Master Index of Archived Threads


NLCS KTE - St. Louis Cardinals

A Boy Named Seo Oct 09 2006 03:18 AM

There's a lot of interesting things going on with the Cardinals, so I wanted to get going on this one. It's a rematch of the 2000 NLCS (a 4 games to 1 ass-whooping by Mike Hampton and your New York Metropolitans) and an intriguing match-up of two teams that have potent, balanced lineups, rosters ravaged by major injuries, and sometimes downright scary starting pitching (in a bad way) that caused each team to stumble for lots of September. Birds at the Bat Scott Rolen asked out of Game 4 of the NLDS with a cranky shoulder, so how they'll stack up will largely depend on whether he can go or not, or if he even makes the NLCS roster. If he's out, Spezio and his stupid-ass red soulpatch thing will be in. We can't let Sandfrog beat us. I repeat, we cannot. Anyway, here's what their lineup should look like with and without Rolen. WITH ROLEN WITHOUT ROLEN David Eckstein-SS David Eckstein-SS Chris Duncan/Preston Wilson-LF Chris Duncan/Preston Wilson-LF Albert Pujols-1B Albert Pujols-1B Jim Edmonds-CF Jim Edmonds-CF Scott Rolen-3B Juan Encarnacion-RF Juan Encarnacion-RF Ronnie Belliard-2B Ronnie Belliard-2B Scott Spezio-3B Yadier Molina-C Yadier Molina-C Pitcher Pitcher Who's Hot: Pujols will either win the MVP or finish second to Ryan Howard, and he didn't stop killing the ball when the Playoffs started either, going 5-15 with 3 RBI, though all 5 hits came in the first 2 games. Belliard (picked up during the season from Cleveland) was huge (performance wise and he's kinda chubby), going 6-13 against the Pads including some big defensive plays at second. He also leads the club at keepin' it real, encasing his sleek corn-rows under a official MLB doo-rag. Chris Duncan raked right-handed pitching this year with a 1.034 OPS in 233 AB's, but was brutal against lefties (hit just .170 in 48 AB's). Preston Wilson will probably get the start in left Game 1 against Glavine and ride pine the rest of the series until Wagner/Feliciano/Oliver are in the game. Who's Not Eckstein was 2-15 against the Pads (but executed a squeeze bunt in the deciding game) and the gimpy Rolen was just 1-11. Winging It In order for Carpenter to pitch Game 2 on the 12th, he'd have to go on 3 days rest after 106 pitches in the NLDS Series clincher against the Pads. I'd think St. Louie would only go that route if they're down 0-2 and in full desperation mode (and even then it's a maybe), so thanks to that extra game against the Pads, the Mets shouldn't see Carpenter until Game 3. If the Cards stick with their NLDS rotation, Jeff Weaver would get the Game 1 start on 5 days rest, and Suppan would go in Game 2 against Maine. Here are the projected match-ups and start times. Thanks to Gwreck for tracking all this stuff down in the other thread. FOX will carry the market game. F/X is the alternate. Game 1 - Wednesday, October 11, 8:00PM Jeff Weaver Tom Glavine 1-0, 0.00 ERA (5 IP) 1-0, 0.00 ERA (6 IP) Weaver sucked BHMC for both the Angels and Cards in '06, and put up a 5-4 record with a 5.18 ERA for the latter. Ick. He gave up a ton of hits (99 in 83 1/3 IP for the Cards) and struck out just 45 batters. He got in trouble against San Diego in game 2, but was able to wiggle his way out and somehow didn't give up a run. The Mets pounded him the only time they saw him this year (4 ER in 5 IP) and must pound his ass Wednesday night just the same. Glavine was 1-0 (3 ER in 6 IP) in his only start against St. Louis this year. Game 2 - Thursday, October 12, 8:00PM Jeff Suppan John Maine 0-1, 6.23 ERA (4 1/3 IP) 0-0, 2.48 ERA (4 1/3 IP) Suppan was the second most reliable arm in the Cards rotation this year and put up a respectable year (12-7, 4.12 ERA). That said, he gave up a bunch of hits, too (207 in 190 IP) and his ERA was over 2 runs higher on the road versus home (5.36 to 3.18). Maine was tagged for 7 ER in 5 IP his only outing against the Cards this year, so he'll have to calm his shit down a little. The Mets got to Suppan the only time they saw him in '06 (4 ER in 6.2 IP), so home field advantage is definitely there for the taking. Sorry, Mr. Suppan. Your ass must be pounded as well. Game 3 - Saturday, October 14, 4:00PM Chris Carpenter Steve Trachsel 2-0, 2.02 ERA (13 1/3 IP) 0-0, 5.40 ERA (3 1/3 IP) Carpenter's a bad-ass and will be tough to beat period. He had a rocky first inning in the NLDS clincher against San Diego and the Mets might need one of their super-charged first innings to have a chance of knocking him out early. He's tough on all hitters, but lefties fared a little better against him in '06 batting .266 (10 homers in 93 IP) versus just .210 for righties. He had a 1.81 ERA at home this year, so, um, we'll have our work cut out for us. The Mets didn't face Carpenter this season. Trachsel was beat up in 2 starts against them, but of course, won one of 'em. Game 4 - Sunday, October 15, 7:30PM Oliver Perez Jason Marquis No Playoff Appearances No Playoff Appearances A couple of piles of potential suck await viewers of Game 4 with the Mets' enigma Oliver Perez lining up to face New York native Jason Marquis. Both had ERA's over 6 during the regular season, but Perez is a beautiful mess and can be dynamic if the sun's just right and all the planets are in alignment. Marquis just blows goats and as such, must deal with me calling him the Marquis de Suck. Ollie actually had 3 starts against the Cards this year and went 1-2 with a 4.82 ERA (22 hits and 10 ER in just 18.2 IP). Marquis was 1-1 against the Mets this year, but was hit hard (8 ER in 13.2 IP) for a 5.27 ERA. Bullpen The Cards took a major hit when Jason Isringhausen and his 35 saves hit the DL with a blown-out something or other. Down the stretch, they tinkered with Braden Looper as the closer and realized that was fucking stupid. They've settled on Adam Wainwright who had a really good regular season (3.12 ERA in 75 IP) and he looked fantastic in the NLDS. La Russa will have his choice of two lefties to summon in the late innings to throw at Delgado, our 6-8 guys, or just turn around the switchies. They are Randy Flores and Tyler Johson. Flores was battered by the National League this year (49 hits in 41.2 IP, 5.62 ERA), and though he faced just five New York Met hitters this year, he sent each of them packing. Johnson was pretty good despite a high ERA of his own (4.95) and lefties hit just .221 against him. He allowed less than a hit per inning pitched and can strike guys out (36.2 IP, 33 hits, 37 K). The Mets saw him 3 times (just 2.1 IP) and scored a run on 2 hits. Better than nothing, homes. Better than nothing. One more thing, if you see either or both of these guys at a bar, buy 'em a shot. Buy them two shots. Hell, just ask the barkeep to leave the bottle. If there's one thing about New Yorkers that I've learned while visiting, is that they're hospitable to out-of-towners. Show these guys a good time. The X-Factor: Cards: Preston Wilson, Braden Looper, Gary Bennett, and Izzy who's shelved with a bad arm. Mets: Just Darren Oliver. Enemy Intel [url=http://www.birdsonthebat.org/]Birds on the Bat Forum[/url] That's all I got, folks. I looked for a decent Cardinals blog for about 4 minutes and gave up. Mascots Mr. Met Fredbird the Redbird No contest. The Low-Down It seems like the only thing more important than winning 4 games for the Mets will be to win them early to try to avoid seeing Carpenter twice, and to stay away from being in a position where they're leaning too heavily on Oliver Perez to deliver (not that I don't love you, Oliver, but you know what I'm sayin'). The Mets led the NL in steals (146) and stolen base percentage (81%), but will have their hands full with Yadier Molina behind the dish. He threw out 44% of guys trying to swipe (37 stolen, 29 caught), so a barrage of 3-run homers might be in order. The Cardinals were 13 games under .500 on the road (34-47) and with Weaver and Suppan going for them in games 1 and 2, the Mets really should, and more importantly, really need to be leaving Shea up 2-nil, Cliff Floyd or no Cliff Floyd. JG sez: New York in 6. Lets Go Mets. Play ball... ish.

