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YankeePride1967

04-04-07, 10:17 PM

Chris Carpenter is out (at least the short term).

Also Preston Wilson is atrocious in the OF

Repeating (more so if the first part is long term) will be very hard this year.

Mark19

04-04-07, 10:22 PM

Wow, Preston Wilson is terrible at everything!

RollingWave

04-04-07, 10:22 PM

And they pretty much already pulled the useful pieces out of their farm already (Reyes and Wainwright) not likely going to be a happy summer in St. Louis, then again, the division sucks, maybe Pujols can do it by himself ala Barry Bonds style.

spyglass

04-04-07, 10:31 PM

Ouch. I am wondering if the Cards will be seeing .500 anytime soon.

JeffWeaverFan

04-04-07, 10:54 PM

Preston Wilson should not be a starting corner OFer on a ML team.

In Mo I Trust

04-04-07, 10:55 PM

They're in trouble this year.

JDPNYY

04-04-07, 10:56 PM

The Cards had no business winning the World Series last year. They are worse this year.

LuckyLopez

04-04-07, 11:56 PM

I'm a big fan of Reyes and Wainwright and neither has gotten to go yet. So I'm still holding out hope that this opening series wasn't indicative of their season. If Carpenter can get back, Wainwright/Reyes perform, and Mulder perform when he returns (it shouldn't be THAT hard to hang around in that division till the summer) I think they can walk away with a quality rotation. And if you get Duncan into the lineup and Edmonds gets his Spring Training in the offense should have some pop to it.

Its an iffy team but I think its got plenty of room to be better than last year's. Not going to change my opinion after 3 games. Wait to see what Duncan, Wainwright, and Reyes can do over the first month or so and how Edmonds and Carpenter's health works out.

Opus

04-05-07, 01:35 AM

only 3 games played. I think they will be fine in the long run, and they had every reason to win the WS last year, they were the better team.

and no, I am not a Cards fan.

BillBuckner

04-05-07, 08:48 AM

0-2? They're so DOOMED.

jeffaxp698

04-05-07, 08:51 AM

Ouch. I am wondering if the Cards will be seeing .500 anytime soon.

Well, that's pretty much all it took for them to make the playoffs last year, and that was with Pujols sitting, so they're lucky they're playing AA talent for their division playoff spot...

CardNYY

04-05-07, 01:39 PM

0-3. It feels like 1997 again.

CardNYY

04-05-07, 01:41 PM

Bernie Miklasz of the Post Dispatch:

http://www.stltoday.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=446322

CaptainThurman

04-07-07, 09:50 AM

Well, the NL Central is so horrible that many people like the Brewers as the chic pick.....

26 and counting

04-07-07, 02:58 PM

The Cards had no business winning the World Series last year. They are worse this year.

You can place blame on the Padres, Mets, and Tigers for that. All three teams were better than the Cardinals, but all they all choked when it mattered.

Cardinal Fan

04-07-07, 06:05 PM

This is why baseball is a great game. Anything can happen.

BTW, don't count us out this year.....

JDPNYY

04-07-07, 06:34 PM

I'd sure like to see Pujols have an ARod-like game tonight.

YankeePride1967

04-07-07, 06:52 PM

This is why baseball is a great game. Anything can happen.

BTW, don't count us out this year.....

I wouldn't either, simply for the fact of the league and more specifically the division they are in. But if Carpenter were out long term, I don't think even the league/division they are in would matter.

CoyoteYankee

04-07-07, 06:54 PM

I'd sure like to see Pujols have an ARod-like game tonight.

Amen.

Gator's Shadow

04-07-07, 08:27 PM

I won't count the Cardinals out (playing in that division and with Pujols, it would be silly to ever count them out). I also consider them one of the great, classy franchises in all of baseball. I am just mystified how their farm system has been allowed to get so bad. Its not like they lack resources, particularly with the new ballpark.

I've always felt it was too bad that Ted Turner wasn't based in St. Louis. The Cards woudl ahve made a much better "America's team" for national broadvast via a cable network than the Braves.

BonusCantos

04-07-07, 10:29 PM

This is why baseball is a great game. Anything can happen.

BTW, don't count us out this year.....
I agree, the WS victory last year showed us that. A lot of people (myself included, to be honest) doubted they'd get out of the NLDS, but they showed us. That said, I've always had a great deal of respect for the Cardinals franchise.

I do think, however, that they're going to have a tough go of it this season. They've got a number of issues to overcome.

Bob Saccomano

04-08-07, 12:04 AM

I have lived in the St. Louis area for nearly 11 years and have been a Cardinals fan (my NL team) for that span. I'll apologize in advance for the rant. I will be frank in saying that I think it's a poorly put-together team whose shortcomings are on occasion highlighted by poor managerial decisions.

Firstly, there is the rotation. Jeff Marquis was not much of a loss, because while he tallied quite a few wins, he also led the NL in losses IIRC. He is a great pinch hitter, he can pinch run, and can generally do everything you'd want in a baseball player, except pitch consistently. It's no big loss to lose him to the division rival Cubs, even though I envy the last start he had for them. I know that in time, he will give them starts that make them want to vomit. Letting Suppan walk was a mistake, IMO, because the guy was an innings-eater who could generally keep the team in the game every time he went out. While he didn't have any overwhelmingly great pitches, he had a varied arsenal that could keep a lineup off-balance long enough to bridge to the bullpen. Moreover, letting him walk to the Brewers was a move that will come back to haunt the team. Finally, while I am no Jeff Weaver apologist, I think that the progress that he made under the tutelage of Dave Duncan was impossible to ignore. At least as a last reserve, sign him instead of trying out BRADEN LOOPER as a starter. To replace these losses, Wainwright and Reyes have moved up from the minors, and I think both will transition into decent starters. Kip Wells was an interesting acquisition - he's had a lot of potential for a long time, and Dave Duncan is a master of maximizing potential in his pitchers. However, IIRC, Wells is 15-30 career, and that's just not what you want to hang your hopes on. He wasn't atrocious in his first start, but he made some bad pitches that ended up costing him. He had a great spring training, so I think there is hope there yet. No matter how it is sliced, the rotation is relying on 2 virtual rookies, 1 career reliever, a pitcher who lacks a track record of proven success, and an ace. The wildcard is Mark Mulder, and whether he can return to the form that had him at 97-50 before the start of last season.

Nevertheless, this was a glaring hole that the management was well aware of. While I don't advocate going after Zito at the kind of price tag that he fetched, I think Schmidt would have been a more reasonable option, or even Ted Lilly, whose deal may seem inflated, but let's remember - a career pitcher in the AL East would look much better when playing against the NL Central. As noted above, Duncan is a genius at maximizing his pitchers' potential.

The bullpen isn't worth mentioning, but it's far from excellent. I hear that the Cards have some guys in the minors that might be available to help out in the BP immediately, but I have no idea how well-founded these rumors are. Even Izzy, the closer, likes to get at least 2 guys on base before closing it out, and sometimes likes to give up a run in the process. It's not a formula for late innings success, however.

Given the weakness of the pitching, one would think that the Cardinals would have improved on offense, taking the cues of teams like the Mets, who can overcome a suspect rotation by sheer power of their offense. Scott Rolen has been declining somewhat with repeated injuries and age, and it's hard to believe that Jim Edmonds is only 3 years removed from being a .302, 42 HR hitter. He has declined hard and fast, though his defense hasn't seen the same rate of attrition. 2 of the 3 centerpieces of a once proud offense are declining, so one would hope that others would rise to replace their output. Pujols is still probably baseball's best hitter, and in spite of his slow-as-molasses-.059 start, I think he will be fine.

Second base has been a gap for some time; The Cardinals should have re-upped with Grudzielanek, but instead played the market and signed Junior Spivey, who I believe had a terrible spring training and whom I don't believe got a chance to play in the majors with the Cards. I think Aaron Miles might make occasional appearances at 2B, but will mostly be a pinch hitter. Adam Kennedy will probably be okay as an 8-hole or perhaps even a 2-hole hitter, but he's certainly not going to be giving a dwindling offense a much-needed spark.

The outfield is perhaps the Cardinals' biggest weakness. Edmonds is no longer the threat at the plate that he once was, now a strikeout-prone .260, 19 HR type of hitter. Tony LaRussa has shown his willingness to give So Taguchi the occasional start, in spite of his poor plate production. Even his once slick defense is now dwindling, making his role as a late innings defenseman suspect. Preston Wilson is out there too much, and apart from being a liability in the field, he cannot hit. LaRussa's philosophy has always been that he likes to have some potential power in the 2 hole, which is fine - however, that 2 hole should also be producing some decent OBP, which Wilson does not. He doesn't even have power! Don't tell me a guy who hits 17 HR as an OF has power. Not when he strikes out that much. He's a waste of space on any ML team, but he's particularly poorly used on the Cardinals. He has terrible reads on fly balls in the OF, can't produce at the plate...why does this guy play, let alone start? The OF is depleted of power, and with Pujols being the only reliable power in the IF, with the possible mention of Scott Rolen (figures to hit 20-25 HR), it's a team that will struggle to score runs.

The one shining ray of hope is Chris Duncan, whom I have been high on since he came up. He hit 23 HR last season in fewer ABs than it took Ryan Howard to hit 22 in his rookie year. He's been the one and only good hitter thus far. I hope that LaRussa makes him an everyday player and stops with the trend that began last year and started this year of sitting him against lefties. He's acquitted himself against LHP to date this season, going 4-5 with 2 2B and an HR. Last season he was something like .170 with 2 HR. Either way, he needs to move out of the 2 hole and hit behind Pujols, giving the Cardinals a formidable 3-4 combo and play regularly against lefties so he can get used to them. Hitting behind Pujols would give opposing pitchers pause in merely walking Pujols. It's telling that Duncan, in spite of playing less than half a season and logging fewer than 300 ABs, had more HR than anyone on the team except Pujols. I love Duncan quite a bit, but he's being used improperly to the detriment of the team.

The Cardinals should have pursued Carlos Lee in the offseason, who, in spite of his poor start, would have been a welcome addition to a lineup that has only 2 good power hitters and 2 declining ones.

