Cards @ Giants – 4/13

Update (8:15 pm):  Game over.  Cards lose.  Who’s to blame?  I guess no one, but maybe everyone.  You can’t win ‘em all, but I thought this one would be a tougher fought battle than it turned out to be.  

In the beginning, I thought it was brilliant for Tony La Russa to have Aaron Miles sacrifice the runner over to third in the first inning.  Normally, with no one out, you’d like to play for the big inning, but with Tim Lincecum on the hill for the Giants, scoring early might be the difference in the game.  Well, I was wrong. The Cards missed out on an early scoring opportunity, and Joel Pineiro’s first start of the year left a lot to be desired.  He allowed 6 runs on 10 hits in only 3 2/3 innings.

It was no surprise that the offense struggled against Lincecum, but you can’t help but wonder if the outcome would have been different if Albert Pujols and the rest of the regulars would have been in there. Ultimately, the Cards had scoring opportunities, but couldn’t capitalize.  That seems to be the theme here in the early part of the season.  Today’s final, Giants win 7-4.  Here’s the full recap and box score.

Now at 9-4, but still in first place by a half game in the Central, the Cards will take tomorrow off before hosting the Brew Crew for three games at Busch.  The upcoming series might be the first true test for Redbirds.  Luckily, the club won’t have to face Milwaukee’s best hurlers, Ben Sheets and Yovani Gallardo. With the front of the rotation starting for the Cardinals, I expect them to win two of three.  It’s times like this when I wish I was back in St. Louis.

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The Cards will try to end the road trip on a high note today, hoping to head back to St. Louis with a 10-3 record.  Joel Pineiro takes the ball for the Redbirds.  The Giants counter with young flamethrower Tim Lincecum.

Yesterday, I speculated that Albert Pujols would get the day off.  I had no idea that Troy Glaus and Cesar Izturis would also be out of the lineup.  Actually, I’m not too surprised.  In years past, Tony La Russa has been known to give several players rest on the same day, especially in the final game of a series.

Here’s today’s lineups:

St. Louis Cardinals

1. Skip Schumaker  LF
2. Aaron Miles  SS
3. Rick Ankiel  CF
4. Ryan Ludwick  RF
5. Chris Duncan  1B
6. Rico Washington  3B
7. Yadier Molina  C
8. Joel Pineiro  P
9. Adam Kennedy  2B

San Francisco Giants

1. Fred Lewis  LF
2. Eugenio Valez  2B
3. Randy Winn  CF
4. Bengie Molina  C
5. Jose Castillo  3B
6. John Bowker  RF
7. Rich Aurilia  1B
8. Brian Bocock  SS
9. Tim Lincecum  P

I’ll have more after the game, and if you missed it, check out this morning’s post.  Let’s go Cardinals!

Cards Can’t Spoil Astros’ Opener

The winning streak may have come to an end, but the streak of brilliant outings by the Cardinals’ starting staff remains intact.  What started out as a pitchers’ duel between St. Louis starter Todd Wellemeyer and Houston’s Wandy Rodriguez, ended with some offensive fireworks.

Wellemeyer took a two-hit shutout into the seventh before surrendering back-to-back home runs to Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee.  His night was through after seven, allowing the 2 runs on 5 hits, while striking out 7.  I was very impressed with his performance, even without the bloody nose.  Both starters were very good, but Rodriguez was slightly better.  The Cards managed to string only 3 hits against him in 7 1/3 innings.

The game really changed gears in the ninth, when the Cards rallied to tie it at three, but ultimately lost it on a Miguel Tejada walk-off in the bottom half off of rookie Kyle McClellan.  It’s certainly a blow to the young righty, but I feel worse for Wellemeyer.  He pitched a terrific game, save the solo home runs from two of the league’s best.  The Cards flashed the leather tonight too, with great plays from Aaron Miles, Troy Glaus, and Cesar Izturis.  Here’s the full box score.

So while we’re not raising our glasses to another Cardinal victory, we do have reason to lift ‘em up.  From Anheuser Busch:

In case you didn’t know, today April 7, 2008 is a solemn and joyous anniversary in the annals of beer history. It’s the 75th Anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition for beer in the United States.

During the summer of 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt campaigned on the platform that he would repeal Prohibition (he called it the “stupendous blunder”), put American workers back on the job and help end the Depression. 
So, of course it’s no surprise that he won the election by a landslide.

True to his word, with one stroke of the pen 20 days after taking office, he signed the Cullen-Harrison Act, making 3.2% beer once again legal in the U.S. This meant that Lager Beer which was predominantly 
3.2% alcohol by weight would precede heavier beer styles and hard liquor by almost 8 full months.

