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1:15 p.m.
RHP Jack Flaherty (4-5, 4.95) vs. RHP Gerrit Cole (8-1, 2.78)
BSM // FOX Sports 1 // KMOX // WIJROn a good note from Friday night……the Pirates got three runs in the last of the 9th and beat Milwaukee 8-7.
The Cubs and Reds both won.
We have to have some reason to live so lets hope for a split.
The Garrit Cole game is a loss. Might as well give the bench guys a start, and the 27th man. I predict a Mercado sighting in that one.
We have a chance in the other game, at least theoretically.
As of this morning its overcast and occasional thunder rumbling, but sounds like off in the distance.
Now that I drank some coffee, I guess the 27th man will be a pitcher. Both Flaherty and Liberatore are capable of getting blown out early, but lets hope they have good starts.
I too think we’re looking at a split here, but in an unexpected twist, I’m thinking we win the game vs Cole and then lose the nightcap. This team has to be seething mad after their last two home disasters vs Houston. I wouldn’t even toss a sweep of these Yankees off the table, but you have to go with the percentages. I think it was Rat who once told us that 77% of ML doubleheaders end up being split. I have learned to always trust Rat’s info, but if that was not Rat whom gave us that stat, then that leaves us but two totally reliable sources to retrieve that information; Our good pal Skippy and all of the good folk over at the esteemed Elias Sports Bureau, or we could ask our very own LACardFan.
I think for an in-between-game din-din, I’ll swing on by Portillo’s drive-thru to grab two dogs with raw onion and yellow mustard, bowl of chili, fries and then mozzy on down E. Washington to Popeye’s to snag myself 3 cinnamon apple pies.
More than half of the ’23 season will have been played when today’s two games have been decided. The Cardinals have been at .500 or better for a total of 3 days this season and have been firmly lodged in last place in the NLC for a total of 75 days. Pardon me for saying so, but it ain’t early anymore.
We’ve still got the good half left to play. The guys need to put away the joysticks and mouse balls and play some real life baseball with dirt and everything. And get rid of that rattle can. I haven’t seen a pine tar rag in the on deck circle all year, no wonder we stink. You’d have to post instructions on how it works though.
A buddy got tickets for me and a mutual friend of ours to the Rockies-Tigers game tonight, so I will miss our evening game. This guys is from Michigan and a big Tiger fan.
I doubt I watch much of the afternoon game either, as I usually don’t like to sit inside in front of the television on a summer day. Will likely dial up the KMOX broadcast and get out on a bike ride.
Thinking we have an excellent shot at getting swept, but maybe we can sneak away with one. Cole could very well get into double-digits in the strikeout department.
You wonder who on this roster will still be on our club a month from now. Other than the young guys with their career mostly ahead of them like Walker, Gorman and Liberatore, most anyone could be gone. I would also say Donovan and Nootbaar are staying, but after that no one is untouchable. Then again, the front office has been living in fantasy land so far this year, so maybe they will ride it out with only a minor tweak or two.
I would hate to see Goldy and Arenado go, and I don’t know if there are trade restrictions. But realistically, moving win now guys might be the thing to do. You have to trade value to get value and we only have so much that is worth anything. We have those two win now guys and we have a small handful of prospect level guys and controlled players, who have value but could be a core to build around. The path forward seems clear, but I doubt the FO will take it.
The problem is we really have very little to work with talent wise. We convince ourselves that we do, but we don’t.
As of now, baseballpress.com has Luis Severino (R) in the first game and Wandy Peralta (L) in the second. No Garrit Cole. Don’t know if it is accurate or current, but it usually reliable.
1. Lars Nootbaar (L) RF
2. Paul Goldschmidt (R) DH
3. Nolan Gorman (L) 2B
4. Nolan Arenado (R) 3B
5. Jordan Walker (R) LF
6. Alec Burleson (L) 1B
7. Paul DeJong (R) SS
8. Tommy Edman (S) CF
9. Andrew Knizner (R) CSeverino v Flaherty
Gerrit Cole was pushed back to Sunday vs Montgomery. The second game today is considered a bullpen game for the Yankees, according to some Yankees focussed blogs and such.
Gorman’s line for June .143/.211/.229/.439. K rate for June 40%. So basically the mother of all slumps.
He should be down near the bottom to get some low leverage PAs and try to right himself. So OlliMo bats him 3rd, a pressure situation in and of itself, and between Goldy and Arenado, where he will be the guy they are really looking to get out. There aren’t any low leverage PAs when you are batting 3rd. It honestly seems like whoever is pulling the levers doesn’t actually know how baseball works.
When Gorman had his hot streak early, its like there was a puff of smoke, and when it cleared he had turned into Babe Ruth. OlliMo even let him face some lefties, with some success. But that is in the rearview mirror, so I hope they sit him vs the lefty tonight. So far, what we’ve got with him is a streaky platoon player who strikes out too much. He can really launch it when he squares it up though, which keeps the gun groupies in the organization happy. So he’s batting 3rd after hitting .143 for a solid month.
This Cardinals team easily represents the poorest roster construction I have ever seen. Too much of some stuff and not enough of others and that’s just the field guys. I can’t recall a worse pitching staff – ever.
Gorman should not have been allowed a solitary PA from the 3 slot all season long, but neither should have Nootbar, Contreras, Donovan, Burleson or Motter…Yeah, Motter. The 3 slot could arguably be said to be the easiest place in the order for a somewhat adept field manager to figure out. Before this season is over, I strongly suspect to see both Jordan Walker and Zsa Zsa Gabor placed into the 3 slot by the current Cardinal manager.
Gorman is batting 3rd for the first time in the last 10 games. Donovan is unavailable, so Noot goes from batting 3rd to leadoff. I suppose Walker could bat 3rd, but Arenado’s protection was likely a concern.
The other options to bat 3rd, hitting 6 thru 9 today, are no better than the Gorman decision. Burleson?
The low leverage at bats you suggest have been taking place the last 10 games, so your ground breaking game plan for Gorman was implimented by the wonks long ago. At least you know you line up with their thinking. Late, but two peas in a pod. Well done wonk.
Gorman’s been allowed 150 PA’s from the 3 slot which is the most from that place in the order on the ’23 team. In my view, his total PA’s from the 3 slot this season should be zero. Obviously Zsa Zsa’s dead, so I was just kid’n around about her, but we could always give Manny Motter a call and see what he’s up to…And yeah, as you mentioned, Burly, Nootz, Walker and Donovan, if he were indeed available, would all be good choices to place in the all important 3 slot for a manager who could be termed double dumb…
I was really surprised to see that Carlson hasn’t taken a solitary rip out of the 3 slot all season long. I was also surprised that the same applies to Yepez, DeJong, Little Eddie and even Wainwright…Adam can hit! I want to see this whiz-kid manager place Matz in the 3 slot just so the embattled lefty has a chance to earn a little bit of his nice meal ticket…
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