Check the index card in your back pocket next time, Tony

Ugh. Friday’s tilt against the Cubs was a stomach-churner: We’re down, we’re up, we’re down, we’re up, we’re… done.

While the estimable Matthew Leach charitably wrote that the loss wasn’t just one person’s fault, I’m going to have to go ahead and disagree with him about that.

For me, this loss falls squarely on the shoulders of Tony F. La Russa. For someone who’s seemingly a slave to matchups, leaving Trever Miller in to face the Cubs’ three most dangerous right-handed batters is inexcusable. For his career, Miller has allowed right-handers to hit .294/.382/.447, a split that has gotten more pronounced during the past few seasons.

After taking over for starter P.J. Walters to start the fifth, Miller struck out lefty Kosuke “Welcome to the” Fukudome, allowed a single to righty Derrek Lee, struck out lefty Micah Hoffpauir, then allowed a double and single to Aramis Ramirez and Geovany Soto. Given a two-run lead, Miller left the game with the score tied all because La Russa left him in there.

To me, those two runs were the difference in Friday’s game.

Carpenter brings the hammer

First thing’s first: This corner of Cardinal Nation would like to extend condolences to the family and friends of Nick Adenhart and Angels fans everywhere.

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+

AP photo

Now, if Chris Carpenter can do that like 32 more times this year, everything will be aiiight.

Carpenter, the man to whom Cardinal Nation turns its hopeful eyes, turned in a start of 2004-06 vintage: Seven innings pitched, two walks, one (!) hit and seven strikeouts. He also coaxed 12 groundball outs to just four of the flyball variety (and only one of those made it to the outfield), earning the Dave Duncan Stamp of Approval.

He even carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, which ultimately was broken up by a Nyjer Morgan (who rocks the old-school stirrups very well) single. And thanks to a pair of uncharacteristic defensive lapses by Albert Pujols, the Cardinals actually were down 1-0 even though Carpenter was stifling the Pirates’ bats.

About the only negative is that my opponent this week in fantasy has Carpenter, who pretty much has sunk my team this week.

Hey, it’s Franklin…

Well, I got to watch only the bottom of the eighth and top of the ninth of the St. Louis Cardinals’ opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. And really, that’s all I needed to see.

In his first save situation of the 2009 season, Jason Motte didn’t come through, surrendering four hits and hitting another batter as he turned a two-run lead into a two-run deficit that his teammates couldn’t overcome.

I imagine Tony La Russa’s reaction will be all too predictable. Allow me to paraphrase:

“Well, it’s obvious that rookies are not capable of handling the ninth inning. Therefore, Ryan Franklin will be our closer from now on. I told you we needed that Proven Veteran Closer.”

I’m joking, of course. But only slightly. I think we obsessive Internet nerds were almost as geeked up as Motte when he came into the game, not only to get the win but also to shove it up La Russa’s [body part] that players younger than 35 can be successful major leaguers.

You win this round, Tony.

Let’s fill the roster with marginal players!

Nothing like a nonsensical trade rumor to awaken a dormant blogger…

As spring training winds down, teams are frantically working to finalize their 25-man rosters before breaking camp and heading north. For many clubs, that means finagling trades to address their rosters’ shortcomings. The St. Louis Cardinals are no different, but a rumor making the rounds is puzzling to me:

The Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals have recently discussed a trade that would send infielder/outfielder Ryan Raburn to St. Louis…

While Ryan Raburn theoretically could be useful, don’t the Cardinals already have him on their roster in the form of SkipJoe SchuMather?

Raburn has put in a .255/.306/.407 line in 349 major-league at-bats, which ain’t saying much for a guy who turns 28 in two weeks. But perhaps Tony La Russa lusts after Raburn’s vaunted versatility, as Raburn has played second base, third base and all three outfield spots during his tenure with the Tigers.

But while Raburn’s always had something of a power stroke during his ample time in the minors, Joe Mather is the classic late-bloomer, not having slugged above .500 until his seventh season in the minors  when he hit 31 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A. And though his time in the majors last season was limited, Mather put up an above-average isolated power mark of .233.

As for Skip Schumaker, well… the plug has yet to be pulled on the Great Keystone Konversion, so he’s got that going for him. Which is nice. It appears, then, that this alleged Raburn flirtation is to fill the all-important role of Tony La Russa’s Aaron Miles Memorial Pet Scrappy Hustling Grinder. But the Cardinals have three in-house candidates for that role: Joe Thurston, Brian Barden and Brendan Ryan. La Russa even said himself that Thurston has a leg up:

Thurston’s got an edge, because he is our only left-handed-hitting [utility] infielder. That’s definitely a plus for him.

