You've really sprawled out on your back and exposed your labia for the world to see this month.

ROFL

I think Schilt is writing off this game and going all in for tomorrow’s game. He could have given Carp his well deserved day off on Wednesday’s game and gave him two days of rest in a row. And could start a more competent 1B in Adams on Wednesday

Getting one run a game 5 games in a row probably isn’t going to be the soothing balm for his condition.

How well has that worked out over the years and years and years. 1 WS win for all that money blown.

What the **** is going on with O’Neill?

Gonerrea went to his brain?

This is an unusual inning to say the least.

Anything before my childhood really doesnt mean much to me.

Jesus Christ... seriously O’Neill??

Better hope Weaver has some innings in him because Ponce will be lucky to go 4.

He looked pissed off when the ump didn’t give him the outside pitch. He made of had a legitimate beef. LA was getting those outside pitches.

Poncedeleon is throwing some nasty pitches. Love the movement.

He also should have been out of the second in 25 fewer pitches if our RF didn’t misplay 3 balls, 2 of which cost us.

Nearly happened again...

O’Neill is trying to kill Bader.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tyler O&#39;Neill is having a difficult time in RF. Couldn&#39;t pick up two fly balls in the first inning, and has now twice converged on balls that Harrison Bader called for so clearly that we heard him in the press box. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/stlcards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#stlcards</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cardinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cardinals</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MLB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MLB</a></p>&mdash; Derrick Goold (@dgoold) <a href="https://twitter.com/dgoold/status/1032116182403481600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tyler O’Neill plays RF like he comes from a country with guaranteed healthcare <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/stlcards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#stlcards</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/dodgers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#dodgers</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cardinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cardinals</a></p>&mdash; Brock Benefiel (@brockbenefiel) <a href="https://twitter.com/brockbenefiel/status/1032117680659148800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Carlos just got taken out by a comebacker. Hopefully just knocked wind out of him.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">109 mph baseball to the gut? FUHHHHHHH! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dodgers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Dodgers</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cardinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cardinals</a> <a href="https://t.co/BJcDfCzG5f">pic.twitter.com/BJcDfCzG5f</a></p>&mdash; Raul Medina (@raulisnotcool) <a href="https://twitter.com/raulisnotcool/status/1032135151436750850?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Oh wow Wong

That will do it. Another nice win.

Another nationally televised game tomorrow night. This series not great for sleep.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">ICYMI — Did Kolten Wong just make the most ridiculous play of the year? <br><br>(Yes, yes he did) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/STLCards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#STLCards</a> <a href="https://t.co/CCRoggV9pP">pic.twitter.com/CCRoggV9pP</a></p>&mdash; FOX Sports Midwest (@FSMidwest) <a href="https://twitter.com/FSMidwest/status/1032139666638614529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dodgers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Dodgers</a> 2 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cardinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cardinals</a> 5 <br> <a href="https://t.co/MVDG7hu7uh">pic.twitter.com/MVDG7hu7uh</a></p>&mdash; Cardinals Bot (@CardinalsBot) <a href="https://twitter.com/CardinalsBot/status/1032141811404484608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;this might be the play of the year!&quot; - <a href="https://twitter.com/DannyMacTV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DannyMacTV</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/stlcards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#stlcards</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/stlchirps?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#stlchirps</a> <a href="https://t.co/lBvR85pF3A">pic.twitter.com/lBvR85pF3A</a></p>&mdash; cardinalsgifs (@cardinalsgifs) <a href="https://twitter.com/cardinalsgifs/status/1032139921941659648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Manager of the year?


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/STLCards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#STLCards</a> win yet again, beating the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dodgers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Dodgers</a>, and are 16-4 this month, now just 2 1/2 games back. Incredibly, in just one month, interim manager Mike Shildt has put himself squarely into the National League Manager of the Year conversation</p>&mdash; Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) <a href="https://twitter.com/BNightengale/status/1032140474864128000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Its brutal living on the east coast. I watch a couple of innings before bed, but when the updates go off on my phone, I usually lean over to check them. It has been very satisfying to see "Cards beat the Dodgers..." the last two nights.

