Results tagged ‘ Braves ’
Tell me, what’s your fan-ta-ta-sy?
Just a few days or weeks ago–depending on one’s dedication–fantasy baseball drafts were spreading as fast as Rebecca Black’s ridiculous song – “Friday” was being played on youtube.
It was then I realized the two teams I drafted had a hefty amount of talent and could compete, but also had the chance to completely bottom out and be a cellar dweller in a hot second. The 2011 season offers an abundance of players that could prove worthy of those last few picks in the draft.
Late-round players I see with possible big performances, or sleepers if you will:
Russell Martin – After being one of the best catchers in all of baseball just four years ago in Los Angeles, Martin’s production declined drastically, .293 AVG, 19 HR, 87 RBI in 2007 to .248 AVG, 5 HR, 26 RBI in 2010. Now a member of the Yankees, Martin should be geared for a strong season, hitting behind guys like Nick Swisher, Jorge Posada and Curtis Granderson. He should see many more pitches to hit and see at-bats with men on base. Martin could possibly get back to the 20 HR and 20+ SB form we saw in ’07.
Alex Gordon – For many years, expectations have been high for the Royals’ top pick from 2005. However, for as many years as of high expectations, the numbers have been as low. Gordon had been compared to George Brett, which may have been unfair, but many experts claimed the talent was there. Well, 2011 may be the year Gordon puts it all together. He will be playing the outfield, which may take away the stress of playing defense, and allow for more focus at the plate. Look for Gordon to finally tap into the 25+ HR power everyone raved about.
Grady Sizemore – Despite being one of the best outfielders from 2005-2008, Sizemore has been plagued by injuries of late, only appearing in a total of 139 games the last two seasons. He’s starting the season on the 15-day DL, but is slated to be back around May. A guy who has 30 HR, 80 RBI and 25+ SB potential is always worth a look in later rounds, even though starting on the season on the shelf. Consider the fact he has a little protection now with Carlos Santa and Shin-Soo Choo blossoming into solid players.
Craig Kimbrel – With the departure of Billy Wagner, the Atlanta Braves were in search of a new closer. Jonny Venters was the favorite to earn the job out of camp, but Kimbrel dazzled and was named the closer. Last season in 20.2 IP, Kimbrel fanned 40 batters and posted a .44 ERA, thanks to the power arm he possesses. The Braves are considered one of the favorites to win the NL East and could rack up a lot of wins, which need saving. If the 40 save mark doesn’t intrigue fantasy owners, the 17.4 K/9 should.
Kyle Lohse – It wouldn’t be a Cardinal blog without the presence of one St. Louis’ players. In 2008, Lohse’s first year with the Cards, he posted 15 wins and a sub-4 ERA. The last two seasons have been trying for the righty, having both seasons cut short by injuries. Lohse is healthy and able to feature his best pitch again – the slider. If the offense can muster up a few runs and Lohse can stay healthy, he could be in line for another 15 victory season.
Who are your late-round picks or possible sleepers for the 2011 season?
Young Arms Define 2010
The upcoming season in Major League Baseball will be headlined by dazzling, young pitchers.
After an unprecedented 2009, Zack Greinke turned heads while pitching for the consistently cellar-dwelling Royals, and breezed his way to a Cy Young award.
Fire-balling righty Tim Lincecum managed to grab a second straight Cy Young in a somewhat strange voting in ’09. He walked away from the three-man battle with Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright splitting votes between them, which allowed Lincecum to sneak in and snag it away from the Cards’ hurlers.
All eyes will be on that pair, who claimed the two top ranks of fantasy pitchers, according to Yahoo Fantasy Baseball, but will share the spotlight with a plethora of other extremely talented starters the MLB possesses: Felix Hernandez, Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, Jon Lester, Matt Cain, Josh Johnson, Ubaldo Jiminez and J.A. Happ, just to name a few. All age 27 or younger.
All of these are considered the aces of their staff, with exception of Cain and Happ, who play second fiddle to Lincecum and Roy Halladay. Not a bad tandem to pitch behind.
Each considered a power-pitcher, other than Happ and possibly Cain, will use their mid-90s fastballs to turn hitters circles and pile up strikeouts. Cain and Happ will rely on location and off-speed pitches to be effective.
Coincidentally enough, all of the teams other than Greinke’s are looked upon to be competitive in the 2010 campaign.
