If you follow me at all, you've probably been wondering why this post hasn't been written already. After all, he's one of my very favorite Cardinals and I've yet to write about him. Well, wonder no more. My Grich post has finally arrived.
I'll forewarn you, I have never and will never refer to him as Stallion. Or a Lamborghini. Grich is neither an animal nor a car, so I had, we'll just say, a strong dislike for both nicknames. To be honest, I think most of the disdain for the nicknames came from my dislike of Matheny and his use of said names. It was his fault "the stallion was pent up in the stable" or "the lamborghini was left in the garage." Last year, Matheny couldn't say much that thrilled me, but these nicknames took the cake.
Randal Grichuk is a polarizing player with Cards fans. There are those that love the guy and believe in what he brings to the table. Then there are those who have decided after 301 games and only in his age 25 season, that he will never cut it.
Starting with this season, early as it may be, I have much reason to hope, as well as be completely fine with where he is at this moment, especially when compared to the rest of the team.
In 19 games/69 plate appearances: 8 R, 15 H, 6 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 4 BB, 22 SO, 231 BA, 275 OBP, 415 SLG, 691 OPS, 87 OPS+, 317 BAPIP
Sure, some numbers aren't great--here's looking at you, strikeouts. However, in case anyone might not know, he is tied with Dexter Fowler for the lead there, with Matt Carpenter closing in on them at 17, Stephen Piscotty at 14. At the opposite angle, with walks, sure, it doesn't seem like he takes many. Again, you may be surprised to know that 4 is the same number or more than Jose Martinez, Yadier Molina, Aledmys Diaz, Greg Garcia, Eric Fryer, Jhonny Peralta and Matt Adams. No one on the team is practicing much patience, as our highest amount of walks for one player is 11, and the rest are single digits, mostly in the 2-5 range.
Grich is tied for second on the team in runs batted in with 8. Out of his 15 hits, 8 are extra base hits. By the way, only one person has more hits this season and that is Aledmys Diaz. Randal's 231 batting average, if you take out Adam Wainwright and Michael Wacha, puts him at 7th highest on the team. Below him are Wong, Piscotty, Fryer, Adams, Fowler and Peralta. Carpenter is only at 236.
Honestly, I'm not sure how anyone is feeling negatively about him at this point anymore, but I'll continue.
Given how he is fitting in fairly well with the team's offense right now, as well as the team's defense, both of which are running on the low side, there really shouldn't be more concern for Grichuk over others this year.
Now I'll take you on a little trip down Memory Lane.
In 301 games/1013 plate appearances: 238 hits, 64 2B, 11 3B, 46 HR, 131 RBI, 10 SB, 59 BB, 304 SO, 252 BA, 275 OBP, 489 SLG, 790 OPS, 110 OPS+, 322 BAPIP
Out of those 238 hits, 121 were for extra bases. Over half! In 2016, it became a running commentary on Twitter that he hated first base because he was never there...he seemed to only be able to hit for extra bases.
Some fun offensive highlights through the years for all the warm fuzzies:
Grand Slam against Cubs
Walk Off Home Run Against the Cubs
Grich's First Major League Home Run
Opening Night 2017 Grich Home run and walk off hit
I'll dive a bit into the defensive side of things, if only to show my favorite defensive highlights of Grich...amazing plays.
In 19 games/12 complete games: 2 errors and -5 defensive runs saved with 943 fielding percentage
Numbers aren't great, and I can't necessarily put a sunny spin on them for this year specifically for Grich. However, I can say that defensively speaking, our team is last or almost last across all of baseball in all defensive categories. In all honesty, numbers won't stay at this level and with
continued daily play in left field, he'll continue to improve. Most likely he will probably end up in the top 10 in the MLB again after the season is done as he did
last season in center field.
Over his career, however, things are much brighter.
In 258 games/186 complete games: 8 errors, 14 defensive runs saved, 984 fielding percentage (these include 2017)
For a brief comparison, in those same years, Dexter has 13 errors and staggering -33 defensive runs saved (402 games/364 complete games). Piscotty has 6 errors and -3 defensive runs saved (in 228 games/184 complete games). Randal Grichuk can't possibly look like he's struggling out there when compared to our other outfielders. And I love Dex, but bear in mind that is only going back to 2014 to stick with comparable years as closely as I can. The negatives dive deeper. Defensively, it is somewhat of a wait and see if he is much better than Grichuk out there.
I'm well aware that these defensive stats do not cover everything, but they do paint a bit of the picture. In a fairly comparable amount of playing time, Grichuk has proven he is not the one we should be overly concerned about out there in the outfield.
Now, for those beautiful defensive highlights:
Diving Double Play
Home Run Robbery-Kendrick Dodgers
Grichuk Diving Catch
Home Run Robbery-Rizzo Cubs
All in all, after these warm fuzzy videos, in many of which he is showing his love for beating the Cubs, I hope I've turned a few naysayers over to my side. All I ask is that Grichuk gets some time to prove himself. While his friends all are receiving millions, avoiding arbitration or getting extensions, the front office and seemingly fans have reservations about Grichuk. He's only 25 and has only played in 301 games until now. I don't think it's time to definitively say anything about Grichuk with much conviction. Grich needs more time and with consistent daily play (no bus to Memphis gassed up and waiting in the parking lot), he can very possibly end up performing much like his second half numbers from last year. He was given the opportunities then to play daily without any concerns of being benched and he lit up the box score. If he keeps playing every day, any strikeouts will be overshadowed by the power. Keep in mind too, he had 24 home runs in the majors last year, 30 total for the year. His speed and athleticism help round out the qualities he brings to the table.
Give Grichuk a chance. Give him some of the time you may have given to others over the years. I promise fireworks and highlight reels. Give him a small slice of your patience. Randal Grichuk is a force to be reckoned with.
Monday, April 24, 2017
Sunday, April 23, 2017
What's Love Got to Do With It?
The incomparable Tina Turner was on the radio today and I immediately thought of my whole blog post on my drive. Then my favorite song of all time came on and when the Cards go on some sort of extended streak of playing well, you'll get treated to more 80s goodness with that one. Hopefully you're still reading.
"It may seem to you that I'm acting confused
When you're close to me
If I tend to look dazed I've read it someplace
I've got cause to be
There's a name for it
There's a phrase that fits
But whatever the reason you do it for me"
I thought of Cardinals players and the coaching staff when I listened to this verse. On the base paths, the players look like they're trying to reenact a Three Stooges skit as opposed to actually following any sound base running rules. They are getting picked off at first and second base at what feels like an astronomical clip. Then there's the base stealing attempts. Who is telling them to run? I'm half convinced there's a cartoon character or comic trying to get some laughs standing in the dugout or at first or third, saying "Run!! Go! Do it!" and the players fall for it every time. There are times when it's not even close. We're watching, sometimes yelling, "Why?!" A last base running issue is running into outs (too aggressive) or not running fast enough (not aggressive enough). Who is running these drills? What drills are they running? Today during the broadcast, it was mentioned that our Quality Control Coach is a firm believer of George Kissell's teachings. I had to let that sink in for a minute. Is there another George Kissell? Surely, this cannot be the same George Kissell. Or if it is, he's read the intro only. Or Matheny replaced the cover of "The Cardinal Way" with the cover of "The Manifesto." Something is getting lost in translation.
The same goes for fundamentals in every other aspect of the play we're seeing on the field. It would be tough to see us get to a point where we don't even try to catch base stealers or try pick offs because the first and second basemen can't handle the throws. The rundown on Saturday night was almost an all hands on deck moment and that's not even legal, but it felt like the entire bench was going to jump in on the action. Cut off men apparently don't exist. And our pitchers have had some extra work this season based on how many times we hear "and he'll get the out at ..." instead of "it's a double play!"
Clearly, the players are dazed and the phrase that fits is "Matheny is your manager, so this is life." The players have to find a way to get around these problems and practice sound fundamental baseball. Sooner rather than later is preferable. It might be scary at first, but the new direction of sound fundamentals will definitely protect their jobs moving forward.
"I've been taking on a new direction
But I have to say
I've been thinking about my own protection
It scares me to feel this way"
If I tend to look dazed I've read it someplace
I've got cause to be
There's a name for it
There's a phrase that fits
But whatever the reason you do it for me"
I thought of Cardinals players and the coaching staff when I listened to this verse. On the base paths, the players look like they're trying to reenact a Three Stooges skit as opposed to actually following any sound base running rules. They are getting picked off at first and second base at what feels like an astronomical clip. Then there's the base stealing attempts. Who is telling them to run? I'm half convinced there's a cartoon character or comic trying to get some laughs standing in the dugout or at first or third, saying "Run!! Go! Do it!" and the players fall for it every time. There are times when it's not even close. We're watching, sometimes yelling, "Why?!" A last base running issue is running into outs (too aggressive) or not running fast enough (not aggressive enough). Who is running these drills? What drills are they running? Today during the broadcast, it was mentioned that our Quality Control Coach is a firm believer of George Kissell's teachings. I had to let that sink in for a minute. Is there another George Kissell? Surely, this cannot be the same George Kissell. Or if it is, he's read the intro only. Or Matheny replaced the cover of "The Cardinal Way" with the cover of "The Manifesto." Something is getting lost in translation.
The same goes for fundamentals in every other aspect of the play we're seeing on the field. It would be tough to see us get to a point where we don't even try to catch base stealers or try pick offs because the first and second basemen can't handle the throws. The rundown on Saturday night was almost an all hands on deck moment and that's not even legal, but it felt like the entire bench was going to jump in on the action. Cut off men apparently don't exist. And our pitchers have had some extra work this season based on how many times we hear "and he'll get the out at ..." instead of "it's a double play!"
Clearly, the players are dazed and the phrase that fits is "Matheny is your manager, so this is life." The players have to find a way to get around these problems and practice sound fundamental baseball. Sooner rather than later is preferable. It might be scary at first, but the new direction of sound fundamentals will definitely protect their jobs moving forward.
"I've been taking on a new direction
But I have to say
I've been thinking about my own protection
It scares me to feel this way"
"What's love got to do, got to do with it
What's love but a second hand emotion
What's love got to do, got to do with it
Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken
What's love got to do, got to do with it
Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken
What's love got to do, got to do with it
What's love but a sweet old fashioned notion
What's love got to do, got to do with it
Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken"
The love I think of here is the love for the sweet old fashioned notion of baseball. Our players need to remember why they're playing...that is the love of this wonderful pastime we all love too...baseball. When they remember the days when they played little league and were all heart and hustle, they'll try their hardest to play the game how it's supposed to be played. They'll remember how great it feels to make the plays and help lift each other up...how great it feels to win because of the hard work put in and the fun they had out there.
They'll never break my heart. My heart is very much here and with them. I only hope they find their heart and love for the game and play like they love every second of being out there, playing at their best.
What's love but a sweet old fashioned notion
What's love got to do, got to do with it
Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken"
The love I think of here is the love for the sweet old fashioned notion of baseball. Our players need to remember why they're playing...that is the love of this wonderful pastime we all love too...baseball. When they remember the days when they played little league and were all heart and hustle, they'll try their hardest to play the game how it's supposed to be played. They'll remember how great it feels to make the plays and help lift each other up...how great it feels to win because of the hard work put in and the fun they had out there.
They'll never break my heart. My heart is very much here and with them. I only hope they find their heart and love for the game and play like they love every second of being out there, playing at their best.
Saturday, April 22, 2017
Damaged Armor
I'll start with me. My armor is damaged. I do the usual repairs and maintenance...duct tape, super glue, safety pins, bubble wrap. None of it ever keeps damage completely away from heart, but it's good to know I can lessen the damage of the hit, patch it up, and try again.
My armor took a few hits during Adam Wainwright's start last Sunday. It was his third start of the season and things weren't going necessarily well. I will not write specifics, but will simply say it was my least favorite night watching the games with twitter people. Alternatively, it was one of the best. While there were those truly being their worst, some of the best messaged me to make sure I was alright. My armor took a lot of hits that night, but some wonderful people provided all the duct tape, super glue, safety pins and bubble wrap I needed to repair the damage. A good friend of mine reminded me essentially not to even take the hits in the first place. I do my best every day to try to heed his advice.
