April 2008
Cards have a 4-3 week for a 16-10 record
Well, the Cards started the week on a losing note but, ended up on a winning one by taking the series from the Astros 2-1. Prior to that, they split with the Pirates and lost a series 2-1 to the Brewers.
A few of the Cards are in a minor slump offensively. For the week, Ankiel hit .150, Duncan hit .143, Izturis hit .143 and Ludwick was at .125. Ankiel does seem to be seeing the ball better as he did draw 7 walks in that time frame.
Probably the most damaging slump belonged to Izzie. He was scored on in 4 of his last 6 games and gave up 8 earned runs in 5 innings. Hardly the stats you want your closer to display.
The Rebirds are now 1/2 games out of first with a series with the Reds and ending with the Cubs.
Mulder continues to progress in his rehab stint in the minors. While Colby Rasmus is still mired in an early slump. He’s currently batting .204. And Matt Morris was released by the Pirates. He had been ineffective so far this season with a 0-5 start and an era over 9. There’s been talk that he’s contemplating retirement. If so, he’ll end up with a career 121-92 with an era of 3.98.
Be sure and give a listen to my Redbirds of a Feather podcast. You can find it on my website: www.redbirdsofafeather.com. Feel free to email me at: redbirdpodcast@gmail.com. Thanks for reading.
Cards cooled off but still ROCKIN’
The Cardinals continue to make liars of the prognosticators in the NL Central. And their pitching is a big reason. With a starting rotation of Adam Wainwright, Kyle Lohse, Braden Looper, Joel Pinero(prior to that Brad Thompson) and Todd Wellemeyer, and a bullpen anchored by Jason Isringhausen, the Cards have a team ERA of 3.34. Last week, they were first in the NL in team ERA.
The offense is starting to have better clutch hitting though, they’re still stranding double digit runners on the bases. The infield has to do a better job offensively as Pujols is the only infielder doing his job with the bat. The outfield has been outstanding, offensively and defensively. I’d like for someone to show me a better outfield in the major leagues, offensively and defensively better than the Cardinals. Feel free to email me at redbirdpodcast@gmail.com.
The leading Cardinal hitters with at least 40 at bats(thru 4/20) are:
Ryan Ludwick – .391
Albert Pujols – .349
Adam Kennedy – .326
Chris Duncan – .317
Skip Schmaker – .317
The Cardinals have a weird scheduling week with two game series against; first Milwaukee and then the Pirates on the road. They then come back to Busch Stadium with a weekend series against the Astros starting Friday.
Let’s hope the Redbirds and get back on the winning track and get back to winning series and back atop the NL Central.
Second Week…in FIRST PLACE!
Well, the second week is over and the Cardinals are in 1st place. A half game in front of the Brewers and 1.5 games ahead of the Cubs.
Overall, good week; finishing a road trip at 4-3. As of 4/13, the Cards have the best team ERA in the National league and are 5th in team batting average. The hottest hitters are Pujols, Ludwick, Schumaker and Duncan.
The big story is the pitching as, they are faring way better than anyone had expected. Although Pinera was hit pretty hard against the Giants in his first game back, that isn’t expected to continue. Muler is progressing well in his rehab and will be pitching a minor league game soon.
The outfield is showing they’re one of the best in baseball defensively as they threw out two runners in one inning trying to score. The defensive play of Ankiel, Schumaker and Ludwick so far is making it easier to get over letting Edmonds go to San Diego. And Duncan isn’t given nearly enough credit for the job he’s doing in the outfield.
A tough week coming up with the Brewers and the Giants coming to St. Louis for a homestand. Let’s see if the Cards can continue to win or split series. For more information on Cardinal baseball, check out my Redbirds of a Feather podcast.
First Week…Tied for First!
For a team that was predicted as low as fifth from most baseball prognosticators, the Cards are “flying” high! They have a 5 game winning streak and are 5-1; tied for first with the Brewers. The big reason…their pitching.
What was supposed to be their weakness has been their strength. They have a team ERA of 1.83 with the starters going 5-0 with a combined ERA of .96. The offense still hasn’t kicked in and done what they are capable of doing but, I’ll take a team batting .283 any day of the week.
Barton has been leading off lately but LaRussa has stated that Schumaker will be the primary lead off hitter.
The Cards start their road trip with a 3 game series in Houston, then going to San Francisco for a 4 game trip. Wellemeyer starts the series for the Cards tomorrow and Wainwright will open the San Francisco series.
Be sure to listen to my podcast, Redbirds of a Feather. Tell me what you think.
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