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Redbird Rundown V

Started by dhornjr1, March 30, 2011, 01:26:42 am

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Tony Perkis

Quote from: HogsnCards on April 04, 2011, 01:22:41 pm
Hopefully playing Pittsburgh will pad our record. If we lose this series, goodness gracious...
The thing about those crappy teams is, early on, they feel they are a contender and play as hard as they can for about 4 or 5 series. See the Pirates, Royals, etc.

Hogtropolis™

Thanks dhorn.  I didn't even realize I didn't get around to this until now.  Maybe you can bring some better luck than I have the past couple of years.

 

clutch

I hope I am wrong, but I just don't see this season turning out very good. They have to do something about the bullpen. It has been bad for way too long. I don't even want to get started on the closer situation. It sucks, but I have fully come to expect saves to be blown when it comes down to it. We are going to need a lot of runs to be competitive because of this, and I'm not sure how good run production will be. Even with Pujols and Holliday, you still have to have guys on in front of them.

I am sick of bringing in old guys like Berkman in the offseason and paying them more than they are worth. For $8mil we could have kept Luddy and used the leftover money to get something in the bullpen or helped out the middle infield.

Hogtropolis™

Berkman seems to be doing fairly well right now. Why hate on him?

jst01

poor lohse, once a loser, always a loser.   

I think our offense will get going, but like many of you, I'm scared that Lohse, Westbrook, and McClellan are not good enough. Add in the fact our bullpen pretty much stinks and we are looking at a long year of trying to score 7 runs every game. 


dhornjr1

Quote from: Hogtropolis™ on April 04, 2011, 06:44:20 pm
Thanks dhorn.  I didn't even realize I didn't get around to this until now.  Maybe you can bring some better luck than I have the past couple of years.

No problem, man. I know you're busy right now. As far as the luck goes, don't count on it. :(

Smolder

Quote from: clutch on April 05, 2011, 12:57:43 am
I hope I am wrong, but I just don't see this season turning out very good. They have to do something about the bullpen. It has been bad for way too long. I don't even want to get started on the closer situation. It sucks, but I have fully come to expect saves to be blown when it comes down to it. We are going to need a lot of runs to be competitive because of this, and I'm not sure how good run production will be. Even with Pujols and Holliday, you still have to have guys on in front of them.

I am sick of bringing in old guys like Berkman in the offseason and paying them more than they are worth. For $8mil we could have kept Luddy and used the leftover money to get something in the bullpen or helped out the middle infield.

I think one of the main reasons Berkman was signed was that they wanted a power left handed bat. I could be wrong though. We basically got Westbrook for Luddy which is a decent deal in my eyes.

Jacob "2 Scoops" Johnson

Run production is in the pooper. Don't really understand pulling McClellan in that situation either. Let him go for the 7th. Maybe I say that because I really don't like Bautista.
ched come back pls

pigture perfect

Another round of +'s I hope I do this often.
The 2 biggest fools in the world: He who has an answer for everything and he who argues with him.  - original.<br /> <br />The first thing I'm going to ask a lawyer (when I might need one) is, "You don't post on Hogville do you?"

clutch

Quote from: Hogtropolis™ on April 05, 2011, 06:59:52 am
Berkman seems to be doing fairly well right now. Why hate on him?

I've never been a Berkman fan. I'm a little more of a fan now that he is a Card, but would still prefer him to be elsewhere. Plus I don't think he can keep it up.

Smolder

Great pitching from McClellan. +1

jdhogster

Was impressed with KMc last night, but considering the spring he had, it shouldn't be a surprise.  The real test for him will come when he gets knocked around....how will he bounce back.  I wish the cards could have gotten him the win, but I'll take (and I am sure the whole team will take) the win.

Now come on Carp and even the record for '11.

dhornjr1

I don't know what the hell happened last night but the local Fox Sports channel here that is supposed to carry Cardinals games carried the darned Braves game.

 

dacskc

ANOTHER ball off the glove. Ryan Theriot sucks. That is all.