While a long introduction, this leads into the damaged armor of our team. We have a full spectrum of damage to much of our armor, both of the physical and mental variety. Dex is hurting with a nagging heel issue. Siegrist is showing slower velocity and experiencing shoulder issues. Peralta is on the DL with a "respiratory infection." Moving on to the mental approach of the game, we have Piscotty, Grich, Diaz, Fowler, Carp and Adams all having problems at the plate. Lastly, we have Carlos working on mechanics and command, as well as having a newfound issue getting through the first inning of games unscathed.
Our offense is struggling to put more than 2 runs on the board per game. Our numbers with runners in scoring position are abysmal. Situational hitting is practically non-existent. I'm not sure how to work on this beyond more practice, focus and work. I never doubt the work ethic is there, but I always question the coaching involved at these times. Ability, talent, skill, strong work ethic...these players all have those qualities in abundance. However, it's a concern to have well over half of the starting players hitting 250 or below, strikeouts piling up and seemingly all concept of situational hitting having flown back south to Florida.
Defensively, we're not winning any trophies. I don't know if they would even give us participation trophies for our efforts thus far. Numbers aren't pretty and the eye test fails as well. I sometimes close my eyes when throws to a base happen and during Saturday's run down, when all 25 men seemed to be throwing and catching the ball.
I mentioned Saturday night after Matt Adams pinch hit that Matheny broke him. I've written at length about Adams and his struggles. For the Cardinals, he has only played close to a full season once...in 2014 he played in 142 games. This year Matheny decided to give him opportunities in left field, which only hurt his chances of success further. We have a left fielder (who was simultaneously affected by this experiment) and behind our starting left fielder, we have a back up outfielder. Adams was put into opportunities that displayed defensive weaknesses, and it's possible he took that lowered lack of confidence to the plate as the struggles piled up there. The reason to put him in left field was supposedly because "the bat plays." It has now reached a point where his biggest strength in years past, pinch hitting, has soured...he is making unproductive outs almost every time now. His career, especially in 2017, has been colossally mismanaged. At 28 and in the best shape of his life, he is warming the bench, not even getting opportunities at his actual position of first base when an injury occurred to Carpenter. He didn't forget how to play baseball, but mentally he is in the midst of a perfect storm of lack of confidence, questioning his role, trying to stay prepared and probably wondering what he did in a former life to deserve this treatment. I am well aware that he needs to play well to secure a role, but he is getting no help in that department and it is painful to watch.
On his Instagram this morning, Carlos posted a picture of himself on the mound and listed a bunch of zipped lip, thinking, sad face emojis as the caption. If you have followed him on Instagram, you would know this is the complete opposite of his usual shirtless, smiling, singing Instagram stories. He has always been joyful on there, so to see his frustration out there for the world to see, even if only expressed through emojis, it did nothing to calm my concerns for him. He is working through a lot right now and I hope he leans on his mentors and teammates in the clubhouse to help him through everything.
Mental hits are measured by the play as much as physical hits. I firmly believe that if each player knew his spot on the team and was allowed to work through issues that arise, our team would be firing on all cylinders. Grichuk is going to have strikeouts, but last night he went 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and made a great catch in the outfield. The key to his success is being allowed to play every day, without worry of being replaced in the lineup at any given time. Kolten runs much the same way, and while he is finding himself at the plate, I worry he will still be on an up and down rollercoaster type trip in and out of the lineup, stopping his traction. Carlos is going through something that was visible to many fans over the past few starts. Adam was visibly upset in his outing last Sunday, clearly still working through things. Piscotty is in the midst of a swing over haul that some feel is involving too much mental focus, making him lack consistency instead of taking off at the plate...leading to infamous Earmuff moments with his colorful language choice.
As a team, we've taken a lot of hits to the armor over these first 3 weeks of the season. It's difficult to be looking up from 5th (4th after a Pirates loss, at least until results of today's games!) at the division rivals. While our pitching has largely kept us afloat, being a stabilizing force for the most part, we need to figure out how to fix things offensively and defensively. The players need to gain their confidence back and believe they can get the job done. They need to duct tape, safety pin, super glue and bubble wrap their armor and get on the field. It's high time to be playing their best baseball. When all armor is repaired, they need to be running out onto the field, knowing they can make the catches, make the plays and then run out of the dugout ready to bat when ready. They have to stay strong in the face of any adversity and maneuver their way skillfully through mixed messages, showing a confident, steady approach to their games.
Wins do help the positive vibes, but this team is still very much a work in progress. They honestly have to face more managerial disastrophes than the every day baseball player, and they need to do their best to overcome the decisions that put a roadblock up on their path to success. Armor fixed, game face on...let's go Cards!!
My armor took a few hits during Adam Wainwright's start last Sunday. It was his third start of the season and things weren't going necessarily well. I will not write specifics, but will simply say it was my least favorite night watching the games with twitter people. Alternatively, it was one of the best. While there were those truly being their worst, some of the best messaged me to make sure I was alright. My armor took a lot of hits that night, but some wonderful people provided all the duct tape, super glue, safety pins and bubble wrap I needed to repair the damage. A good friend of mine reminded me essentially not to even take the hits in the first place. I do my best every day to try to heed his advice.
While a long introduction, this leads into the damaged armor of our team. We have a full spectrum of damage to much of our armor, both of the physical and mental variety. Dex is hurting with a nagging heel issue. Siegrist is showing slower velocity and experiencing shoulder issues. Peralta is on the DL with a "respiratory infection." Moving on to the mental approach of the game, we have Piscotty, Grich, Diaz, Fowler, Carp and Adams all having problems at the plate. Lastly, we have Carlos working on mechanics and command, as well as having a newfound issue getting through the first inning of games unscathed.
Our offense is struggling to put more than 2 runs on the board per game. Our numbers with runners in scoring position are abysmal. Situational hitting is practically non-existent. I'm not sure how to work on this beyond more practice, focus and work. I never doubt the work ethic is there, but I always question the coaching involved at these times. Ability, talent, skill, strong work ethic...these players all have those qualities in abundance. However, it's a concern to have well over half of the starting players hitting 250 or below, strikeouts piling up and seemingly all concept of situational hitting having flown back south to Florida.
Defensively, we're not winning any trophies. I don't know if they would even give us participation trophies for our efforts thus far. Numbers aren't pretty and the eye test fails as well. I sometimes close my eyes when throws to a base happen and during Saturday's run down, when all 25 men seemed to be throwing and catching the ball.
I mentioned Saturday night after Matt Adams pinch hit that Matheny broke him. I've written at length about Adams and his struggles. For the Cardinals, he has only played close to a full season once...in 2014 he played in 142 games. This year Matheny decided to give him opportunities in left field, which only hurt his chances of success further. We have a left fielder (who was simultaneously affected by this experiment) and behind our starting left fielder, we have a back up outfielder. Adams was put into opportunities that displayed defensive weaknesses, and it's possible he took that lowered lack of confidence to the plate as the struggles piled up there. The reason to put him in left field was supposedly because "the bat plays." It has now reached a point where his biggest strength in years past, pinch hitting, has soured...he is making unproductive outs almost every time now. His career, especially in 2017, has been colossally mismanaged. At 28 and in the best shape of his life, he is warming the bench, not even getting opportunities at his actual position of first base when an injury occurred to Carpenter. He didn't forget how to play baseball, but mentally he is in the midst of a perfect storm of lack of confidence, questioning his role, trying to stay prepared and probably wondering what he did in a former life to deserve this treatment. I am well aware that he needs to play well to secure a role, but he is getting no help in that department and it is painful to watch.
On his Instagram this morning, Carlos posted a picture of himself on the mound and listed a bunch of zipped lip, thinking, sad face emojis as the caption. If you have followed him on Instagram, you would know this is the complete opposite of his usual shirtless, smiling, singing Instagram stories. He has always been joyful on there, so to see his frustration out there for the world to see, even if only expressed through emojis, it did nothing to calm my concerns for him. He is working through a lot right now and I hope he leans on his mentors and teammates in the clubhouse to help him through everything.
Mental hits are measured by the play as much as physical hits. I firmly believe that if each player knew his spot on the team and was allowed to work through issues that arise, our team would be firing on all cylinders. Grichuk is going to have strikeouts, but last night he went 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and made a great catch in the outfield. The key to his success is being allowed to play every day, without worry of being replaced in the lineup at any given time. Kolten runs much the same way, and while he is finding himself at the plate, I worry he will still be on an up and down rollercoaster type trip in and out of the lineup, stopping his traction. Carlos is going through something that was visible to many fans over the past few starts. Adam was visibly upset in his outing last Sunday, clearly still working through things. Piscotty is in the midst of a swing over haul that some feel is involving too much mental focus, making him lack consistency instead of taking off at the plate...leading to infamous Earmuff moments with his colorful language choice.
As a team, we've taken a lot of hits to the armor over these first 3 weeks of the season. It's difficult to be looking up from 5th (4th after a Pirates loss, at least until results of today's games!) at the division rivals. While our pitching has largely kept us afloat, being a stabilizing force for the most part, we need to figure out how to fix things offensively and defensively. The players need to gain their confidence back and believe they can get the job done. They need to duct tape, safety pin, super glue and bubble wrap their armor and get on the field. It's high time to be playing their best baseball. When all armor is repaired, they need to be running out onto the field, knowing they can make the catches, make the plays and then run out of the dugout ready to bat when ready. They have to stay strong in the face of any adversity and maneuver their way skillfully through mixed messages, showing a confident, steady approach to their games.
Wins do help the positive vibes, but this team is still very much a work in progress. They honestly have to face more managerial disastrophes than the every day baseball player, and they need to do their best to overcome the decisions that put a roadblock up on their path to success. Armor fixed, game face on...let's go Cards!!
Saturday, April 15, 2017
The Boss
Well then. The Cards lost today. Again. The whole game felt a little...uninspired.
I've spent an inordinate amount of time being frustrated with Matheny and his lack of appropriate decision making. I detailed why he and I are done in another post. Tonight, I'm going to tell you how I'd like to take custody of the kids.
I won't pretend to have enough knowledge to be a professional major league baseball manager. However, if I were to take over at this moment, I'd have you all to help me! Ha. I'm not taking over. Here's what I would do if I did though...
The team is missing a hungry heart. In the words of The Boss (not our Final Boss we all know and love, but The Boss):
"Like a river that don't
know where it's flowing
I took a wrong turn and I
just kept going
Everybody's got a hungry heart
Lay down your money and
you play your part,
Everybody's got a hungry heart
Everybody needs a place to rest
Everybody wants to have a home
Don't make no difference what nobody says,
Ain't nobody like to be alone"
Listened to this one today after the game and it spoke to me about our Cards. We're taking a lot of wrong turns, we don't seem to know where we're going or what we're doing. The guys want to have a set spot to play in daily (home) and they want to have the right time to rest. They want to be a team, playing, working and competing together. They don't want to be alone, with one guy hitting or one guy pitching well. What we need is to find that hungry heart...the passion for the game they love. We need to find it and keep it firing for the whole season. Right now, the players look lost, beaten and exhausted. It's April 15th. Far too early for looking this way.
I'd like to stand up on a chair in the clubhouse or on the bench in the dugout and say this:
"It's time to stop sitting around, watching the baseball season pass you all by. We are going to practice every single fundamental part of baseball until we are a well oiled machine out there on the field. I'm not afraid to have 3 inning practice games every day till we get this sinking ship all patched up and sailing again. At this point, we'd all just love to be floating at .500 level ball as a first step. You don't like the sounds of that, don't make me do it. Make the plays, run the bases right, take more than 1 pitch per at bat and show me you want to be here. I want life, energy, focus, smiles. Dance in the dugout. Be cheerleaders for each other. Be at the top of the dugout cheering for the next big play or big hit. Be in the game. We've been lacking moxie and gumption around here and it's time to change.
Carp, you're at 1B. Kolten 2B. Diaz SS. Gyorko and Garcia, you're sharing 3B. Yadi, do what you do. Piscotty RF. Dex CF. Grich LF. Everybody else is on our bench. You'll sub in when these guys need a day off. That's how baseball teams work. Jose, I'll get you every sub opportunity in the outfield. That's your thing. And for what it's worth, you're a beautiful soul. I digress...Adams you'll sub in at 1B. Left field talk is over. Do not bring it up to me. I've already blocked it from my mind. You will be a great pinch hitter too. Glorious, if I do say so myself. Peralta, enjoy the $10M. Thanks for 2014-2015 All Star Break. Truly, thank you. We'll take the financial loss. If you are still here for the entire season, I'll try to get you in a game before the end. For a goodbye ovation. If we're winning by at least 5 runs and I don't need you to be any kind of defensive replacement.