A widely known fact, pitching dominates hitting early in the year, will undoubtedly give these young men, if I may say that, some early success.
So, make sure to set your DV-Rs and TiVos to record every episode of ESPN’s Baseball Tonight, and I’d be willing to take it to Vegas that you’ll see one of those faces on its’ “That’s Nasty” segment any given night.
Unlikely Contributions Help Cardinals to Title
Of course everyone expects big numbers from Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, and Ryan Ludwick but did anyone expect the performance of say, Brendan Ryan? Colby Rasmus? Julio Lugo? Okay, you’re right, this one might be a stretch. Chris Carpenter?
Carpenter, a former Cy Young winner in 2005 got back to such form this year, after being ridden with injuries for the last two. Cardinals fans and management alike hoped Carp would have a strong season, but did they expect this type of campaign from the veteran? Although everyone in baseball is aware of what Carpenter can do, who really thought he would be healthy all year and be able to rebound the way he did? I mean, he got injured early in the season after taking too intense of a swing. Well, he proved his critics wrong. Big time. His 17-4 record speaks for itself, as does the 2.24 ERA which just-so-happens to lead the National League, and is second in the Show. All of this without mentioning the six RBI game he just had, mashing a grand salami, and a two-run double.
Troubled infielder, Julio Lugo, joined the Cardinals after being designated for assignment by the Red Sox from Bean town. All he did was hit .274, score 22 runs, drive in 12, and swipe five bags. Doesn’t seem like much, right? Wrong. Lugo came over from the AL and sparked the Cardinals the very first night he was a member of the Rebirds, beating the Phillies 8-1. Lugo gives manager, Tony LaRussa, great versatility. LaRussa can use Lugo at second if a southpaw is on the mound, giving Skip Schumaker a day off if need be. Second or short, Lugo can play them both, which again gives his manager the choice to give everyday shortstop, Brendan Ryan, a day off.
Highly touted, five tool player, compared to Jim Edmonds (some say he’ll be better), Colby Rasmus, the 23 year-old rookie. Only 16 jacks, 72 runs scored, and 52 RBIs for the baby-faced center-fielder? He’s so young he tried to grow a mustache with the rest of the team, but took about a month longer than anyone else on the club. On a Cubs broadcast, Len Kasper made a comment about this, it would’ve been funny had it not come from him. His stingy defense in center shouldn’t go overlooked, either. Rasmus only made six errors this season, five in center, and one in right. His speed allows him to roam the outfield like a shark in the ocean. You don’t see many diving catches from him simply because he usually gets to everything and gets under the ball, making routine catches which are diving plays for others. Credit a few wins to Rasmus’ bat, he has more than one game-winning hit this year. Not bad, rookie. Not bad.
Speaking of the stache, can anyone say handlebars? Well, Brendan Ryan can. He plans to grow his upper lip toupe into a Rollie Fingers handlebar stache. How cool is that? Credit the success to the stache. Ryan came into Spring Training this year fighting for a bench spot on the roster and bloomed into the starter when Khalil Greene came in and laid an egg. B-Ry has played in 123 games this year, playing short and second. His range placed him on top of many highlight reels, and is in the running for a Gold Glove. His .296 average has him only a 3-3 or 3-4 day away from a .300 season. Ryan’s hit all over the lineup, first, second, seventh eighth, ninth and has produced all season long. In 385 at-bats, the stache man has only whiffed 55 times and had 114 hits. Could you really ask for anything more from a guy who came into camp competing for a reserve slot? And whoever thought a stache like that would get the ladies? One piece of advice for you, though, B-Ry, don’t shave the stache!
Smoltz’s Success Due to Helpful “Tip”
Sure-fire Hall-of-Famer, John Smoltz, received a helpful “tip” from his teammates and coaching staff once he reached St. Louis in the middle of August, after struggling and being released by the Red Sox.
Pitching Coach, Dave Duncan, makes all of his starting pitchers watch each other while they throw their bullpen sessions, hoping the more eyes watching the pitcher, the better chance of finding something only one pair of eyes could catch. His everyone-watch mentality was key in helping Smoltz figure out what was holding him back from his old form.
The group of starters picked up on something very minor that Smoltz was doing which allowed hitters to gain an advantage: seeing what grip Smoltz had on the ball which allowed them to know what pitch was coming.