And this team has the lead in the WC. 2.5 games back from the Cubs.

Playoff wins usually end up being about pitching, especially bullpens. Is your pitching better and or deeper than the other team.

Getting nervous yet JD?

The Cubs have been getting good outings from their starting pitching right now. They just cant score runs but they just picked up Daniel Murphy somehow and Kris Bryant is soon to return from the DL.

I'm shaking in my boots.

It's always better to have a lead this time of year than chasing for sure. I don't expect they are going to average 1 run a game much longer, but the luster on that lineup is not as bright as it once was, even when Bryant returns.

Makes absolutely 0 sense.

Contreras even in a down year for power is still one of the best hitting catchers in the league.
Rizzo had an extended slump but he's back and hes been better than his career numbers recently.
Baez has been better than ever.
Bryant is an MVP who's "down year" because of a shoulder issue comes out to a 122 OPS+.
Kyle Schwarber is looking like his rookie year with a slight dip in SLG% with 22 HRs.
Jason Heyward is having his best year as a Cub.

The only positions where the Cubs could look to reasonably improve offensively is SS and CF and they just acquired a guy in Daniel Murphy who has a .904 OPS in the 2nd half that allows the team to likely put Russell on the DL with his finger and move Baez to SS. It also frees up Zobrist to play more outfield and move Heyward to CF more often.

If the Cardinals and Brewers were looking to give themselves the best chance to catch the Cubs they both royally ****ed up by not claiming Murphy. Now you just better hope he becomes everything he has shown not to be over his career.

Yup, he's scurred

JD, PGM is right. You have been posting in here for a while, We know your style. Your postings since we actually started playing good baseball seem like false bravado. If this goes right, we get this guy back, that injured player didn't matter, we still have the most talent etc.

We are not a "real" threat to your dominance this year. But, I think your 4-5 year window when the Cubs were going to dominate the division seems to be less likely every day.

Cardinals right now-
https://media.giphy.com/media/ro2IwIoTnUuA0/giphy.gif

JD right now -

https://media.giphy.com/media/Dp6vPnswKyK40/giphy.gif

Kris Bryant will probably get around $16 million in Arb2 next year and if Baez ends up winning the MVP or coming in 2nd, he'll end up around $10 million as well. Schwarber in Arb1 will likely get around 6-8.

Yeah, those guys are below market still, sure - but they're not free either. The Cubs are at $150 million in obligations for 2019 before Bryant, Schwarber , Baez and Russell. Those guys are probably going to get near another $40 million on their own.

Add in Hendricks and fill out the remainder with team control guys and you're looking at the luxury tax threshhold without a single major addition. And do you think the Cubs would be wise to go into next season WITHOUT a single major addition to their starting rotation? I certainly don't.

Unfortunately Heyward has played well enough that they can move him if they so choose and at least get a little salary relief. Not a ton, but they could probably clear half his salary pretty easily (unlike the Cardinals and Fowler).

The Cubs have been leaning heavily on their young position players being cheap for awhile now and it's not entirely accurate anymore. Those guys are starting to cost real money and it may well start catching up to them a bit when it comes to trying to make additions to firm up that starting staff. Someone like Corbin or maybe even a Happ are going to be difficult additions to them if they're facing luxury tax penalties for the privilege of doing so.

I like this Bader, shades of a young Holliday?

Trolling us? Really? You think Bader's defense and Holliday's are the same? Really?

They got $50 million extra one time revenue this year from a MLB software sale. What are they going to do with that money? Just pocket it as profit? Use that money to pay off Fowler, send the money to another team and maybe you can get a prospect if they get Fowler for free.


No matter what happens this off season, Fowler cant be on the 2019 team. They must write off that money and move on.

The decision to add JAG to the 40-man made it clear that Fowler isn't in their off-season plans.

He didn't need to be added this off-season. Unlike Wisdom, who makes no practical difference since he needed to be added to the 40 or lost as a minor league FA this offseason anyway. Adding Wisdom to the 40 man this year made no long-term difference.

