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Gio Gallegos does not want to talk about his situation right now. He did not stop working out. Feels really good. Threw a couple of bullpens and batting practice since camp started. Threw pen today. Waiting for coach to tell him when he will get in a game.
May need to make some adjustments to pitches, but feels he can be ready for Friday if asked.
Was worried about the virus when Spring Camp ended. Scared to fly because of the virus so drove back to Mexico. Was worried border would be closed in 3-4 days. Drove 25-28 hours alone with three stops.
About the ninth, he will pitch wherever they need him to help the team win games.
Paul DeJong said the offense wore Flaherty down today with a lot of good at-bats. Made him throw a lot of pitches. He struggled with fastball command.
The offense will work counts some days and other days be aggressive. Depends on pitcher.
Will miss 40,000 fans on opening day and after, but seeing other teams will make it real. Playing against teammates is both good and bad.
Baserunning will win certain games. Cannot make mistakes. Huge factor. Find any way to score. Not just bloop and a blast.
Has confidence in offense as a group. Stick together. Likes lineup top to bottom especially with DH. Mix of veterans and young, hungry guys. Working pitchers over is big advantage. Getting to the pen is the way to win series.
Carp looks great. Everyone (except Goldy) has ups and downs. He got better and learned from it. Sees ball differently now. Knows how good he can be. DH good for him some days. Have others who can play in the field.
Offense is picking up and defense is where it needs to be.
About virus changes. Everyone has made sacrifices. All want to play. Staying locked in and ready. Taking minimum risks.
On Gomber. Very impressed. Spotting fastball, big curve. Back foot slider to righties really good. Good fast pace. Waiting to get the ball back to throw next pitch. Looks great.
When asked how Flaherty pitched, Mike Shildt said, “I thought it was a really good day for the offense.” Offense took a lot of good at-bats. Results come from the process he has been talking about. Entire offense getting pitches in zones, taking long at-bats.
Gallegos has a tight window for opening day. Here and healthy and has been throwing. Did not see his pen, but Maddux said it was clear he had been throwing while away.
Will announce decisions to public in the next couple of days on the rotation and pen roles. We saw Ponce throw an inning today and Gomber also transitioned to pen (had 1-2-3 inning).
Fernandez (4 BB last time and 3 BB today) is trying to do too much. Not able to dial into strikes consistently. Effort is there. Needs to channel it.
“Matt Carpenter has his identity back.” Can morph his game. (Went through progression from OBP/goes other way to driving the ball more and hitting doubles to slugging percentage and hitting home runs. Carried team at end of 2018.) Looked up and lost identity of who he was. Has all of these in his tool box. Now putting his competitive game together.
On Thomas. Only so many spots. Bader having nice camp. Dexter will be out there. O’Neill doing what is asked. Drove ball in gap today (for a standup triple) and had a short swing to single. Can play all 3 OF spots, could pinch hit, pinch run, be DH (though many others do too), and have occasional starts.
On Williams. Not easy assignment to put swing on Ponce (2 run HR vs. his cutter). Improved in all areas. Wants to be complete player. Settled in to the organization. His skill sets play.
Ponce had a spasm in his neck but wanted to work through it. Trainer said it was ok. Will see how he recovers. Can’t say it had anything to do with the HR. Don’t know.
Gallegos’ availability affects other decisions. May not be fair to put him in same role as last year out of the gate (closing). Will look at others. Change things up for others at start of season.
In the 10th, the bunt is NOT automatic. Certain guys might be asked to bunt more than others. So many variables regarding the situation. Not absolute.
Monday workout will be evening. Wainwright to throw 4 innings and Elledge and Kaminsky up from Springfield will split the other 3 innings of live BP. Tuesday will be a full 9 inning intrasquad game.
Wed vs. KC. (3:05 pm start on FOX Midwest.) Mikolas and Carlos will pitch with Mikolas likely going first. Expect they will pretty much cover the nine innings, but will have backups ready if necessary.
