June 2009
Greene Back To DL With Anxiety Issues
Constantly disabled Khalil Greene surged back from his DL stint earlier this month and homered in three straight games. Everyone thought the time off may have cured his disorder since the performance was there. Unfortunately, he’s not fully recovered from a disorder that most players don’t want to admit they have.
Many players through the years have had this problem, such as Zack Greinke, and he’s recently overcome a long battle and putting it all together for a stellar season. Greene’s replacement on the shelf came as a surprise, but then again, he was playing third, a position the Cardinals just acquired in Mark DeRosa.
Hopefully, Khalil can get back on track which would be great for the Cardinals. He’s shown signs of solidity when he had his best season in San Diego. Brendan Ryan has been playing a great shortstop defensively for the Cardinals while swinging a pretty consistent stick. I truly hope Khalil can get his issue treated, and wish him the best. Good luck Khalil.
DeRosa Deal Done, Joins Cardinals
Just as many suspected, the Cardinals were quietly looking for a constant at third base. It’d been rumored that Garret Atkins was a possibility, as well as Mark DeRosa. Tony LaRussa didn’t feel like waiting til the July trading deadline neared as he wanted the trigger pulled on the deal before July could even come around. DeRosa mentioned that he suspected something could’ve been up since he was held out of the lineup on Saturday night. The Cardinals and fans were happy something was up and welcomed him to a standing ovation on Sunday as soon as he buttoned up his uniform (minus the two top buttons of the uniform he never finds).
St. Louis had been in talks with Cleveland for a short while, wetting their appetites with flame-throwing right hander Chris Perez, 23, who was thought to be first in line for the closers role at the start of this season. Perez had lost weight in the offseason, but struggled early in the season. Cleveland had hopes of competing in the AL Central and getting back to the playoffs as they did in 2007. The Indians acquired DeRosa in the offseason hoping he’d be part of the missing piece they needed to get to the next level, but had failed to meet expectations (31-46, 5th in the AL Central).
The Birds possesed a surplus of right-handed relief pitching and with Jason Motte appearing to pass up Chris Perez in the depth chart, it made Perez expendable. Cleveland needs all the help they can get to bolster a meak pen, which made Chris exciting to them. Afterall, Perez has power stuff, and is very young. The deal will also send a player to be named to cleveland, which will be chosen later in the year from a list of players the Cardinals and Indians agreed upon.
Acquiring DeRosa not only gives the Cardinals an option at third base, but bolsters the versatility of their club. In his first game in St. Louis De Rosa played left, and showed off his glove making a tumbling catch. DeRosa shows that the Cardinals fully believe they are in it to win it this year, and shows commitment to winning. Upon finalizing the deal, General Manager John Mozeliak was asked if this will nullify any other deals the Cardinals could make before the trade deadline. Mozeliak didn’t comment.
A battle for first place in the division is in full swing with Milwaukee as the Cardinals and Brewers are deadlocked atop the division. Cincinnati is surprisingly sitting at 2.5 games back. Brad Thompson mans the bump for the Cardinals tonight against San Francisco ace Tim Lincecum. Look for DeRosa to be the impact player the Cardinals are hoping him to be.
Pair Of Aces Square Off At Citi Field
Mets ace John Santana looks to take his eight wins sub 3.5 ERA into New York and come away with a victory against the Cardinals. Santana brings electric stuff to the table and is hands down one of the best pitchers-if not the best-in all of baseball. His fastball moves and jumps out of his hand, but it’s his change-up that does the real damage. His 97 strikeouts rank him eighth in the majors in whiffs. In his only start against the Cardinals, which came last season, he tossed a six hit gem. The nearly 17 million dollar man yielded only one run (earned) and fanned five in a complete game victory.
