Dave Duncan Speaks: Five Points on Cardinals Pitching

In another slow day in Cardinal Nation, the biggest news would be the interview Bernie Mikalsz did with Dave Duncan.  Let's look at each of Bernie's points.

1) Chris Carpenter is on track.

Like Bernie says, this is the big one.  It's not "we hope he can be ready by mid-May."  It's not "well, he'll have to work himself into shape."  Carpenter gets to go through spring training just like everyone else, which means that, unless something flares up, he should make the Opening Day rotation at as close to 100 percent as he can be.

Many of the Cardinal bloggers have talked before about how much a healthy Chris Carpenter changes the pitching equation.  While you hate to rely on him until he's shown he can get through the spring, it seems a lot more likely now.

2) Chris Perez and Jason Motte still need work.

Possibly the most salient point out of that part of the discussion is that neither of these guys is guaranteed to be on the roster come April 6.  It's a strong point, though, that if they need to work on another pitch (which is what they are lacking right now, according to Duncan), it's best to have that pitch thrown in a minor league situation to get used to it rather than losing games in St. Louis with it.

3) Closer by committee at the moment.

Which might be even more effective than if they signed Brian Fuentes at about half the cost.  I do like that Duncan acknowledges that Motte or Perez will have the job sooner or later, and that signing a closer to a long-term deal wouldn't be smart.

I'm not big on Ryan Franklin getting many looks in that situation, as he's always been ulcer-inducing for me, and I don't expect Trever Miller to do much closing since he's supposed to be the lefty specialist (unless, of course, there are a bunch of lefties coming up in the ninth).  So if Perez and Motte don't make the team, there may be a need for more members of that committee.

4) More from Joel Pineiro.

And the wise guys in the audience say, "Can he give us any less?"  Duncan's reasons for expecting more out of Pineiro, though, seem to be a little on the hopeful side.  He feels bad about 2008?  I guess that can be a motivating factor, but I'd rather hear we've got a different strategy or he's worked on another pitch.  The other reason—that he's supposedly in better shape—is a little more tangible but still on the iffy side.

5) Josh Kinney is exciting.

Even though Duncan didn't mention him in the answer to No. 3, I would be surprised if Kinney doesn't get a few looks at the closer role.  I don't think he'll claim it for his own, but he could get a save or two every couple of weeks. There's no doubt that, when he's been healthy, the results have been there.

Bonus stuff

Kyle McClellan to the bullpen.  That is, assuming Carpenter is OK.  I know Nick will like to hear that, even as they continue to stretch McClellan out in case something happens.  If nothing else, hopefully this will help his stamina and he won't fade in August and September as he did last year.

No concerns over Miller's health.  You'll remember, of course, the long Cardinal nightmare when it took Miller about two weeks to actually sign, reportedly because something showed up on the physical. Apparently Miller stays in shape quite a bit and could have been pitching for years with the tear.  Why do I now have the gut feeling we'll lose Miller for the year about the third spring training game he appears in?

They like Mitchell Boggs.  This is where I'm just going to have to defer to their opinion, because they know much more about this stuff than I do.  I've just not been all that excited about Boggs, though he still probably could give us more than Pineiro unless Duncan's optimism on him is justified.

Chris Duncan is healthy.  Hang on; you may not have heard me over the wailing some members of the Cardinal fanbase immediately go into when his name is mentioned.  I said he was healthy.  Duncan pere says that it's the first time since before the '07 All-Star Break that he's been healthy.  Just for reference, here are his first-half 2007 numbers.

.288/.340/.547, 16 HR, and 47 RBI in 72 games (59 starts)

If he can regain that kind of hitting stroke, he either is a benefit to the team (no matter what those that claim nepotism say), or he becomes very attractive trade bait.  Either way, it's to the Cardinals' advantage that he stays healthy.

United Cardinal Bloggers Radio Hour is planned for tonight at 9:00 Central.  Still working on finding a host for this one, so you may be subjected to amateur hour if I have to get behind the hosting mic.  If there are topics you want us (guests are scheduled to be Dustin from Whiteyball and The Birdhouse and Don from The Redbird Blog) to talk about, feel free to leave them in the comments, or, better yet, call the show tonight!