:41 AM EDT in St. Louis Cardinals News

rick hummel asks what's up with pujols at the post-dispatch today. the commish is seeing what we're all seeing --- albert's impatient at the plate, expanding his strike zone, lunging at pitches he'd normally lay off, getting himself out. has he ever struggled like this before? almost never; i browsed his game logs at Baseball Reference PI back to 2003 and only located two 9-game stretches even remotely as bad as the one with which El Albert has opened 2007. the second of these is almost an identical match:

	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	\|	AVG	OBP	SLG
4/29/04 - 5/7/04	37	9	8	3	0	1	2	3	2	\|	.216	.368	.378
6/3/04 - 6/16/04	34	6	7	1	0	0	3	3	4	\|	.206	.282	.235
4/1/07 - 4/11/07	34	5	6	2	0	1	2	5	4	\|	.176	.282	.324

despite the two ugly stretches in 2004, he finished at .331 / .415 / .657 and placed 2d in the mvp balloting. but then, both of those cold spells were 9-game islands in an ocean of monstrous bashing; this one is contiguous with a month of spring training in which he hit .262 and slugged .403. he will break out of it at some point, but it's no stretch to say that albert is mired in one of the worst slumps of his career --- the worst, if you factor in the subpar march stats.

maybe he'll break out of it this weekend vs the brewers: he's a career 47 for 108 (.435) against the three scheduled starting pitchers. check out his line against chris capuano (saturday's starter): 17 for 30 (.567) with 6 walks (.639 obp) and 3 doubles / 3 homers (.967 slugging pct). he's a career .387 / .406 / .710 vs tonight's starter, ben sheets, in 62 at-bats (5 doubles, 5 homers) but has whiffed in 23 percent of their confrontations (14 times).

while we're talking about albert: he is one of three st. louis icons to figure prominently in rich lederer's evaluation of the greatest living hitters at si.com. pujols, mcgwire, and musial ranks 2d, 3d, and 5th respectively on the list of career OPS+ (again, that's only for guys who are still above ground). . . . . and now that stantheman has worked his way into the discussion, i should point you to derrick goold's blog post about washington dc's stan musial society.

* * * * * * * * *

i find it mildly interesting that mike parisi, not chris lambert, got called up from double A to take randy keisler's slot in the memphis rotation. they're both from the 2004 draft class, but lambert's a higher draft pick (1st round, vs 9th for parisi) and has already logged nearly two full seasons at double A --- unsuccessful seasons, admittedly. it was suggested during spring camp that the organization intended to challenge lambert, move him up and let him either sink or swim at triple A. but parisi pitched better down at jupiter, and he made a good first impression at memphis --- 3 singles and 1 walk in five innings. his groundout / flyout ratio: 10 to 3. that's parisi's game; lives and dies with the sinker. i have a feeling memphis will be a good fit for parisi --- large ballpark, pretty good defense behind him, and a pitching coach (dyar miller) who might help parisi learn to simplify his game and pitch to his strengths. the kid got into trouble with his control at times last season and was way out of sorts during the arizona fall league, where he got lit up. nobody talks about him, but he's got the type of repertoire that dave n tony often wring a modestly useful pitcher (viz.: brad thompson) out of.

one other farm-system note: i got an amusing e-mail from chuck king, who covers the florida state league for the palm beach post and blogs at Minor League Dugout. he tells me that during the opening week of the palm beach season, a rattlesnake parked himself just behind the right-field fence right before a game vs jupiter. the first pitch was delayed for 15 minutes while the grounds crew mulled its options; it was decided to let sleeping snakes lie. but the outfielders were duly placed on notice, just in case the reptile stirred and decided to come onto the playing field. i love this quote from nathan southard, who had to retrieve a double hit into the right-field corner early in the game: "I was like, no way! This fly ball is going to the rattlesnake."

southard later offered to take a little extra batting practice, using a shovel for the bat and the snake as the ball . . . . the full story is at chuck's blog.

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Holy Crap!!!

"check out his line against chris capuano (saturday's starter): 17 for 30 (.567) with 6 walks (.639 obp) and 3 doubles / 3 homers (.967 slugging pct)."

Thats what I call "OWNED." .967 slugging pct????? I didn't think that was possible.

by silent_bob on Apr 13, 2007 9:38 AM EDT reply actions

Slugging

I believe it's actually technically possible to have a slugging percentage of like 2.000. I don't remember the exact formula, but I think if you have more total bases than at bats, it will be over 1.000. Although, going by that, you could go up to 4.000. Hmm...I just don't recall exactly how it works.

Acquire Rocco Baldelli!

by the red baron on Apr 13, 2007 9:43 AM EDT up reply actions

Well, of course it's statistically possible..

4 AB's, 4 Homers = 4.000. But still, a .967 slg after 30 at bats is stuff of legend.

by silent_bob on Apr 13, 2007 9:44 AM EDT up reply actions

The Stuff of Legend

Hence, the continued employment of So Taguchi.

Thank you Billy Wagner.

Acquire Rocco Baldelli!

by the red baron on Apr 13, 2007 9:47 AM EDT up reply actions

I just spit out my coffee.

thanks for that. ha.

by silent_bob on Apr 13, 2007 9:48 AM EDT up reply actions

Hey Bob

Were you still planning on posting a more detailed diary about Carp's elbow thing? We depend on you quite a bit for the med knowledge.

