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Note early start time.
6:15 p.m. RHP Luke Weaver (3-2, 4.91) vs. RHP Jake Arrieta (3-1, 2.59) FOX Sports Midwest/KMOX
Update: The Phillies starter is now RHP Vince Velasquez (3-4, 5.05). Note that he is coming off the same thoracic outlet syndrome that Chris Carpenter and Jaime Garcia had.
This looks like a tough series for the Cards, especially without their leader and now that Martinez is going to be out as well. A split sounds like a positive result, if it can be accomplished.
The Cards still have a losing mark against teams with a winning record. They need to win series against good, but not great teams like the Phillies. I would be disappointed with a split at home, but I have often been disappointed before… 😉
Brian, I guess eventually they should win their share of series against the good teams, but it’s hard to ignore the pitching matchups this weekend. Friday looks decent with Wacha against Eflin and Sunday might be winnable with Flaherty on the mound. Arrieta and Nola will be tough. There’s always hope though. Maybe Carp will break out against his old buddy Jake.
I get you, but a big reason the good teams are good is because they have good starting pitching. Right now, the main problem seems to be the offense, not the Cardinals starting pitchers. If the Cards can only split, my guess it will be that the offense couldn’t score enough to give the pitching a chance (4-1 losses, for example).
If the Cards cannot beat good teams that feature good pitching, they are going to be at home again in October. And if they somehow make it, they would face good pitching most every game in the post-season. I know it is still kind of early, but all of these games count the same as the ones in September. (end of speech!)
It will be interesting to see how MM rolls out the lineup now that the DH is not in play and we are facing a RH pitcher.
Oh so true, GScott. Maybe I’m not a realist, but you have to be truly thinking sweep in every series… no matter where the venue or who the opponent. These Phillies are a vast improved team over the teams Philadelphia has fielded the past few years. But they are sweepable. And who better to beat in Game 1 than our old nemesis, Jake The Snake A.?
And as a quick aside, I sensed extreme sorrow and sadness in Brian’s words with his post yesterday to our wayward pal, Carter, when Brian told him that Pugs seldom does PBP any longer. It effected me to the extent that I almost found myself reaching for a tissue. Well I have some welcome news…..God willing, I’ll be riding high back in the PBP saddle once again come 6:15pm this evening! Be there or be []I went by what the Cards said yesterday, but I just checked with the Phillies and yes, Vince Velasquez is starting tonight. I will make the update above.
You may hear on the broadcast tonight that the Phillies are 5-13 at Busch since 2013. Consider how relevant that really is, though.
Not a more inspiring or significant PBP affirmation could be had…. thanks UCONN! I may go where no PBP host has gone, in this one.
Today's #STLCards lineup (5/17):
Pham CF
J. Martínez 1B
DeJong SS
Ozuna LF
Fowler RF
Gyorko 3B
Carpenter 2B
Peña C
Weaver P— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 17, 2018
Other than HRs, the Phils have the advantage in this comparison of eight team stats.
https://twitter.com/PhilasPhinestSN/status/997198639729700865That bottom 6 in our order is absolutely brutal…..with the exception of the now slumping Gyorko. I don’t know when the last time was when I was this unenthusiastic about of offensive. Fowler hitting 5th….that’s downright offensive!
Pugs,
I am going to disagree with you for once in sort of the same manner that Nick Barkley disagreed with Audra Barkley’s choice of a man the other night. I am going to call this one 6-2 St. Louis with a ringing dong by Delmar Fowler as the big blow of the game.r/Rat
Interesting use of the words “dong and “Audra in the same paragraph, Rat. I like your call of 6-2 Redbirds, Rat…….but, Fowler going yard???? Pena has a better chance of amassing 4 hits tonight. I’m going with 8-5 Cards with both Hoskins and Martinez finding the cheap seats.
Bottom of 1. Weaver sets them down 1-2-3 in the top half of this inning. 6’3 righty Vince Velasquez gets the mound call this evening for the Phils.
Pham – Rolls one up the middle, but the SS Kingery flashes over to glove it and fires it on over to Santana at 1st for the out.
Martinez – Grounds it between 3rd and short and out into left field for a base hit.
DeJong – Whiffs hacking after initially being ahead 2-0 on the count….2 down.
Ozuna – Raps it on the ground straight out to Kingera at short who gloves it and then grannies it on over to Hernandez at 2nd to retire the side.
Cards 0- Phillies 0
Bottom of 2
Fowler – Lofts a fly to left that will not pose any difficulties for Hoskins….has it for the first out here in the Cardinal 2nd.
Gyorko – Hits it in the air to left!….but it won’t carry….Hoskins has it right on the edge of the track for the out. That one initially looked good from far, but ended up being far from good….like that hot girl you see walking down the sidewalk about a half block away who ends up being a dude….ouch!
Carpenter – Grounds it smack dab into the Philadelpia Shift…..Hernanzez in shallow right field only about 8 yards off the foul line has it and wings it on over to Santana’s waiting mitt for the out.
Cards 0 Phils 0
Pena –
Bottom of 3.
Pena – Francisco laces a base hit to center to lead things off….sweet!
Weaver – Everybody in the house, including the Rally Squirrel, knows what Luke is going to do here. And as expected, Weaver does lay down a bunt and it’s a dandy….Santana has it and from 2 knees throws it on over to Hernandez at 1st for the out….nicely done kid!
Pham – Grounds it to Franco at 3rd….who misses the tag on Pham trying to take up new residence at 3rd and the Phillie 3rd baseman will gun it on over to Santana at 1st for out #2. Tommy safe at 3rd….wait a minute….the umps may end up calling Pham out for going out of the baseline…..waiting for a ruling……and it’s a thumbs up given which the Cards will take as a thumbs down…..and with Pham being called out that will put an abrupt end to the Redbird 3rd.
Cards 0 Phils 0
Martinez –
*CORRECTION…..the Cardinal runner called out for drifting out of the baseline last inning was Pena and not Pham. See, if Brian gave me better accomodations up here in the booth I would’nt commit PBP miscues like that. Maybe a strike is looming???
Bottom of 4.
Martinez – Goes fishing wayyyy down under for a Velasquez hook and that’s out #1.
DeJong – Grounds a hot one down the 3rd baseline in which Franco smothers…gets up and fires too late and DeJong has himself an infield hit.
Ozuna – Goes down flailing on one a mile and a half outside! That’s not the eye our team had in mind when acquiring this guy from Miami. You can start hitting anytime now….hitting baseballs are allowed in the State of Missouri, Marcell!!
Fowler – WHIFFS,…….what more can you say?
Cards 0 Phils 0
Cardinals baserunning has been as bad as we thought it was:
Do you know what team made the most outs on the basepath since 2015? Check the Play Index! https://t.co/8WB6bzAoSs pic.twitter.com/dsX13xr9Nq
— Baseball Reference (@baseball_ref) May 18, 2018
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