{"id":4637,"date":"2010-04-27T13:00:16","date_gmt":"2010-04-27T20:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.seamheads.com\/?p=4637"},"modified":"2010-04-27T13:00:16","modified_gmt":"2010-04-27T20:00:16","slug":"cardinal-comeback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/2010\/04\/27\/cardinal-comeback\/","title":{"rendered":"Cardinal Comeback"},"content":{"rendered":"

First off, I want to say thank you to everyone who has expressed kind words over the Cardinal Blogosphere Guide<\/a>. \u00c2\u00a0I hope that it results in increased traffic for the blogs listed and that you can find another source of can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t-miss Cardinal writing.<\/p>\n

Perhaps it was just me, but it seems like if this was last year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s team, a 3-0 deficit against Tim Hudson would have been game over. \u00c2\u00a0I was listening to that portion on the radio and felt like it was over. \u00c2\u00a0Atlanta seemed to be continually chipping away at Kyle Lohse and the Cardinals were again not getting any hits with men in scoring position.<\/p>\n

However, the last half of this game<\/a> was very different than the first half. \u00c2\u00a0I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not quite willing to give Lohse the Hero of the game tag, but he did stiffen and figure out how to keep Atlanta from scoring any more runs. \u00c2\u00a0It sounded like he was getting the ball down more in the last couple of innings, which always is a good thing.<\/p>\n

I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think all the runs he allowed were his fault, either. \u00c2\u00a0It seemed to me, watching the third inning, that he made some awfully good pitches, especially to Chipper Jones who eventually walked. \u00c2\u00a0I thought he should have had Jones out a long time before that, but he couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get the calls. \u00c2\u00a0It seemed like he just had to lay it in there to get a strike, something Troy Glaus took advantage of in driving in the second run.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to give Colby Rasmus<\/strong> the Hero tag again. \u00c2\u00a0Not only did he hit a big home run to pull the Cards within one, his continued development (and the fact that Albert Pujols was on second with first open) led to a walk in the eighth, allowing Yadier Molina to drive in the winning run (and would have had an insurance run if that ball hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hopped the wall). \u00c2\u00a0Sure, that set up the double play with Molina batting, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m wondering if things might not have been a bit different if it was the early-season 2009 Rasmus batting.<\/p>\n

Then again, maybe not. \u00c2\u00a0Bobby Cox did walk Skip Schumaker to get to Ryan Ludwick, something that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve never seen and likely won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see again anytime soon.<\/p>\n

Talking about heroes, can we give a little credit to this bullpen? \u00c2\u00a0I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been one in the last couple of weeks that has been on their case, but since Mitchell Boggs grooved a pitch to Mark Reynolds in Arizona, here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s their combined line:<\/p>\n

13 IP, 10 H, 11 K, 7 BB, 1.38 ERA<\/p>\n

The walk total is a little high, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s skewed by Kyle McClellan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s three in the first game of the examined period. \u00c2\u00a0They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve really come in and shut the door in the last week and hopefully that will continue.<\/p>\n

Finally, major kudos to Bryan Anderson. \u00c2\u00a0In his last major league at-bat for a while, as Jason LaRue will be activated today, he had a nice piece of hitting, going the other way to drive in the tying run. \u00c2\u00a0Hopefully he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll do well in Memphis, though the odds of us seeing him before September (barring injury) are very slim. \u00c2\u00a0There was some talk on the post-game show last night about the team carrying three catchers and letting him be more of a left-handed bat, but I think if they wanted to do that, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d have let him play more in the last couple of weeks, as they have Nick Stavinoha as an emergency backup.<\/p>\n

Even though David Freese went 0-4, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no way he can be the Goat. \u00c2\u00a0He had a number of defensive gems last night, bringing back memories of Scott Rolen. \u00c2\u00a0To think that people were ragging on his defense at the beginning of the season! \u00c2\u00a0Freese is starting to look like one of the biggest steals in Cardinal history.<\/p>\n

So if we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t give it to him, we look to the other 0-4 in the box score, Brendan Ryan<\/strong>. \u00c2\u00a0It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been a tough month for Brendan and thankfully it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not really affected his glove, but he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to have to hit over .200 soon, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t he?<\/p>\n

The Cards made some moves yesterday, sending down Allen Craig, putting Felipe Lopez on the disabled list, and calling up Tyler Greene and Jon Jay. \u00c2\u00a0I put a quick look at the newcomers together for Baseball Digest yesterday<\/a>, and as I did so I really got excited for what Jay especially may bring to this ball club. \u00c2\u00a0He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got a good high-average bat, so he may be more likely to help that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153string hits together\u00e2\u20ac\u009d idea. \u00c2\u00a0He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got speed, so he can go first to third or steal a base. \u00c2\u00a0I expect he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll probably get a start in this Atlanta series, maybe Thursday, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be interesting to see what he does with the opportunity.<\/p>\n