JAG, OTOH, could've been kept off the 40 man and not exposed to the Rule 5. Now they either lose the guy they spent a lot of money to buy from Cuba (and who has performed in the minors) or they ditch Fowler. I simply don't see an alternative as I look at the guys who need to be added this off-season and guys that are presently on there and likely to be kept.

The Cardinals telegraphed their plans with Fowler the moment they added JAG and traded for a guy in Williams that also needs to be kept on the 40. Dexter's gone.

I sure hope your right. :thumb:

I said Matheny was gone.

Granted, I said it would be in the offseason, but I said immediately following the Bowman implosion in Philadelphia that Matheny was a dead man walking.

Fowler ain't coming back. There's just no way to make the roster work.

You bring your #1 starter back as a 7th inning reliever. We can see the 3-4 mph drop off of his fastball. Even when he can air it off in relief.


Anyone else concerned he has an injury?

I'll stand down on the velocity concerns right now.

He had NO feel for his 4-seamer last night. None. His cutter was around 91 and his 2-seamer was 94ish. That's about right for him. He just never took it up to 97-98 because he couldn't get on top of his 4-seamer at all and damn near killed Taylor with it on a 2-strike count at one point.

So Yadi shelved it and Martinez tried to make due without it. If he has it one day, is using it and it's coming in at 95 then I'll be more concerned.

That said - he DOES have an injury of some sort. It is probably just some kind of lingering soreness that he can't shake and needs short bursts to keep it from flaring up. But there's a reason different parts in his throwing arm keep failing at their weakest points. He's covering for something and developing mechanical glitches.

I think the hope is that throwing in relief keeps him from tiring and thus losing his mechanics and stressing whatever that is more.

To me the guy's just having a snakebit season and like Weaver, he just needs to get this season over with and start fresh next year. I mean for ****'s sake he just had a ball hit through his chest. Some years just aren't your year. If we can get him some relief appearances in the hopes of convincing him that he'll be sound next season - great.

But that should be the only goal. I'd close the book on meaningful contributions from him this year.

Good lord man, I only said that lineup is down compared to 2016, and the evidence (you know reality) actually supports that notion. Sure if Bryan and Rizzo return to their 145 OPS+ production it will look differently. Baez has taken a leap, Schwarber is having a nice year, Russell well below average offensively, and Heyward hanging around slightly below average offensively. Contreras has dropped off considerably from 122 to 102. Cubs 2016 OPS+ 103...2018 96

I mean to say it makes absolutely 0 sense seems is strange. Murphy may help give them a boost, time will tell. I think it was a smart signing for you. I don't think it royally screwed us. They went with Adams instead, who I think will also fill a similar need.

Since Mo blew up the bullpen the Cubs are 11-10, We are 5.5 games better than that.

Since Schildt took over we are 22-11. The Cubs are 17-14. If the Cubs continue to just look "meh" we could play ourselves into a threat to them this year.

The Cubs do this, though.

Maybe it's just a product of that team having so many young players that all came up together, but they're kinda willing to coast when they can. They did it last year for a bit as well when the season started.

When they finally get challenged, they wake up a bit and I expect they'll be the #1 seed going into the post-season this year out of the NL.

But I also think they'll have a pitcher blow a tire pretty much every other game in the post-season and the 2011 Cardinals are the only team I can think of that managed to weather that kind of spotty pitching to accomplish anything.

Shildt is our guy. He's gotta be our guy.

http://www.stlsportspage.com/CARDSBA....9Mp8UGIU.dpbs

This got an audible '**** yeah' from me courtesy of Pop Warner:

"We don't need a theme - we're the Cardinals..."

How the **** did all of this get lost so quickly under Mike Matheny? What an absolutely abysmal period.

Once we get Harper in RF next year, maybe then....

wow, great read and find.

Man, why did such a proud organization with such a long history of excellence allow itself to endure those final Matheny years?

Should have hired him after TLR left. But, no experience as a player and only managing at Johnson city was too big of a jump even for Mo’s guy he was grooming.

I’d sure like an Ozuna/Bader/Harper outfield with O’Neill as the 4th OF in 2019. Plug Harper in the 3rd hole. His hustle, play balls out would fit nicely in STL, or at least how we use to play baseball before Matheny......oh man that would rock but, it’s not going to happen.:sulk:

Ozuna to the 10 day DL

For what?

