Category: St. Louis Cardinals

What Adam Wainwright can offer to Cardinals in return

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UPI / Bill Greenblatt
UPI / Bill Greenblatt

I remember where I was when Adam Wainwright got hurt in Milwaukee in April. I was buying a couch and driving a Home Depot truck around Little Rock and afterwards I went to dinner. Throughout the game that the Cardinals eventually won, all I could think about was, how will this team win 80 games without their ace? With the news today that Wainwright has fully recovered from the ruptured Achilles heel and will be active for tomorrow’s game in Pittsburgh, it makes me think about this amazing 2015 Cardinals team. They have 99 wins with five games to go on the season. How did this happen? Sometimes pinching yourself just doesn’t work.

Adam Wainwright made four starts in April before going down and had a record of 2-1. Before the aborted Milwaukee start, Waino had just shut down Cincinnati for 8 innings at Busch. That night, the Cards hosted the bloggers in their suite and it was a great time. It was the second Blogger Night in a row where a huge pitching injury was around the corner. In 2014, Michael Wacha and Jaime Garcia were both announced as new disabled list shareholders the evening of Blogger Day at a June game. This year, it was the last start Wainwright would make this season at Busch Stadium or the last time he’d figure in a box score. Until now.

I haven’t been a huge fan of the Waino rehab renaissance, mostly out of fear. I worry about the Achilles reinjuring or something else going wrong. It’s the human body where nothing goes as planned for a pitcher in his 30’s. I wrote about it for KSDK and still agree with points made in that article with one exception that is pouring out me now. Adam Wainwright did everything by the book, medically, and cleared the hurdles without being rushed. This wasn’t a rush job, because there was simply no need. This is a guy who wanted to prove to himself he could get back and did. Remember when he climbed the mound at his daughter’s game a couple months ago and the net was set ablaze? Seems like a long time from today’s announcement that Wainwright will be coming out of the bullpen this week. His doctors in May said he could come back and they weren’t wrong. Buy them a drink.

Can we expect Waino to be good? Hard to answer that without seeing a pitch. He can pitch in a few simulated game against his teammates and do drills all he wants, but until he steps into a hot contested September ballgame, that answer remains a fill in the blank location. He needs to pitch Wednesday and should with the Tuesday postponement and pending doubleheader. He needs to get in there and go 1-2 innings. He then needs to recover and go back out there 1-2 times this weekend in Atlanta. He needs to get as much action as he can before the playoff start. With Carlos Martinez’s injury, there is a potential roster spot open for an arm and if Waino is even close to the efficient ace St. Louis knows well, he gets that spot.

First, Waino has to prove his worth this year. He can be Han Solo but we first need to see if he can fly the Millennium Falcon before we give him a mission. It’s common sense. Logistics of a comeback. The good thing is he is 100% and ready to pitch and for a team getting hit with injuries on a weekly basis, the addition of Adam Wainwright during crunch time is hard to deny. It’s actually quite exciting.

What do you think?

Five ways to look at Carlos Martinez’s injury

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Fox Sports
Fox Sports

The news is in. Carlos Martinez, the hot young phenom starter for the St. Louis Cardinals, is done for the season. The shoulder tightness that pulled him from Friday’s start has also cut his season short. When the 24 year old phenom left the field in tears, something bad was in the forecast. Something only an athlete knows right away. Your body flashing a check your engine light.

I don’t need General Manager John Mozeliak to use crayons and draw it out for me. Martinez is done not only for the regular season but postseason too. With ten days left in the season, the chances of Carlos coming back in early October are slim to fuggedaboutit!

As we digest this unfortunate news, I’ll provide a few reactions.

*Adam Wainwright will not start now. He isn’t conditioned to start after not throwing to hitters until this afternoon. It’s just not possible. That opportunity is gone. Waino at best will be a reliever.

*The doubt is eliminated from Lance Lynn’s playoff rotation future. It was looking cloudy for the up and down starter. Same for Michael Wacha. Each starter had been rocked hard. The page is turned with Martinez’s injury. Both these have been there before, good and bad. They are ready. I think Lance Lynn starts game 4 on the road.

*Tyler Lyons will get another start and it could fall on the final day of the Pittsburgh series. A potential big day for the journeyman arm to solidify his playoff chances. They could let Waino grab a couple innings that day but I doubt it. It will most likely be Lyons and Carlos Villanueva.

*If this is the end of the line for Martinez, what an entry into the land of major league starters. A bright future lies ahead for this man and that’s part of the reason you shut him down today and cut short his 2015 contributions. He’s young, raw and has never approached this amount of innings. The innings load may have simply worn down his right arm and shoulder. The hope is nothing lingers. No surgery is needed so Carlos can just come into spring and go right at it. He threw 179.2 innings, compiled a 14-7 record and struck out 184 batters to 63 walks in 29 starts. He finished with a flurry in September before the injury.

