It’s amazing what nine innings of stellar pitching can do, when combined with a timely hit or two.

Jaime Garcia was back to his brilliant self, tossing eight innings (on 92 pitches) and allowing only one run. His teammates were struggling against Bronson Arroyo for much of the night, but Garcia did enough that one swing of the bat could change the whole story.

Matt Holliday apparently liked that idea. After Carlos Beltran singled, Holliday blasted a critical (some would say “clutch!”) home run to give the Cardinals their first lead in a game since Saturday. Only those two runs would score for the Redbirds, but with Jaime going strong, and Edward Mujica ready for the save, that would be enough. The Cardinals picked up win No. 15 on the season, and snapped a three-game losing streak.

I guess one way to keep the struggling bullpen from wasting quality starts and late-game leads is to pitch well enough to not need them! (Also, as a side note, look at Garcia, fielding his position! He was all over the place yesterday, chasing down slow rolling balls and firing down to first for the outs. Well done, sir!)

No, this win didn’t solve all the problems the Cards have had lately. The offense didn’t come bursting out of its funk with double digit runs. But, a win’s a win. And a win is just what the Cardinals needed to end the first month of baseball on a good note.

Let’s look at that note, shall we? » Continue reading “Holliday Helps Jaime And The Cardinals Finish April Right”

Opening Day at Busch Stadium is, of course, a one-of-a-kind event — and yesterday was no exception.

Here’s a look at some of the highlights of Opening Day 2013 (the pre-game, mostly), which included our favorite traditions as well as a touching remembrance of the Greatest Cardinal of Them All. Photos are courtesy of Kelly and Nicole — thank you both for sharing!

It’s always that sea of red on Opening Day. (Photo by Kelly)

» Continue reading “The Best Of Cardinals Opening Day”

St. Louis Cardinals fans learned over the weekend that David Freese and Jason Motte both have injuries that may land them on the disabled list for the Opening Day, April 1 in Arizona.

Not good. Not good at all.

This of course means we need to send our favorite third baseman/World Series Hero and The Closer our well wishes! So here we go!

First off? Jason Motte:

Former Cardinals slugger and hitting coach Mark McGwire gives Jason Motte a beard scratch after saving a game last season.

In 2011, Jason led the Cardinals by shutting down games in the ninth inning. He wasn’t considered the closer by then manager Tony LaRussa but he definitely worked the role and in brilliant fashion that lead the Cardinals to their 11th World Series Championship. In 2012, Jason became The Closer and earned 42 saves. Boom. » Continue reading “Get Well Soon Notes For Freese, Motte”

There’s news out of St. Louis Cardinals camp this morning, and it’s not very good.

From Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Cardinals closer Jason Motte has what the club is describing as a “mild strain” in his right elbow that will keep him off the mound for at least week as the team explores the severity of the injury and potential treatments.

General manager John Mozeliak said Motte will “likely” start the season on the disabled list with the flexor muscle strain, which is considered a slight tear of the tendon.

As for who will take over the closer’s role, Jenifer Langosch of Cardinals.com provides this update:

With Motte sidelined, the Cardinals will hand the closer duties over to Mitchell Boggs, who was the team’s set-up man last season. The development also means that both Joe Kelly and Shelby Miller are likely to be on the team’s Opening Day roster. The two remain in competition for the fifth rotation spot. Whoever doesn’t win the job is expected to slide into a bullpen spot.

And like Miranda wrote yesterday, it does seem like Miller is the one who’ll be in the rotation and Kelly in the bullpen.

» Continue reading “Add Jason Motte To The Injured Cardinals List”

Dear guys,

Now that the Super Bowl is over, next up — finally — is baseball. It’s just over a week now until you’ll all be in Jupiter, Fla., with Yadi and Tony Cruz and the minor league catchers and the St. Louis Cardinals will finally start moving toward the 2013 season.

Ah … Last October seems like forever ago, so it’s good that our countdown is in the single digits.

As if that alone isn’t enough to get me excited, the season preview articles I’ve read in the past couple days just up my admiration for you collectively all the more. There was this in USA Today last week, “Healthy staff generates optimism in St. Louis,” and a Yahoo Sports preview too. And Jenifer Langosch wrote the “Cardinals boast remarkable depth in rotation,” which of course doesn’t mention all of you in the bullpen who also are a strength of the team.