Apart from these structural flaws, the team has appeared apathetic in the field and after poor at-bats. They have committed an enormous amount of errors already, and a lot of those have been just plain ugly. The offense has been beyond anemic. They've logged more than 1 run in only one game to date. For a team that once was about solid pitching, solid defense, and timely, smart hitting, they've fallen far. They hit into 7 double plays in 2 games. Instead of bunting a guy over with 0 outs, they were striking out or GIDPing. Even the pitchers have been unable to bunt a guy over from 3rd, and the Cardinals are usually much better coached than that.

Of course, my proposed solutions, in terms of personnel, would have been costly. Owner DeWitt is responsible for the tightness of the purse strings, and Walt Jocketty for the depleted farm system. In spite of getting huge attendance at Busch yearly, and having a new stadium, and winning the World Series, DeWitt has been unrelenting in his stance to hold the payroll steady. When the new stadium was being constructed, fans were reassured with promises of increased payroll, only to be let down by a stingy management that has gradually let the team deteriorate. Since the Cardinals have never been a free agency heavy team, preferring to trade farm talent for players instead, they also suffer from a farm that has little AAA major league-ready talent available.

A lot of people assume that the NL Central Division is a crappy division and that anyone can win it. Based on last year's data, that'd be an accurate assessment, as it was probably the worst division in the history of baseball. In a lot of ways, it's the most improved, however. There's no doubt that the Cubs have made strides forward with their $310 million spending spree. Their offense is one of the best in the NL, and their rotation is undoubtedly improved from last year. Still a flawed team? Sure, but one that has a very reasonable chance at making a run at the division. The Brewers may end up having the strongest rotation, however, with Sheets and Capuano at the front end and Jeff Suppan and Dave Bush at the back end. While Sheets' health is always a question mark, Bush's 1.12 WHIP last season suggests significant potential for improvement this season. The Reds' fortunes will likely ride on Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo. If Harang has a year like last, and Arroyo continues to build on the promising start he had to last season, I think that the combination of the Reds' offense, Great American Smallpark, and a solid front of the rotation make them a threat for the Central crown. They were awfully close last year before tailing off at the end. Houston, if they get Clemens back, might well make their 4th consecutive second half run. I don't think the NL Central is quite as crappy as everyone makes it out to be, and the Cardinals have gone from being a no-brainer pick to a giant question mark. I have a hard time seeing them as favorites to win the division when almost all the other teams in it have taken significant strides forward at improvement and the Cardinals have not. Last season, they ended up 2 games above .500; this season, I predict that they will have a hard time breaking even.

Gator's Shadow

04-08-07, 12:43 PM

Bob Saccomano

04-08-07, 02:58 PM

Great post, Bob. It isn't so much, at least in my opinion, that the NL Central is "crappy" its just that there is no one that is scary. A team doesn't have to be great to win the division; a merely good team will have a legitimate shot to win it.

Yeah, you're right. I went on a bit of a rant there that wasn't very well thought out :). Like I alluded to, I think anyone in the division except the Pirates has a chance at winning it, and I think no one team is going to run away with it. Heck, I saw an ESPN headline (didn't read the article) that suggested the Pirates might have a winning season - which, last year, would have been roughly where the Cardinals were (just over .500). With young talent like Duke, Snell, Bay, LaRoche, NL batting champ Freddy Sanchez, and some other complementary pieces, I could see them doing a fair bit of winning.

Bob Saccomano

04-08-07, 05:09 PM

There were some positives today for the Cardinals. Pujols not only hit his first homer of the season, but he also had a single, doubling his previous hit total. Kip Wells looked really good in 7 very strong, scoreless innings, putting up 7 K's, 1 hit, and reducing his ERA to 1.38.

As a team, they tallied 13 hits and put up 10 runs. It's nice ot see them finally translate hits into runs, which, to date, has been a problem.

Sam18

04-08-07, 09:00 PM

Albert Pujols for Miguel Cairo?

Bob Saccomano

04-08-07, 10:15 PM

Albert Pujols for Miguel Cairo?

I think you'd need to throw in Bubba.

Seriously though, Pujols loves St. Louis and will probably finish his career here. Unlike certain places, he doesn't get booed for getting off to a slow start.

JimEdmonds15

04-09-07, 01:38 AM

Bigs or AAA? 'Bird will know soon
By Jim Masilak
April 9, 2007

http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/41/410113m.jpg

One way or another, today promises to be a landmark day in the life of Redbirds right-hander Blake Hawksworth. The 24-year-old will either make his Triple-A debut tonight at AutoZone Park against New Orleans or join the St. Louis Cardinals in Pittsburgh and make a spot start

Hawksworth said of a possible big-league call-up. "If something like that came to happen, that's when I'd think about it. All I've been thinking about is that I'm getting ready for my first Triple-A start."

In the meantime, a few feet down the hall in the Redbirds' clubhouse, Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty met with the Memphis managerial staff to discuss the club's options.

The North Vancouver, B.C., native is tentatively set to make his Memphis debut against the Zephyrs tonight on nine days' rest. Hawksworth hasn't pitched since March 30, when he threw five impressive and scoreless innings in an exhibition game against the Cardinals at AutoZone Park.

[More in URL] (http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/redbirds/article/0,2673,MCA_22116_5473085,00.html)

Sounds like it'll be him. I've wanted to see him get a chance anyways, but not this way.. Talk that Carp may need bone spur surgery and be out 4-6 weeks.. that's just hearsay right now til stuff is official!

JimEdmonds15

04-09-07, 12:34 PM

Keisler to start Tues., Carp likely to DL

As usual, there will be more detail on all of this when my notebook goes up. But in the meantime, here are the morning updates from the pregame chat with TLR:

* Randy Keisler will start in Carpenter's place on Tuesday. It would be his fifth day, after he went on Thursday in Memphis' opener.

* The corresponding move likely will be to place Carpenter on the DL. He flew with the team out of Houston, then headed back to STL last night. He's being checked out by Paletta today.

* Scott Spiezio is ill; he apparently has something resembling food poisoning. It's uncertain whether he'll come to the park or stay back at the hotel.

-M.

[Link] (http://yourenotagolfer.mlblogs.com/obviously_youre_not_a_gol/2007/04/keisler_to_star.html)

CardNYY

04-09-07, 02:56 PM

The Cards had no business winning the World Series last year. They are worse this year.

Well, I didn't see this much beyotching when the Yankees won the Series with an 87-74 record in 2000, but that's ok. I like them in the AL and will refrain from saying anything bad about them...

CardNYY

04-09-07, 02:58 PM

This is why baseball is a great game. Anything can happen.

BTW, don't count us out this year.....

Exactly. The Cards have been like the N.E. Patriots of MLB for a couple of years (minus the multiple championships). Just when you think that they are done, they come back and surprise you..

JimEdmonds15

04-09-07, 05:24 PM

SP Braden Looper (W, 1-1): 7 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 3 K, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 94 pitches
SU Ryan Franklin (H, 2): 1 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 K, 0 HR
CL Isringhausen (S, 2): 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 0 HR

Cards win 3-0.. 2 game win streak, now 3-4.. look better.. the pitching has surprised me though.. mainly Looper and Franklin.. Izzy looks sharper this year!

Bob Saccomano

04-09-07, 05:47 PM

Looper had a great game, and there's no better place for Pujols to break out of a slump than PNC park, where he is the proud owner of a .364 AVG and 19 HR, IIRC. He also has excellent numbers against snell. After going 2-3 and scoring twice, I hope he has broken out of the funk that he started the year in. Even Preston Wilson had a 2 RBI double. Great game all around.

CardNYY

04-09-07, 07:11 PM

3-4 on the season. Hopefully they can continue their mini winning streak.

CardNYY

04-09-07, 07:13 PM

From Bernie M:

Carp has moderate arthritis and a mild elbow "impingement"

Kind of vague...
Best DL for now...
Rest and therapy over the next 14 days...
Then re-evaluate.

--B

Coney36

04-09-07, 07:22 PM

Cardinal Fan

04-09-07, 08:16 PM

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/53105B222A62ADB0862572B800594427?OpenDocument

The club placed Carpenter on the disabled list today and recalled lefthander Randy Keisler to take his place in the rotation for Tuesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Anyone remember Randy Keisler?

What did he have?

thnx

Cardinal Fan

04-09-07, 08:17 PM

I was at the game today and Looper looked... well, he didn't look like the Looper I expected to see. But then again, it's the Pirates... they tried to rally a couple of times but it seemed every time it ended in a double play. Nice day for Pujols, though.

Allot nof credit has to be given to Dave Duncan, The cardinal pitching coach. He was the one that said looper can be a starter when everyone else was rolling their eyes. The jury is still out, but so far he has pitched well

Cardinal Fan

04-09-07, 08:19 PM

CardNYY

04-09-07, 10:05 PM

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/53105B222A62ADB0862572B800594427?OpenDocument

Anyone remember Randy Keisler?

What did he have?

thnx

Former Yankee:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/k/keislra01.shtml

http://www.theredcrush.com/files/images/keisler.jpg

JDPNYY

04-09-07, 10:15 PM

Dog Named Fred

04-09-07, 11:42 PM

Well, I didn't see this much beyotching when the Yankees won the Series with an 87-74 record in 2000, but that's ok. I like them in the AL and will refrain from saying anything bad about them...

That might be because the 2000 Yankees did not have a losing record over the last 5 months of the season; the 2000 Yankees did not get to play an LCS against a team without its two best playoff starters; the Yankees did not play a team in the World Series that lost the ability to make routine plays; and the best player in the 2000 World Series was Derek Jeter and not David Eckstein.

CardNYY

04-10-07, 07:48 AM

That might be because the 2000 Yankees did not have a losing record over the last 5 months of the season; the 2000 Yankees did not get to play an LCS against a team without its two best playoff starters; the Yankees did not play a team in the World Series that lost the ability to make routine plays; and the best player in the 2000 World Series was Derek Jeter and not David Eckstein.

Yes, but lets not forget the team's inability to beat the mighty Tampa Bay Devil Rays in September. They struggled to rack up wins down the stretch.......sounds familiar.

4bronxbombers

04-10-07, 09:15 AM

Going to St. Louis today for business.....so annoyed I won't be able to catch a game. :(

Bob Saccomano

04-10-07, 08:43 PM

Going to St. Louis today for business.....so annoyed I won't be able to catch a game. :(

The way the weather is, believe me, you wouldn't have wanted to. Other than that, though, New Busch is an awesome stadium :).

kan_t

04-10-07, 10:01 PM

Pujols is really cold.