Acquire Rocco Baldelli!

by the red baron on Apr 13, 2007 9:49 AM EDT up reply actions

Maybe - not sure what's really new there.

Talked to Larry about it - I'll keep an eye out for any news that may need explaining. Sounds like the braintrust is in a holding pattern right now.

I did hear that no lubricant was injected into his elbow - just cortisone. Carp's going to have to throw off the mound and wake up the next AM with no swelling before we'll see him again, I assume.

I also plan on writing something up later this year when Mulder begins throwing off the mound.

by silent_bob on Apr 13, 2007 9:56 AM EDT up reply actions

Cool

The only thing I'm a little confused on is the whole use of the word impingement. I thought an impingement was a collapse of the sac surrounding a joint, but they appear to be using it in a completely different way here. I wasn't sure if it was one of those things where I just wasn't understanding, or if the organisation is sort of throwing out an intentionally vague term to avoid pointed questioning.

Acquire Rocco Baldelli!

by the red baron on Apr 13, 2007 10:00 AM EDT up reply actions

Impingement

It's a scary word, because it usually involves the rotator cuff in the shoulder. Impingement, in any context, refers to something being pinched or compressed. In the shoulder (i.e. Mark Mulder's) the rotator cuff tendons are getting jammed up into the bone/ligament "shelf" that sits above them. This causes irritation of the bursa and tendon. Usually impingement occurs over time - in the shoulder it can turn into a rotator cuff tear.

In the elbow, The impingement occurs between the humerus and ulna at the elbow joint. The sideways torque from throwing causes the joint surfaces to make contact with one another in an unnatural, forceful manner. If a bone spur develops or chips of bone get lodged in there - the elbow gets cranky.

Think of a wrench torquing a cheap square nut - if you torque it hard enough, you can actually dent the metal. Now imagine if you get a shard of metal stuck in there and you continue to torque it. That's kind of like elbow impingement.

by silent_bob on Apr 13, 2007 10:14 AM EDT up reply actions

Thanks

I was just a little confused. The gist of the problem seems to be bone chips or spurs, according to the club. However, I had bone chips in my ankle a couple of years ago. They were painful, and I eventually had to have a quick surgery to get them out, but at no point do I ever remember hearing anything about an impingement. That's the main reason I wasn't following the club's explanation.

Acquire Rocco Baldelli!

by the red baron on Apr 13, 2007 10:32 AM EDT up reply actions

Chips vs. Spurs

Sorry to drag this topic out, but bone chips and bone spurs seem like two different conditions that require two different courses of action. I wouldn't think that a spur could be worked around, and that chips possibly could. I only ask because I've heard both terms used, and I'm not sure which is the root problem here.

Thanks in advance, and thanks for shedding light on the medical issues so far.

by ReplacementLevelPoster on Apr 13, 2007 10:44 AM EDT up reply actions

Chips vs. spurs

everything that I've read so far - they've mentioned spurring, not chips.

You are right. They are two different conditions. The mechanism of injury is the same, but floating bone chips, to me, would be a condition that would necessitate arthroscopy. I also think that having floating chips that get lodged in the joint causes more pain symptoms. Carp doesn't complain of pain - just swelling.

by silent_bob on Apr 13, 2007 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions

I thought Carp did complain about pain

I thought I heard something about Carp saying He couldnt touch his right arm to his shoulder because of this.

Maybe im reading too much into this but I thought that was from pain,
do you think he just meant swelling?

by jealousblues on Apr 13, 2007 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions

No pain

just swelling. I'm sure of this one.

by silent_bob on Apr 13, 2007 3:46 PM EDT up reply actions

i can't remember

where i read it. i'm pretty sure that it was somewhere on stltoday, but someone wrote something about "floating bone chips" potentially creating an ongoing issue.

by sdesserman on Apr 13, 2007 10:06 AM EDT up reply actions

That is

what Will Carroll has been saying that he thinks it is over at BP. Bone chips - maybe you read it there or someone else read it there and posted it on a message board.

by Toddius396 on Apr 13, 2007 11:23 AM EDT up reply actions

A-Rod's

slug is currently 1.067 or something like that...

by eglasier on Apr 13, 2007 10:36 AM EDT up reply actions

Keisler and Buscemi

You know, I see that, but I personally thought he looked a lot more like Peter Lorry.

Acquire Rocco Baldelli!

by the red baron on Apr 13, 2007 9:48 AM EDT up reply actions

Keisler

I thought he looked like Freddy Kruger without the scars.

by stl4all on Apr 13, 2007 12:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Man...

You guys are just being cruel.

The dude can't help the way he looks. That's just harsh.

There are 10 types of people in the world. Those who understand binary, and those who don't.

by Mr Clean on Apr 13, 2007 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions

whats up with Pujols

If you add in his stats from the WS to this years start, it is an even longer poor stretch for Albert.
Maybe his efforts to do too much during the WS has led to some bad habits.
Hopefully it is just a run of the mill slump and he will crush his way at of it this weekend.

by MNCardsFan on Apr 13, 2007 9:45 AM EDT reply actions

Pujols not breaking out...