So, at 12:01 a.m. on April 7, 1933, beer was back. 25,000 people celebrated here at our St. Louis Brewery that night and the rest of the country listened to a special live broadcast from August “Gussie” Busch, Jr. that was carried on radio stations coast to coast. Happy days were here again!

So today on the 75th Anniversary of the Repeal of Prohibition, raise a glass to the wisdom and fortitude of great men like Gussie Busch and Franklin Delano Roosevelt with a Budweiser, the Great American Lager.

Click here to listen to the broadcast.

The Cardinals will try to even the series tomorrow, with Brad Thompson facing Shawn Chacon.  The first series loss of the year is on the line.

Dramatic Win for the Cardinals

The score was a lot closer than it should have been, but the Cardinals held on, beating the Nationals 5-4 for their third straight victory.  Braden Looper pitched a good game for the Cards, leaving after six, with a 5-1 lead.  The bullpen nearly surrendered that lead in the seventh.  Here’s the full recap and box score.

Offensively, it was nice to see rookie outfielder Brian Barton lead things off with a double, and it’s always great to see Rick Ankiel go deep.  I think my favorite part of his home run, however, was the call by Dan McLaughlin. Home team broadcasters have every right to be biased with their commentary, and Dan and Al Hrabosky are no exception.  They’re great.  On the disappointing side, Troy Glaus went 0 for 3, with two strikeouts and 4 LOB.  His defense wasn’t any better tonight either.  I guess it’s normal for a guy to be pressing as much as Glaus is right now.  He’s with a new team, with some big shoes to fill in front of the best fans in baseball.  I know he wants to impress, and I’m sure he will eventually.

It wouldn’t be fair to not mention Kyle McClellan.  If it weren’t for his performance, I’m not sure the Cardinals win this one.  Tony La Russa hasn’t wasted any time putting the kid in the toughest situations.  I’m glad to see they have so much confidence in him.

Adam Wainwright takes the ball tomorrow, hoping to continue to build on the success of the starting rotation.  Thus far, Cardinal starters have allowed only 2 runs in 22 2/3 innings.  A win tomorrow would cement the second straight series win.

Cards Beat Baltimore

I’ll apologize in advance for the short post today.  Mix a busy day with some March hoops and there’s little time left to discuss our favorite sports team.  No worries though.  I’ll point you in the right direction.

The Orioles were visiting Roger Dean again today, with the Cardinals’ newest millionaire Adam Wainwright taking the mound.  Wainwright struggled, but the Cards prevailed, winning 7-4.  Aaron Miles, Troy Glaus, and Ryan Ludwick each had multiple hits for the Redbirds.  For a full recap, and the complete box score, click here.

The United Cardinal Bloggers continue their roundtable discussion, with today’s transcript over at Rockin’ the Red.  If you missed any of the earlier debates, review Monday’s exchange at Redbird Ramblings, Tuesday’s at The Redbird Blog, and Wednesday’s at Stan Musial’s Stance.  I posted the questions for today, and will have the answers here tomorrow.

Finally, I relayed the news of Wainwright’s new contract here yesterday.  Jeff Gordon writes about what it means to the team financially, and emphasizes their flexibility here.

Cards Win First Grapefruit Game

The Cardinals opened their Grapefruit League play with a win over the New York Mets today by the score of 7-0.  After yesterday’s beating of St. Louis University, the Cards are now 2-0 in the early going.

I was at the opener for the second straight year.  It’s a fun time to be a Cardinal fan.  A fresh season brings new hope.  Although the Redbirds aren’t predicted to contend for the division title, I can never discard a team in the spring, especially one managed by Tony La Russa.

It was cold in Jupiter today.  With the temperature only getting into the mid sixties, I had a hard time holding onto my beer.  I got to watch the end of the Cards’ batting practice and all of the Mets’.  Anthony Reyes took the mound for the first pitch at 1:05. Knowing how much is riding on a productive Reyes, I was anxious to see how he’d do today.  He did great. Reyes went 3 innings, allowing two hits, and striking out one.  He escaped trouble in the first when Mets’ third baseman David Wright drilled a ball to deep center, but was robbed of extra bases by Rick Ankiel’s acrobatic catch at the track.  Reyes walks away from today’s game with something good to build on.  He needs to continue to boost his confidence throughout the spring, and today was certainly a step in the right direction.

The defense to start the game for La Russa could closely resemble the one we’ll see on opening day.  Yadier Molina was the only regular who didn’t start.  Backup catcher Jason Larue took his place, hitting ninth.  Old timer Juan Gonzalez was penciled in as the DH, and went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored.

The most exciting part of the day was when Colby Rasmus came into the game.  Rasmus reached base in all four of his plate appearances in yesterday’s game.  He entered today’s game as a pinch runner for Albert Pujols in the fifth.  He doubled in his first at-bat, and walked the next time up.  Rasmus has now reached base in all six of his appearances.  He’ll be with the big club sometime in ‘08, but if this keeps up you’d have to think he’ll be heading for St. Louis when the team breaks camp at the end of March.

