St. Louis Cardinals 2022

#551      

pruman91

pruman91
Paducah, Ky
pruman91
www.stltoday.com

Flaherty would prefer it to be here but his next rehab start will be in Memphis

Right-hander recovering from shoulder issues says he feels the best he's felt in three years after throwing a bullpen session at Busch.
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Rick Hummel
Sweat dripping after a bullpen session on a muggy Sunday at Busch Stadium, right-hander Jack Flaherty reminded reporters that starts have been scripted for Cardinals pitchers that called for low pitch counts, perhaps even lower than the 58 pitches he threw in a rehab start on Wednesday in Memphis and certainly fewer than the 75 he might throw in his next start.
Flaherty made it clear Sunday that he hoped that next start, which, indeed, will be on Wednesday, would be at Busch Stadium. Manager Oliver Marmol made it equally clear those 75 pitches will be tossed at Memphis.
“He is ready to go,” said Marmol, echoing Flaherty’s sentiments. “And that’s Jack. He’s ultra-competitive. He’s dying to help us win, which is why I love him.”

Flaherty, who has been out all season as he heals from shoulder bursitis, last started for the Cardinals on Aug. 24.
“We want to make sure we get it right,” Marmol said, “and that he’s with us all the way through the playoffs.”
Marmol, likewise, made it clear that Flaherty, who also suffered an oblique strain a year ago May, had been in complete collaboration with the medical staff in his recovery.
“We want him as back as soon as possible,” Marmol said, “but we also want him here the entire time. He’s been fighting hard to be here now.”
 
#552      

wpr

wpr
wpr
pruman91 said:
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Cardinals' Hudson goes double (play) or nothing as Reds win 7-6

Right-hander throws four double plays in first four innings. But Cardinals fail to record series sweep.
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Rick Hummel
Dakota Hudson lapsed into a bad habit that had plagued him. Juan Yepez returned to a good one that had gotten him to the majors.
Working with more alacrity in his previous two starts, Cardinals right-hander Hudson had allowed just two runs and six hits over 14 innings.
“It sure beats pitching slow and bad,” Hudson had said.
In one sense, Hudson was efficient Sunday in that he traversed seven innings with just 95 pitches. But only 56 of those were strikes, and not many of them came in the fourth inning, when Hudson walked two, hit one and coughed up an early 3-0 lead against the Reds. Cincinnati, after catching the Cardinals, then scored four of the next five runs before hanging on to win 7-6 at Busch Stadium as early-season sensation Yepez continued his rebound with three hits, including a two-run homer in the ninth.

Hudson was headed for a Cardinals record by throwing four double play balls in the first four innings. That was one short of the nine-inning club record for ground-ball double plays induced, most recently accomplished by Steve Mura in 1982. Left-hander Danny Jackson was the last Cardinal to throw four double plays in the first four innings in 1995.
But Hudson didn’t make it to five and wound up allowing six runs after he had entered the game with a 2.23 earned run average at Busch III, second only to John Lackey (2.08). Hudson’s 15-3 won-lost mark had been the best there.
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The loss can be charged to Marmol. Hudson struggled all game long. I realize he had only thrown 85 pitches through 6 innings but he was always pitching with runners on base. 4 runs in 6 innings is not a quality start. Without 4 double plays it could have easily been 6 or 7 runs in 6 innings.
What makes the situation even worse is Marmol didn't even have anyone warming up. If he wanted Hudson to start the inning he should have had someone ready to go if someone reached base. It seems as if Marmol would rather be their friend instead of the manager. 10 runners reached base in 6 innings. 5 actually because Dakota finally had a 1-2-3 inning in the 6th.
It has been shown many times where the batter gets the advantage when he is facing a pitcher for the 3rd time. By the time they got the 7th inning it was definitely the third time through the lineup.
I also realize managers try to not overwork the BP. I'm sorry that is a tired excuse. This is 2022 not 1960. SP rarely go beyond 6 innings anymore. If you don't trust the 7 or 8 guys in the BP to protect a lead then you need to replace them with someone else. In reality most teams are not going to have 7 guys they can trust. But they should have 4 or 5 if they expect to have any kind of success in the playoffs.
 