Pitching, and pitchers, have fascinated me for years, going back to my own very brief and ill-fated softball pitching career. Because you don’t realize, or at least I didn’t, the power the pitcher has over controlling the game. The pace, the momentum, the outcome — it’s all right there, resting on you and when you decide to throw that ball and set the next play in motion.

(And when you walk batter after batter after batter, and your coach ignores your frantic glances to the dugout as you internally plead for him to take you out of the game, so you keep walking batter after batter … well, it stays with you for a very long time. Obviously. Plus, way back in 2000, my own experience made me want to hug Rick Ankiel. And, more recently, made me feel sorry for Ryan Franklin. But enough of that …)

» Continue reading “Cardinal Love Letter: The Pitching Staff”

The Closer apparently got a pretty nice pay day Tuesday, will avoid arbitration and continue shutting things down in the ninth for the Birds on the Bat.

According to Derek Goold of the Post-Dispatch, the two-year deal is worth $12 million.

Per Goold:

Motte’s agent submitted a request $5.5 million and the Cardinals countered with an offer of $4.5 million.

He’ll make $4 million in the coming season and $7 million in 2014.

According to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com, Closer Jason Motte has inked a two-year contract with the Cardinals that will buy out his final two seasons of arbitration-eligibility. At the end of the deal, Motte will be a free agent.

Per Langosch:

By signing Motte for more than the requisite one year, the club receives cost certainty and will not have to go through the arbitration process with Motte again next year. Motte, on the other hand, receives financial security regardless of his 2013 performance.

Motte earned $1.95 million in 2012, which was his first full season as the Cardinals’ closer. He saved a National League-high 42 games and held opponents to a .191 batting average. He is one of only four Cardinals to ever reach that 40-save plateau.

Langosch reported the Cardinals announced the agreement on Tuesday afternoon and will turn their attention to finalizing 2013 contracts with David Freese and Marc Rzepczynski, the club’s two arbitration-eligible players who remain unsigned.

Miranda is a contributor to Aaron Miles’ Fastball and is lead writer for Aerys Offsides. Follow her on Twitter, @missmrianda. 

Get ready, world. Baseball is almost back. The kick-off event for St. Louis baseball is taking place this weekend in the form of the Winter Warm Up, the Cardinals Caravan, and the Baseball Writers Dinner, and more. It’s a lot to take in, so it was awfully nice of the Cardinals to spell it all out for us.

Take a deep breath … okay, go.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (January 17, 2013) – The 17th annual Cardinals Care Winter Warm-Up (#WWU), the Cardinals Caravan (#CardsCaravan) and the 55th annual St. Louis Baseball Writers Dinner highlight a busy Cardinals-themed holiday weekend that unofficially kicks off the 2013 baseball season.

Winter Warm-Up – the largest fundraising effort for the team’s charitable fund, Cardinals Care – returns to the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch Saturday, January 19th through Monday, January 21st (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) with appearances by a variety of current and former Cardinals players. In addition to familiar favorites, fans will have their first opportunity to greet offseason acquisition Randy Choate and the team’s 2012 first-round Draft pick, Michael Wacha. Both are scheduled to appear on Saturday.

“Winter Warm-Up is our favorite way to bring together players and fans as we work to care for kids in the community,” said Michael Hall, Vice-President of Community Relations and Executive Director of Cardinals Care. “Not only is the event a fun-filled weekend with something for everyone to enjoy, our fans are helping us make a real difference throughout Cardinal Nation.”

For Winter Warm-Up information, and to learn more about Cardinals Care, visit cardinals.com/winterwarmup.

That’s only the beginning, because at the very same time, the annual Cardinals Caravan kicks off the 2013 tour. » Continue reading “Baseball’s Weekend Return: Winter Warm Up And More”

We asked for your votes on the 2012 Cardinal Blogger Awards a couple weeks ago — now it’s our turn to weigh in.