Sunday 7/19
Vistor/Blue 2-2-0
Home/Red 4-8-0
Extra runs tacked on for rolled innings not included. See info at bottom.Visitor
Carlson 0-2, BB
Edman 0-3, GIDP
Ravelo 0-2, BB, 2 K
Dean 0-2, BB, K
Molina 0-3
Knizner 0-3, K, GIDP
Schrock 0-3, 2 K
Sosa 1-1, BB, R
Williams 1-1, HR, R, 2 RBIHome
Wong 1-3, K
Carpenter 2-2, HR, BB, 2 R, RBI
Goldy 1-3, R, RBI
DeJong 1-2, double, 2 RBI, HBP
O’Neill 0-2, K, HBP
Fowler 0-3
Wieters 1-2
Bader 0-2, K
Thomas 2-2, triple, RVisitor
Flaherty 3.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R/ER, 1 BB, 3 K, HBP, 92 pitches/52 strikes
Gant 1 IP, 1 H, HBP, 14/8Home
Fernandez 1 IP, 3 BB, 29/14
Cecil 1 IP, 1 BB, 1 K, 16/8
Gomber 1 IP, 1 K, 11/7
Whitley 1 IP, 2 K, 14/10
Ponce 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R/ER 1 K, 20/13
Miller 1 IP, 1 K, 12/7
Webb 1 IP, DP (runner on second), 4/3Specifics on Flaherty, who got 10 outs while pitching the first five innings:
^Bottom of 3rd inning ended after 1 out, with runner on second base…2 additional runs given to home team via internal rule (said 2 runs not included in box score)
#Bottom of 4th inning ended after 2 outs, with runner on first base
*Bottom of the 5th inning ended after 1 out, with runners on first and second base… 1 additional run given to home team via internal rule (said 1 run not included in box score)
Here is a summary of Mike Shildt’s remarks.
Hudson is no. 3 starter, followed by Miles and Carlos. Plan to stay on regular rotation despite early off days.
Kim will pitch in the end of the game, to close. Also have others to do that based on situation and availability.
Gomber and Ponce made the team.
Highly unlikely they will open with 17 pitchers.
Tuesday’s intersquad game to start at 5:15. Hudson vs. pen. Kim will pitch at back end of game for the home team.More details:
Mike Shildt plans for Edman to be in the lineup. Edman’s power emerged as he learned who he is as a hitter. Jim Edmonds is another who did not hit a lot of home runs as a minor leaguer. Homered against Waino on a really good change up. The latter got better as he went on. Had several “just misses”.
Not as likely Edman will be in the outfield this year as last. Moving around. Could create a blow for Pauly at short. Third base, SS, second base, DH. Like him in the lineup.
Tomorrow’s game could be eight innings rather than full nine. Depends on pitching. Will not force it.
Martinez earned starting role. Gave clarity of expectations of him and he met them. Had about as good of focus and attention to detail of anyone in camp. Recovered better in weight and training room.
KK also did everything asked to take care of his spot in the rotation. But fact of the matter is that there were only so many spots with Miles coming back and earning his spot and having already been a staple of the rotation the last two years.
KK willing to do whatever is needed to help the team. He has gone to the bullpen in the past to close out playoff games in Korea. Low walks, high ground ball, multiple pitches vs. righties and lefties. Waino and Carlos broke in out of the pen. Want closer with experience in high pressure competition.
Managed Carlos as a starter in 2012 in Springfield and he helped them to win the Texas League title.
Kim warms up quick. Could throw multi innings at the end of game if necessary but not planning him to pitch from the sixth on. Did not create role for him because he did not make the rotation. Felt he earned the opportunity.
Gomber and Ponce made roster. Some of the best things you can do is tell them they have made the St. Louis Cardinals. They were excited and more than earned it. They know in their heart they are big league pitchers. Doesn’t need designated long guys with starters built up, but will err on side of caution of starters early. The two can pitch multiple innings, but also throw an inning here and there. Create flexibility for them.
Not sure if Gallegos will pitch in a game the next day or two. Don’t know how he will come back from throwing.
Went from seven fields in Florida to one in St. Louis, with half the time on the calendar, have to report limited time each day and still pretty much got everything in. Everyone nailed it well for camp to progress.
CMart to start
KK to the penMy quick take on Monday night's role announcements by #stlcards manager Mike Shildt. If you are surprised that Carlos Martinez is in the rotation, you haven't been paying close attention, but Kwang-Hyun Kim closing is a surprise to all. (free) https://t.co/7ucpA5LHxE pic.twitter.com/RnVNZSfDEX
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) July 21, 2020
I’m not surprised that Kim is closing. It was between he and Carlos, because guys like Gallegos were set back on the timetable. Mike said he was going to give Carlos every chance to start, and is living up to his word.