After beginning his windup, Smoltz would raise his glove over his head, rock back, and as he rocked back with the ball in his hand, he would move the glove slightly back which exposed the grip on the ball.
Although the tip was very faint, hitters pick up on the smallest details of a pitchers delivery and make them pay the consequences.
Duncan worked on Smoltz’s windup to doctor the dilemma. Results were immediate as Smoltz took the mound against the Padres, bulldozing an already anemic offense. The remainder of his outings have been strong for the most part, exemplifying the presence of Dave Duncan.
It’s evident why Duncan is such a highly touted commodity and noted as one of the best pitching coaches, if not the best, in all of baseball. His success is a testament of the meticulous mentality he possesses.
Late-Inning Longball Pops Corks In Colorado
An unsung hero of the St. Louis Cardinals, Jason LaRue, became a very sung hero on Saturday night with a home run that proved to be the game-winner.
Everyday catcher, Yadier Molina, had to leave the game after taking a ball off of his knee in the 4th-inning. Molina was diagnosed with a bruised knee and is listed as day-to-day. Although, with the Cardinals clinching last night, don’t expect to see him back too soon.
LaRue replaced Molina mid-inning and handled the job extremely well. LaRue isn’t used to seeing much playing time, as Molina gets the bulk of the playing time, but has been very good for the Cardinals off the bench this season. He does the little things that go unrecognized such as, warming up the pitchers before the games, bullpen sessions, and gives maximum effort everyday.
The Cardinals plated three runs in the 1st-inning, and jumped on flame-thrower, Ubaldo Jimenez, quickly. Jimenez would settle in after the 1st-inning, where he would cruise until the 7th. The Rox managed to tie the game on a Brad Hawpe two-run bomb to left off of Adam Wainwright. Jimenez struck out seven in his outing, but couldn’t strike out the first batter he would face in the 7th: Jason LaRue.
Jimenez had been coming at the Cardinals with an abundance of first-pitch fastballs throughout the course of the game, but to LaRue, he broke the mold. A fastball around 95 mph would’ve been the smartest idea to LaRue, a guy who hadn’t swung the bat all night, and who has somewhat of a slow bat anyway.
A slider in the middle of the plate and down was sent packing to left, and found a new home over the wall. Undoubtedly, the offspeed pitch sped up the bat of LaRue, allowing him to take the 85 mph slider out of the yard.
The clutch blast from LaRue gave the Cardinals a 4-3 lead which they would not relinquish.
Workhorse, Adam Wainwright, threw 130 pitches over 8-innings of work. Of the 130 pitches, 89 were strikes, which only had Wainwright issue one walk, which came in the 8th, while fanning 11.
Wainwright struck out the side in the 8th, leaving two runners on base.
Ryan Ludwick came on to pinch-hit in the top of the 9th after Brendan Ryan doubled to left with two down. Ludwick was hitting for Wainwright, who had 2-3 night with two doubles. Ludwick, however, would top both of those hits that Wainwright had, and powered a two-run shot to left. The blast gave Ludwick 92 RBIs and 22 homers on the season, and more importantly made the score 6-3.
Closer, Ryan Franklin, came on in the 9th-inning to shut the door. Franklin gave up a hit and walked a man before recording the last out of the game. Save number 38 was notched for Franklin and a division title for the Cardinals.
Wainwright improved to 19-8, with the Cardinals now sitting at 90-65 on the season.
Manager, Tony LaRussa, wanted to clinch the NL Central on the field rather than have the Cubs lose a game to give the title to the Cards. He went so far to say the Cardinals wouldn’t celebrate until they won a game. The champagne was flowing in the clubhouse, where grown men celebrated with grins and smiles of young kids, which is the beauty of baseball.
LaRue’s game-winning homer is easily the biggest hit of his career, and will stick with him for a long time to come.
Cards Promote Four, Magic Number: Two
Victorious last night, the Cardinals notched themselves one game closer to clinching the NL Central title.
Their magic number has dwindled to two, and with a Cardinal victory and Cub loss tonight, the Birds will be the 2009 NL Central champs.
Redbird offense remained torrid last night, plating 11 runs on 15 hits. Mark DeRosa continued his solid hitting in Houston, going 2-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs. DeRosa has been heating up lately and the Cardinals need him to hit down the stretch.