Johnny Dickshot Oct 09 2006 05:30 AM

well done

SteveJRogers Oct 09 2006 06:36 AM

Nice, but I'm pretty sure I said that I was going to do one for every Metly opponent and since no onelse stepped up I was going to do something along the line of my Dodger one.

Yancy Street Gang Oct 09 2006 06:48 AM

So do it and post it in this thread. Just because you "called it" doesn't mean everyone else has to defer.

MFS62 Oct 09 2006 08:11 AM

Watch out for Preston Wilson and So Taguchi, who have tormented the Mets at times in the past. Later

Johnny Dickshot Oct 09 2006 08:46 AM

="SteveJRogers"]Nice, but I'm pretty sure I said that I was going to do one for every Metly opponent and since no onelse stepped up I was going to do something along the line of my Dodger one. About you not, is this forum.

ScarletKnight41 Oct 09 2006 08:58 AM

Seo - excellent knowlege distribution! What I can add is that the new Busch Stadium is nice. It's reminiscent of Citizens Bank Ballpark, but without as many good food choices. Great views of the city from the park - a nice place to watch a game. [url=http://www.getalifealready.com/cpf/archives/f1_t4261.shtml]Here's my report on Busch Stadium that I posted in August[/url]

cooby Oct 09 2006 09:13 AM

I hope the Cardinals lose

ScarletKnight41 Oct 09 2006 09:40 AM

Well, so do I. I told my son this morning, "Congratulations - your Cardinals are in the NLCS. May they lose in four." He laughed <g>

Rotblatt Oct 09 2006 10:05 AM

Very nice! Can't fucking wait for this series to start!

Gwreck Oct 09 2006 10:31 AM

Thanks ABNS. I once again know our Cardinal enemy well.

Frayed Knot Oct 09 2006 10:45 AM

Tacking on to ABNS's EXCELLENT KTE: StL Hitters: * C - Yadier Molina: NOT a good offensive player. .216/.274/.321 numbers are truly bad in this era EVEN from a top-notch defensive catcher. * 1B - Albert Pujols: Best hitter in baseball these days, I don't even think it's a contest. And his bat makes some overlook how good a baserunner & fielder he's become. * 2B - Ronnie Belliard came over from Cleveland late in the season and somewhat shoved incumbant Aaron Miles aside. Both are somewhat average players though Belliard hits w/a bit more pop. * SS - David Eckstein, who somehow got beyond the 'You Must Be THIS TALL to Play in the Major Leagues' sign, gets on base at a decent clip and makes all the plays in the field despite lacking a good SS's arm. A VERY good bunter, LaRussa will squeeze w/him often * 3B - Scott Rolen is beat up and faded badly in the 2nd half. Not currently at his usual All-Star offensive/defensive level. * LF - Preston Wilson can still bop a ball a long way but isn't the player he once was, especially defensively. Chris Duncan (son of pitching coach Dave) came out of nowhere this year to put up some good slugging numbers but is even more of a defensive liability out there. * CF - Jim Edmonds is also battling several injuries (shoulder, foot, post-concussion) that, along w/the fact that he's now 36 y/o, are keeping him from his peak. He may even cut down on his hot-dogging. * RF - Juan Encarnacion: Free-swinging type w/decent pop and a good arm in the OF So Taguchi is used often as a PHer/PRer, an occasional starter, and a defensive replacement at any of the three OF positions. Scott Spezio has played some 1B, 2B, 3B and LF and is a good switch-hitting bat off the bench

Centerfield Oct 09 2006 11:23 AM

Great KTE Seo.

