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Wacha gives up the gopher ball and the lead. 3-1 Phillies.
Are we seeing the usual Wacha regression, or a blip on the radar? Certainly it’s concerning. Lots of 2 strike problems for him.
Jager…Matt Carpenter didn’t show much of his pre 2018 self until he suddenly caught fire in May, either. I’m just not at all excited about the rest of the guys available in trades outside of Machado, and whereas Machado will probably require one of our stud young pitchers plus two B or better prospects, Donaldson might be had for a guy we don’t absolutely need after this year and a B prospect. Both guys are potential 3 WAR guys the rest of the year, although Machado’s floor is much higher given the lack of injury this year.
A strikeout, a grounder and Wacha escapes with a tie intact. Pitch count is high though (story of the last couple weeks, eh?)
Wacha in trouble in the third…two singles and Santana draws a smooth walk to load the bases with one out.
I realize he’s injured, having a bad year and no one really wants him but I’m starting to think that Josh Donaldson might be a risk worth taking. He was still a stud last year and good hitters don’t forget how to hit. The upside is high and it probably wouldn’t take a lot to get him now with his year thus far and his money owed.
Other than Machado, there’s no bigger potential play on the market and the cost difference would be substantial. If Donaldson turns into 2017 Donaldson, you’ve got an anchor in your lineup. If you can put Gyorko or Wong in the deal, you can platoon Marp at 2B/1B and have a pretty decent lineup.
2B Marp/Gyorko or Wong
CF Pham
3B Donaldson
LF Ozuna
1B Jmart/Marp
SS Dejong
C Yadi
RF Bader/FowlerThe cost wouldn’t be outrageous, I wouldn’t imagine. Maybe something like Gyorko/Wong and one of the AAA guys (besides Hudson, I think the Cards like him too much).
Touch up the bullpen and that could be a very good team. If Donaldson flops…you probably needed to clear out Gyorko or Wong after this year anyway and the prospect isn’t a top guy.
Yeah, cause no player who’s had to wait a couple of years to get a starting job has ever turned out well.
C27…Bowman has Reynauds Syndrome which is a circulatory disease. The blisters are the first manifestation of it.
This is a big game for momentum heading into Milwaukee this weekend. Can Wacha put his woeful last start behind him and pitch like the guy we saw for the two months before? Can Arrieta keep getting by with his below average K rate? The Cards could easily have won the first two games…or lost the first two. A series win on the road against a team competing for the playoffs with them would be key.
I think Wacha will be up to the task, but will the offense keep scoring? Having Marp, Pham and one of Martinez or Ozuna rolling sure makes it look a lot more potent and getting Dejong back for the #5 spot would put it solidly above average IMO if those guys keep performing.
Man, how nice would it be if Martinez was even a slightly below average 1B? His contact skills are elite and I’d love to keep him around so long as he’s cheap but the defense is just so bad. I don’t think anyone would value the bat fairly in a trade, either, so it’s likely he’s a Cardinal for a while (which is ok if he’s a platoon/PH guy, the offense can produce without him or the rest of the defense was elite). Unfortunately, none of said parenthetical citations are true for the current Birds.
Pop up and a single and now Hoskins is up. Dangerous hitter here, even though he’s not been nearly as good this year as last.
Course he walked the next guy. Tying run is on and it’s time for Austin to buckle down, Weaver style.
Luke coughs up another dinger, and the deficit goes back to 2. Do we have a Tantalus-style game going on here tonight??