#553      

IlliniFan85

IlliniFan85
Colorado Springs, CO
IlliniFan85
wpr said:
The loss can be charged to Marmol. Hudson struggled all game long. I realize he had only thrown 85 pitches through 6 innings but he was always pitching with runners on base. 4 runs in 6 innings is not a quality start. Without 4 double plays it could have easily been 6 or 7 runs in 6 innings.
What makes the situation even worse is Marmol didn't even have anyone warming up. If he wanted Hudson to start the inning he should have had someone ready to go if someone reached base. It seems as if Marmol would rather be their friend instead of the manager. 10 runners reached base in 6 innings. 5 actually because Dakota finally had a 1-2-3 inning in the 6th.
It has been shown many times where the batter gets the advantage when he is facing a pitcher for the 3rd time. By the time they got the 7th inning it was definitely the third time through the lineup.
I also realize managers try to not overwork the BP. I'm sorry that is a tired excuse. This is 2022 not 1960. SP rarely go beyond 6 innings anymore. If you don't trust the 7 or 8 guys in the BP to protect a lead then you need to replace them with someone else. In reality most teams are not going to have 7 guys they can trust. But they should have 4 or 5 if they expect to have any kind of success in the playoffs.
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Yeah it makes no sense why he kept him in. Additionally, I don't know why he keeps running McFarland out there. I know he is still a young manager, but he has a fricken major veteran in Mike Maddux as his pitching coach who should be able to help him when needed.

Again, this is supposed to be an analytical based team, but he is still coaching just like Matheny and Shildt. And it is frustrating.
 
#554      

wpr

wpr
wpr
IlliniFan85 said:
Yeah it makes no sense why he kept him in. Additionally, I don't know why he keeps running McFarland out there. I know he is still a young manager, but he has a fricken major veteran in Mike Maddux as his pitching coach who should be able to help him when needed.

Again, this is supposed to be an analytical based team, but he is still coaching just like Matheny and Shildt. And it is frustrating.
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At some point in time they have to put analytics aside and use their own brains. If not just get a computer program to run an analytical software system. It's a tool and the whole answer in and of itself.
 
#555      

IlliniFan85

IlliniFan85
Colorado Springs, CO
IlliniFan85
wpr said:
At some point in time they have to put analytics aside and use their own brains. If not just get a computer program to run an analytical software system. It's a tool and the whole answer in and of itself.
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The problem is, they aren't using the tools it seems though. It is like they are ignoring the tools available. We are still batting Albert 4th. Even though he hits lefty's, he is not a 4 hole hitter. We still bring pitchers in, with terrible stats, in close games and keep getting burned.

To your point about using their Brains though, that is true too. There are decisions that common sense says they shouldn't be doing. Like batting the best on base guys at bottom of order. Batting extremely slow players in front of the fastest players in the league. Leaving pitchers in too long. Not having pitchers ready in bullpen late in games. Who cares about pitch count when a team is batting for 3rd or 4th time against a pitcher. This is both brain and stats. Be ready for s*** to hit the fan. Because in the 7th inning and the lineup batting for that many times, chances are the pitcher isn't escaping clean. And don't bring in the worst reliever. Save the worst reliever for a blowout or when you have no one left in the 17th inning.
 
#558      

pruman91

pruman91
Paducah, Ky
pruman91
Goldie solo shot......

6-5 Cardinals going to top of the 8th.........................
 
