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KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

Gwreck Jul 19 2011 10:08 AM

Apologies for a less-than-thorough KTE; was expecting to do this last night but unexpected stuff got in the way. Tony LaRussa The Cardinals are perennially competitive and while there are some mitigating factors (weak division), credit must go to Tony LaRussa. He's been there 16 seasons now and has only had 3 losing seasons, none with 90+ losses. He's still an ornery, cranky guy who hits his pitcher 8th in the lineup. This Year Cardinals are 50-45 which is good for second in the NL central, tied with Milwaukee and a half-game back of Pittsburgh. This Series The good news this series is that we miss both Chris Carpenter and Jaime Garcia, the Cardinals' two best starters. Adam Wainwright is out for the year (had Tommy John surgery in February). Pitching Matchups Tue: Kyle Lohse (R) v. Dillon Gee Lohse is 8-6, 3.32 ERA. Not a lot of walks or strikeouts; pitches to contact and has been pretty successful this year. Wed: Kyle McClellan (R) v. RA Dickey McClellan is 6-6, 4.24 ERA. He also doesn't strike out very many guys and has been less successful pitching to contact (1.33 WHIP and 13 homers). Thu: Jake Westbrook (R) v. Jon Niese 12:10 EDT start for this game. Westbrook is 7-4, 5.26 ERA and 1.58 WHIP. No reason why we can't knock this guy around a bit. Cardinals starters: C - Yadier Molina (R) .723 OPS. Very good defensively. 1B - Albert Pujols (R) .860 OPS Having a "down" year (20 HR, 55 RBI, .278). Came back a couple of weeks ago from a fractured left radius. 2B - Skip Schumaker (L) .663 OPS 3B - David Freese (R) .793 OPS. SS - Ryan Theroit (R) .673 OPS. LF - Matt Holliday (R) Missed time with an appendectomy earlier in the year but healthy now. Still very dangerous at the plate. .987 OPS. CF - Colby Rasmus (L) .730 OPS RF - Lance Berkman (S) .995 OPS (leads NL). Totally rejuvenated season with the Cardinals this year. His 25 homers also leads the NL. Bullpen: Fernando Salas (R) is the closer (5-3, 17 saves, 2.56 ERA and 0.90 WHIP in 45 innings), having taken over early in the year from the badly ineffective (and since released) Ryan Franklin. Other key relievers: Jason Motte (R) (36 IP, 2.50 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 35 Ks) Mitchell Boggs (R) (33 IP, 3.24 ERA, 33Ks, 11 BB, 29 H) Trever Miller (L) (15 IP, 4.02 ERA and 1.72 WHIP). Ex-Mets: Raul Valdes (L) is in the Cardinals 'pen as well. Ex-Cardinals: Jason Isringhausen was the St. Louis closer from 2001-2008.

Ceetar Jul 19 2011 10:14 AM Re: KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

This picture always amuses me

Edgy MD Jul 19 2011 10:14 AM Re: KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

Pretty classic team --- getting their offense from the positions they're supposed to get their offense from.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 19 2011 10:20 AM Re: KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

Now that the mustache guy and the goatee guy are gone, I pretty sure I can't tell any of the non-Pujols-Berkman-Holliday-Molina starters from each other.

Edgy MD Jul 19 2011 10:27 AM Re: KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

Don't forget Red Soulpatch Guy!

seawolf17 Jul 19 2011 10:29 AM Re: KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

Also worth noting: Despite their reputation as the "best fans in baseball," they also, sadly, have the worst fan in baseball, and I think that includes the entirety of Yankee Universe, even though they get credit for both WFAN's Jerome from Manhattan and Stevie Jeets. http://mlb.sbnation.com/2011/7/17/22792 ... ain-morans What do you mean by "the little things"? For a perfect example, just look at one of the greatest teams ever assembled: the 2006 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals. That team had David Eckstein, Yadier Molina, So Taguchi, and Aaron Miles. That's a Jew [sic], a Mexican [sic], a Chinaman [sic], and a regular American. It was a variable [sic] "League of Nations" of doing the little things. They hustled like all get out, they bunted all the time, and they weren't afraid to move the runner over. And most important, they got it done in the clubhouse, by which I mean, they created something I refer to as "a winning atmosphere." I lived and died with that team from the moment they got into the playoffs until they brought home ring number eleven. Do I watch every game? No. But do I check the box score every single day to see where they're at? Also, no. I know they'll do what it takes to get the job done, and they don't need me breathing down their neck! Also of note: dude's Twitter feed is hi-lar-ious, full of thinly veiled spousal abuse, homoerotica, idiocy, and racist screeds. http://twitter.com/#!/BirdsOnBats06 After my bringing it up for the umpteenth time, the old lady just promised to wear Ryan Theriot #stlcards jersey for my bday intercorse! 14 Jul Does Ryan Theriot have a sister? I bet she's super hot. #stlcards 13 Jun Jockety needs to aquire more clean-cut "All American" types that don't K (hate that) and have high RBI's. How hard can it be? #stlcards 10 Apr The bright side of the silver lining is that the #stlcards now have a good opportunity to get more whiter in 2012. 16 Feb Loving the projected 2011 #STLCards lineup: White, White, Mexican, White, White, Mexican, White, White Pitcher, White 6 Dec Hey #Cubs, WE get Berkman and YOU get Bartman HA! (There is only one letter difference in those two names) #stlcards 5 Dec HELLYES! Theriot gets the most of his ability & doesn't rely on his athleticism like those with ancestors not from America #stlcards #cubs 30 Nov Gritty? check. White? check. Lots of singles? check. What a coo to get The Riot infront of the BEST FANS!!! #stlcards #cubs 30 Nov Uncle told me on thanksgiving that #stlcards used to have some black guys back in the 80s LOL 28 Nov #Cubs might make a trade for A. Gonzalez. I'll be pissed because he's like a hispanic Pujols. #stlcards 8 Nov

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 19 2011 10:36 AM Re: KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

The "Morans" guy! Saw that yesterday. Still can't figure out whether the interview is real, and it really doesn't matter.

bmfc1 Jul 19 2011 10:45 AM Re: KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

I read it too quickly and thought it said "Get a brain Rick Moranis!"