Now, let's go out there and play the way Stan did. Lou, Gibby, Stan, Chris Carpenter, Edmonds...we have lots of players who wore the Birds on The Bat well throughout the years to model ourselves after. You fight and compete all 9 innings, every game with a hungry heart for the love of the game. Let's do this right.
We've had Glory Days, but we have plenty still ahead. Let's start playing like we know this is true."
That's me as the boss of the team. The new manager. If I got custody of the kids after Mike and I split. It was only 2 days ago that we ended things, but if there was ever a time for a change, now is that time. I've been a relatively patient Cards fan during the Matheny experience. I love the Cardinals and I always will. Once Matheny put Wacha in against the Giants in the playoffs after not pitching for so long, I started my tendency to yell at him during games. The wheels have been falling off ever since. I don't know how much patience I have left for decisions such as putting starters back out for wins even though there is almost a 100% chance things will not go well. Or decisions like never playing Greg Garcia or Jose Martinez. Or putting Adams in left field. Success eludes players with these decisions, and the team is suffering for it.
It's time for the players to remember they love to play this game and get out there every day putting 150% effort in every inning. After all, you can't start a fire without a spark. Find the spark guys. Can't wait to see the fire.
I've spent an inordinate amount of time being frustrated with Matheny and his lack of appropriate decision making. I detailed why he and I are done in another post. Tonight, I'm going to tell you how I'd like to take custody of the kids.
I won't pretend to have enough knowledge to be a professional major league baseball manager. However, if I were to take over at this moment, I'd have you all to help me! Ha. I'm not taking over. Here's what I would do if I did though...
The team is missing a hungry heart. In the words of The Boss (not our Final Boss we all know and love, but The Boss):
"Like a river that don't
know where it's flowing
I took a wrong turn and I
just kept going
Everybody's got a hungry heart
Lay down your money and
you play your part,
Everybody's got a hungry heart
Everybody needs a place to rest
Everybody wants to have a home
Don't make no difference what nobody says,
Ain't nobody like to be alone"
Listened to this one today after the game and it spoke to me about our Cards. We're taking a lot of wrong turns, we don't seem to know where we're going or what we're doing. The guys want to have a set spot to play in daily (home) and they want to have the right time to rest. They want to be a team, playing, working and competing together. They don't want to be alone, with one guy hitting or one guy pitching well. What we need is to find that hungry heart...the passion for the game they love. We need to find it and keep it firing for the whole season. Right now, the players look lost, beaten and exhausted. It's April 15th. Far too early for looking this way.
I'd like to stand up on a chair in the clubhouse or on the bench in the dugout and say this:
"It's time to stop sitting around, watching the baseball season pass you all by. We are going to practice every single fundamental part of baseball until we are a well oiled machine out there on the field. I'm not afraid to have 3 inning practice games every day till we get this sinking ship all patched up and sailing again. At this point, we'd all just love to be floating at .500 level ball as a first step. You don't like the sounds of that, don't make me do it. Make the plays, run the bases right, take more than 1 pitch per at bat and show me you want to be here. I want life, energy, focus, smiles. Dance in the dugout. Be cheerleaders for each other. Be at the top of the dugout cheering for the next big play or big hit. Be in the game. We've been lacking moxie and gumption around here and it's time to change.
Carp, you're at 1B. Kolten 2B. Diaz SS. Gyorko and Garcia, you're sharing 3B. Yadi, do what you do. Piscotty RF. Dex CF. Grich LF. Everybody else is on our bench. You'll sub in when these guys need a day off. That's how baseball teams work. Jose, I'll get you every sub opportunity in the outfield. That's your thing. And for what it's worth, you're a beautiful soul. I digress...Adams you'll sub in at 1B. Left field talk is over. Do not bring it up to me. I've already blocked it from my mind. You will be a great pinch hitter too. Glorious, if I do say so myself. Peralta, enjoy the $10M. Thanks for 2014-2015 All Star Break. Truly, thank you. We'll take the financial loss. If you are still here for the entire season, I'll try to get you in a game before the end. For a goodbye ovation. If we're winning by at least 5 runs and I don't need you to be any kind of defensive replacement.
Now, let's go out there and play the way Stan did. Lou, Gibby, Stan, Chris Carpenter, Edmonds...we have lots of players who wore the Birds on The Bat well throughout the years to model ourselves after. You fight and compete all 9 innings, every game with a hungry heart for the love of the game. Let's do this right.
We've had Glory Days, but we have plenty still ahead. Let's start playing like we know this is true."
That's me as the boss of the team. The new manager. If I got custody of the kids after Mike and I split. It was only 2 days ago that we ended things, but if there was ever a time for a change, now is that time. I've been a relatively patient Cards fan during the Matheny experience. I love the Cardinals and I always will. Once Matheny put Wacha in against the Giants in the playoffs after not pitching for so long, I started my tendency to yell at him during games. The wheels have been falling off ever since. I don't know how much patience I have left for decisions such as putting starters back out for wins even though there is almost a 100% chance things will not go well. Or decisions like never playing Greg Garcia or Jose Martinez. Or putting Adams in left field. Success eludes players with these decisions, and the team is suffering for it.
It's time for the players to remember they love to play this game and get out there every day putting 150% effort in every inning. After all, you can't start a fire without a spark. Find the spark guys. Can't wait to see the fire.
Thursday, April 13, 2017
Splitsville
Things people have recently told me on Twitter: "Calm down." "You're overreacting." "This is for emergencies. It'll hardly ever happen."
They were saying these things when the first whisper of Matt Adams in left field was uttered out of Mike Matheny's mouth. When I said smoke usually leads to fire, I was told I was worrying over nothing.
The whisper has reached Puerto Rico in the WBC fever pitch. If unfamiliar, think World Series Game 7 loud.
Today in the Post Dispatch we were all treated to an article with Mike Matheny musing about how Matt Adams offense is such that it will spark the lineup. Defense is shaky out there, but "that bat plays."
2017 Batting Stats:
A G PA AB H RBI BB SO BA SLG OPS OPS+
7 17 14 2* 1 3 7 143 143 437 24
BsR BB% K% OBP WAR ISO wRC+
0.0 17.6 41.2 294 -0.1 000 37
*2 singles
B G PA AB H RBI BB SO BA SLG OPS OPS+
9 34 33 7* 5 1 11 212 424 660 73
BsR BB% K% OBP WAR ISO wRC+
0.0 2.9 32.4 235 0.0 212 73
*2 home runs, 1 double, 4 singles
C G PA AB H RBI BB SO BA SLG OPS OPS+
6 10 8 4* 1 2 1 500 625 1.225 232
BsR BB% K% OBP WAR ISO wRC+
0.0 20 10 600 0.2 125 230
*1 double, 3 singles
After you've let those numbers sink in, I'll tell you Player A is Matt Adams, Player B is Randal Grichuk, and Player C is Jose Martinez.
Small sample size disclaimer aside, I think you'll see some numbers stand out more than others and overall, our two players looking the most positive offensively here are Grichuk and Martinez. None of them are playing necessarily their best just yet, but quite frankly, we have few that are (here's looking at you Diaz, Molina and finally Piscotty!!).
Seeing time in left field should be Grichuk followed by Martinez. In a dire emergency, which means multiple injuries to our outfielders, Adams can have a go. In no way does he deserve a platoon opportunity in left field. Matheny mentioned an idyllic notion for him was Wednesday. Those lineup shenanigans not only included sitting our 3 RBI leaders and 2 home run leaders, but starting Matt Adams so he could get his 3 at bats, allowing Grichuk to be a defensive replacement later in the game. Adams went hitless with 2 strikeouts. Grichuk came into the game and got a single.
Grichuk has done nothing to warrant a platoon situation. We all know the woes of last season, as many won't let us forget them. However, when allowed to play daily, strikeouts or not, he was on fire. He ended the year with 24 home runs and 68 runs batted in, with 56 of his 107 hits being extra base hits.
Adams has never hit more than 17 home runs and has never had 56 extra base hits in a single year.
Defensively, after 4 seasons/248 games, Grich has 8 errors and 13 defensive runs saved.
Adams, after 6 seasons/368 games, has 24 errors and 12 defensive runs saved.
Again, the comparisons are not in Matt's favor.
Left field is a completely new position for Matt Adams. I, in no way whatsoever, blame Matt for any of this nonsense. He is simply playing the game. It's unfortunate for him, but there is simply no comparing the athleticism and outfield playing abilities of Adams and Grichuk.
A major plus Adams has is his pinch hitting ability. Power off the bench is where it's at with him. Again, unfortunately, Matheny is doing his best to ruin this skill as well. In 2 PH opportunities this season, Adams has struck out. His mind is so focused on learning a completely new position, it's honestly a wonder to me he has a hit at all.
Matheny is not putting Adams in a place to succeed. At the same time, he is taking Grichuk out of a place to succeed. He is singlehandedly ruining the confidence of two players at one time for one position. Not to mention the fact that he has killed Kolten's confidence over there at 2B, completely misused Greg Garcia and done everything to build up confidence of a veteran who doesn't seem to have the drive anymore in Peralta. Don't even get me started on bullpen management.
Matheny knows adversity well. He provides it often to people of his choosing. There have been many along the way, but currently the guys facing it on this team are Grichuk, Kolten, Jose and Greg (a smidgen). None of these players are being treated fairly. Everyone aside from Matheny knows it. It's sad to think that Grichuk wasn't told of his move to left field possibly because of this...maybe they knew all along he wasn't going to be given the spot. And here, all the while, there's been uproar over a platoon at 2B.
Think if you're Grichuk, watching your best friend get a 6 year extension to be part of the new core, while you fight to simply have a position. How would it feel seeing that Matt Adams has 4 starts at "your" position to your 5 on the season? How easy is it to be elite at your position, as you said you're striving to be, when you're not even allowed to play it every day?
Think if you're Jose, so grateful to be invited to the 25 man, only to be passed up a first baseman for time in the outfield when injuries occur. You were asked to be the 4th outfielder and even though an injury occurred, you've still only racked up 10 plate appearances.
I've written at length about Kolten, but the mind games persist between he and Matheny. He has already sat when facing a right handed pitcher, only to come into a game in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs to face a lefty. Too twisted for color tv.
With Greg Garcia, it is all about the plays and the OBP. The guy either gets hit by a pitch, walks or hits almost every plate appearance. In 12 plate appearances, he has 3 walks, a single and stolen base with a .500 OBP. Not to mention, his play at 3B is highlight reel worthy. Of course, after an amazing play, the other day that had Dan McLaughlin and Jim Edmonds raving in the booth, he once again sat on the bench to watch some more of the game he loves with a prime dugout view.
Matheny makes such an incredible amount of questionable decisions on the daily that it's hard to keep up with. I don't know how it's possible to phone a lineup in on a Wednesday that is definitely the "get away day" Sunday lineup and be alright with that. We're 9 games into the season, sitting at a record of 3-6, good for last place in our division. Few teams are playing worse than we are, and one is already discussing a fire sale in July (Toronto). Are we at that point? No. Should we be? Absolutely not. Saying that though, it's not even close to a time for a Sunday lineup, even on a Sunday. We've had 3 days off in less than 2 weeks and the majority of players we put on the field on a daily basis are 30 and under. If they need more than 3 days off in 2 weeks, I question them being professional athletes. Our players don't need the days off and don't want the days off, for the most part. I realize it's a long season and days off aren't always so close together, but if we had a steady, consistent lineup with built in days off, say one a week for the normal 8 on the field, we'd be playing better, in my extremely humble opinion.
After reading the article about Matheny today, then listening to his interview with Mark Saxon, I was infuriated. I won't lie about that. I was baseball infuriated, as there are numerous other things in life that can be infuriating. I love my Cardinals though, and watching Matheny smile while he discusses an imaginary offensive threat that has to be in the lineup was more than frustrating. A manager should be capable of tactical decisions based on analyzing all of the data in front of him in addition to the old eye test. This alleged bat that has to be in the lineup should fail all of those methods of deciding who to write in the lineup every day.
I'm not against Matt Adams. Please read my other posts about him as I don't want to get off topic here, especially since this is already 6 hours worth of reading material. I only want to reaffirm how I'm not anti Adams. I feel for the guy during this whole debacle.