Tony Perkis

Just missed a homerun by Colby. I didn't even get excited about it, because the way things have been going, you knew it wasn't out.

Jacob "2 Scoops" Johnson

Another great pitching outing, another anemic offensive performance. I'm starting to expect it already. Still haven't scored more than 3 in a game.
ched come back pls

Tony Perkis

This is terrible. I'm about to get pissed off.

Jacob "2 Scoops" Johnson

So far this season: 14 runs, 10 DP's. 5 8/9 games into the season. We just lost a series to the Pirates at home.
ched come back pls

Smolder

Well we are getting nothing from Pujols and Holliday at the moment so hopefully when they get back to form we can increase the run total per game.

Tony Perkis

Wow. Just wow. I can't even defend this team right now.

dhornjr1

Well, LaRussa went off in the postgame interview. Anybody else see it?

jst01

No, who pissed him off? Media or his players?

dhornjr1

Quote from: jst01 on April 06, 2011, 04:36:08 pm
No, who pissed him off? Media or his players?

The media kept asking him about the lack of offense. He got pissed off and stormed out.

Jacob "2 Scoops" Johnson

Quote from: dhornjr1 on April 06, 2011, 04:39:53 pm
The media kept asking him about the lack of offense. He got pissed off and stormed out.
that's the sign of a man with no answers.
ched come back pls

 

dhornjr1

Quote from: HogsnCards on April 06, 2011, 05:18:24 pm
that's the sign of a man with no answers.

http://www.foxsportsmidwest.com/04/06/11/La-Russa-frustrated-by-postgame-question/landing_stlcardinals.html?blockID=498720&feedID=3794

QuoteST. LOUIS – Six games, four losses and persistent questioning about his slumping offense were enough to send Cardinals manager Tony La Russa into his first postgame tirade of the 2011 season.

Following his club's sixth straight game of scoring three runs or less, which hasn't been done by the Cardinals to start the season since 1919, the always competitive La Russa took exception to repeated questioning about their early season struggles at the plate.

La Russa referenced the season being only a week old three different times before finally losing it on a question asking if it was fair or not to compare this year's early season struggles with the Cardinals offense that underachieved for much of last season.

"For everybody listening out there, do you think I am being unreasonable?" La Russa said. "It's the first week of the season. I mean I don't understand this. You are going to tell me that Yadier doesn't drive in big runs? You going to tell me Albert can't hit? You going to tell me the second baseman and shortstop havent hit?

"David Freese, you don't think he's going to hit? You think Matt is going to hit? You think Colby is going to hit? You think Berkman is going to hit? The answer is no to all those things? I mean did you accomplish your goal? Three or four times you ask so I get excited and get upset. I mean that's not fair. It really isn't."

La Russa then walked out of the room, putting an abrupt end to his postgame press conference.

For anyone wondering just how important Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday are to the Cardinals lineup, the last seven days have given them their answer.

Pujols his hitting just .182, Holliday hasn't played since Opening Day and the Cardinals offense has scored three runs or less in each of their first six games. Coincidence? Probably not.

The Cardinals dropped to 2-4 on the season with a 3-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the series finale Wednesday afternoon at Busch Stadium.

The Cardinals are lucky to have won the two games they did, beating the Padres, 2-0, and the Pirates, 3-2. Without a pitching staff keeping them in the games as much as they have already, the Cardinals could very easily still be looking for their first win.

Holliday went 3-for-4 with a solo home run on Opening Day but had an emergency appendectomy the next day and hasn't played since. He's making progress and could return in the first half of the Cardinals upcoming 10-game road trip.

Pujols went 1-for-4 Wednesday but actually saw his average raise from .167 to .182. He had another deep drive fall just short of the wall in left but is left with just one extra-base hit in six games.

With the two biggest pieces of the Cardinals lineup absent, the rest of the offense has struggled to pick up the slack. The Cardinals have scored in just 11 of 54 innings this season and have scored more than one run in just two innings so far.