That’s why this Raburn rumor is so perplexing. There are several players already on the team that satisfy La Russa’s versatility fetish. It makes no sense to pay (in terms of trading players) for what you already have plenty of.

UCB Roundtable question: What’s your take on Mark McGwire?

Happy St. Patrick’s Day all. Today is my turn to post a question to the United Cardinals Bloggers of the world:

With the recent Joe Posnanski article in SI about our Albert Pujols that put steroids back in the national conversation, what is your take on the Mark McGwire Saga? Do you think he’s a cheater (regardless of the lack of positive tests, that is)? Does it matter to you either way? How should his Cardinals legacy be handled?

Which is actually four questions, but whatever. The responses:

Sorta liveblog: St. Louis Cardinals at Detroit Tigers

Having the day off is a good thing, especially when there is Cardinals baseball on TV. Gonna give liveblogging the Cardinals spring training game a try. DVR makes the experience a bit easier. So, here goes:

12:07 – Cardinals lineup:

1. Skip “Jared” Schumaker, 2b
2. Rick Ankiel, DH
3. Albert Pujols 1b
4. Chris Duncan, LF
5. Ryan Ludwick, RF
6. Khalil Greene, SS
7. Joe Thurston, 3b
8. Jason Larue, C
9. Colby Rasmus, CF

Looks a bit like a potential regular-season lineup.

Top 1: Schumaker doinks one into center. Line drive in the box score, as the saying goes. Ankiel rips one into center on a hit-and-run. First and third for the Big Fella, who promptly singles home Schumaker. 1-0 Cardinals. Dig the red hats with the road unis, btw. Duncan looks at strike three right in his gonko. Tigers pitcher Zach Miner doing a good job of keeping the ball down. Ludwick walks to load the bases for Greene, who drills a double down the left-field line to clear the bases. 4-0 good guys! Thurston pops out to short. Larue up. It’s a shame he shaved his bitchin’ Fu Manchu. Larue flails at a changeup out of the zone. Still 4-0 Cardinals.

Bottom 1: This is my first time seeing the Cardinals this spring. Hope Schumaker gets a lot of action. Todd Wellemeyer on the bump for the Cards. Old friend Timo Perez leads off for the Tigers. Why? Oh, that’s why. Perez’s leadoff homer puts the score at 4-1. Old friend Placido Polanco pops out to Schumaker on the first pitch. Ball four to Gary Sheffield, who nearly gets picked off first base. Old friend Andy Van Slyke coaching first for the Tigers. Jeff Larish crushes one to right, but Ludwick snares it and doubles off Sheffield, who was off with the pitch. 4-1 Cardinals.

Top 2: It’s the Rasmus boy to lead off. Get a haircut, hippie. And a whiff on another pitch out of the zone. Schumaker grounds out to first, where Larish bobbles it 42 times before the putout. Ankiel walks on four pitches. Good to see. If he continues to improve his walk rate, dude is going to be rich after this season. Pujols also draws a walk. I hope Al Hrabosky will explain what it means to “trust your hands.” Polanco makes a tough play to retire Duncan. 4-1 Cardinals.

Bottom 2: Duncan looks not terrible snaring a first-pitch liner near the track. Wellemeyer whiffs Gerald Laird. He’s been hitting 92-93 thus far. Brent Clevlen then takes Wellemeyer deep to left-center. 4-2 Cardinals. Brandon Inge, first-pitch swinging, pops out in foul ground to Pujols. 4-2 Cardinals.

Top 3: Ludwick pops out to right to lead off. Greene rips a liner to left for a single. Al just used the phrase “three second basemans.” Already in midseason form. Thurston retired on a foul pop to Inge, who holds a special place in Cardinals lore. Larue whiffs again. 4-2 Cardinals. Already sick of the Dustin Pedroia commercial for “MLB 2K9.”

Bottom 3: Adam Everett leads off for the Tigers. Batting .207 in spring training.  He, too, already in midseason form. Thurston makes slick dive but whiffs on Everett’s grounder. Everett beats Greene’s throw. Overheard on press-box mic: “C’mon… let’s get a double play.” Brilliant idea, sir. WTF: Perez triples home Everett. 4-3 Cardinals. Polanco’s sac fly to center ties the score, and Sheff now on with a Texas Leaguer. Jebus… Sheff more than halfway to second by the time Larue gets the pitch. Stolen off the pitcher. Nice play by Schumaker on a nubber to retire Larish. Wellemyer whiffs Cory Ryan Raburn but not before allowing the Tigers to tie, 4-4.

