ChiefsPlanet - Cardinals "Official" 2011 St. Louis Cardinals Thread

And shitty fundamentals lead to a run, possibly more.

Bernie wrote a good piece on this in the P-D.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...9bb30f31a.html

Quote:

* Watching Monday night's game, and seeing the Cardinals implode again in Milwaukee during another display of sloppy defense, poor awareness and shoddy fundamentals, I began texting and talking to chums. And basically what I said was this: it's Aug. 1, and it's still happening, and yet every time it occurs, I still get upset, as if I'm expecting something better. So what's wrong with me? Why do I continue to expect this team to play better-quality baseball when it's obvious that it isn't going to happen? I mean, how many times have we seen the same game -- like Monday's mess in Milwaukee -- from the 2011 Cardinals? Why would any reasonably intelligent person expect a dramatic change? They've played 109 games by now. They are what they are.

* And really, this is what it comes down to: the Cardinals made some moves before the trade deadline, the kind of moves that will help them in the bullpen, and give them a slight upgrade in the rotation. With Rafael Furcal, they'll probably receive improved defense at shortstop, but the bar has been set pretty low there.

But really, will any of this matter much as long as we see the comedy of errors, both mental and physical. Or a pitcher melting down on the mound in the middle of a start -- for no apparent reason -- after sailing through several trouble-free innings. These incremental roster improvements are nice, but they can't dramatically change this team's inner core, or remove the bad baseball habits that we've come to expect. When it's Game No. 109, and your starters can't pitch deep into games, and you don't know how to defend a bunt or cover a base, and your fielders can't make the makeable plays, and your hitters are bailing the opposition out by hitting into double plays .... well, then.

* Where do the Cardinals go from here? They are 19-26 since June 10. They are 0-4 in Milwaukee this season, having been outscored 23-8. They are 1-5 at Cincinnati, outscored 32-25. They had a chance to sweep a recent series at Pittsburgh but gave Sunday's game away in a loss that led to more disappointing baseball. The Cardinals are mediocre at home, going 29-24 so far and losing to teams that you figure they should handle.

* The Cardinals' rotation is tied for 13th in the NL in quality starts, which would be their worst ranking since being 14th in QS in 2007. The starters have a 4.34 ERA since May 27. They have lasted 6 innings or less in 63 of 109 starts. So is there a reason to believe we'll see more consistency, more innings. Edwin Jackson could help, but we'll have to wait and see on that. Meanwhile, Milwaukee's starters have a 2.61 ERA in the last 23 games. Brewers' starters are finding a stride. Can the Cardinals' starters crank out a higher volume of quality starts?

* I realize the Cardinals are leading the NL in runs per game, 4.76. But the double plays are killing them. When St. Louis hits into one or more DPs in a game this season, the team's record is 37-38. When the Cardinals don't hit into a DP, the record is 20-14. And there is also a matter of consistency. The Cardinals have scored three runs or fewer in six of the last nine games. And they have scored three or fewer runs in 44 of 109 games. Frankly, the STL pitching isn't stingy enough to enable the Cardinals to win a lot of low-scoring games. And the Cardinals are 13-31 this season when they score less than 3 runs in a game. Can the Cardinals avoid these lulls of quiet offense?

* And then there are the big three of Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman. Holliday did homer and single against Zack Greinke on Monday, so maybe he's about to go on a hot streak. But Holliday has been struggling since the All-Star break, and he hasn't had the benefit of being fully healthy at all times. Berkman has been a marvel, but will he hold up? His recent rotator-cuff soreness raised concerns. And while Pujols has 7 homers and 20 RBIs and a .598 slugging percentage since returning from the DL on July 6, there is something missing from his usual performance: getting on base. Pujols has a .316 onbase percentage since returning from the DL, with 5 walks in 98 plate appearance. Pujols' season OBP of .346 ranks tied for 59th in the majors. Between 2001 and 2010 Pujols had a .426 OBP, and he's never been lower than .394 in a season (2002.) Pujols has been swinging at pitches outside of the strike zone at the highest rate in his career. With him batting 3rd, ahead of Holliday and Berkman, it would be good to see more walks from Pujols. So this is another question: will the big three start clicking at the same time? Can you imagine all three getting hot in unison? We haven't seen that much. It could make a huge difference.

* The Cardinals are also 16-31 this season when they are charged with an error in a game. But the uncharged errors -- and the plays not made -- are just as damaging. At what point, if at all, does manager Tony La Russa try to put his best defensive infield out there? Based on the Fielding Bible plus-minus ratings at each position, this is the best defensive infield (not counting Albert Pujols at first base) that La Russa could deploy:

-- vs. RHP: Descalso at 3B, Furcal at SS, Schumaker at 2B. OR: Freese at 3B, Furcal at SS and Descalso at 2B.

-- vs. LHP: Freese at 3B, Furcal at SS, Theriot at 2B.

But will La Russa put defense first? What are the chances of that?

* In conclusion ... I just wonder, realistically, what the Cardinals are capable of. Did we overestimate them? Or will things soon fall into place?

That's all I have for now; thanks for reading.

-Bernie