Cardinal Blogger Shuts Up, Cardinal Offense Heats Up

You can read a description of some of these games in my weekly Baseball Digest column, so let's summarize before talking about Kyle Lohse's surgery and its implications, the return of Aaron Miles (say what?) and the Memphis shuttle.

Wednesday (Padres 2, Cardinals 1 in 10)

Hero: Skip Schumaker.  Two hits, including a two-out double in the ninth that kept the game alive, and scored the only run.

Goat: Matt Holliday.  0-6 with two strikeouts.

Notes: At least they rallied.  They could have easily given up in the ninth and taken another 1-0 loss, but this team never does lay down and almost always makes the ninth interesting.

Thursday (Cardinals 8, Padres 3)

Hero: Brendan Ryan.  Great to see him have a big day with four hits, including a home run.  That seemed to key the offense.

Goat: Blake Hawksworth.  On a day when almost everything went right, when you give up three runs in a inning plus, you get the tag even when it didn't make much difference in the game.

Notes: Not sure exactly what magic they found here, but glad that this wasn't a one-time thing.  Albert Pujols went yard and almost did twice, so he seems to be finding his stroke.

Friday (Cardinals 7, Cubs 1)

Hero: Ryan Ludwick.  Two extra base hits, including a home run that made it serious.

Goat: Skip Schumaker.  Both he and Brendan Ryan were 0-4, so you really could flip a coin here.

Notes: As I noted in my Baseball Digest column, this was the epitome of the Cardinals' feast or famine outlook.  They score five runs before they get a single out (forcing a change in pitchers), then don't score again until the ninth.

Saturday (Cubs 5, Cardinals 0)

Hero: Matt Holliday.  The only person that kept Carlos Silva from threatening to no-hit the club.

Goat: Colby Rasmus.  0-3 with three strikeouts and an error.  Pretty much a day you'd like to forget.

Notes: Not a terrible job by Adam Ottavino in his major league debut, though six walks is well on the high side.  We'll see if he's got better command in Milwaukee this weekend after some of the first start jitters are gone.

Sunday (Cardinals 9, Cubs 1)

Hero: Albert Pujols.  The man is back.  His second three home run game in Wrigley.

Goat: Yadier Molina.  0-5 on a day when most everyone was getting on base one way or another.

Notes: Adam Wainwright continues to be a stud.  I don't think there's any doubt he's the ace of the club now.  Great to get a series win in Chicago as well!

Monday (Cardinals 12, Reds 4)

Hero: Jaime Garcia.  Not only did he pitch effectively, coming back after the rain delay and settling in, but he also was 2-2 with a key walk at the plate.

Goat: Man, talk about a game without a Goat.  All the starters got hits and almost all of them got RBI as well.  The relief pitchers were very effective.  I guess we give Yadier Molina another one because he "only" got a hit and a walk in five plate appearances.  But I don't feel good about it.

Notes: Just a great way to spend a holiday.  It was a little surprising that Garcia came back after the rain delay, but it didn't seem to bother him too much after that first inning back.  Loved seeing the offense just click for a day.

Tuesday (Reds 9, Cardinals 8)

Hero: Colby Rasmus.  Hated seeing the strikeout in the eighth, but he'd done enough by then to get the tag, with three hits including an early game-tying home run in the first.

Goat: I was going to go with PJ Walters when he allowed a two-out, two-run single after looking to escape a bases-loaded jam unscathed.  However, Dennys Reyes went and topped that.  After the Cards get a lead, he immediately comes in and allows two runs (well, Hawksworth allowed a sac fly and the run was scored to Reyes, but the point holds).  The worst part of this is that he couldn't get out Joey Votto and Jay Bruce in that span, both of whom are the type of lefties he is supposed to shut down.

Notes: If this offense is going to stick around, you'll never be able to quite count them out.  Even as the game got later, I kept expecting them to put that tying and go-ahead run across and, while they weren't able to, they kept getting chances and sooner or later, chances pay off.

It was interesting to read the PD story today about Tony LaRussa letting Jon Jay try to win the game.  Jay has started to really come around and it's interesting that he is still here after Allan Craig and Joe Mather have been sent down.  When you read through LaRussa's reasoning, it completely makes sense that you don't bunt Jay there.  Besides, sac bunts are overrated, right?  You wouldn't expect Jay to necessarily be doubled up, though that's what happened.

I had to do a double take when I saw Aaron Miles in the dugout last night.  I really thought that the signing of Miles would be one of those depth issues, that if two or three or ten people got hurt, Miles would be available.  Yet yesterday saw him called up in exchange for Allen Craig.  

Can't say I'm thrilled with that, since I was one that figured we'd gotten all we could out of Miles and had no problem with him signing with Chicago.  Since then he's hit .185 and been traded/released by three teams.  I guess he's an OK bench guy, but if he starts more than once a week, the team's in trouble.

The first time I wrote this post, this section had a nice discussion of the Lohse injury and the pitching possibilities on the market.  Since that didn't get kept, it'll be another post soon.  I know you are devastated, but I hope you can hold out.

Cards and Reds tonight for first.  Sam LeCure goes for the Reds, and he's one that the Cards haven't seen before.  Then again, he's only got one big league start so nobody's seen him before.  He didn't get rocked his first time out (which may give the Cards an edge, since they always get dominated by pitchers they don't know but the rest of the league kills) so we'll have to see how that pans out.

If it is a pitcher's duel, the Cards at least have an adequate weapon.  Chris Carpenter usually does pretty well against Cincinnati:

	PA	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	SH	SF	IBB	HBP	GDP
Ramon Hernandez	28	27	4	1	0	0	2	1	5	.148	.179	.185	.364	0	0	0	0	1
Brandon Phillips	26	24	4	2	0	0	5	1	4	.167	.200	.250	.450	1	0	0	0	2
Orlando Cabrera	21	21	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	.143	.143	.143	.286	0	0	0	0	1
Scott Rolen	19	16	4	1	0	1	2	1	4	.250	.368	.500	.868	0	0	1	2	1
Miguel Cairo	17	15	4	1	1	0	2	1	4	.267	.353	.467	.820	0