Rookie, Colby Rasmus, launched homer number 16 and nabbed RBI number 51 in a 3-4 effort at the plate. Albert Pujols drove in another run, giving him 129 on the season, tieing him for first with Prince Fielder.
Joel Pineiro got back on track last night with a solid 7-inning performance allowing only one earned run. His outing lowered his season ERA to 3.24, but more importanly won the game. Pineiro now has 15 wins, which gives the Cardinals three pitchers with 15 or more victories (Carpenter and Wainwright). This is the first time it’s been done since Mark Mulder, Chris Carpenter, and Jeff Suppan did it in 2005. Although, it had been done in 2004 as well with Carpenter, Suppan, Jason Marquis, and Matt Morris.
Also, last night was the championship game in Triple-A baseball, between the Durham Bulls and Memphis Redbirds.
The Redbirds lost the game 5-4 on a wild-pitch in the bottom of the 11th-inning. Memphis trailed 4-0 early in the game, but mounted a comeback to tie the game at four until the 11th.
Memphis won the PCL championship in stunning fashion, not looking back as they did so. There’s good and bad with every situation, the good in this instance: The big club promoted four players to the majors for the stretch run.
Matt Pagnozzi, a fresh face to the Big’s looks forward to making an ipmrint on Tony LaRussa and the rest of the Cardinal staff, as he’s the lone player of the four called up to not have any Major League experience. Although, he’s familiar with the club because his father, Tom, played for the Cardinals throughout the 90s.
Josh Kinney, Tyler Greene, and David Freese are the other three to be called up to the show. The Cardinals are looking to clinch which should give these boys even more motivation than they already have to perform.
Kinney, a reliever comes back to bolster an already somewhat solid bullpen, while Freese and Greene solidify infield positions. Freese and Greene both had some time in St. Louis earlier this year, but are back now with the expanded rosters.
The four look to join the Cardinals in Houston tonight against the Astros.
Wainwright, Pujols Lead Cardinals to Sweep
Another stellar outing from the 6’7″ right-hander, Adam Wainwright, lead his team to victory yet again. Wainwright’s success in Miller Park continued Wednesday afternoon, tossing 7 scoreless innings, striking out 6, while only walking 1. Of the 7 innings, four of them were 1-2-3 innings.
At Miller Park this season, Wainwright has been nearly unhittable. His 22.1 innings pitched allowed him to obtain 3 wins, strike out 24, and have an astounding ERA of 0.40. The Brew Crew has only managed to hit .207 against Wainwright at home, which is better than the .176 average they have against him this season.
Wainwright earned improved to 18-7 on the season and surpassed the 200 innings pitched mark with his performance Wednesday, only the second time in his career he’s tossed as many innings.
Slugger Albert Pujols continued his red-hot pace in Milwaukee, blasting a pair of homers. His 46th and 47th of the season left the field to center and left, respectively.
Pujols raked in 6 RBIs in three games, pounding three bombs, and managing to go only a mere 7-12 in the series. Those RBIs elevated him to 124 on the season, one shy of Milwaukee’s, Prince Fielder.
It’s highly unlikely Pujols will win the Triple Crown this year with his batting average (.331) 26 points behind Hanley Ramirez (.357). His 47 longballs leads the NL and will be in a race for the RBI crown with Fielder and Philly’s Ryan Howard.
Counting Fat Albert out right now isn’t the smartest thing to do, because proving people wrong by his play is what Pujols lives for. I’d hate to be the one who wrote that Albert Pujols wouldn’t be able to catch Hanlay Ramirez in batting average and have him beat him by a point and win the Triple Crown.
St. Louis moved 27 games over .500 and improved to 84-57. The magic number has shrunk to 12, inching the Cardinals that much closer to clinching a division title.
Friday: Pineiro (STL) vs. Jurjens (ATL)
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DeRosa Staying In St. Louis?
Versatile INF/OF, Mark DeRosa, has had conversations with GM John Mozeliak about a possible extension with the Cardinals.
DeRosa was acquired in the later part of June from the Indians for Chris Perez and Jess Todd, both premier pitching prospects in the Cardinals farm system. Soon after coming over from Cleveland DeRosa found himself on the DL with an injured wrist, which will require surgery in the offseason.