"We're not off to a good start," said outfielder Lance Berkman. "I think it's just plain and simple, we're not clicking right now. We've seen some pretty good pitching but you can't lay it all off on the pitching. I felt like guys are competing. Nobody is up there just flailing away but we're just not getting it done. Guys aren't off to great starts up and down the lineup. It's going to click but it hasn't yet.

"I hate the beginning of the season because I can guarantee you that Albert is not going to hit under .200. If anybody wants to lay a bet on that I'll take it right now."

Colby Rasmus, Skip Schumaker and Berkman have done their part. Rasmus is hitting .316, Schumaker .318 and Berkman .300 after Wednesday's game.

But the Cardinals had five players hitting .211 or lower in their starting lineup Wednesday. One of those was catcher Yadier Molina, who went 1-for-3 Wednesday with an RBI double in the ninth to raise his average to .167. David Freese didn't start, but struck out in a pinch-hit appearance to see his average fall to .125.

Add shortstop Ryan Theriot to the list of those struggling at the plate. His spring training struggles have carried right over into the season as an 0-for-3 afternoon Wednesday put his average at just .182 as the team heads out West.

The power has been non-existent from the Cardinals as well. They have just two home runs and eight extra-base hits in six games, two of which came in the ninth inning of Wednesday's game. The two home runs are from, of course, Holliday and Pujols.

Ace Chris Carpenter has allowed two runs in each of his first two starts. The Cardinals lost both of them. With a pitching staff pitching well enough to produce wins, the offense has simply let the Cardinals down. Scoring 15 runs in six games won't equal many wins, no matter how few runs they are allowing.

"We need some good things to happen," Berkman said. "We need to have a game where we catch a guy on an off day because heck, every pitcher we've faced has been lights out. I'm not trying to say we can't hit that type of pitching, but the reality is, they have some arms and they've thrown well against us. We need to catch a guy when he's not throwing well and just get it rolling.

"Obviously we are missing a big guy in our lineup right now. That's the equivalent of missing Adam (Wainwright) out of our pitching staff. You can't replace a guy that's as good as Matt is. When he comes back, it's going to be a lift. We're going to be fine...but it hasn't been a good first week from an offensive standpoint."


Smolder

We'll get in gear sooner or later.

dhornjr1

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklasz/article_74ee5cf2-6128-11e0-abfc-001a4bcf6878.html

Bernie Bytes: Explaining TLR's frustration

QuoteI wasn't surprised by manager Tony La Russa's medium-temperature tirade after Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Pirates. The line of questioning about the team's staggering offense was legit, and anything but confrontational. These questions are understandable. I'm assuming most fans want to know what the manager thinks about his team scoring 15 runs in six games, and what it means, if anything.

* La Russa shouldn't have taken exception to the multiple questions. Like it or not, this was the predominant story of the first week of the Cardinals' season. TLR is in his 34th season of managing an MLB club and he knows how this works. He knows the drill. If your team isn't hitting, and it doesn't look good, people will want to know why. And that is true whether it's a poor six-game stretch at the beginning of the season, a poor six-game stretch in June, a poor six-game stretch in August or September. TLR had to know that the questions were coming. The Cardinals pay him $4.5 million to be the manager, and to also be the franchise's primary representative and spokesman, and I don't think it's asking too much to have him answer questions, even if he doesn't like the nature of the questions.

* So why did La Russa overreact? I don't think it was planned in advance. But I do think the outburst was timely. You should always remember two things about La Russa, and yes after 15 years we are quite familiar with his playbook: (1) TLR he likes to stick up for his players, especially if he can do so by taking on the media. The players like it, and the manager builds up some extra loyalty so it's a win-win for Tony. (2) he likes to deflect a negative issue and draw attention away from it by putting the heat on himself, which is pretty standard for managers and coaches. And it worked to a point Wednesday; much of the post-game chatter was about La Russa's bad mood instead of his bad offense.

* And then there's the obvious reason: TLR is frustrated by the early showing. He can say what he wants, but deep down inside I'm guessing he knows he has some problems with this team. ANd he also played a lead role in putting this roster together. So a lot of this will reflect on him.