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 19 2011 10:47 AM Re: KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

Well, that's understandable-- the guy did accidentally shrink his family, like, 3 or 4 times.

seawolf17 Jul 19 2011 10:49 AM Re: KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

bmfc1 wrote: I read it too quickly and thought it said "Get a brain Rick Moranis!" I'm fascinated by Rick Moranis. Dude made a billion jillion dollars on the Ghostbusters/Shrunk The Kids franchises, then basically retired.

Chad Ochoseis Jul 19 2011 10:59 AM Re: KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

WE get Berkman and YOU get Bartman HA! (There is only one letter difference in those two names) #stlcards I'm dying here. This is a parody, right?

bmfc1 Jul 19 2011 11:01 AM Re: KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

seawolf17 wrote: bmfc1 wrote: I read it too quickly and thought it said "Get a brain Rick Moranis!" I'm fascinated by Rick Moranis. Dude made a billion jillion dollars on the Ghostbusters/Shrunk The Kids franchises, then basically retired. From his Wikipedia page, it looks like he won't even commit to doing a new Ghostbusters video game.

seawolf17 Jul 19 2011 11:55 AM Re: KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

Chad Ochoseis wrote: WE get Berkman and YOU get Bartman HA! (There is only one letter difference in those two names) #stlcards I'm dying here. This is a parody, right? It's so bad it has to be, but yet it isn't. bmfc1 wrote: bmfc1 wrote: I read it too quickly and thought it said "Get a brain Rick Moranis!" I'm fascinated by Rick Moranis. Dude made a billion jillion dollars on the Ghostbusters/Shrunk The Kids franchises, then basically retired. From his Wikipedia page, it looks like he won't even commit to doing a new Ghostbusters video game. His legacy is basically secure -- Louis Tully and whatever his character from the "Shrunk" series is, and that's it. That's not a bad place to be, really.

TransMonk Jul 19 2011 12:07 PM Re: KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

Hey now, what about Bob McKenzie?

Frayed Knot Jul 19 2011 12:42 PM Re: KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Now that the mustache guy and the goatee guy are gone, I pretty sure I can't tell any of the non-Pujols-Berkman-Holliday-Molina starters from each other. You mean Colby and Skippy and Davey and Ryan? They'll be the ones hanging out down by the malt shop before the game. Cards lead the NL (tied w/Cincy anyway) for most runs per game, which tends to make sense since they're tops in BA, OBA & SLG (we're 5th, T-2nd, 2nd, and 7th) Pitching, on the other hand, they're giving up runs at the 5th highest rate, kind of unusual for a StL team. Cards & Reds have a nice little growing animosity going on which is only going to grow if both stay in the division race this year. Heard part of an interview with Cincy pitcher Bronson Arroyo the other day who claimed that while the fans and the media interest in more intense in the NYY/BoSox clash (which he was a part of) the players on those teams tended to respect each other (ARod/Varitek dust-up notwithstanding). In the StL/Cin rivalry, however, he says there's a decent amount of actual dislike. He went on to add that any team managed by LaRussa is bound to generate some intense feelings eventually - and Cincy 2B Brandon Phillips is frequently in the middle of verbal spats.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 19 2011 12:46 PM Re: KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

Hell, there was a little of that in the preseason, when Wainwright got hurt.

TransMonk Jul 19 2011 03:07 PM Re: KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

Nice work, BTW Gwreck.

attgig Jul 19 2011 03:13 PM Re: KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

sounds like he would love luke scott

smg58 Jul 19 2011 03:33 PM Re: KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

Not that I'm not as happy about it as a non-Pirate fan can be, but even with all the injuries, how are they behind Pittsburgh?

TransMonk Jul 19 2011 03:56 PM Re: KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

The NL Central is dreadfully horrible. Remind yourself that even at a game under .500, the Mets would be only 3.5 games out of the division lead in the NL Central.

Edgy MD Jul 19 2011 04:39 PM Re: KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

Gustavo Chacin may be new property of the Mets, but I'm going to guess the Redbirds still lead the nation in DWI arrests and incidents since 2008. Here's hoping that's abating.

Frayed Knot Jul 19 2011 07:12 PM Re: KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

TransMonk wrote: The NL Central is dreadfully horrible. Remind yourself that even at a game under .500, the Mets would be only 3.5 games out of the division lead in the NL Central. Divisions by combined games +/- .500 as of the start of today DIVISION +/- NL EAST + 38 AL EAST + 28 AL WEST - 1 NL WEST - 9 AL CENTRAL - 17 NL CENTRAL - 39

MFS62 Jul 19 2011 10:16 PM Re: KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

There have been two other guys named Freese who played infield in the major leagues. This guy on the Cards isn't related to either of them (as per Baseball-Reference. com) Later

Ashie62 Jul 20 2011 05:01 AM Re: KTE - St. Louis Cardinals (July 19-21)

That would be Gene and George from the 60's.