more randomness

I hate to be a fun-spoiler, but I refuse to get on-board the "Carpenter pitched two good innings and now all that remains is figuring out which band will play for the World Series celebration" just yet. After all, Lohse did not pitch well, Wellemeyer did not pitch well, and now I'm hearing that Wainwright did not pitch well. This is Spring Training after all. Early Spring Training at that. I won't condemn the team based on a few bad starts, and I won't endorse them based on two good innings. Now, that's not to say I'm not excited to hear he's progressing, or that I don't think we'll be in contention this year. I just won't get any bit hot or bothered without a little more to go on. If he'd gone out there and pitched like some Joe Schmo throwing out the ceremonial first pitch of the season by planting one in the dirt 10 feet in front of the catcher, I'd be writing the exact same thing here: Two Spring Training innings do not a definitive diagnosis make.

Adding to my "25 random things" list...

Random things about me r/t baseball

4. My foray into blogging began with Microsoft Word and a very colorful chart in which I recorded game scores, wrote important notes, and tabulated averages, saves, and various other stats. After the disappointment that was the 2004 post-season, I decided that the next time the Cardinals played in October, I wanted my own personal record of the season, and the idea for the chart was born. After the 2007 season, I decided to take it up a notch and keep track of things more emotional in nature, and since I'd recently joined facebook, I integrated the two and started writing "notes" about the games. Eventually this lead to an ongoing s*** list in which I kept track of the players who were really aggravating me (and whether they ever redeemed themselves). From there it was a short jump into the world of true blogging, and I've never looked back. (The list didn't last very long because it turned out to be more trouble than it was worth, but you can see the part I archived here, if you want. The rest is lost in inter-space somewhere.)

5. I don't just talk to the television when the game's on, I carry on entire, very involved conversations with Dan and Al. Sometimes these conversations get a little heated, but we always make good by the next first pitch. I often wonder how their wives put up with them.

6. I think there's always something new to learn about the game, and I love learning. For example, I used to graciously accept the various announcers' explanations of what makes a balk a balk whenever the subject would come up, but last year I decided I wanted to know the facts. Now that I have a better idea of what to look for, I have one more thing to yell at the tv about.

Just getting warmed up now...

just playing a little baseball

First inning: Big hits. Ankiel hit a three-run home run. Looper gave up six runs before getting a single out. Boy, he could not buy a strike, and the 'Stros took advantage.

Third inning: Was it a catch or wasn't it? Skip Schumaker laid himself out in center and came up with a ball that Hunter Pence was sure wasn't caught, and he got himself doubled-up running. Upon further review (on the replay) it was shown to have been a trap rather than a catch. It was ruled a catch, however, by the umpire.

Al Hrabosky:

I'm sure he trapped that ball, but let's get in the dugout quickly.

Oh, Al.

After the break, we learned that Cecil Cooper had been ejected from the game. The crowd steadily booed the whole umpiring crew for the rest of the game.

(I tell you what, if roles had been reversed, I would have been standing on my head screaming and probably cursing the umpires 'til next week.)

And here is where instant replay will begin its inevitable morphing process. It will start as a tool to judge fair vs foul balls where home runs are concerned, but people will not remain happy with the limitations on it for long. Eventually Selig will give in and expand the uses to which IR can be put, and then, watch out.

Fifth inning: That f***ing hill should be outlawed. Why it isn't a rule violation, I can't figure. Schu almost made a spectacular play out there, but came up just a foot or so short, and then the next batter took Looper deep for the third time. Springer, who gave up the game-winner last night, got right back on the horse that threw him (got a hair of the dog that bit him, or some other cliché of your liking), and struck-out his two batters, no problem. Goes to show what a difference a day makes. I like that Tony will send a guy right back out there as soon as possible. For one, it shows that he still has confidence in his pitchers (and sometimes that's as important as anything), and for two, it gives the pitcher a chance to show what he can do. To show that he isn't going to let one mistake define him. To shake it off and make good.

Seventh inning: Albert crushed one to left. Okay, maybe he didn't exactly crush it, after all you only have to hit a ball about 150 feet to make it out in left field at MM Park, but he hit it hard enough and fair enough (bounced it off the "fowl" pole) to give the Cards two more runs toward coming back in this one.

