Losing to the Cubs is annoying. Especially on the heels of sweeping the Brewers and that six-game winning streak. Not to mention, Lance Lynn’s perfect win-loss record was on the line. Against the Cubs. And, no matter how good of a game it was, Cubs fans will take great pride in rubbing this in. At least for a day, they will.

So yes, losing to the Cubs is annoying. But, it’s not devastating. It’s still just one game.

Rivalries are tough, no matter the opponent. Wrigley is tough, no matter the strength of the visiting team. And, if the Cubbies have had one thing going for them this season, it’s starting pitching. So, getting to Travis Wood wasn’t going to be the easiest of ventures.

Allen Craig made Wood pay for a mistake early, launching a line-drive home run to the bleachers in center field. The Redbirds created a few opportunities here and there after that. Every time there were runners on base, though, they stayed there. No one could bring them on home.

Lance Lynn pitched a beauty of a game. Did you realize he didn’t throw a single pitch with a runner in scoring position? Unfortunately, after Alfonso Soriano looped an ankle-high slider over Craig’s head for a single, Lynn made his only mistake of the night — a 91 mph fastball that caught too much of the plate … and then caught a lot of air as it sailed over the still-brown ivy. Cubs lead, 2-1. This game was probably going to lower Lynn’s average run support, too.

Carlos Marmol tried to give the Cardinals a chance later in the game. In the eighth inning, with chances for the Cardinals running out, Yadier Molina singled off of Marmol with two outs, then proceeded to (barely) steal second on an awkward, good-thing-he-missed-the-tag play. Safe, nonetheless. And, Jon Jay walked. Two on. Two outs. Cardinal Nation’s favorite Cub on the mound. Perfect set up, right? » Continue reading “Cardinals: Rivalry Games Are Never Easy”

A few years back, the Cardinals came up with this crazy idea to invite 40+ amateur writers/photographers/analysts (okay, bloggers) to a special, private event at Busch stadium. Bill DeWitt III and John Mozeliak played along, making themselves available to answer questions and provide insight. And, somehow, three years later, Blogger Day continues!

The Cardinals in recent years have done a great job incorporating non-traditional media into the way they share information. They’re not only committed to their own branches of social media, but they have embraced what we as fans have turned into quite the network of “non-traditional” coverage. And, the Cardinals staff make excellent hosts.

I keep trying to decide how best to describe the experience this past weekend in St. Louis. Last year, (my first at the event) I may have been so in awe of the whole ordeal that I didn’t realize the same things I did this time around. Let me try to explain …

You know how, as a kid, your parents would drag you to dinner with some old family friends, and you would be threatened within an inch of your life to be on your best behavior? It wasn’t like that. At all. Think, instead, about that trip to see your really cool aunt and uncle and your favorite cousins. Sure, they may expect certain things of you, but mostly they just want you to feel comfortable, have the best time, and go home ready to come back again.

Photo courtesy of the Cardinals

It was like that.

The event is a reunion of sorts anyway, since most of us don’t actually live in St. Louis. So, we see one another once or twice a year. The efforts made by the media relations staff to get us all there and coordinated are tremendous each time, and it certainly makes for an even more enjoyable visit to beautiful Busch.

Many who attended last year were greeted by name as we made our way through the executive offices to the conference space where Mr. DeWitt and Mo would soon be joining us. Thanks to Lindsey Weber and Ron Watermon, we collected not only tickets, but also Carlos Beltran bobbleheads.

And, we were just getting warmed up. » Continue reading “Blogger Day 2013: Ballpark Village, Shelby Miller And The Hat Color Conundrum”

 St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with an oblique strain. The Cards purchased the contract of Memphis Redbirds (AAA) Infielder Jermaine Curtis to fill the slot open on the roster.

So who is Jermaine Curtis?

