Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
No one warming so Dobbins at least gets to start the 8th. He’s been solid. He probably only allows one run if we didn’t have the infield in earlier.
Got a couple runs on a walk to Walker, a single, and a double. Kudos to Torres with a real nice pinch hit double. It’s a ballgame again even though it feels like we’ve been pummeled due to the hit column.
I wish I had a dollar for every time Burleson hit a grounder to 2B. It’s like Matt Carpenter all over again!
Tons of ground balls through the infield for hits from the Cubs tonight. I’m not sure if it’s luck, poor positioning, or just good hitting. That last one got right by Winn because he was playing in, allowing two more to score. 5-1 Cubs in a Cubbies hit fest tonight.
Cardinals super lucky Suzuki stood there forever on strike 3 as the ball went about 35 feet away from Herrera who ran it down and threw Suzuki out at first.
Liberatore lasts 2 2/3, leaving after a single and then a second walk to PCA. Didn’t want him facing Bregman again with 2 on.
Correction. Suzuki was next, then Bregman. Either way, Libby terrible tonight vs righties.
Agreed Marilyn. While everyone thought it would be Leahy moving back to the pen (including me), Liberatore sure looks like the weak link. The fact that we need left handed relief and that we have Dobbins and Matthews makes it a real possibility after the trade deadline. I’m not saying I think that will happen, but it’s a possibility.
The Ferminator, in CF tonight with the lefty on the mound and Church struggling to hit anything, hits a no doubter home run to left to put us back down only one.
And Bregman hits Liberatore’s first pitch into the stands in RF. The wind may have kept that one fair. It’s gusting pretty good towards LF.
Liberatore giving up a lot of hits early. Fortunately, he picked off PCA in the first to save one run and possibly more.
I told my wife before Wetherholt’s AB that he’d been trying to pull everything lately and so then he comes out and hits an opposite field single. That was refreshing to see.
The heavy rain has begun. Looking now like it may be 8:30 or later before we get underway unless they start in the light rain.
It looks to me like the rain will last until around 8 pm. Long night of hanging around for me. They haven’t actually covered the field yet – just the mound.
Rain delay upcoming according to the usher in the netherworld up here. Not sure how long it will be.
I’m catching the game tonight from Busch Stadium although my wife and I chose the cheap seats tonight so you folks will have a far better view of the action. My goal is simply to try to inspire some more offense than the one inning we’ve had in the past couple weeks. Wish me luck! 96 degrees, but at least the air is blowing a little way up here!
I am expecting to see a bullpen of O’Brien, Graceffo, Gastellum, Mautz, Fernandez, Hjerpe, Soriano, and Winquest in a week. I could see Dobbins in one of those spots if Matthews becomes the fifth starter or O’Brien is traded.
Maybe not Hjerpe if they aren’t able to trade Bruihl.
They have only 7 pitchers in their pen because they chose to carry 6 starters. Graceffo threw 2 innings yesterday so he wasn’t available and apparently O’Brien was sick. That left 5. Gastellum, Stanek, and Soriano had already been used. The choice was either extend Soriano to a second inning (probably the better choice) or use the fresh Svanson. More right handers were coming up so Bruihl wasn’t a good choice. Svanson does have strikeout ability which is good in a runner on second situation but he also has been very hittable this season.
Marmol hasn’t had the bullpen pieces to rely on this season like he had the past two. It’s hard to try to manage what he does have effectively, especially when you have to think about who will be available tomorrow.
BB – I remember the post but doubt I could ever find it again. You said something like there was no reason to believe the Cardinals would ever develop a starter internally with their current group of prospects given that their track record of doing so was so bad in the past and Brian and I argued that they had a far better chance of doing so now because of the talented arms they had in the system versus what they had prior. Basically, from 2021-2024, there were so few arms to try to build up.
It probably has helped having the new development team in place as they seem to have helped Leahy for sure and probably have helped Pallante, Liberatore, and McGreevey.
Bling – When I said I was the low person on Hence the past few seasons, I apologize for bypassing you. I remember you saying he wouldn’t be in your top 100. So yes, you were definitely the lowest rater! Then again, you also declared there was zero chance the Cardinals would develop a single starting pitcher internally and 2 years later we have 4 of 5 and maybe soon to be 5 of 5. I often dismiss your comments like both of these as hyperbole.
Nootbaar wasn’t a good CFer in ‘23. My guess is he’s only considered an occasional fill-in option. It’s really just Church or Scott and neither seems to be able to hit.
Paul – They got Dobbins, Fajardo, and Aita for him. I have Fajardo as our number 3 best pitching prospect – he’s at least top 5. Aita has had a good season as a starter as well, but probably projects as an up and down starter or reliever long term. Dobbins is the team’s current up and down starter. They also got the Red Sox to take most of Contreras’ remaining salary. A pretty fair deal all around.
KCB – I’ve been the low man on Hence for 3 seasons now. I actually wanted him traded away when he was at peak value in ‘23. I have thought and still think he could end up as a solid bullpen option but it’s getting a bit more dicey on that happening. I’m ok with keeping him with that sole focus in mind.
If we didn’t have a hole at 3B, I’d probably try to trade Gorman for anything we can get just to clear a roster spot. So to do that, we need to trade for some kind of third base option.
We could also use a true CF option because again, no one is coming up soon unless they can fix Victor Scott. Maybe we can get a decent AAA guy with some promise in a trade?