*The Cards can handle this folks. The 2015 team are built for rough cracked roads and uncharted waters. They have won 97 games without starters all over the field. This setback won’t slow them down. Martinez’s fire will be missed but he will still be around, building cups and smiling. The team will be hindered yet trudge on. They’ve been doing it all year.

Feel sad about the loss of one of the most exciting pitchers in the game but also know the Redbirds have this covered. If this injury manages to cripple them, this display of resilience will be all for nothing. There are 8 games left in the regular season. Then, it’s the fight to 11 wins and a 12th championship. While he won’t see the end, Carlos Martinez helped team get there by blowing everybody’s expectations out of the water. From a maybe 5 inning guy to arguably the ace of this staff. What a season. It’s been cut short but that doesn’t mean the sweetness of his season loses any of its flavor. The future of Carlos Martinez is too valuable to risk for one postseason.

As they say, play ball. That’s all you can do in this game.

Stephen Piscotty: Silent but deadly

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KSDK
KSDK

Stephen Piscotty is all business. He doesn’t talk much. The St. Louis Cardinal rookie outfielder doesn’t get too emotional, loud or particularly down on the baseball field. After all, this kid has discipline in spades. During this past offseason, he went back to Stanford and completed his degree in Engineering. Baseball just comes easy, and while the pressure is as prevalent as it is for any 24 year old, Piscotty doesn’t let it show on the field.

While General Manager John Mozeliak’s deadline acquisition of Brandon Moss brought out the critics(including myself), Piscotty has been the real key acquisition in 2015. Where would the offense be without this kid? Since he showed up on July 21st, Piscotty has collected 71 hits in 227 at bats(.313) and put together an OPS(on base+slugging percentage) of .872. After a white hot start, Piscotty slumped a bit but he has endured at the plate while providing steady defense all over the field.

First, he’s a smart hitter. He takes a good at bat and has an easy going fluid swing at the plate. He doesn’t get cheated but he also doesn’t swing at everything. For a team with three strikeout kings(Mark Reynolds, Randal Grichuk, Moss), Piscotty is a breath of fresh air. His bat is the logical professor to the other windmill type sticks. He only has 54 strikeouts(23 %) in 2015.

Second, Piscotty can hit anywhere in this lineup. He can hit #2 and be a good jumpstarter for offense or he can supply power(as seen by his 7 home runs and 26 total extra base hits). He can also be a middle of the order bat due to his ability to not only drive in runs, but do what is necessary to get an important run home. In a game against Atlanta last weekend, Piscotty didn’t over swing or try to do too much. He simply lifted a ball deep enough to right field to score the winning run. He doesn’t swing at the first pitch and will make a pitcher earn his stripes.

Third, Piscotty is flexible in the field. He can play left field, right field and also take reps at first base if Reynolds and Moss start to whiff like golf balls are being thrown at them. He played the infield in college and played at first the week before he was called up, so Piscotty isn’t secluded to the outfield. Part of the reason he found himself in St. Louis was his ability to move around. He’s stayed in the lineup because of his steady bat. Unlike Xavier Scruggs, Piscotty’s bat doesn’t seem to be slowing down or powering up. It’s just getting smarter with each trip.

Fourth, the Cards need him right now. Moss has pop, but his bat can go silent at times. Part of the reason Mo didn’t have to go big at the deadline was the promise of Piscotty and wanting him to play every day. A bigger bat comes in here(especially a rental) and the kid may sit more than the team wants him to. With Matt Holliday and Jon Jay out for a significant period of time and other Memphis outfield options pursued or tapped out, Piscotty is the last known quality prospect that was ready to roll up I-55. He will get his shot.

Piscotty is the perfect foil for Grichuk’s power. Here you have a pair of young gun renegades who are getting full time slots to help a championship caliber team bulldoze through the tireless months of the season. Another farm system assisted tool on display. The latest example of The Cardinals working in house to solve major leaks and issues. If people want a #1 reason for Mo not seeking a bigger bat at the deadline, remember guys like Piscotty and Grichuk. They aren’t doing that bad filling in the holes in offense.

As quiet as he is and choice with his words, Piscotty’s bat has done more than enough talking thus far.

The Lance Lynn experience

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I’ll be honest. Watching Lance Lynn pitch isn’t easy.

