It was a blustery spring night in Pittsburgh, as Jake Westbrook took his sparkling 0.00 ERA and a chance for career win No. 100 to the mound. Despite the darkening clouds and the inevitable rain storm, Mike Matheny opted not to pull the classic LaRussa “bait and switch” by starting a reliever and saving the starter until after the expected rain delay.

So, Jake began the quest for 100. These Pirates have always presented issues for Westbrook. They have hit .314 against him in the past. As a pitch-to-contact kind of guy, the free swinging Pirates seem to get hits to fall in just the right spots.

Last night, though, it was the Redbirds who struck first, plating two in the top of the opening frame. At starting pitcher loves the idea of throwing his first pitch already up by two. But after an opening strikeout, Jake’s night took a dark turn.

Single after single after single, mixed in with a few untimely errors, and all of a sudden that two run lead was a two run deficit.

Four runs in the first?!? Clearly, Jake’s night — no, his career — was on the brink of disaster!!

Um, okay. Hold that thought.

We all knew Westie wouldn’t hold a perfect ERA all summer. We also knew he’d likely have a bad inning or two, and maybe even a bad game. The task for a pitcher like Jake against a lineup like Pittsburgh’s was a tall order anyway, but the defensive miscues didn’t help. Plus, after that first inning, he came right back with a scoreless second.

However, Mother Nature is apparently a Jake Westbrook fan. In the third inning, the dark clouds that had rolled in opened up and the rains came tumbling down.

One look at the radar, and it was evident there would be no more baseball in Pittsburgh that night. After an extended rain delay, the night was officially called. The stats were all washed away. The starters had a little extra time to rest. And Westbrook’s 0.00 ERA is still officially in tact.

No make-up date for the game was announced.

Instead, we’ll try again tonight with Shelby Miller looking to continue his hot start against AJ Burnett who has just one win in 12 starts (dating back to August) and is two away from career strikeout No. 2,000. Game time is 6:05 p.m. … Hopefully!

Every week, it seems, Wednesday rolls around and here we are talking about Rafael Furcal again. Trouble is, ever since last August the things we’ve had to say about him haven’t been terribly pleasant. Torn ligament. Opting for a surgery-free recovery method. Slow healing process. Should be 100%. Isn’t 100%. Not even 50%. Now there’s a bone spur. Can’t throw. Can’t hit. More pain and inflammation. Shut down completely, seeking Dr. Andrews’s opinion on how to proceed.

Opening day? Doubtful. The 2013 season? Honestly? Questionable.

Here’s the latest from John Mozeliak himself:

Mozeliak said it was his understanding now that surgery won’t necessarily be recommended this time either. But he didn’t want to speculate until the second opinion, beyond that of Dr. George Paletta, the Cardinals’ medical supervisor, had been offered.

“We’ve sent many players to Andrews who don’t have surgery,” said Mozeliak.

But, he said, “Furcal’s situation is up in the air. We don’t know the answer as we sit here on March 4. I can envision us by mid- to late week that we’ll have some finality of direction where we’re going. Right now, we’re in that great area of unknown.”

I don’t know about you, but I’m not such a fan of this “unknown” he speaks of …

What isn’t unknown is this — Furcal is out of the equation now, and potentially for the long haul. If he does end up having surgery, his season is done. If he doesn’t heal enough to feel like he can pick up a baseball without his elbow swelling up, his season is also done. I’m not aiming for doom and gloom here, but there is a very real possibility we don’t see Furcal spend any kind of significant time on the field in 2013. Basically, if he is healthy, it’s a bonus.

Not long ago (but long enough that baseball was still just a conversation about the near future), I was talking with some baseball fans about what the Cardinals needed most this year to give themselves the best chance of winning. As many others have, I pointed to the middle infield, claiming Furcal was the key piece to the Cardinals puzzle. Not that, per se, the team would live or die based on his ability to play, but that, without doubt, his presence — or lack thereof — would dictate how the team could operate.

To keep a long story relatively short, I went on to explain (keep in mind, this was pre-Cedeno) how you could move the pieces around to fill Furcal’s void: Pete Kozma ended 2012 at short stop and could “fill in” (permanently) there again, but he’s relatively unproven. You could move Matt Carpenter to second, and slide Daniel Descalso to short, at the expense of second base defense for that of a quick glove at short. Or, you take a risk on Ryan Jackson who is entirely unproven, and, frankly, doesn’t seem to have the trust of the club. But, if he can’t hack it, and Matty Carp isn’t settled and Dirty Dan has to man second … you get Pete Kozma.