#561      

IlliniFaninHoosierLand

IlliniFaninHoosierLand
IlliniFaninHoosierLand
IlliniFan85 said:
Was having a crappy night and my pessimism got the best of me.
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#563      

pruman91

pruman91
Paducah, Ky
pruman91
www.stltoday.com

Carlson, Goldschmidt flex their power to vaporize five-run deficit, lead Cardinals comeback win

Carlson's three-run homer ties game in sixth inning begins run of seven unanswered to upend Pittsburgh, 7-5, and keep Cardinals alone in first place.
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Derrick Goold
When Dylan Carlson felt his hamstring come apart it was just as his game was starting to come together.
The Cardinals’ switch-hitting outfielder, who arrived into his third season in the majors on a gust of last summer’s strong finish, had a .175 batting average on May Day. He spent the next three weeks yanking that average up, batting .333 over his next 19 games, and mirroring that steady pulse of performance the Cardinals saw in last season’s final two months and craved to lengthen and enliven their lineup.
Everything was running in the right direction, until he could not run at all.
Back after spending three weeks recovering from a torn hamstring, Carlson kept the heat up on his swing even as he iced his muscle. Carlson connected for a three-run homer Monday that punctuated the Cardinals’ rally from a five-run deficit and lifted them toward a 7-5 victory against Pittsburgh at Busch Stadium. Carlson doubled to create the Cardinals' final run. His homer completed a five-run inning in the sixth ignited by Paul Goldschmidt’s leadoff double. Goldschmidt broke the tie with a solo homer to lead off the seventh inning.

Pittsburgh starter Mitch Keller had confounded the Cardinals as his teammates built a 5-0 lead through five innings. When a pair of hits, including Goldschmidt’s double, chased him, the Cardinals pounced on reliever Anthony Banda, the only lefty in the Bucs’ bullpen.
Left-handed hitter Brendan Donovan narrowed the Pirates’ lead with a two-run double, and the inning found Carlson with two teammates on base. From the right side, he launched the first pitch he saw into the Cardinals’ bullpen for a tie game.
 
#564      

pruman91

pruman91
Paducah, Ky
pruman91
www.stltoday.com

Cardinals' comeback by committee reveals lengths they must reach to win division

Players like reliever McFarland and outfielder Carlson, spots of need for Cardinals, help erase a five-run deficit in 7-5 victory against Pittsburgh.
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Derrick Goold
The measure of any aspiring contender is the lengths it can go when a game feels long out of reach.
Eager to flex the depth of their lineup at full strength and anxious to find the relievers who extend the bullpen’s influence, the Cardinals got both in the sixth inning Monday to turn just another nondescript dud into the biggest comeback of the season. Dylan Carlson, batting eighth, hoisted the Cardinals up from a five-run hole with his three-run homer. But it tied the game only after lefty T. J. McFarland stalled Pittsburgh with a perfect inning of relief.
That combination, backed by the constants the Cardinals have come to count on, pushed them toward a 7-5 victory at Busch Stadium.

“There’s no panic there,” manager Oliver Marmol said. “They know what they’re capable of.”
The Cardinals have been waiting for it to show.
More than a third of the way into the season, the first-place Cardinals have been powered by a nucleus of consistencies. There’s Paul Goldschmidt, the ultimate proton, who got a day off after his 46-game streak of reaching base ended and started it up again Monday by reaching base in his first four plate appearances. His leadoff double in the sixth keyed the rally, and his leadoff homer in the seventh inning broke the 5-5 tie to give the Cardinals the lead for the first time. Such a lead is secured by the other reliable elements on the roster – the neutralizers out of the bullpen.
A trio of trusted relievers – Genesis Cabrera, Giovanny Gallegos, and Ryan Helsley – retired all eight batters they faced, cinching Helsley’s fifth save of the season.
 
#565      

AdDoBe

A
AdDoBe
IlliniFan85 said:
Was having a crappy night and my pessimism got the best of me.
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I turned on the game last night with one out in the bottom of the sixth. Seeing that the Cardinals were down 5-0, I thought about just turning it off, but figured I'd watch for a little bit to see if they could at least get Goldy in from second. I'm glad I stuck around...
 