Opposing him is St. Louis ace, Chris Carpenter. The 6’6″ work horse goes into the new Citi Field with a lifetime 5.09 ERA against the Metropolitans. Following two trying and injury plauged seasons, Carp looks to be back to his old self, the Cy Young type pitcher that you can count on to end a losing skid or wrap up a series. The 2005 Cy Young brings his 5-1 record to New York as well as a sub 1 WHIP which is the best among all starters with at least 50 innings pitched. Through 58-2/3 innings, Carpenter has only put nine men on base via the walk, a great stat to have on your side as a starter, not to mention his 1.53 ERA.
After a trouncing from the potent Met offense, Carpenter looks to stifle the Mets and fly out of New York with a split in the four game series. Following the game tonight in Queens, Cardinals make their way back home to face Minnesota. In the finale of the Twins series, the Redbirds will face my favorite pitcher, Francisco Liriano. I look forward to the matchup.
Birds’ Bats Red Hot In K.C.
The I-70 series against the Kansas City Royals has treated the St. Louis hitters extremely well as their bats have heated up immensely. Albert Pujols who is seemingly always hot has continued his All-Star pace with a homer and four RBI’s in the series. Recently activated Khalil Greene homered in back-to-back days, a solo shot and a three run bomb. Ryan Ludwick has picked up where he left off with a grand slam on Friday and a follow up two hit game on Saturday. Colby Rasmus enjoyed the first four hit game of his career on Friday which sparked the Cardinals offense early and often.
Although, the offense has been blistering K.C. pitching, the Cardinal starters have thrown the ball extremely well. Brad Thompson gave the Cardinals seven solid innings only giving up four runs on Friday and earned the victory, his second of the season. Veteran Chris Carpenter went deep into eighth-inning, before being relieved by Trever Miller with two outs. Carpenter scattered only three hits over seven and two-third innings, yielding only one run and fanning six Kings. Chris earned the victory to improve to 5-1, with a season ERA of 1.53. After two seasons of injuries the Cardinals are glad to have the ace of their staff back, and it’s paying dividends.
Winning last night pushed the Cardinals into the first place slot, where they stand alone. Only a half game separates them and the Brewers, but as the season progresses the more your’re in first place, the better chance you have. Although, it’s only a matter of time before Chicago finds their groove and explodes offensively, so it’s now or never for the Cardinals to separate themselves from the pack.
Cardinals Need Consitencty At Hot Corner
With powerhouse slugger Troy Glaus on the DL since the start of the 2009 season, the Cardinals have struggled to find any sort of offensive consistency from third base. Early in the season the Birds tried a platoon of Brian Barden, David Freese, and Joe Thurston which didn’t have the same impact as a bat like Glaus. Manager Tony LaRussa has yet to name a starter, but it’s clear that Thurston has won LaRussa over based on the playing time he’s received.
Uncertainty surrounds the return of Glaus, who blasted 27 homers and drove in 99 runs behind Albert Pujols. Glaus provided a protection that was imminent in Albert’s production, as well as Ryan Ludwick, but other than Pujols the offense has sputtered. The Cardinals should look to a team who is looking to deal a third-basemen that can hit with some power to protect Fat Albert. Cleveland’s Mark DeRosa would be a great fit in St. Louis. DeRosa has a flare for the dramatic and can play multiple positions at a very high level. Not to mention he can rake. If Arizona feels they want to dismantle a little of their roster, Mark Reynolds would also be a nice fit for the Cardinals. He provides a power, the defense is somewhat shaky, but he’s young which is an upside. Colorado could provide Garret Atkins as long as they don’t have double-digit win streaks anymore. Atkins is a proven power but, is somewhat prone to the strikeout, but plays pretty solid defense and would be an upgrade from the inconsistency the Cardinals are dealing with now.
It’s only a matter of time before teams start to give Pujols one hittable pitch a game, if that. With teams not afraid to pitch to any other player in the lineup, the Cardinals desperately need someone to fill the void of “the protector.” Hopefully, sooner the team will look to acquire someone sooner rather than later.
redbirdfan13
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