Top 4: Freddy Dolsi on to pitch for Tigers. Rasmus boy leads off again, and rips a double to the right-field gap on a fastball right in his gonko. Nice. Schumaker follows suit in the left-field gap to score Rasmus. 5-4 Cardinals. Ankiel grounds to short; Schumaker advances. Paging Joe Morgan… Pujols grounds into the teeth of the defense, Schumaker stays put, Morgan sheds a tear. Duncan grounds to second to end the inning. 5-4 Cardinals.

Bottom 4: Joe Mather takes over in left field. Wellemeyer foul-tip whiffs Laird. I think that’s his third of the sort today. Pujols snares a liner to retire Clevlen. There’s that Gold Glove. Inge doubles down the line. Everett pops up to Greene. 5-4 Cards. Curtains for Wellemeyer?

Top 5: Inge nearly airmails the throw to first to retire Ludwick. Greene singles up the middle. Thurston bunts hard down third base line. Inge’s throw pulls Larish off the bag. Larish fires to Laird covering third to nail Greene trying to sneak over. That’s 5-3-2 to record the out at third, if you’re scoring at home. Heads-up play by Laird backing up. Larue whiffs for the third time. 5-4 Cardinals.

Bottom 5: Wellemeyer not done. Perez leads off, and he promptly pops out to short left on the first pitch. There’s the Timo we know. Nice pick by Albert on a low throw from Greene to retire Polanco. Yikes! Sheffield rips a sick-sounding liner right to Thurston for the third out. 5-4 Cardinals.

Top 6: Lots of bikini tops on the outfield berm. Bobby Seay on the mound for the Tigers. Rasmus again to lead off. Get used to it, pal. Oof. Rasmus strikes out looking. Schumaker grounds out to short. Ankiel whiffs on high cheese. Seay looks good vs. Cardinals’ lefty troika.

Bottom 6: Mitchell Boggs on in relief of Wellemeyer. And Schumaker makes nifty diving play of Larish grounder for first out. It looked like he checked his glove first to see if the ball was there. Raburn lines a single to left-center. Laird looks like a fatter Jorge Posada. Mather makes a stumbling catch of Laird’s looper for the second out. Blistering liner right to Schumaker for third. 5-4 Cardinals.

Top 7: Wow, Al sure sounds like a douche when he reads promos. Pujols to lead off. Seay to get some work vs. righties this inning. WHACK! No-doubter by The Mang to left-center. 6-4 Cardinals. Mather pops foul in his first at-bat. Ludwick whiffs on hard stuff on the corner. No. 88 Allen Craig in to pinch-hit for Greene. Craig reaches as Everett tries to Roger Dorn a sinking liner. Larue pops to right to avoid a fourth strikeout. 6-4 Cardinals.

Bottom 7: Boggs back out for a second inning. Tigers love them some first-pitch swings. Crap-ton of defensive changes for the Cardinals: Brendan Ryan at short, Matt Pagnozzi behind the dish, Craig at first, Jon Jay somewhere in the outfield… Sweet play by Ryan to range for a foul pop. Perez rips a two-out single to right. Just needs a double for the cycle. Polanco doubles home Perez. 6-5 Cards. Sheff coming up. Eep. Boggs bounces a curveball wide, pinch-runner to third. Stadium gun shows Boggs at 92-95 on a walk to Sheff. Larish chops one down first-base line to tie the score. How tall is Craig? Would Pujols have made that play? Nice block by MattyPagz to block a Chuck in the dirt. Raburn caught looking on 92-mph heat from Boggs. All the damage came with two outs. Tied at 6.

Top 8: Brandon Lyon on for the Tigers to face Ryan, who pops out by the Tigers dugout on the first pitch. He must like living in the doghouse. Rasmus flies out to right on his fists. Ouch. Schumaker shatters his bet on a Lyon cutter. <— total guess. Schumaker whiffs on curve in the dirt.

Bottom 8: Jason Motte in on relief. Looking forward to this outing. Ouch. Sardinha looks at a 86-mph slider for strike three. Sweet. Motte’s cheese at 95-96 so far. Clevlen whiffs on high 96-mph heat. Ay caramba! Motte whiffs pinch-hitter on 98-mph fastball. He’s definitely feeling it today.

