in the course of his p-d piece on is'hausen yesterday, joe strauss seemed (even if inadvertently) to make the case for acquiring billy wagner or his ilk:
In Isringhausen's absence from April 27-May 12, the bullpen compiled a 1-4 record and 5.97 ERA while allowing opponents to hit .297 in 34 2/3 innings. Its overall numbers entering this weekend included a 4-5 mark, 3.64 ERA and 115 hits allowed in 118 2/3 innings. The Cardinals managed a 9-7 record but suffered three blown saves without Isringhausen.
being by nature of a conspiratorial mind, i interpreted this as a read on the front office -- ie that they've confessed to strauss (on the qt) their concerns about the bullpen's vulnerability and are looking for help in the pen, dangling starting pitchers as bait. otherwise, why mention the rotation's depth at all in an article about the closer? strauss is a beat writer, not a columnist; his articles generally reflect what his sources are telling him, not his own opinions. and judging from this piece, strauss's sources are saying the cardinals have a) a surplus of starting pitchers, and b) no backup plan in the far-from-unlikely event of an is'hausen injury. the article dwells on izzy's various ailments, surgeries, and dl stays, reminding us all (as if we needed to be) that his prolonged absence in 2003 likely cost stl a playoff berth . . . .
read betw the lines. i think it says: "w-a-g-n-e-r."
Update [2005-5-30 8:57:43 by lboros]: bernie's talking trade today in the post too --- but for a young outfielder, not a reliever. he cites the cincinnati trio of dunn, pena, and kearns. . .
anthony reyes pitched yesterday and allowed just one run in four innings against oklahoma but took his second loss. his line: 4ip, 5h, 1r/er, 2w, 3k. i have no idea why he departed after such a short outing but have yet to hear that an injury was involved. . . . .on the season he's now at 5-2, 2.52, with some dominating numbers: only 6.15 hits per 9, 8.25 k per 9, a 5:1 k to walk ratio. he's also hitting .286 with a 1.015 ops . . . .
Update [2005-5-30 8:44:21 by lboros]: see remember82's comment herein for explanation of reyes' early departure