JimEdmonds15

04-10-07, 11:01 PM

SP Keisler: 6 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR

Bah.. the rotation continues to pitch well.. Cards win 3-2 in 12 innings.. Izzy gets Save #3!

4bronxbombers

04-10-07, 11:07 PM

The way the weather is, believe me, you wouldn't have wanted to. Other than that, though, New Busch is an awesome stadium :).

I'm staying at the Hilton across the street and asked for a room overlooking the ballpark....there was 1 left. What an awesome view. I can't wait to walk over tomorrow and take pics. :) Great looking Stadium.

Bob Saccomano

04-11-07, 12:01 AM

SP Keisler: 6 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR

Bah.. the rotation continues to pitch well.. Cards win 3-2 in 12 innings.. Izzy gets Save #3!

Izzy of course had to give up a leadoff walk :P. Keisler was pretty huge, but today's offensive hero was Gary Bennett. I think one of the funniest things I've seen all season thus far was Yadier Molina being afforded an intentional walk. To his credit, he is relatively clutch, but still...

CallOfTheCrow

04-11-07, 11:26 AM

Carpenter out for the rest of April.......

JimEdmonds15

04-11-07, 12:24 PM

Carpenter out for the rest of April.......

yep but it sounds like it's better with him on the injury front.. RIGHT NOW.. course things can change..

Cardinal Fan

04-11-07, 12:33 PM

In regards to some ex-cardinal pitchers

Jeff Suppan got hit hard the other night in Florida. Jason Marquis was his old self in Chicago yesterday and We all know about Jeff Weaver and Sydney Ponson.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Jeff Weaver (2.0 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO, 1 HR, 31.50 ERA) vs. Boston (Red Sox won 14-3)

</TD><TD></TD><TD align=middle> </TD><TD align=middle></TD></TR><TR><TD>Jason Marquis (5.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR, 3.27 ERA) vs. Houston (Astros won 4-2)

</TD><TD></TD><TD align=middle> </TD><TD align=middle></TD></TR><TR><TD>Sidney Ponson (5.2 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO, 2 HR, 12.71 ERA) vs. New York (Yankees won 8-2)</TD><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD align=middle> </TD><TD align=middle></TD></TR><TR><TD>
Jeff Suppan (6.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR, 4.15 ERA) vs. Florida (Marlins won 5-3)
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

JimEdmonds15

04-11-07, 04:02 PM

Another 9th inning win for the Cards.. Duncan PH HR in 9th for 3-2 lead.. Franklin throws 1.1 shutout innings (now at 5 innings) for his first win.. Cardinals end the road trip with a 3 game sweep at Pittsburgh.. 5-1 road trip.. 5-4 now and in first in the Central lol

Cardinal Fan

04-11-07, 04:09 PM

9 runs in a 3 game series and you sweep it.

As long as we get pitching like this I see no reason why we can't waltz right through the regular season into the World Series.

excuse me but I had a very heavy liquid lunch;) :D

whalers

04-11-07, 04:28 PM

Pujols is killing my fanto squad.

CardNYY

04-11-07, 04:43 PM

CoyoteYankee

04-11-07, 05:42 PM

Pujols is killing my fanto squad.

Me too. But I just keep thinking...he's going to go on a tear...he is after all, Albert Pujols.

Socal Pinstriper

04-13-07, 02:11 PM

The Cardinals enter tonight's series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers with a 3.04 ERA and seven quality starts from the rotation in nine games. The six pitchers who have started sport a combined 2.54 ERA. What some expected to be a traumatic transition has so far been seamless except for Chris Carpenter's tumble to the disabled list. http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/A7E0E2EBEAFC4A85862572BC00134917?OpenDocument

Sam18

04-13-07, 04:49 PM

Me too. But I just keep thinking...he's going to go on a tear...he is after all, Albert Pujols.

Same here. And when he does he's gonna carry our collective teams.

Bronson'sCornrows

04-13-07, 11:01 PM

Allot nof credit has to be given to Dave Duncan, The cardinal pitching coach. He was the one that said looper can be a starter when everyone else was rolling their eyes. The jury is still out, but so far he has pitched well

I didn't think he had the kind of repetoire to start. Isn't he fastball-slider-change? I didn't see a lot of Mets or Marlins games back when he was closing, so I could be wrong.

CoyoteYankee

04-14-07, 10:13 PM

Same here. And when he does he's gonna carry our collective teams.

Any day now...:(

JimEdmonds15

04-15-07, 05:08 PM

Pujols... 2 HR's, 5 RBI's... we'll see.. Cards offense busted open (hopefully) with a 10-2 win!!

Cardinal Fan

04-15-07, 05:15 PM

Pujols... 2 HR's, 5 RBI's... we'll see.. Cards offense busted open (hopefully) with a 10-2 win!!

Off Ben Sheets too!

All the Cardinals plus manager and Coaches wore #42 today

Bob Saccomano

04-15-07, 06:59 PM

My boy Chris Duncan went 4-5 with a 483 foot blast! On the season, he's .412 with 3 HR.

CardNYY

04-15-07, 10:39 PM

I felt like I was 5 years old again while watching Jay Randolph call the game on KSDK via mlb.tv

Cardinal Fan

04-20-07, 05:43 PM

The cardinals actually won a game today, Beating the Cubs 2-1.

It had the usually bizarre events of a Cubs/cardinals Game.....

There was a bizarre play in the seventh inning.

The Cubs had two on and no outs when Henry Blanco popped up a bunt in front of the plate. Molina reached around Blanco to try and make the catch; as he did, the ball hit the ground.

Molina apparently tagged Blanco and threw to second base with Eckstein covering. Eckstein threw to third where Scott Rolen tagged Mark DeRosa. Rolen relayed the ball to first, and the umpires ruled the Cardinals had turned a triple play.

That brought Piniella out of the dugout to argue. After the umpires conferred, Blanco was ruled out for batter's interference, and Chicago's two runners, DeRosa and Jones, were sent back to their bases

and then in the ninth

Jason Isringhausen was helped when pinch-runner Ronny Cedeno was called out at second on a bizarre play for the second out. With Cedeno running, a 3-2 pitch to Jacque Jones was called a ball but Yadier Molina threw to second and shortstop David Eckstein tagged Jones when he overslid the bag.

Eckstein and LaRussa both argued Jones should be out, and after conferring, the umpires agreed. Matt Murton then popped out to end the game.

Bob Saccomano

04-20-07, 06:41 PM

Yankees-Red Sox is the biggest rivalry series this week, but there is the Cubs-Cardinals going on as well, and that series is already a third over. What ended up a 2-1 win for a Cardinals, their first in the last 5 games, may seem to have been a pitchers duel, but was probably so only because both teams hit so poorly.

At the start of the game, there were only four Cardinals in the lineup that were hitting above .200. And most of them only narrowly over.

Edit: Poor Ted Lilly. The guy better get used to having performances like 7 IP, 6 K, 2 ER and taking a loss.

Sam18

04-20-07, 06:47 PM

Brad Lidge killed Pujols' career.

Bob Saccomano

04-20-07, 11:19 PM

Brad Lidge killed Pujols' career.

:lol:

CardNYY

04-23-07, 02:36 PM

What a wild game at Wrigley yesterday. It seems like Sunday is the only day that the Cards decide to bring out the lumber. Aaron Miles has no business being in a ML uniform. None.

Astroholic

04-23-07, 02:53 PM

What a wild game at Wrigley yesterday. It seems like Sunday is the only day that the Cards decide to bring out the lumber. Aaron Miles has no business being in a ML uniform. None.

Hey CardNYY. You live around St. Lous? Astros fan here :P

Bob Saccomano

04-23-07, 04:48 PM

What a wild game at Wrigley yesterday. It seems like Sunday is the only day that the Cards decide to bring out the lumber. Aaron Miles has no business being in a ML uniform. None.

That was one of the best games of this early season, back and forth all the way through. Sunday is the day to score runs for the Cards.

Sunday, April 8th: 10 runs
Monday, April 9th-14th: 11 runs
Sunday, April 15th: 10 runs
Monday, April 16th-21st: 12 runs
Sunday, April 22nd: 12 runs

I always thought Miles was a bad move. His OPS away from Coors of .626 was a sign that he would not enjoy much success away from Colorado.

CardNYY

04-24-07, 12:56 PM

Hey CardNYY. You live around St. Lous? Astros fan here :P

No. I moved in '04. I'm in AL now..:)

CardNYY

04-24-07, 12:58 PM

I always thought Miles was a bad move. His OPS away from Coors of .626 was a sign that he would not enjoy much success away from Colorado.

I don't disagree at all. It boggles my mind that he's still in uniform...

4bronxbombers

04-25-07, 05:49 PM

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l54/4bronxbombers/BuschStadium2007.jpg?t=1177537684

Thought I'd post this here. Stayed in the hotel across from Busch Stadium 2 weeks ago. Beautiful stadium.

Cardinal Fan

04-25-07, 11:12 PM

Newsflash fellas:

Braden Looper's ERA is now 1.91

Tonight Looper allowed one run on three hits in seven innings in his fifth career start, all of them lasting at least six innings, since the Cardinals plugged the former closer and setup man into the rotation.

Tonight

<TABLE class=tablehead cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3><TBODY><TR class=colhead align=right><TD align=left>Pitchers</TD><TD>IP</TD><TD>H</TD><TD>R</TD><TD>ER</TD><TD>BB</TD><TD>SO</TD><TD>HR</TD><TD noWrap>PC-ST</TD><TD>ERA</B></TD></TR><TR class=oddrow align=right><TD align=left>B Looper (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=5966)</TD><TD>7.0</TD><TD>3</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>2</TD><TD>4</TD><TD>1</TD><TD noWrap>101-63</TD><TD>1.91</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Cards beat the Reds 5-2 tonight to get a rare home win

Bob Saccomano

04-25-07, 11:37 PM

CardNYY

04-26-07, 03:12 PM

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l54/4bronxbombers/BuschStadium2007.jpg?t=1177537684

Thought I'd post this here. Stayed in the hotel across from Busch Stadium 2 weeks ago. Beautiful stadium.

I have yet to visit Busch III. hopefully when I visit STL, I'll catch a game or two..