Ninth inning: My hopes were dashed, and I wonder how when there's a down-by-two or three situation where we need big hits, it seems like it's always the rookies at the plate.

Blah. I felt going into this post that I would be writing about a loss, but there's still plenty to play for: individual player statistics, spoiling the season for other teams, getting some big league playing time for AAAers, and so on. After all, it's not all about the post-season, right? It's supposed to be fun. That's what I'll be looking for.

let's try that again

Mark. 

Mulder. 

might. 

RELIEVE. 

this. 

weekend. 

He was available in the bullpen last night, but not used. Ron Villone pitched instead, and gave up 2 runs, effectively sealing our fate. But that's okay, and not just because the Cubs lost yesterday, too. 

KC is on some kind of tear through the National League. They've won 13 now. I hate interleague play. 

I feel bad for Piñeiro. He can't buy a win lately. Either he pitches well and the offense fails him, or he pitches like dirt and the offense fails him. Anyone else sensing a pattern here?

 
The only thing worse than our hit-or-miss offense, though, is our give-'em-up 'pen. And the latest bad news from our "bad news bullpen"? You guessed it, looks like Izzy is headed back to the DL. Said he felt something "pop" in his knee while pitching the other night. 

Dan mentioned during the last series that the bullpen owns HALF of our losses this season, and Bernie Miklasz says that we've lost 11 games in which we had 7th inning (or later) leads. Bernie (who is fast becoming my go-to for innovative suggestions regarding the team) would put Kyle McClellan in against lefties (until a better LOOGY can be found), and has little faith in Mulder's abilities in a relief position. All I know for sure is this: as a fan, it's depressing enough to watch the team lose, but it's even harder to watch the bullpen tear apart a hard-fought lead. I can live with a hard nine, just not a late inning collapse.

why they play the game

As Dan so eloquently put it last night, on paper the Royals don't beat the Cardinals. Unfortunately, the two previous games were played in real life on a real field and not on paper, and the Royals did in fact beat the Cardinals. We haven't lost a lot of series this season, so it was kind of a shock when we dropped the first two of this three-game set. Our bullpen really screwed the pooch, and our offense was nowhere to be found.

On a positive note, Chris Duncan had two hits in last night's game!

thhhhbbbbpppppt.

Brad Thompson on the mound for the Redbirds today. Anybody remember what was wrong with him?

get well soon, Izzy

Isringhausen is on the DL with a "right hand laceration." 

I heard after he blew his last official save that he may or may not have hit or punched the televsion in Tony's office out of frustration. Can you blame him? And that was before this last terrible outing against the Bucs.

Chris Perez will be taking his spot on the 25-man roster, a righty with a pretty good fastball. The best part about bringing up a guy from the minors, though, is the fact that the opposition hasn't seen him in action. Oh sure, they've got tape, but with few to no exceptions they haven't faced him in person. His first appearance should be interesting, to say the least.

Addendum: Perez made his major league debut in the game tonight. He pitched the 7th in which he faced four batters (one got on after a hit/error off the glove of Pujols) and struck out one. If you believe Dan and Al, he was reaching 100mph with his fastball.

ready? on nine. onetwothreefourfivesixseveneight...nine

Okay, I have to admit I haven't watched the end of last night's game against San Francisco yet. As one of my friends so eloquently put it, "I'm old and have trouble staying up past 10 pm." Anyway, I watched through the Cards half of the 6th, then taped the rest, and even though I know the outcome, I still plan on watching it. I just haven't gotten around to it yet. 

Wainwright looked good, but he was definitely on the receiving end of some hard-luck plays and other misfortunes. The bounce off second base, then Kennedy's throwing error... but the biggest hurdle of the game was Correia's pace. For a guy that supposedly had the flu, he sure looked to be on top of the world. 

