ChiefsPlanet - Cardinals ***Offical 2010 STL Cardinals Baseball Thread ***

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***Offical 2010 STL Cardinals Baseball Thread *** (https://chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=221186)

I'm not counting on LOhSE at all. And it's doubtful that Penny will stay healthy down the stretch. I'm afraid he's another Mulder.

At least we didn't trade Dan Haren for him. :# If nothing else, we could sure use his bat right now.

I know it seems odd, but the thing that is really killing our offense isn't the hitting of our best players, it's the bottom of the order.

Of course, we shouldn't expect that 6-8 should give us 20 HR and an .800 OPS a man, but those guys are so terrible that we essentially have four automatic outs once you get past the outfielders, Albert, and Freese.

Yadi has to hit better (I'm honestly not a fan of his opp-field approach), and Ryan and Schumaker are ****ing killing us

I didn't see the game, but the results are the same - another opportunity to sweep an shit team, at home, and another inexplicable loss featuring little/no offense.

Does La****head just write these games off? Do the players not care? I believe the Cards are now 0-8 in sweep opportunities now.

****ers. God this team is pissing me off.

:cuss:

5 guys making the trip to Anaheim for the All Star Game.

w00t.

Quote:

Originally Posted by frazod (Post 6851058)

If we're lucky they actually figured out what the hell was wrong with his arm and corrected it. Of course more likely he comes back and is worse somehow.

I was at the game yesterday.

Waino was nails. The way he plays the game makes me proud he wears the birds on the bat.

Again, I saw Halliday off TV and I saw he was doing all the right things. He was out there signing autographs for kids along the side of the dugout right before the game, he was the only one out there.

Seems to be an undercurrent of anti-Larussa sentiment brewing out there. A lot of comments in the stands about why when we are stuggling offensively Larussa sits Rasmus when he's hitting lefty's okay this year. The sloppy play on Saturday got people questioning Larussa control of the clubhouse.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedChief (Post 6860281)

Rightfully so.

Rasmus should never sit, sans his day off every three weeks or so.

Apparently both Carp and Albert have had dust-ups in the clubhouse with Tony - not a good sign when two of your superstars are battling with the manager.

Agreed on Rasmus. He doesn't hit leftys well at all but I would like see him get more chances considering his defensive ability at a tough position. Even more so with Ludwick on the DL.

At this point, the only reason to keep LaRussa is that if he goes, we probably lose Duncan.

That's the ONLY reason.

No excuse for a team with this much talent to be playing so poorly.

Good point Fraz. I'm not at the point that I want Larussa gone but he is finally starting to wear on me the past two seasons.

Not trying to discount LaRussa's history of success but I wonder just how much of it has to do with his partnership with Duncan, who has likely been the top hitting coach that I can think of. His turd polishing ability has meant a hell of a lot over the years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Miles (Post 6860436)

Agreed on Rasmus. He doesn't hit leftys well at all but I would like see him get more chances considering his defensive ability at a tough position. Even more so with Ludwick on the DL.

I think this sums up the fans disgust with Rasmus sitting the other day:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bernie Miklasz - STL Post Dispatch

La Russa isn't helping matters. He played the wrong guys Saturday, keeping Colby Rasmus on the bench to give the switch-hitting Randy Winn the at-bats against lefthanded starter Manny Parra. Why? Because Winn was four for 12 in his career against Parra. Oh, please. Since the start of the 2008 season, which is when Winn entered the decline phase of his career, he is only two for 10 against Parra. Over the past two and a half seasons, Winn is batting a mere .223 against lefties.

But there Winn was, batting second against Parra and playing instead of Rasmus for no justifiable reason. As it turned out, Winn went 0 for three against Parra; he struck out with the bases loaded in the third and hit into a double play in the fifth.

Rasmus can hit lefthanders; his OPS of .811 against them this season is more than respectable. Rasmus can hit anyone. But not when he's sitting in the dugout. What's wrong with this picture? The Cardinals are plagued by a mediocre and often feckless offense, and it's been damaged by the loss of right fielder Ryan Ludwick to the disabled list.

Rasmus leads National League center fielders in home runs and combined onbase-slugging percentage, and he can't play every day? Why do 17 major-league center fielders have more plate appearances than Rasmus this season? Unless he's hurt or really bogged down in an awful slump, Rasmus has to be in there. His bat is too important to waste.

Another case of Tony "playing the numbers" instead of just playing his best players. He's constantly outsmarting himself, and this season, it's showing more than usual.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58 (Post 6860451)

Another case of Tony "playing the numbers" instead of just playing his best players. He's constantly outsmarting himself, and this season, it's showing more than usual.

Usually it tends to at worst even out over the year and agree that it has hasn't worked nearly as well this year.

June was better and hopefully things will start to improve in the second half but for some reason this team just hasn't quite clicked and become the dominate NL team it has the potential to be.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58 (Post 6860451)

I think this sums up the fans disgust with Rasmus sitting the other day:

Another case of Tony "playing the numbers" instead of just playing his best players. He's constantly outsmarting himself, and this season, it's showing more than usual.

Does Bernie have that much pull in town? I guess thats why it was a topic of conversation?

I sat down in row 11 behind home plate. Most there have had season tickets for 20+ years. I was surprised at the negativity considering Waino was pitching lights out and we had a big early lead.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedChief (Post 6860540)

I sat down in row 11 behind home plate. Most there have had season tickets for 20+ years. I was surprised at the negativity considering Waino was pitching lights out and we had a big early lead.

The recent negativity of the fanbase is really starting to annoy me quite a bit. I have stopped looking at Cards forums almost entirely. There is one forum so obsessed with Chris Duncan that I can't even read anymore.

La Russa has always been a guy who can get the most out of marginal players b/c he gives them ABs and puts them in advantageous positions.

But that same style ****s his better players (who aren't the elite of the elite), because they often can't get into any kind of a rhythm.

That's one of the reasons why his teams often underachieve in the playoffs historically.

And really, if it weren't for Duncan, he'd be considered far less favorably than he already is.

Duncan: La Russa
Belichick: Parcells