I tried to tell you guys that Martinez would be starting and not closing and Kim would not be in the rotation and (some of) you refused to accept it.
I certainly didn’t refuse to accept it. I stated that it would be logical if CMart was the closer again based on the decimation of the bullpen’s health this Summer.
Personally, I am pleased to see CMart in the rotation and Kim as closer because I never felt comfortable with CMart being closer last year. While the bottom line numbers were pretty good his high wire acts were too stressful for me. He needs more margin of error to thrive in my opinion, which the starter’s role provides. Although it could also be argued that nobody has much of a margin of error with a 60 game schedule.
Martinez as a starter doesn’t surprise me…they want to see if he can still be a starter for next year.
Kim as a closer? That is interesting.On the surface the Cardinals talk about this “season” as being legitimate. But when they get together in Junior’s office they know this “thing” is just a glorified warm-up to February and 2021. This is a great opportunity to see if Martinez is worth keeping or should they peddle him this winter.
I was told that expressing an opinion as a fact was not appropriate. That it should be qualified by something like
Kim will “probabl” not be in the rotation. Or, “in my opinion” Kim will not be in the rotation. The change of a word or two can mean so much. It was good advice because it enables one to hedge their bets.The difference between me and others here is that I am generally NOT expressing my personal opinions. I am sharing what I am picking up from those with and close to the team and in some cases, interpreting what they mean. I try to explain what is behind what I say.
In this case, Shildt was very clear with his plan for Martinez and that there would not be a six-man rotation. The details were here for everyone to read and it wasn’t hard to interpret. By definition, it answered the Kim question as well, at least the rotation part. The closer decision was a surprise, but I get why they are doing it. They want to use their better pitchers in as high a leverage situation as possible.
Tonight’s game was stopped due to rain in the fourth with the Blue/visitors up 4-2. Details coming…
For those who missed it, here were the starting lineups.
Our last intrasquad!
STREAM: https://t.co/5VUsLLPWKx pic.twitter.com/16nLeqxLQM
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) July 21, 2020
“……but KK closing is a surprise to all.”
NOT!
“It wouldn’t surprise me to see KK lead the team in saves and Carlos lead the rotation in K’s”reply 133115
I’m not sure that wanting to see if CMart can be a starter next year is a big reason for having him in the rotation. I think a good part of why he’s in the rotation is that they promised him he could be a starter if he would get himself in shape, and he did that. Another reason could be that if he pitches the way he used to, like a top of rotation guy, they could probably get a lot for him in a trade. He’s right in his prime, and he has three more years of control left on his contract at a relatively reasonable salary – $11.7M for 2021, $17M for 2022, and $18M for 2023. They should be able to get somebody’s top prospect for him, like Joe Adel of the Angels, for example.
Tuesday’s post-game speakers:
KK respects what the team announced. Said from when signed that he wants to contribute to the team winning games. Will do his best in this new role.
Did not have any regular season closing experience in his 14 years in the KBO but did it in the Korean Series twice. Saw how closers prepare. Will use all resources available to help him prepare.
Just one inning so every pitch is important. Has to be confident.
Thinks his velo might go a little higher like in the 1st and 2nd inning as a starter.
Had a lot of superstitions as a starter. Don’t need to go through them now. Day before start, he did not eat meat. One hour before game, he runs sprints. 30 minutes before, he plays catch. Must be on the exact minute. Maybe better now that he doesn’t know exactly when he will pitch.
Was asked if he will narrow his pitch focus to fastball and slider. Said not appropriate to talk about what he will throw. What he will say is that he will throw what he is confident in that day. Will try not to regret choices afterward.
With rain, he did not get to throw today. Plan is for bullpen tomorrow, day off Thursday and be ready for Opening Day. (Later Shildt said there is a chance he could throw an inning in the KC game.)
In addition to his game work, Dakota Hudson threw one inning right after the first delay and finished his last inning inside after the second delay. Felt more connected with his offspeed and getting strikes low in the zone later on.