CardNYY

04-26-07, 03:15 PM

Looper's been an ace. Instead of being the disaster I had initially anticipated, he's transformed into the staff ace. Hopefully, he'll keep it up, and Mulder's return to the rotation will displace Reyes, whose transition from the minors (where he excelled) to the majors has been rocky at best and marred by inconsistency.

Yes, Looper's performance has been a major surprise so far this year, too bad the offense can't give him more run support. Reyes has a little bit of Jason Marquis in him, and that's not good. I'm beginning to think that Game 1 of last year's WS was a mirage.

JWHIII

04-26-07, 03:23 PM

Anyone know what happened to Chris Duncan today? I saw that Shumaker replaced him in the middle of his second AB.

JWHIII

04-26-07, 03:49 PM

Anyone know what happened to Chris Duncan today? I saw that Shumaker replaced him in the middle of his second AB.
Nevermind, I think Gamecast was just screwed up.

CardNYY

04-26-07, 03:51 PM

Anyone know what happened to Chris Duncan today? I saw that Shumaker replaced him in the middle of his second AB.

He had a head injury...

JWHIII

04-26-07, 03:58 PM

He had a head injury...
Originally CBS had him as being replaced in the second AB, they must have been behind when he was scratched before the game.

It fixed itself when he pinch hit, must not be too bad if he's getting in there.

Bob Saccomano

04-26-07, 04:34 PM

Yes, Looper's performance has been a major surprise so far this year, too bad the offense can't give him more run support. Reyes has a little bit of Jason Marquis in him, and that's not good. I'm beginning to think that Game 1 of last year's WS was a mirage.

The offense doesn't really give anyone much run support (except on Sundays). Reyes has had flashes of brilliance, like the game where he one-hit the White Sox (although that one hit was an HR, and he took the loss, 1-0). I think the comparison to Marquis is apt, though - if he has a rough first inning, you know it's going to be a bad, roller coaster type of game. I think he begins every at-bat with the intention of getting the K. He should take a page out of Wainwright's book and pitch to contact.

Cardinal Fan

04-26-07, 05:07 PM

He had a head injury...

Duncan scratched his head on an overhang at the hotel, had to get some stitches.

Cardinal Fan

04-26-07, 05:10 PM

The offense doesn't really give anyone much run support (except on Sundays). Reyes has had flashes of brilliance, like the game where he one-hit the White Sox (although that one hit was an HR, and he took the loss, 1-0). I think the comparison to Marquis is apt, though - if he has a rough first inning, you know it's going to be a bad, roller coaster type of game. I think he begins every at-bat with the intention of getting the K. He should take a page out of Wainwright's book and pitch to contact.

the cardinal offense needs Jim Edmonds to play like the 2004 Jim Edmonds. And reyes has been a disappointment to me. He appears to have taken two steps back.

Bob Saccomano

04-26-07, 05:51 PM

Duncan scratched his head on an overhang at the hotel, had to get some stitches.

Thanks for the info - I wondered about that. He was good enough to hit a double in his only AB of the game :). Apart from being the Cards' only regular hitting anywhere near .300 (he's actually a good margin over), he's slugging .586 and has an OPS pushing 1.000. Hoping to see more good things from him. I don't think we can expect Edmonds to ever again get near his '04 production. He's turned into a .250, 19-20 HR type of hitter now. We just have to deal with that and hope that Colby Rasmus is all he's hyped up to be.

Bob Saccomano

04-29-07, 02:42 AM

Well that was a drubbing by the Cubs after a disappointing loss last night. Zambrano is now 5-0 with a 1.23 ERA against the Cardinals in his last 8 starts. With today's win, the Cubs have succeeded in bringing the Cards down to their level (10-13).

CardNYY

04-29-07, 11:18 AM

Just heard on KFNS online that reliever Josh Hancock died in an accident on Highway 40 last night. :(

4bronxbombers

04-29-07, 11:21 AM

Just heard on KFNS online that reliever Josh Hancock died in an accident on Highway 40 last night. :(

Wow....how terrible. RIP :(

CardNYY

04-29-07, 11:26 AM

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/3B293F8C2726D713862572CC00534F93?OpenDocument

It's like Darryl Kile all over again, and against the Cubs.. Eerie

b-ball-lunachick

04-29-07, 11:34 AM

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/3B293F8C2726D713862572CC00534F93?OpenDocument

It's like Darryl Kile all over again, and against the Cubs.. Eerie

I just saw that on CBS sportsline as Breaking news...boy does that bring back bad memories. :(

St Louis is the 8pm game tonight on ESPN..I wonder if they'll play.. :(

edit: duh, didn't read your link first sorry - game postponed...

BroadwayBomber55

04-29-07, 11:44 AM

RIP Josh Hancock.

TinoFan84

04-29-07, 11:48 AM

I just heard this on ESPN, how terrible. RIP Josh Hancock.

My thoughts and prayers will be with his family and the Cardinal family.

NYYStateofMind21355

04-29-07, 11:53 AM

I just woke up to this horrible news on ESPN. This has to be such a blow to that entire organzation, not to mention his family.

Just horrible. So young. He wasn't even as old as I am now. :(

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and the Cardinals organization.

May Josh rest in peace.

Just so sad. :(

Cardinal Fan

04-29-07, 11:55 AM

Thats weird having Hancock and Lidle both dying within a year, and both pitched the day before they died.

This is just a truly horrible thing when a young guy dies like this.

4bronxbombers

04-29-07, 11:56 AM

So sad. I hate to hear news like this. RIP Josh. :(

Bob Saccomano

04-29-07, 12:08 PM

Terribly upsetting. Such a young guy and so much burgeoning talent. I wish him and his family the best.

Cardinal Fan

04-29-07, 12:12 PM

Of Course you have the usual stupidity from other morons on the internet:

http://www.stltoday.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=452607

<TABLE class=forumline cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 width=500 summary="" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=row1 vAlign=top align=middle width=100>Mr. Danza</TD><TD class=row1 vAlign=top height=28><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>http://www.stltoday.com/forums/templates/STLtoday8/images/icon_minipost_new.gif (http://www.stltoday.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=4536249#4536249)Post subject: While this is a tragedy...</TD></TR><TR><TD>Posted: 29 Apr 2007 10:51 am</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=row1 vAlign=top align=middle width=100><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=100 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>Forum User</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>http://www.stltoday.com/forums/templates/STLtoday8/images/lang_english/icon_offline.gif </TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle></TD></TR><TR><TD align=left>Joined: 30 Nov 2003</TD></TR><TR><TD align=left>Posts: 51</TD></TR><TR><TD align=left></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD class=row1 vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2>the question does need to be asked.

If this turns out to be a case of being killed by a drunk driver, does anyone know the whereabouts of Tony LaRussa or Leonard Little in that time frame?

R.I.P.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Dog Named Fred

04-29-07, 12:19 PM

Of Course you have the usual stupidity from other morons on the internet:

http://www.stltoday.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=452607

While that's obviously tasteless, would anyone be surprised if it turns out that a guy who died by driving into a parked tow truck was, in fact, not sober?

Cardinal Fan

04-29-07, 12:48 PM

Hancock's Ford Explorer slammed into the rear of a tow truck that was parked in the far left westbound lane shortly after 12:30 a.m. The tow truck driver, who was seated in the vehicle at the time, was unhurt.

He told police that his emergency lights were on, and that he honked his horn when he saw the Explorer approaching in his rear view mirror, but that the Exploer didn't slow down or swerve to avoid the collision.

At the time of the accident, the tow truck driver was assisting a motorist from an earlier accident

Luvtino

04-29-07, 01:05 PM

How tragic. Kile, Lidle, and now Josh. It never gets any easier. I was so heartbroken to read this news. My thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and team at this tragic time. Hang in there Cards fans. Hopefully better times are on the horizon. God bless you all. :(

Astorian

04-29-07, 01:10 PM

RIP Josh.

CardNYY

04-29-07, 01:21 PM

Of Course you have the usual stupidity from other morons on the internet:

http://www.stltoday.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=452607

That place is an asylum, it isn't what it once was. Bernie should start a blog.

CardNYY

04-29-07, 01:22 PM

Luvtino

04-29-07, 04:02 PM

Thanks, Luvtino, and the rest of the Yankee fans..

You are very welcome. Is St.Louis reeling right now?! :(

Cardinal Fan

04-29-07, 04:50 PM

This link shows a picture of hancock's Vehicle. Warning to all, view at your own risk

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18381071

Details per Walt Jocketty, who was obviously broken up: They're wearing a patch starting tomorrow, there will be a commemorative sign in the bullpen, and the team is going to try to charter a plane to Tupelo, Miss. for the funeral on Thursday.

Tony LaRussa: Josh was a part of the family, he didn't really know anyone in St. Louis outside of the club. Hancock took the tough assignments and was always willing to be that guy. Everyone respected him for doing whatever was asked willingly and to the best of his ability. This situation is "brutal" on the team, Hancock was a well liked guy and everyone who was there when Kile passed knows how trying this can be on the club.

Police chief: 12:35 AM, westbound on 40. Just before the Grand exit, a tow truck was stopped to help with an accident that had just occurred. Cops were on the way, but hadn't arrived yet. Doesn't look like he was speeding, but that'll have to wait on accident reconstruction. No evidence of driving under the influence yet (no beer cans, or anything). Driver says that Hancock came up behind him, tried to avoid him at the last, but didn't make it. It was a big truck (26,000 lb flatbed) and the driver was inside.

b-ball-lunachick

04-29-07, 05:01 PM

Bob Saccomano

04-29-07, 05:29 PM

This link shows a picture of hancock's Vehicle. Warning to all, view at your own risk....westbound on 40. Just before the Grand exit, a tow truck was stopped to help with an accident that had just occurred...

Woah, that's not very far from where I live...