My friend, who sat back and watched the other grizzled baseball guys react to that logic, was quite impressed with my “point-A-to-point-B,” if-then hypothesis.

Impressed or not, you still end up with Pete Kozma. » Continue reading “Furcal Is Out. Is Kozma In?”

Well, we made it! Another off season is in the books, and after only a few days of official spring training, the story lines are coming fast and furious.

Certainly, things started on a disappointing note with the press conference from Chris Carpenter. With the shoulder troubles from last season coming back to haunt him, the 2013 season looks highly unlikely for the long-time ace. Still, Carp did what Carp does — refuse to give up.

Of course, that means a new spot is up for grabs in the rotation. With guys like Joe Kelly, Shelby Miller, and Lance Lynn all vying for a spot, the need to make big improvements is even greater. That’s a challenge our Wolf Pup didn’t take lightly. With a goal of improving his health and physical fitness in place, Lynn “took the bull by the horns” and showed up to came a significantly smaller, and (more importantly) stronger version of his 18-game-winning self.

Also trying to claim one of those five rotation spots is Shelby Miller. The youngster had some issues last season, but by the time he made his way to St. Louis as the heir-apparent, he’d sorted things out. (Who can forget the shutout he was working over on the Reds the last game of the regular season?) Last year, Miller showed up to camp shockingly slim … not what the doctors ordered. This year, though, he’s added the pound back on, and Derek Lilliquist is impressed. That’s a good start. » Continue reading “Keeping Up With The Cardinals: Spring Training Edition”

Note: Kelsey Shea is competing for a spot in the 2013 MLB Fan Cave. She is a life-long Cardinals fan, and would love to represent St. Louis in New York. This is her story, in her own words. 

***

I’m no stranger to the MLB Fan Cave. But I was once…

I was once a girl on a couch crossing her fingers and holding her breath during the 2011 playoff season when a commercial caught my attention. “The most entertaining baseball fan,” it said. That could be me!

On a whim I applied, and out of 22,000 entries came my first Fan Cave campaign. Fifty, and later thirty, of us blogged, tweeted, and interviewed 24/7 in an attempt at the baseball dream job. And I fell just short.

Walking away from the experience, I told people that I wasn’t sure whether I would apply again. But I think I always knew I couldn’t walk away from an opportunity like this.

They call it the “baseball dream job” for a reason: the selected Cave Dwellers spend the entire MLB season in a space in New York City on 4^th and Broadway designed by Extreme Home Makeover’s Paul DiMeo. The main feature is the “Cave Monster” comprised of 16 TVs on which they watch every single game. They get to blog and tweet about their experience, acting as a liaison between fans and players – yes, players! Did I mention they like to drop by?

Kind of hard to resist…So, of course, I’m back for my second shot. And I’m dying to represent YOU, Cardinal Nation! » Continue reading “Help Get Cards-Fan Kelsey To The Fan Cave!”

With Chris Carpenter “very unlikely” for the 2013 season and beyond, several things are clear.

Adam Wainwright will be the official ace of the Cardinals rotation.

Jake Westbrook, while quite frustrating at times, will need to find the consistency button, and be a guy who can go 7 to 8 innings and get some outs.

Lance Lynn will have to be that amazing pitcher we saw at the first of the 2012 season. Remember him? We need him… not the guy who went four innings per outing at the end of the season and that was it.

We need Joe Kelly, Shelby Miller and Trevor Rosenthal to be everything we are anticipating and more.

Sounds like the Cardinals could use another piece to the puzzle doesn’t it?

Oh wait! I forgot!

There is Jaime Garcia. » Continue reading “What Will Become Of Jaime Garcia In 2013?”

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. 

So … here’s what’s happened this week:

Yep. About that much.

To say things are slow would likely qualify as the biggest understatement of the year, and we’re only two weeks in! I suppose no news can be good news. If there was bad news, say, RE: Jaime Garcia or Rafael Furcal, we’d likely be hearing much more. So, business as usual is a good thing, as far as baseball is concerned. For those of us tasked with writing about a team content to sit tight and wait for pitchers and catchers to report? Not such a good  thing.

But, in checking around for some Minor League news, I discovered that while I was at work all last weekend, Cardinals hopeful Kolten Wong answered some questions from Redbird fans on twitter, via the MLB Futures account.

Having been in the Quad Cities when Wong first arrived to make his professional debut, I got a good first look at just what we were in for. I believed then, and still do now, that Wong is exactly the kind of player that makes it in the Cardinals organization. He’s a hard worker, he soaks in instruction, his passion for the game is palpable, and he loves the history of the club.

His answers to fan questions reiterated that.