Well his average throw from the OF this year has been about 78 mph so he literally has a high-schoolers OF arm at the moment.

That should be a pretty strong clue...

Shoulder issue he has had for over a year. Same one that the Cardinals knew about when they traded for him.

It’s not getting better. My as well see if rest for a little while will allow him to finish the season.

Yeah, but that's been a problem for a while. Why go on the DL now?

So part of that little blurb I saw was that his throwing velocity declined from around 92 mph in 2015 to 89 mph in 2016 to 81 mph last year and 78 now.

The collapse wasn't this season, it was 2017 and he had the best offensive year of his career last year.

I'm actually kinda disinclined to blame the shoulder unless it just went over the ledge on him. His shoulder appears to have been hamburger last season as well.

I guess Adams might be seeing a bit more playing time than we initially thought.

huh? Who says and why? Who’s time is he going to take away?

They had better not **** up the team chemistry.

Run him out in a COF on days where Jose is sitting and you get the same kind of offensive and defensive production. It would cost Munoz and O'Neill some PT, but Munoz can play all over the IF, and O'Neill hasn't hit for weeks.

He gets to play more with Ozuna in the DL

Great work by Hudson getting out of that adventure of an 8th without a run scored.

And that’s a sweep with Hicks mowing down the 9th.

Give Shildt a contract yesterday. 3 years.

Struck out all 3 batters looking in the ninth. On 10 pitches.:eek:


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This seemed kind of unfair. <a href="https://t.co/s5TQKeEKPm">https://t.co/s5TQKeEKPm</a></p>&mdash; Jenifer Langosch (@LangoschMLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/LangoschMLB/status/1032499705769545729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

DJ and Hamas or anyone who would know the behind the scenes stuff...........

Do you think our chances of landing a top FA like Manny, Harper etc. have went up now? It's not about just the winning I'm talking about but how the players seem to be having fun.

The team is still in flyover country, a small media market. But, is the case for recruitment stronger now? Play in front of 40K every night, have fun and win. Is that enough?

Give them the money, they'll sign here.

I think Matheny created a toxic environment - seriously, who wants to play for a favorites-playing dick on a declining team?

That's all gone now.

Depends on who it is and who you are bidding against, but I would think we are more attractive now than we were in June. I'm not sure that moves the needle for Harper or Machado. You still pursue, but in the end if a guy wants to play with buddy in Chicago or play on the coast in LA or NY, all of those places draw well and Maddon is recognized as a players manager.

Where we blew it was a guy like Scherzer. We can sign FA's, but St. Louis will never be for everyone.

For some guys, sure.

For marketable personalities? I'm not so certain of that.

Look at it this way - Mike Trout would dwarf Derek Jeter had he come up as a Yankee. There'd be no way of escaping him. He'd be on every commercial during every sporting event you'd ever see.

Instead he's doing ensemble spots for Subway because he's on the west coast and nobody ever sees him.

If you're Bryce Harper and the Cardinals offer you 10/$350 while the Yankees offer you 10/$275 - I honestly think you take the Yankees offer because you'll make that money and then some through mere exposure. It won't end when you retire either - it'll just keep rolling in as you become a Yankee 'ambassador'. There's a significant financial HoF bump as well (can't remember the figures, but they ain't small) and Harper would get a nice little Yankee Kicker from the sportswriters there. I think if NYY gets anywhere in the ballpark, Harper'd be nuts not to take it.

As for Machado - I think he's perhaps not as outgoing as Harper and may just want to get his money on the field. Well the Phillies will oblige him. Besides - y'all just saw the same series I did; you still excited about him? In the middle of a must-win series he was taking plays off out there. And while I won't accuse him of being largely apathetic, I'd say 'flat affect' accurately describes his countenance in that series.

I'd say eliminating Shildt made a difference and a huge one at that, but only because it took our chances of getting one of those guys from 0% to 1%. I mean from a percentage standpoint that's like, infinity times more likely.