Cardinal Fan

04-29-07, 06:26 PM

Outstanding Article by jason Stark

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=2853327&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1

He wasn't a star. He wasn't a magical baseball name. He wasn't one of those guys who make headlines every time they open their mouths.
But men like Hancock help stitch together the fabric of baseball. No team can get by without them. And this past October, the St. Louis Cardinals wouldn't have won a World Series without him.
He didn't find his way to the Cardinals last year as some monstrous free-agent signing. He found his way to the Cardinals in about the least likely way possible.
Released by the Reds on the first day of spring training 2006 for allegedly being overweight. Signed by the Cardinals a few days later, as just another non-roster arm to add to the spring training buffet line.
But Hancock became more than that. He pitched his way onto an Opening Day roster for the first time in his nine-year pro career, a career that already had bounced him from Boston to Philadelphia to Cincinnati to St. Louis. He wound up working more innings (77) than any pitcher in a World Series-bound bullpen. He wound up being one of those invaluable little pieces that glue championship teams together. He threw strikes. He stayed healthy. He was ready if they needed him in the third inning. He was ready if they needed him in the 12th.

CardNYY

04-29-07, 06:26 PM

You are very welcome. Is St.Louis reeling right now?! :(

I don't live there anymore, but I know that it is. No question about it..

JimEdmonds15

04-29-07, 07:52 PM

Not a lot to say but I appreciated him.. He was like a trooper, a guy that saved our bullpen many a times and it happened again in his last outing. He was just now starting to click, this sucks majorly.. I appreciate and noticed that side of his pitching even if he struggled.. he gutted it out and gave his all for the team.. of course that's a minor thing right now as it should be but I thank him :( Very stunning news to wake up to today.. I was suppose to go to the game tonight, my first trip to Busch, but something came up in my life too where I couldnt make it, then this turns out to happen.. Very difficult time right now..

JimEdmonds15

04-30-07, 03:48 AM

http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/42/426258m.jpg

Dove, who had been pitching for the Class AAA Memphis Redbirds, was called up to the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday. Dove will be with the Cardinals Monday when they play the Milwaukee Brewers in Miller Park in Milwaukee.

At Memphis, Dove was 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA. He had struck out seven and walked six in 12 innings of work.

The news of his call-up was met with mixed emotions as Dove will take the roster spot of St. Louis pitcher Josh Hancock, who was killed in an automobile accident early Sunday morning.

[Link] (http://www.tiftongazette.com/breakingnews/local_story_119223335.html)

Congrats on the callup.. sucks it had to come this way!

Bob Saccomano

05-06-07, 01:24 AM

A 13-0 drubbing by Houston today...I think the team is gassed. The offense is lackluster, especially because of the-fielder-not-named-Duncan and CF production are lacking. Kip Wells has apparently used up whatever magic he had going for him in the early season.

Bob Saccomano

05-06-07, 03:58 PM

Some good news for the Cards today:

1. Clemens is going to NYY, not to Houston :).

2. Bringing up Ludwick:

In 29 games at Memphis, Ludwick hit .340 with a .380 on-base percentage and slugged .642. He racked up eight homers and eight doubles in 106 at-bats, driving in 36 runs.
Right field is one position where a boost is particularly needed. Cardinals right fielders rank 15th in the National League in batting average and last in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, RBIs and runs scored.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070506&content_id=1948976&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

3. Putting Preston Wilson on the DL.

4. Bringing in Falkenborg.

CardNYY

05-06-07, 04:24 PM

Carpenter out for 3 months. Might as well put 2007 in the books. What a terrible game yesterday.

Bob Saccomano

05-06-07, 04:37 PM

Carpenter out for 3 months. Might as well put 2007 in the books. What a terrible game yesterday.

I didn't have high hopes for this season after the offseason moves, and I think my hopes have gone down even further. The negatives of this season so far: Kip Wells, Adam Wainwright, Anthony Reyes, the RF position, Edmonds, and almost everything else I can think of. I wouldn't rate the entire season on one bad game though, because the team has bounced back nicely from that with the way they've played today. Still, they are in last place in a crappy division, so it's nothing to get excited about, either.

Positives: Braden Looper (pitching like an ace :eek:) , Chris Duncan, some minor leaguers getting a chance at the show. Honestly, for those people that thing Torre is enamored with veterans, know that Tony LaRussa is just as bad.

JimEdmonds15

05-06-07, 06:46 PM

Jason Isringhausen has looked nasty all year.. blown save was a cheap wind blown aided hit with 2 outs in Chicago.. other earned run wasnt charged as a should have been error on Rolen.. plain and simple.. Izzy has looked fantastic so far.. then you throw in the job Ryan Franklin is doing.. the pen is looking good!

Bob Saccomano

05-06-07, 06:53 PM

The Sulton of Swat

05-06-07, 07:34 PM

Too bad the rotation is looking awful... :(

Their whole team is awful

Bob Saccomano

05-06-07, 07:50 PM

Their whole team is awful

So's your spelling. It's "Sultan," not "sulton." ;)

CardNYY

05-07-07, 03:15 PM

I didn't have high hopes for this season after the offseason moves, and I think my hopes have gone down even further. The negatives of this season so far: Kip Wells, Adam Wainwright, Anthony Reyes, the RF position, Edmonds, and almost everything else I can think of. I wouldn't rate the entire season on one bad game though, because the team has bounced back nicely from that with the way they've played today. Still, they are in last place in a crappy division, so it's nothing to get excited about, either.

Positives: Braden Looper (pitching like an ace :eek:) , Chris Duncan, some minor leaguers getting a chance at the show. Honestly, for those people that thing Torre is enamored with veterans, know that Tony LaRussa is just as bad.

I expected them to be competitive with what they have coming into the year. One can make an arguement that this decline started when they lost to Boston in '04, and it really irks me how ownership allowed this team to head down that path. I have a feeling that DeWitt's going to sell the team within 2 years..

Bob Saccomano

05-09-07, 01:54 AM

I expected them to be competitive with what they have coming into the year. One can make an arguement that this decline started when they lost to Boston in '04, and it really irks me how ownership allowed this team to head down that path. I have a feeling that DeWitt's going to sell the team within 2 years..

Haha, I was thinking the same thing, which makes last year's WS even more bizarre. I'll be glad to see DeWitt get rid of the team as long as he sells it to someone willing to spend the revenue they get through ticket sales on the team. Wasn't the new stadium supposed to INCREASE the payroll? Haven't seen any signs of that happening...

Solid win today against the Rockies, but awful way to lose last night.

CardNYY

05-09-07, 08:31 AM

The same song and dance Mark Lamping gave us when he announced that a new stadium will be built back in 2001. Even then I thought it was a load of crap.

Cardinal Fan

05-09-07, 06:23 PM

News Falsh

Cards won today 9-2. (No that isn't a typo-we actually scored 9 runs)

We now have won our last two series (Againts Houston and Colorado)

Tough 9 game Road Trip coming up: At San Diego, At Los Angeles and at Detroit.

It will be interesting in the next 2 weeks to see if the cards are still "contending"

Mark19

05-09-07, 06:25 PM

Bob Saccomano

05-10-07, 12:07 AM

Pujols has ZERO protection in that lineup. Scott Spiezio batting 5th? God damn, what a poorly-constructed team. They are the defending World Champs, why didn't they feel they could spend a little money this offseason?

They've been penny-pinching for a while now. Mulder was probably the team's last big acquisition. The attrition has been going on since '04, and no adequate replacements have been coming in to fill their spots. That trend, borne out over a couple of years, coupled with the inevitable decline of a once-fine offensive centerpiece and rotation, results in a very lackluster team.

Socal Pinstriper

05-10-07, 05:10 PM

Darryl Hamilton walked around the field Wednesday taking snapshots. Major League Baseball's senior specialist of on-field operations wasn't picturing a change in MLB's stance on instant replay, but said there will be adjustments to the hitter's background at Busch Stadium.
The black hitter's eye in center field doubles as a high-tech electronic billboard that switches to ads between innings. Problem is, you can see the white writing of "Edward Jones" through the black during at-bats, akin to house blinds allowing a sliver of sunshine.
"That's why I am here. We have had some of the umpires complain that it's difficult to see from their standpoint. And I know if it's tough for them, it's tough on hitters, and a couple of hitters said it was," said Hamilton, a one-time Rockie. "It's something that will be addressed with the stadium operations and changed."
http://www.denverpost.com/rockies/ci_5858723

Bob Saccomano

05-13-07, 01:07 PM

Tyler Johnson's been very good so far.

JimEdmonds15

05-13-07, 03:03 PM

Tyler Johnson's been very good so far.

Indeed.. but what about Looper.. man he's been awesome.. hope to get another series win (that'd be 3 in a row) with a W today.. Reyes needs one badly.. the offense always sucks behind him too but he hasnt helped himself this year..

Rocketman

05-13-07, 03:39 PM

JimEdmonds15

05-14-07, 01:30 AM

And another dreadful 3-0 shutout.. yada yada yada.. this sucks.. Should be able to accept it.. but being 15-20 is hard to accept to me!

Bob Saccomano

05-14-07, 02:54 AM

Indeed.. but what about Looper.. man he's been awesome.. hope to get another series win (that'd be 3 in a row) with a W today.. Reyes needs one badly.. the offense always sucks behind him too but he hasnt helped himself this year..

Looper's been pitching like an ace. It seems like he's doing it all with offspeed stuff...on the FSN gun the other night, I don't think it hit 90 once. I wonder how long he can keep it up...

Bob Saccomano

05-14-07, 02:56 AM

The Cardinals ownership is pathetic for not spending more money on signing players. I understand the pitching problem this offseason, but I don't get the fact that they signed zero impact offensive talent. That should have been the #1 priority for Walt Jocketty, and I'm sure he would have gone for it if the checkbook was open to him.

Albert Pujols does not deserve to be treated this way.

Couldn't agree with you more, but part of the problem is that they don't want to pay anyone more than Pujols. It'd be kind of ridiculous to pay an inferior hitter more than him, and Pujols is signed at a ridiculously cheap price - less than half of what'd he'd be worth on a free market. So when the team made overtures to Soriano and had to keep the price range under 10 million a year, the negotiations were basically non-existant.

YASS

05-14-07, 06:40 AM

Couldn't agree with you more, but part of the problem is that they don't want to pay anyone more than Pujols. It'd be kind of ridiculous to pay an inferior hitter more than him, and Pujols is signed at a ridiculously cheap price - less than half of what'd he'd be worth on a free market. So when the team made overtures to Soriano and had to keep the price range under 10 million a year, the negotiations were basically non-existant.

I hate to see inferior players get big paydays after great players have been locked into inadvantageous contracts ... but that's how the free market works and it happens all the time. Jocketty can't let his embarrassment at how little he's paying Pujols or his concern about offending him by paying someone else more prevent him from doing what's necessary to improve the team.

