2018 Reg Seas Game #42 – vs. Phillies – Fri 5/18

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  • #52675
    Brian Walton
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    7:15 p.m. RHP Michael Wacha (4-1, 3.09) vs. RHP Zach Eflin (1-0, 0,71) FOX Sports Midwest/KMOX

    Update: RHP Jake Arrieta (3-1, 2.59) will be the Phillies starter.

    #52947
    gscottar
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    I’m as frustrated as anyone but I think it is unrealistic to expect any major personnel transactions at this point in the season. We are just going to have to hope our underperforming players step up although it was telling when MM pinch hit Bader for Carp last night. That was a big moment for MM. Perhaps guys like O’Neill and Schrock get a chance to boost the offense but otherwise I don’t see much happening until July if at all.

    The lack of offense is getting all of the attention but what about our bullpen deficiencies? Besides Norris I don’t have much confidence in anyone down there right now.

    #52952
    stlcard25
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    Gscott…I’m with you on the bullpen. I’m basically in “hope Reyes’ return makes the pen better” mode but I’m not holding my breath. I’m not really sure it will do anything anyway as they’ll probably bump Flaherty back to Memphis then.

    Tonight’s game could be a sneaky win for the Cards although that’s dependent on Wacha showing up. Eventually the bats have to come around…right?? :-/

    #52966
    gscottar
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    DeJong and Bowman to the DL.

    Munoz and O’Neill called up.

    Good grief! How many more injuries can this team sustain?

    #52970
    Brian Walton
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    Tarp is coming off the field and Gyorko is the new SS.

    #52971
    thejager
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    SS depth was an issue all offseason. Munoz seems our best option.

    Gyorko at SS did not go well for us the last time we were forced to do that 2 yrs back. Same goes for Garcia who didn’t do a good job either and got exposed at the plate while trying to do so

    I like Munoz but can he really step Up?

    I like O’Neill being up but will he start because he obviously does better with playing time as season in Memphis. If he isn’t going to start I’d rather have a bullpen piece

    Makes me wonder if something is wrong still with Pham

    I thought the month without Yadi was going to be tough to go .500 now without CMart Yadi DeJong and basically half the pen. .300 may be about a acceptable as we can hope for

    Pitching is keeping us in games. Even with the bullpen struggling and losing some games. The hitting has to get better. Period

    I hate calling for coaching changes but I think similar to last year with the shake up we had I wonder if Mabry and Mueller need to step away or be reassigned. Not because they are inept but just because these guys may need a new voice to shake things up.

    Something has to change. Pham JMart and a little Jedd are the only decent hitters right now. How can we expect any team to win like that? I don’t even care about the bullpen issues when the players aren’t hitting you can’t win games

    I’m all excited about Reyes too but his abilities he can add aren’t helping the hitters

    Pretty bleak feeling right now. I’m still optimistic as I believe in some of the guys getting back to career at least slightly below norms. Where they are at now would be career lows for several players. That seems unlikely to happen en masse.

    #52977
    Onyxgem
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    Ugh Gyorko is not a SS AT all, going to be a UGLY UGLY defense on that side of the field.

    #52985
    Cardinals2016
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    Garcia should be starting at Ss with Wong at 2nd and Gyorko at 3rd

    #53004
    bicyclemike
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    Agree with Cardinals2016 on the infield minus DeJong. Gyorko should stay at third, with Garcia as short, Wong at second. Defense at shortstop is too important to try to force a guy like Gyorko there. And Carpenter should never play second, which I know he is not tonight but he was there last night. He is passable at third if Gyorko is not available, but he can’t start over Jedd unless he on an offensive tear – which of course he has not been all year while Jedd has hit well.

    As for the team’s struggles, the bullpen was a concern of mine all along, as was starting pitching. Mikolas and Wacha have kept the rotation reasonably solid. Weaver has had a couple of good starts, so hopefully he can keep that going although his career to date is inconsistent. He will look good for awhile, then struggle to throw strikes and get knocked around for awhile.

    It was hoped Hicks would be the secret weapon in the bullpen, but he needs to learn location, and probably will need a pitch with some bend in it to succeed. He had some rough luck last night, but part of that is because he does not miss many bats despite throwing hard. He does not have the command to hit the corners. His pitches are either in the hitting zone, or so far out of it that hitters can be patient.

    #53012
    CardsRedSox4Ever
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    With the exception of Yadi, and Wong to some extent, every player with a fat or extended contract has been underperforming since last year, or this year for Ozuna — Fowler, Carp, Ozuna, Waino, Cecil. That’s where complacency starts, especially if there’s no accountability. I’d like to see a stat that shows return on investment based on performance and salary, my guess is it’s pretty low for our “stars.” Maybe WAR/salary x normalizing constant.

