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Brebbia going a 3rd inning tonight after going 1 last night. Not looking so good now. Runner on 2nd with no outs and his command isn’t as good now.
Yeah lets leave Brebbia in for his 3rd inning. Mathenaging happened tonight as well as the offense no-showing.
Damnit, Mayers replaces Brebbia and throws one pitch. Hosmer crushes a rope to RF for what would’ve been a double to walk it off. Sad night for the Cards offense. Fowler was particularly bad, he just shouldn’t be in an MLB lineup right now.
Needed one of those homers from last night to be tonight. 9 hits should have netted more than a single run, but sometimes ya just don’t get the breaks. It happens but it still stinks. Hopefully Waino can secure the series win tonight.
Over 162 games I know there will be days a team just can’t get things going with the bats. But the Cardinals have been very inconsistent for some time now on offense. I’m not sure I understand the approach they are using. They have to start getting more out of Fowler, Carpenter, and Ozuna. Combined last night they were 1 for 12. It is panic time on Carpenter. He is hitting .145 and the same goes for .147 hitting Fowler.
They need an extended benching and I don’t care what they think. It’s wake up time for them as there are kids in the wings chomping at the bit to displace them. It may be past time to move Carpenter. He has been on a steady decline for the past 3 years and he is on the wrong side of 30 (working towards 33). We are in mid May and he has 16 hits from 110 AB. That is pathetic for a guy that was a 3 time All-Star. Was he a good player? Yes, but sometimes it’s just time to move on and unfortunately it’s past that time with this player. Fowler was a bad signing and that is now playing out in full view. He is blocking a better player in Bader and frankly at least two others in Memphis (Garcia and your choice for the other).
So in summary, off nights do happen but when you have two dead spots in the order not producing it makes it very difficult to have any consistancy with run production. They have to do something with the two players mentioned above and it starts with an extended seat on the pine.
BTW before anyone bust my chops on Garcia, I know he is hitting. 231 in Memphis, but his upside is very high and he is a very good player.
Also wanted to add Fowler and Carpenter have a combined WAR of -1.0 on the season. They just aren’t getting it done for the $30,250,000 combined they are being paid. 261 combined AB and 35 combined hits. That’s $864,285.00 per hit so far. If that doesn’t get your attention nothing will. It’s time to change course with these two players.
TexasCard…Euro…BlackHills….stlcard25……all four of you continue to hit the nail squarely on the head! Just as the North Korean leader prepares to extinguish his country’s nuclear capabilities, our Cards should do likewise with it’s now controversial Fowler Experiment. Enough is enough. By all accounts, Dexter is a very fine gentleman. Why continue to embarrass him by trotting him out there every day? The big contract will have to be ate, but why compound matters by continuing to play him to the detriment of his 24 teammates and throngs of fans? Let him go, Mo…….let him go.
PA the thing is this morning is the first time I have said a negative word about Fowler. But I’ve seen enough now. The sample size is no longer small. Its diminishing returns at this point.
If you sit Fowler, you play Bader, right? Well, Bader has never hit RHP, so there is no reason to believe he will now. I think a platoon would be a reasonable start and with a LHP going for the Padres today, I expect Bader will be in the lineup.
Looks like Garcia is going to have to wait in line behind O’Neill. No 40-man roster spot really limits Garcia in the near term. Of course, hitting better at Memphis would help his chances, too. In time…
BW I don’t totally disagree with you but I’d give Bader a run and see what he could do. The guy just flat hustles and has that spark. Understand on Garcia and the 40 man issue but at some point deadwood has to really be moved. They started that this past winter and they should continue that effort now. Back to Fowler he ain’t hitting RH or LH. That .147 more than proves that.
One of those games where neither team seemed to want to win it. They were a combined 0 for 16 wRISP i believe, before Hosmer came through.
Yet another rough night for Dexter, and Carpenter strikes out in his only appearance. Unfortunately the guys who usually come through, Pham, Gyorko, and once in awhile Ozuna did not do much either.
One positive continues to be Wacha. He usually gives us a good start. He’s gradually become more durable and dependable. He started his mlb career as a phenom, then struggled as an injured, unreliable guy. Now he is settling in to a very good mid-rotation starter who usually gives you a chance to win.