Here are a few of my favorites:

It’s great to see a young kid with such a solid grasp on what it means to have that legacy behind him. » Continue reading “Kolten Wong: Scrap-tastic Cardinal Of The Future”

Last week, Cardinal Nation seemed to get an early gift to be extra thankful for — Rafael Furcal, 100 percent healed.

According to Derrick Goold, John Mozeliak saw results of the latest MRI that led him to believe the veteran short stop will be ready to go without hesitation, come spring training.

How secure is Rafael Furcal’s place in the 2013 middle infield?

The encouraging news the Cardinals received last week about Rafael Furcal’s right elbow was confirmed Monday by a scan taken of the shortstop’s injured arm, general manager John Mozeliak told a national radio show.

After returning to his offseason home from the Dominican Republic, Furcal met with medical staff in Florida for an MRI scan of his elbow and its torn ligament Monday.

“His ligament looked completely healed,” Mozeliak told “Inside Pitch” on Sirius XM radio. “Right now there’s no reason to think he won’t be ready to go and expect a full year out of him. It’s a little bit of a relief for us.”

Sounds great, right? “Completely healed” sounds fantastic. And yet I found myself struggling to be excited. Honestly, I was struggling to even be “relieved.” Early predictions of mint-condition ligaments, especially without the surgery that tends to be required for a full recovery, are a little less than reliable most times.

So, I was cautious. Skeptical. Hesitant to emotionally buy into Furcal as the 2013 everyday short stop.

But, the great thing about the staff here at Aerys is that many of our talented writers have backgrounds in fields other than sports writing. If you’re a football fan, you’ve hopefully seen the work of Melanie Friedlander at Aerys Offsides. Her “House Call” pieces are a great example of the infusion of her medical background and her sports knowledge! » Continue reading “The Doctor Says: Rafael Furcal”

For people like me who like to have a way to prove a point (or simply to justify an opinion), baseball is a beautiful thing. You don’t have to be a numbers whiz to compare statistics of your team with those of another. Or, you can build a case for, say, an MVP candidate and quantify your reasoning with dozens of different stats.

Because there are numbers to prove it.

You can go old-school with ERA, AVG, WHIP, etc. Or, WAR, ISOP, BABIP … you get the idea.

Just about everything you want to know and compare can be seen in numerical form.

Want to see how Allen Craig compared to That Guy Who Used To Play First Base? No problem.

Or how about the 2012 Adam Wainwright compared to the 2010 version? We can do that.

But, what happens when you want to know the value of a new coach or manager? That gets complicated. There’s no stat line for a hitting coach, or the pitching coach, but their impact is worthy of an argument or two, no?

Okay, where am I going with this?

Last night, I ran across THIS VIDEO where St. Louisan and MLB Network personality Greg Amsinger was defending Yadier Molina’s right to the NL MVP award. Granted, this was before the results were announced. And, even Amsinger acknowledged that Molina’s chances were unlikely. But after rehashing all the numbers and the reasons (with which I agree, by the way!) that could have legitimately earned Yadi the MVP nod, Amsinger made this point: the St. Louis pitching staff — by the numbers we can see — was better in 2012 than in 2011, despite the loss of the greatest pitching coach in the biz, Dave Duncan. Could it be, he supposed, that Yadi, not Derek Lilliquist, was responsible for the pitching improvements?

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a knock on Lilliquist. He had big shoes to fill (to say the least) and he did just fine.

But it is a curious question. With as much credit as Yadi receives for his game-calling skills, and the undeniable respect he commands from the pitching staff — both rookies like Joe Kelly who need his advice, and veterans like Carp who still want it — how much of the pitching success can be attributed to him?

» Continue reading “Cardinals MVP: Molina’s Value (To) Pitchers”

After a two inning performance and an MRI that showed problems, Jaime Garcia has been removed from the St. Louis Cardinals NLDS roster. He has been replaced by rookie sensation, top prospect of the world, Shelby Miller.

According to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com:

Major League Baseball announced today that it has approved a roster substitution for the St. Louis Cardinals due to a left rotator cuff strain and inflammation sustained by left-handed pitcher Jaime Garcia. Garcia will be replaced on the Division Series roster by right-handed pitcher Shelby Miller.

MLB Postseason rules provide that a Club may request permission from the Commissioner’s Office to replace a player who is unable to play because of an injury. The Commissioner’s Office may approve or disapprove the request based on the specific facts and circumstances. In accordance with the rules, Garcia will be ineligible to return in the National League Championship Series, but would be eligible to return for the World Series if the Cardinals advance.

According to Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch, Garcia is going to have a second opinion. Goold said Garcia is hoping to avoid surgery.