* La Russa's point that six games is too soon to make judgments is correct. But it's not that simple. Again, the questions about the offense are legitimate, and no one in the media every suggested that these first six games have defined the 2011 Cardinals or that the team isn't capable of doing better. And yes, six games don't mean much, especially when Matt Holliday has missed five of them. And make no mistake, Holliday was this team's hottest bat coming out of Jupiter. And you can't really jump to any conclusions until Holliday gets back in (soon) and the team plays a few weeks of ball. But to completely dismiss the six games as an outlier? No, I don't think that's appropriate, either.

* Here's why: the first week of the 2011 season looked a lot like what we saw from the team in 2010. Some of the pieces have changed, but the dynamics are essentially the same, at least to this point. Last season the Cardinals' average of 4.54 runs per game ranked 12th among the first 15 teams La Russa managed here. In 2009 the Cardinals' average of 4.51 runs per game ranked 13th among TLR's 15 teams in STL. The 2007 Cardinals averaged 4.48 runs per game, which ranked 14th among the 15 teams. The point? The Cardinals offense has been in decline despite the presence of Albert Pujols, and nothing has really reversed it. And so when the team starts off a season in rut, it will get extra attention. It will receive extra scrutiny because fans know their history, and they are aware of the trends.


clutch

Got to get the bats going. I don't know what's up with the slow start offensively

dhornjr1

Quote from: clutch on April 07, 2011, 11:54:36 pm
Got to get the bats going. I don't know what's up with the slow start offensively

It's really just a continuation of the offensive woes from last year. That's why so many people are upset about the slow start. We've seen it before.

Hogtropolis™

Quote from: dhornjr1 on April 08, 2011, 12:07:04 am
It's really just a continuation of the offensive woes from last year. That's why so many people are upset about the slow start. We've seen it before.
I really do think the offense will end up being alright.  We've upgraded at short, Freese is better than whatever fill in we had last year at 3B, I personally like Berkman and still think he is a very good hitter (although I think Yadi could give him a run for his money in a race...I joke, I joke).  I really do feel like our offense should and will be noticeably better this year than it was last year.  It is still very early.

The main thing that worries me is our pitching altogether.  Carpenter is still very good, but he is getting older and wasn't going to be counted on to be our ace this year.  We are really going to miss Wainwright.  After Carp, I'm very interested to see if Garcia can duplicate what he did last year and after those two, it's basically a crapshoot of whether or not a guy will have his stuff that night or not.  The relief pitching is even worse.  I've been waiting for a few years for Franklin to implode, and he hasn't, but I just have a gut feeling that this will be the year he gets himself removed from the closers position, and to be truthful, we don't have anyone to replace him.  Motte hasn't proven himself as a closer yet and I don't know if he has the mentality to be a closer.  He has great stuff, but is seems like most times he is brought in to close a game, he can't get it done.  Other than those times, he usually pitches just fine.

Anyway...end rant.

Jacob "2 Scoops" Johnson

Long-term speaking, no doubt the 'pen worries me the most.
ched come back pls

dhornjr1

Quote from: Hogtropolis™ on April 08, 2011, 10:38:16 am
I really do think the offense will end up being alright.  We've upgraded at short, Freese is better than whatever fill in we had last year at 3B, I personally like Berkman and still think he is a very good hitter (although I think Yadi could give him a run for his money in a race...I joke, I joke).  I really do feel like our offense should and will be noticeably better this year than it was last year.  It is still very early.

The main thing that worries me is our pitching altogether.  Carpenter is still very good, but he is getting older and wasn't going to be counted on to be our ace this year.  We are really going to miss Wainwright.  After Carp, I'm very interested to see if Garcia can duplicate what he did last year and after those two, it's basically a crapshoot of whether or not a guy will have his stuff that night or not.  The relief pitching is even worse.  I've been waiting for a few years for Franklin to implode, and he hasn't, but I just have a gut feeling that this will be the year he gets himself removed from the closers position, and to be truthful, we don't have anyone to replace him.  Motte hasn't proven himself as a closer yet and I don't know if he has the mentality to be a closer.  He has great stuff, but is seems like most times he is brought in to close a game, he can't get it done.  Other than those times, he usually pitches just fine.

