Pleasant Surprises

It may have been that the Cards got him the early lead and that made a difference.  It may have just been one of those rare games that he obviously still has in him.  It may have been the fact that the Giants offense, though fairly untamed in the first couple of games of this series, really isn't that strong.  It may have been a correction, a sign of things to come.  Whatever it was, it was a very welcome sight last night.

It looked for a while that the offense was going to have a big night, and five runs for this club really is above average, but after a three-run first, Barry Zito settled down and the bats did as well.  A couple of tallies here and there helped, especially after Aaron Rowand's 2-run shot closed the gap in the eighth, but on a normal Wellemeyer night, it'd have been another loss for the Cards.  Thankfully, it wasn't normal.

Another rough night for Chris Duncan, who went 0-4 and left four on base.  Still, I thought Tony LaRussa's idea of putting Yadier Molina in the fifth slot and letting Duncan go sixth was a good one.  Too many times even if the person following Albert Pujols gets on, the inning still sputters. Having a solid bat like Molina's in there would, in theory, help keep that from happening.

Thought about going with Dennys Reyes as the Goat, since he did allow a hit to the only batter he faced, but the runner didn't score thanks to Kyle McClellan so I'll let it be.  Still, it's troubling how often Reyes comes in and doesn't get the guy he was supposed to.  I wouldn't have expected Trever Miller to be the #1 lefty in the pen, but that seems to be the way it has shaken out.

The other surprising thing from yesterday was the Cardinals' bold move in the international market, signing Wagner Mateo to a large contract.  Mateo, only 16, received a bonus larger than any other Cardinal in history, which of course leads to those short-sighted whiners as saying why doesn't Bill DeWitt use his money to help this team instead?  Two points on that, one that a continual focus-now attitude means that you are dry in the future when you need reinforcement and two, I believe that the international budget is separate from the payroll and current team budget.

Personally, I'm kinda intrigued on Mateo.  I'm not anywhere close to a draftnik, so for informed opinion here's the Future Redbirds thread, but to have a young and extremely talented player to look forward to is a great thing.  Everyone kept an eye on Colby Rasmus as he progressed through the system and I'm sure Mateo will be the same way.  It's hard to imagine that he could not make the majors for five years and still be just 21.

Cards are off to Cincinnati this weekend as the team from MLB start getting Busch Stadium ready for the coming All-Star Game.  Joel Pineiro is going for the Cardinals up there in Great American Ball Park.  While Pineiro has had a very good year so far, one of his rare slipups was in Cincy earlier this year, when he allowed five runs (four earned) in six innings.  Couple that with a history of Reds success against him, especially Ramon Hernandez, and a struggle the last time out and there are signs of concern for tonight's ball game.

The Reds counter with perpetual prospect Homer Bailey.  Bailey has been up and down, touted and despised, with the look of a AAAA player.  He's made two starts at the major league level this year and his ERA approaches nine, though that went down after his three-runs-in-five-innings outing last time.  The Cards are going to have to put away the aggressive hitting for a night, though.  Bailey walked seven in his last outing and has 13 walks to five strikeouts on the year.  St. Louis has torched him in the past so maybe that trend will continue.

Speaking of Ohio, I wanted to let my regular reader know that a week from today I will be starting my vacation, a week plus journey into the Buckeye State (where my wife's friends and family are).  While I do always enjoy seeing the in-laws and spending time up there, the highlight of this trip will be at the beginning, as next Friday we are spending the day in St. Louis, mainly at FanFest.  I'm very excited to see some of the All-Star trappings and festivities, even if we'll be in Ohio for the Derby and actual game.

All that to say that, unless I line up a guest blogger this week, there won't be any updates here from the 10th to the 19th.  Hopefully I can get one up before I leave and get back to the groove quickly on the 20th.

Hope everyone has a wonderful, safe, and meaningful Fourth of July!