Farmer Ted Oct 09 2006 12:27 PM

Now Cardinals will get a real test BY PAUL SULLIVAN CHICAGO TRIBUNE BASEBALL COLUMNIST 10/09/2006 They limped into the postseason with 10 losses in their final 14 games and a 35-39 record after the All-Star break, testing the faith of their loyal fans. But now St. Louis is only one step from the World Series, proving that mediocrity isn't necessarily a deal-breaker in the National League playoffs. The Cardinals advanced to the National League Championship Series on Sunday night with a 6-2 victory over San Diego, riding the arm of Chris Carpenter to win the series 3-1. "No matter how you get here, you're here," Carpenter said. "And once you get here, you have a chance." With the New York Mets on tap in the NLCS, the degree of difficulty significantly increases. But the Cardinals didn't even need Albert Pujols to get a hit or Scott Rolen to be in the lineup to put away the overmatched Padres. If the 1927 Yankees were Murderers' Row, the '06 Padres are Loiterers' Row. They scored six runs in the four-game series and went two for 32 with runners in scoring position. A four-run sixth inning off San Diego starter Woody Williams and reliever Cla Meredith gave Carpenter his first lead, and the popgun attack of the Padres was doomed. Carpenter won two games in the series but won't be available to start the opener of the NLCS on Wednesday because of the Cardinals' failure to sweep. Since the Cardinals played San Diego in their final home stand, Carpenter was facing the Padres for the third time in 12 days. He suffered from control problems at the outset, throwing 35 pitches and walking home the first run in the Padres' two-run first. "I came out in the first and was probably trying to do a little too much," Carpenter said. "I wasn't attacking the strike zone. That's not my game." But Williams coughed up the lead on Ronnie Belliard's two-run single in the bottom of the inning, and Carpenter quickly found his groove thing. With the game tied 2-2 in the sixth, Williams walked Pujols leading off the inning before giving up a one-out RBI triple to Juan Encarnacion. Meredith, who posted a 1.07 ERA this season, hit Belliard on a 3-2 pitch, then gave up a two-strike, run-scoring single to Scott Spiezio. Russell Branyan's wild throw home from third on Carpenter's bases-loaded grounder made it 5-2, and David Eckstein's suicide squeeze scored the final run. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa started Spiezio at third in place of Rolen, who was one for 11 in the series and complained of a "fatigued" left shoulder after Game 3. La Russa was upset that Rolen had told him and the training staff that his surgically repaired shoulder was fine. Rolen admitted he misled the team after Game 3. "He felt like he had an obligation to be out there, which, you know, is one of those rock-and-a-hard-place (situations) because it has been explained to him over and over again that we have other guys (available)," La Russa said. "But he feels like he's one of the core guys that should play. I don't think we could've asked him more often or more clearly." While the Cardinals may have missed Rolen, Padres manager Bruce Bochy may have made out the weakest lineup in postseason history for Game 4. Journeyman catcher Josh Bard, who has 22 career homers, was the cleanup hitter, while Branyan, who has a .232 lifetime average, batted fifth. Bochy also sat ex-Cub Todd Walker, who was 0 for nine, and started rookie Josh Barfield at second base. Nothing worked, and now the Cardinals will get a real test in the Mets, perhaps the only NL team that could make the playoffs if they played in the American League.

A Boy Named Seo Oct 09 2006 03:21 PM

[url=http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_435039.jpg]Keith Law at ESPN[/url] thinks the Cards would go with right-hander Anthony Reyes against the Mets in a Game 4 instead of Jason Marquis, though Reyes was not on the roster for the NLDS. Reyes is the guy who wears the bill of his hat without the slightest hint of a bend (like Chad Cordero) and he stylishly rocks the vertically striped knee-high socks. Hard not to like this guy. He also thinks it might not be a bad idea for St. Louie to add lefty [url=http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/N/Chris-Narveson.shtml]Chris Narveson[/url] to the NLCS roster. I know nothing about this guy other than he got a cup of coffee this year and his minor league numbers indicate that he keeps batters off base pretty well. Not sure who they would drop to make room for him. Steve, sorry for beating you to the KTE punch, but chill out, man.

OlerudOwned Oct 09 2006 03:26 PM

Keith Law also called the Mets bullpen a weakness going into the Dodgers series and thought that Heath Bell was on the roster, so i won't believe anything he says until I see it.

SteveJRogers Oct 09 2006 05:29 PM

Yancy Street Gang wrote: So do it and post it in this thread. Just because you "called it" doesn't mean everyone else has to defer. Then don't tell me to defer to Elster when I say I could close and do the totals for the NLDS POGTs because I happenend to get the first POGT thread up 4 hours after the game ended

KC Oct 09 2006 05:37 PM

That's what Yoda would tell you to do Steve ... KTE have you then post it you should. It's a little know fact that Yoda coined the phrase, "no callsies"

SteveJRogers Oct 09 2006 05:43 PM

KC wrote: That's what Yoda would tell you to do Steve ... KTE have you then post it you should. It's a little know fact that Yoda coined the phrase, "no callsies" HAHAHAHA! Ahhhh, but little bitch for one post I want to be. Cranky at 6:30AM I am. Expect soon a Cardinal Postseason history add on you will.

MFS62 Oct 09 2006 05:48 PM

]While the Cardinals may have missed Rolen, Padres manager Bruce Bochy may have made out the weakest lineup in postseason history for Game 4 Then I guess he missed all those Twins playoff game lineups that had Jason Tyner (no career home runs) as the DH (as in "designated hitter"). Later

TheOldMole Oct 09 2006 05:49 PM

Such Bullshit from a Chicago sportswriter. The Cardinals are not mediocre.