Anyway...end rant.

Motte can throw 99 miles an hour but his fastball is straight, it has no tail on it at all. Even average big league hitters can catch up to a 99 MPH pitch that isn't moving.

Smolder

Quote from: dhornjr1 on April 08, 2011, 11:12:46 am
Motte can throw 99 miles an hour but his fastball is straight, it has no tail on it at all. Even average big league hitters can catch up to a 99 MPH pitch that isn't moving.

Personally, I thought McClellan was going to take the closer's job and run with it this year. I thought he would a significant upgrade.

dhornjr1

Quote from: Cutty on April 08, 2011, 12:06:38 pm
Personally, I thought McClellan was going to take the closer's job and run with it this year. I thought he would a significant upgrade.

I guess whatever chance there was of that happening went by the wayside when Wainwright went down.

pigture perfect

The 2 biggest fools in the world: He who has an answer for everything and he who argues with him.  - original.<br /> <br />The first thing I'm going to ask a lawyer (when I might need one) is, "You don't post on Hogville do you?"

Jacob "2 Scoops" Johnson

ched come back pls

dhornjr1


dhornjr1

Oh, and that was a nice error by the $300 million man.

dhornjr1

April 10, 2011, 12:24:52 am #89 Last Edit: April 10, 2011, 12:44:11 am by dhornjr1
Well, that's three blown saves out of four save opportunities for Franklinhausen. Anybody want to put a number on the total blown saves before La Russa pulls him for someone else?

I'll go eight. It could be the over, though, as they have no one else better.

pigture perfect

I had to go pick my daughter up after her prom and I see the post game interview. What? We blow another one. Geesh, this is ticking me off.
The 2 biggest fools in the world: He who has an answer for everything and he who argues with him.  - original.<br /> <br />The first thing I'm going to ask a lawyer (when I might need one) is, "You don't post on Hogville do you?"

Jacob "2 Scoops" Johnson

HEY! We won a game!!! Woohooo!!!!
ched come back pls

Hogtropolis™

Quote from: dhornjr1 on April 10, 2011, 12:24:52 am
Well, that's three blown saves out of four save opportunities for Franklinhausen. Anybody want to put a number on the total blown saves before La Russa pulls him for someone else?

I'll go eight. It could be the over, though, as they have no one else better.
I think he's about to surpass Izzy in blown saves. A few more and we can drop the "hausen" and just call him Franklin.

pigture perfect

.300 is a good  batting average, but a terrible winning percentage. Maybe this will be the start of something good. +1's
The 2 biggest fools in the world: He who has an answer for everything and he who argues with him.  - original.<br /> <br />The first thing I'm going to ask a lawyer (when I might need one) is, "You don't post on Hogville do you?"

Smolder

Great pitching by Lohse. Holliday back. Great day. +1 for the win.

clutch

Quote from: Hogtropolis™ on April 10, 2011, 09:08:29 pm
I think he's about to surpass Izzy in blown saves. A few more and we can drop the "hausen" and just call him Franklin.

No kidding. I didn't think we could get any worse than Izzy. I was wrong.

dhornjr1

+1's to all.

Oh, and Franklinhausen makes me long for the consistency of Dave Veres.


clutch

Quote from: Cutty on April 11, 2011, 01:46:20 pm
LaRussa gives thoughts on Franklin being the closer.

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/04/11/tony-la-russa-staying-with-ryan-franklin-as-cardinals-closer-despite-three-blown-saves/related

Just for once, I would like to see him make a change before somebody cost the team 10 games. He has never had a hair trigger, that is for sure.

Smolder

Quote from: clutch on April 11, 2011, 01:53:11 pm
Just for once, I would like to see him make a change before somebody cost the team 10 games. He has never had a hair trigger, that is for sure.

That is one thing about LaRussa. He is loyal to the players he likes.