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.
Pitching carries Redbirds back to 1st in NL Central
Well, this time last week, the Cards were struggling to stay in contention. Their pitching and their offense were in the doldrums, injuries were mounting and Cardinal fans frustrated. Now, along with getting their ace back in the rotation, the Cards are back in first place, tied with the Brewers.
And they got their with some of the best starting pitching LaRussa has seen and their bullpen also was a major factor. Not only were the starters going deep into games but, they were holding the opposition to less than 5 runs in 42+ innings! And as a result won the last 5 of six games at home and are back in first place.
There are still problems…we have an anxiety riddled shortstop doing his best to compete and an offense that is only averaging a little over 3 runs/game. Despite this, the Cardinals are winning using a combination of strong pitching and “small” ball.
We open a 3 game series with the Brewers on Memorial Day and then after a rest Thursday, go to San Francisco. Let’s hope we can leave for the West coast with a 2 or 3 game lead and maintain that lead out west. For more details and info, check out my Redbirds of a Feather podcast. A new podcast every Wed and Sunday nite. Let me know what you think!
Cards in a slump but, should turn it around soon!
What a difference a week makes. The Cards have gone from first place in the NL Central to third place 2 games out. This is due in large part to two main factors and one of the main factors has led to a third.
- Factor 1 – Starting pitchers are not doing their job. They have not gone deep into games and have an era of 5.82 over the past week and a half.
- Factor 2 – Injuries to key players…Rick Ankiel, Ryan Ludwick and Brendan Ryan. These players along with Troy Glaus account for over 30% of our offensive production
- Factor 3 – And as a result, our offense is way down. We averaged a little over 3 games the past 10 days and a team batting average under .250.
Now for the good news:
Chris Carpenter should make his first start since early April and should be a huge lift for the team. Rick Ankiel is also scheduled to come off the DL. And Wainwright has apparently “fixed” the flaw in his delivery and it was apparent in the 1-0 loss as he only allowed 2 hits to the Brewers.
The point here is; there is still a lot of baseball to be played. So, Cardinal Nation, don’t panic over a slump; especially when there are good reasons for it. And those reasons are turning around soon.
There should be work on Troy Glaus’ condition soon and the Redbirds should be close to 100% before the end of May.For more info, check out my podcast at:
Redbirds of a Feather.
Cardinals stay in first on mediocre week
Well, though the Redbirds had a so-so week, they still stand
2 games ahead of the next team and remain in 1st in the NL Central.
Their offense and pitching took a vacation and while this team can usually weather
one or the other being in a funk, not both. And it showed with a 2game sweep by
the Phillies and losing a 3 game series 2-1 to the Reds. Some of the reasons:
- Pujols
had an uncharacteristic slump; going 0-11 before hitting a solo hr on
Sunday - The
starters, with the exception of Wellemeyer, faltered - The
bullpen made matters worse this week, usually giving up more runs - Falling
behind early in the game
What made matters worse for the week, Ankiel had to go on
the 15 day DL due to a scary collision with the outfield wall in Monday’s game.
On the positive side, Rasmus was getting more playing time
in the outfield and Shane Robinson got his first hit in Sunday’s game. Tyler
Greene, called up due to Brendan Ryan’s hamstring injury, got his 1st
ML homerun.
And Chris Carpenter is progressing nicely in rehab. He
should be throwing off the mound this week and I’m hoping he’ll be back in the
rotation in time for the Cub series in mid-May.
.
We have the Pirates and Brewer’s coming up. Hopefully we can
start winning our series again. For more information, check out my Cardinal
podcast at: www.redbirdsofafeather.com.
You can also find on iTunes and subscribe for free.
Cardinals Flying High – Best April record in MLB
At 16-7, the St. Louis Cardinals ended April with the best record in baseball. This was done despite the fact we were without our “ace” until late May, a converted outfielder starting at 2b and starting 3rd baseman from last year.