The move that may affect the Cardinals the most from yesterday, though, they didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make. \u00c2\u00a0Twitter blew up yesterday with the announcement of Ryan Howard\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s five year extension. \u00c2\u00a0You can find Ben\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ruminations on that over at BD<\/a>, but the consensus is 1) that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s way more that Howard is worth and 2) it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to make it that much harder for St. Louis to sign Pujols.<\/p>\n

I tend to agree, at least on the former. \u00c2\u00a0I mean, Howard has always struck me as a guy that isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t necessarily going to age well. \u00c2\u00a0He hits long balls and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about the extent of it. \u00c2\u00a0He still can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hit left-handed pitching, so his average is never going to be really high. \u00c2\u00a0He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not known as any great shakes at first. \u00c2\u00a0He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a good player, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get me wrong, but the second-highest annual salary in baseball? \u00c2\u00a0That doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem right.<\/p>\n

Will this affect Pujols\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s contract<\/a>? \u00c2\u00a0That remains to be seen. \u00c2\u00a0On the one hand, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d have to, because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the easiest comparison in the world. \u00c2\u00a0Howard plays the same position and does everything worse than Pujols, so you know AP would be looking for more than $25 million per now.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, does it really? \u00c2\u00a0I mean, no one expected to get AP for $25 per year, did they? \u00c2\u00a0Not if he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s looking to be the highest player in the game. \u00c2\u00a0He already had the ARod contract and the Mark Teixeira contracts to use as a comparison. \u00c2\u00a0Does this really add that much more fuel to the fire?<\/p>\n

Look, we already know that Pujols, if he wanted to hold out for every cent, is going to be the richest player ever, no matter who pays him. \u00c2\u00a0I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know that being able to point to one more crazy contract will add much incentive to either side. \u00c2\u00a0I still think, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve held to this all along, that Pujols\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s contract is going to have some creative stuff in it. \u00c2\u00a0Honestly, you hear this tossed around by a lot of media types for a lot of contracts, but I would not be surprised if a small fraction of team ownership, say 3% or so, wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be part of it. \u00c2\u00a0I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not sure if it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s legal within the rules of the game, so it might be that he gets an option to purchase that percentage at a bargain rate when he retires, but I think ownership might well be a part of his next deal.<\/p>\n

Cards get back to the field tonight and send out Chris Carpenter against Derek Lowe. \u00c2\u00a0You always like your chances when Carpenter is on the bump. \u00c2\u00a0Here is what he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s done against the Braves:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/strong><\/td>\nPA<\/strong> <\/strong><\/td>\nAB<\/strong><\/td>\nH<\/strong><\/td>\n2B<\/strong><\/td>\n3B<\/strong><\/td>\nHR<\/strong><\/td>\nRBI<\/strong><\/td>\nBB<\/strong><\/td>\nSO<\/strong><\/td>\nBA<\/strong><\/td>\nOBP<\/strong><\/td>\nSLG<\/strong><\/td>\nOPS<\/strong><\/td>\nSH<\/strong><\/td>\nSF<\/strong><\/td>\nIBB<\/strong><\/td>\nHBP<\/strong><\/td>\nGDP<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Troy Glaus<\/a><\/td>\n22<\/strong><\/td>\n18<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n.278<\/td>\n.409<\/td>\n.722<\/td>\n1.131<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nate McLouth<\/a><\/td>\n17<\/strong><\/td>\n16<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n.250<\/td>\n.294<\/td>\n.250<\/td>\n.544<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
David Ross<\/a><\/td>\n11<\/strong><\/td>\n11<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n.273<\/td>\n.273<\/td>\n.273<\/td>\n.545<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Brian McCann<\/a><\/td>\n8<\/strong><\/td>\n7<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n.286<\/td>\n.375<\/td>\n.714<\/td>\n1.089<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chipper Jones<\/a><\/td>\n7<\/strong><\/td>\n6<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n.500<\/td>\n.571<\/td>\n.667<\/td>\n1.238<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Eric Hinske<\/a><\/td>\n6<\/strong><\/td>\n6<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n.000<\/td>\n.000<\/td>\n.000<\/td>\n.000<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Yunel Escobar<\/a><\/td>\n5<\/strong><\/td>\n3<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n.667<\/td>\n.750<\/td>\n.667<\/td>\n1.417<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Derek Lowe<\/a><\/td>\n4<\/strong><\/td>\n4<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n.250<\/td>\n.250<\/td>\n.250<\/td>\n.500<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Martin Prado<\/a><\/td>\n4<\/strong><\/td>\n4<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n.250<\/td>\n.250<\/td>\n.250<\/td>\n.500<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Matt Diaz<\/a><\/td>\n3<\/strong><\/td>\n2<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n.500<\/td>\n.667<\/td>\n.500<\/td>\n1.167<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Omar Infante<\/a><\/td>\n2<\/strong><\/td>\n2<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n.500<\/td>\n.500<\/td>\n.500<\/td>\n1.000<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jair Jurrjens<\/a><\/td>\n2<\/strong><\/td>\n2<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n.000<\/td>\n.000<\/td>\n.000<\/td>\n.000<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total<\/td>\n91<\/strong><\/td>\n81<\/td>\n23<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n13<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n18<\/td>\n.284<\/td>\n.356<\/td>\n.432<\/td>\n.788<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com<\/a>: View Play Index Tool Used<\/a>
\nGenerated 4\/27\/2010.<\/p>\n