LynnWhen I think of Lynn on the mound, I think about Joe Cocker’s classic tune, Have a Little Faith in Me. Every time he throws 30 pitches in an inning, it plays in my head. Every time a hitter fouls off continuous inner half fastballs, it plays in my head. Have a little faith in a man known for throwing primary fastballs towards the plate for 6-7 innings every 5 days. Lynn doesn’t wish to fool hitters and that’s why he’s a hard pitcher to watch. He takes the mound, gets the ball and changes speeds on the dial of his heater for a couple hours. He may mix in a curve or a change, but they are salad dressing on his chef salad assortment. He lives and dies by his four seam fastball and two seam cutter.

In 2015, it’s been a struggle for Lynn, especially in the second half. In his last 7 starts coming into today’s tumultuous match at Wrigley, Lynn’s ERA was 5.70 with 18 strikeouts and 17 walks in only 30 innings with a WHIP of 1.77. You can’t chalk that up to a lack of run support or who is catching Lynn behind the plate. That is a lack of effectiveness from a starting pitcher who turned a corner in 2014 with a brilliant second half ERA of 2.22 after experiencing setbacks in previous closing season grinds.

Friday, Lynn walked six in 3.1 innings against the Cubs, allowing 3 earned runs and 3 hits with 77 pitches thrown. 77 pitches for 9 outs. The Wrigley start epitomizes a rough bookend for the veteran righthander. When you look at his 2015 opening start at Wrigley(6 innings, 1 earned run, 87 pitches) and the September 18th start, it’s hard to not notice the stains on the window of his season.

Is something wrong medically with him? Is it the notorious blister on his pitching hand? Is it a groin injury? The ankle turn he dealt with in August? Hard to tell. His velocity doesn’t appear to be diminished but the performance just hasn’t been there. Is it fair to have faith in Lance Lynn, defend him, criticize him or outright bash him at this point?

For now, hold the bashing and the brick wall defense and be worried about this recent trend because time is running out. This is rough but can be turned around with a couple efficient starts. After Carlos Martinez suffered a rough patch, he bounced back. Can Lynn do that? Why not? This isn’t exactly Don Draper drinking stupor territory but it’s also just baseball related stumbles.

The six month grind can get a pitcher. After he exited the game, Lynn unleashed a verbal tirade on the home plate umpire for a zone he didn’t like. You just don’t see that from the man. He may shout, scream and show emotion on the pitching mound but rarely loses it on an umpire once he leaves the game. Today the game of baseball got to Lynn in a way fans rarely witness.

The better question is does this rough patch cost Lynn a postseason rotation spot? The Cardinals sport a historically great rotation that will be hard to trim down when October 6th hits. Do you keep Lance Lynn in a four man rotation and boot out someone else? If so, who do you take out? Martinez? That’s an electric arm to pin down. Jaime Garcia isn’t a reliever and shouldn’t be. John Lackey is arguably the most valuable starter in the group and Michael Wacha has looked like a stopper recently.

Where does Lynn fit in? This isn’t a time to bring up who was pro-Lynn and anti-Lynn back when or where they are now. This is about finding the best four man group to win a World Series win. There are many reasons to love Lance Lynn and I’ve written about it. However, it’s hard to not see the downward trend in his second half performance. What do you do with a struggling pitcher if he exits the season in a funk and you only need four guys in a playoff rotation?

Lynn has three starts remaining, barring any juggling of the rotation. He starts tonight against Cincinnati at home, at Pittsburgh and at Atlanta to finish the season. All three will be crucial in figuring out where his playoff status lies.

Love or hate Lance Lynn, it’s never easy watching the man pitch but it’s no time to give up on the pitcher.

Tommy Pham: Talent realized at last

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GettyImages-485302934.0
Getty Images-Ralph Fresco

Tommy Pham has been freed. He’s in the lineup everyday as if it was as automatic as hitting the brew button on your morning coffee machine. The 27 year old “rookie” is swinging a hot bat and by hot I mean white crispy burning special.

On the Cardinals last road trip, he managed to crank three home runs in three straight at bats, something that hadn’t been done by a Cards rookie in quite some time. Ask Tim Trokey for the details. I’ll just tell you what the juicy part of this steak looks like. Each home run was a 2 run game changing blast. Each one was a no doubter. These aren’t Yankees Stadium cheap shot right field corner goners. These are Keanu Reeves’ like waves of baseball euphoria.

Pham hit a two run home run in Milwaukee that was so stunning that Fox Sports Midwest play by play guy Dan McClaughlin could only manage 3-4 “wow’s” in his reaction.

Pham has been a curious case this summer for the Redbirds. He started the year brilliantly in spring training, hitting everything but the beach down in Florida. Then he injured his quadriceps and went missing for months. He returned to Memphis in June and started hitting everything but a blues guitar down there in Tennessee. I didn’t heart any tornado warnings down here in Arkansas but it was apparent Pham was tired of being the “what if” guy who couldn’t stay healthy.

