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Winn & Burleson each has pitching experience. I hear Ryan Fernandez does too, but it doesn’t usually show.
Sheesh, that was crazy. Looked like an old fashioned Coors Field game.
We are showing glimpses of the last place team we mostly predicted heading in to the season.
If you can’t win scoring 9 you aren’t going to win many ball games. And such a horrible short outing from Libby for the 17 game stretch where every RP other than Fernandez was used.
The staff is very underwhelming and I expect by the end of this long stretch the Cards will be a few games after .500 as the pitching isn’t going to hold up with an overused pen
When the highlights of you pitching staff were Stanek and Bruihltal it’s pretty much a dumpster fire of a pitching performance as a collective. Too many arms used. Got to get better results from the guys starting the game. Not this 3-5 inning BS.
I don’t think this signals a downward spiral of anything. Team wasn’t suppose to compete. Lucky they got 5 games over .500. Likely they’ll do one of the patented losing more than win skids in April or May and be about 6-7 games under .500 by the time Memorial day hits. Where they likely stay until the deadline.
Walker got a hit. He was never going to keep up that 60 homer pace. Right now almost anyone would take 25 Homers and near .800 ops and call it a W with all that has gone on with him the past 2 seasons. Kudos to Church for the game he had. Guys getting a little tougher to keep out of the lineup game by game. Victor might be the 4th OF come Noottime if Nathanial keeps a solid stick.
BS.
I don’t think this signals a downward spiral of anything. Team wasn’t suppose to compete. Lucky
I agree 100%. From a developement and rebuild standpoint, we are ahead of what anyone could have expected. Today’s game was uplifting from the point of view that Church is starting to look like a core guy. Everything about his game is getting better. As you say, this season isn’t about wins and losses, although I know that angers a lot of folks
Crooks and Bernal are both removed from the lineup at Memphis shortly before the first pitch. Crooks was supposed to catch and Bernal DH. No word yet of arms that are no longer available. Dobbins is pitching and gave up 3 in the first.
The Cardinals had a relatively easier schedule early. The competition is getting tougher so the results going forward may reflect that.
I agree 100%. From a developement and rebuild standpoint, we are ahead of what anyone could have expected. Today’s game was uplifting from the point of view that Church is starting to look like a core guy. Everything about his game is getting better. As you say, this season isn’t about wins and losses, although I know that angers a lot of folks
So many wanted it tore down the last 5 years and now about 75% can’t sit through it and go back to the old whipping boys of Oli and Dewitt as fallback. Chaim is getting picked on slowly more and more.
It’s early but Church is slowly making a name for himself. If he can maintain a consistent pace with his offense and pair it with that defense you got your future CF. However he is a rookie and im sure he will have his ups and downs at the plate. Don’t see him hitting 2 jacks in a game again anytime soon.
Nothings set in stone yet except barring injury Wetherholt is quickly becoming what we hoped he would. Walker has made big gains on both sides of the field. Even Gorman could still emerge. And now we are hopeful Church can establish his offensive game to go with his already above average defensive play. Scott has clearly regressed. But overall we have made huge gains in adding to our core of Herrera, Winn, and Burleson. Now we need to see something on the pitching side besides injuries to our prospects.
Baseball-reference dot com hasn’t updated to include today’s game yet, but using my best estimate, Liberatore is close to his five year (career) average in era (4.56) and innings pitched per start(5 and a small fraction).
Since this is a rebuilding year, I’m all for looking a lot of up and coming young relievers and starters. But you can’t have as an operating philosophy the use of four innings of relief work per game.
Didn’t get the chance to watch today, but the box says the BP right/left punch got touched up real good this afternoon to the tune of 6 hits and 4 ER’s in 1.2 innings of work. Whenever I see that sort of pitching line, I always think of poor Jerry Quarry. In any case, let’s hope it doesn’t develop into a lasting trend. If it does, the Redbirds are in a serious bind.
Today’s game was uplifting from the point of view that Church is starting to look like a core guy.
Church had a great game and I hope he can become an average regular and maybe take CF by the reigns. But the good game isn’t close to enough to convince me.
We think Walker and Gorman chase a lot, but Church is one of the bottom couple in MLB at chasing pitches out of the zone as he swings at 44.8% of pitches out of the zone. His contact percent is an average 81.0%. If he can improve his discipline and show the elite contact skills he had in the minors (94%) he could be an MLB average player for sure. The contact % will be hard for him to get since MLB pitchers are attacking his weaknesses. Hopefully he can make some adjustments through.
It might be a mistake to always be pulling guys in the 4th or 5th inning. If expectation declines, so will performance. Maybe a starter should have to go 90 pitches every 5 days to get out of AA. And that better get you into the 6th if not through it. In AAA work on effectiveness. No way should a 5 inning guy make it to MLB as a starter. Shouldn’t make it to AAA as a starter. Somewhere somebody is producing the better starters around MLB. Who and how?
If a member of a Big League rotation can’t work at least 100 pitches during his turn, he either belongs in the BP or in the cupcake aisle…And why 100 pitches was chosen as the hocus pocus, abracadabra number will always be a mystery to me. Why not 90 or 110? Or better yet, 150? That was the magic number for guys who were accustomed to working CG shutouts. Every FOURTH day…You know, guys who called themselves Gibson or Drysdale.
150 every 4 days seems superhuman, yet it happened. I have looked at the decline ancillary to my interest in pitcher arm injuries. Pitchers can’t do it any more and I think there are three main contributors. First, youngsters throwing too much and too hard too soon. It effects the structures which are still growing and developing. Second and third are the lack of a full windup and the lowered mound, both of which change the biomechanical forces on the structures of the arm.
Don’t understand why the media is so in love with Ollie. Here are reasons I think we would be better with a different manager:
He is obsessed with platooning.
His lineups are better this year but he still has a slow guy,Herrera, batting second. Yes his OBP is .037 higher than a fast guy Winn, but the difference is probably made up with the number of times Herrera has been hit by pitch.
He has 3 bullpen pitchers that he has used 38.2 innings for pitchers that have given up 34 earned runs and used three other pitchers 37.1 innings who have only given up 13 earned runs.
Because of his platooning bent he often takes a pitcher out with two outs and only a base runner on first to get his handness his way. This exposes the departing pither to an earned run that he has no control over and often backfires as the opposing hitters often do something productive anyway.He has given 124 AB’s to Urias Fermin and Saggesse while limiting Chrch to 63. Add to that Church is fast and an excellent fielder.
The Cardinals have won a lot of comback games this year, but Ollie rarely used one of his best bullpen pitchers in a close game in late innings, often is seeing a narrow deficit grow larger.
He benches multiple regulars because of platooning. One game Weatherhold, Gorman, Church because of a left handed starter. Brought them on late in the game but none of them produced anything.
This is my last rand against Ollie. But I believe in putting the best team on the field, barring injuries. I understand this is a rebuilding year but Stanek and Urias are not young guys.
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