Oh, and on a side note: WTF? The game on Saturday won't be televised? stupid Fox and the stupid Yankees.... But that's okay, cause John and Mike are just as good as Dan and Al, only without any visual accompaniment. I guess I'll have to download some photos of Glaus to stare at while John tells me about the "blue caps and road gray uniforms with 'Cardinals' across the chest and the birds on the bat," and Mike fills me in on how well Yadi blocks those balls in the dirt and how often Wellemeyer checks on the runner at first.

beginning of week 2

I'm more than a little concerned about Chris Duncan and the lack of playing time he's had. I know it's still early, and I know he had a sore hamstring for at least a couple of games, and I know Tony doesn't like to start him against left-handed pitchers, but really, it seems to me that the list of excuses could be endless. I'm not panicking yet, but if I don't see him in the line-up against Houston tonight, that may change. 

On a more positive note, Rick Ankiel looks extraordinary, both behind the plate (of course) and in what I can only assume is his permanent place in center field. 

And even though Skip Schumaker has yet to get his first hit for 2008, I have very high hopes that he could do so during the upcoming road trip (cause let's face it, the two road series ahead of us could provide a lot of opportunities for forward movement, assuming we're able to take advantage). Skip's going be a great lead-off man someday, but the important thing is that he not let this slow start get to him. 

King Albert, though a little dry on the HR front, is contributing plenty and drawing walks like you'd expect. What else can I say about the big guy but that he's so reliable it's scary. There's a reason Pujols is the face of the Cardinals. 

Glaus has been a little disappointing. I wasn't sure what to expect from him, to be honest, but maybe on some subconcious level I was hoping he'd come in and blow everybody's socks off and make us question why we kept Rolen around for so long when this guy was out there all along. I guess that isn't really fair to Troy, and so I'm trying to do better by him and give him the benefit of the doubt that he's just having a hard time adjusting to the NL and he'll eventually show us what he's made of. It's not like he's been going around piling up the errors and Ks, he's just playing very average-ly, and I'm used to third base being occupied by a Gold-Glover with unusually good reach who plays almost too shallow for comfort. 

Adam Kennedy has been a pleasant surprise so far this season. After last year I was ready to put him in stocks in front of the Stan Musial statue and leave him, but he seems to have found whatever he was missing. Believe it or not, I'm glad we've got him. I remember Dan and Al commenting last year that Kennedy's manager from the Angels was surprised that he was having such a bad year last year, but I figured it was just PR, kinda like when you buy a junk car from someone who tells you it's a real deal, and then after you find out what a lemon it is, they say something like, "well it drove great when I had it." I guess I was wrong. I have no problem admitting that. 

Of course, Molina is doing his thing, as always. He's such a phenomenal catcher, and he does so well with the pitchers, he never ceases to amaze me. You know what else never ceases to amaze me? That he could be overlooked for a Gold Glove again. Oh yeah. Well, we Cardinal fans know how much of a difference he makes and how valuable he is every time he takes the field. And his offense is nothing to take lightly, either. 

The starting pitching is amazing, I only wish Anthony Reyes could be part of the fun. I've been a huge fan of his since the first time I saw him pitch, but I have this awful suspicion that his and Dave Duncan's ideas of how he should be pitching are just too different to overcome. I'll always be a fan, no matter what team he's pitching for, I just hope that someday he finds his rhythm and confidence, cause he's got potential up to his eyeballs. The bullpen is also amazing, and considering how much work they've gotten (and will probably continue to get) it's great that we have such a talented bunch of guys back there. 

Isringhausen is back to being Isringhausen. I'm personally rooting for the Cards to retire #44 someday (just not too soon). He's such a big arm for us, and I never lost faith in Izzy, even when his hip wasn't letting him do his best. I was actually kind of disappointed in a lot of supposed Cardinals fans when he was having trouble. I was disgusted to hear half the stadium erupt in boos when Izzy would take the mound, and I'll never forget how ugly some people were about the situation. Fortunately, he got the surgery, got rehab, and is throwing better than ever. I just hope all those people who booed him now realize how wrong they were to lose faith. 

As for Ludwick, Barton, Izturis, Miles, and LaRue, well they're doing what I knew they would: they're playing their hearts out and giving us everything they've got. What more can you ask for? (A side note on Barton, though, would be something like, "can we get the man a chin strap for his helmet, please?" Seriously.) Overall, I'd say we have a good mix of experience levels among the players. The veterans are providing quality leadership and setting the pace, and the young guys are eager and hungry and giving the team a fresh perspective.