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)

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut (Post 6685161)

Boy, I'd be hard pressed to identify a distinction between the two.

They're both 100% focused out there. If anything, I think Carpenter's more likely to lose his composure than WW. Those guys are just absolute bulldogs out there.

Carpenter may have taught WW his mound presence, but WW has been a spectacular student.

Ultimately I think that WW is our ace while Carpenter is our leader.

That sums it up perfectly. Carp is definitely the leader for sure.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut (Post 6685121)

I'd say we get a little more pissed off about stuff than you fellas do.

Expectations can be a real bitch.

But otherwise, it's pretty tits.

Yeah we have taken 2 out of 3 games in every series so far. Lost 3 of those games on the last at bat. But, we bitch about not sweeping or mangerial decisions.

It's different expectations. I and most fans expect the Cards to win the Central division and make the playoffs.

Take for example,Rasmus. He is a good player, a great complement to our core but if he was on the Royals he would be the next Geoge Brett etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedChief (Post 6685194)

Yeah we have taken 2 out of 3 games in every season so far. Lost 3 of those games on the last at bat. But, we bitch about not sweeping or mangerial decisions.

It's different expectations. I and most fans expect the Cards to win the Central division and make the playoffs.

Take for example,Rasmus. He is a good player, a great complement to our core but if he was on the Royals he would be the next Geoge Brett etc.

To be fair, I expect some pretty big things from Rasmus myself.

Not George Brett, but I still think that kid can be Grady Sizemore.

A little optimistic, but he's a guy that this club will lean heavily on possibly as soon as 2011 if Ludwick is traded for financial reasons.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut (Post 6685202)

I wasn't dissing his upside. He's a 5 tool player. I was just saying that if he was on the Royals he would be getting put in all their marketing, talked up a lot more by the fans etc.

In St. Louis he's behind Pujols, Yadi, Waino, Carp etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedChief (Post 6685217)

Which given his personality I think fits him perfectly. I think if he was the "show" he would fold. Under less pressure he will be a really good player.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedChief (Post 6685217)

He'd probably get the same pub Damon got.

I'd say Michael Tucker, but I don't want to jinx the kid.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcellus (Post 6685228)

Which given his personality I think fits him perfectly. I think if he was the "show" he would fold. Under less pressure he will be a really good player.

I honestly think he'd thrive as a #2 option. Perhaps a #1, but it's impossible to know until you see it.

The kid honestly thinks he's a superstar. His attitude actually annoyed me quite a bit in spring training. He just carries himself like baseball is easy for him.

I think he'd be an intolerable prick, but I also think he'd relish the opportunity to be a truly integral part of a contender. I think the added pressure might actually be good for him.

Look at how much better he's performed as a 5 hitter this season than he did as the 2 hitter last. The kid likes the pressure of needing to perform, IMO. It makes him feel like he's being trusted at a level commensurate with his perceived ability.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut (Post 6685048)

Some serious stones by Wainwright (who is our Ace, BTW, but don't tell anyone because the national media still thinks it's Carpenter).

We needed that CG from him. He should've won the CY last season and he's keeping himself in the running this season.

Ultimately, we end up losing tonight if we had won yesterday. LaRussa would've benched the whole stinking team and WW would've come out of the game in the 7th. LaRussa just doesn't care about sweeping teams.

So ultimately, I'm inclined to call last night's loss a non-entity at this point.

Pretty much all of this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut (Post 6685238)

Could be. He is still VERY young but he doesn't seem to have the swagger to me.
He also seems to let outside issues influence him a lot.

I do like the fact he is jiving with Mac as a hitting coach. Hopefully the rest of the team does. We seem to be relying on the HR too much. Coincidence, probably. Too soon to tell.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut (Post 6684939)

Worst stat I've heard thus far this season:

Albert Pujols -- 7 hits with runners in scoring position.
David Freese -- 5 hits with runners in scoring position.

The rest of the MFing team -- ONE HIT WITH RUNNERS IN SCORING POSITION!

That's all we got is one goddamn hit?!?!? /Harry Doyle

Yet we've still won every series...go figure. This lineup has not yet scratced the surface of its potential and look what we've still accomplished. Our starting pitching has been outstanding.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chief Henry (Post 6685620)

Our starting pitching has been outstanding.

No chit, this can't keep up. If it does you could see Carp, Waino, Penny and Garcia all on the All-Star team. And if they are even close to this level come October we will have a good chance against the Philly and Yankeees type teams.:thumb:

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut (Post 6685048)

So ultimately, I'm inclined to call last night's loss a non-entity at this point.

Maybe not, maybe it had a "real" positive effect.

20-inning game against Mets was bonding experience for Cardinals

BY DERRICK GOOLD

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

04/19/2010

Somewhere into the fifth consecutive hour of playing baseball, about the time switch-hitter Felipe Lopez began brandishing his fastball, Saturday's game stopped being a taut, twisty extra-inning staring contest with the New York Mets.