I know I am already a renouned pessimist here, but I don't see A'Pu breaking his slump anytime soon. Unlike previous slump where he was basically hitting into hard luck, he seems to be making less contact and striking out where he shouldn't be.

I don't have the technical expertise to make this determination, but does anyone know if his swing (bat speed) has slowed? Do you know if any of the video guys have examined his swing?

by Zubin on Apr 13, 2007 10:08 AM EDT reply actions

Sadly

this is where a great hitting coach is helpful, for spotting stuff like this. But alas, the Cards don't have one.

by JMedwick on Apr 13, 2007 10:57 AM EDT up reply actions

Still quick as ever

It's all in his approach. His bat speed is still the best in the game outside of maybe Manny, he's just sitting fastball in changeup counts. That's why the whole "don't swing at the first pitch" approach he has is really pissing me off. They are asking him to sit dead red on a fastball and he's not doing it. Instead he acts like 0-1 is 0-0 and ends up rolling over on a changeup/slider. I'd have to imagine his spray chart would show a bunch of grounders to third. That's not in his willingness to go the other way...he's done that...he just is getting fooled a bunch on changeups. He'll be out of it soon enough...he's still struck out just 4 times while walking 5.

Pujols < .200

by joker24 on Apr 13, 2007 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions

very interesting

you're right, from what i can tell, in your hit chart analysis. ground balls are the most unbalanced, with the vast majority going to the left side. but balls hit to the outfield are more balanced. getting fooled on changeups, rather than trying too hard to pull the ball, might be the root cause.

very interesting indeed.

I believe in the Sports Guy rule. Any "complaining" in this post is actually happy, cheerful "constructive criticism."

by nycbirdo on Apr 13, 2007 2:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Where do they have free hit charts?

I wasn't looking at a hit chart coming up with that guess...where do they have them?

Pujols < .200

by joker24 on Apr 13, 2007 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Found one

at MLB.com - stat page. But it's not great. Separates it out by stadium. Foxsports has one too.

by silent_bob on Apr 13, 2007 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions

The Big Poo

I know you fellas here at VEB love your statistical measurements, but sometimes the game just isn't all about statistics. Stats are accumulated as a RESULT of form, technique, attitude, and any number of other non-quantitative measures.

Has anyone NOT noticed how Albert is trying desperately to pull everything? He has always expanded his strike zone, but his ability to go to all fields with power is what off-sets his aggressiveness at the plate.

Almost without exception, when AP is in a slump, he is trying to pull every pitch, which creates a hole on the outside of the plate that he just cannot generate any power from. Invariably, he starts to ground out to the short-stop on outside pitches instead of hitting doubles to the right-center field gap. Am I the only one that thinks this?

I'm a man, a manly, manly, man. Unknown

by Eckstreem on Apr 13, 2007 10:15 AM EDT reply actions

Not trying to be funny -

but you can quantify your observations by looking at a hit chart - comparing, say, last April to this April. Anyone have the source/info for that?

by silent_bob on Apr 13, 2007 10:51 AM EDT up reply actions

No no, that would be statistics

n/t

by sdrone on Apr 13, 2007 11:08 AM EDT up reply actions

i did a quick count via gameday

and the statistics back up what eckstreem is saying.

albert has put 30 balls into play this year --- 18 of those have gone to the left side of the field. 4 have gone up the middle, 7 have gone the opposite way, and 1 was a popup behind home plate.

no offense to you, eckstreem, but i don't trust your subjective impressions nearly as much as i trust the stat sheet. in this case, your impression was very accurate.

by lboros on Apr 13, 2007 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions

AP

No offense taken at all Larry. Thanks for looking into the chart. I just gotta say that I LOVE this site, man. Great stuff all the time!

I'm a man, a manly, manly, man. Unknown

by Eckstreem on Apr 13, 2007 5:09 PM EDT up reply actions

i trust the stat sheet

more than i trust my own subjective impressions. sometimes i think i'm seeing something, but the numbers don't support --- so i have to go back and look again, maybe re-think my opinion.

your point re pujols was spot-on. it'll be interesting to see if he makes any adjustments this weekend

by lboros on Apr 13, 2007 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions

I think your point is

That we can't truly understand the "whys" about Albert's slump simply by looking at the numbers. We have no real idea what Pujols is thinking about up at the plate, if he has other things on his mind, if there is some sort of mental hangup that prevents him from using all of his talents. All that we know is his current play does not match up with past empirical evidence.

The only thing that we can do is the analyze the "hows", the physical outcomes of his actions and try to glean some knowledge from it. If there was a way to measure every single vector within his swing/stride/stance and to compare it to previous data in the hopes of curing his present malaise, the volunteers would come out of the woodwork to help him.

We all know that Albert is meticulous with video analysis of his at-bats, so we should have little doubt that he will solve this matter and return to his previous level of mastery.

BTW, it might be a little different if you had a completely natural hitter who just does it, never had to think about it. Sort of like the old Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoons, where the coyote would chase the bird off a cliff admist a cloud of smoke, realize that he's in mid-air, then finally plummet to the ground; the bird would continue to stand unsupported and pull out a sign that says, "I never studied law". A hitter like that doesn't understand his swing; he never had to put it together, so it might be impossible to tear it down and build it back up again.

Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time.

by Solanus on Apr 13, 2007 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions

Pujols pulling

Yeah, he did that last year too.

It was like half of the balls he hit were pounded hard into the dirt and right at the third baseman

by jealousblues on Apr 13, 2007 2:29 PM EDT up reply actions

OUCH

Ya got me on that one Sdrone. It would be interesting to see, though.

I'm a man, a manly, manly, man. Unknown

by Eckstreem on Apr 13, 2007 11:20 AM EDT reply actions

More from Will Carroll about Carp:

Per Brewcrew Ball:
_________________

Will Carroll's Under the Knife is still blessedly free of Brewers mentions, but he does have an interesting tidbit about Chris Carpenter:

"It seems that the Cardinals did an MRI of
Carpenter before signing him to the extension and, if I'm reading this right, knew that he had bone chips. I will grant you that there are likely a good percentage of pitchers that would find the same thing if imaged, and that they were nevertheless asymptomatic. This is what I was talking about when I said that teams--the Cardinals in particular--have better data sets for pitchers. Knowing everything they do about Carpenter, including this info, they still elected to sign him to the extension. Do they know something we don't? Of course they do. Whether that info is enough to counteract what was surely an unexpected injury coming from an acknowledged and known problem is another story."

Really fascinating stuff: it'll be an interesting story to watch. Judging from Will's comments in the past, the Cardinals are at the forefront of quantitative research into medical issues.

_________________

-Not sure about that last part; I hope it's true, but I still wonder about the accuracy of the statement.

by silent_bob on Apr 13, 2007 11:27 AM EDT reply actions

This actully makes me feel good

Perhaps the condition is considered minor, thus the extension. They knew there could be a flare-up down the road, but obviously never envisioned the condition making Carp miss half a season. So odds are it still won't?

by Jonathan23 on Apr 13, 2007 11:40 AM EDT up reply actions

i don't think will is entirely correct on this

in the p-d article in which paletta talks about carp's elbow, strauss writes:

"Paletta said the club ordered an MRI of Carpenter's arm in February for insurance purposes after signing him to a three-year extension two months earlier." (my emphasis)

later in the article, it says:

"Paletta said the club has known about the existence of bone spurs and mild arthritis in Carpenter's elbow since before it signed him as a free agent in December 2002."

the spurs, of course, were no secret at that time, because it was public knowledge that carp had his elbow scoped in 1999.

unless there is other information out there which i haven't read, it seems that the cards did not ordder an MRI before offering the extension --- they did so afterward, and only then learned that bone spurs might still be an issue in carp's elbow.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/4BCF87719511E12C862572BA0014012E ?OpenDocument

by lboros on Apr 13, 2007 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions

Which extension are you talking about Larry?

February of this year? I'm too lazy to look it up.

by silent_bob on Apr 13, 2007 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions

the extension was signed in december

and then, according to this article, the MRI was in february --- two months later

by lboros on Apr 13, 2007 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions

well, the 1 known MRI doesn't preclude the other

n/t

by sdrone on Apr 13, 2007 1:58 PM EDT up reply actions

Insurance

They could have written a clause in the contract that would have voided it if the team was not able to get insurance on the contract due to medical problems...Seems that the MRI was for the purchase of insurance on the contract.

by BigJawnMize on Apr 13, 2007 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions

Albert

Are there any questions about Albert's age? I have always wondered whether he was really as young as we think.

I know there have been some offhand allegations of steroids. I really hope that's not the case. I don't think it is, maybe because that's what I want to believe. If he took them, I think it must have been before he ever got to the big leagues, because he was always a pretty big body. I don't think it's that. Anything consistent with someone who has recently gotten off steroids?

I am trying to trade for Albert right now, because everyone who owns him in fantasy seems pissed about it. I offered Travis Hafner this morning. I hope that does it. And then I hope Albert goes on a tear.

by Toddius396 on Apr 13, 2007 11:28 AM EDT reply actions

Probably a good trade

I don't know if anyone has mentioned it, but all of the 'Albert doesn't look as big as he did last year' talk reminds me of Ivan Rodriguez last year (or the year before?). He started the season slimmer, and everyone automatically assumed the weight loss was steroid related. But his numbers didn't really suffer as a result. I know its two different situations with two different hitters, but it makes me think that slimming down doesn't have anything to do with his troubles.

I have to agree with everything that's been said about him pressing because the offense hasn't been very good. His numbers were great when Rolen, Edmonds, et al. have been producing. They're not, and now he's not.

by ReplacementLevelPoster on Apr 13, 2007 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions

Rumors

Trade for Albert if you can.

Yeah, there have been suggestions that he might be a couple of years older than his stated age. No evidence to confirm it, and 27-28 versus 29-30 isn't really a big issue for a physically sound player of Albert's body type (fat players do drop off quicker).

It's a pet peeve of mine that some people repeat completely unsubstantiated gossip about drugs as if visual evidence (from photos or TV, generally not face-to-face) is more reliable than test results. Frequently tested, never positive, is the best evidence.