You may have read my post "Vow Renewal" earlier this week. It's been a rough couple weeks as a Cards fan, but the team and I are still close. A lot of love here. Honestly, we're practically in the honeymoon phase after Wednesday's win. It was just what the doctor ordered...a shot of optimism and hope. A glimpse at what could be.
The team and I are fine.
Matheny and I are done. This latest escapade into the land of crazy decisions where logic is apparently lost forever has severed our ties. He is impossibly stubborn and that is the kindest description of him I have left. When he gets this way, typically Mo has to swoop in and take someone out of the picture. Although, with the play over the past two weeks and with this entire Adams-in-left-field menagerie of bad decisions, I sometimes wonder if Mo is paying any attention.
I'm still very hopeful for our season. I don't know how long I can handle this Adams issue and remain hopeful. Every day, I wish for there to be a positive change in all of this...for the Cardinals world to be firing on all cylinders again. Matheny has finally found a way to make me question our team's ability to rise up, soar and win. I stayed strong, finally starting to falter last year. Today's article and interview pushed me over the border. I can't reconcile any of this with logic or reason and I'm done trying to find the logic and reason as far as he is concerned. Those attributes left this particular building a long time ago.
The Cardinals know my heart is with them. I'm not going anywhere. I'm always here to stay as their fan.
Splitsville is where Matheny and I wound up today. It's been a treacherous road to get here.
April 4, 2012-April 13, 2017. That's about as long as anyone could expect I guess.
They were saying these things when the first whisper of Matt Adams in left field was uttered out of Mike Matheny's mouth. When I said smoke usually leads to fire, I was told I was worrying over nothing.
The whisper has reached Puerto Rico in the WBC fever pitch. If unfamiliar, think World Series Game 7 loud.
Today in the Post Dispatch we were all treated to an article with Mike Matheny musing about how Matt Adams offense is such that it will spark the lineup. Defense is shaky out there, but "that bat plays."
2017 Batting Stats:
A G PA AB H RBI BB SO BA SLG OPS OPS+
7 17 14 2* 1 3 7 143 143 437 24
BsR BB% K% OBP WAR ISO wRC+
0.0 17.6 41.2 294 -0.1 000 37
*2 singles
B G PA AB H RBI BB SO BA SLG OPS OPS+
9 34 33 7* 5 1 11 212 424 660 73
BsR BB% K% OBP WAR ISO wRC+
0.0 2.9 32.4 235 0.0 212 73
*2 home runs, 1 double, 4 singles
C G PA AB H RBI BB SO BA SLG OPS OPS+
6 10 8 4* 1 2 1 500 625 1.225 232
BsR BB% K% OBP WAR ISO wRC+
0.0 20 10 600 0.2 125 230
*1 double, 3 singles
After you've let those numbers sink in, I'll tell you Player A is Matt Adams, Player B is Randal Grichuk, and Player C is Jose Martinez.
Small sample size disclaimer aside, I think you'll see some numbers stand out more than others and overall, our two players looking the most positive offensively here are Grichuk and Martinez. None of them are playing necessarily their best just yet, but quite frankly, we have few that are (here's looking at you Diaz, Molina and finally Piscotty!!).
Seeing time in left field should be Grichuk followed by Martinez. In a dire emergency, which means multiple injuries to our outfielders, Adams can have a go. In no way does he deserve a platoon opportunity in left field. Matheny mentioned an idyllic notion for him was Wednesday. Those lineup shenanigans not only included sitting our 3 RBI leaders and 2 home run leaders, but starting Matt Adams so he could get his 3 at bats, allowing Grichuk to be a defensive replacement later in the game. Adams went hitless with 2 strikeouts. Grichuk came into the game and got a single.
Grichuk has done nothing to warrant a platoon situation. We all know the woes of last season, as many won't let us forget them. However, when allowed to play daily, strikeouts or not, he was on fire. He ended the year with 24 home runs and 68 runs batted in, with 56 of his 107 hits being extra base hits.
Adams has never hit more than 17 home runs and has never had 56 extra base hits in a single year.
Defensively, after 4 seasons/248 games, Grich has 8 errors and 13 defensive runs saved.
Adams, after 6 seasons/368 games, has 24 errors and 12 defensive runs saved.
Again, the comparisons are not in Matt's favor.
Left field is a completely new position for Matt Adams. I, in no way whatsoever, blame Matt for any of this nonsense. He is simply playing the game. It's unfortunate for him, but there is simply no comparing the athleticism and outfield playing abilities of Adams and Grichuk.
A major plus Adams has is his pinch hitting ability. Power off the bench is where it's at with him. Again, unfortunately, Matheny is doing his best to ruin this skill as well. In 2 PH opportunities this season, Adams has struck out. His mind is so focused on learning a completely new position, it's honestly a wonder to me he has a hit at all.
Matheny is not putting Adams in a place to succeed. At the same time, he is taking Grichuk out of a place to succeed. He is singlehandedly ruining the confidence of two players at one time for one position. Not to mention the fact that he has killed Kolten's confidence over there at 2B, completely misused Greg Garcia and done everything to build up confidence of a veteran who doesn't seem to have the drive anymore in Peralta. Don't even get me started on bullpen management.
Matheny knows adversity well. He provides it often to people of his choosing. There have been many along the way, but currently the guys facing it on this team are Grichuk, Kolten, Jose and Greg (a smidgen). None of these players are being treated fairly. Everyone aside from Matheny knows it. It's sad to think that Grichuk wasn't told of his move to left field possibly because of this...maybe they knew all along he wasn't going to be given the spot. And here, all the while, there's been uproar over a platoon at 2B.
Think if you're Grichuk, watching your best friend get a 6 year extension to be part of the new core, while you fight to simply have a position. How would it feel seeing that Matt Adams has 4 starts at "your" position to your 5 on the season? How easy is it to be elite at your position, as you said you're striving to be, when you're not even allowed to play it every day?
Think if you're Jose, so grateful to be invited to the 25 man, only to be passed up a first baseman for time in the outfield when injuries occur. You were asked to be the 4th outfielder and even though an injury occurred, you've still only racked up 10 plate appearances.
I've written at length about Kolten, but the mind games persist between he and Matheny. He has already sat when facing a right handed pitcher, only to come into a game in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs to face a lefty. Too twisted for color tv.
With Greg Garcia, it is all about the plays and the OBP. The guy either gets hit by a pitch, walks or hits almost every plate appearance. In 12 plate appearances, he has 3 walks, a single and stolen base with a .500 OBP. Not to mention, his play at 3B is highlight reel worthy. Of course, after an amazing play, the other day that had Dan McLaughlin and Jim Edmonds raving in the booth, he once again sat on the bench to watch some more of the game he loves with a prime dugout view.
Matheny makes such an incredible amount of questionable decisions on the daily that it's hard to keep up with. I don't know how it's possible to phone a lineup in on a Wednesday that is definitely the "get away day" Sunday lineup and be alright with that. We're 9 games into the season, sitting at a record of 3-6, good for last place in our division. Few teams are playing worse than we are, and one is already discussing a fire sale in July (Toronto). Are we at that point? No. Should we be? Absolutely not. Saying that though, it's not even close to a time for a Sunday lineup, even on a Sunday. We've had 3 days off in less than 2 weeks and the majority of players we put on the field on a daily basis are 30 and under. If they need more than 3 days off in 2 weeks, I question them being professional athletes. Our players don't need the days off and don't want the days off, for the most part. I realize it's a long season and days off aren't always so close together, but if we had a steady, consistent lineup with built in days off, say one a week for the normal 8 on the field, we'd be playing better, in my extremely humble opinion.
After reading the article about Matheny today, then listening to his interview with Mark Saxon, I was infuriated. I won't lie about that. I was baseball infuriated, as there are numerous other things in life that can be infuriating. I love my Cardinals though, and watching Matheny smile while he discusses an imaginary offensive threat that has to be in the lineup was more than frustrating. A manager should be capable of tactical decisions based on analyzing all of the data in front of him in addition to the old eye test. This alleged bat that has to be in the lineup should fail all of those methods of deciding who to write in the lineup every day.
I'm not against Matt Adams. Please read my other posts about him as I don't want to get off topic here, especially since this is already 6 hours worth of reading material. I only want to reaffirm how I'm not anti Adams. I feel for the guy during this whole debacle.
You may have read my post "Vow Renewal" earlier this week. It's been a rough couple weeks as a Cards fan, but the team and I are still close. A lot of love here. Honestly, we're practically in the honeymoon phase after Wednesday's win. It was just what the doctor ordered...a shot of optimism and hope. A glimpse at what could be.
The team and I are fine.
Matheny and I are done. This latest escapade into the land of crazy decisions where logic is apparently lost forever has severed our ties. He is impossibly stubborn and that is the kindest description of him I have left. When he gets this way, typically Mo has to swoop in and take someone out of the picture. Although, with the play over the past two weeks and with this entire Adams-in-left-field menagerie of bad decisions, I sometimes wonder if Mo is paying any attention.
I'm still very hopeful for our season. I don't know how long I can handle this Adams issue and remain hopeful. Every day, I wish for there to be a positive change in all of this...for the Cardinals world to be firing on all cylinders again. Matheny has finally found a way to make me question our team's ability to rise up, soar and win. I stayed strong, finally starting to falter last year. Today's article and interview pushed me over the border. I can't reconcile any of this with logic or reason and I'm done trying to find the logic and reason as far as he is concerned. Those attributes left this particular building a long time ago.
The Cardinals know my heart is with them. I'm not going anywhere. I'm always here to stay as their fan.
Splitsville is where Matheny and I wound up today. It's been a treacherous road to get here.
April 4, 2012-April 13, 2017. That's about as long as anyone could expect I guess.
Monday, April 10, 2017
Vow Renewal
A little over a decade ago, the Cardinals and I exchanged vows. They would love me as their fan for their life, promising many good days to balance out the bad ones. In turn, I would love them through good days and bad, all the days of my life (cheesy soap opera reference).
We've hit a rough patch this week. I've said things. They've said things. Neither of us meant those things.
On our roller coaster ride of a week, we've both gone off the rails. As you can imagine, going off the rails on a roller coaster ride is dangerous...injuries occurred. Tonight after the game, we decided enough was enough. We picked each other up and applied Neosporin, band-aids, tourniquets, braces and wraps (all generic of course as we are on Mo's selected insurance plan). Then we both walked onto the field on our own power.
We looked at each other and decided it was time to renew those vows we made in 2006. Only these are new days ahead. This will be the start of something beautiful. For the Cardinals, they will have a renewed sense of fire, energy, focus, determination and confidence. For me, I will have a renewed sense of optimism, faith, hope, love and joy.
My love has seemed lost this week. What kind of loving fan would I be if I left them down and out? As I said before, every long term relationship has its up and downs, its moments of doubt.
Today, we renew our vows. I'm in this for the long haul, Cardinals. I know you are too.
We've hit a rough patch this week. I've said things. They've said things. Neither of us meant those things.
On our roller coaster ride of a week, we've both gone off the rails. As you can imagine, going off the rails on a roller coaster ride is dangerous...injuries occurred. Tonight after the game, we decided enough was enough. We picked each other up and applied Neosporin, band-aids, tourniquets, braces and wraps (all generic of course as we are on Mo's selected insurance plan). Then we both walked onto the field on our own power.
We looked at each other and decided it was time to renew those vows we made in 2006. Only these are new days ahead. This will be the start of something beautiful. For the Cardinals, they will have a renewed sense of fire, energy, focus, determination and confidence. For me, I will have a renewed sense of optimism, faith, hope, love and joy.
My love has seemed lost this week. What kind of loving fan would I be if I left them down and out? As I said before, every long term relationship has its up and downs, its moments of doubt.
Today, we renew our vows. I'm in this for the long haul, Cardinals. I know you are too.
Sunday, April 9, 2017
Pick Up, Dust Off and Start Over
Some of you may be able to tell by now, some of you may have no idea
how I feel. I'm not the President of the Mike Matheny fan club. I don't
hold any of the offices in it, I don't belong to the club and most days,
I feel like starting a club with the opposite focus.
I thought the introduction of a Quality Control Coach (which sounds made up and I'm not entirely convinced it isn't) would help many of our team's issues. A job description of sorts stated that defense and bullpen management were two of the bigger issues the quality control coach would focus on.