Only hitting .245 and collecting 19 RBIs on his 8 homers in 48 games with the Birds. His versatility is a key with the way Manager Tony LaRussa fancies to fill out his lineup card, which makes him extremely valuable to LaRussa.
DeRosa, making $5.5 million this season, will most likely receive a raise if extended with the Cardinals. Mozeliak wants to see DeRosa stick around, but might lose a key contributor in the process: Ryan Ludwick.
Ludwick, injured part of the season, has played in 119 games for St. Louis and has managed to slug 20 homers and drive in 87 while keeping his average above the .270 marker. Although healthy, Ludwick doesn’t play every day with the plethora of outfielders available to LaRussa.
Mozeliak remains reluctant to offer Ludwick a deal that is more than a year long. Injuries have plagued Ludwick in the past, but he seems to have overcome the issues with his knees. An All-Star a year ago, Ludwick still is producing and protects Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday in the Cardinals lineup.
Wainwright, Carpenter Cy Young?
I would love to start this entry with, “St. Louis Cardinals ace” but it’s not possible to pinpoint just one. Chris Carpenter has picked up his old form while Adam Wainwright has molded himself into a Cy Young candidate. Wainwright has always possessed tremendous upside and showed signs of morphing into a top of the line starter last season.
Wainwright, acquired from Atlanta in the J.D. Drew and Eli Marrero deal, was the key chip which the Cardinals received. Wainwright was the top pitching prospect in the Braves farm system and it was surprising they let him go when he’d never pitched higher than Double-A. The Cardinals received Ray King in the deal as well, who was a crucial part of the bullpen on their 2004 pennant-winning team.
Wainwright leads the majors in wins, picking up his 17th last night in Pittsburgh. Cruising through four innings, Wainwright gave up the big inning, allowing six runs, four of those with two outs. Pujols saved Wainwright, blasting a three-run bomb over the wall in left, putting the Cards ahead 8-6, a lead they would not relinquish.
The six earned-runs he gave up were the most he’d given up in one outing all season. He’s won five straight, and nine of his last twelve. His 198 innings-pitched is second only to the Giants’ Tim Lincecum.
Standing in Wainwright’s way of the Cy Young might be his own teammate, Chris Carpenter. A league-leading 2.28 ERA, Carpenter ranks second in the league with 15 wins. His 1.00 WHIP puts him at second in the category, behind former Cardinal, Dan Haren.
With only 157+ innings pitched, Carpenter hasn’t logged the amount of innings Wainwright has, but his 15-3 record speaks for itself. He’s won 10 straight, and hasn’t lost since the 30th of June. In those 157 innings, he’s only given 28 men free passes and has fanned 119, giving him a 4.25-1 K/BB ratio, which is incredible.
After having Tommy John Surgery, Carpenter looks just as strong, if not stronger, than he did before he went down with the injury. His effectiveness after the surgery might give him the slight advantage in the race for the Cy Young.
As the Cardinals surge down the stretch, it will be an extremely large help having those two quality arms, as well as Joel Pineiro and John Smoltz. With those strong arms, the Cardinals definitely pose a threat in a short or long series in the postseason.
Smoltz To Join St. Louis
Having made several moves already this season, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak pulled the trigger to make yet another move to bolster the Cardinals roster. John Smoltz, who had been released by the Red Sox where he struggled, took the offer which Mozeliak extended to him.
The 21-season-veteran made eight starts with Boston, obtaining a 2-5 record with an eye-popping 8.25 ERA. In 40 innings Smoltz only issued 9 free passes and struck out 33, which isn’t bad.
Though, the ERA is rather high he can still pitch at a high level. It seemed John would pitch with his best stuff in the first four or five innings, but once the sixth inning came along, he would hit what would seem to be a wall where he would give up the big inning.
Tony LaRussa will utilize the strengths of John, allowing him to give the Cardinals five strong innings of quality ball, then turn it over to the bullpen to finish it off. Also, Smoltz can come out of the bullpen and be a setup man to bridge the gap to closer Ryan Franklin, who’s been lights out all season.
The Cardinals needed right-handed relief help and back of the rotation help was well, and with Smoltz joining the club they acquired both. Postseason is where Smoltz can be utilized the best, and with a six game lead on the Cubs, the Cardinals look poised to earn a berth in the playoffs.
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