A few other notes from today’s game:

• Troy Glaus had a nice barehanded play but the throw wasn’t in time – three people around me simultaneously said, “Rolen would have made that play.”
• Skip Schumaker was 3 for 4 with a stolen base.
• Hugo Castellanos pitched well but I wouldn’t mind seeing the radar gun on him – looks very slow.
• Girls that drink beer are more attractive than ones that don’t.
• Mets fans were pleasant.

Aside from the cold, it was a great day at the ballpark.  Feel free to check out some of my pictures.  For all the stats from today’s game, check out the box score.  Tomorrow the Cardinals will head to Port St. Lucie to play the Mets again.  The starting pitchers will be Adam Wainwright and Johan Santana.  Go Cards!

Cards Pass on Bonds

There were confirmed reports from Cardinals camp today that manager Tony La Russa was quietly lobbying for Barry Bonds.  Spring Training games start this week and the home run king still remains a free agent.  There has been little interest in the 43 year old slugger, as an investigation continues with possible perjury charges hanging overhead.

La Russa discussed the notion with his coaching staff, where he received a mixed response, then took the idea to general manager John Mozeliak.

“When you look at somebody dangerous to hit behind Albert, Barry was the guy I thought of,” said La Russa. “For whatever reason, at the general manager or ownership level, they didn’t agree.”

Barry Bonds doesn’t fit into the plans of Cardinal team trying to get younger.  Certainly he would be asking for more than the club would be willing to pay, and would take away precious at-bats from the young outfielders already in camp.

Personally, I’m not a big fan of Bonds.  However, I think he was one of the best baseball players of my generation.  Bonds has always carried an intimidating bat.  His on-base percentage is one of the greatest, and combined with his power potential, it’s hard to imagine him not yet having a team for the upcoming campaign.  Unfortunately, Barry’s bat is the only part of his game that is still attractive to teams.  A National League team like the Redbirds would have to stick him in right field, where he would be a defensive liability.

Although it’s fun to speculate the production of a lineup that includes Pujols, Bonds, Troy Glaus, Chris Duncan, and Rick Ankiel, the reality is that it just doesn’t make sense for the ballclub.  Joe Strauss and Jeff Gordon have more on the story.

The 15

I’ve got a bit more to say about jersey numbers today.  Bear with me.  Last week, Troy Glaus chose to wear 8, rather than Mark McGwire’s 25.

“I’ve been 25 a long time.  I’ve known Mark for a long time,” Glaus said.  ”He’s an icon in this city and I’m not going to do that.”

Last season, 8 belonged to Cardinals hitting coach, Hal McRae.  I just found out that this season, McRae will wear 15, the number worn by departed fan favorite, Jim Edmonds, since 2000.  The news didn’t sit well with me.  I don’t expect 15 to be retired by the Cardinals, but I’d at least like to see it put away for a while.  Why can’t McRae say something like Glaus did?  Jim is an icon in St. Louis.  I know what some of you are thinking, so to better explain my thoughts on this, we’re going to do a little role playing (you play the part of You, and I’ll be Me).  Ready?

YOU:  Mike, it’s just a number.  What’s the big deal?

ME:  Just a number?  It’s not just a number.  It’s the number I’ve been staring at from the bleachers for the past eight years.  It’s Jimmy’s number.

YOU:  Yeah, okay, but it’s not like it’s retired or something.

ME:  Who cares if it’s retired.  McGwire’s number isn’t retired and it hasn’t been re-issued.  Jimmy’s done a lot more for the Cardinals than Big Mac ever did.

YOU:  You’re taking this too seriously man.  I’m sure Edmonds doesn’t care if someone in St. Louis wears the number fifteen.

ME:  What?  Pull your head out of your ass!  He named his St. Louis restaurant F15teen.

YOU:  That’s probably just a clever marketing gimmick.  He’s rich.  Do you really think he cares?

ME:  Yeah.  Check out this page from a magazine my mom sent me.

YOU:  (After checking out the page here)  Wow.  That’s pretty heartfelt.  He even signed it #15.  I guess he does care.  So now what are you going to do?

ME:  I’ll tell you what I’m going to do.  I’m going to tell my friends, my family, and everyone I know to petition against this move.

YOU:  I’m sure you and a few handfuls of people aren’t going to make Hal McRae change his number.

ME:  You’re missing the point here.  If everyone I know tells everyone they know, soon we’ll have a hell of a lot of pissed off people and then Hal McIdiot can find himself a new damn number!

Thanks for playing.  Check back for a second post later today.