Our bullpen has some greatness out there. Bowman is the only one showing all of his greatness currently, but I'm certain second week bounce backs are in store for everyone out there. Soco has actually been doing really well, as expected, with his first hiccup not happening until today.
Bullpen stats: Bowman 0.00 ERA, 1 hit, .111 BA against, 2 SO, 0 BB, 2.2 IP
Soco 3.00 ERA, 1 ER, 3 hits, .250 BA against, 1 SO, 1 BB, 3.0 IP
Seigrist 4.50 ERA, 1 ER, 2 hits, .250 BA against, 1 SO, 2 BB, 2.0 IP
Broxton 9.00 ERA, 2 ER, 2 hits, .286 BA against, 2 SO, 2 BB, 2.0 IP
Oh 13.50 ERA, 4 ER, 4 hits, .333 BA against, 2 SO, 1 BB, 2.2 IP
Cecil 18.00 ERA, 4 ER, 4 hits, .364 BA against, 2 SO, 2 BB, 2.0 IP
As you can tell, some have had a better first week than others. Out of the hits allowed, only Bowman and Soco gave up 0 home runs this week. They are doing well and there's no reason to think they won't continue. Given history, there's no reason to think everyone else won't bounce back this week. Broxton isn't necessarily a dominant force, but his highest season ERA was 5.93, so there's no real reason to think a 9er would stay around. The other Quality Control Coach task to tackle is the bullpen. Clearly some of the pitchers are having issues and I sincerely hope that Shildt is meeting with Derek Lilliquist and each pitcher often to work through issues as they see fit. Maybe extra work is needed...clearly Oh is used to pitching more than once a week and he prefers it that way. I'll also throw in some possible jetlag/travel/WBC issues for Oh. For Cecil, I'll throw in some first week with the new team jitters. Broxton is kind of doing his thing and I'm not sure much can be done about that. Seigrist will be fine. He does give up a home run occasionally, but is solid for the most part. Whatever needs to be worked on is now also under the umbrella of Quality Control Coach job tasks, and I plan on seeing the results of that work as the season goes further. I'm choosing to believe this can only help Matheny. Our bullpen, based on their stats historically, is a strength of this team and I'm not doubting it being a strength going forward.
Again, as far as Shildt is concerned, how has Matheny been allowed to write 6 different lineups in 6 days, returning to a bad habit from last season? As you've seen, many are playing different positions on the daily. Fowler, Carpenter and Molina have all stayed put and everyone else has either moved or been benched on and off throughout the week. And as happened last year, the defense has suffered due to the constant changes, namely in left field. Our infield has looked pretty sharp aside from Carp on Opening Day and Peralta today (and most days due to his lack of range/Greg Garcia like abilities). In the outfield, Dex has been solid. Grich has been too for the most part, but playing out of position has lead to a couple miscues. Adams is a mess in left field that hopefully will be changed when Piscotty is fully healthy again.
I wonder why defensive miscues/misplays/issues haven't seemed to concern Shildt thus far. Why is Adams allowed to be in LF as a starter in a non-emergency situation? Why doesn't Greg Garcia start when his defense is there? Why does Kolten sit when facing a right handed pitcher? Grichuk moving all around isn't helping him cement his grip on left field. Diaz is doing wonderfully so far, but the communication with a steady partner at 2B would only help. Peralta is more a liability than any kind of strength defensively, so is there a need to play him over others? Overall, there isn't much to complain about as far as errors, misplays, etc. but things could definitely be better with more consistency.
Clearly our lineup is struggling at the plate a smidgen. Diaz is doing fantastic (no sophomore slump so far here!), Grich is hitting decently, Molina is hitting well, and Jose and Fryer have done well in very limited time. Beyond that, we have many guys struggling to get to .200 or to stay at .200, including our OBP guys at the top, Carp and Dex. As a whole the team has struck out 51 times in 6 games, only 4 by a pitcher at the plate. They've walked 31 times, 10 of which came from guys who spent the majority of this week on the bench. Do I think all of these issues stay around? No. Our team is full of very good hitters and honestly seems much more balanced than last year, where they tried to mash their way to a win every day and if that didn't work, they lost. I have every belief this teams turns the offense around fairly quickly. First week jitters are out of the way. The first Cubs series is in the rear view mirror. The first rookie LHP experience is behind them. I'm thinking a much more realistic second week is in store for our Cards! The ship will be righted. The players will return to form this week and all will be right in the Cardinals universe again.
My overall caution though, even though I'm still crazily optimistic for our team, is to stop saying such sentiments as "calm down. it's only the first week" or "it's just one game/one series" or "we have 1** games to go." Fans as well as the players spread those sentiments with every loss, every series loss, every glance at the losing home record, every look at the standing last year. In the end, we lost by ONE game. We've all heard their interviews...they're devastated that ONE loss decided they would not play in the postseason. As the standings are now, we are 2-4 on the season, dropping both series at home, heading into the second week of play looking up at 3 teams in our own division, only a half game up on the Brewers. It won't stay that way. We are definitely capable of much better and will show that as the games roll on. All I ask is that the sentiments of "it's only 1 game" stop. After 2016, it's never just 1 game.
We all need to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and start all over again. Fresh week. Optimistic eyes. All while remembering every game matters. As always, I believe in this team like crazy and think they will have a great year. My love runs deep. GO CARDS!!!!
I thought the introduction of a Quality Control Coach (which sounds made up and I'm not entirely convinced it isn't) would help many of our team's issues. A job description of sorts stated that defense and bullpen management were two of the bigger issues the quality control coach would focus on.
Our bullpen has some greatness out there. Bowman is the only one showing all of his greatness currently, but I'm certain second week bounce backs are in store for everyone out there. Soco has actually been doing really well, as expected, with his first hiccup not happening until today.
Bullpen stats: Bowman 0.00 ERA, 1 hit, .111 BA against, 2 SO, 0 BB, 2.2 IP
Soco 3.00 ERA, 1 ER, 3 hits, .250 BA against, 1 SO, 1 BB, 3.0 IP
Seigrist 4.50 ERA, 1 ER, 2 hits, .250 BA against, 1 SO, 2 BB, 2.0 IP
Broxton 9.00 ERA, 2 ER, 2 hits, .286 BA against, 2 SO, 2 BB, 2.0 IP
Oh 13.50 ERA, 4 ER, 4 hits, .333 BA against, 2 SO, 1 BB, 2.2 IP
Cecil 18.00 ERA, 4 ER, 4 hits, .364 BA against, 2 SO, 2 BB, 2.0 IP
As you can tell, some have had a better first week than others. Out of the hits allowed, only Bowman and Soco gave up 0 home runs this week. They are doing well and there's no reason to think they won't continue. Given history, there's no reason to think everyone else won't bounce back this week. Broxton isn't necessarily a dominant force, but his highest season ERA was 5.93, so there's no real reason to think a 9er would stay around. The other Quality Control Coach task to tackle is the bullpen. Clearly some of the pitchers are having issues and I sincerely hope that Shildt is meeting with Derek Lilliquist and each pitcher often to work through issues as they see fit. Maybe extra work is needed...clearly Oh is used to pitching more than once a week and he prefers it that way. I'll also throw in some possible jetlag/travel/WBC issues for Oh. For Cecil, I'll throw in some first week with the new team jitters. Broxton is kind of doing his thing and I'm not sure much can be done about that. Seigrist will be fine. He does give up a home run occasionally, but is solid for the most part. Whatever needs to be worked on is now also under the umbrella of Quality Control Coach job tasks, and I plan on seeing the results of that work as the season goes further. I'm choosing to believe this can only help Matheny. Our bullpen, based on their stats historically, is a strength of this team and I'm not doubting it being a strength going forward.
Again, as far as Shildt is concerned, how has Matheny been allowed to write 6 different lineups in 6 days, returning to a bad habit from last season? As you've seen, many are playing different positions on the daily. Fowler, Carpenter and Molina have all stayed put and everyone else has either moved or been benched on and off throughout the week. And as happened last year, the defense has suffered due to the constant changes, namely in left field. Our infield has looked pretty sharp aside from Carp on Opening Day and Peralta today (and most days due to his lack of range/Greg Garcia like abilities). In the outfield, Dex has been solid. Grich has been too for the most part, but playing out of position has lead to a couple miscues. Adams is a mess in left field that hopefully will be changed when Piscotty is fully healthy again.
I wonder why defensive miscues/misplays/issues haven't seemed to concern Shildt thus far. Why is Adams allowed to be in LF as a starter in a non-emergency situation? Why doesn't Greg Garcia start when his defense is there? Why does Kolten sit when facing a right handed pitcher? Grichuk moving all around isn't helping him cement his grip on left field. Diaz is doing wonderfully so far, but the communication with a steady partner at 2B would only help. Peralta is more a liability than any kind of strength defensively, so is there a need to play him over others? Overall, there isn't much to complain about as far as errors, misplays, etc. but things could definitely be better with more consistency.
Clearly our lineup is struggling at the plate a smidgen. Diaz is doing fantastic (no sophomore slump so far here!), Grich is hitting decently, Molina is hitting well, and Jose and Fryer have done well in very limited time. Beyond that, we have many guys struggling to get to .200 or to stay at .200, including our OBP guys at the top, Carp and Dex. As a whole the team has struck out 51 times in 6 games, only 4 by a pitcher at the plate. They've walked 31 times, 10 of which came from guys who spent the majority of this week on the bench. Do I think all of these issues stay around? No. Our team is full of very good hitters and honestly seems much more balanced than last year, where they tried to mash their way to a win every day and if that didn't work, they lost. I have every belief this teams turns the offense around fairly quickly. First week jitters are out of the way. The first Cubs series is in the rear view mirror. The first rookie LHP experience is behind them. I'm thinking a much more realistic second week is in store for our Cards! The ship will be righted. The players will return to form this week and all will be right in the Cardinals universe again.
My overall caution though, even though I'm still crazily optimistic for our team, is to stop saying such sentiments as "calm down. it's only the first week" or "it's just one game/one series" or "we have 1** games to go." Fans as well as the players spread those sentiments with every loss, every series loss, every glance at the losing home record, every look at the standing last year. In the end, we lost by ONE game. We've all heard their interviews...they're devastated that ONE loss decided they would not play in the postseason. As the standings are now, we are 2-4 on the season, dropping both series at home, heading into the second week of play looking up at 3 teams in our own division, only a half game up on the Brewers. It won't stay that way. We are definitely capable of much better and will show that as the games roll on. All I ask is that the sentiments of "it's only 1 game" stop. After 2016, it's never just 1 game.
We all need to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and start all over again. Fresh week. Optimistic eyes. All while remembering every game matters. As always, I believe in this team like crazy and think they will have a great year. My love runs deep. GO CARDS!!!!
Ouch
Deep breath. Okay. Ready to jump in.
Adams in left field.
I write about this again because unlike before, this is much more than an idea that is getting more serious attention. It is no longer an experiment. It is no longer an emergency-multiple-injuries-needed-before-it-is-considered thing. It has now become a regular occurrence, as for 3 of our 6 games, Matt Adams has started the game in left field.
He missed a ball infamously on Thursday, his first official start in left field. It had a 69% catch rate probability according to Statcast. It would have likely been caught had Grichuk or Martinez been playing, as more experience leads to better routes and jumps. On Saturday, after many thought (hoped, prayed, begged) the experiment was over, he was written in as starting left fielder again. On this day, he missed a catch with a 96% catch rate probability, leading to a triple for the hitter. Face palm indeed. On Sunday, he simply didn't look competent out there. His play in the outfield is slow and awkward. The weight loss made him faster around the bases and he made it from 1st to home in Saturday's game, which was awesome. However, it doesn't seem to translate to the outfield, most likely because of his discomfort there.
While many were frustrated Adams was even out there as I was, I also wondered how good it is to keep moving Grichuk to right field when he really needs to work in left field every day to constantly improve over there. He has said in multiple interviews how the communication with Dex has been crucial and that repeating the skills he's working on every day in LEFT are crucial to him being the best he can be out there. Shouldn't that be the goal of our manager? Consistency=good defense. Good defense=better pitching.