When the Cards were in a rough patch in early July, Pham was called up to face the San Diego Padres at Busch Stadium, right around the Fourth of July. Pham created some fireworks that weekend. On Saturday, he collected a double, stole third base and scored the game winning run on a sac fly. On Sunday, Pham smashed a two run home run and an RBI double to provide all three runs for the Cards. In a weekend series win, Pham played a part in every single run the Cardinals scored. That’s a game changing player.

Pham cooled off in the next 10 games, going 5-33 and striking out a bit against the Cubs, Pirates and Mets. After being sent back down to Memphis, where baseballs were surely not happy to see him back in town, Pham was called back up on August 17th. After a quiet 1-9 in San Francisco, Pham went off in San Diego and Arizona, going 11-26 with a double and two triples. When Pham is on, he shoots the ball all over the field. After collecting hits in the next couple games, Pham would only start twice in the next week. With the return of Jon Jay, Pham’s time was unfortunately limited.

After a game in Milwaukee, speaking to FSM reporter Pat Parris, Pham said he had many dreams growing up and this was only one of them. The man isn’t a young spring legged outfielder anymore, but he sure is playing like one. Pham will be 28 years old in March, isn’t arbitration eligible until 2018 and can’t be a free agent until 2021. This is only the beginning.

In his last 15 games, Pham is hitting .342 with an OBP of .366 and a .868 slug(.500 is pretty damn good). He’s 13-38 in that span with 4 home runs and 12 RBI. In the month of September, 9 of Pham’s 15 hits have gone for extra bases. Over the last three wins, the rookie has played a part in every game deciding play. He drove in the tying and go ahead run in last night’s 3-1 win. He’s white hot right now and can’t be moved.

So here is the Pham plan. He plays. No matter what. Pham can take over a game with his versatile set of skills and that comes in the field and at the plate. Randal Grichuk and Matt Holliday need to be 100% before they bump Pham off the starting lineup. Jay hasn’t hit all year, and is only 8 for his last 41 at the plate. Jay is not as good as Pham defensively and his bat isn’t even close. Pham has now risen above Peter Bourjos and Jay on the need to play now depth chart, and Mike Matheny has to understand that.

This is no time to get guys like Jay going. This is a time to play the hot bats. With 17 games left and the Pirate and Cubs refusing to go away, guys like Pham are needed in an offense that can go stagnant. When the time comes, Grichuk and Holliday will get their at bats and that’s fair. As long as it doesn’t diminish the Pham effect, the Cards will keep riding high. He hasn’t just played himself onto the 2016 team. Pham has played himself into consideration for the postseason roster. If you are in doubt, go back and watch the San Diego series at Busch, or the games in San Diego, Arizona, Cincinnati or Milwaukee. He’s a force to reckon with. You don’t sit that down on the bench.

The Tommy Pham Plan is simple. Play him until he, not rehabbing players, gives you a reason not to.

John Lackey: Most Valuable Cardinal

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Outlaw cowboy William Munny walks into a bar carrying a double barrel shotgun and asks someone, “Who owns this joint?” That’s John Lackey in 2015. He walks into any baseball park, asks where the mound is and delivers a gem. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is or what the stakes are. The Abilene, Texas native is having his best season in 8 years.

On Thursday in Milwaukee, John Lackey dominated. He pitched seven innings, needed less than 90 pitches and restricted the Brewers from starting anything. He struck out 8 and allowed only 5 hits, lowering his earned run average to 2.79. Unlike other rotation colleagues, Lackey has been a steady beast the entire season.

When the Cards acquired Lackey stout at 2014’s trade deadline, some fans weren’t happy because the team lost some good “team guys” in Joe Kelly and Allen Craig. The deal was mint to me. Lackey was a proven veteran, someone who had been to war and back. A guy who helped shut the doors on the Cards 2013 season in Game 6 of the World Series. It also helped that Lackey would only cost the team a measly 500K in 2015.

Lackey was solid in Red the rest of 2014 and in the playoffs, but he’s been unreal in 2015. With Adam Wainwright sidelined, Lackey picked up the sheriff’s badge, blew it off and patched it onto his chest. With a few grunts, he’s supplied the team with that rare edge. Lackey pitches angry, carries his emotions on his sleeve, chest and forehead, and treats other teams like impostor’s on his will.

Lackey touched 200 innings, 150 strikeouts and left Milwaukee with a WAR(wins above replacement via baseball reference) of 5.1. That represents his highest WAR since the 2007 season. He has a 3-1 strikeouts to walks ratio and has scattered 18 home runs over those 200 frames. His fielding independent ERA isn’t too swanky at 3.57 but his ERA+ of 141 is quite nice. All in all, Lackey has been money and unlike Mike in Swingers, he knows it.