Player of the Year

Chris: No thought required on this one: Yadier Molina, of course. His list of awards recognizing his performance this season is already long and includes a fourth place finish for National League Most Valuable Player, and he was our very easy choice for 2012 Cardinals BAMF (which I’m sure means as much to him as that MVP finish — right?) It’s also great to know Yadi will continue being his BAMF-self for the Cards into the future.

Tara: Yadier Molina. No explanation necessary

Miranda: Yadier Molina. Amazing season for the team’s leader. He really stepped up to be the teammate and player we all knew he could be. And, he’s fast! Who knew?!


Pitcher of the Year

Chris: Jason Motte. Perhaps an unconventional choice, and I did consider Kyle Lohse, but I found Motte’s performance in his first full year as closer impressive. He tied Craig Kimbrel for the NL lead in saves with 42 and he became only the fourth Cards closer to ever have 40 saves in a season (joining an impressive list of Bruce Sutter, Lee Smith and Jason Isringhausen). Plus he received a beard massage from Mark McGwire regularly — no other Cards pitcher can say that. (And, sadly, Motte won’t be able to anymore either.)

Tara: Jason Motte. League-leading saves, plus joining the exclusive 42-saves club? Yeah.

Miranda: Kyle Lohse. Consistently great all season. I’ll miss him!
» Continue reading “Our Choices For The 2012 Cardinal Blogger Awards”

Thanksgiving is later this week, which means that Black Friday is as well. And the Cardinals have a perfect gift that will be available that day: tickets to the Winter Warm-Up.

(And, of course, the new alternate jerseys will be widely available starting Friday too.)

The Winter Warm-Up is Saturday, Jan. 19, through Monday, Jan. 21, at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch. The event times are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday.

Past popular attractions will return for 2013. Fans can interact with their favorite players through autograph sessions, play interactive games, share memories with Hall-of-Famers, meet Fredbird, find collectable memorabilia, bid on one-of-a-kind items at live and silent auctions, experience live presentations, and ask questions of players, owners, scouts, broadcasters and officials at Q&A sessions.

The prices for admission passes, which are valid for all three days of the Warm-Up, will remain the same as the last few years – $40 for fans age 16 and over, $10 for children age 5 to 15. Kids under 5 are admitted free of charge. Members of the military, police and fire departments with an active ID will receive one free adult pass, which must be obtained in person at the Busch Stadium administrative offices. Autograph tickets will be sold online beginning Wednesday, Dec. 19, through Monday, Jan. 14.

Tickets can be purchased online at cardinals.com/winterwarmup, in the official Cardinals Team Store at Busch Stadium and at Cardinals Clubhouse stores located around St. Louis.


The fact we generally refer to Albert Pujols as “That Guy Who Used to Play First Base” might show our feelings regarding him leaving the Cardinals, but he does still live in St. Louis and the Pujols Family Foundation is still there as well. And he still does great work within the community. Last Sunday, Albert recruited some of his former Cards teammates for the fifth annual Pujols Family Foundation All-Star basketball game — and it sounds like it was a terrific night.
» Continue reading “Catching Up With The Cardinals: Weekend Edition”

Another day, another award for Yadier Molina. (Not that this is getting old at all.) Yesterday Yadi received the National League Platinum Glove Award, his second and only the second ever awarded. Those eligible for the Platinum Glove are this year’s other Gold Glove recipients, with the winner determined by fan voting — which to me does not make it “arguably the most prestigious defensive award yet” as Jenifer Langosch calls it.

Really? If there were enterprising (and bored) Pirates fans out there, they could have voted over and over and over again for Andrew McCutchen to win. And how prestigious would the award have been then? (You might know that I adore Andrew McCutchen. But he’s not a Gold Glove-worthy center fielder — so certainly not Platinum Glove-worthy. Silver Slugger center fielder? Yes, he rightfully earned that. He’s a great hitter, not a great fielder.)

Anyway, Yadi of course deserves every accolade possible for his defense — congratulations on the Platinum Glove! And Thursday we’ll no doubt find out that both Yadi and Cutch finished behind Buster Posey in the NL MVP race.
» Continue reading “Catching Up With The Cardinals: Sunday Edition”