I mean, there's no law against tearing up the existing deal and paying Pujols something closer to his market value, is there?

JimEdmonds15

05-16-07, 05:09 PM

Wainwright has tendinitis in pitching arm
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
05/16/2007

LOS ANGELES -- After allowing seven hits and eight runs Tuesday night, Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright told Post-Dispatch baseball writer Joe Strauss that he has been suffering from tendinitis in his pitching arm this season.

Wainwright gave up three first-inning runs to the Dodgers, then five more in the third after the Cardinals came back to take a 4-3 lead in a game they eventually lost 9-7.

The beating left Wainwright (3-3) with a 6.34 ERA. Opponents have reached him for a .342 average, including 50 hits in the 30 1/3 innings covering his last six starts.

Writing in his live chat this afternoon on STLtoday.com, Strauss reported:

"Wainwright admitted after last night's loss that he has suffered from tendinitis in 'a couple places' in his arm. One of those places is the elbow. He went on to say that Tuesday was the first time he had pitched without discomfort since his first start. This may explain why his velocity has been down.

"It may also explain why his pitching mechanics have deteriorated to the point that he no longer shows an effective curveball. Wainwright looked almost defenseless last night, something I never thought I'd see.

[Link] (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/3CD8C5F8AA6D53E6862572DD006C1F7F?OpenDocument)

CardNYY

05-18-07, 08:53 PM

What a great way to show the Tigers and the experts that last year was a gigantic fluke. 12-0 Detroit. Blow this damn team up, DeWitt. This is your mess, now clean it up.

Cardinal Fan

05-21-07, 06:15 PM

Over the last 162 regular season games, The cardinals record is 74-88.

Yeah and they won the World Series in the middle of this record

Baseball is a funny game

JimEdmonds15

05-30-07, 01:02 PM

Molina Out With Fractured Wrist
By Derrick Goold
05/30/2007 9:38 am

DENVER — Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina will be out indefinitely with a fracture in his left wrist, according to early indications Wednesday morning.

The Cardinals have promoted catcher Brian Esposito from Triple-A Memphis, moving the Redbirds’ catcher up to meet the team in Denver for Wednesday night’s game. An official confirmation of Molina’s injury and the related roster move were not available early Wednesday morning, but was expected later in the day.

[Link] (http://www.stltoday.com/blogs/sports-bird-land/2007/05/molina-out-with-fractured-wrist/)

What a brutal year!!

Cardinal Fan

06-01-07, 11:34 PM

Cardinals win their third in a row. 8-1 over houston tonight. Believe it or not we are now in second place in the lovely NL central division.

<TABLE class=tablehead cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3><TBODY><TR class=colhead align=right><TD align=left>CENTRAL</TD><TD width="6%">W (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/standings?date=20070601&column=wins&year=2007&order=true&br=3&type=reg&group=5&st=2)</TD><TD width="6%">L (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/standings?date=20070601&column=losses&year=2007&order=true&br=3&type=reg&group=5&st=2)</TD><TD width="8%">PCT (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/standings?date=20070601&column=winPercent&year=2007&order=true&br=3&type=reg&group=5&st=2)</TD><TD width="5%">GB (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/standings?date=20070601&column=gamesBehind&year=2007&order=true&br=3&type=reg&group=5&st=2)</TD><TD>HOME (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/standings?date=20070601&column=homeWinPercent&year=2007&order=true&br=3&type=reg&group=5&st=2)</TD><TD>ROAD (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/standings?date=20070601&column=roadWinPercent&year=2007&order=true&br=3&type=reg&group=5&st=2)</TD><TD>RS (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/standings?date=20070601&column=pointsFor&year=2007&order=true&br=3&type=reg&group=5&st=2)</TD><TD>RA (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/standings?date=20070601&column=pointsAgainst&year=2007&order=false&br=3&type=reg&group=5&st=2)</TD><TD>STRK (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/standings?date=20070601&column=streak&year=2007&order=true&br=3&type=reg&group=5&st=2)</TD><TD>L10</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow align=right><TD align=left>Milwaukee (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/clubhouse?team=mil)</TD><TD>31</TD><TD>24</TD><TD>.564</TD><TD width="5%">-</TD><TD>20-9</TD><TD>11-15</TD><TD width="5%">251</TD><TD width="5%">240</TD><TD>Won 2</TD><TD>3-7</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow align=right><TD align=left>St. Louis (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/clubhouse?team=stl)</TD><TD>23</TD><TD>29</TD><TD>.442</TD><TD width="5%">6.5</TD><TD>11-13</TD><TD>12-16</TD><TD width="5%">202</TD><TD width="5%">253</TD><TD>Won 3</TD><TD>6-4</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow align=right><TD align=left>Pittsburgh (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/clubhouse?team=pit)</TD><TD>23</TD><TD>31</TD><TD>.426</TD><TD width="5%">7.5</TD><TD>10-17</TD><TD>13-14</TD><TD width="5%">222</TD><TD width="5%">261</TD><TD>Lost 3</TD><TD>4-6</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow align=right><TD align=left>Chicago Cubs (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/clubhouse?team=chc)</TD><TD>22</TD><TD>30</TD><TD>.423</TD><TD width="5%">7.5</TD><TD>10-16</TD><TD>12-14</TD><TD width="5%">236</TD><TD width="5%">228</TD><TD>Lost 5</TD><TD>2-8</TD></TR><TR class=oddrow align=right><TD align=left>Houston (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/clubhouse?team=hou)</TD><TD>22</TD><TD>32</TD><TD>.407</TD><TD width="5%">8.5</TD><TD>12-15</TD><TD>10-17</TD><TD width="5%">213</TD><TD width="5%">255</TD><TD>Lost 1</TD><TD>1-9</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow align=right><TD align=left>Cincinnati (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/clubhouse?team=cin)</TD><TD>21</TD><TD>34</TD><TD>.382</TD><TD width="5%">10</TD><TD>10-18</TD><TD>11-16</TD><TD width="5%">251</TD><TD width="5%">286</TD><TD>Lost 1</TD><TD>3-7</TD></TR><TR class=colhead align=right><TD align=left></TD><TD width="6%"></TD><TD width="6%"></TD><TD width="8%"></TD><TD width="5%"></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD></TR><TR class=oddrow align=right><TD align=left></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD width="5%"></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD width="5%"></TD><TD width="5%"></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD></TR><TR class=evenrow align=right><TD align=left></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD width="5%"></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD width="5%"></TD><TD width="5%"></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD></TR><TR class=oddrow align=right><TD align=left></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD width="5%"></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD width="5%"></TD><TD width="5%"></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD></TR><TR class=evenrow align=right><TD align=left></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD width="5%"></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD width="5%"></TD><TD width="5%"></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD></TR><TR class=oddrow align=right><TD align=left></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD width="5%"></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD width="5%"></TD><TD width="5%"></TD><TD></TD><TD></TD></TR><TR class=stathead><TD colSpan=12></TD></TR><TR class=colhead><TD colSpan=12></TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD colSpan=12></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

mBiferi

06-01-07, 11:35 PM

I can't believe how bad is the NL central.

Cardinal Fan

06-01-07, 11:52 PM

and of course the bad news (FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Rolen leaves game with injured hamstring

ASSOCIATED PRESS
06/02/2007

HOUSTON (AP) -- St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Scott Rolen left Friday night's game against the Houston Astros after two innings with a strained right hamstring.

Rolen grounded out in the top of the second and didn't appear to be injured then, but was replaced when the Cardinals took the field for the bottom of the third.

Scott Spiezio was moved from left field to take Rolen's place at third and So Taguchi came in to play left field.

Bob Saccomano

06-02-07, 05:44 AM

I can't believe how bad is the NL central.

It's sad that they have the same record as the Yankees, but the Yankees are in a much, much deeper plight, and are closer to 2nd to last than they are to 2nd in the division.

CardNYY

06-02-07, 09:09 AM

and of course the bad news (FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Surprise, surprise.

All I can say is, thank God they won the WS last year. That's the only thing that's keeping me sane.

Cardinal Fan

06-03-07, 05:39 PM

The cards take two out of three from the astros this wekend. Albert Pujols had another big day in the Juicebox. Had two home Runs. Should have had 4 today since Hunter Pence caught two balls on the hill in dead cf at Minute Maid park. Both Balls caught where estimated at 430 feet.

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/32f205ee-db5e-4af7-b5a9-38d3a0c7e63d.jpg
St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols watches his eighth-inning home run during a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Sunday, June 3, 2007, in Houston. (AP Photo/Dave Einsel)

Cardinal Fan

06-06-07, 11:00 PM

Cards 10-5 in their last 15 games

Win tonight 6-4. Albert Pujols again providing the big hit, a 2 run HR to left centerfield in the seventh inning to give the cards the lead for good.

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/07e736fa-78e5-4eee-a611-32d9ca25b834.jpg
St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols watches as his two-run home run head out of the park during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday, June 6, 2007 in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

JimEdmonds15

06-08-07, 08:05 PM

So they are playing better.. signed Troy Percival to a minor league contract.. his comeback starts with memphis

b-ball-lunachick

06-10-07, 11:20 PM

okay they had Purina Pooches day at the park...I can't see this happening in the bronx. :D

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070610/capt.cc13baf9481c4d21be7bb17ffa4cb2b5.correction_cardinals_dogs_baseball_motg101.jpg

Bob Saccomano

06-15-07, 01:42 AM

Kip Wells is truly awful. He needs to get DFA'd about as badly as Jeff Weaver. He just goes out there time and time again because you have to have an arm on the mound in order to play the game.

Rocketman

06-15-07, 02:07 AM

Pujols, once slumping and performing relatively terribly, is now on pace to, yes, score 100, club 41 jacks, drive in 113, and hit .304.

This guy hits .330 EVERY YEAR. I wonder how hot he'll be as the season continues...

JDPNYY

06-15-07, 05:52 AM

Has anyone ever given up 17 runs to the Royals before?

Cardinal Fan

06-15-07, 09:27 AM

Kip Wells is truly awful. He needs to get DFA'd about as badly as Jeff Weaver. He just goes out there time and time again because you have to have an arm on the mound in order to play the game.

most likely he will be put on the disabled list, a la weaver in Seattle

BillBuckner

06-15-07, 09:30 AM

Has anyone ever given up 17 runs to the Royals before?