Lackey has even shed the home/road splits that followed him into this season. After a rough outing in Colorado(easily his worst as a Cardinal) on June 8th, Lackey has been great in road grays in 8 of his last 9 starts(the one mishap coming in San Diego where the Cards played regrettable defense behind him).

People make a big deal about quality starts, but Lackey takes it to another level. He provides the “high” quality starts. He’s pitched at least seven innings and allowed three runs or less in 19 different games.

Does all this cream and sugar mean the Lackey grounds will return in 2016? Nope. He’s pitching himself out of “comeback to the Lou” territory. As I stated last month, Lackey will receive a 3 year deal and the Cards will likely retain Jaime Garcia’s services. It’s just business.

For now, appreciate what Lackey is doing for a team in need of a veteran compass in a young rotation. He’s the dude, the general and the cowboy all in one leg kick and bullet to the plate. Come playoff time, he will be a force you want on your side and it won’t matter where the game takes place.

While he won’t get as much press or attention as Michael Wacha or Carlos Martinez, John Lackey has been the most valuable Cardinal in 2015, bang for buck. Who called that a year ago? If you did, pat yourself on the back and have some coffee for me.

Cards get last laugh with mad Wrigley escape

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(In case you missed it on KSDK Sports this morning)

The game of baseball will smack you around many times throughout the 162 game season. Heartache follows the brutal losses and mad elation follows the thrilling wins. After engaging in a unintentional vigilante bean ball war brought to you folks by Tony Soprano over the first two games at Wrigley Field, the Cardinals stole the finale on Sunday and gave fans a sense of calm. Well, sort of.

The pitching was good for the most part. Carlos Martinez quieted the mighty bats of the Cubs down over 6.2 innings, allowing just two runs and striking out six batters in a frenzied environment. Right when you think this 24 year has impressed us to the tilt, he blows you away again. After a shaky stretch of starts that started midway through August, Martinez has fired off a pair of brilliant starts in a row on the road against division opponents.

The bullpen bent but didn’t break. Kevin Siegrist put out a fire and started another. Jonathan Broxton walked a couple guys, evoking painful memories of Chris Perez from years ago. Seth Maness came on and got the most unlikely double play before Trevor Rosenthal threw 6+ pitches at 100 mph or more for his 46th save. After a walk heavy season where K/BB ratio was 2-1, in 2015 Rosenthal has improved that ratio to 4 to 1. Impressive for a guy with a newborn at home. Can you imagine his daughter when she grows up? “When I was born, my dad was throwing 100 mph fastballs.”

The lineup did just enough. Young guns Tommy Pham and Stephen Piscotty provided all the offense the Birds would need with a pair of early two run home runs before Cubs pitcher Jon Lester settled down. Pham’s was a true shot, flying high out of Wrigley. It was the rookie’s fourth home run on the road trip.

The defensive came in the form of Jason Heyward and Tony Cruz. Maness induced a flyball with the bases loaded in the 8th inning and Heyward caught it in shallow right center field and fired a strike to Yadier Molina at homeplate to nail Anthony Rizzo and keep the game in the Cardinals favor. Heyward, according to Fangraphs, has saved 19 runs above average in right field this season and is arguably the defensive rightfielder in the game. He also leads the team in batting averages and stolen bases. Worth every penny. He will only get better as the years go by.

With the win, the Cards slipped out of Wrigley with a little dignity and kept the hard charging Cubs in check. The lead over Chicago is now six games and the Pirates are still four games out with 13 games left in the regular season. The final homestand includes three games with the Cincinnati Reds and four games with the Milwaukee Brewers before the Pirates get one final three game shot and then the Birds finish in Atlanta.

The Cards have clinched a wildcard game spot at the very least, but now aim to seal their lock on the division this week at Busch Stadium. If the Cards go at least 7-6(finishing with 100 wins), the Pirates would have to go 11-2 to tie them. That’s just one of the scenarios. Time is on the Cards side as the final stretch of 2015 unfolds. It may not have seemed like it(wait, it really did), but Sunday’s was huge to come home on a high note and to get the last laugh in Wrigley during the regular season.

What do you think the Cards’ record will be after the action on October 4th wraps up?

What the return of Randal Grichuk means to the Cardinals

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You hear that? The roller coaster is getting put back on the tracks. Ladies and gents, Randal Grichuk has returned after an 18 game absence. Suddenly, from the shadows of doubt, disbelief and an unknown rehab schedule, the Rosenberg, Texas product is stable again. I couldn’t have been more surprised looking down at my phone and seeing the press release. Where was the timetable? The elbow strain that was combustible for weeks but now is back in session. What does Grichuk mean to this team when healthy? Randal’s impact to this Cardinals’ lineup when healthy is comparable to a new ride opening at Six Flags. Just watch and admire.