According to MLB.com’s Jennifer Langosch, “Curtis, 25, went 14-for-48 in 17 games with Memphis this season and drove in a team-best 17 runs. In 2012, Curtis led the Double-A Texas League in on-base percentage (.416) while hitting .313 for Springfield. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2008 First-Year Player’s Draft out of UCLA.”

Someone that can get on base and score runs? Oh! Something the Cardinals definitely need.

Welcome welcome, Mr. Curtis!

Now. About Matt Adams. Is it that bad?

According to Langosch, “A day after Adams was seen by the Cardinals’ team physicians, the organization moved him to the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 22. … Adams suffered the right oblique strain on Monday, while taking afternoon swings in the batting cage. He resumed limited activity later in the series but did not appear in any of the three games against Washington. After making his first Opening Day roster, Adams opened the season 13-for-24 with three homers and eight RBIs in eight games. The hot start had prompted manager Mike Matheny to try and find ways to get Adams into the lineup multiple times each week.”

Hopefully, rest will do Adams some good and he will return to the line-up better than ever.

The St. Louis Cardinals took the series from the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday afternoon as Jake Westbrook pitched one gem of a game and the offense ignited in a 10-zip route.

Let’s discuss this game!

* Jake Westbrook. Once again, Jake made his haters shut up as he pitched a complete game shut out. That’s right. Jake Westbrook did that, you guys! He gave up five hits, walked four and struck out three.

In the sixth inning, he pitched himself out of a minor jam that started with him hitting Shin-Soo Choo. He proceeded to strike out Chris Heisey. He walked Joey Votto. Brandon Phillips flew out to center. And, with runners at second and third, Jake struck out Jay Bruce.

Jake walked off the field pumping his fist and beaming with confidence.

It was extremely nice to see for a guy that pretty much gets little respect from this fan base. » Continue reading “Westbrook Rocks As Cardinals Roll Past Reds”

Cards win 5-1 over Reds behind Lynn, Adams & yes, the bullpen.

This was just the kind of bounce-back winner the Cardinals — and all of us fans — needed.

After Monday’s home opener collapse, there was an overwhelming sense of “Maybe we have more problems than we thought we did!” that was fighting against the ever-present logic shouting “It was ONE GAME!”

The reality is, Monday night was a really awful way to lose. But, more telling than one heartbreaking loss would be how this team rebounded the very next day against the very same team … with the very same guys who struggled the night before.

Before Trevor Rosenthal and Mitchell Boggs had their chances to remind us that all is not lost, Lance Lynn was up for a comeback of his own. After pitching only four innings in his first start of the season, we all needed a boost of confidence where last year’s All-Star was concerned.

Ten strikeouts over six innings will do that.

The kid looked good. He looked really good. And manager Mike Matheny commented after the game on just how much fun Lynn is to watch when he’s throwing the ball as easily as he did last night. Mike, I have to agree. » Continue reading “Lesson Learned: These Cards Bounce Back”

Nothing will make up for the San Francisco Giants beating the St. Louis Cardinals in the final three games of last year’s National League Championship Series.

However, chasing Matt Cain from today’s game with a nine-run fourth inning and beating the Giants 14-3 on the day they received their World Series rings? It definitely helps ease that pain a bit, especially after yesterday’s 6-3 victory.

And, after all the (justified) angst following last Wednesday’s 16-inning loss to the Diamondbacks, the Cardinals ended their road trip 3-3. Isn’t going .500 on the road the way to a successful season?

With a great victory like today’s, seems like the perfect opportunity for the first “Good, Better, Best” of 2013.

Good

• Adam Wainwright bouncing back from Monday night in Arizona with a very good performance. He went seven innings, allowing two runs on seven hits with six strikeouts. (More on a couple of those coming up …) He’s yet to walk a batter this season and lowered his ERA from 4.50 to 3.46.
• Every Cardinals starter except Wainwright had a hit today — and that includes Ty Wigginton, who actually had two and an RBI.
• » Continue reading “9-Run Innings Off Matt Cain Are Always Good”

Cards versus D-backs
Winner takes the first series.
Do red hats bring luck?