It's like playing powerball - the only ticket that appreciably changes your odds is the first one. From that point forward you could by 100 of the damn things and your odds are still so infinitesimally small that it mathematically you haven't made a dent. That's what we're looking at here.

The only realistic chance they had at a big-ticket guy like that was to trade for him, sell him on the experience and maybe they win in FA. You can't get big money vets to do the trade/sign model anymore (Rolen/Edmonds approach) but you can at least take the Holliday model, give them a chance to appreciate the organization from the inside and then effectively offer to match any bidders.

True. When you're talking about the normal free agent, money talks.

The upper ticket guys like this, you're probably right.

Although Harper hasn't exactly set he world on fire this year so maybe he could be had cheaper and with social media and media in general, the world is a lot smaller.

Granted when you're talking Yankees and Cubs, that's tough to compete with eyes wise.

I also think we kind of overrate the reach or impact of baseball marketing etc. It just doesn't have the appeal of football or basketball.

The narrative around Bryce Harper never ceases to amaze me.

For the first month of the season he was the best hitter in baseball. Over the last month to 6 weeks of the season he's been arguably the best hitter in baseball.

And I'm supposed to listen to someone that says Harrison Bader has been better than Harper because of WAR?

In a year where he experience the most goddamn bizarre 10 week stretch of his career where he would literally swing at anything and was getting crushed by outside pitches that he'd been driving his whole career, he's putting up a .900 OPS. He'll challenge 40 HRs and a 100/100 season. A lost half-season and he's still going to have a season's worth of stats that rival damn near anybody's.

Bryce Harper is one of the most dangerous players in baseball. He's a lineup altering presence who plays with passion and loves the game.

If I'm the Yankees - hell if I'm the Cardinals and I can throw money at him to get him here - I find a way to make it work.

Why not? FFS football players are in helmets.

I get that baseball is a more regional sport so oftentimes national marketing isn't as effective, but it wasn't ALWAYS that way. And that again speaks to the Yankee effect; Jeter has always had a major national presence.

Beyond that, let's presume only regional impact - then aren't you all the better served by going to major media markets where YOUR fans will want to see you in commercials? At that point, more TVs is better. Get yourself to NYY.

I mean, if that's the case, everyone should be in NY right?

Football just has such a larger audience. Hell, look at Russell Wilson. He's in Seattle and he's a national dude.

The Yankees will always have a bigger audience, you'd think, but same with Chicago, who has all these young stars. They just don't seem to be a national thing at this point, and not many Yankees are either.

The Bryzzo souvenir company isn't national... Its international.

Not everyone.

Just everyone with an insane Q rating and guys like Harper have that.

For just about anyone else I'd tell them to go anyplace BUT New York. The pressure isn't worth it unless the ancillary benefits of being some sort of Prince of Gotham outweigh it.

Giancarlo Stanton ****ed up, IMO. He's not a spotlight player and he's not a guy who gets enough out of the NY exposure to offset the ridiculous pressure. Harper, OTOH, would. So would Trout. The Astros have guys like Correa and Altuve who are absurdly personable who might.

We're talking about rarified air here - incredible players who peg the meter on the ol' Q rating scale. There aren't many of those. For everyone else, I'd say take the biggest check and the least pressure.

With this season being what it has been, are we sure Bryce can handle it?

So this is what the Dodgers are going to do this season? ****ing joy. So glad we traded for Machado and Dozier. :facepalm:

Also, off subject, but i'm gonna vent a little.

Why is it so god damn hard to go to the dentist, open your mouth and be still? Don't try to lick the drill, that's not gonna turn out well, ask me how I know.

Like holy shit it's a ****ing nightmare. Sit there, hold your tongue still and just be calm. Everyone is a ****ing dental phobic because you had a bad experience when you were 12. Ok, that sucks, but you're 45 now and you have an abscessed tooth that's blown up because you wouldn't go to the dentist and I have to fix it. It's time to grow up.

Do you offer sedation? I've yet to try it but my niece gets it all the time for that very reason.

I don’t know why when I get my teeth cleaned the nice dental hygienist lady tries and make small talk. I can’t talk when you have all that crap in my mouth.