Cards @ Giants – 4/11

Last night, it looked as if the Cardinals didn’t show up to play, falling to San Francisco 5-1.  Some were speculating the reason for the lackluster showing was jet lag.  The Cards didn’t arrive at their hotel until 3:30 in the morning.  Others are simply stating that the bats were silenced by the opposing pitcher, Kevin Correia.  I think it was a little of both.  I thought Correia was outstanding, but I also noticed the lack of fire from the usually energetic young Birds.  I thought that Adam Wainwright would dominate, giving the Cardinals their best start to a season since 1981.  He pitched a pretty good game until the seventh when the wheels came off.  Joe Strauss has a nice recap of last nights action.

The two teams are back at it again tonight, with Kyle Lohse starting for St. Louis.  For San Francisco, Barry Zito gets the ball.  The former ace is 0-2, with a 6.30 ERA.  According to Strauss, Brian Barton is in the lineup against the lefty tonight.  Be sure to check out Derrick Goold’s Bird Land.  He’s done some research, and examines Barton and company’s role in the team’s scoring thus far.

Obviously, I’d like to see the Cardinals take the remaining three games of this series, but I think it’s easier said than done.  After Zito tonight, the Giants throw Matt Cain tomorrow, and Tim Lincecum on Sunday. The Cardinals aren’t scoring many runs on lesser pitchers, and have ended up atop the division almost solely on the performances from their starters.  I don’t think it’s realistic to expect them to continue at their current pace.  If the Redbirds are to take the series, they’re certainly going to need to plate a lot more runs. Perhaps Barton could get them started.

Nationals @ Cards – 4/6

The Cardinals have already won two of three against Washington in the second series of the young season. Today, starting pitcher Kyle Lohse hopes to continue the trend of effective outings by Cardinal starters, and help complete the sweep.  In his first appearance, Lohse threw five shutout innings against Colorado, striking out three while giving up just three hits.

Washington counters with left-hander John Lannan, just recalled from AAA.  Lannan was the Nationals’ Minor League pitcher of the year in 2007.  He’s appeared in just six major league games, compiling a record of 2-2, with an ERA of 4.15.  View all of his stats here.  Over the past couple of seasons, the Cardinals haven’t fared well against pitchers they’d never faced, but the new-look Redbirds may continue to surprise.

By now you’ve probably heard that veteran reliever Russ Springer has been put on the 15-day DL, and Kelvin Jimenez has taken his place in the pen.  The move looks as though it will make for an easier decision as to who comes off the roster when Joel Pineiro returns to the club.  Jimenez still has options.  The question remains, however, as to which starter gets bumped to make room for Pineiro in the rotation.

“These five have the opportunity right now to nail that spot down and not give it up,” said Tony La Russa. “There’s nothing wrong with feeling the pressure of the others coming back.  There’s everything right about it.  The reality is you pitch the five best guys you have.”

For more on Pineiro and the mending pitchers, check out Derrick Goold’s article, here.

We’ll meet again soon.  It’s about two hours from game time, and the lineups should be available shortly.

Update (1:00 pm):  And now, the lineups:

Washington

1. Guzman  SS
2. Milledge  CF
3. Zimmerman  3B
4. Johnson  1B
5. Kearns  RF
6. Lo Duca  C
7. Lopez  2B
8. Mackowiak  LF
9. Lannan  P

St. Louis

1. Barton  LF
2. Ankiel  CF
3. Pujols  1B
4. Glaus  3B
5. Ludwick  RF
6. Molina  C
7. Kennedy  2B
8. Lohse  P
9. Izturis  SS

Looks like Tony’s going with the same lineup as yesterday.  That never happens.

Wainwright Strong in Win

The Cardinals won their fourth straight game today, riding another hardy performance from one of their starters.  This time, it was Adam Wainwright’s turn.  His first appearance was washed out by the rain on Opening Day.  Today Adam pitched a solid eight innings against the Nationals, allowing 2 runs on 8 hits, while striking out 4.  He also chimed in on offense, with an RBI single in the second.  5-4 was the final.  Here’s the complete box score.

The play of the day, without a doubt, goes to Adam Kennedy.  The Cardinals’ second baseman dove for a ball up the middle on the third base side of second.  Just to get to the ball was amazing, but the seated throw to second for the out really topped it off.  Web Gem for sure.

The Post Dispatch has more on today’s game here.  Tomorrow it’s Kyle Lohse on the hill, hoping to complete the sweep of the Washington Nationals.  I’m almost going to feel bad for the starting pitcher that finally takes a loss.  Don’t look now, but the Cardinals haven’t started a season off 4-1 since 2000, when they began the year 7-1.  The current .800 winning percentage is tied with Milwaukee for the best in baseball.  These Birds are taking off!