    Nonetheless, I hope our call-ups understand this is their best chance in a long time, and probably for the season, to showcase their talent for a permanent slot.

    #53021
    PugsleyAddams
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    Well said CARDSredsox4Ever! And I don’t even know if you can legitimately blame these players for tailing off after getting the big bucks. Most probably work out as often….they just don’t or mentally cannot do it with as much gusto as they did when they weren’t filthy rich. I challenge any one of us here to work (whatever it is….banker, lawyer, insurance, dock worker etc.) with the same vigor if our bank account suddenly found itself 10 million dollars richer. I think most of us would want to do the right thing and give our employer their monies worth……but at the end of the day, most of us would fall short of expectations. That’s what makes the Yadier Molinas and Wainos of the world so special and so few. They have tons of talent, ambition, heart and money…..and nothing is going to stand in their way to achieving all they can in their chosen profession.

    #53023
    CardsRedSox4Ever
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    P-A, you are right, that the desire to win transcends salary. And unfortunately that desire seems to be lacking among some of our more talented players. I would love for them to prove me wrong this year!

    #53024
    PugsleyAddams
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    Is this baby going to get washed out? It’s beautiful up here in Wisconsin.

    #53031
    PugsleyAddams
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    Watching the cubs hammer Homer in Cincy in the top of the 1st. The first 5 cubs reached on hits. Leave it up to Schwarber to make the first out as he pops out to the SS. Baez then goes fishing in the dirt for the 2nd out as the score remains 3-0 cubs with runners still standing out on 2nd & 3rd….now there’s a grounder to 2nd and the Reds are going to escape major damage. Bet the Reds never felt so pumped up after giving up 3 runs in an inning. Don’t be surprised if they come roaring back here vs Lester.

    #53037
    CardsRedSox4Ever
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    1st pitch expected at 8:45 STL time.

    #53038
    PugsleyAddams
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    Here come the rains now in Cincinnati. Looking into.my crystal ball, I see the tarps coming out real soon. I don’t know why, but I was just thinking about the good ole’ days in baseball when you noticed that the scoreboard for a given team’s at bat had not changed for awhile. You pretty much knew how long your average half inning took, so if it had not changed for like 10 or 15 minutes longer than what it should have, you pretty much knew a team was putting up some runs. Then you might see the uni number of a pitcher change for this game….and if it changed twice you really knew a big inning was brewing. Then after the inning was over, they’d finally update the runs scored in that half inning. You usually could not find out the details ( homers etc.) until the next morning’s sports page. That time spent waiting…..though a bit frustrating, was actually kind of exciting in an odd sort of way.

    #53040
    stlcard25
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    Pham walk, Carpenter single…then double play, and the usual groundout for Ozuna. Wasted chance there.

    #53041
    Euro Dandy
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    There they go again. Cards have runners on 1st and 2nd, no outs, and fail to score. Ozuna strands another by grounding out for the third out with Pham on 3rd. He loafed down the line and the throw was wild to first causing the first baseman to move off the bag to make the catch…but because Ozuna dogged it, the first baseman was able to recover from the wild throw and beat Ozuna to the bag. Really inexcusable from a guy who has let the team down so much recently.

    #53044
    Brian Walton
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    Give McCarver credit. He immediately said, “That is why you have to run hard every time.”

    #53045
    stlcard25
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    Pham doesn’t seem to be shy about calling out teammates who aren’t doing their job. Wonder if Ozuna will catch his ire tonight?

    #53046
    Euro Dandy
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    Pugs, that reminds me of getting Cardinals game scores in the morning paper (Charlotte NC paper) back when I first started caring in the late 60s. It was even worse for west coast games. The scores for those games simply listed “late” instead of a score. Had to wait for the afternoon paper to get those.

    #53047
    PugsleyAddams
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    Dexter Fowler is a consummate professional.

    A. True
    B. False

    #53048
    Cardinals2016
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    B. False

    #53049
    PugsleyAddams
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    Indeed Euro. Those West coast games were brutal for getting the quick results. The only good thing about them was that we here in Wisconsin could actually listen to the entire game on the radio because of the late start….which back then was quite a treat. KMOX was impossible to listen to while it was light out. So, for most games, it wasn’t until about the 3rd inning or so, until you could actually start deciphering some of the action. The later at night it became the better reception you would receive. I vividly recall as a child wildly contorting the radio in different angles to find The best spot to hear the Cardinal games. The bad part was that once you did find that sweet spot, it would only last a few minutes and then you’d have to start the whole radio maneuvering bit all over again. So those West coast games were beautiful in that you could easily listen to the entire game with little interference.

    #53050
    Cardinals2016
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    We have offense! Pena with a single, Wacha with a sac bunt, and Tommy Pham with a double. 1-0 Cards in the 3rd

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