Will have extra adrenaline in first game, but will try to stay within himself and execute pitches. Thinks the same each game.
When asked what he wants to improve on from last season, it is to cut down on walks. Wants to control counts and put pressure on hitters.
Said analysts will probably never predict for him to have a good season. Getting outs is his job. Getting ground balls with the Cardinals defense behind him. Maybe he will get more swings and misses ahead when getting ahead in the count.
Mike Shildt he is looking forward to seeing Mike Matheny, who put him on the big league staff, for which he is always grateful.
Got in a lot of quality work tonight. Would like to have gone 7 1/2 innings. May have been good for Hudson to have to deal with a little disruption. He bumped Helsley up to pitch earlier than planned.
Template for Wednesday is Mikolas for five innings and Carlos for four. Carlos will start with a clean inning. KK could pitch. Today’s other relievers who did not get to pitch in the game threw sides tonight afterward. So only impact tomorrow may be that the regulars may want to take a third at-bat.
Talked about players like Hudson, Tommy, DeJong, Bader, Gomber and Ponce being guys who have graduated into the more experienced catagory.
For players sent to Springfield, it will require mental discipline on their part. Everyone is in the same boat. How you engage and prepare individually. Good structure by coaches to keep them engaged, but ultimately up to the player. Planning things to keep them ready to compete. Measurements are different, but expectations still there. Will keep numbers from intrasquad games. Will watch who is getting ahead in counts, pitches in the zone. For hitters, are they chasing, also exit velo.
In pretty good spot on roster decisions. Want to get through tomorrow’s game first.
Thursday will be an optional day. Work for guys behind in camp. Maybe live BP. Don’t expect to see a lot of guys there.
2020 is very significant. (Long answer. Look for a future Hochman column!) Playing is a win for the industry given all the hurdles and a win for our country.
Gallegos threw a side today. Would not rule him out for the opening roster. May not be ready to pitch in games, though. Next 48 hours to decide.
Kim has already reached out to people about closing. He will take experiences, others and his own. Many on current team started coming up only to pitch in relief in the majors – Gomber, Ponce, Dak, Wainwright, Hudson, Reyes, etc. Kim will adjust to it quickly.
The reason why I was holding out hope for Kim making the rotation, was not to replace Carlos. It was to possibly replace a starter who has the following numbers –
2016: ERA – 4.62 / WHIP – 1.40
2017: ERA – 5.11 / WHIP – 1.50
2018: ERA – 4.46 / WHIP – 1.46
2019: ERA – 4.19 / WHIP – 1.43Gotta respect a great Cardinal, but he turns 39 next month, and if his control isn’t pin point perfect he gets smacked around badly. Could be a real liability. Especially on the road and in a short season.
I get you, bccran. I wish you had been more specific about your concern earlier. Wainwright starting would still be a good discussion to have, but I saw no evidence that Shildt’s confidence in him is wavering. Handling late career veterans has to be a challenge for any manager. I was just thinking about TLR and Ozzie in 1996 earlier today…
I’m really worried about Waino. Especially on the road. Hope I’m wrong. Would even put Gomber and Ponce perhaps above him now.
Tuesday, 7/21
Blue/visitor 2-6-0*
Red/home 1-3-0^^Bottom of 1st inning ended after 2 outs, with runners on first and second base… 1 additional run given to home team via internal rule (said 1 run not included in box score)
*Top of 3rd inning ended after 1 out, with runners on first and second base… 2 additional runs given to visitor team via internal rule (said 2 runs not included in box score)Visitor
Schrock 1-1, 2 RBI, 1 K
Carlson 0-2, K
Dean 1-2
Wieters 1-1
Ravelo 0-1
Thomas 1-1, stolen base, R
Williams 0-1, K
Sosa 1-1, R
Nogowski 1-1Home
Wong 1-2, stolen base, R
Edman 0-0, BB
Goldy 0-1
DeJong 0-0, BB
Carp 0-0, sac fly (RBI)
Molina 0-1
Fowler 0-1
O’Neill 1-1
Bader 1-1Visitor
Fernandez^ 2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 R/ER, 2 BB, 27 pitches/14 strikes
Helsley 1 IP, 2 H, 14/9Home
Hudson* 2 IP, 6 H, 2 R/ER, 3 K, 44/25
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