Not that there ever was any, but there is surely now no logical reason to have Adams starting any game in left field. I'm all for it Matheny wants to try him at 1B to spell Carp a few times. Matt Adams has historically been a fantastic pinch hitter with pop off the bench and now, he isn't hitting regularly while playing daily and when he did pinch hit, he struck out. To be clear, I don't blame him. He came into this season trying to save his career and Matheny is mismanaging all of it terribly. Many seemed to think the front office was trying to show him off at a new position for possible trade situations. The more he plays this way, the less the chances the phone will be ringing off the hook.
Jose Martinez was invited to be on the 25 man roster as our 4th outfielder and has received zero starts in 6 games to the 3 Adams has received during a time where one outfielder is injured. Small sample size, but Jose has reached base via a walk or a double in each of his plate appearances, sparking a rally on Opening Day. His first strikeout on the season was today and he is batting .333. In a marginally larger sample size, Adams has 2 singles, 5 strikeouts, 3 walks. He is batting .200. With both taking walks, one striking out much less, both capable of extra base hits and power, I'm not sure why Adams is Matheny's only choice for our 4th OF. Jose is actually an outfielder who can play both LF and RF. Defensively, Martinez is quicker and more capable due to experience alone, but he is also more athletic at this time. That is not to take away from the huge strides Adams has made in this off season. I applaud his efforts. I would appreciate his efforts at first base far more than watching him gif his way to stardom by missing catches out there in left field. It's also not fair to him for Matheny to say publicly on the radio "he's adequate in left field" and "he needs to take batting practice seriously...watch how the balls carry to learn his routes." Neither of those are supportive or appropriate ways to teach. One does not learn the job in the majors in regular season games for the first time. If they wanted this, it should have happened months ago. It doesn't happen by watching BP because hitters don't hit bombs every other bat against real pitching. He has to learn all kinds of reads on all kinds of hits. Also, "adequate" is not a compliment. Again, be supportive or stop talking.
We won't know for 100% certainty that Jose or Grich catch every ball Adams misses until they play. With Matheny benching Jose for no logical reason, we may never know. Pham is tearing it up in Memphis and some want him back. I love Pham but I don't want him back right now, or maybe at all. Matheny wouldn't play him either and the spark would be snuffed out. Jose is getting the Pham treatment. It's difficult enough to watch that guy, with all his enthusiasm, energy and ability, be benched every single day Piscotty has had to sit. It's tiring to watch potential wasting away. I genuinely feel for players when this happens.
Sure, all of this gets alleviated a little when Piscotty returns. Or so we hope. On a team that is struggling for offense, with a bullpen that has blown leads and saves almost every game, Matheny has chosen to weaken our defense almost daily. It wouldn't be crazy in his line of reasoning to continue sitting Grichuk or Piscotty in favor of Adams in left field. That is a disservice to the team as a whole, but mostly to Adams. He has worked very hard this off season to be healthy enough to contribute to the team and his manager is working just as hard to make it impossible for him to succeed. Continuously being thrown out in left field exposing his defensive weaknesses while simultaneously batting him clean up, providing pressure at the plate as well, isn't helping Adams. Peralta isn't doing much of anything to earn starts, so I'm completely fine with Carp moving to 3B so Adams can play 1B. I will never be fine with him starting in left. It doesn't help anyone. It does actually do harm though. Will Matheny realize this? Likely not. At least not soon enough to prevent further damage. Think if Adams gets hurts out there. The first missed catch, he belly flopped on the ground--not pleasant. The second missed catch, he slammed into a wall--again, not a great feeling I'm sure.
Stop the madness. Please put Adams at 1B to spell Carp or deploy him as the very successful pinch hitter he is known for being. Give the guy a chance to shine. Or at the very least, give him the best chance to be successful. He's at least earned that much respect. He's earned the appropriate opportunities here. Adams has had a bit of a bumpy road in his career, and I hope he finds success. His current manager isn't helping him find it. Fingers crossed Adams finds a way despite the work of his manager.
Adams in left field.
I write about this again because unlike before, this is much more than an idea that is getting more serious attention. It is no longer an experiment. It is no longer an emergency-multiple-injuries-needed-before-it-is-considered thing. It has now become a regular occurrence, as for 3 of our 6 games, Matt Adams has started the game in left field.
He missed a ball infamously on Thursday, his first official start in left field. It had a 69% catch rate probability according to Statcast. It would have likely been caught had Grichuk or Martinez been playing, as more experience leads to better routes and jumps. On Saturday, after many thought (hoped, prayed, begged) the experiment was over, he was written in as starting left fielder again. On this day, he missed a catch with a 96% catch rate probability, leading to a triple for the hitter. Face palm indeed. On Sunday, he simply didn't look competent out there. His play in the outfield is slow and awkward. The weight loss made him faster around the bases and he made it from 1st to home in Saturday's game, which was awesome. However, it doesn't seem to translate to the outfield, most likely because of his discomfort there.
While many were frustrated Adams was even out there as I was, I also wondered how good it is to keep moving Grichuk to right field when he really needs to work in left field every day to constantly improve over there. He has said in multiple interviews how the communication with Dex has been crucial and that repeating the skills he's working on every day in LEFT are crucial to him being the best he can be out there. Shouldn't that be the goal of our manager? Consistency=good defense. Good defense=better pitching.
Not that there ever was any, but there is surely now no logical reason to have Adams starting any game in left field. I'm all for it Matheny wants to try him at 1B to spell Carp a few times. Matt Adams has historically been a fantastic pinch hitter with pop off the bench and now, he isn't hitting regularly while playing daily and when he did pinch hit, he struck out. To be clear, I don't blame him. He came into this season trying to save his career and Matheny is mismanaging all of it terribly. Many seemed to think the front office was trying to show him off at a new position for possible trade situations. The more he plays this way, the less the chances the phone will be ringing off the hook.
Jose Martinez was invited to be on the 25 man roster as our 4th outfielder and has received zero starts in 6 games to the 3 Adams has received during a time where one outfielder is injured. Small sample size, but Jose has reached base via a walk or a double in each of his plate appearances, sparking a rally on Opening Day. His first strikeout on the season was today and he is batting .333. In a marginally larger sample size, Adams has 2 singles, 5 strikeouts, 3 walks. He is batting .200. With both taking walks, one striking out much less, both capable of extra base hits and power, I'm not sure why Adams is Matheny's only choice for our 4th OF. Jose is actually an outfielder who can play both LF and RF. Defensively, Martinez is quicker and more capable due to experience alone, but he is also more athletic at this time. That is not to take away from the huge strides Adams has made in this off season. I applaud his efforts. I would appreciate his efforts at first base far more than watching him gif his way to stardom by missing catches out there in left field. It's also not fair to him for Matheny to say publicly on the radio "he's adequate in left field" and "he needs to take batting practice seriously...watch how the balls carry to learn his routes." Neither of those are supportive or appropriate ways to teach. One does not learn the job in the majors in regular season games for the first time. If they wanted this, it should have happened months ago. It doesn't happen by watching BP because hitters don't hit bombs every other bat against real pitching. He has to learn all kinds of reads on all kinds of hits. Also, "adequate" is not a compliment. Again, be supportive or stop talking.
We won't know for 100% certainty that Jose or Grich catch every ball Adams misses until they play. With Matheny benching Jose for no logical reason, we may never know. Pham is tearing it up in Memphis and some want him back. I love Pham but I don't want him back right now, or maybe at all. Matheny wouldn't play him either and the spark would be snuffed out. Jose is getting the Pham treatment. It's difficult enough to watch that guy, with all his enthusiasm, energy and ability, be benched every single day Piscotty has had to sit. It's tiring to watch potential wasting away. I genuinely feel for players when this happens.
Sure, all of this gets alleviated a little when Piscotty returns. Or so we hope. On a team that is struggling for offense, with a bullpen that has blown leads and saves almost every game, Matheny has chosen to weaken our defense almost daily. It wouldn't be crazy in his line of reasoning to continue sitting Grichuk or Piscotty in favor of Adams in left field. That is a disservice to the team as a whole, but mostly to Adams. He has worked very hard this off season to be healthy enough to contribute to the team and his manager is working just as hard to make it impossible for him to succeed. Continuously being thrown out in left field exposing his defensive weaknesses while simultaneously batting him clean up, providing pressure at the plate as well, isn't helping Adams. Peralta isn't doing much of anything to earn starts, so I'm completely fine with Carp moving to 3B so Adams can play 1B. I will never be fine with him starting in left. It doesn't help anyone. It does actually do harm though. Will Matheny realize this? Likely not. At least not soon enough to prevent further damage. Think if Adams gets hurts out there. The first missed catch, he belly flopped on the ground--not pleasant. The second missed catch, he slammed into a wall--again, not a great feeling I'm sure.
Stop the madness. Please put Adams at 1B to spell Carp or deploy him as the very successful pinch hitter he is known for being. Give the guy a chance to shine. Or at the very least, give him the best chance to be successful. He's at least earned that much respect. He's earned the appropriate opportunities here. Adams has had a bit of a bumpy road in his career, and I hope he finds success. His current manager isn't helping him find it. Fingers crossed Adams finds a way despite the work of his manager.
Thursday, April 6, 2017
All In For a Rollercoaster Ride?
Opening Day for me was a preview of all the crazy goodness to follow in 2017. That game had everything--stellar pitching, dramatic heroics off the bats, plays made, top 3 guys in the lineup doing the whole OBP thing we all dreamed of during the off season, and best of all, beating the Cubs. We got to Lester a few times and got to their bullpen. We overcame a rare dud performance from Oh to win the game. After all the emotions of the Opening Day ceremonies combined with Yadi's extension, the game was the icing on the cake of that day. Beautiful day.
Then we had an off day. I'll tell you I have a strong dislike for off days during a series. I know it was planned and that is out of my hands, but the momentum has a hard time carrying through when there's an off day. Exhibit 1 of that is Game 2.
Now, not all was lost in Game 2. Wainwright pitched well, with 6 strikeouts, 2 runs, 2 walks in 5 innings pitched. His opponent average was only .167. He famously spiked a ball awkwardly to avoid injuring Yadi, but overall, he showed a lot of life and pitched well. Other than that, some wheels started to wobble. Our top 3 guys had a difficult time doing their OBP thing. Carp continued his struggles against Arrieta, Dex seemed a little lost at the plate and Diaz was kept off the bases as well. To be fair, the team only managed a few hits off Arrieta. The Cubs managed only a few off Wainwright as well. It was another 1 run low scoring game in the making from the first inning. We had a couple defensive miscues, notably a throw home that should have gone to third. Last but definitely not least, poor Piscotty had the worst trip around the bases possibly in the history of baseball, getting hit 3 times by ball. After passing all concussion protocols and other tests, he is fine though, thankfully, and played today.
Losing 2-1 didn't feel awesome, but I felt we were in it the whole time. With strong pitching from Wainwright and Bowman especially, I never felt the game was out of reach.
Today's game started off great. We pounced on Lackey for 3 runs playing small ball. As always, it's fun to see Lackey frustrated. It's fun to see any Cubs frustrated, but with Lackey it feels special. It warms my heart.
Unfortunately, the fun would only last so long. The Cards' offense left the building after those first few runs and their bullpen held it down today, unlike Sunday. In left field, we were sporting a change of scenery. If only it were for fun...a wild whimsical fancy that would only happen in Spring Training. In real life, what actually happened was far from whimsical. It was not a ballet out there, I'll tell you that. Multiple gifs exist of the mighty fall. It wasn't pretty and I hope that was the final nail in the coffin of Adams in left field. I fear it was not, but I'll still foolishly hope anyway. Grich had another blunder in left once he moved back there. Cecil has temporarily forgotten how good he can pitch and has opened the season with an ERA of 36.00. The Cubs won the game and that will be that. I can only stay in the cold, deep waters of negativity so long before I have to swim back to warmer, shallow waters where you can feel the sun.
I'll hit ya with a hearty helping of positivity and optimism to end this opening series recap of sorts.
~Lynn pitched very well for his first time back on the mound officially since Tommy John surgery. He showed a lot of that same Lance Lynn fire and had good velocity which was comforting
~Wainwright had a solid first game, with almost the same line as Arrieta. An ERA in the 3 range to start the season and 6 strikeouts in one game are positive signs. I'm feeling good about Adam this season.
~*Non Cardinal fun fact* Bryant is batting .000 to start the season. Now, that's what I think is cute.
~Carlos is amazing. He was dominant in his first outing, full of all that passion, fire and energy we all love. He's going to be on fire in 2017.
~Bowman is strong out of the bullpen and is quickly getting recognized for his efforts. Nice to see.
