Game 114 Open Thread: August 10, 2005

reyes:

1. like the sideburns
   
2. like the socks
   
3. love the hat

also liked his pitching line last night, although i didn't think he was quite as good as his stats. don't get me wrong, he was good. things i was happy to see: he pitched inside effectively; he threw his fastball right past guys and had them swinging late all night; he got strikeouts on both the fastball and the change, and used each to set up the other; his pitches were around the plate all night. and he didn't back down after yielding a long dinger in the second inning; on the contrary, he started mowing guys down immediately thereafter.

that's a pretty good list of positives.

now the stuff i wasn't so crazy about: reyes was up in the zone too much but got away with it -- barely. the brewers hit the ball pretty hard most of the night. immediately after the home run, russell branyan yanked a line drive just foul down the first-base line. the next inning brady clark hit it hard to the opposite field but seabol made a nice play and threw him out. couple innings later the number 8 hitter, chad moeller, blasted one to the right-field wall but luna robbed him with a nice catch; 6th inning, rickie weeks clubbed the snot out of it but the ball died in deep center field. and the last man he faced, carlos lee, smoked it too. so even though reyes fooled and/or handcuffed a lot of brewers, they still put some damn good swings on his pitches.

i can lay part of that to adrenaline and part of it to the brewers' power hitters -- they rate 4th in the league in HR and have outhomered the cardinals this season. but i can also see why dyar millar and the memphis coaches are working so hard to get reyes corraled into the bottom third of the strike zone. this game appears to fit within reyes' season-long pattern: he throws hard, locates well and changes speeds very well, but he leaves himself exposed -- just like any young pitcher. in light of which, i'm suddenly not sure i want to see reyes in uniform come october. it's all about avoiding exposure at that time of year, limiting mistakes. and it may be that reyes is a very good pitcher who still makes too many boo-boos to be entrusted with the ball in an important game.

now if he threw left-handed . . . . . .

i've got a new poll up to see how you guys feel about reyes (see right sidebar or click here) -- should jock add him to the postseason roster or no? one start's not much to go on, but what the hell we've elected senators and such on less information. . . . . .

other auspicious pitching debuts in recent cardinal history:

• 
  
• rick ankiel, august 23 1999
  
• matt morris, april 4 1997
  
• alan benes, september 19 1995
  
• allen watson, july 8 1993
  
• rene arocha, april 9 1993
  
• donovan osborne, april 9 1992
  
• ken hill, september 3 1988
  
• cris carpenter, may 14 1988 -- no not him, the other one; so happens this guy debuted in one of the most famous games ever played at busch stadium (check out the losing pitcher's line)
  
• joe magrane, april 25 1987
  
• andy rincon, september 15 1980
  
• john martin, august 27 1980
  
• john fulgham, june 19 1979
  
• bob forsch, july 7 1974
  

brew crew ball has done another win expectancy chart, in which he gives thanks that al reyes did not relieve last night and confuse us one and all.

suppan sheets
10-8, 4.34 8-7, 3.10