SteveJRogers Oct 09 2006 07:50 PM

Cardinal Knowledge: I called the Dodgers the class of the NL because of the sheer amount of postseason appearances and the social and cultural significance of the Dodgers, from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. But in terms of Postseason success, the St Louis Cardinals have been the most dominant franchise in the history of the NL. • One of 6 franchises to make some form of postseason play 20 or more times (Yankees 46, Dodgers 31, Giants 25, Braves 23, A’s 23) with 22 apperances. • 9 World Championships leads National League team, and is second (tied with the A’s though) only to the Yankees’ 26 We start the history lesson in 1926. Led by Rogers Hornsby the Cards upset the Yankees in a 7 game classic. Known for Grover Alexander striking out Tony Lazzeri with the bases loaded, but what is less known (thanks to Hollywood) is the fact that the series ended on Babe Ruth being thrown out stealing 2nd! Just Babe being Babe, trying to use the element of surprise. The Cards and Yanks rematched in 1928, though this time the Yankees got their revenge and swept the Cardinals, it was the Yankees second consecutive sweep of a World Series. The Cardinals returned to the series in 1930 and 1931, both times matching up with another dynastic squad, the Philadelphia Athletics of Foxx, Grove, Cochrane and Simmons vintage. The Cards took the A’s to a game 6 in 1930 Connie Mack’s last dynasty would be the last non-Yankee back-to-back champion until the Oakland A’s of the ’70’s. The Cardinals would beat the A’s a year later 7 games, and stamped their Red label on the era in 1934 in 7 games against the Tigers. Known as “The Gashouse Gang”, led by Hall of Famers Frankie Frisch, Dizzy Dean, Joe Medwick, along with Pepper Martin, and Leo Durocher (in Hall due to managing career) this Cardinal team left a strong impression on the Depression era Middle America and to this day remains well known as a colorful and damn good squad. By the time of the 1940’s the Gashouse Gang was, well, out of gas. It was time for a new era of Cardinal baseball, and a fan base known as Cardinal Nation thanks to the blanket across the country of radio station KMOX, looked towards a man to lead. Actually, The Man, Stan Musial. While not a great postseason performer, Musial was the leader on a great squad that included Enos Slaughter, Walker Cooper, Marty Marion, and star hurler Mort Cooper who would wear the uniform number of what number win he was gunning for (Try figuring those out for a CBTN.net!) Meeting an old nemesis in 42 and 43 the Cards beat the Yanks in 5, but lost to the Yanks in 5 the next year. By the way, 1943 is the very first World Series to be captured by an official film. Done as a program to be watched, and enjoyed, by soldiers overseas. Its available on DVD, either on the Cardinal set or the Yankee set. 1944 the Cards won their third straight NL championship, and beat the Browns in the last World Series to be played entirely in one ballpark, as Sportsman Park hosted all six games. Done previous in 1921 and 1922 when the Polo Grounds was the home to both the Yankees and Giants. In 1946, after dispatching the Dodgers in a 2 game play-in series, the Cards beat the Boston Red Sox in 7 games. The Sox losing in 7 would become a reoccurring theme throughout the years! In this instance the Sox were done in by Johnny Pesky’s hesitation as Enos Slaughter was dashing home with the Series winning run. The Cardinals of the Post-War years fell on hard times. The Dodgers would take over the mantle of “Best Team in The League” and the Cardinals were regulated to also ran status. Finishing 2nd from 47-49, and 3rd from 51-53 the Cards were re-tooling. By 1964 they had the makings of a championship caliber team once again. In the first Non-Musial year since Pearl Harbor, the Cardinal team, led by the great Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, and even some former and current Mets on the pitching staff! (Ray Sadecki, Roger Craig, and Ron Taylor) They would knock off the Yankees in 7 games, sending the Bombers into a tailspin that would take until 1976 for them to recover from. Often, the win by the Cards is viewed as a culturally significant moment in baseball history, which includes a David Halberstam book on the subject called October 1964. Also noteworthy in the Cardinals winning the NL pennant as the Phillies made what is considered the biggest collapse in baseball history. 1967 and 1968 was a continuation of the legacy of Robert Gibson. In his prime, the great Gibson would shatter World Series records, and cement his legacy as one of baseball’s Big Game Hurlers. The Cardinals beat the Red Sox in 7 in 1967, derailing the “Impossible Dream” Sox, however they lost to the Tigers in 7 in 1968. As the Gibson era drew to a close, so did the Cards’ dominance. While the 70’s saw some respectable finishes, the Cardinals were never really much of a factor in the NL East. That was until Whitey Herzog came on board in the 1980’s. In 1981 the Cardinals finished with the best record in the NL at 59-43 but were in second at the time of the strike, and were nudged out of the second half by the Expos! 1982 would be different. The Cardinals, now led with a combination of speed and professional hitting known as “Whitey Ball” won the East and swept the Braves in 3 games in the NLCS. Then led by hitting stars Keith Hernandez and Willie McGee and the pitching of Joaquin Andjuar and Bruce Sutter, the Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers in 7 games. It would be the Cardinal franchise’s 9th World Championship. While the Cardinals are considered one of the dominant teams of the decade, they were a little uneven during the next few years. They would beat the Mets in two classic regular season races in both 1985 and 1987. 1985 the Cardinals parlayed their 101 win season into a classic NLCS against the Dodgers. Famous moments include a stunning homer by Ozzie Smith to send the series back to LA for Game 6. The Red Birds would be stunned though in the World Series by Whitey Herzog’s old team, the Kansas City Royals in 7 games. While no one should take away from Bret Saberhagen’s vintage performances, many believe Don Denkinger’s blown call cost the Cardinals the series. Injuries riddled the team in 1986, and the Cardinals never did recover from an April sweep by the Mets, but they would rebound in 1987, and beat the Giants in 7 games in the NLCS. However the World Series saw the Minnesota Twins have the home field advantage, and they used that advantage to win all 4 home games. That was the swan song for that Cardinal run, they would have a decent run with Joe Torre at the helm in the early 1990’s, but by the end of 1995 Torre was history. Enter Tony LaRussa. In 1996 LaRussa’s Cardinals won the first of 6 Central Division titles. All told the Cards have won 9 divisions, tied with the Pirates and Dodgers, and trailing only the Braves (16), Yankees (15) and A’s (14). In 1996 the Cardinals dusted the Padres in 3 games, but lost the NLCS in 7 games to the Braves. The Cardinals fell to 4th in 1997, 3rd in 1998 and 4th again in 1999. The Cards then rebounded in 2000 and were the first team to knock off the Atlanta Braves in the Divisional Series round in a stunning sweep. They were promptly ousted in the LCS by the Mets in 5 games. Because of a tie breaker the Cardinals wound up the Wild Card in 2001, and the Astros won the Central, and the Cardinals were defeated by the Diamondbacks in 5 games. The Cardinals returned to the Central crown in 2002, and returned the favor with a 3 game sweep, yet were promptly ousted in the LCS again in 5, this time to the San Francisco Giants. 2003 would see the Cards fall to 3rd, but rebounded with a 105 win season in 2004. They ripped through the Dodgers in 4 games, and had a 7 game classic NLCS against the Astros. Only to be the team that the Red Sox swept to win their first World Series since 1918! The Cardinals’ 16 appearances in the Fall Classic ties them with the Giants, and trails the Yankees’ 39 and Dodgers 18 all time. 2005 saw another 100 win season, and another dismantling of a Western Division champion in the NLDS, this time the Padres in a sweep. This time the Astros wound up winning a 6 game classic in the NLCS. And as we know the Cardinals had a rough 2006 regular season, fell into the Central championship as the Astros wilted during the final weekend. They took apart the Padres in 4 games, only the Yankees (8) have won more Divisional Series than the Cardinals and Braves at 6. 2006 is now their 8th appearance in the NLCS, good for 7th overall, and 4th among NL teams.

