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Not true. Days off don’t matter, it’s only the amount of games out of the total that guys are pitching.
Someone was dogging the Dodgers the other day for using Morrow so much in the playoffs. It’s like everyone forgets how much time off the players get in October and April.
Well if we are clinging to a 1 or 2 run lead late tomorrow I would be surprised if we don’t see Hicks and Norris again. Those are our two hammers and beating Chicago head to head has huge value in the long term standings.
I’m with GScott from the great State of Arkansas! You never get off a winning horse. And last night we witnessed Secretariat and Sea Biscuit doing what they do best.
Yes, Matheny was a tough player, but I am not sure I buy this correlation. If not for the well-timed Cincy series, the 2018 Cards would have a losing record.
Why have the @STLCards played relatively well in these cold early weeks? It may pain some of their fans to admit it, but the toughness of their manager may have something to do with it. https://t.co/PEww6Sdf4w
— Mark Saxon (@markasaxon) April 19, 2018
Bernie wrote this:
“This may surprise readers, but I sincerely believe Matheny is doing a good job this season and I will defend him here. Dealing with a difficult set of circumstances, Matheny is doing a commendable job of holding his team together to dig for enough wins to stay above .500…”
https://theathletic.com/376780/2018/06/01/mike-matheny-cardinals-debate-mlb/
Bad baserunning, poor defense, players constantly getting injured, veterans not performing up to expectations, lackadaisical spring training, ruining pitchers by telling them to pitch up in the zone, and rest, rest, and more rest … These are all defining characteristics of Matheny’s tenure as manger. And I’m sick of it. He needs to go. He’s squandering the hard work of others in the organization, especially the front office.
We are one game above our pythag, so using run differential as a gauge we are about where we should be.
For now, I think Matheny is doing an acceptable job. The front office is probably more to blame when looking at the overall performance of the organization, which includes a “bang for your buck” assessment of the players. In other words, if you look at the ROI of the 40 man roster, it’s filled with a lot of low numbers – Holland, Cecil, Fowler, Gregerson, Wainwright, etc. Waino is acceptable as he is being paid more for what he did in the past than the present. Overall the roster ROI is probably pretty good, as there are some great returns from the likes of Munoz, Mikolas, JMart, Wacha, Norris, and Hicks.
Hopefully the club has learned to shy away from giving free agent deals to bullpen pitchers. Pool that money and use it for impact players, or as bonuses to guys who are performing well but are not being paid much.
Although it is ironic that the Rockies do pretty well with free agent bullpen pieces. Holland was good for them last year, at least until August, and Davis has done well this year.
I find it hard to imagine that Jhonny Peralta and Jonathon Broxton would have quit playing the way they did if LaRussa was manager. And I can’t help but wonder if Fowler, Cecil, and maybe Leake and Holland wouldn’t have performed better. I know he would not have put up with the sloppy play that is a consistent characteristic of Matheny’s teams. There were several things I disliked about LaRussa, but you could never question his desire to win, or his insistence that his players play up to the full level of their talent, and maybe then some. I’m not sure what drives Matheny. I used to think that the next manager might not be any better than Matheny, and that might be true. But sometimes you just have to take a chance.
mudville
Bad baserunning, poor defense, players constantly getting injured, veterans not performing up to expectations, lackadaisical spring training, ruining pitchers by telling them to pitch up in the zone, and rest, rest, and more rest
This is fascinating. So Matheny is to blame for players getting injured and ruining pitchers by “telling” them to pitch up in the zone (does that include Wacha, I wonder?)
mudville
I find it hard to imagine that Jhonny Peralta and Jonathon Broxton would have quit playing the way they did if LaRussa was manager. And I can’t help but wonder if Fowler, Cecil, and maybe Leake and Holland wouldn’t have performed better.
Perhaps Peralta and Broxton were finished as ballplayers? I know, it’s a wild concept that players age. Have you seen Cecil pitch? He can’t throw a strike. I am sure that’s on Matheny. Fowler has a .200 BABIP.
I’m guessing that he’s either running players back and forth to the DL for every little bump or scrape, or his players aren’t focused enough to keep themselves out of injury trouble. We’re hearing about the DL way too much, IMO.
I might be wrong. But I can’t recall a time that one of LaRussa’s players was released midseason for poor performance.
