June 2009
Welcome newest Cardinal….Mark DeRosa
Well, Redbird Nation got their wish as the Cardinals signed a bat to help protect Pujols in the lineup and for their push to the post season. DeRosa was obtained in a trade to Cleveland that send Chris Perez and a player to be named later. DeRosa was hitting .270 with the Indians and had 13homers and 50 rbis as well. He’s know as a very versatile player who can play 3B, SS, 2B,LF and RF. He’s also a great person in the clubhouse.
In Sunday’s debut for DeRosa, he started in LF and batted cleanup. He was hitless but made a fantastic play in left field and robbed a Twins player of an extra base hit.
In other news, Khalil Greene had a relapse for his anxiety disorder. He missed two games as a result but, played in the Sunday game. Hopefully Khalil will understand that having bad games is going to happen in this league.
I fully expect Wellemeyer to be sent to the bullpen upon Lohse’s return. He’s had only 1 quality start this year and seems to get worse every game.
For more details, check out my podcast at: .Redbirds of a Feather
Redbirds back in first…Pujols dominating!
Sorry for the late blog…a host of internet connection problems have put me behind. As the title suggests, the Cardinals are back in first place. As of this blog entry, they are 2 games ahead of the cubs. Their offense is coming alive and their pitching is picking up the pace. Pujols continues to be….well, Pujols. He recently had a game where he had 2 homers; one being a grand slam and a total of 6 rbis!!!
Lately, if our pitching is average, our bats are booming; as a 12-5 thumping of Kansas City recently proved. Or if our bats are average, our pitching dominates as evidence in our 3-0 game last nite. The biggest contributors lately…Pujols, Ankiel, Khalil Greene, Schumaker and Ryan. Ludwick is starting to regain his rhythm and Molina is starting to heat up offensively. Duncan seems to come thru at just the right time and Colby is looking like a Rookie of the Year candidate.
Some not so great news…Wellemeyer continues to struggle as does Dennys Reyes. Frankly, in my opinion, Wellemeyer should be relegated to the bullpen for the time being and let Thompson replace him in the rotation. A move I think we’ll see when Lohse returns from the DL.
In the meantime, the Cards continue to win and hopefully, they’ll put more games between the brewers and the cubs.
For more details, check out my free Cardinals podcast at Redbirds of a Feather.
Cardinals fighting for first place..Interleague play continues
Well, the Cardinals just lost a series to Cleveland as interleague play continues with the Redbirds hosting Detroit this week. They lost the rubber game with their ace Chris Carpenter on the mound. Carp gave up two home runs…a rarity for him; that proved the difference in the game. But, the Cards were shutout as their offense continues to run hot and cold instead of being a model of consistency they enjoyed in April.
Also, I’m not quite ready to annoit Colby Rasmus the starting center fielder. He proved Sunday on national tv, he’s still learning to play the position at the major league level. He misplayed two fly balls, one leading to a triple and the other a double that could; at best be caught and at worst a single by a more capable and experienced center fielder. So, while I love his ability, I would leave Ankiel in center as soon as he’s 100% healed from his collision with the wall.
Another thing that bugged the hell out of me…if you’re reading this Redbird players, will you please stop swinging at the first pitch EVERY time!!? Especially when you’re behind in the ball game. Hell, make the pitcher work! Let him make a mistake and at least give your pitcher time to catch his breath before going back to the mound. Sheesh….
Let’s hope the Redbirds can start a nice long winning streak while they’re at home and take back first place. I’m really sick of seeing the Brewers in first place!
For more details….please download and listen to my free podcast, Redbirds of a Feather. You can get it from iTunes or my website:Redbirds of a Feather Podcast.
Relax Cardinal Nation…Redbirds will get thru this slump
Its only June for heaven’s sake. But you would think in were the last days in September. The Cards have lost 3 in a row and 9 of their last 14. They have fallen to 2nd place; 2 games behind the Brewers. Their offense is pitiful right now and their pitching is horrible at the present time. Yes, the same offense that was leading the NL a few weeks ago and the same pitching staff that had the lowest era in the majors….PERIOD!
So, pardon me if I don’t hit the panic button because we can’t hit our way out of a paperbag right now. I say, better now than later. We can’t afford this type of swoon in August or Sept so, better to get thru it now and get back to playing the game as we can.
Here’s the good news…we have a healthy Carpenter and Pujols; Ankiel and Ludwick are back from the DL; Schumaker is settling in at 2B and we’re in 2nd place. So, relax…we’ll be back in first before you know it and make June the type of month April was.
For more details, check out my website at www.redbirdsofafeather.com. Talk with you soon.
Freddie
Cards hope to make June “April” like with more wins
As the Cards go into the month of June, they leave the month of May that saw them without their ace most of the month and lost 2/3 of their starting outfield for half the month as well. But then, they saw their starting rotation pitch with near perfection in the last part of May, their ace return and their outfield players.
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