dinosaur jesus Oct 09 2006 08:45 PM

I was at one of those games in St. Louis in April 1986. Doc shut them out 9-0, Knight hit two homers. Fantastic. I lived in St. Louis from 1985 to 1987. It was a wonderful rivalry, and that 1985 season was the most memorable I've ever witnessed. It ended wrong, but all in all I loved it--in a way, even more than 1986. That series against the Cardinals at the end of 1985, when the Mets needed to sweep to tie it, and almost did, was amazing.

Zvon Oct 09 2006 10:12 PM

AWSUM reports Seo, FK, all u guys. Thnks for this :)

Willets Point Oct 10 2006 01:01 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Oct 10 2006 08:22 PM

SteveJRogers wrote: ="Yancy Street Gang"]So do it and post it in this thread. Just because you "called it" doesn't mean everyone else has to defer. Then don't tell me to defer to Elster when I say I could close and do the totals for the NLDS POGTs because I happenend to get the first POGT thread up 4 hours after the game ended I just want to point out that I was not criticizing Steve in the other thread. I just hadn't heard Steve was doing the PotG's before and figured it was worth pointing out to avoid duplication of work which I expect would be frustrating to whomever got their stuff up first. Being a lazy person myself, I know if someone else is doing something I plan to do I consider it a break for me. Whether Elster or Steve or Yancy does PotG tallying matters little to me. Great KTE contributions by everyone.

metirish Oct 10 2006 09:10 AM

I have so much to catch up on today,great KTE Seo....