~Our offense's positives: we had some deep counts going fairly often in the 3 games, a few hard hit balls, some small ball and a few batting heroics. We'll build off of these moments for better outcomes this weekend.
~All 3 games were close and honestly, I think they all will be this season. The Cubs showed they were mortal, which if listening to MLB or ESPN, you may not have known was possible. Their rotation showed some weaknesses and their bullpen did as well, so I'm excited to see the Cards keep the fight alive in every game.
Here's hoping for a productive, spirited, well oiled machine type of series win against Cincinnati! LET'S GO CARDS!!!
Then we had an off day. I'll tell you I have a strong dislike for off days during a series. I know it was planned and that is out of my hands, but the momentum has a hard time carrying through when there's an off day. Exhibit 1 of that is Game 2.
Now, not all was lost in Game 2. Wainwright pitched well, with 6 strikeouts, 2 runs, 2 walks in 5 innings pitched. His opponent average was only .167. He famously spiked a ball awkwardly to avoid injuring Yadi, but overall, he showed a lot of life and pitched well. Other than that, some wheels started to wobble. Our top 3 guys had a difficult time doing their OBP thing. Carp continued his struggles against Arrieta, Dex seemed a little lost at the plate and Diaz was kept off the bases as well. To be fair, the team only managed a few hits off Arrieta. The Cubs managed only a few off Wainwright as well. It was another 1 run low scoring game in the making from the first inning. We had a couple defensive miscues, notably a throw home that should have gone to third. Last but definitely not least, poor Piscotty had the worst trip around the bases possibly in the history of baseball, getting hit 3 times by ball. After passing all concussion protocols and other tests, he is fine though, thankfully, and played today.
Losing 2-1 didn't feel awesome, but I felt we were in it the whole time. With strong pitching from Wainwright and Bowman especially, I never felt the game was out of reach.
Today's game started off great. We pounced on Lackey for 3 runs playing small ball. As always, it's fun to see Lackey frustrated. It's fun to see any Cubs frustrated, but with Lackey it feels special. It warms my heart.
Unfortunately, the fun would only last so long. The Cards' offense left the building after those first few runs and their bullpen held it down today, unlike Sunday. In left field, we were sporting a change of scenery. If only it were for fun...a wild whimsical fancy that would only happen in Spring Training. In real life, what actually happened was far from whimsical. It was not a ballet out there, I'll tell you that. Multiple gifs exist of the mighty fall. It wasn't pretty and I hope that was the final nail in the coffin of Adams in left field. I fear it was not, but I'll still foolishly hope anyway. Grich had another blunder in left once he moved back there. Cecil has temporarily forgotten how good he can pitch and has opened the season with an ERA of 36.00. The Cubs won the game and that will be that. I can only stay in the cold, deep waters of negativity so long before I have to swim back to warmer, shallow waters where you can feel the sun.
I'll hit ya with a hearty helping of positivity and optimism to end this opening series recap of sorts.
~Lynn pitched very well for his first time back on the mound officially since Tommy John surgery. He showed a lot of that same Lance Lynn fire and had good velocity which was comforting
~Wainwright had a solid first game, with almost the same line as Arrieta. An ERA in the 3 range to start the season and 6 strikeouts in one game are positive signs. I'm feeling good about Adam this season.
~*Non Cardinal fun fact* Bryant is batting .000 to start the season. Now, that's what I think is cute.
~Carlos is amazing. He was dominant in his first outing, full of all that passion, fire and energy we all love. He's going to be on fire in 2017.
~Bowman is strong out of the bullpen and is quickly getting recognized for his efforts. Nice to see.
~Our offense's positives: we had some deep counts going fairly often in the 3 games, a few hard hit balls, some small ball and a few batting heroics. We'll build off of these moments for better outcomes this weekend.
~All 3 games were close and honestly, I think they all will be this season. The Cubs showed they were mortal, which if listening to MLB or ESPN, you may not have known was possible. Their rotation showed some weaknesses and their bullpen did as well, so I'm excited to see the Cards keep the fight alive in every game.
Here's hoping for a productive, spirited, well oiled machine type of series win against Cincinnati! LET'S GO CARDS!!!
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice
I may be the only fan of this 80s classic, but I'm using it as a reference anyways.
https://youtu.be/ei-2xTsyL8w
The teeth jumping out, the disappearing acts, the zipper, the metal plate. I wish all of these magical abilities existed for Matheny, Mozeliak and Kolten.
For what feels like the 572nd time, Mo was on MLB Radio discussing Kolten. And by the sounds of my post up until now, I'm sure you can tell exactly how it went and how I feel.
His direct quote: "If he plays well, he'll play. If he doesn't, well, that's the business."
My immediate thought on this is simple. Enough already. The cows have come home, the fat lady is done singing, that ship has sailed (and sank), the dead horse has been beaten, everyone's blue in the face. I don't know how else to say it but I'm beyond exhausted with our front office and Kolten in the public eye. Stop talking. I've heard everything they've had to say ad nauseam and if they knew how to speak about anything else, I might actually listen to anything they have to say during the next month. For now, I'm ignoring all of them. They're all in a time out as far as I'm concerned. If they behaved like adults, I wouldn't say things like time out.
Honestly, they're all behaving unprofessionally at this point. I get it, Cards fans get it, and now, everyone gets it. Kolten needs to play well to play every day. Mo and Matheny want him to do that but aren't afraid to bench him. He wants to play every day but fears being benched after every bad day. They've all said their peace publicly. They all have blame in this. Promises were made in public that weren't kept. When taken away, it was public, not private. Frustration occurred and was aired publicly, choosing to react in kind.
Learn how to speak privately. Being in management, they have offices with doors that close. These offices are for these moments in "business." Call the player in, have a discussion, and move on. If communication issues, relationship issues, management issues, playing issues keep occurring, do something to change it. Permanently. I've been a patient fan. However, all of this is now hopping up and down on my very last nerve. If it is evident that the player-management relationship here will never improve to a point where it is fair for all, find a trade that works. Kolten can get a fair shake somewhere else. Matheny can revel in the fact that he doesn't have to deal with Kolten and all those emotions anymore. He can focus on the guys he wants to play, like Matt "hot hands" Adams, who's only the greatest left fielder ever, in case you didn't know. Today was grace defined out there. Exquisite.
Bottom line: Stop talking about the situation. See what Kolten can do. Play the guy. If he's truly inept, give someone else a shot. Kolten, in turn, should also stop talking. I suggest "no comment." Heck, plead the Fifth. No pre or postgame interviews is probably a wise choice with Kolten at this point in time. I don't care how they handle it, as long as they all stop talking about this topic publicly. Forever.
https://youtu.be/ei-2xTsyL8w
The teeth jumping out, the disappearing acts, the zipper, the metal plate. I wish all of these magical abilities existed for Matheny, Mozeliak and Kolten.
For what feels like the 572nd time, Mo was on MLB Radio discussing Kolten. And by the sounds of my post up until now, I'm sure you can tell exactly how it went and how I feel.
His direct quote: "If he plays well, he'll play. If he doesn't, well, that's the business."
My immediate thought on this is simple. Enough already. The cows have come home, the fat lady is done singing, that ship has sailed (and sank), the dead horse has been beaten, everyone's blue in the face. I don't know how else to say it but I'm beyond exhausted with our front office and Kolten in the public eye. Stop talking. I've heard everything they've had to say ad nauseam and if they knew how to speak about anything else, I might actually listen to anything they have to say during the next month. For now, I'm ignoring all of them. They're all in a time out as far as I'm concerned. If they behaved like adults, I wouldn't say things like time out.
Honestly, they're all behaving unprofessionally at this point. I get it, Cards fans get it, and now, everyone gets it. Kolten needs to play well to play every day. Mo and Matheny want him to do that but aren't afraid to bench him. He wants to play every day but fears being benched after every bad day. They've all said their peace publicly. They all have blame in this. Promises were made in public that weren't kept. When taken away, it was public, not private. Frustration occurred and was aired publicly, choosing to react in kind.
Learn how to speak privately. Being in management, they have offices with doors that close. These offices are for these moments in "business." Call the player in, have a discussion, and move on. If communication issues, relationship issues, management issues, playing issues keep occurring, do something to change it. Permanently. I've been a patient fan. However, all of this is now hopping up and down on my very last nerve. If it is evident that the player-management relationship here will never improve to a point where it is fair for all, find a trade that works. Kolten can get a fair shake somewhere else. Matheny can revel in the fact that he doesn't have to deal with Kolten and all those emotions anymore. He can focus on the guys he wants to play, like Matt "hot hands" Adams, who's only the greatest left fielder ever, in case you didn't know. Today was grace defined out there. Exquisite.
Bottom line: Stop talking about the situation. See what Kolten can do. Play the guy. If he's truly inept, give someone else a shot. Kolten, in turn, should also stop talking. I suggest "no comment." Heck, plead the Fifth. No pre or postgame interviews is probably a wise choice with Kolten at this point in time. I don't care how they handle it, as long as they all stop talking about this topic publicly. Forever.
Monday, April 3, 2017
Warm Fuzzy Game Face
Sunday, April 2, 2017 was emotional, bright and early. Over the past week, the Molina extension had gone from heated topic of frustration, to worry over the crickets heard from both sides, to finally an announcement of a press conference. A huge sigh of relief exhaled from St. Louis Cards fans everywhere. Listening to the press conference, as Yadi was mentioned in the company of Stan Musial and Bob Gibson, everyone could tell this was all meant to be. Yadier Molina as a lifetime Cardinal is hands down one of the greatest accomplishments of John Mozeliak in his tenure. While we all thought of the legacy and many thought of the sentimentality, Mozeliak stated he extended this contract for performance and service of the future...Molina is healthy and ready to compete, so he's our best option still as a catcher. In the end, Mozeliak and Cards fans were both plenty pleased to have Yadi wear the birds on the bat for his whole career. Mo worked the whole business side as he does, and we got the personal side of getting to watch Yadi retire a Cardinal. And as much as Mo tried to fight it, I think I saw a little twinkle in those eyes as they were shaking hands. He's happy too for he can't help himself!
Now we move on to a few hours later, tuning in to Fox Sports Midwest for the Opening Day Ceremonies. Every year, it's magical. Our organization far and away knows how to put on a show. Hall of Famers in their red jackets, the best we've been blessed to watch as fans. The Clydesdales making their long awaited trip around the stadium. And last but certainly not least, our players. This year fans were given a bonus of sorts as the Cardinals are celebrating their 125th Anniversary as a team. A video played showing highlights through all the years...we are unbelievably lucky to have all those moments to look back on. Cue the tears. Well, for you all anyways, as my tears started with the Clydesdales.
One of my favorite parts of the whole ceremony is watching our current players with the Hall of Famers. They all seem genuinely in awe of the greatness. Smiles light up their faces. The Hall of Famers are always welcoming to every player.
Game time. Tears over for now, game face on. And goodness, did Carlos bring his game face. After writing the jersey numbers of Oscar and Yordano into the mound (it still gets to me a little), he was on fire. Carlos surprised no one by pitching well, but for Opening Day and all the emotions that go with it, he was out dueling a pitcher repeatedly called one of the best in the game byCUBS ESPN. His final line for the night was spectacular~10 strikeouts, 0 walks, 6 hits, 0 earned runs over 7.1 innings. It truly was an extraordinary first Opening Day effort by 25 year old Carlos...he was composed, steady and firing all night. I won't speak for anyone else, but I am incredibly proud of him and glad for him that all his hard work has paid off. I doubt he'll be under the radar anymore.
Honestly, this game was a battle and probably fairly indicative of what lies ahead as we face the Cubs throughout the season. Many moments followed CMart's mastery. Jose Martinez got a double, and after the game got to watch a video of his family's reaction to the hit. It's impossible not to feel the joy he brings to his game. Kolten Wong joining the game in the later innings and worked a walk, which turned out to be very helpful. Being able to contribute was something he needed (and deserved). Randal Grichuk showed some coveted plate discipline multiple times last night, followed by a 2 run homer which gave us a 3-0 lead at the time and of course, the walk off hit (a few feet shy of a grand slam by the way). This Cardinals loving girl happy danced around the living room for all of these moments.