Cardinals Win First Series

The Redbirds ended the first series of the new season today with a win against the defending National League Champion Colorado Rockies.  Not counting the rain out on Monday, St. Louis outscored Colorado 12-5 in the series.  The win gives the Cards a 2-1 record heading into the second series, a three game set at home against Washington.

So the bleak outlook from a canceled opener, followed by a loss, is starting to creep to the back of the minds of Cards fans.  More good things have happened to the club than bad here in the early goings.  Let’s review:

• Rick Ankiel and Albert Pujols continue their hot hitting.
• Adam Kennedy keeps improving.
• All three rookies have made positive contributions.
• The Kyle Lohse signing still looks good.
• The Wellemeyer-Thompson-Reyes decision looks better.
• There have been a few web gems.
• The Cardinals are tied for first place in the division.

I know they’ve only played three games (plus three innings), but I still say this team could surprise some people.  Many “experts” picked the Cardinals to be near the bottom of the league.  We’ll see.

I’ve got a couple of notes from my trip to St. Louis over the weekend.  I’ll try to get some pictures up within a day or two.  Also, I went on the Busch Stadium tour for the first time, and loved it.  I highly recommend it to any baseball fan, and it’s only ten bucks.

Finally, a few links for you.  After seeing Pujols lose a home run to the rain, an old story about a similar incident returns to the forefront.  Derrick Goold has the story about Stan Musial over at Bird Land.  The Cardinals released their Minor League rosters today.  Matthew Leach has that full story.

I’ll be back to the old routine from here, starting with a preview of tomorrow’s game as soon as the line-ups are available.  Then I’ll continue to cap the games, and add my two cents, of course.  I’ve got a couple of other stories in the works too, so check back often.  It sure is nice to have meaningful baseball back.  One series down, fifty-one to go.

UCB Roundtable Discussion

The United Cardinal Bloggers Group is winding down the roundtable discussions, with one more debate to be posted on Monday.  Yesterday I posted three questions to the group for open discussion.  In addition to me, we had four other Cardinal bloggers participate:

• Daniel from C70 at the Bat
• Haedar from Redbird Ramblings
• Bryan from Rockin’ the Red
• Michael from Stan Musial’s Stance

Here are the questions, and everyone’s thoughts:

1.)  Yesterday, there was some talk about who you’ve been impressed with up to this point in Spring Training.  What about the opposite?  Which players are you surprised to see having a disappointing spring? Do you think they’ll turn it around?

Daniel:  There haven’t been a lot of disappointments.  There’s disappointment in the same old same old with injuries, as noted with Tyler Johnson still not throwing.  Izturis, to me, has been the biggest on-field disappointment, though.  I know he’s not much of a hitter, so the average wasn’t that disappointing, but the fielding?  He’s making an error a game, it seems like, and I know TLR is big on him, but right now, it’s not looking so good.

Haedar:  Gotta agree with Daniel and say Izturis.  He was never known for his offense, but he is supposed to be a high caliber defensive player and at least put up an average of .250, but he’s made tons of errors this spring and is hitting around .150.  Tony is being stubborn and  stating that he is the starting shortstop to avoid the “Spivey 2008″ tag.  If Cesar keeps this up, he will be relegated to the bench in no time.

Bryan:  Cesar Izturis has definitely been the most disappointing player this spring.  And to add to it, Tony La Russa has been equally as disappointing with his rigid position that Izturis is still doing well defensively and should still start.  I’m not sure Cesar has anything left in the tank anymore.  Molina’s slow start is disconcerting, but I think he’ll turn it around at some point.  Blake Hawksworth really disappointed me this spring, as this was a chance to make a good impression on the big league club.  I’m not too optimistic about him.

Michael:  Duncan’s horrible spring at the plate was a surprise to me.  Also to see Molina regress at the plate, after the progress he showed during last season, has been disappointing.  The other disappointment was Clement’s physical readiness not being what we expected/hoped it would be at the start of spring training. I hadn’t been aware of Izturis’ struggles with the glove until I saw your guys’ comments.

Daniel:  I’d like to see Molina hit better in the spring, but I wouldn’t say I was worried enough to call it a disappointment.  If it continues well into April, then that might be a different story.

Me:  Of course Izturis is the big one.  I was okay with the signing when it happened, and was willing to watch a sacrifice in offense for a defensive upgrade at short.  Turns out Izturis sucks with the glove too.  Tyler Johnson disappoints me too.  Last year, despite changing his jersey number and his hairstyle, he still got knocked around a bit.  I read that he had a baby, and was maturing quickly.  To hear that a little more work in the off season might have prevented his injury was very disappointing.

Daniel:  The only thing I’ll add is that I’m not sure that more work would have prevented his injury.  It might have helped, but this seriously sounds like a surgery thing coming pretty soon, in which case more work might have blown it out earlier or at best delayed the problem.

