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Uh-oh. Flaherty doubles. Every time we have a pitcher get on base, it seems to tire them out. They get bombed in the next inning.
I don’t see the Cards on TV often, living in DFW. But, it does appear to me that Martinez has improved defensively. He is no longer lost on fly balls, and his arm isn’t bad. Right now, he is definitely not our worst outfielder. I don’t know that I have seen anyone in left field that knew where the ball was headed.
Well. We got back the runs that Webb allowed. Why replace a guy who is 4 for his last seven at bats, five for his last eight PA, for a sub? Could have used Munoz as a pinch hitter if Wong had reached. Instead, we wasted Wong, who has been hitting lefthanders the past two nights. Think Schild.
We have firmly established why we play defense. Anyone get the message? Their pinch hitter hits a grand slam. Ours strikes out.
I still question why we use Webb.
There is an impression that O’Neil is more of a hitter, especially power hitter, than is Bader. I have seen nothing at the Major League level that justifies that. IF you look at their power numbers and their at bats, there is a lot of similarity. They both hit about the same for average. Bader is down a bit this year, but he was higher last year.
The 59 White Sox won with Jim Landes. The Dodgers won for years with Willie Davis. They were relatively weak links at bat. Davis, like Bader, could out run balls and catch them. Often led the league in errors, but was also a six to eight time Gold Glove winner simply by how many he got to. I like having Bader in center. I wish he would strike out less. But, he makes himself useful when he does hit. A single often gets a runner to third after he starts playing on the basepaths.
I don’t know that the salary owed to Carp is as important as the cost to having him in the lineup. Is there a correlation between his absence and a resurrection of the offense? I don’t know how meaningful these stats are, but it is interesting who the Card leaders are:
WAR
2.8 DeJong
1.9 Wong
1.6 Fowler
1.5 Ozuna
1.3 Bader
1.0 Goldschmidt
0.8 Edman1.5 Gant
1.0 Wainwright
0.9 Gallegos, MikolasWe won’t know about Edman for a while. You see hot starts by flops. Right now, he is better than Carp. Right now, Munoz is better than Carp. Of course, right now, a carp is better than Carp. Wong has value, and may get better. Carp is experienced enough that he should be able to work through these problems. Instead, he is getting worse. Goldschmidt and DeJong need to learn not to be Carp.
Edman is really replacing Carpenter who has been totally ineffective. We have had an unusual aspect to our lineup. I haven’t done stats on it, but it seems that if the top of the lineup scores, the other team tends to come back. Three-run homers from Ozuna have given early leads, which we lost.
But, when the middle or bottom of the batting order does something, we win—unless we put people on for Carpenter at the top. Wong gets some big hits to go with his Ks. Bader hits 209, but a lot of those hits lead to runs. The top of the order seems to get hits and then ground into DPs.
Edman and McNeil at least get singles. McNeil hasn’t shown the power in the majors.
We had Goldschmidt hit a leadoff double. He stayed at second, moved to third with two out. That happens too often. A leadoff double becomes worthless for us, leads to a run for anyone else.
Just keep Carp on the bench.
Exactly what is the launch angle on a strikeout? Back before we were concerned about launch angles and more concerned with choking up a bit with two strikes to put the ball into play, nobody mentioned launch angles. The Babe didn’t discuss launch angles.
We blew a three run gift. Seems like we aren’t even trying. Weak ground balls or popups from highly paid hitters. I wonder if they get embarrassed?
Three times in five innings, we have had two runners on, only to have the next hitter strike out. That is dumb baseball. We have to emphasize something to stop it. Are salaries too high for a fine to be effective?
When we were good in the sixties, we had McCarver behind the plate, Flood in center, Javier at second, Groat at short (not a great fielder but made the plays). We were solid up the middle.
When Herzog came in 80, the first thing he did was to get Porter to replace a pretty good hitting catcher and a solid closer in Sutter. Then, he got Ozzie and McGee to solidify that middle.
Recently, we had Wong, Molina, and Jay who could get the ball. Peralta didn’t make mistakes.
We need for first, third, left field and right field to provide some stability and offense. You can live with a 220 hitter who can save you a run a game on defense. But, if you can’t save a run, you need to produce a run per game.
Ozuna is a fairly inadequate fielder. But, he does generate some runs. Martinez can generate some hits and runs. Goldschmidt needs to step up a bit. At this point, I think we need to bite the bullet on Carp. I don’t see him as a producer, and he isn’t very good at third. He costs runs and doesn’t produce. Admit the mistake and replace him. Maybe he’d be OK elsewhere.
It would help if we could teach enough to eliminate the shifts. Get away from pull hitting, period. But, slap, whatever. Bader is too valuable on base. We need to find ways to get him on base. Bat him eighth so that they will walk him to get to the pitcher. Might bat him leadoff, even with his average. If he gets on, there is a chance to score, a good chance to drive the pitcher nuts.