Last year Deadspin embarassed itself by smearing a guy because a "source" claimed that his name was in Jason Grimsley's affidavit; which it wasn't. The "source" is still hiding under a rock somewhere, because he could be sued for defamation, I guess.

by madridbend on Apr 13, 2007 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions

it's highly unlikely

he went to high school in missouri. If he was faking his age he went to great lengths to do it.

"God is back in the National League. Matter of fact, he is staying at my house." -Joaquin Andujar

by SleepyCA on Apr 13, 2007 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions

no records

As I understand it though. Most Dominican Republic players don't have really good birth certificate records. So whatever age Albert and his family said he was when they entered the country could have been forged or even nonexistent.

As an immigrant, I'm sure there's a huge benefit to having your high school diploma being from a US school (it would probably help getting into sports programs and stuff as well) so his family could have decided it was worth the effort to hide his real age.

I'm not saying they did (and I certainly don't have any evidence that they did) but I could see why they would and just having gone to school in the US doesn't really have many implications on his reported age.

by dontEATnachos on Apr 13, 2007 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions

possible, yes...

if you're talking about a year or two fudged. more than that seems unlikely however, for as i've seen it stated elsewhere, the difference in appearance between a 20 and a 24 year old may be negligible, but not between a 14 and an 18 year old.

Rabid Redbird

by gthedamned on Apr 13, 2007 1:41 PM EDT up reply actions

It may not be a big deal now

but, at the end of this contract, he will be looking for a new one at a starting age of 32. I assume he will want one last long-term contract/extension. There's a big difference between giving a 32 year old a top dollar 5 year contract and a 34 or 35 year old a top dollar 5 year contract. Could be a killer.

by RedbirdRay on Apr 13, 2007 2:15 PM EDT up reply actions

The 'no team can go 0-162' argument

Just like Pujols can't possibly STAY this bad for the entire season. Of course, the body of his work and the general basis in that the law of averages says he HAS to bounce back to being atleast 80% of what we come to expect but there is always the 'well, technically a team CAN go 0 - 162'.

This Pujols thing, I fear, has the chance of snowballing into a half year slump if some correction isn't made soon.

As I said in the Pirates Game 8 thread, I was at the game. He is lunging. In 2006, when Pujols hit a bit of a HR drought, FSN brokedown his stance and showed that when he was 'on' early in the year, he was merely rocking the toe up and then planting the heel back down. When he was struggling, he was picking the foot up and pulling it towards leftfield. He is doing the same now, but is also stepping forward towards the ball.

I almost wonder with his weight drop if Pujols believes he has to compensate for a potential loss in power due to decreased muscle mass by opening up on the ball with his legs and trying to muscle everything.

Whatever it is, IF Pujols and Rolen ever get rolling and Edmonds can contribute a potential 2005 version of himself at the plate, with this pitching, the Cardinals could be a very dangerous team. If not, they can't keep winning these 3-2 ballgames the way they are, simply because of the old 'revert to the mean'.

Walk your dog, not Pujols.

by Hardcore Legend on Apr 13, 2007 12:06 PM EDT reply actions

weight loss

I still think he has INCREASED muscle mass this year. He's looks to me like he is more muscular now than he's ever been. What he is lacking in is babe ruth muscle, around the waist, hips, etc.

He just needs to hire up a personal a hot dog vendor and start putting down a couple of nice cold ones every night after the game, and he'll be back to being fat albert the hr king in no time.

He might also consider laying into the first pitch once in a while. Without looking into the data (not even sure where to look), he hasn't swung at a first pitch yet that I've seen, and pitchers are starting off with him in the hole 0-1 every single at-bat. Combine that with the quality of umpiring we've seen this year and even the best hitter in the world will have a disadvantage imo.

"God is back in the National League. Matter of fact, he is staying at my house." -Joaquin Andujar

by SleepyCA on Apr 13, 2007 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions

0-1 every AB?

It seems like it, but this isn't accurate...

According to espn's stat page:
Albert has 36 total ABs, not counting 3 intentional walks.

15 times an AB went to 0-1
20 times an AB went to 1-0 (including 2 non-intentional walks)

He has 1 AB where he swung at the first pitch... he got a single.

More info:
After being 1-0 on 20 ABs, just 7 of those went to 2-0.
His batting average is .056 when he starts out 1-0!!!

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/splits?playerId=4574

by redbird2006in on Apr 13, 2007 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions

wow

thanks for finding that. Although it's not accurate to say that he starts out 0-1 in every at bat, it does pretty much show that he isn't swinging at the first pitch at all this year.

and 0-5 after 2-0 count, with a strikeout... yikes.

"God is back in the National League. Matter of fact, he is staying at my house." -Joaquin Andujar

by SleepyCA on Apr 13, 2007 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions

Does Albert have a vision problem?

That site is fascinating. Although the sample sizes are very small, it seems that Albert is clearly laying off the first pitch, and apparently isn't taking much advantage in hitter's counts.

Plus - hitless against lefties???????

