Should the Cards have made the playoffs last year? Yes, no one's arguing that. Mozeilak should get more of the blame for a few reasons. When Freese went down, Lopez got playing time at 3B and sucked at it. The Cards didn't have any insurance(even though Felipe was supposed to be a UT guy, but I think he would have done better if he split time with Skip at 2B) at 3B. He traded for Pedro Feliz. The Cards were also unprepared for Penny going down, that falls on Mozeliak for not having any 6th starter(Waltsworth doesn't count).

O shit!

:facepalm:

Hey BRC - does Yadi get a pass for that one as well?

Another lazy stab. I'm sure it's mere coincidence that 3 of the 4 players I've named as players that don't play fundamentally sound baseball have all made plays that aren't fundamentally sound that have hurt us badly this game.

I repeat - this team does not play the game the right way and Albert walking to 1b is as glaring example as we see.

Goddamn this team is ****ing lazy.

I'm sure their superstar team leader has nothing to do with that.

No, that was completely and utterly bs.

Nothing like leading by example.

Jesus.

Yadi goes full reerun and Boggs completely melts down over it.

Ugly.

Do we lead the lead in blown saves?

If not, we have to be close.

No. I don't trust this bullpen with a one run lead anymore.

Jesus, Yadi - try framing a ****ing pitch.

Stupid stupid stupid lazy baseball team. Goddammit.

Yep. That was a strike.

Yadi made it look like it wasn't.

Yay.

Another game lost to an inferior team when we held a late lead.

This team may not lose 90 games as suggested, but they probably should.

Bad ****ing baseball.

6 blown saves.

This is 2008 all over again.

I still think Boggs is our best choice at closer until Sanchez gets more experience a the MLB level.

Yeah, Hall would've been punched out there on the breaking ball in the dirt had Yadi actually been on his toes and in a position to frame the 2-1 pitch that was clearly a strike. Yadi screwed his pitcher there by simply being a poor receiver.

Lazy, unsound, stupid baseball and it all starts from the top.

But go ahead - keep telling me how unreasonable I'm being.

No. Sanchez>Salas>Boggs. Sanchez/Salas should be closing, not Boggs.

That last pitch would have been a double play if the infield is at regular depth.

Not yet you need more than 6 innings pitched in the big show before taking on the "closer"role.

Yeah, but with Bourne at 3b and 1 down, you don't have a choice but to play your IF in. I understand that decision.

But again, if Yadi hadn't cost his pitcher a clear strike, the 2nd out is Bill Hall and the IF is at normal depth with 2 outs for the next man up.

Baseball isn't a complicated enough game for stuff like that to go unpunished. This team does not play smart, focused baseball. If it's not LaRussa's job to address that kind of crap, I'm not exactly sure what we pay him for.

Salas was decent last year in the bigs. He should at least be splitting time with Boggs at closer.

Despite that.... Still tied for first. 86 wins may win the division this year.

It all comes back to Pujols and Molina for you. It's pathological.

We'll just forget that one of these supposed lazy players made a bigger difference in runs saved at his position than any other player in the league, save for three outfielders last year (Molina), and that Pujols saved more runs than any player in the NL in 2007 and 2008 just with his defense, not just for his position, but of all positions.

Both guys are super slow runners, and yet are always among the first to get the extra base or swipe a bag when the pitcher isn't paying attention, and their ESP backpick play is the best in baseball. That too must be attributable to laziness and stupidity, because of lazy and stupid baseball players are known for anything, it's catching the other team off guard, again and again.

You've wanted to dump Pujols and Molina for a while, claiming that they were part of the latin contingent that mailed in the 2010 season. Sure, Felipe Lopez is the best example of a mail in job, but the last I checked, Molina caught more games than any catcher in baseball last year, and Pujols had the best numbers in baseball again. Where exactly are these mail in jobs?

This isn't a game played by automatons. There are lags, lulls, and mistakes that will happen more often in a protracted season. It doesn't mean the players who make them are lazy, especially when they have a long and documented history of showing tremendous effort through offensive and defensive production.