Randal ExperienceAnother smoking gun waiting for his chance in what is expected to be a closely contested game at Busch Stadium. He is one of the few players on this team that can’t make the starting lineup yet still linger just as deadly. Clint Hurdle will be thinking about Grichuk the entire night. That’s the Grichuk effect in a nutshell. An oncoming storm that you must prepare for in advance. The kid can fail to get the sweet spot of the barrel on the ball and still hit out to right center field for a home run. That’s how good he is.

What was he doing before his elbow barked on August 16th? Have you seen the movie, Action Jackson?!!!? Grichuk was among the top rookies in baseball with 15 home runs, 44 RBI, and a .561 slugging percentage. In 289 at bats, Grichuk had an unreal 43 extra base hits. With a full slate of 550 at bats, Grichuk would end up with 75-80 extra base hits. He’s a special kind of lethal.

The drawbacks aren’t hard to recognize. His 97 strikeouts in the same low number of at bats(34 percent) signal a kid still getting to know the strike zone. A student with a few credit hours to go before he graduates from the Sombrero watch. It’s also important to remember the ripe young age of Grichuk(24 years old). With only 399 at bats to date, Grichuk has plenty of time to cut down on the strikeouts but here’s the fun part. The explosive bat will not go away any time soon. He’s learning to take outside heaters to right field and lay at least one slider per four sent to the plate. If this is a learning curve, what does the finished product look like next year?

Matt Holliday and Matt Adams are also expected back this month, but Grichuk’s bat brings the most excitement. The Cardinals have plenty of on base specialists. They need the cannon inserted into the middle of the sparklers to ignite everything. That’s Grichuk in a nutshell. Ignition.

What’s my lineup when Grichuk is ready? Matt Carpenter, Stephen Piscotty, Jhonny Peralta, Jason Heyward, Randal Grichuk, Yadier Molina, Matt Adams, and Kolten Wong. That’s a layered explosive device that will be set off at Busch before the homestand is over.

The Cardinals offense has found its way in the past two weeks but could use a boost. Now with Grichuk back, the run production should only increase. Sitting with 92 wins, the best team in baseball is only going to get stronger in the next few weeks. How hard it must be to witness from the outside of The Lou?

The appeal of Grichuk is universal and even appeals to the casual baseball fan, like my wife. When I asked her where Grichuk should hit, her response was simple. “4th because he’s hot and he can clean up.” Unlike most Cardinals who people have a hard time remembering, Randal Grichuk isn’t easy to forget. He may strike out, hit a 410 foot home run or whiz a single past the pitcher’s ear. All in one night. He’s an experience.

And that experience has returned.

Have a good night and thanks for stopping by.

-@buffa82

Are the Cardinals really “vigilantes”?

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So the Cubs beat the Cardinals Friday and Saturday but wait, there’s more.

Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Friday, in the 5th inning, Matt Holliday was hit in the head by a Dan Haren breaking pitch that got away from the veteran starter. The pitch bounced off Holliday’s helmet, and tempers barely rose. Holliday slowly walked down the line, touched the base and exited. Remember, this was always the plan. Holliday was never going to stay in the game. He’s still got a gimpy leg. The effect of this HBP would reverberate throughout the game. Like the night you are lazy and eat McDonald’s because there’s nothing else open but you feel it right afterwards. Part of me wanted Holliday to pull an Avengers and hulk slam Haren like the big green fella did Loki, but that’s just the movie addict in me.

This came after Tyler Lyons hit Anthony Rizzo in the fourth inning. Clearly not intentional and Rizzo hovers the plate anyway. However…

In the 8th inning, Cards pitcher Matt Belisle threw a pitch behind Anthony Rizzo that barely brushed his calf, but the young first baseman reacted differently than Holliday and took a step towards the mound. This is baseball, land of the shoving contests and hard stares, so there was never going to be a real fight. Belisle was kicked out due to the warnings given by umpires after the Holliday HBP, and Mike Matheny was also sent packing. Enough, right? No, after the game Joe Maddon unleashed a tirade that included rewriting books on late game strategy and noted that the Cards “started this but we will finish it”. I really think Joe likes to hear himself talk but that’s just me.

Lost control or not, Haren hit Holliday in the head. As Tony La Russa would say, get better control of your pitches or go play softball. Rizzo gets grazed in the leg and he’s mad about it. Please. I am surprised Rizzo actually got out of the way of a pitch because if it helps his on base percentage, it’ll let anything touch him. Point being, whether the pitch was on purpose, there’s no reason to get up in a frenzy about it. It’s baseball folks. That’s all. The Cards retaliated in the least harmful way possible. Was it right? No. Did Maddon need to treat this game like the Art of War declaration? No.