I wonder if he has a vision problem. (My confidence that the LaRussaDuncan brain trust can identify medical issues is pretty much gone.)

by madridbend on Apr 13, 2007 2:48 PM EDT up reply actions

slump

as someone pointed out earlier, albert hasn't been himself for a while now, much longer than 9 games. He really wasn't himself for almost the entire playoffs and then spring training, so he's really been in an almost 2 month long slump. this may be a much bigger problem.

by jojo5492 on Apr 13, 2007 1:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Just got back from our annual Memphis trip...

...BBQ Ribs & Redbirds Baseball... why not? Anyway, went to Tuesday's & Wednesday's games against the New Orleans Zephyrs. Parisi looked pretty good - I'm sure he would've pitched longer if it hadn't gone into 3 separate rain delays before being called. It was a long, cold & wet night. Was also impressed with Rick Ankiel's performance who went 3-4 with a double, a dinger & 4 RBIs. Woulda been 4-4, but the first one he hit probably would've been over the right-field wall if the weather had been more forgiving. It was caught on the track. And then - just for a moment, I thought to myself, "wow, Little Ricky just might pull it together & make a valuable addition to the big club, at least off the bench." Then we went back on Wednesday and watched him strike-out 3 times in a row and then hit a pop-up right behind home plate. 0-4, Just looked awful. Oh well. It's always a good time visiting Autozone Park no matter what, and not just for the Rendezvous BBQ Nachos!

by ArachNerd on Apr 13, 2007 1:08 PM EDT reply actions

In other news...

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but Memphis is retiring a jersey.

"Left-hander, right-hander, soft thrower, power guy, fastballs away, fastballs in-- [Albert Pujols] doesn't have any holes." - Tino Martinez

by _pistol_ on Apr 13, 2007 1:53 PM EDT reply actions

my wife giggled...

every-time the announcer said, "Stubby Clapp Day" at the ballpark.

by ArachNerd on Apr 13, 2007 2:04 PM EDT up reply actions

I had never heard before that Stubby

Did flips before games. Interesting.

by OCCardsFan on Apr 13, 2007 2:06 PM EDT up reply actions

pressing

Couldnt it be Pujols is pressing because he sees how little offense actually surrounds him? I went to one of the Cards' games against the Pirates this week and Scott Spiezio was his protection? Or should I say, no protection at all. Pitchers have no reason to give him anything good to hit, and hes trying to do something with pitcher's pitches instead of just taking the walk.

SaberTJ

by SaberTJ on Apr 13, 2007 2:16 PM EDT reply actions

In the Pittsburgh series

he was given quite a few 'pitches to hit' many of them he missed or barely got a piece of.

Walk your dog, not Pujols.

by Hardcore Legend on Apr 13, 2007 2:18 PM EDT up reply actions

assuming it's true,

i'd put more stock in the idea that he's altered his swing/form due to pressing, rather than not getting anything good to hit. if he's really doing something different with his front foot, and the hit charts show a difference, that's significant to me.

I believe in the Sports Guy rule. Any "complaining" in this post is actually happy, cheerful "constructive criticism."

by nycbirdo on Apr 13, 2007 2:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Anyone remember when

Albert credited his wife for noticing a change in his stance? I thought it was concluding a mini-draught before the all-star break in 2005.

It looks to me he is now lower than Bagwell, and trying to leap out of his shoes. The Toe-Heel movement doesn't look the same.

Last year at spring training I was concerned that he was skying the ball, and the line drives dissappeared. But with ball going over the wall so often early last year, who get's concerned by that? Still his ratio of doubles to hr's continues to drop year on year.

This spring the doubles were back, but the long ball absent. Now neither. Will somebody please get his wife to compare the videos?

Fan for Life. Go Cards.

by Birds on the Bat on Apr 13, 2007 2:46 PM EDT up reply actions

somebody

should produce a split-screen analysis of this theory, so we can see it for ourselves.

by ArachNerd on Apr 13, 2007 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Lambert

It appears from the way the team is handling him that he might switch to the bullpen. I am not sure how his stuff is, but if he has too decent pitches this would be the way to go. Anyone want to wager that he is a reliever in the minors by this time next year. I am saying ther is around a 60% chance of this...

by BigJawnMize on Apr 13, 2007 2:40 PM EDT reply actions

That would make sense

I heard his problem was that he has big trouble with location, but his stuff isn't a problem

by Valatan on Apr 13, 2007 4:20 PM EDT up reply actions

Weather

Anyone have any insight on the weather tonight? The forecast calls for scattered showers. With these temps I hope there aren't multiple delays, because if there are someone is going to get hurt.

Jimmy steps in to lead off the bottom half of the inning... with nobody on base... It could happen... just not tonight.

by Hollywood15 on Apr 13, 2007 2:43 PM EDT reply actions

mixed review on wagonmaker

will carroll over at bp has this to say about wainwright (subscription required):

-------
Two quality starts by Adam Wainwright are good early returns on his 'conversion' to starting.

... What's a bit worrisome has been his lack of control (seven walks against eight strikeouts) and his relative inefficiency (seven innings and 101 pitches, then 6.2 and 111) in starts against relatively weak offenses. Both can be attributed to his reliance on that looping curve, a pitch that can move so much it gives umpires trouble. One scout told me that "the pitch is so good, it looked like the Pirates just laid off it and let him have [the curve.]"