Farmer Ted Oct 10 2006 09:34 AM

The STL take on the series... For Cards, it's another uphill battle By Joe Strauss ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH 10/10/2006 Tony La Russa looks over the roster in the bottom of the fifth inning of Game 3 of the National League Division Series. If the Cardinals mostly greeted their division title with relief on the season's final day, they were able to fully embrace Sunday night's division series win over San Diego. The Cardinals, after all, were supposed to trounce their watered-down division. They were rated underdogs against the NL West champion Padres. In the aftermath of a 6-2 win, players doused general partner Bill DeWitt Jr. with champagne and various Anheuser-Busch products. First baseman Albert Pujols, a relatively reserved figure following the division clincher, reveled after his team eliminated the Padres from a second consecutive postseason. Advertisement A bullpen including rookies Josh Kinney, Tyler Johnson and Adam Wainwright took turns spraying each other as well as lefthander Randy Flores, spring surprise Josh Hancock and elders Braden Looper and "grandpa" Jason Isringhausen. Inside his office, across a hall from the clubhouse bedlam, manager Tony La Russa struck a reflective pose sitting in a folding chair. Padres manager Bruce Bochy walked from the visitors clubhouse to offer his congratulations. La Russa accepted, sat back down and quietly admitted that he actually expected his team would have to play a Game 5 in San Diego because nothing else during an 83-78 season had come without angst. "It doesn't matter how many wins you have during the regular season," said Pujols, who instructed his teammates not to bring luggage to the ballpark Sunday. "It's how you do in the postseason that tells you if you have a successful year." Taut and sullen during the season's latter stages, the Cardinals found release against a Padres team clearly uncomfortable as favorites. The Cardinals never trailed in Game 1 and Game 2. They eventually extended their streak to 48 innings without trailing the Padres in the last two division series. Undone by Padres righthander Chris Young in Game 3, the Redbirds answered the visitors' two-run first inning against Chris Carpenter to end Game 4 with eight shutout frames. Before the series, La Russa suggested that late-season injuries had put his team in a "less fair" position for much of September. But the return of shortstop David Eckstein, the availability of center fielder Jim Edmonds and the bullpen's performance allowed the team to resemble what was predicted for it in February rather than how it played in September. Eckstein's presence is especially vital. "He gives us a lot of energy," said La Russa. "It's not to take away from anybody else, but we look different with Eckstein." The consecutive wins in San Diego to start the series were the Cardinals' first back-to-back road victories since July 25-26. The Padres' six runs in the series were the fewest the Cardinals surrendered in any four-game span this season. All of the runs were earned. La Russa used his bullpen aggressively throughout the series and was rewarded with 13 1/3 scoreless innings. Johnson, who allowed game-losing home runs to Geoff Jenkins and Aubrey Huff on the season's final trip, was unflappable in four appearances. Wainwright, elevated to the closer role after Braden Looper suffered two losses in the season's final two weeks, finished his team's three playoff wins and did not bend after the Padres brought the tying run on deck Sunday. Isringhausen, who last appeared Sept. 6, has retained a significant role since undergoing season-ending hip surgery. A mentor all season to an inexperienced group, Isringhausen counseled Wainwright up until the time he began to warm up Sunday. "I told Adam, 'Hey, have you ever been swarmed on the mound before?'" Isringhausen said. "He said he hadn't. I told him to go out and have fun with it because you never know when the chance will come again." During the Oct. 1 celebration of a division title, Edmonds tried to stay away from any revelry. He pleaded with those dousing him with champagne to avoid his painful left foot. Edmonds received injections before each division series game to alleviate discomfort that he compared to "walking on a rock." Still, he was mobile enough to climb a chair and present second baseman Ronnie Belliard with a game ball after Game 1 and right fielder Juan Encarnacion another after Game 4. Now the Cardinals enter a best-of-seven series against a team that outclassed them during the regular season but has taken significant hits of its own in the past two weeks. Left fielder Cliff Floyd is believed to be out for the series after straining an Achilles' tendon Saturday night. Starting pitchers Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernandez are not available, leaving mercurial lefthander Oliver Perez as the Mets' Game 4 starter. The Cardinals also have issues. Third baseman Scott Rolen was expected to receive a cortisone injection before today's workout at Shea Stadium and is questionable at best to start Wednesday's opener. Needing a fourth starter of their own, La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan must choose between Staten Island native Jason Marquis and rookie Anthony Reyes, who lasted only 26 pitches Oct. 1 before being left off the first-round roster. La Russa rarely has taken an underdog team into the postseason. As a result, losses often are ascribed to his out-of-character tactics or ill-timed mind games. The 2000 press conference bait-and-switch involving Rick Ankiel, reliever Rick White's interminable Game 5 appearance in the 2002 NLCS and last year's pre-emptive suggestion that plate umpire Wally Bell not give Houston Astros ace Roger Clemens favorable treatment come to mind. Facing an allegedly superior opponent, La Russa is liberated to "push." He no longer feels constrained by "the book," he says, "because the book says you're going to lose." "The book" says a team can't win relying so heavily on a bullpen with so many postseason neophytes. It says not to squeeze with the bases loaded as La Russa did with Eckstein during Sunday's telling four-run sixth. And it strongly recommends lifting a starting pitcher after five shutout innings as La Russa did in Game 2 for fear of overexposing inexperienced relievers. The past week witnessed a remarkable transformation. A team that spent September's final weeks counting its losses left St. Louis on Monday afternoon thinking only of how to craft eight more wins. Best hitter Third baseman David Wright, .311, 26 homers, 116 RBIs. The Mets' lineup is so good that Wright hits fifth. Best overall player Carlos Beltran, .275, 41 homers, 116 RBIs, 18 stolen bases. Cards fans remember Beltran's show in the 2004 NL Championship Series when he played for Houston. Most dangerous player Shortstop Jose Reyes, .300, 19 homers, 81 RBIs, 64 steals. These leadoff numbers are Rickey Henderson-like. Best starting pitcher Lefthander Tom Glavine, 15-7, 3.82 ERA. He was only 5-9 in NLCS outings while with Atlanta. Best reliever Lefthander Billy Wagner, 40 saves in 45 opportunities, 2.24 ERA, .219 opponents' average against. Wagner may be the NL's top closer. Injury list RHP Pedro Martinez (rotator cuff, out); RHP Orlando Hernandez (torn calf muscle, out); LF Cliff Floyd (strained Achilles' tendon, probably out); RHP Duaner Sanchez (separated shoulder, out); RHP Victor Zambrano (torn tendon in elbow, out). Season record 97-65; 50-31 at home and 47-34 on the road Record vs. Cardinals 4-2 (3-0 at home, 1-2 on road) Last postseason appearance Lost 2000 World Series to Yankees. Postseason record vs. Cards Won 2000 NLCS in five games.

A Boy Named Seo Oct 10 2006 12:15 PM

]The consecutive wins in San Diego to start the series were the Cardinals' first back-to-back road victories since July 25-26. Wow. We've been given a gift starting against Weaver and Suppan in our own joint. With all our injury problems, the first two games could not have been laid out any better in our favor.