#566      

pruman91

pruman91
Paducah, Ky
pruman91
www.stltoday.com

Jack’s back: Flaherty will start for Cardinals Wednesday after making pitch to management

Instead of starting as scheduled for Class AAA Memphis, Flaherty will be limited to 60 pitches in the majors after successfully making his point to coaches.
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When asked this past week if he felt his pitches were sharp enough, his execution crisp enough to get outs in the majors, Jack Flaherty nodded with a confident, "Yes."
The last phase of his recovery from shoulder injury would be stamina.
And that, he pointed out, is something that the Cardinals had allowed other pitchers to get on the job in the majors. He wanted to make the case that he was ready to do the same, to make the leap from rehab assignment to throwing pitches in games that matter and build arm strength in that competition.

The Cardinals, initially reluctant, have agreed.
Flaherty will start Wednesday for the Cardinals against Pittsburgh at Busch Stadium The right-hander will be making his first start of the season, his first start since bursitis in his right shoulder ended his spring training before it could begin. Flaherty will have a hard cap of around 60 pitches.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol announced the decision before Tuesday's doubleheader, and he explained that Flaherty sought an increase in intensity, and that he only place to find that would be the majors.
 
#567      

wpr

wpr
wpr
pruman91 said:
www.stltoday.com

Jack’s back: Flaherty will start for Cardinals Wednesday after making pitch to management

Instead of starting as scheduled for Class AAA Memphis, Flaherty will be limited to 60 pitches in the majors after successfully making his point to coaches.
www.stltoday.com www.stltoday.com

When asked this past week if he felt his pitches were sharp enough, his execution crisp enough to get outs in the majors, Jack Flaherty nodded with a confident, "Yes."
The last phase of his recovery from shoulder injury would be stamina.
And that, he pointed out, is something that the Cardinals had allowed other pitchers to get on the job in the majors. He wanted to make the case that he was ready to do the same, to make the leap from rehab assignment to throwing pitches in games that matter and build arm strength in that competition.

The Cardinals, initially reluctant, have agreed.
Flaherty will start Wednesday for the Cardinals against Pittsburgh at Busch Stadium The right-hander will be making his first start of the season, his first start since bursitis in his right shoulder ended his spring training before it could begin. Flaherty will have a hard cap of around 60 pitches.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol announced the decision before Tuesday's doubleheader, and he explained that Flaherty sought an increase in intensity, and that he only place to find that would be the majors.
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It makes sense to me. If his bursitis is going to flair up it can do so just as easily in rehab as it can in the Majors.
 
#568      

pruman91

pruman91
Paducah, Ky
pruman91
Cardinals lead 7-0 in the bottom of the second in second game of the doubleheader..............

Goldie with a 2 run homer in bottom of the first and a 3 run dinger in the bottom of the second....................wow........................He's in a zone for sure.............
 
#571      

pruman91

pruman91
Paducah, Ky
pruman91
www.stltoday.com

Cardinals Quick Hits: Liberatore delivers five scoreless in Cardinals' Game 1 victory

The Cardinals had their full complement of late-game relievers to cement a victory with a score that should not have been that close in Game 1 of a doubleheader against
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Derrick Goold
The Cardinals had their full complement of late-game relievers to cement a victory with a score that should not have been that close in Game 1 of a doubleheader against Pittsburgh.
How they got to there proved just as valuable.
Rookie Matthew Liberatore, up from Class AAA Memphis for a one-game engagement, pitched five superb and scoreless innings to steer the Cardinals toward a 3-1 victory Tuesday afternoon at Busch Stadium. The line echoed Liberatore’s previous top start – five scoreless innings against Milwaukee – but within it there were clear signs of improvement. The lefty struck out five, got consistent swings and misses on three different pitches, and he remained efficient. He carried the lead to the bullpen by getting 15 outs on 79 pitches.