2.)  Opening Day is just ten days away.  There are a lot of new faces on this year’s team.  How would you grade John Mozeliak in his first off season as GM?  What were his best and worst moves?

Daniel:  Still a little hard to judge Mozeliak since a few moves were made while he was interim GM and some still haven’t really panned out.  All in all, though, I think he’s doing a pretty good job.  If he’s one of the reasons so many young guys are still in camp or got long looks this spring, he jumps up another notch.  His next big test will be the amateur draft.  If they can get a quality draft in, he’ll move even farther up.

Haedar:  Can’t really grade him accurately at this point but he’s made some good and some bad moves.  The two worst moves of the offseason were signing both Izturis and Miles to guaranteed deals instead of minor league deals with invitations to spring training.  The best move came a day or so ago locking up Wainwright long term.

Bryan:  I would give Mozeliak a B so far.  It was probably a B- before the Lohse signing, but the signing was such a good deal that he has to get a B.  On the other hand, the Miles re-signing was a very questionable move (and still is, considering Miles’ terrible spring so far).  Trading Rolen was good for the team, trading Edmonds was neutral (although it opened up a position in our already crowded outfield), and the Izturis signing was just plain bad.  Overall, however, I’m very satisfied with the direction this team is going.

Michael:  Mozeliak:  average or slightly better than average so far, but it’s still too early to tell.  I’m not a big fan of Lohse after watching him get torched in Cincinnati for the past few years, but with our starters in disarray again Mozeliak didn’t have much choice but to sign another pitcher.  He at least got Lohse on the relative cheap.  Hell, he can’t be any worse than Kip Wells, right?  Managing to move Rolen for more than a used glove and a bucket of baseballs was a victory.  The Miles signing, I agree with all, is a head scratcher unless viewed through the “Tony wanted him” prism.  Signing Wainwright yesterday was a great move.

Daniel:  The middle infield situation definitely is Mozeliak’s biggest drawback.  Especially when he himself admits he’d have signed Adam Everett if he had thought he’d been nontendered.  (Though that wouldn’t have helped with the offense, it’d done wonders defensively.)  Adding Miles to the mix was really unnecessary save to appease La Russa, I’d guess.

Me:  Overall:  B+.  With the exception of Miles and Gonzalez, I think the Cards made all the right moves. The Molina and Wainwright deals are by far the best.  Payroll flexibility is much better than it has been in recent years.  We’ll see what they do come draft time.

3.)  How much better (or worse depending on your answer to question 2) is this team compared to last year’s squad?  How many wins will the Cards have at the end of the season, and where do they finish?

Daniel:  I think this squad might be a little better than last year.  I think the pitching will be better, at least on the whole.  The offense is pretty intriguing.  If Kennedy hits like he has this spring and Molina hits like he did last year, there’s only Izturis as a “OK, nothing is happening here” spot in the lineup.  I’m still holding out hope for a .500 season.

Haedar:  I think the starters are a little better, the offense is better, or at least has more potential to put up better power numbers, but the bullpen will not be as good because people will be moving in and out and therefore some integral parts will not know their main role.  I think most bullpens can be decent as long as the guys in it know what their main role is and in what situation they are called upon to pitch.  With a lot of injured players coming back from the DL, there is going to be a lot of shifting around and some pitchers will not get comfortable in their temporary role.

Bryan:  I think the team is better than last year, but a few injuries could really turn this season into a disaster.  I think 80-85 wins is a very optimistic prediction, but I’ll go ahead and make it.  I’m confident in our outfield and returning pitchers.  Still don’t think that’ll be good enough for anything but third.

Michael:  Even with all the moves the team has tread water overall since last season ended.  The bullpen is still a plus but didn’t improve; the starters overall are still a minus and didn’t improve; the lineup is a wash; the bench is slightly better.  It seems all our eggs for a good team are in the respective rehab baskets of Carpenter, Mulder, and Clement.  I expect they’ll finish within +0, -10 games of .500 with the team they have now.

Haedar:  I think the Cardinals’ record will get worse before it gets better.  That’s to the tune of 75 wins this season.

Me:  I think it depends on how you look at it.  Before Opening Day ‘07, the Cards looked good.  The pitchers all had good springs (even Wells), and no one thought they’d finish under .500.  A ton of injuries changed the outlook dramatically.  I’m optimistic about the offense.  I think the potential to score a lot more runs is there.  The starting pitching may be a wash, and I agree that the bullpen could be worse this year.  I’m also wondering if the clubhouse will miss Edmonds, Rolen, and Eck.

That’s it.  Lots of good points from everyone, and I’m sure they’ll be a lot more in the next installment.  I love talking baseball!