What about the bad baserunning and generally sloppy play. Is that the new norm for you, Pads?
Every year there seems to be something else that goes wrong that Matheny has no responsibility for.
This article is not a hatchet job or a wild rant. It is an objective and clear example that illustrates the poor bullpen management that has been discussed for a long time now.
How Mike Matheny's bullpen management in a win on Sunday led to a loss on Monday https://t.co/GWgOSMXcRg pic.twitter.com/1Pp7HNAk0p
— John Fleming (@johnjf125) June 20, 2018
MM has his drawbacks as far as bullpen management, but he has his leadership aspects too. Look around at the 8 positions on the field and compare the players available for those positions to true playoff team talent. MM can only play the hand that he’s dealt.
C – solid
1B – defensive liability
2B – disastrous underperformer
SS – injury
3B – aging veteran and player traded for that was brought in to be a 5th infielder
LF – solid
CF – solid, but with severe injury history
RF – disastrous underperformer and unproven rookieWould you as a manager want to go to battle against the Cubs, Nationals, Astros, Yankees, Bosox, etc. with that lineup of position players?
I have not been an anti-Matheny poster but have also not been ready to label him another Whitey Herzog who I feel is the best manager the Cardinals have had in my 70 years as a fan.
But if we miss the playoffs again this year it is probably time for a fresh approach on the field.
I have never been the big critic of his bullpen use. My biggest questions is why do we seem to always have a long reliever who never sees action (exception 31 appearances by Villanueva in 2015). Also what appears to be overuse of guys like Bowman and Maness who are solid at times but when bad are just awful.
I don’t like our approach to hitting. Way too many fat first pitches taken for strikes. Not nearly as good as the Pirates and Brewers in fouling off marginal pitches. We take too many of them for called third strikes. And too many swings at pitches way out of the zone. Guys like Grichek, O’Neill and Wong have no business passing up a strike well in the zone. They need all the swings they can get. Also seems that our younger players (exception Munoz) are not agressive and quickly find themselves 0-2 far too much.
To Matheny’s credit he has worked around a lot of key injuries particular to key pitchers. I can’t remember a season that he has not been saddled with the loss of a important pitcher who has missed most or all of a season. I have not heard of any practices or lack of practices that has contributed to the injuries so I have to chalk it up to very bad luck.
The front office had contributed very little in terms of trades and free agents. Trades better than free agencies. Matheny has too often been saddled with high cost free agents who are not performing on the field. Even with the 2.0 WAR by Mikolas and .3 by Norris we are a net -1.7 year to date with recent free agent signings.
I have no problem if one does not agree with pitching up in the zone. But ruining pitchers with the approach is a bit over the top. Who has been ruined and what is the evidence of that ruin. It appears to me that the pitches at the top of the zone have been very effective. When they drop down, bad as usual. Also I don’t expect a pitcher to effectively change their approach overnight.
Fleming must have missed all those games when the Cardinal bullpen was scorched for crooked numbers. I don’t relax even with a 4 or 5 run lead unless I know we have Norris or Hicks available.
bcc mentioned that you can only play the hand you’re dealt. That is so true. Guys playing absolutely way below the FO’s expectations. Look at the garbage they’ve put on the roster. These guys are so bad they have to send them to the DL so they don’t stink up the place. They give him overpaid players so he has to play them and they are way underachieving. You know who I’m talking about.
The team that he has to run out there is NOT very good. You can’t get water from a stone. Be reasonable, a new manager won’t solve what’s been plaguing this team. Unless we get some players that want to play ball, the Cards will fall into the secondary tier of MLB. Stop thinking that this is a good team. Even without the injuries the whole culture of the team is coming apart at the seams.
Sorry but… there’s too many comments trying to make Matheny and his coaches the scapegoats for every single loss. Its the gd players that haven’t been producing… this is a rag-tag club with a 2% chance of making October ball. That has to be realized and digested by all Card fans. I have.
I agree that the makeup of the team needs to be changed and there have been some poor free agent signings. However, I also feel Matheny does a poor job of using his players.
