StL 2024 Game #38 thread – Thursday, May 9 at Brewers

In a small sample Jordan Fenton Walker is hitting .286 down in Memphis. With the way the offense is struggling I wonder how much longer it will be before he’s back with the big team?

There are no late games tonight (Wednesday) so I guess I will watch the DBacks and Reds from Riverfront Stadium. And have a 7×50 Palma Real Presidente cigar while me and Whitey Herdog tune in. Then later tonight an episode of Cannon along with another cigar after my late snack. Then real late tonight an episode of Mission Impossible and another cigar.

r/Esteemed Rat

This series could almost end our season before Mother’s Day. A Brewer sweep and we are reeling. Even 3 of 4 by them keeps us looking like pretenders.

It used to be we hit well in that park, but with this group it does not seem like they will hit anywhere.

Odd schedule as we will have seven games in against Milwaukee before we have even played any of the other three NLC teams.

And the Reds lose (Wednesday night) to Arizona by the score of 4-3 at Riverfront. It was 4-2 heading to the last of the 9th but the Reds rallied. They cut the lead to 4-3, had runners at the corners, and one out. Then Goldschmidt, I mean, Benson struck out and then Arenado, I mean, India hit a little weak flyball to RF to end it.

The Reds have now lost seven in a row. Worst stretch since 2022.

r/Esteemed Rat

There are very few to no reinforcements coming from anywhere.

Our “leader” is currently rehabbing in Memphis!!!

I think all these guys are professionals – they are going to show up everyday and work.

It’s the talent level compared to their peers that is the issue.

Sure, after the all-star break, when it’s painfully clear that a team is going nowhere there will be some amount of ‘going through the motions’ but even on teams like that you have guys playing for their next contract and younger guys trying to prove themselves.

Hard work does go a long way but sometimes no amount of ‘want to’ and ‘elbow grease’ can overcome a talent gap. Joe McEwing (as a player) is a prime example – he squeezed every ounce of production out of the talent he had – it’s just at the major league level he was at the shallow end of the gene pool.

There are 35 million reasons why he can lump it.

Though I don’t have quite the pull that our Jags has for his primo seats smack dab behind home plate in Detroit, I will be comfortably seated 8 rows behind the Cards dugout tonight. I will sneak on down, like I generally do before the game’s first pitch, to have a few words with Rat’s Front Row Amy. When the Cards are in town, I usually go to two games. Subject to change, I’ll probably be at Saturday’s game too. So din-din tonight at AFF ( that’s Am Fam Field to the layman) will be a Smokey Bird sandwich, which has both grilled and smoked chicken included, plus 6 (2 orders) crab rangoons. And to drink, I smuggle in a little bottle of the ole’ Wild Turkey to accompany my cola beverages. I do hope our bats come alive this series. I think the old adage of not being able to hit your way out of a paper bag is unfortunately very applicable to our 2024 club. I would love to visibly see that it’s not true. Maybe during batting practice, a large paper bag with room for the batter to swing could be placed over each Cardinal stepping in to take their hacks. Then before they get their first batting practice pitch, they must first prove that they can indeed swing through and successfully emerge from the bag……using only their bat…..no fists or elbows allowed. The Cardinal hitters whom accomplish this task are allowed to then completely remove the paper bag remnants from their person and then proceed with batting practice. The ones whom cannot hit their way through the bag are sent to the bench, and regulated to enter the game as defensive replacements only.

I saw an article that claimed Contreras will miss 6 to 8 weeks. If he’s back behind HP in 6 weeks I’ll donate a pair of old socks to a political campaign…

Others have mentioned the potential of these 4 games in Milwaukee really burying the Cardinals before the middle of May. The Cardinals have dug a pretty deep hole at 6 games off the pace and last place in the NLC. I’m sure the Brewers would like nothing better than to toss enough dirt on top of them to effectively end their chances.