The biggest question with Wainwright is stamina, so inefficiency this early in the season is not a good sign...
------

i'm a big believer in pitch count - i think it should be prominently featured on every stadium scoreboard - and i agree ww's early counts are troubling if they continue. but small sample size, etc. (his 100% quality start percentage, of course, having nothing at all to do with small sample size, will continue unchanged for the rest of his career.) still - gotta love that scout's quote.

I believe in the Sports Guy rule. Any "complaining" in this post is actually happy, cheerful "constructive criticism."

by nycbirdo on Apr 13, 2007 2:54 PM EDT reply actions

I case of 2 games

I thought that he fought his control all day long vs. the pirates, and he lost some command late in the Astros game - but he knows how to get hitters out even when he's not on. Wagonmaker will be fine.

by silent_bob on Apr 13, 2007 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions

Agreed. Wainer's not technically

a rookie any more, but you could say he's a "rookie major-league starter." All part of the education of Adam. He'll be fine.

by MdRedbirdFreak on Apr 13, 2007 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions

by the way

am i the only one reading "gives umpires trouble" as "causes umpires to call balls on pitches that are really strikes, thus increasing his pitch count"? anyone who's been watching these games have any insight?

I believe in the Sports Guy rule. Any "complaining" in this post is actually happy, cheerful "constructive criticism."

by nycbirdo on Apr 13, 2007 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions

I sat behind home plate for Wagonmaker's

Pittsburgh game and against righthanded batters, he was getting NOTHING on the 1st base side of the plate, especially on breaking pitches.

Walk your dog, not Pujols.

by Hardcore Legend on Apr 13, 2007 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions

thanks to the pitch-by-pitch data we're compiling

that question can be answered --- in part, anyway. in his start against the astros, wainwright only threw the curve 17 times in 101 pitches --- not a particularly high reliance on that pitch --- and got 13 of them over for strikes. recorded 3 outs on the pitch (2 strikeouts and a groundball) and gave up a single. nearly half of those curves (8) were thrown to two batters, luke scott and adam everett.

the problem pitch was his fastball, which he threw for strikes only 59 percent of the time (30 strikes, 21 balls). his other pitches were strikes 74 percent of the time (37 strikes, 13 balls).

by lboros on Apr 13, 2007 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions

to reiterate, that's only

for the first start. haven't seen the chart yet for the pittsburgh game

by lboros on Apr 13, 2007 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions

Will Carroll

Seems to me that Will Carroll needs to stick to discussing/analzying injury trends, rather than analyzing pitchers' effectiveness.

I'm sure he can break down pitching mechanics, but I can't see how he makes that comment about Adam relying on his curveball too much without having data to back it up.

by silent_bob on Apr 13, 2007 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions

That makes sense-

Can't set up the curve without throwing a good fastball for strikes.

Good stuff.

by silent_bob on Apr 13, 2007 4:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Wagonmaker nickname

can anyone tell me where it came from?

I'm going to my happy place now.

by RosevilleRedbird on Apr 13, 2007 3:29 PM EDT reply actions

Praise be to Solanus,

his name (Wainwright) means Wagonmaker. My name, as far as I can tell, means "doesn't work." So, these things seems to be pretty acurate. Science.

Cheers

by Alxfritz on Apr 13, 2007 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Alrighty then

Thanks!

I'm going to my happy place now.

by RosevilleRedbird on Apr 13, 2007 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions

Example

Pujols swing is on the "fritz?" I think you should go for Alex Awesome! Okay I am done...

Jimscobert Purolmonds - MV3

by OKCardsfan on Apr 13, 2007 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions

This Cubs game

is hilarious. Zambrano squanders a 5-run lead; Ohman relieves him and walks the tying run home in his first four pitches.

by Don Zero on Apr 13, 2007 4:00 PM EDT reply actions

Then Ohman walks in the go-ahead run

Bases loaded, still nobody out. The Cubs at Wrigley are a comedy act.

by Don Zero on Apr 13, 2007 4:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Oh, to have a ringside seat

for what's going through Piniella's mind right now.

by MdRedbirdFreak on Apr 13, 2007 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions

wow

6 runs and no outs... Ladies and gentlemen, your 2007 NL cy young winner, Big Z!

"God is back in the National League. Matter of fact, he is staying at my house." -Joaquin Andujar

by SleepyCA on Apr 13, 2007 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Making fun of Zambrano would be a lot funnier

if our ace were actually pitching in games...

by Valatan on Apr 13, 2007 4:23 PM EDT up reply actions

if carpenter announced

that he was going to be the cy young award winner, during spring training, two years in a row, I'd make fun of him too.

"God is back in the National League. Matter of fact, he is staying at my house." -Joaquin Andujar

by SleepyCA on Apr 13, 2007 4:27 PM EDT up reply actions

So true...

I know pitchers need a certain amount of confidence, even cockiness, which can sometimes come across as arrogance, to be effective & intimidating. But the level of big Z's is just freakin' ridiculous! Especially if he can't back it up by pitching more than 5 innings!

by ArachNerd on Apr 13, 2007 4:49 PM EDT up reply actions

A 2 AB PH

You don't see that too often. Chad Moeller PH'd for Harang as the second batter in the inning and he's getting his second AB as they bat around... and then some.

by punditmoi on Apr 13, 2007 4:06 PM EDT reply actions

that could have been a lot worse

wuertz came in and struck out three straight Cincy batters, starting with bases loaded and none out. that's pretty effing solid work. and a poor showing by the reds. bases loaded, none out, and none of three batters can even put a ball in play? really?