I understand that Holland was signed to be a key reliever. However, when it was clear that something was wrong (physical?/mental?), you don’t put him in key situations. Why only use young relievers who are used to starting in the minors (Gomber, Mayers, etc) for 1 inning or less when you are going to need 3 or 4 innings of relief pitching in a game? Why did he keep running Fowler to CF all last year when it was very clear that he had other OFs that were better defenders in CF? Why take an above average 3Bman (Gyorko) and play him at 2B while you play someone with a very poor arm at 3B who could also play 2B (Carpenter)?
I would really like to change out Fowler, Pham, J. Martinez, Carpenter, Wong, Bowman and Cecil for some better fits. I would be willing to also part with C. Martinez and Kelly to make some major lineup upgrades.
You’re missing the point… its the cards he gets, dig. He has to play the guys getting big contracts or else the FO looks bad. He has to use the rookie starters in the pen because what the FO brought in (for big $$$) flat out stink or have been hidden on the DL. Just put the blame where it belongs.
How would you like to be a manager and be forced (BIG contract) to send a bum out to RF when he shouldn’t even be playing MLB at all. All I hear is comments saying that he’ll come around>>>> .165??? its almost July. Jeez….wise up.
If he is playing guys based on their contracts or because he doesn’t want the FO to look bad, I don’t want him as a manager. I want him to make his decisions based on what lineup and substitutions gives us the best chance to win the game. THAT is what makes someone a good manager.
While not a Matheny defender or a basher.I admit his moves sometimes make me shake my head.I think he has done a pretty decent job this season considering the huge amount of injuries and poor performances.I am somewhat on the fence with the FO/management team on their moves in acquiring players.I disliked the Holland signing and the loos of the draft pick and i said so repeatedly before the signing and when it happened.I was okay with Gregerson and Leone because they both could fill roles when healthy.I think they still can help eventually.I do wonder if MM is being pressured to play Fowler in the hopes Fowler will wake up and at least resemble a Major League player again.I question the reasoning of playing Carpenter anywhere but 1B.He can`t play 3B worth a crap.Something has to give eventually …JMartinez is a born DH and MCarp is barely adequate at 1B..that situation needs to be resolved.Not even going to bring up Wong… lost ball in the tall grass this season so far …
So when he has a good hand he is a good manager when he doesnt he is a good manager. Win he did a good job lose is the players fault. If win or lose depends on roster why have managers?
In today’s Post Dispatch:
One has to wonder how much better the Cards would be if Dexter Fowler and Kolten Wong were just, even, below-average? Of course, these two hitters are below .200. Wong can positively influence a game with his glove, but Fowler has become nine innings of a liability. In June, he’s hitting .105 and nary an extra-base hit.
Maybe Fowler could follow the lead of a fellow high-priced 32-year-old Cardinal. Greg Holland and his hip impingement left the list of disappointments for the disabled list — and headed down to the minors. These ballplayers have so much pride. When Holland was first asked about the minors after a bad outing, he ended the interview session prematurely. But in the (very) short-term, Holland’s time in the minors seemed to have helped him — since returning to the Cards, he pitched not just one but two actual good innings! Fowler has said that at-bats will help get him out of his funk. So how about he gets all the at-bats he wants … for a minor league team?
And, yes, Harrison Bader plays the outfield better than most outfielders. He’s been a fan favorite since the day he arrived — and tagged up to score the winning run on a play at the plate. But Bader hits only .233 against righties. General manager Michael Girsch was recently asked if Bader is ready to be a 500 at-bat starter: “I think if we needed Harrison to play every day, I think he’d be fine. He has those skills in terms of his speed and defense and arm that even if he struggles with his bat, he could survive as an everyday player immediately. He’s obviously growing with his offensive approach and game plan and ability to hit. But he’s shown you he’s a good enough defender that you can probably stick him out there and live with it as he continues to evolve as a hitter.”
I think any manager can look good when he has the horses.How good a manager was Joe Torre with those Yankees teams? Did he suddenly get smarter when he went to NY or was having better talent a big factor? Duhh..Hell yeas better players make mangers look good.How smart was Casey Stengel with the early Mets teams? Was he suddenly dumber or was it a matter of marv Throneberry and Rod Kahnel ,Roger Caig instead of Mickey Mantle,Bobby Richardson and Whitey Ford?
Matheny is always going to have his bashers no matter what the outcomes of the games,TLR was hated by some Whiteyball fans,Whitey was disliked by some who felt he bellied up and gave up early in a couple of seasons.
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