After all the warm fuzzies here, I hesitate to bring up situations that needed a little more game face. I'll simply say that Carp needed a little more game face in that one inning. And I'm not sure if more game face would fix whatever issues may or may not have happened with bullpen management, but I can say I have not one warm fuzzy for all of that.
My beautiful Cardinals are in first place and the only team in the Central Division with a win two days into the season. I like it. 2 wins after tomorrow's game would be perfect. A home series win against the Cubs--crazy good way to start the year! No pressure, but a sweep would be sweet. Opening Day was awesome for the Cards this year and we'll have many more in the future. After all, these are the St. Louis Cardinals. Happy 2017 Season!!
Now we move on to a few hours later, tuning in to Fox Sports Midwest for the Opening Day Ceremonies. Every year, it's magical. Our organization far and away knows how to put on a show. Hall of Famers in their red jackets, the best we've been blessed to watch as fans. The Clydesdales making their long awaited trip around the stadium. And last but certainly not least, our players. This year fans were given a bonus of sorts as the Cardinals are celebrating their 125th Anniversary as a team. A video played showing highlights through all the years...we are unbelievably lucky to have all those moments to look back on. Cue the tears. Well, for you all anyways, as my tears started with the Clydesdales.
One of my favorite parts of the whole ceremony is watching our current players with the Hall of Famers. They all seem genuinely in awe of the greatness. Smiles light up their faces. The Hall of Famers are always welcoming to every player.
Game time. Tears over for now, game face on. And goodness, did Carlos bring his game face. After writing the jersey numbers of Oscar and Yordano into the mound (it still gets to me a little), he was on fire. Carlos surprised no one by pitching well, but for Opening Day and all the emotions that go with it, he was out dueling a pitcher repeatedly called one of the best in the game by
Honestly, this game was a battle and probably fairly indicative of what lies ahead as we face the Cubs throughout the season. Many moments followed CMart's mastery. Jose Martinez got a double, and after the game got to watch a video of his family's reaction to the hit. It's impossible not to feel the joy he brings to his game. Kolten Wong joining the game in the later innings and worked a walk, which turned out to be very helpful. Being able to contribute was something he needed (and deserved). Randal Grichuk showed some coveted plate discipline multiple times last night, followed by a 2 run homer which gave us a 3-0 lead at the time and of course, the walk off hit (a few feet shy of a grand slam by the way). This Cardinals loving girl happy danced around the living room for all of these moments.
After all the warm fuzzies here, I hesitate to bring up situations that needed a little more game face. I'll simply say that Carp needed a little more game face in that one inning. And I'm not sure if more game face would fix whatever issues may or may not have happened with bullpen management, but I can say I have not one warm fuzzy for all of that.
My beautiful Cardinals are in first place and the only team in the Central Division with a win two days into the season. I like it. 2 wins after tomorrow's game would be perfect. A home series win against the Cubs--crazy good way to start the year! No pressure, but a sweep would be sweet. Opening Day was awesome for the Cards this year and we'll have many more in the future. After all, these are the St. Louis Cardinals. Happy 2017 Season!!
Saturday, April 1, 2017
Going Out on a Limb
It's that time of year. Opening Day for the St. Louis Cardinals falls on a Sunday evening this year, when they'll face the Cubs at Busch Stadium. ESPN will carry the broadcast (as Cards fans collectively sigh) but Fox Sports Midwest will have an hour of coverage before the game so we won't miss the Clydesdales, Hall of Famers and player introductions. Thank goodness!!
I'm going to make my predictions for the season now. I've been thinking of how this season might play out and how everyone will perform for months. Let's jump in...
Cardinals record: 90-72
I've stood by this number for a long while, before and after injuries, and I'm still hopeful for those 90 wins.
Starting Rotation: Carlos-19-9 2.95 ERA
Adam 15-10 3.78 ERA
Wacha 12-10 3.98 ERA
Lynn 11- 11 4.00 ERA
Leake 12-11 3.83 ERA
All of these numbers are improvements over last season. They also might seem a little more optimistic than many are feeling these days. That's alright. Lynn is my only wild card for this year. He was largely consistent before surgery, but predicting the year after Tommy John is nearly impossible. Throwing another wrench into any predictions is the longer recovery time he had compared to most others, as he underwent the surgery in November of 2015.
Outfield: Grichuk-30 Home runs, 260 BA, 95 RBI, 10 DRS, 158 games played
Fowler-14 home runs, 274 BA, 60 RBI, 3 DRS, 155 games played
Piscotty-26 home runs, 280 BA, 102 RBI, 7 DRS, 156 games played
I look for a breakout year for Grich, playing almost every game without trips to Memphis and hitting that 30 home run mark. His defense will more than likely improve in LF. With Fowler, I look for a bounce back year without injury as a solid lead off bat with overall positive defense. For Piscotty, I see the power kicking up a notch while having a decent batting average with plenty of RBI opportunities, ideally batting 4th if he puts it all together. Based on his changed workouts in the off season, he is anticipating better defense, so I'm fairly certain we'll see that.
Infield: Carpenter-27 home runs, 282 BA, 97 RBI, 0 DRS, 147 games played
Wong-4 home runs, 243 BA, 30 RBI, 2 DRS, 118 games played
Diaz-20 home runs, 275 BA, 78 RBI, 2 DRS, 149 games played
Peralta-10 home runs, 253 BA, 62 RBI, -2 DRS, 123 games played
Carp's defense has been a bit of an issue for him, but I'm confident that playing one position all year will help neutralize some of those issues, allowing him to cut down on errors and break even with defensive runs saved. Clearly, I'm also betting on health, with Carp getting to play most games. Kolten's stats are fairly typical based on last year, although the defense in my prediction is up. I don't think he plays close to every game with Greg Garcia and Jedd Gyorko deserving of time off the bench. Either of them can spell Diaz and Peralta as well though. However, they're still being managed by Mike, so beware of too much bright eyed dreaming of Kolten's playing time. With Diaz, I'm expecting a solid defensive year, hopeful for health and fairly confident in his avoidance of a sophomore slump. As Peralta ages, his defense continues a downward spiral, with negative 2 defensive runs being an overly kind prediction of improvement on my part. Again, I don't see him playing most games with Gyorko and Garcia waiting for time to play on the sidelines.
Yadi: 23 home runs, 285 BA, 70 RBI, 6 DRS, 154 games played
Yes, Yadi got his own section. And yes, these numbers are somewhat otherworldly for a catcher turning 35 in July. Did you see him in the WBC though? Have you heard his interviews lately? The man is straight fire and passion these days, moving faster and hitting better than he has in a couple years. Staying healthy will be key, but if he does, I look for an electric year from Yadi.
Bullpen: With Matheny managing the bullpen much like the Swedish Chef, I have so few guesses of how the bullpen will perform this season. I do, however, feel very confident in their abilities and think this is a strength of our team. I know we took a hit recently with Rosey going on the DL, joining Lyons. On the flip side of injury though, we (fingers crossed) get a good look at Soco and get to enjoy repeat performances from Bowman and Oh. Siegrist will pitch decently and potentially be allowed more rest with the addition of Cecil, who has been solid in the past. A rough spring for Cecil doesn't concern me. Broxton will most likely be much of the same, handling low leverage innings and being a mixed bag in all other situations. Honestly, he's the only concern for me out there in the pen. With Rosey returning to a bullpen role, I'm leaning towards him focusing on command and getting those strikeouts again. The key will be for management to give him a specific role and for him to focus on that role. Going back and forth between bullpen and starter can't be how he spends the season.
Overall, I'm feeling positive for the 2017 Cardinals. Watching Spring Training, it seemed the defense was improved from last year, especially on the infield. I see the majority of our players putting in strong efforts and having great years, offensively and defensively. Our pitching staff will see improvement in my eyes, but again, every single game counts. Last year, many said often that "it's only April" or "only May" and we watched the season slip away. When one game is the difference, it lights a fire. No one on this team took missing the postseason lightly and they are ready to play. Game on.
Let's do this Cards!!
I'm going to make my predictions for the season now. I've been thinking of how this season might play out and how everyone will perform for months. Let's jump in...
Cardinals record: 90-72
I've stood by this number for a long while, before and after injuries, and I'm still hopeful for those 90 wins.
Starting Rotation: Carlos-19-9 2.95 ERA
Adam 15-10 3.78 ERA
Wacha 12-10 3.98 ERA
Lynn 11- 11 4.00 ERA
Leake 12-11 3.83 ERA
All of these numbers are improvements over last season. They also might seem a little more optimistic than many are feeling these days. That's alright. Lynn is my only wild card for this year. He was largely consistent before surgery, but predicting the year after Tommy John is nearly impossible. Throwing another wrench into any predictions is the longer recovery time he had compared to most others, as he underwent the surgery in November of 2015.
Outfield: Grichuk-30 Home runs, 260 BA, 95 RBI, 10 DRS, 158 games played
Fowler-14 home runs, 274 BA, 60 RBI, 3 DRS, 155 games played
Piscotty-26 home runs, 280 BA, 102 RBI, 7 DRS, 156 games played
I look for a breakout year for Grich, playing almost every game without trips to Memphis and hitting that 30 home run mark. His defense will more than likely improve in LF. With Fowler, I look for a bounce back year without injury as a solid lead off bat with overall positive defense. For Piscotty, I see the power kicking up a notch while having a decent batting average with plenty of RBI opportunities, ideally batting 4th if he puts it all together. Based on his changed workouts in the off season, he is anticipating better defense, so I'm fairly certain we'll see that.
Infield: Carpenter-27 home runs, 282 BA, 97 RBI, 0 DRS, 147 games played
Wong-4 home runs, 243 BA, 30 RBI, 2 DRS, 118 games played
Diaz-20 home runs, 275 BA, 78 RBI, 2 DRS, 149 games played
Peralta-10 home runs, 253 BA, 62 RBI, -2 DRS, 123 games played
Carp's defense has been a bit of an issue for him, but I'm confident that playing one position all year will help neutralize some of those issues, allowing him to cut down on errors and break even with defensive runs saved. Clearly, I'm also betting on health, with Carp getting to play most games. Kolten's stats are fairly typical based on last year, although the defense in my prediction is up. I don't think he plays close to every game with Greg Garcia and Jedd Gyorko deserving of time off the bench. Either of them can spell Diaz and Peralta as well though. However, they're still being managed by Mike, so beware of too much bright eyed dreaming of Kolten's playing time. With Diaz, I'm expecting a solid defensive year, hopeful for health and fairly confident in his avoidance of a sophomore slump. As Peralta ages, his defense continues a downward spiral, with negative 2 defensive runs being an overly kind prediction of improvement on my part. Again, I don't see him playing most games with Gyorko and Garcia waiting for time to play on the sidelines.
Yadi: 23 home runs, 285 BA, 70 RBI, 6 DRS, 154 games played
Yes, Yadi got his own section. And yes, these numbers are somewhat otherworldly for a catcher turning 35 in July. Did you see him in the WBC though? Have you heard his interviews lately? The man is straight fire and passion these days, moving faster and hitting better than he has in a couple years. Staying healthy will be key, but if he does, I look for an electric year from Yadi.
Bullpen: With Matheny managing the bullpen much like the Swedish Chef, I have so few guesses of how the bullpen will perform this season. I do, however, feel very confident in their abilities and think this is a strength of our team. I know we took a hit recently with Rosey going on the DL, joining Lyons. On the flip side of injury though, we (fingers crossed) get a good look at Soco and get to enjoy repeat performances from Bowman and Oh. Siegrist will pitch decently and potentially be allowed more rest with the addition of Cecil, who has been solid in the past. A rough spring for Cecil doesn't concern me. Broxton will most likely be much of the same, handling low leverage innings and being a mixed bag in all other situations. Honestly, he's the only concern for me out there in the pen. With Rosey returning to a bullpen role, I'm leaning towards him focusing on command and getting those strikeouts again. The key will be for management to give him a specific role and for him to focus on that role. Going back and forth between bullpen and starter can't be how he spends the season.
Overall, I'm feeling positive for the 2017 Cardinals. Watching Spring Training, it seemed the defense was improved from last year, especially on the infield. I see the majority of our players putting in strong efforts and having great years, offensively and defensively. Our pitching staff will see improvement in my eyes, but again, every single game counts. Last year, many said often that "it's only April" or "only May" and we watched the season slip away. When one game is the difference, it lights a fire. No one on this team took missing the postseason lightly and they are ready to play. Game on.
Let's do this Cards!!
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