It became, in the words of several Cardinals, "fun."

"I think there was pressure innings 10 through maybe 15 or 16," outfielder Ryan Ludwick said. "But then when we starting bringing in position players to pitch and (Kyle) Lohse went to the outfield, I think it became — believe or not — but it was really fun.

"A lot of people were laughing. There was excitement in the dugout," Ludwick continued. "It was ... about team bonding."<SCRIPT language=JavaScript type=text/javascript>yld_mgr.place_ad_here("inlineframe1");</SCRIPT>

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The Cardinals had plenty of time for that during Saturday's 2-1 loss in 20 innings to the Mets. The winding epic was the longest home game ever played by the Cardinals, at 6 hours, 53 minutes. The game featured 46 players, 35 strikeouts, 652 pitches and one double switch in the 11th inning that was still the target of debate a day later. The 18 scoreless innings tied a club record set in 1933, and Saturday's game featured only one hit with runners in scoring position.

The losing team used it in the 19th to tie.

The game also forever changed three players' Baseball-Reference.com pages, adding innings pitched and ERAs to Lopez's and Joe Mather's and two outfield putouts to Lohse's.

"I was appreciating it as it went on," manager Tony La Russa said. "It was a really different, grueling-type game."

Blame Brendan Ryan.

When La Russa told the shortstop before the game that he would be on the bench, Ryan suggested he could pitch at some point. He suggested the 25th inning, and he nearly got it. ("We were five innings short," he said.) Or, perhaps Mather brought it on himself. On Friday, Mather and third-base coach Jose Oquendo talked about the role Mather has found himself in, the one in which Oquendo reveled — the super utility fielder.

"Did you ever pitch?" Mather asked.

Oquendo then told him the story about a game in 1988 when he pitched four innings and got the loss against Atlanta. A day later, Mather pitched two innings and became the first position player since Oquendo to get a decision. Both of the Mets' runs scored on sacrifice flies against Mather, who never got in a count to throw his slider. After the game, his cell phone glowed with 40 text messages. Read one: "Nice ERA."

Mather said he had no stiffness in his arm after throwing 38 pitches, and Lopez told La Russa he felt fine for Sunday after 21 pitches. The fallout from 20 innings could take a day to define. The Cardinals did not make a roster move for more pitching Sunday but will revisit that decision.

Lost in his first career appearance on the mound was Mather's play in the field. Mather, when playing third, covered second on a scrambled infield play and deked Mets pitcher Raul Valdes into running into a tag. That stood alongside Ryan's back-to-home, basket catch in center field as a defensive gem that kept the game scoreless.

"We had so many defensive heroes in the game," La Russa said. "We just didn't have any offensive heroes."

Speaking offensively, La Russa spent time Sunday reexamining his decision to double-switch Matt Holliday from the game in the 11th. That removed Holliday's bat from the lineup as well as allowing the Mets to walk Albert Pujols and face the pitcher. Twice after Holliday departed his spot came up with the bases loaded. Twice the pitcher struck out. La Russa hinged the decision on Holliday's fatigue from the flu, and he insisted he had no regrets.

Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter also lobbied to play. Brad Penny said, "I wanted to catch." Lohse was the only legit option. La Russa asked him what outfield position he was comfortable playing, so Lohse took a poll of teammates and decided on right field. He was about to tell La Russa when La Russa sent him to left in the 18th.

Both times the pitcher batted in Holliday's spot with the bases loaded, Lohse was ready with a bat. La Russa said the pitchers needed to throw another inning.

"I wanted to tell him, 'If you let me hit you don't have to worry about that,'" Lohse joked. "I think we all saw it as something cool we may never get a chance to do again. It was fun to go out there and act like a position player for a little while."

Cards keep rolling. Holliday and Rasmus picking it up. Penny on the money again. Franklin and Motte even get the job done.:thumb:

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedChief (Post 6687808)

Cards keep rolling. Holliday and Rasmus picking it up. Penny on the money again. Franklin and Motte even get the job done.:thumb:

Still too many men left on base. What did we have something like 8 runners left on base by the 5th inning? We are way to dependent on the long ball and need to mix in a little short game so to speak.

Oh and Holiday might as well just skip the home stands it seams ........ He is lights out on the road but can't hit at home.

HOME: .158 / .483
AWAY: .423 / 1.291
(Stats listed are batting average and OPS)

I think if Albert gets back on track things will start to line out on the BA w/ RISP issues. Right now he seems to be pressing but he will figure it out.

Ryan seems to be getting his swing back. He was a non contributor early on. Now with his defense and a decent bat he is like having a lead off guy at the bottom of the order with Ludwick hitting 2nd that could be big.

Hopefully by the time the offense wakes up the pitching is still killing it.