In Saturday’s game, three Cardinal batters were hit. Kolten Wong was hit twice, one on a pitch up and in. Joe Maddon and his pitcher were ejected in the 9th inning. After Maddon’s big speech on Friday evening after the game, how does he justify his pitchers plunking three Cardinals the next day. Were the HBP on purpose? No. Will we ever know for sure? No. Pitchers are paid to throw baseball at a high velocity towards the plate and establish a zone that hitters have a hard time touching. Faulty results are common. This weekend has proved not only has the rivalry returned but foolhardy hijinks have followed as well. It’s all kind of unneeded.

For all the Matheny haters and critics out there, have you seen how cool and collected he has been while Maddon has acted like a hungry child? Take notes if you will.

Here’s what I don’t like. The umpires warning the benches so early after supposed unintentional hit by pitch incidents. If it was clearly not on purpose, why warn them? The rest of the game, each team is put on edge and anything inside becomes suspect to ejection of players and cool tempers. It’s comical. The Holliday head shot was unfortunate and 99% unintentional, but why issue a warning? Nothing is more ridiculous in baseball than the under-cooked bench warnings.

This sets up a hot and contested finale on Sunday that was already carrying juice Friday morning. At the very least, this sets the burner on this previously dead rivalry to medium high. The Cubs haven’t had someone that was this outspoken since Dusty Baker and we all know how those Septembers played out. While the Maddon speech was a bit over the top, it did signify that these two teams don’t like each other all that much and this historically prevalent rivalry has got its legs back.

You know what they say about Wrigley action in September? To quote the late and great Joaquin Andujar, “you never know”. Welcome to the end of a long tired season. You can act like a manager whose team has looked up at the Cardinals for 5 straight seasons or you can stay calm and cool like Matheny and know that as long as the Cards avoid a sweep Sunday, the series wasn’t botched.

Where do you stand on this HBP infused rivalry?

In Defense of Mike Matheny

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There isn’t a more popular trend on Twitter during St. Louis Cardinals games than throwing manager Mike Matheny on a white hot grill and dissecting his moves. Every fan base does it, but in St. Louis it’s an extreme activity. Win or lose, it’s all about what did Matheny do wrong.

There should be a new stat for the Matheny critics called Wins Above Matheny. WAM instead of WAR or WIN. When I decided to defend Matheny last month for a controversial move, I was riddled with comments and feedback that saw people questioning my judgement and soberness. You would think I was defending a coach managing a team in last place with 40 more losses than wins.

The situation. Washington Nationals’ Ryan Zimmerman came to the plate in the 8th inning with first base open. He had scolded the Cardinals and the National League for the past week. He cranked two home runs Wednesday and four during the series. The consensus of Twitter wanted Matheny to walk Zimmerman and pitch to Yunel Escobar, who is a fine hitter with a .320 average off right-handed pitchers. Jonathan Broxton had walked a guy to begin the inning. He had a 3-1 strikeouts to walks ratio and was holding right-handed hitters to a .214 average.

I didn’t have a problem with Matheny allowing Brox to be careful or pitch to Zimmerman. Ryan hit an outside pitch down the right field line for a go ahead double. The Cardinals didn’t sweep and therefore fell to a rougher 39 games over .500. People immediately blamed the skipper for allowing Brox to pitch to Zimmerman, aka Mickey Mantle. They didn’t point out the weak offense that managed three runs on 13 hits or Brox for failing to get the man out. This is a usual activity for fans after a loss. How can we blame Matheny?

The same thing happened Friday st Wrigley. The Cards get beat by Joe Maddon’s Cubs and it is all Matheny’s fault. Please.

Let me state that Matheny isn’t perfect. Far from it. Which manager is perfect? He has an attachment with certain players even when they clearly aren’t doing their job or are not healthy(Allen Craig in 2014, Jon Jay in 2015). He does make questionable calls during games. He can be outmanaged by a fellow manager like Bruce Bochy but also runs circles around other player turned managers like Don Mattingley and Matt Williams.

Matheny’s tutelage and ability as a tactician is a great subject for ridicule but it’s also something that is still being honed. Ask any fanbase if they love all the in game moves by their manager and the list will be very short. St. Louis fans just don’t experience this because they are too busy chopping down Matheny. He is not without his faults but he is also doing something impressive with the roster this season.

Anyone who can’t appreciate Matheny’s work this year will probably never appreciate his work. The 2015 Cardinals have been hit with a variety of injuries and setbacks. They lost their ace starting pitcher, their left fielder, their first baseman, their setup man, and their versatile outfield bat in Jon Jay for a huge part of the season. Jaime Garcia went missing for a stretch. Their bullpen has also lost Matt Belisle for half a season. Nothing has gone right. Hot bat Randal Grichuk has been out for two weeks. Still, for the fourth year in a row, the Cardinals are right among the top teams in the National League. They are a remarkable 92-55 with a 5 lead over Pittsburgh.