Frayed Knot Oct 10 2006 06:58 PM

A review of the 6 NYM/StLC games this Year: @ StL - Tuesday, May 16; Mets 8 - Cards 3 W - Glavine, L - Suppan Mets jump out to an early 3-0 lead but the Cards get 2 in the 5th plus 1 in the 6th on RBIs from light-weights Hector Luna, Eckstein, and backup catcher Gary Bennett. But the Mets break the tie in the 7th on a 2-out RBI double by LoDuca, then put it away with 4 in the 8th on a Pujols error and RBI hits by Franco, Reyes & Beltran. A perfect 7th by Heilman, a perfect 8th by Sanchez, and a 1-hit 9th from Jorge Julio seal the deal. Wednesday, May 17, Cards 1 - Mets 0 W - Mulder, L - Trachsel, S - Isringhausen Mulder wins the battle of dueling 4-hitters as a 2-out RBI 2B by Scott Rolen in the 6th provides the only run. Mets load the bases in the 9th on a Reyes 2B, LoDuca sac bunt, Beltran walk, and Delgado HBP, but Isringhausen came on the strike out Wright and get Floyd to groundout and end the game. Thursday, May 18; Cards 6 - Mets 3 W - Marquis, L - Lima, S - Isringhausen Lima is gone by the 5th as the Cards tally 2 in the 1st and 2 more in the 2nd despite Pujols sitting for the game. Jason Marquis cruises into the 8th marred only by a 2R HR from Beltran and a solo by Valentin. @ Shea - Tuesday, August 22; Mets 8 - Cards 7 W - Heilman, L - Isringhausen This 'Home-Run-a-thon' was maybe the best game/win of the year. A 1st inning 1-0 Met lead (HR by Delgado) is erased as Pujols hits a 3R HR in the 4th followed by a Grand Slam in the 5th - both off the starter Maine. But in the 5th , Delgado's 2nd HR of the night off Weaver - this one a Grand-Slam - sliced the lead to 7-5, then a Reyes ground-out in the 8th cut it to 7-6, all of which set the stage for Beltran's game-winning, 1-out, 2R-HR deep into the Met bullpen off Isringhausen in the 9th. Heilman's perfect top of the 9th earned him the win. Wednesday, Auguest 23; Mets 10 - Cards - 8 W - Trachsel, L - Mulder, S - Wagner A very different Trachsel/Mulder outing than their first match-up as the Mets bash a struggling Mulder early and often, jumping out to a 10-2 lead courtesy of an RBI 2Bs from Delgado (1 RBI), Woodward (3), Wright (2), and then a 3R HR from Reyes and an RBI 1B from Milledge - all by the 4th inning. Mulder would go on to make only 1 more start for the season. But a 2R HR by Vizcaino (in his StL debut) in the 5th, and back-to-back HRs from Rolen & Preston Wilson leading off the 6th cut the lead to 10-6. Then Bradford is touched up for 2 more in the 8th, before Hielman strikes out Spezio as the tying run to end the 8th. Wagner worked around a Pujols single in the 9th for the save. Thursday, August 24; Mets 6 - Cards 2 W - Williams, L - Marquis Mets score 3 in the 3rd on a LoDuca RBI 3B!!, a Wright Sac Fly and Green single. Williams scatters 7 hits into the 7th touched up only by a Bennett 2R HR in the 5th. A 5th inning 2R HR by Delgado and a Reyes 1B tack on the insurance before Hernandez & Mota combine for 2-2/3 IPs of perfect relief to close it out.

Edgy DC Oct 10 2006 07:46 PM

Something's wrong. Some of those recounts include David Wright making outs.

Elster88 Oct 10 2006 08:14 PM

="SteveJRogers"]Nice, but I'm pretty sure I said that I was going to do one for every Metly opponent and since no onelse stepped up I was going to do something along the line of my Dodger one.

Elster88 Oct 10 2006 08:15 PM

TheOldMole wrote: Such Bullshit from a Chicago sportswriter. The Cardinals are not mediocre. Their record was remarkably close to .500, though. The reporter may have a point.

metirish Oct 11 2006 02:31 PM

From Buster Olny ] Top 10 NLCS matchupsposted: Wednesday, October 11, 2006 | Feedback | Print Entry Here are the 10 biggest matchups of the NL Championship Series: 1. Willie Randolph vs. Albert Pujols The Padres generally elected to go after Pujols, and the Cardinals' first baseman hurt San Diego, batting .333 and banging away for a .600 slugging percentage; he had only one walk in four games. The Mets' manager probably will approach him more cautiously than Bruce Bochy did, issuing some intentional walks. "You don't want the big boy to hurt you or anything like that," Randolph said Tuesday, "so that's a good possibility. We'll wait until we get to that point. It's safe to say he's one of the guys you don't want to hurt you. I won't etch it in stone, but yeah, if you have a situation where he can hurt you and it's a big situation, yeah, it's smart to probably walk him." 2. Mets' starting pitchers vs. Innings John Maine lasted 4.1 innings in Game 1 against Los Angeles, and Steve Trachsel managed just 3.1 innings; by comparison, Tom Glavine was a workhorse, and he had a modest six-inning stint. The Mets' bullpen is incredibly deep, unquestionably, but it'll be interesting to see if the relievers can stand up to perhaps seven games of work over nine days, including Games 3, 4 and 5 in succession, if the starters continue to leave nine to 18 outs on the table for them in each game. 3. Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds vs. Their Injuries Rolen admitted Sunday that he hadn't been honest about how much his bad shoulder has been bothering him, and he was benched for the Cardinals' series-clinching Game 4 win over the Padres. Edmonds has been back in action for only a handful of games after recovering from the effects of a concussion, and he looks like Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich when he plays, slowly peeling himself off the ground, as if maybe his whole body is hurting so much that he can't possibly continue. It's hard to imagine these guys will be able to stay on the field the whole series. Manager Tony La Russa was asked about Rolen and Edmonds before the Cardinals' workout Tuesday. "I watched Scott work out," he said. "He's been surrounded most of the morning and the afternoon. But I know the report is that he came through the workout well. Looked like he was moving well, so I'd be optimistic that he would be in there. "I think Jim has got through that first series, and probably got a little discomfort from time to time, but he's playable and I expect to start him, as well." Rolen says he's ready to go after getting a cortisone shot, writes Derrick Goold. 4. Jose Reyes vs. Chris Carpenter The brazen and hypertalented baserunner who will try to steal bases at any time against the pitcher who shuts down would-be base stealers. Opposing base stealers have tried to swipe bases in 19 instances the last three years and have been successful four times. Carpenter would seem to have a big advantage here, but that won't prevent Reyes from running under certain circumstances (with two outs in an inning, for example). Reyes is the spark plug for the Mets' engine, writes Mike Vaccaro. 5. Tyler Johnson vs. Left-handed hitters We saw how much the absence of left-handed reliever Joe Beimel hurt the Dodgers as they tried to cope with the Mets' left-handed hitters and switch-hitters in the Division Series. St. Louis has two matchup lefties, Randy Flores and Johnson, and Johnson showed against the Padres how good he can be when he throws his nasty slider for strikes. The Padres' plan was to simply wait out Johnson, wait for those times when he couldn't throw strikes -- and Johnson kept throwing strikes. Johnson has faced Shawn Green three times in the past and struck him out each time; no other Met has more than two plate appearances against him. Carlos Beltran is 1-for-4 against Flores, while Carlos Delgado is 0-for-2. 6. Tom Glavine vs. A Bunch of Cardinals Who Hammer Him The Mets' left-hander has evolved as a pitcher, using his changeup inside. But keep in mind, as he works in Game 1, that many of the Cardinals' hitters have pounded Glavine in the past: Pujols is 9-for-20, Ronnie Belliard 5-for-12, Juan Encarnacion 13-for-36 (.361), Rolen 19-for-53 (.358). 7. Jeff Weaver vs. Carlos Delgado The Mets' first baseman has video-game numbers against the Cardinals' Game 1 starter: 19-for-38, four homers, eight walks, .620 OBP and a 1.594 OPS. And you can bet that both are well aware of this history. Weaver surprised the Padres by throwing so many breaking balls in his start in Game 2, and it's a decent bet that he will try to pitch to Delgado this way, with lots of curves. 8. David Wright vs. October The guy looks like he has The Big Game Gene -- it looks like he'll have fun and won't feel the pressure of the postseason. He went 4-for-12 with four RBI in three games against L.A., and you can expect a lot more. 9. Ronnie Belliard vs. The Rest of October So far, the free agent-to-be is playing like Roberto Alomar in the playoffs, diving all over the place, making plays, getting hits. He went 6-for-13 in the Division Series and flat-out killed the Padres. 10. Braden Looper vs. His Ghosts He was the Mets' closer for two years and heard a whole lot of boos, despite the fact that he was pitching hurt. Looper is not the main cog in the St. Louis bullpen, but he could be used in matchups against Wright and/or Paul Lo Duca (who is 1-for-9 against Looper in his career). When Looper comes into a game in Shea, he is going to hear a whole lot of boos that he'll have to ignore. Getting healthy has helped Looper a ton, he says.