I thought the Phillies did just earlier this week.

Bob Saccomano

06-15-07, 11:25 AM

Has anyone ever given up 17 runs to the Royals before?

I thought the Phillies did just earlier this week.

Correct. Sunday, June 10th, the Royals won 17-5 over Philly. It's really amazing what a gap there is between the AL and NL. In spite of another historically bad season last year, the Royals were either at or slightly above .500 in interleague play last year. I expect them to perform similarly this year.

EDIT: Incidentally, the Royals have scored 287 runs this year. The two aforementioned games account for nearly 12% of their total on the year.

CardNYY

06-16-07, 12:53 AM

Oakland Rai....I mean Athletics 14, Cardinals 3

Pure comedic gold. And guess who's in the pen ? None other than ex-Angel Scott Speizio. Yes, Scott Speizio. Embarassing.

teknetic

06-16-07, 01:22 AM

Wells' game log is horrifying. :scared:

JDPNYY

06-16-07, 07:16 AM

I thought the Phillies did just earlier this week.

Yeah... that was kinda the joke.

Bob Saccomano

06-16-07, 08:27 PM

Oakland Rai....I mean Athletics 14, Cardinals 3

Pure comedic gold. And guess who's in the pen ? None other than ex-Angel Scott Speizio. Yes, Scott Speizio. Embarassing.

Spiezio did a better job than most of the pitchers on the staff. He actually pitched a scoreless inning - and that's something that Kip Wells doesn't know how to do. Remniscent of Maddon sticking the SS in there the day after the D-Rays' pen blew that huge lead to Toronto. With Wellemeyer going tonight, I could easily see another football-type score.

CardNYY

06-16-07, 08:32 PM

Spiezio did a better job than most of the pitchers on the staff. He actually pitched a scoreless inning - and that's something that Kip Wells doesn't know how to do. Remniscent of Maddon sticking the SS in there the day after the D-Rays' pen blew that huge lead to Toronto. With Wellemeyer going tonight, I could easily see another football-type score.

Or Jose Oquendo. I actually remember him pitching one inning. He wasn't called The Secret Weapon for nothing..

NZ NYY Fan

06-16-07, 11:19 PM

St Louis up 15-3 over the As.
10 run fifth!

Helps the yankees- kinda.

Bob Saccomano

06-17-07, 04:42 AM

St Louis up 15-3 over the As.
10 run fifth!

Helps the yankees- kinda.

It sure did - brings the Yankees within 3 1/2 of the WC spot without putting the A's and Detroit in a tie for it. Additionally, it's always nice to have an extra game in the loss column.

Cardinal Fan

06-17-07, 10:56 AM

food for thought:

http://www.nypost.com/php/pfriendly/print.php?url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/06172007/sports/let_the_trades_begin__sports_joel_sherman.htm

THE NL CENTRAL How horrible is this division? When NL Central clubs played outside their division, their winning percentage was .390, the equivalent of a 99-loss season by an individual team. The problem is because everyone is so horrible, everyone thinks they could still win the division, which makes them hesitant sellers. Even the Reds, who have made it clear they would move Adam Dunn and, perhaps, Ken Griffey, expect stuff back that can keep them viable in 2007. Dunn, an indifferent fielder who strikes out too much, and the oft-injured Griffey are flawed and costly, but in a market hungry for power -

BonusCantos

06-22-07, 01:42 PM

Mike Maroth Traded to Cardinals (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2913104)

CardNYY

06-25-07, 11:37 AM

Torre in a Cardinal uniform again ?

http://gatewayredbirds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=19269

-tz

06-25-07, 09:34 PM

Mike Maroth Traded to Cardinals (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2913104)And he held the Mets to one run on two hits through seven and a third innings tonight. Not a bad debut.

Cardinal Fan

07-05-07, 06:00 PM

Cards signed Ryan Franklin to a two yerar extension

http://www.stltoday.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=466913

C'Nation,

The Cardinals just announced a confirmation of reporting done earlier by Joe Strauss and Rick Hummel that Ryan Franklin has signed a two-year extension with the club that includes an option. The contract could keep Franklin here through 2010.

Terms were not announced.

Franklin, 34, has nestled into the role of setup man for closer Jason Isringhausen. He got his third win of the season Wednesday and with a scoreless inning kept his ERA at a pristine 1.29.

More on this in tomorrow's paper from Mr. Hummel.

From the ballpark,

Derrick
-30-

rca1230

07-05-07, 06:58 PM

Cards signed Ryan Franklin to a two yerar extension

http://www.stltoday.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=466913

awful

CardNYY

07-13-07, 10:26 AM

Fear the Cardinals !!!1One Although, I doubt it will come into fruition..

http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2007/07/13/sports/columnists/doc4697261b52bd5594303803.txt

CardNYY

07-28-07, 10:53 PM

Cards sweep the Brewers in the doubleheader today.

And, dare I say it, they might be back in the playoff hunt..

zolak16

07-29-07, 11:57 PM

Big week for them if they want to get close playing pitt and nats

JimEdmonds15

07-30-07, 11:43 AM

The only problem with this is.. they'll go back and let down the fans this week.. I've seen it all year! But they do look like a diff team after the Milwaukee series!

CardNYY

08-02-07, 09:17 PM

The only problem with this is.. they'll go back and let down the fans this week.. I've seen it all year!

Today was no different. I see that we signed Joel Pineiro 2 days ago. Yep, that's going to put us over the top.

zolak16

08-06-07, 01:28 AM

Better luck next year, maybe miles should pitch more

CardNYY

08-09-07, 05:31 PM

Rick Ankiel's back in the show !

http://deadspin.com/sports/forgive-us-as-we-weep-sweet-tears-of-hope/ankiel-gets-the-call-287760.php

JimEdmonds15

08-09-07, 07:15 PM

And Spiezio is going to rehab.. or somethin

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-cardinals-spiezio&prov=ap&type=lgns

HidekiIrabu

08-10-07, 01:57 AM

Rick Ankiel's back in the show !

http://deadspin.com/sports/forgive-us-as-we-weep-sweet-tears-of-hope/ankiel-gets-the-call-287760.php

And he hit a 3 run HR

JeterRodriguezSheff

08-10-07, 02:08 AM

Oakland Rai....I mean Athletics 14, Cardinals 3

Pure comedic gold. And guess who's in the pen ? None other than ex-Angel Scott Speizio. Yes, Scott Speizio. Embarassing.

lol@even thinking for a second that the Raiders ciould score 2 touchdowns in one game

b-ball-lunachick

08-10-07, 01:57 PM

And Spiezio is going to rehab.. or somethin

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-cardinals-spiezio&prov=ap&type=lgns

I was surprised to read that but I guess you never know..I guess he figured the jig was up when he ripped the IV out of his arm so he wouldn't have to get a blood test. ;)

Hopefully he gets the help he needs...

BroadwayBomber55

08-10-07, 02:46 PM

Rick Ankiel's back in the show !

http://deadspin.com/sports/forgive-us-as-we-weep-sweet-tears-of-hope/ankiel-gets-the-call-287760.php

Kudos to the Cardinals organization for holding on to Rick Ankiel.

That's a feel good story. Ankiel's homerun is one of the great stories in baseball this year.

JimEdmonds15

08-11-07, 04:27 PM

Ankiel hit HR #2 off Derek Lowe in the 1st to give STL a 2-0 lead

CallOfTheCrow

08-11-07, 04:32 PM

good for Ankiel. :)

hardrain

08-11-07, 04:45 PM

Ankiel hit HR #2 off Derek Lowe in the 1st to give STL a 2-0 lead

very nice,,,a great story

JimEdmonds15

08-11-07, 06:01 PM

BYE BYE.. Ankiel jacks his 2nd homer of the game.. 3rd of the season.. OMG!

YASS

08-11-07, 06:36 PM

I hope he just keeps jacking them and gets St. Louis close (but not close enough) ... just so Walt Jocketty gets to cry himself to sleep all winter about not calling him up sooner.

ppa79

08-11-07, 06:37 PM

Ankiel is amazing. I hope he can stay as a starting outfielder in the majors.

CardNYY

08-12-07, 05:31 PM

I hope he just keeps jacking them and gets St. Louis close (but not close enough) ... just so Walt Jocketty gets to cry himself to sleep all winter about not calling him up sooner.

Sam Breadon didn't call up a certain slugger named Stan Musial until September of 1941. The Cards might've faced the Yankees in the WS had he called him up sooner rather than later.

Cardinal Fan

08-12-07, 06:57 PM

this week is the week that determines if the cards are realistic contenders. We have back to back series (on the road) against the Brewers and Cubs.

but it all begins and ends with the Starting pitching, while it has been better of late, it is still scary

JimEdmonds15

08-13-07, 02:19 PM

Cardinals P Percival one of top feel-good stories of 2007
August 13, 2007 By Brian Joura
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/images/players/action/ph_120401.jpg

ST. LOUIS (TICKER) -- Lost in Barry Bonds' controversial run at the all-time home run mark and most recently the triumphant return of Rick Ankiel to the majors leagues, is the feel-good story of Ankiel's teammate, Troy Percival after a two-year hiatus from the game.

A closer for nine years with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Percival has resumed his career with the St. Louis Cardinals, working as a setup man for RHP Jason Isringhausen. Percival has appeared in 18 games so far this season with the Cardinals and has a 2.50 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 18 innings.

It was a love of the game that brought Percival back.

"Just the fact that my arm started feeling pretty good," Percival said. "The doctors told me that I probably wouldn't be able to throw again, but the more I threw the better it felt. I just figured, you know what, I want to play until they rip this uniform off me and I'm going to try it again."

Percival's comeback has gone so smoothly that he's already thinking about pitching in 2008. He's 12th on the all-time saves list with 324, but even next year a closer's job is not his top priority.

"I'm just going to sit back and I don't necessary have to close," Percival said. "I'm going to look for the best opportunity for me to go and contribute in a decent role that means something. I'm not a long guy, I'm a little too old for that so I'm going to look at every opportunity that I have and surely St. Louis is going to be the first place I look."