Right now, in runs driven in per at bat, Wong should be hitting about fifth. Even with his problems hitting into the shift (and Ks), he does generate runs.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/2019.shtml#all_the40man
I would like to call your attention too baseballreference.com on a team comparison for the players on the Cardinals team. In wins above replacement, the team leaders are DeJong and Wong at 3.2 and 2.0. Nobody else is above 1.4 (Ozuna). In runs above replacement, your leaders are DeJong, 33, Wong, 21, Ozuna, 15, and Fowler, 14. Bader is among the team leaders in both at 1.1 and 12.0. What should that tell you?
The team is strong up the middle: Molina, JeJong, Wong, and Bader with Fowler relieving Bader om center at times. Gyorko and Carpenter are killing us in performance per price. We might have to just eat those contracts if we want a winner. Right now, I would be trying Edman at third.
You do NOT want to hurt your defense. Despite not hitting for high average, Bader and Wong are the best we have in range as Wong once again leads second basemen in coverage. They get to balls that others don’t. Their speed can also lead to runs. A walk to Bader is almost a triple.
We need to look at the BA of individuals again. A leadoff hitting 218 is weak. He doesn’t present a threat if he does get on base. Bader is at 209, but is always a threat to score. It would really help if we got fewer Ks.
Our pitching staff isn’t that bad. Wacha looked OK recently. We could use one good arm, and we may have it with Ponce de Leon. I’m not on high anxiety about pitching, even with Hicks injury. Our relief corps is a lot better than it was earlier in the year. Gant has had one bad performance in two months. I’m not thrilled with Webb’s control. Martinez, Brebbia, and Miller have begun to instill come confidence. Whatever happened to Gomber? Gallegos is OK.
It’s hitting that bothers me. We had a lot of trouble scoring against Miami. Miami.
When does Trout’s contract expire? I had the impression that about half of the show put on for Pujols was an encouragement for free agents to go where they are appreciated. They emphasized Pujols influence over Trout, and they gave Pujols a welcome that I have never seen for another ex-free agent for any team. It was almost like they were trying to get Pujols to talk Trout into coming to St.Louis where baseball is appreciated.
I thought that Molina was brilliant in how he managed the crowd and the situation. It was almost like Mr. Cardinal was making a pitch for free agents to come to St. Louis. You don’t even see retired Hall of Famers get that kind of reception when they return to the parks of the team they represented in the Hall. They may get a standing ovation for a minute—once. Certainly, not four times per game for a weekend.
I don’t know that it is worth as much as an open checkbook, but some may be influenced by their lack of appreciation where they have been. Seems like Harper never gets his due.
I see that Edman has played third at Memphis and Sunrise, never having made an error. Seems like he is OK in the infield, although a bit weak at SS. If we want to remain in the race, we may need to replace Carp. He is no closer to working out his problems than he was in April.
If you examine everyone’s stats in baseballreference.com, you have to wonder if we wouldn’t be better with Wong at about fifth with Bader being given the opportunity to walk more in front of the pitcher. It is useful to have Bader on base.
At 33, I’m surprised that Carp isn’t adapting. Should have learned to work his way out of slumps. But, the shift seems to have him buffaloed. He pops up a lot if he goes to the opposite field. He may be a permanent 215 hitter at this point. Anything we can get for him might be worth it.
It is time to sit Carp. Can the rookie play third? Carp needs a month off. Unfortunate that Gant had probably his worst outing of the year.
I don’t know enough to be qualified to discuss the field of sports journalism. Nearly all readership is down. The internet has hurt.. But, the decline in newspaper readership began before that.
I think a large part of the decline is a tendency to try to put on a show rather than to practice journalism. We see this a lot in all types of media and TV. There is more of an emphasis on putting on a spectacle than in reporting the event. Many of my friends watch the event on TV, but turn off the sound. Rather than reporting, the announcer is trying to entertain, essentially the non-sports fan.
I don’t want to see a sideline reporter interviewing the kids in the stands while play is going on. Report on the game. The color commentary can be taped and shown after the game is over. I’d rather see it on the internet or on a post-game show. Don’t interrupt the game to entertain me. The game entertains me.
Don’t look for controversy in order to satisfy a news outlet. Just report the facts. Put the controversy on a cable show or on the internet.
At the rate that Carpenter and Goldschmidt have been hitting, I would have taken a chance on Flaherty. It is more likely that they make a mistake on the recovery, transfer, or throw than that Goldschmidt get a hit.
I’m more concerned as to why we can’t use a pitcher who can throw strikes rather than hit a batter or walk the winning run across with the bases loaded. Can’t we throw strikes?
We played good ball early. Bader hit a triple to bring in Wong from first with two out.
Then we scored two runs on a double, infield hit sending Goldschmidt to third, an error on an attempted DP, and three walks to Wong, Fowler, and Bader to bring in two.
Then,we had the double by Molina, infield hit by Wong to get him to third, and Fowler gets a single to score Molina. Wong and Fowler steal a base, and a two-run infield single breaks the game wide open—with only one hit that left the infield.
That’s old-style Cardinal baseball. Somebody advancesthe runner to third, and something gets them in.. About the least glamourous 6–1 lead I remember this year.. No Ks when you move runners up, and you score runs.