Yancy Street Gang Oct 11 2006 02:51 PM

]8. David Wright vs. October The guy looks like he has The Big Game Gene -- it looks like he'll have fun and won't feel the pressure of the postseason. He went 4-for-12 with four RBI in three games against L.A., and you can expect a lot more. That's good to know. I wonder if baseball scouts are working with scientists to isolate the Big Game Gene. If it can be screened for, that would certainly provide a competitive advantage. And maybe it would provide Alex Rodriguez with the hope for a cure. ]9. Ronnie Belliard vs. The Rest of October So far, the free agent-to-be is playing like Roberto Alomar in the playoffs, diving all over the place, making plays, getting hits. He went 6-for-13 in the Division Series and flat-out killed the Padres Hopefully he'll continue to play like Roberto Alomar, but he'll switch to the Mets version.

Frayed Knot Oct 11 2006 03:56 PM

NYC native Jason Marquis is OFF the StL roster - meaning that the first pitch of Game 4 is likely to be from (Anthony) Reyes to (Jose) Reyes StL NLCS Roster: Pitchers (11): Chris Carpenter, Randy Flores, Josh Hancock, Tyler Johnson, Josh Kinney, Braden Looper, Anthony Reyes, Jeff Suppan, Brad Thompson, Adam Wainwright, Jeff Weaver. Hitters (14): Ronnie Belliard, Gary Bennett, Chris Duncan, David Eckstein, Jim Edmonds, Juan Encarnacion, Aaron Miles, Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols, John Rodriguez, Scott Rolen, Scott Spiezio, So Taguchi, Preston Wilson.

Johnny Dickshot Oct 11 2006 04:04 PM

Johnson (LHP), Kinney and Wainwright are the survivors from an in-season bullpen meltdown and re-build. Wainwright was the guy the Braves gave up for JD Drew. I hope we don't have to prove that was a bad deal for both teams.

Yancy Street Gang Oct 11 2006 04:06 PM

Here are the Cardinals that the Mets faced in the 2000 NLCS: Rick Ankiel, Andy Benes, Jason Christiansen, Will Clark, Eric Davis, J.D. Drew, Shawon Dunston, Jim Edmonds, Pat Hentgen, Carlos Hernandez, Mike James, Darryl Kile, Ray Lankford, Eli Marrero, Mark McGwire, Matt Morris, Craig Paquette, Placido Polanco, Britt Reames, Edgar Renteria, Fernando Tatis, Mike Timlin, Dave Veres, Fernando Vina, Rick Wilkins. That's 24 players. There was one player on the postseason roster who didn't appear in any of the five games. Don't ask me who it was; I have no idea! At a quick glance, it looks like Edmonds is the only holdover from that series. For either team.

Frayed Knot Oct 11 2006 04:10 PM

Yeah, Wainwright was a highly touted starter who was considered just about ready when the Braves dealt him as the main bait for Drew a coupla years back ... and then he promptly got hurt and started falling short of expectations like a typical Atlanta prospect that it looks like they got rid of at exactly the right time. So in working his way back he wound up in the pen and was eventually "promoted" to the set-up role and finally the closer's spot after Izzy went down. He's tough to miss at about 6' 7" and pitched well down the stretch.

Gwreck Oct 11 2006 04:21 PM

That's 25 players. You got them all, Yancy.

Valadius Oct 11 2006 04:24 PM

Who else is excited about facing Looper?

Edgy DC Oct 11 2006 04:26 PM

It's August 11th, I'm excited about facing anybody. Pounding Looper will give me no greater thrill than pounding Carpernter, et al.

Yancy Street Gang Oct 11 2006 04:27 PM

Gwreck wrote: That's 25 players. You got them all, Yancy. I guess I'm better at pasting than I am at counting.

Willets Point Oct 11 2006 04:29 PM

Edgy DC wrote: It's August 11th, I'm excited about facing anybody. It is? The Mets rock to clinch a playoff berth so early!

Valadius Oct 11 2006 04:29 PM

August, Edgy?

seawolf17 Oct 11 2006 04:30 PM

He posted in this thread... from the past!