Pujols has saved far more runs with his supposed lazy defense than a bum like Brendan Ryan ever made running balls out on a one hopper to the second baseman.

punto leading off and freese batting 2nd? Larussa comes up with the wildest lineups.

Lohse pitching well again tonight.

I swear aliens took over his body.

Well at least the aliens like us?

I guess it was the injury holding him back?:hmmm:

Is Franklin working on blowing a Cards 6 run lead?

Tony pulled Franklin. Wow.

Better now than when he can cost us a game.

Bases loaded for the Astros.

****ing great...

He faced two batters. Had horrible location and both batters hit the ball hard. Glad to see some common sense out of Tony.

No firggin way Salas should be sent down to the minors. Franklin needs to go down to find his groove. And now Miller hasn't retired a batter in his last 4 appearances.

Quit giving those old guys a chance to cost us games.

Franklin is toast. He can't even pitch with a 6 run lead.

JFC he is done.

Miller can't even get a lefty out. :facepalm:

Franklin should've had one out. Between Franklin and Miller...yikes.

If Pence hits a HR here, I'm going to laugh.

It's pathetic that you might not even be able to trust your bullpen with a 6 run lead.

This is going to be a long year.

Franklin is mostly to blame here and I wonder if he will see the mound again anytime soon.

If we get out of this with only 2 runs, not bad.

:facepalm:

Tying run comes to the plate...

I'm going to do this::banghead: if the possible happens.

Okay, they got out of that without giving up 7 runs. Now Eduardo better close it.

Its got to be demoralizing to the team also. ohhh crap they are bring in the old guys who can't get anyone out. :facepalm:

That was harry.

I still think Sanchez and Boggs can get the job done in the bullpen.

FYP

Those are the only guys I have any confidence in right now. Salas came into a situation which is tough to get out of.

yeah, he came in with bases loaded and no outs. He did okay. I just don't like the fact that he doesn't have a 95 mph fastball.

Let's go Sanchez!

That was ****ing filthy.

WHY IS THIS GUY NOT CLOSING?

man that slider was nasty

Damn that was a nasty slider.

Uh...he is.

What I mean is, why isn't he the full time closer?

I don't give a shit that he just made his debut a few weeks ago. Dude is the best reliever the Cards have.

because he's pitched a total of 6 innings of baseball at this level. No friggin way Tony lets him close...until he can't ignore the 0.00 era. ;)

Franklin simply needs to be pulled aside and politely prompted to retire.

There's no degree of minor league time that's going to get him together. Miller is the same animal - he started showing signs of this last season. He looked a little Floresy for my tastes last season and he's gone full Randy this season.

The old men in this bullpen are simply awful.

****.

Oh ****.

That might be why.

I was thinking after I posted it something bad would happen...

missed location big time.

Well here we go, get this guy and call it done.

One more out, one more out, one more out, one more out.

Just get a ground out please.

He's overthrowing and can't command his slider.

He just overthrew the hell out of that 1-2 pitch.

He's just too green for this role, IMO.

End it here Edaurdo.

I'd be surprised if he comes within a foot of the zone here.

Goddamn this team is a ****ing joke.

****ING SHIT BAG OF HELL.

Uh...perhaps a defensive replacement for Berkman would've been a good idea?

Jesus, Berkman.

WTF?

I am speechless.

If Pence does what I think he'll do, I give up.

He made a real good play eariler in the game.

Expound.

Sanchez looked great against the first batter. Since then, he's overthrown everything and can't find the zone.

He's too young for the closer gig.

Ride it out with Boggs or go outside the organization. I'm not comfortable with Sanchez learning about the big leagues as a closer.

and Sannchez knows it

That's not the point. He shouldn't even be in the game right now.

Chris Duncan once made a nice play in LF but I damn sure wouldn't want him in the OF in the 9th inning with a save situation in place.