How does credit not find Mike Matheny for his work with a roster that has been made up of AAA hands for fair portions of the season? How does he not deserve a decent amount of consideration for Manager of the Year when he lost three starters in the first three months of the season? When people have to reference a World Series mistake from 2013 in their criticism of Matheny, isn’t that telling you something? The man has improved dramatically this year.

Many pointed to his usage of Trevor Rosenthal last year as horrible. This year, he has went to Kevin Siegrist for saves throughout the season and even used Rosenthal in non save chances. His usage of his closer has improved this year and the results are there on display. The closer is getting results and looks a lot sharper this year as a result of Matheny’s adjustment.

Matheny has leaned on rookies like Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty in the absence of veteran starters. He only starts Pete Kozma once every two weeks and Tony Cruz once a week. He isn’t calling for as many bunts as he has in the past. The improvements are there while the results are still overwhelmingly positive. Did anybody see this team in this position when Waino went down in late April? The answer is no. If you ask the majority of Cardinal nation on social media, the credit belongs to a pitching staff and not Matheny.

How many seasons does this guy have to win in order to gain more respect from his fans? If we go off the great football coach Bill Parcells’ saying that you are as good as your record, then Matheny is very very good. When managers are fired in baseball, the fans and media point to their record. In St. Louis, it just doesn’t matter how good Matheny’s teams are, he doesn’t deserve the credit. Hey look at what Clint Hurdle is doing in Pittsburgh! Look at Terry Collins in New York! Joe Maddon’s Cubs are great!

Hey, neither of those teams are as good as the Cardinals and neither of those teams have dealt with the amount of injuries Matheny has been forced to juggle in St. Louis. Doesn’t that apply when assessing a manager? How else do you assess a coach or manager in sports?

Mike Matheny has 20 playoff wins in 39 career postseason games, but people will point to his losses to the Giants and Red Sox(eventual World Series winners) as his downfall. Well, of course. That doesn’t make him a bad manager. It just doesn’t make sense.

Matheny’s record as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals is 367-266. Matheny has done that with numerous injuries and breakdowns. Give a roster to Matheny and he wins. Weak bench or not, he wins. Every year. For some people, that’s not enough. The Cardinals can win 8 of 10 games here to finish August and start September, but the loss to the Nationals will be nitpicked. He gets all the blame for the losses and little credit for the wins. Sounds like a losing argument to me.

Matheny can win a World Series and people will complain. That’s a bet. Some managers and coaches can’t escape blame. If Randy Choate comes in and doesn’t do his job once, Matheny is blamed for using him. When Choate does it, it was just Choate making a pitch. When Seth Maness coaxes double plays like a magician, it’s not Matheny knowing when it use him or not, it’s just Seth magic. When pitchers fail, it’s Matheny’s fault. If Brox gets Zimmerman out, nothing happens or at least, Brox bailed out Matheny. If Zimmerman walks and Escobar cranks an RBI hit, Matheny is blamed for pitching around Zimmerman. Win or lose, the narrative on Matheny never changes.

I think he is the right man to manage this team. When Ryne Sandberg was canned in Philadelphia, Jimmy Rollins pointed to some guys not feeling 100% convinced Sandberg was the man for the job in 2014. They talked about not playing all out or go for broke for their manager. You NEVER hear that in St. Louis. The players on this roster would go through walls for their manager. His connection with these players and their trust and belief in him can’t be quantified by a stat on Fangraphs or Baseball Reference, but it’s a real thing that beats throughout his clubhouse. Matheny is the right man for this team, which is why I was happy with John Mozeliak hiring him after the 2011 season. There isn’t a manager out there who could elicit a better performance from this team. Sorry Terry Francona fans.

While the narrative will support Collins and Maddon for the award, I think Matheny deserves serious consideration for the Manager of the Year award. The injuries, expectations and hurdles he has faced this year may have gotten the best of a lot of young managers, but not Matheny. There has to be a value in there. A value to go with his 361 regular season wins and 20 playoff wins.

It’s easy to throw blame on Matheny. The crowd is huge for that. While I will complain about some of his tactics, that’s par for the course in this game. Maddon, Hurdle, and Collins all get grilled by their fanbase just as hard. I can recognize an improvement in Matheny’s managerial performance this season. He’s growing as a manager while being the best leader in any clubhouse in baseball. No players trust their leader like the Cards trust Matheny. The results are there. The little things are catching up fast.

While he is far from the people’s favorite, Mike Matheny is the man for the job in St. Louis. His record and improvement in a treacherous season have earned him serious consideration for the Manager of the Year award. Have they not?

What is your take on the manager?