With Kyle Lohse, Joel Piniero and Adam Wainwright picking up the slack for a combined 10-1 record, Chris Carpenter was hardly missed. And with the duo of Joe Thurston and Brian Barden platooning at third base for a combined .308 average, Cardinal fans are saying…”…Troy who?”
Pujols is off to one of his best starts and he’s finally getting a measure of protection in the batting order from Chris Duncan, Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel. Yadier Molina is picking up offensively where he left off last year and our bullpen, though still a bit shaky at times, is settling down.
Ryan Franklin in fact, has been dubbed the “Closer” and he has a 0 era with 7 saves to go with it. Its still early but, we’ve played the Cubs head to head as well as other teams in the division.
As Colby Rasmus continues to improve with experience and Skip gets more comfortable at 2nd base, imagine how good the Redbirds will be when Carpenter and Glaus return.
I can’t wait!! For more information, CLICK HERE and listen to Redbirds of a Feather podcast. Also available on iTunes. Please email me your thoughts and suggestions at: Redbirds of a Feather
Cards beat themselves going 3-3 for the week
It can be argued that, the mark of a good team is how often it dominates versus being dominated. It the past week, a better argument would be the mark of a good team is how seldom it beat itself.
The Cards had a week of missed opportunities in clutch hitting and clutch pitching. After going to Wrigley with a 7-2 record, they limped away with an 8-5 record. Not because the Cubs dominated the Redbirds but, because our poor play overall and the most inopportune times. You cannot win series going 3-16 with men on base and 1-16 from the top three in your batting order. And that my fellow Redbirds of a Feather is why the Cubs won the abbreiviated series 2-1.
We can take solace in the fact that at this point in the season, the Cubs at best are on an equal playing field. But being equal doesn’t win ball games and that’s where the Cubs have us beat. They found a way to win the game on Friday and Saturday.
Now, I’m certain our bullpen will end up being much better than last year but, whenever you lose a series to the Cubs for any reason, its disappointing. So, let’s hope with an extra day off, we can “right the ship” and start playing better Cardinal baseball.
And maybe, Carpenter will be back in time to make an appearance when we make up the game that was postponed on 7/12. Please give a listen to my Cardinal Podcast. You can find on iTunes or go to my website: Redbirds of a Feather.
2009 Cardinals Rollin’….
First off, sorry for the delayed blog. It was supposed to be debuting for the 2009 season on 4/5 but, I was under the weather with a sinus infection. Anyway, back in the saddle now and have a lot to tell you.
Redbirds of a Feather Podcast Blog – 2009 Debut on April 5
Look for a new and improved Redbirds of a Feather podcast this season! Some new Features include:
- Twice weekly shows to download
- Last Sunday of the month(during season) to include a Live call-in
- Look for guests and interviews – first interview in April with author of a book on Cardinal baseball history
- More places to download podcast including iTunes and BlogTalk Radio
- And more…..
Cards start May like they did April…IN FIRST PLACE!
Cards continue to amaze and befuddle the naysayers. After finishing with a record 18 wins in April and tied for first; they start May with a series winning weekend against the pesky cubs by taking 2 out of 3 and in first place with a game and a half lead.
They did this despite Izzie’s recent slump on the mound and Ankiel’s slump during the last part of April. But, with Albert taking his walks and getting his rbi’s and Schumaker and Ludwick getting hot, the helped propel the Cards to top of NL Central, where they belong.
The pitching staff is 2nd in Team ERA and the offense is 4th with a .277 batting average. LaRussa had been platooning at 2b a lot lately and with Brenday Ryan’s hot bat and Kennedy’s resurgence, the infield is starting to put up some nice offensive numbers.
We travel to Colorado and Milwaukee this week and I’m hoping we can “win” both series. Let’s hope May is as aMAYzing as April. Please check out my website, www.redbirdsofafeather.com and my podcast. Give a listen and let me know what you think! Here’s another link for the podcast: <a href=”http://www.podcastalley.com/”> My Podcast Alley feed!</a> {pca-feb834bf8d5bc68b877ff64f452f74bb}
mlblogsredbirdsofafeather
Recent Comments