I believe in the Sports Guy rule. Any "complaining" in this post is actually happy, cheerful "constructive criticism."

by nycbirdo on Apr 13, 2007 4:13 PM EDT reply actions

Maybe

They were too busy laughing from the previous trip through the order?

by Birds on the Matt on Apr 13, 2007 4:34 PM EDT up reply actions

3 K's on 11 pitches

glad they had 6 runs in already.

I think i'll go visit cubbie black&blue. Bet the dialogue is sharp.

Fan for Life. Go Cards.

by Birds on the Bat on Apr 13, 2007 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions

Back from Bleed Cubbie Blue

Treat yourself to reading through Z's meltdown. LOL and tears to the eyes. It may be more fun than reading veb through victory.

Add to that Sorianno getting a walk!!, then getting picked off.

Fan for Life. Go Cards.

by Birds on the Bat on Apr 13, 2007 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions

They are livid

and it's beautiful :-)

by rockin redbird on Apr 13, 2007 5:09 PM EDT up reply actions

1 pitch 1 down

2 to go.

Fan for Life. Go Cards.

by Birds on the Bat on Apr 13, 2007 5:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Lee down swinging

Fan for Life. Go Cards.

by Birds on the Bat on Apr 13, 2007 5:26 PM EDT reply actions

Floyd flies out

with 2 on, just to increase those cubbie hopes one last time, before a crushing defeat.

Fan for Life. Go Cards.

by Birds on the Bat on Apr 13, 2007 5:29 PM EDT reply actions

of course

while watching the reds beat the cubs was more fun than watching the cubs beat the reds, it does mean that we are now in second place again.

sigh...

"God is back in the National League. Matter of fact, he is staying at my house." -Joaquin Andujar

by SleepyCA on Apr 13, 2007 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions

Ah well...

The law of pleasure and pain. It was worth it. Watching my most-hated player in baseball meltdown like that was soooooo beautiful it brought tears of joy to my eyes. Hopefully we'll see more of that when they come to town on the 20th.

by rockin redbird on Apr 13, 2007 5:41 PM EDT up reply actions

woe is me

I turned if off after zambrano's homer.

by DCGreg on Apr 13, 2007 5:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Just got to win tonight and all is

right with the world.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK ISN'T WORKING?! YOU SEE THE DAMN GAME?" - Pinella.

I'm betting he kills somebody at Wrigley by August.

Cheers

by Alxfritz on Apr 13, 2007 5:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Meltdown

at BCB. Love it.

by silent_bob on Apr 13, 2007 5:33 PM EDT reply actions

though i am impressed

with the 500-post game thread. Lots of passion over there, misguided and pathetic as it may be.

"God is back in the National League. Matter of fact, he is staying at my house." -Joaquin Andujar

by SleepyCA on Apr 13, 2007 5:58 PM EDT up reply actions

rainout?

Radar for tonight not looking so hot.

by DCGreg on Apr 13, 2007 5:34 PM EDT reply actions

just gunna say that to our out of town folks

game tonight looks very, very doubtful as does the game tomorrow afternoon. i suppose they could wait until tomorrow night to play the game, but still. probaly no game tonight. i think baseball should have moved the game time up.

by stlcardinalsfang on Apr 13, 2007 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions

HILARIOUS

pic posted at BCB - it's a Brokeback Mountain parody featuring Prior/Wood. PRICELESS. I'd post here, but I don't know how to post photos. You owe it to yourselves to go check it out.

I believe in the Sports Guy rule. Any "complaining" in this post is actually happy, cheerful "constructive criticism."

by nycbirdo on Apr 13, 2007 5:43 PM EDT reply actions

this one?

Cheers

by Alxfritz on Apr 13, 2007 5:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Back to back rainouts........

maybe we can go play the games in Milwaukee.....You are not going to believe this, but Mark Prior is hurt again!

by jillsinmo on Apr 13, 2007 5:55 PM EDT reply actions

It's not official yet

Is it?

by Don Zero on Apr 13, 2007 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions

no...

Its overcast but strangely pleasent out. Hasn't rained all day.

(knock, knock)

Cheers

by Alxfritz on Apr 13, 2007 6:04 PM EDT up reply actions

well i played

todays game on MLB 2k7 and won big...not sure who todays starters are but i had loop against sheets...Loop got me a solid 5 innings before handing it over to the pen..TJ wetn like 2..BT went like 2 batters cause while i was batting and arguing with my wife, and then making sure we were ok.. i forgot he was warming up so the next inning he was already tired.(why women arent allowed in the clubhouse) Franklin got some mop up work in the bottom of the 8th...

oh pujols hrd..the real stat was Pdub 4-4couble of rbis..oh and the crew robbed 3hrs..including one that would have been a GS turned into a long sacfly...

Kenny is a "dirt" bag?

by punchinjudy on Apr 13, 2007 6:05 PM EDT reply actions