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Brian, my calling him incompetent isn’t based on this single game. I’m just not impressed with his overall management so far. I’ll retract my incompetence claim for now.
I’ve been watching the minors heavily the past 4-5 years and I’ve never seen a bullpen this bad. Its getting to the point Cruz (who I thought would be starting) and Elledge are the only guy in the bullpen that can be counted on. Is this a pitching coach issue or is the pitching staff just this terrible?
The Springfield bullpen was really bad last year, too, and the team finished in last place in both halves of the season, with a different manager. The entire Memphis bullpen this season is guys brought in from the outside, so they got no promotees from Springfield. I wrote a detailed article about this the other day.
In my season preview, I wrote that Springfield will only go as far this year as their offense will take them. Exhibit A: Tonight they scored nine, but so far they have given up 11.
Brian, did you also comment at the beginning of the season that Springfield should have a better bullpen?
Yes, frankly, it would be hard to be worse. My limited optimism was based on Jones being sent down, Elledge and Latcham returning having also tasted Triple-A and hope that Cruz would do well in his return to relief. Coming in, I was more worried about a rotation that essentially has four free agents and one Cardinals draftee. Overall, I said I do not see this as a championship-caliber staff, though they will certainly be better than they have been in the first week (6.94 ERA).
Wow, after being down two in the ninth, Irving Lopez won it for Springfield with a walkoff home run. 12-11. They had help with two final inning errors by NWA, but still quite a comeback.
Some late game heroics. A leadoff single by Hurst was followed up with an error by error on the 3B with Robertson batting. Godoy flied out to deep center and the Hurst tagged up from 2B and ending up scoring on a error by the shortstop. Then Irving Lopez sends home the hometown fans with a walk-off 2 run blast to right field. Springfield wins their first game, breakout the champagne.
“Then Irving Lopez sends home the hometown fans with a walk-off 2 run blast to right field. Springfield wins their first game, breakout the champagne.”
Even better, Lopez with the rare golden sombrero/walkoff homer exacta. Very glad for him, and the team.
Dylan Carlson with a very Carlson night: 2-4 with a single, double, and base on balls. I’ve personally moved him up from roughly #90 overall prospect to borderline top 50, after seeing his surprising athleticism in Spring Training, coupled with his blistering start to the season. (And of course a handful of guys above him have graduated or been injured.)FWIW, MLB Pipeline has Carlson sixth in the Cardinals system currently. He will be closer to the top in my mid-April Cardinals top 50 rankings update here.
The #stlcards system had a perfect 3-0 Thursday. Springfield won a heavyweight battle on Irving Lopez’ walkoff two-run HR, and Kramer Robertson reached base and scored 4X plus drove in three. The two middle infielders share our Player of the Day honors. https://t.co/4lRoJsjXVv pic.twitter.com/JYELuYXQ51
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) April 12, 2019
I actually got to see the home opener for the Springfield Cardinals and didn’t have to use that crummy $14 parking lot. Plus I had the best seat in the joint – my recliner. I didn’t know the game would be broadcast locally on TV. Very enjoyable to get familiar with the Springbirds for this season. Most impressed with Kramer Robertson, Dylan Carlson and a Montero who played 3B. Robertson has a good story. His mom is the head coach of the Baylor national champions womens basketball team. He and Carlson both hit homers off Kershaw a couple of nights ago and he looks like a very good shortstop. It was a pretty good back and forth game and, typical of the minors, a lot of action on scoring with the game being a walkoff in the bottom of the 9th. I have to admit that it became bedtime for bonzo after the 8th and I had the TIVO set to see the ending this am BUT it turned out my TIVO setting abilities were not accurate enough and the darn thing (the TIVO) shut down about the time of the walkoff….LOL
Northwest Arkansas (AA-KC) has a SS named Featherson who was drafted in 2011, is 30 years old and has had quite a bit of MLB experience with different teams. It showed in his batting with a long HR and some good swats at the ball. Must be a come down to be back in AA and still trying to get back to the show.
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