The 25

Tomorrow the Cardinals will formally announce the trade for new third baseman, Troy Glaus.  With it, perhaps, we’ll find out what number he’ll wear on his jersey.  For the past several years, Glaus has had the number 25 on his back.  No Cardinal has worn that number since Mark McGwire in 2001. Will Glaus be the next?  Will there be a next?

Currently, there are ten numbers retired by the Cardinals:

• 1  Ozzie Smith
• 2  Red Shoendienst
• 6  Stan Musial
• 9  Enos Slaughter
• 14 Ken Boyer
• 17 Dizzy Dean
• 20 Lou Brock
• 42 Bruce Sutter/Jackie Robinson
• 45 Bob Gibson
• 85 August Busch, Jr.

A few others, although never retired, have yet to be re-issued.  There’s Willie McGee’s 51, Darryl Kile’s 57, and of course Big Mac’s 25.

Personally, I hope we never see another Cardinal wearing 51 or 57.   But, with McGwire’s hall status in doubt, many believe it’s time his old number finds a new owner.  I can’t say that I disagree.

More on Glaus, Rolen

It’s official.  Both players passed their physical today, so the swap of third basemen is now approved.  As promised, I compared some numbers to see what the Cardinals could be gaining or losing with a new man at the hot corner.  Salary and age are both negligible.

I decided to limit the past stats to the last four years.  Due to injuries, Rolen missed most of the ‘05 season, while Glaus missed most of ‘04.  Both players missed significant time last season.  So, by looking only at 2004-07, both games played and at-bats are nearly the same for both players.

First, let’s compare the basic offensive stats:

YR  Name    G     AB    HR    RBI      BA     OBP     SLG

04  Rolen   142  500    34     124    .314    .409    .598

04  Glaus    58   207    18      42     .251    .355    .575

05  Rolen    56   196     5       28     .235    .323   .383

05  Glaus   149  538    37      97     .258    .363    .522

06  Rolen  142   521    22      95    .296    .369    .518

06  Glaus   153  540    38    104    .252    .355     .513

07  Rolen  112   392     8       58     .265    .331   .398

07  Glaus  115   385    20      62     .262    .366   .473

Totaling  the four year span:

     Rolen  452 1609   69     305    .287

     Glaus  475 1670   113    305    .256

Now let’s look their 2008 projections from ZIPS:

08  Rolen  106  380    9       55     .255    .331    .397

08  Glaus  134  469    27     82     .247    .350    .469

How about a couple of defensive stats:

Range Factor   04      05      06      07

       Rolen       3.06   3.19   3.06   2.99

       Glaus       2.07   3.01   2.80   2.52

Zone Rating     04      05       06      07

      Rolen        .822   .875   .803    .847

      Glaus        .652   .766    .741    .737 

  

Fielding Pct.    04      05      06       07

      Rolen        .977   .966   .965   .969

      Glaus        .950   .946   .963   .967

The bottom line?  It’s no secret that Rolen is a much better defender.  He’s won seven gold gloves (Glaus has never earned one).  Scotty’s glove cannot be replaced.  What the Cardinals are giving up on defense, they’ll make up for with Glaus’ offense.  His power numbers have remained a plus over the years, while Rolen’s have been in a steady decline since his first shoulder injury.  The Cards’ lineup should look a bit more dangerous with Glaus penciled in behind Pujols.  Protecting Albert in the lineup is often overlooked.  ZIPS projects similar averages for both players, but gives Glaus a clear advantage in home runs and slugging percentage. Now we have something else to get excited about for the upcoming season.

Rolen to Toronto

The Cardinals and Bluejays have agreed on a trade that would swap their third basemen.  Pending physicals, Toronto will get seven time gold-glover, Scott Rolen, along with cash.  St. Louis gets Troy Glaus, a 31 year old, right-handed hitting third baseman.  Foxsports first broke this story.

The ongoing feud between Rolen and Tony La Russa has already been beaten to death.  This trade would clear the disgruntled Rolen, as well as bring in a legitimate right-handed power bat, something Mozeliak has been clamoring for.

Glaus, when healthy, has put up impressive power numbers, hitting 30 or more home runs five times in his career, including an AL leading 47 in 2000.  He’s a career .254 hitter and a four time All Star, but a lesser defender than Rolen. It’s also been reported that he received shipments of performance enhancing drugs from a Florida pharmacy.  That story is here.  Glaus is signed for $12.75 million in ‘08, with an $11.25 million option for ‘09.

I’ll miss Scotty.  He was my favorite Cardinal, and I love the way he plays the game.  I guess I’ll have to retire my two Rolen jerseys.  On the other hand, at least the Cards are getting a proven commodity in return, unlike the Edmonds trade.  And, it’s not like there’s a top prospect hanging around waiting to play third for the Redbirds.  Well, the ball club sure is looking different this year.  I can’t wait to see how it all plays out.