A leadoff single in the fifth inning invited the Cardinals to consider stopping Liberatore’s outing short of qualifying for the win, but the rookie maintained his hold on the game. Promoted to the majors as the Cardinals’ 27th man for the doubleheader, Liberatore will return to Triple-A’s rotation, but be on retainer for the inevitable opening for a starter in coming weeks.
The first-place Cardinals got two runs from Paul Goldschmidt’s homer and another run from a curious rundown in the third inning, and the opening was there for much, much. The Pirates committed four errors in the game. Edmundo Sosa reached base three times on errors. And yet there Giovanny Gallegos was in the ninth facing the tying run at the plate before getting the final out for his ninth save.
 
#572      

pruman91

pruman91
Paducah, Ky
pruman91
www.stltoday.com

Mikolas' near no-hitter completes power-packed doubleheader sweep of Bucs

Cardinals starter pushes Pirates to final out before ground-rule double ruins would-be history.
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Derrick Goold
One out and one pitch away from authoring history this city hasn’t seen in decades by allowing no hits, Miles Mikolas saw the immortality of his excellent evening sail just over the reach of center fielder Harrison Bader’s glove.
On Mikolas’ 129th and final pitch of his start, Pittsburgh's Cal Mitchell, who entered the game late, drove a ball to straightaway center. Bader, his back to Mikolas, dove in an attempt to catch the liner, but it landed just beyond and bounded over the wall for a ground-rule double. Mikolas had retired 17 consecutive Pirates before Mitchell connected for the hit that denied Busch Stadium III its first no-hitter and St. Louis its first, by any pitcher, since 1983.

Mikolas’ superb 8 2/3 innings and dramatic finish punctuated a doubleheader sweep of the Pirates. The Cardinals held fast to a 3-1 win in Game 1 and then romped for a 9-1 victory in Game 2. The Cardinals had a seven-run lead by the end of the second inning to clear the way for Mikolas to breeze through the Pirates.
Paul Goldschmidt homered three times, had six hits in the doubleheader, and reached base in all five of his plate appearances during the night game. That paced an offense that also featured Brendan Donovan’s first career four-hit game. Through the first two innings of the Cardinals’ Game 2 win, the top three spots in the Cardinals order had gone six-for-six with six runs scored, and Goldschmidt had five of the six RBIs.
 
#573      

wpr

wpr
wpr
pruman91 said:
Miles Mikolas with a no-hitters for 8 2/3 innings and with 2 strikes a pirate got a hit ........ugh.......great game and doubleheader sweep for the first place Cardinals......
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All the outfield was playing in to take away the bloop single. That was a tough way to lose the N.H. It was the correct call but still tough for Mikolas. He said the curve ball hung up a bit. Maybe it did but it looked like it was lower and on the outside corner to me. That's a great spot for any pitch.
 
#574      

IlliniFan85

IlliniFan85
Colorado Springs, CO
IlliniFan85
wpr said:
All the outfield was playing in to take away the bloop single. That was a tough way to lose the N.H. It was the correct call but still tough for Mikolas. He said the curve ball hung up a bit. Maybe it did but it looked like it was lower and on the outside corner to me. That's a great spot for any pitch.
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According the the strike zone, it was absolutely in the perfect spot. And damn did Bader make a hell of an effort. It looks like it missed his glove by 2 or 3 inches. Just crazy. And frustrating.
 
#575      

the juiceman cometh

T
the juiceman cometh
wpr said:
All the outfield was playing in to take away the bloop single. That was a tough way to lose the N.H. It was the correct call but still tough for Mikolas. He said the curve ball hung up a bit. Maybe it did but it looked like it was lower and on the outside corner to me. That's a great spot for any pitch.
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I think it was a good pitch, and they were right to play in against a weak hitter, but this is baseball. Sometimes a bad hitter, against all odds, manages to square up a good pitch in a tough location. Just goes to show that a no-no requires both tons of skill and tons of luck.