[Link] (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=txcardinalspercival&prov=st&type=lgns)

zolak16

08-15-07, 10:22 PM

I take back the cards being done

Cardinal Fan

08-16-07, 09:49 AM

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/241791420C28C148862573390016B7D3?OpenDocument

Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols turned on the power during batting
practice, receiving several ovations from the crowd about a half hour before
game time. In successive rounds of batting practice, Pujols pounded pitch after
pitch deep to left field at Miller Park. In one round, he put three shots into
the second deck of seats. On four swings he hit four home runs in what appeared
to be his final turn in the cages.

Before the crowd's applause quieted, he decided to step in for one more swing.
With Dave McKay pitching, Pujols ripped the final pitch out of the ballpark.
Pujols' shot soared out the open window beyond the left-center concourse. His
practice hinted at his homer off the scoreboard in the first inning,
conservatively estimated at 445 feet.

zolak16

08-16-07, 08:21 PM

8 1/2 to 2 1/2 in 11 days pretty good, looks like it might be a cubs cards battle to the end with brewers folding

RollingWave

08-17-07, 03:21 AM

Unbelievable.

Could this be the year where we have 3 teams with negative run differential making the playoffs ? (Ms Cards D-Backs)

Cardinal Fan

08-17-07, 08:06 AM

Adam Wainwright

<O:p</O:pLook at his ERA per Month

April: 6.14<O:p</O:p
May: 5.00<O:p</O:p
June: 3.69<O:p</O:p
July: 3.09<O:p</O:p
August: 1.96<O:p</O:p

Braden Looper has won three of his last four starts.<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p

Joel Pineiro has made two Quality Starts.<O:p</O:p
Our Starting Pitching has made 11 straight starts lasting 6 or more innings; 9 consecutive quality starts.<O:p</O:p
We were eight games out of first place on Aug. 5, but have won eight of 10 since to pull within 2 1/2 games of the Brewers, who have lost eight of 10.<O:p</O:p
Just when they thought that we were out they pull us back in...<O:p</O:p

26 and counting

08-17-07, 02:59 PM

So I guess the Cardinals are going to win the World Series again with an 83-79 record, right?

JimEdmonds15

08-19-07, 06:11 PM

http://www.thediamondangle.com/archive/sep02/cards/ears.jpg

He reports to Memphis on Wednesday...

he was DFAed by the Yankees on Aug 7...

released on Wednesday....

.252 with 10 RBIs in 54 games with Yankees.

.308 OBP ... .318 SLG.

seven doubles...

played games at every INF position this year, and a few in the corner OF.

And also: in case you missed it, Kelly Stinnett is back at Memphis, catching, and the Cardinals will likely call him up after Sept. 1 to be the 3rd guy.

--B

[Link] (http://www.stltoday.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=477221)

Meh.. welcome back though

CardNYY

08-27-07, 10:07 AM

The Cardinals are now 2 GB in the NL Central standings. The Cubs and Brewers lost yesterday and will play each other this week.

JimEdmonds15

09-01-07, 01:16 PM

Encarnacion Out For Season; Eye Seriously Injured
By Derrick Goold
09/01/2007 11:54 am

Cardinals outfielder Juan Encarnacion will miss the remainder of the season with multiple fractures of his left eye socket and a serious injury to his left eye, the team announced Saturday morning. Encarnacion’s long-term prognosis is undetermined as remains in a local hospital receiving care, but the injuries could be classified as career-threatening.

Encarnacion was struck in the eye by a foul ball during the sixth inning of Friday’s victory against the Cincinnati Reds. He was standing in the on-deck circle preparing to pinch hit when a line drive hit him flush in the face. Encarnacion collapsed instantly and stayed on the ground for several minutes, unmoving. Team trainers, manager Tony La Russa and center fielder Jim Edmonds rushed to his side.

The Cardinals right fielder left the field with help from teammates and was taken immediately to a local hospital for exams.

The club’s medical officials announced Saturday morning that Encarnacion’s eye socket was fractured several times and that the eye itself sustained “a serious” injury. A team official said he will meet with a specialist and continue undergoing treatment, though he will not play again this season.

The offical release from the club sets future as “undetermined”.

-30-

Encarnacion Out For Season; Eye Seriously Injured (http://www.stltoday.com/blogs/sports-bird-land/2007/09/encarnacion-out-for-season-eye-seriously-injured/)

Brutal :( get well Juan!

What a year :(

hardrain

09-01-07, 05:51 PM

Horrible news for Juan. I can't imagine how much that must have hurt.

I'll always remember that 800 ft. homer he hit at Yankee Stadium that day.

JimEdmonds15

09-01-07, 05:53 PM

Talked to him for 20 minutes.

Rolen will have surgery, pending a final meeting to review everything. Said his doctor (Kremcheck) and Cardinals doc (Paletta) agree that surgery is the only option to fix the shoulder.

Problem, Rolen said its a buildup of scar tissue, and that the AC joint needs to be shaved. His rotator cuff doesn't provide any functional strength. He can't elevate his left arm to have an effective swing. And by compensating, he's starting to develop a sore right shoulder and even some elbow pain and his throwing has really deteriorated. 6or the first time in his career he didn't want the ball hit to him, because he didn't trust his ability to throw.

The strength and range in his left shoulder is so bad, Rolen said he went into games hoping to get one good swing during his four ABs. Not one good AB; one swing. Said he felt useless to the team and himself and he just can't play. They almost shut him down in early August. Good news is, he said surgery is a cleanup type thing and he'll be good by the spring.

La Russa doesn't think keeping Rolen active as a defensive substitute is smart - because to stay sharp, Rolen has to put in a lot of work, and when he puts in a lot of work, it just makes the shoulder worse.

Tony is right.

Let's move on and get Rolen repaired. He tried to give this a month and had some good moments but the shoulder is fried.

-B

http://www.stltoday.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=480462

CardNYY

09-01-07, 06:30 PM

Now I feel guilty for cursing him out these past two weeks. I hope he recovers from this.

JimEdmonds15

09-01-07, 09:36 PM

Pujols, Molina and Piniero visited him in the hospital last night...

Albert stayed with Juan until 3 a.m. until Juan told him to go home and get some sleep and get ready to play. "He was in pretty good spirits," Pujols said. "He was making jokes." Pujols wanted to be there to make sure that the staff provided what Juan E needed, Albert was concerned that the language barrier would be a hindrance; just wanted to be able to translate if he had to. Albert visited Juan again today.

* Aaron Miles visited Juan E today... Miles didn't do anything wrong, but on a personal level, he feels bad that his foul ball did the damage.

* Juan E wanted to know if Miles got a hit to start the rally last nite.... (Miles didn't). And Miles said Juan E gave him good-natured teasing about that, but flashed the thumbs up when hearing that the Cardinals won.

--B

2nd Post by Bernie:

I don't know where he's at...

It could be two weeks until surgery is performed; the bruising and the swelling have to go down -- and he's cut up pretty bad....I'm told you can actually make out the outline of the baseball where it hit him.

He's in trouble .... if there's optic nerve damage, which I'm hearing is the case, going to have serious vision problems.

--B

http://www.stltoday.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=480492

JimEdmonds15

09-01-07, 10:45 PM

Doctors agree: Surgery for Rolen
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/02/2007

http://images.stltoday.com/stltoday/resources/rolen830flash.jpg

When he no longer wanted the ball hit to him at third base for fear he wasn't healthy enough to make the throw to first, Scott Rolen knew his season was essentially over.

Rolen will meet with team officials and medical personnel in the next few days to determine when he'll have surgery on his left shoulder. While general manager Walt Jocketty would like Rolen to consider contributions he might still make to the team, one team official said there is no plan in place to have Rolen play again this year.

"I am not the man for this job right now," Rolen said. "I ran it to my limit and I have nothing left. I have to make a change. I'm no longer the everyday third baseman anymore."

[Link] (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/43DD614EFFFD415A8625734A0009F16F?OpenDocument)

Serious eye injury could end Encarnacion's career
By Derrick Goold
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/02/2007

http://images.stltoday.com/stltoday/resources/injured01flash.jpg

Cardinals outfielder Juan Encarnacion’s career is in jeopardy because of a severe, season-ending eye injury suffered when a foul ball struck him Friday night at Busch Stadium.

Encarnacion has multiple fractures in his eye socket and a "serious" injury to his left eye, the team announced Saturday. The extent of the damage to his left eye will not be known for at least several days as the swelling calms. One team source acknowledged that Encarnacion’s sight in the left eye is threatened and said the outlook "for the return of his vision is extremely guarded at this point."

A team official said Encarnacion’s orbital bone "exploded" and that there was significant harm to the eye itself. The concern is that Encarnacion’s optic nerve was damaged by the trauma.

[Link] (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/5B3CA01947C9DC5B86257349005F8F5B?OpenDocument)

teknetic

09-02-07, 12:22 AM

That seriously sucks, http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/wrap.jsp?ymd=20070831&content_id=2181419&vkey=wrapup2005&fext=.jsp&team=home&c_id=stl

Click the St.Louis bottom of the sixth, first batter, second pitch. The sound is gut wrenching :(

JimEdmonds15

09-03-07, 01:24 AM

Cardinals outfielder still in hospital, career could be over after serious eye injury
By R.B. FALLSTROM, AP Sports Writer
September 2, 2007

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070902/capt.f83fc9756b2f405396c2860f4ec3d1c4.reds_cardinals_encarnacion_baseball_motg107.jpg

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The damage a foul ball did to Juan Encarnacion's left eye was the worst the St. Louis Cardinals' medical director has ever seen to a baseball player. Dr. George Paletta was not optimistic Sunday that the outfielder will regain full vision after his frightening injury and resume his career.

"It's the worst trauma I've seen. Absolutely," Paletta said, adding that the future holds no guarantees. "You hope the best for Juan, but he suffered a severe injury with a very guarded prognosis. It's way too early to say whether he will or he won't, and if he doesn't what percentage of vision loss he may have."

Paletta said the eye socket was essentially crushed on impact, comparing the injured area to the disintegration of an egg shell or ice cream cone, and that the optic nerve had sustained severe trauma. Reconstructive surgery may not take place for several days while doctors wait for swelling to subside. Paletta said there was no rupture to the eyeball.

Encarnacion, 31, was still experiencing headaches and nausea, preventing his release. Paletta said a positive sign was that the outfielder's vision had improved some, although he anticipated that progress would be slow.

"So at this point we keep our fingers crossed, say a prayer for him and make sure he's getting the best