Atlanta actually has a better average against him than I would have expected. \u00c2\u00a0Former teammate Troy Glaus has the best numbers, but Glaus hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been quite himself this year. \u00c2\u00a0Then again, he did get a couple of hits last night, so he could be heating up.<\/p>\n

Derek Lowe has looked a little shaky so far this season. \u00c2\u00a0Still, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a ground ball specialist who can get it going at any time. \u00c2\u00a0Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s him against the Cardinals:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/strong><\/td>\nPA<\/strong> <\/strong><\/td>\nAB<\/strong><\/td>\nH<\/strong><\/td>\n2B<\/strong><\/td>\n3B<\/strong><\/td>\nHR<\/strong><\/td>\nRBI<\/strong><\/td>\nBB<\/strong><\/td>\nSO<\/strong><\/td>\nBA<\/strong><\/td>\nOBP<\/strong><\/td>\nSLG<\/strong><\/td>\nOPS<\/strong><\/td>\nSH<\/strong><\/td>\nSF<\/strong><\/td>\nIBB<\/strong><\/td>\nHBP<\/strong><\/td>\nGDP<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Matt Holliday<\/a><\/td>\n34<\/strong><\/td>\n32<\/td>\n18<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n.563<\/td>\n.559<\/td>\n.813<\/td>\n1.371<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Felipe Lopez<\/a><\/td>\n23<\/strong><\/td>\n23<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n.304<\/td>\n.304<\/td>\n.348<\/td>\n.652<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Albert Pujols<\/a><\/td>\n21<\/strong><\/td>\n20<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n.350<\/td>\n.381<\/td>\n.600<\/td>\n.981<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Yadier Molina<\/a><\/td>\n17<\/strong><\/td>\n15<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n.333<\/td>\n.412<\/td>\n.333<\/td>\n.745<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ryan Ludwick<\/a><\/td>\n10<\/strong><\/td>\n10<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n.600<\/td>\n.600<\/td>\n1.200<\/td>\n1.800<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chris Carpenter<\/a><\/td>\n6<\/strong><\/td>\n6<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n.000<\/td>\n.000<\/td>\n.000<\/td>\n.000<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jason LaRue<\/a><\/td>\n5<\/strong><\/td>\n4<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n.000<\/td>\n.200<\/td>\n.000<\/td>\n.200<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Adam Wainwright<\/a><\/td>\n4<\/strong><\/td>\n4<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n.000<\/td>\n.000<\/td>\n.000<\/td>\n.000<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Skip Schumaker<\/a><\/td>\n3<\/strong><\/td>\n3<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n.000<\/td>\n.000<\/td>\n.000<\/td>\n.000<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total<\/td>\n123<\/strong><\/td>\n117<\/td>\n43<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n26<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n19<\/td>\n.368<\/td>\n.390<\/td>\n.538<\/td>\n.929<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com<\/a>: View Play Index Tool Used<\/a>
\nGenerated 4\/27\/2010.<\/p>\n

The big bats in the lineup have done a number on him in the past. \u00c2\u00a0You combine that with what Lowe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s done this year and Carpenter on the mound, and the odds definitely favor a solid win for the Cards tonight. \u00c2\u00a0However, as we know, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why they play the games on the field and not paper. \u00c2\u00a0Should be a fun one!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

First off, I want to say thank you to everyone who has expressed kind words over the Cardinal Blogosphere Guide. \u00c2\u00a0I hope that it results in increased traffic for the blogs listed and that you can find another source of can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t-miss Cardinal writing. Perhaps it was just me, but it seems like if this was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":347,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[796,235,903,524,5086,473,4041,6669,1045,6668,5068,6670,3193,346,344,6671,391,3160,474,3101],"class_list":["post-4637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-albert-pujols","tag-blogs","tag-bobby-cox","tag-cardinals","tag-cards","tag-chipper-jones","tag-colby","tag-continued-development","tag-double-play","tag-game-tag","tag-hero","tag-insurance","tag-kyle-lohse","tag-long-time","tag-pitches","tag-radio","tag-ryan-ludwick","tag-tim-hudson","tag-troy-glaus","tag-yadier-molina"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/347"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4637"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4637\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}