Not to the pitchers,
Or not tonight anyway.
Lose the red hats, please.

Lance Lynn was in first
And he threw many pitches.
Ninety-four in all.

Only four innings.
Four earned runs allowed — oh ouch.
ERA is 9.

Yet the offense struck
And scored four runs in the third.
Not enough, of course.

Three more in the sixth
From Matt A, Koz and Dan D.
Matt H drove in two.

Yet no lead was safe.
Joe Kelly gave up three runs.
And two were homers.

» Continue reading “Cardinals Lose In 16: A Haiku Review”

With Spring Training wrapping up today and our St. Louis Cardinals heading west to Arizona to take on the Diamondbacks on Opening Day, I thought it would be the perfect time to discuss what we are going to be looking forward to this season.

Matt Carpenter

Here we go!

5. Who will step up? Year after year, it’s never obvious. Last season it was Lance Lynn, Daniel Descalso and Pete Kozma. The year before it was Chris Carpenter, Lance Berkman and David Freese. Every year, someone takes your breath away with how well they step up to the challenge of playing for this team. It’s a beautiful thing! My bets on who steps it up? Obviously? Matt Carpenter. He worked hard this off season to become as versatile as possible in the field in order to get his bat in the line up. You have to admire a player willing to do whatever it takes. But I do think we will be wow’d by several members of this team.

4. Pete Kozma and the Shortstop Conundrum. He won the starting job after kicking it into high gear last season after Rafael Furcal went down. And he just kept it up in the Spring. No matter what the arm chair GMs say, Pete has earned this opportunity and I am pleased that he is getting it.  Let’s let the guy play and prove himself worthy or not before we trade off Matt Adams and Shelby Miller for Troy Tulowitzki — an arm chair  trade proposition that still blows my mind. Some people are super crazy! So… Give him the chance. He’s proven he has quite the bat. He can field and has range. We will know pretty quickly if the Cardinals are needing a drastic change. Descalso is a decent back up and Ryan Jackson and Greg Garcia are going to be excellent options at some point. I know some folks just want the future to be now though… But. Let’s not do that, OK! » Continue reading “Real Baseball? Hooray! It’s Just Days Away”

It will be a few more days before Yadier Molina and Carlos Beltran are back at the St. Louis Cardinals spring training camp in Jupiter, Fla.

Puerto Rico’s 4-3 exciting win over Team USA last night means that they’re in the World Baseball Classic finals in San Francisco, along with the Dominican Republic, Japan and the Netherlands. And last night’s game really was exciting.

Puerto Rico had a 4-0 lead in the sixth before the U.S. scored one in the seventh and two in the eighth, with one on a two-out bases-loaded walk. At that point, J.C. Romero was brought in and he retired the final four batters he faced. (Yes, really. J.C. Romero.)

Yadi was, not surprisingly, Yadi as you can see in this clip when Jimmy Rollins tried to steal in the sixth inning. The video also gives you a hint of the atmosphere during these games, with the horns and the enthusiasm from the crowd (and Yadi’s own reaction). It’s comforting that no one ever seems to learn you can’t run on Yadi. Please continue to try, though …

» Continue reading “Catching Up With The Cardinals: Congratulations, Yadi And Carlos Edition”

Monday morning already. At least it’s now March, although it’s still four (long) weeks until the St. Louis Cardinals start the 2013 season. Plus manager Mike Matheny has a ruptured disc and might need surgery. And who knew that not having surgery for a torn elbow ligament would mean trouble for Rafael Furcal? Shocker! (Except not really.)

Add all of that to more winter weather in the Midwest, and all we’re really up for today is looking at some nice pictures from spring training to help us feel better — right?

Here’s hoping these will help. (All photos from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.)

Feel better yet?

» Continue reading “Cardinals Monday Motivation: More Spring Training Photos”