Mike, this may help explain some of the Wacha steadiness. It was from before last night’s game. (I have to point out there were posters here who not that long ago wanted him traded.)
https://twitter.com/DannyMacTV/status/995415429886631936The defensive difference between Bader and Fowler says you start Bader (in the post of catch probability added last week, Bader was in the Top 10, Fowler was in the bottom six).
So, since Fowler is not hitting substantially better than Bader, but Bader is substantially better on defense, Bader gives you the better chance to win.
If the Cards placed a priority on putting the best defensive team on the field (even if offense appeared to be a wash in a small sample size comparison), the lineup would look different most nights!
It seems a Catch 22 with Fowler and Carpenter. They have a past track record of hitting, but as their slumps continue, it becomes more difficult to justify playing them in hopes of a turnaround. At a minimum, they should move down in the batting order when they do play, IMO.
SLUMPS? We’re 23% almost a 1/4 of the way through the season. Fowler’s .083 in May should send him to the bench. Who’s running this team, King George?
This team is being carried by Pham and JMartinez… two LONG time minor leaguers. Where would we be without these two?
Fowler and Carpenter should be in their hotel lobby playing TEGWAR. Who knows what TEGWAR is?
Another positive is the bullpen. They all looked pretty good. Hicks, Holland, and Norris were really good. Cecil was down in the zone and got a double play. Brebbia was very good for two innings. We don’t really know how good Mayers was because he only lasted one pitch. But the pitch he did throw was down, in on the lefthanded batter, and actually out of the strike zone. Its just too bad that Hosmer somehow got some wood on it to end the game. This bullpen is only going to get better.
Certainly there are a myriad of reasons of why or how players go into a steep decline before Father Time says they should. But what is the #1 reason? I would say it differs greatly from players of 50+ years ago. I think the major culprit today is players who lose that competitive edge due to excess comfort in life. This usually is not done on purpose….it just happens to players possessing certain engrained personality traits. I bet one day trained professionals will be able to easily identify these individuals, thus keeping these players from becoming complacent. Not saying this is necessarily the case with our batch ( Fowler, Carpenter, Wong and maybe even Ozuna ) of underachieving performers.
Carpenter seems like more of a mental issue at this point. If he can get a week or two of those liners falling in for hits, maybe he becomes the guy we need.
Fowler just may be in massive decline. I still think both guys end up with decent lines at season’s end but the platoon has to be the way to go for now.
Pugs… intriguing comment about complacency in regard to that bunch.
BTW there are 172 qualified batters in the majors.
Carpeneter is #172 and Fowler is #171.
Just a couple of years ago I loved to see some Cards at the other end of the list… battling it out for the top of the list. This season we have Pham at #5 and Martinez # 17 in the NL.
If the Cards placed a priority on putting the best defensive team on the field
Alright Brian – I will accept your challenge!
Adams betrayed offseason goals
About sacrificing defense for offense
So, the offseason before last, we were going to get back to the Cardinals Way – defense. Now, we are abandoning it to placate past their prime players, who may or may not be the heart of the team’s internal turmoil the past two seasons.
I pretty much agree with you, Pugs. I think the long term contract produces the excess comfort. Some players have the strength of character and love for the game to keep on producing after being given a long term contract. Some do not, and they become lazy and sort of detached from the game.
Certainly there are a myriad of reasons of why or how players go into a steep decline before Father Time says they should. But what is the #1 reason? I would say it differs greatly from players of 50+ years ago. I think the major culprit today is players who lose that competitive edge due to excess comfort in life.
With Fowler, I agree wholeheartedly. His best two seasons of his life were when he was trying to secure free agent money. Once he did so, he is last one to the stadium, first one out. He has been among the worst defensive outfielders since arriving in St. Louis.
The front office got played. And before he rubs off on other players, he should be given the boot.
Fowler is our Allen Craig.To be fair, Fowler had the same contract last year. After he got off the DL the second time in early August, his .991 OPS over the final two months of the season was the best of any Cardinal. If he did not care, how come he hit so well?
I do not know what is wrong with him now. It has been a rough six weeks, but dumping him seems premature.
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