Ankiel Powers Cards Past Dodgers

In the Cardinals’ final visit to legendary Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida, the Redbirds rode Rick Ankiel’s two home runs and four RBIs to their second straight win. Ankiel improved his batting average to .368.  The final go-ahead runs were actually scored on a wild pitch, but without the damage done by the Cardinal outfielder, the Dodgers win.

The Cardinals’ new shortstop Cesar Izturis went 1 for 3, improving his average to a whopping .125.  Looking not so Gold Glove like, he also committed his fifth error of the spring.  He now has more errors than hits.  Somehow, however, he’s still penciled in as the opening day starter, while the younger and cheaper Brendan Ryan is turning heads with his play but is still vying for a spot on the roster.  With just over two weeks until Opening Day, I’m anxious to see how this one plays out.

The final score today was 6-4 Cards.  View the full box score here.

Tomorrow should be a good one.  Adam Wainwright will take the mound for St. Louis, with Johan Santana slated to pitch for the Mets.  The game will be televised on SNY.

Finally, a couple of quick links.  If you’re apprehensive about the Cardinals’ new president, you’re not the only one.  Check out what Cardinals Diaspora has to say about it.  And the folks at Fungoes applaud GM John Mozeliak on the Lohse signing.  Find it here.

Cards Sign Lohse

Yesterday, I lobbied for the club to add starting pitcher Kyle Lohse, and several others agreed (see Bernie Miklasz, Viva El Birdos, and Rockin’ the Red).  Today, the Cardinals agreed to a one-year deal with the free agent, pending tomorrow’s physical.  The contract is worth a guaranteed $4.25 million, with $100,000 in incentives for each of 160, 170, 180, and 200 innings.  Joe Strauss has more on the story.

This is good news for the Redbirds.  They needed another starter that can take the ball every fifth day and eat innings.  Kyle Lohse is just that guy. The trick now is going to be getting him game ready in only three weeks’ time.

Lohse joins a rotation of Adam Wainwright, Braden Looper, and the best two of Todd Wellemeyer, Anthony Reyes, and Brad Thompson.  Four other starters are still trying to get healthy.  If all the cards fall into place, by mid-season the team will have a surplus of starting pitchers, and that’s not a bad problem to have.

According to Derrick Goold, backup catcher Jason Larue, a former teammate of Lohse, thinks the pitcher has great stuff, but needs direction.  If that’s the case, the Cardinals should be a perfect fit.  Under the direction of Dave Duncan and Yadier Molina, Lohse should be able to put it all together to become a more complete pitcher.

And how about the Cardinals’ brass?  Way to go Mozeliak and Dewitt for not dragging their feet on this one. Although we’re not ready to start printing playoff tickets just yet, I think the move will put Cards fans at ease for a little while.

Changing Landscape

The Cardinals starting rotation is in complete disarray, and the club may have finally decided to “look further” into adding help from the outside. The list of pitchers on the mend but “progressing nicely” is getting longer by the day.  Already Chris Carpenter, Mark Mulder, and Matt Clement won’t be ready for the start of the season, and now it seems that Joel Pineiro might not be either.

“I’m not assuming he won’t be there opening day,” said pitching coach Dave Duncan.  ”I’m assuming he won’t be there until he starts throwing again.”

Duncan goes on to say that he’s never gone this deep into spring with so much uncertainty surrounding the rotation.

Cards’ GM John Mozeliak has slightly changed his tune by inquiring about free agent pitcher Kyle Lohse.

“I think given the Pineiro situation, the landscape has changed to some degree,” said Mozeliak.

Read more on the state of the Cardinals staff from Joe Strauss, and hat tip to Kurt Hunzeker and Bird Land for the credit on the above logo.

Lohse, 29, pitched for both Cincinnati and Philadelphia last season, going a combined 9-12 with a 4.63 ERA.  For his career, Lohse is 63-74, with a 4.82 ERA.  View all of his stats here.

Without any additions, the Cardinals rotation consists of only two pitchers that started more than 20 games last season:  Adam Wainwright and Braden Looper.  Until the rehabbing pitchers return, the other three spots would fill out with some combination of Anthony Reyes, Todd Wellemeyer, Brad Thompson, or even one of the youngsters, Mike Parisi or Kyle McClellan.  I don’t think there’s anything wrong with any of those pitchers, and I wouldn’t mind seeing one of them in the rotation, but not three.  It seems like adding a guy like Lohse would make sense.  When you think about it, Pineiro made only 11 starts in ‘07, and Carpenter, Mulder, and Clement combined for just 4.  That is a lot of uncertainty to be riding on.  Lohse made 32 starts last year, and has made 30 or more in five of the last six seasons.

“The key concern is how do we bridge the gap until we get our pitchers back,” Mozeliak said.

I say bring in Kyle Lohse.