Wrapping Up The Road Trip

OK, where were we?  Ah, yes, catchup time.  Let's just hit the highlights, since you all know what's happened.

Thursday at Florida (6-5 win)
Hero: Ryan Franklin.  Rick Ankiel was close with three hits and three runs, but having Franklin go almost two innings and lock down a come-from-behind game was huge.

Goat: Todd Wellemeyer.  Two home runs to Ross Gload?  Really?  Close second was Brendan Ryan, with his 0-5 in the leadoff slot.

Notes: I'm glad to know that Colby Rasmus actually had a physical reason for not starting this game, but I'm also glad that it wasn't enough to keep him out of the game entirely.  Nice bit of pinch-hitting for the rookie.

Friday at Cleveland (7-3 loss)
Hero: Albert Pujols.  Two hits, including a home run.

Goat: Dennys Reyes.  It's hard to pick a bullpenner to take the tag, but Reyes had a hit, a walk, and a run in zero innings pitched.  Jason Motte and Kyle McClellan did their best to put the game out of reach as well.

Notes: Mark DeRosa really wanted to showcase himself in this series, it seems like, and it started early....you know the game is changing when you have two steals, from Pujols and Ryan Ludwick.

Saturday at Cleveland (3-1 win)
Hero: Albert Pujols.  Two homers will do that.  Brad Thompson had a strong outing as well, which always is good (and, in my mind, surprising) to see.

Goat: Rick Ankiel.  Not the day to go 0-4 in front of Pujols.

Notes: What's up with Yadier Molina?  His fourth steal of the year.

Sunday at Cleveland (3-0 loss)
Hero: Yadier Molina.  Kept the Cards from being no-hit.

Goat: Nick Stavinoha.  Lots of people went zero for Sunday, but Nick left four on base while he was doing it.  Ankiel didn't do much either, striking out three times.

Notes: What can you really say about an almost no-hitter?

So now what?  The Cardinals sit a game out of first place and could have been tied for the top slot had the Cleveland bullpen been able to, I don't know, get someone out last night against Milwaukee.  That said, there are few in Cardinal Nation that feel extremely strongly that this is a playoff team.

I mean, DeRosa would be nice, but would that really be the missing piece of the puzzle, when Brad Thompson and Todd Wellemeyer are in the rotation?  I hate to lump Wellemeyer in that group, but it's starting to look like he's not going to revert to the 2008 form for any long stretch of time, for whatever reason.

We've seen a little more offense in the last few days, but does anyone think that April's returning?  Pujols is Pujols, of course, and Rasmus has looked pretty good.  You still have the fact that Ludwick's BABIP is so low, which means he should be primed for a bounce, and Ankiel has looked a little better recently.  Still, even if those four get going white-hot, you have to have people getting on for them.

Skip Schumaker isn't helping out as much as I was thinking in the leadoff slot.  Brendan Ryan has shown some life, but you can't completely count on him yet.  We know that third base has been such a void that the front office is moving Khalil Greene over there (more on that in a bit).  Molina's settled into the .260 range instead of the .300 range.  Where do you start fixing?

Not that this season is over by any stretch, don't get me wrong.  With a healthy Chris Carpenter and an effective Adam Wainwright, the Cards shouldn't go too long between wins.  The problem is going to be figuring out just what can get them into position and if the front office has enough bullets to make it all happen.

Khalil Greene to third, huh?  I wouldn't have thought it, though I see where he was a third baseman in college, so it's not a complete shock.  And with the Cardinal propensity to move anything that's not nailed down (i.e. Pujols), you had to guess something like this would happen.  It does seem strange to give a guy with anxiety issues something new to do in front of a huge fanbase, but maybe if he's having to think more about what he's doing he'll be less worried about how he's doing it.  I also think this should be an effort to keep the Cards from appearing desparate in trade talks.  Whether either will work, I don't know.

Of course, with an off-day yesterday, it gives time for a topic to be fleshed out.  This time, as it will be often in the next couple of years, it's Pujols.  Bernie Mikalsz says sign him already, Brian Burwell says, hey, maybe he doesn't want to sign right now, ever think of that?

What there needs to be is honest dialogue between Pujols and his representatives and the front office.  Even if they aren't talking specific terms, they need to be letting him know this is what they are trying to do, this is why they think it'll work.  Pujols has been adamant about wanting to win, but he wants to do it in St. Louis if at all possible.  I think if the front office keeps him in the loop, as it were, it'll bode well for them when it's time to talk numbers.

Today, 1:30 Central, Blog Talk Radio, Ozzie Smith and I talk a little bit.  I plan to ask him about Khalil's move as well as if he's glad he played before bloggers!