***Official St. Louis Cardinals 2013 Postseason Thread***

['Hamas' Jenkins]

The Season thread has started crapping out. Post about the Birds here.

[KC_Connection]

Robinson still hitting 2 for some reason in a lineup with Beltran (4) and Craig (6). Matheny'd once again.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by VAChief

Dempster? Not sure that offers a better option in a game 7 for them.

Dempster isn't going to pitch an inning in a close game in this series. They don't trust him. It has to be Peavy. Going with Buchholz on short rest in his condition would be crazy.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by frazod

Hope you're right.

That ****ing Missouri game just ruined me. It's going to take more than a couple of days to come out from under that darkness.

Yeah, total sports apathy has just crushed me since I watched that doink. My seats are on the 15 yard line, mizzou sideline, north end zone. I got a nice little view of the horror as I watched that drive stall at the 8. That !@#$ing noise when the ball hit the upright has stuck into my brain about like the HR against Julian Taveras off Pesky's pole in 2004. I believe it's similar to how prisoners remember the first time they hear those prison doors clang shut.

I was still stuck in parking lot traffic when we got the obstruction call. I didn't even raise my head off the dash. I just couldn't bring myself to care.

Had a fish fry at Arrowhead, beautiful weather and a W in KC. Didn't care.

By about the 6th inning of last night's game I realized I didn't so much give a shit about who won or lost.

Saturday night may have been my darkest moment as a sports fan. I couldn't even get to angry, I just sat there shattered.

I did decide that my child(ren) will absolutely not be Mizzou fan(s). I won't subject an innocent life to this torture.

[VAChief]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Robinson still hitting 2 for some reason in a lineup with Beltran (4) and Craig (6). Matheny'd once again.

I'm okay with that, if Craig has to be pulled you want the top to keep the possibility of a big inning at the top of the order there in late innings. Craig isn't a liability batting in front of Freese on the bases.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by MIAdragon

His velocity was down but the kid can pitch. He's no scrub.

I'm sorry, but he was last night.

Congrats, your guys did what needed to be done, but the Cardinals should've battered that ****ing kid like a pinata. He was throwing 85 mph cockshots that were simply being blown by people.

Let's face it, the bottom 1/3 of our order is an inning off. Worse still, Carpenter and Adams have been struggling mightily. Getting through the lineup essentially requires that you survive 3 guys - Beltran, Holliday and Molina. The other 6 people are virtual non-entities right now.

We should've murdered Peavy - didn't. Should've put Buchholz out after 2 - didn't. The Cardinals absolutely shit the bed yesterday against a guy that's generally a very very good pitcher but last night was a shell of himself.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Robinson still hitting 2 for some reason in a lineup with Beltran (4) and Craig (6). Matheny'd once again.

Robinson has given us excellent ABs every time he's been called on this season. He has a very good batting eye (his OBP is nearly 100 points higher than his BA) and he has good enough bat control to make sure runners keep moving up/around at the top of the lineup.

He's not a good fit higher than about 7th in the back of the order so unless you want to put him behind Freese, 2 is a pretty good spot for him.

His skill-set and the matchup makes the 2 hole a pretty good place for him.

[kcpasco]

Joe Kelly's personality seems just crazy enough to not fold under the pressure of a game 7. He might not have the best stuff but it seems really hard to rattle him.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Robinson has given us excellent ABs every time he's been called on this season. He has a very good batting eye (his OBP is nearly 100 points higher than his BA) and he has good enough bat control to make sure runners keep moving up/around at the top of the lineup.

He's not a good fit higher than about 7th in the back of the order so unless you want to put him behind Freese, 2 is a pretty good spot for him.

His skill-set and the matchup makes the 2 hole a pretty good place for him.

You shouldn't be hitting somebody 2 with a career 246/316/327 line in a lineup with Holliday, Beltran, Craig and Molina. It won't help them (well it might tonight, but on average it won't).

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

You shouldn't be hitting somebody 2 with a career 246/316/327 line in a lineup with Holliday, Beltran, Craig and Molina. It won't help them (well it might tonight, but on average it won't).

On average you're right.

But we're not talking about averages, we are talking about tonight. He's seeing the ball extremely well and he'll likely see the ball pretty well against Lester.

In a situation like this, the most recent history matters more than career ABs (which are wholly irrelevant almost all the time; give me the season's worth of numbers in October - that's who that player is this year). Recent performance has Robinson as a guy that's likely to give you quality ABs early in the lineup in front of a very limited number of RBI hitters. I'll take that.

[VAChief]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

You shouldn't be hitting somebody 2 with a career 246/316/327 line in a lineup with Holliday, Beltran, Craig and Molina. It won't help them (well it might tonight, but on average it won't).

Sure, but Craig can't run, this is the best option due to his running liabilities. Robinson can score on two hits. It would take at least 3 for Craig to score.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by VAChief

Any chance there is an offseason deal in the making? I had that crazy thought before bed wondering why he hasn't been used. Tulo would be nice, carries some risk,

I want no part of Tulo. Too expensive. Too brittle. Too much long term money. Too much cost in prospects.

Originally Posted by VAChief

Starting Staff

Waino
Wacha
Kelly
Lynn
Martinez

Rosenthal/Motte/Seigrist back end.

Garcia will be in the starting rotation at the start of the year.

Originally Posted by VAChief

I would pull the trigger on a Miller deal for him. I'll even throw in Descalso and Freese.
.

Everything I've read is that the Cardinals still consider Miller a core part of their future and not trade bait.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Yeah, total sports apathy has just crushed me since I watched that doink. My seats are on the 15 yard line, mizzou sideline, north end zone. I got a nice little view of the horror as I watched that drive stall at the 8. That !@#$ing noise when the ball hit the upright has stuck into my brain about like the HR against Julian Taveras off Pesky's pole in 2004. I believe it's similar to how prisoners remember the first time they hear those prison doors clang shut.

I was still stuck in parking lot traffic when we got the obstruction call. I didn't even raise my head off the dash. I just couldn't bring myself to care.

Had a fish fry at Arrowhead, beautiful weather and a W in KC. Didn't care.

By about the 6th inning of last night's game I realized I didn't so much give a shit about who won or lost.

Saturday night may have been my darkest moment as a sports fan. I couldn't even get to angry, I just sat there shattered.

I did decide that my child(ren) will absolutely not be Mizzou fan(s). I won't subject an innocent life to this torture.

I hear you. IMO it's not as bad as that '98 loss to Denver, but it's the closest I've come to that for a long time.

Glad I wasn't there to see it live. That may well have made the difference.

[BigRedChief]

They had the camera on Craig the whole time he was out there live on MLB network. They were talking about the game and watching him field grounders.

Craig did not look good at all. Balls hot right at him he was good. When he had to move, he looked bad. He looked like a guy in a lot of pain and in no way ready to play a baseball game in a couple of hours,

[VAChief]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

I want no part of Tulo. Too expensive. Too brittle. Too much long term money. Too much cost in prospects.

Garcia will be in the starting rotation at the start of the year.
Everything I've read is that the Cardinals still consider Miller a core part of their future and not trade bait.

Mid year, I would agree, but they obviously see the glut in the near future. They aren't going to deal Wacha. Lynn and Kelly wouldn't bring back more than what they mean to us. That leaves Miller. Someone is likely to be dealt. Martinez is there in case Garcia craps out again as he is likely to do. Shoulder injuries are usually velocity killers.

[BigRedChief]

Also on MLB network they were speculating that Waino was tipping his pitches. Mitch and others said that maybe the Reds told Gomes what Waino was tipping.