Top 9: Ankiel leads off against Tigers’ version of Motte, Ryan Perry, whose slider looks better so far. Ankiel nearly runs into an out after stellar play by Tigers 2B on grounder up the middle. Jay looks at strike three on unhittable 99-mph gas on the outside corner. Mather pops foul to third. Cardinals at least connecting on Perry’s heat. Tigers couldn’t vs. Motte. Pagnozzi bounces to short to end the inning. Tied at 6.

Bottom 9: Fernando Salas takes the mound. Al and announcers riffing about how “Mexican pitchers love their breaking stuff.” Didn’t Steve Lyons get fired from Fox for such banter? Santiago’s bunt appeared to have hit him. Called safe anyway. Can Perez get his cycle? Just a solid single this time. Will Rhymes to pinch-hit. I believe he is Busta’s cousin. And Rhymes wins it with a single up the middle. 7-6 Tigers. Foo.

Oh, well. I had fun pulling my first liveblog in about three years. Thanks to Cindy and Sarah-bug for visiting.

Motte: the hoopla

Motte

While there still is much work to be done in spring training, there is an interesting development, uh, developing, in the battle for the Cardinals’ closer role:

For the second consecutive ninth inning in as many games for the St. Louis Cardinals, rookie pitcher Jason Motte got the ball to close out the game.

It has been said that in Tony La Russa’s spring training, there are no accidents. What’s more interesting to me is that in Derrick Goold’s story, it’s mentioned that Motte not only brought his big fastball but also commanded his slider and a changeup. In the past, the big knock against Motte has been his lack of secondary offerings to go with his triple-digit heat. It’s very encouraging to see him further developing his offspeed and breaking stuff.

But what of Chris Perez? A year or two ago, all the talk was about his mid-90s gas and what Baseball Prospectus terms “a vicious, high-80s slider” as he was mowing down minor-leaguers on his way to assuming the big-league ninth inning. That slider seems to have lost some luster, though.

With a grand total of seven combined innings between the two this spring, it’s far too early to assign roles. And really, Motte and Perez essentially are interchangeable: They both are hard-throwing righties with an apparent need to refine their breaking stuff. But what seemed to be Perez’s role for the taking has now been complicated by a pair of promising outings by Motte.

It’s a good dilemma to have.

Posting playlist:

“Ain’t Hip to be Labeled a Hippie,” De La Soul
“Eleanor Rigby,” the Beatles
“Fickle Cycle,” Animal Collective
“Deception,” Miles Davis
“Feminine Fatt,” Leaders of the New School
“Halfanimal, Halfman,” Cunninlynguists
“Life and How to Live It,” REM

My fortnightly post

Still trying to figure out a blogging routine. This bi-weekly posting business isn’t going to get it done.

Anyway, Planet Cardinals continues to spin faster than I can keep up. Such as…

• You don’t go to Dennys, you only end up at Dennys. John Mozeliak’s bargain-shopping of left-handed relief pitching hasn’t really panned out this offseason. The troika of Charlie Manning, Ian Ostlund and the Asian Guy has been less than impressive this spring,  leading Mozeliak to Dennys Reyes’ doorstep. Actually, the bold-face lead-in might be an unfair characterization of Reyes. Once his managers finally figured out to limit his exposure only to hitters of his own kind, he’s been quite effective.
• Goold and Leach, kings of New Media. I only recently got on Twitter, and thanks to the fantastic reporting of Derrick Goold (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) and Matthew Leach (MLB.com), I now realize what I’ve been missing. Both writers have been Tweeting from spring training, giving updates from games and other various tidbits as well as filing their regular stories. It’s a fantastic way for a fan to keep up with the goings-on in camp as well as for traditional media to retain their relevance in an increasingly non-print world.
• Cardinals blogosphere now a little less awesome. Erik Manning, proprietor of Future Redbirds, has decided to hang up his metaphorical cleats. FR was *the* place to go for information on the Cardinals’ minor-league system. Erik and his team of bloggers did a fantastic job of educating readers on the topic. He will be sorely missed.
• Shameless self-promotion. And finally I’d like to point you toward a magazine story I wrote about local folks who take vacations to spring training. It’s nothing groundbreaking other than being the first time I’d been paid to write about baseball. Also, be sure to check this out if you like photos of liturgical architecture.

Leach-style posting playlist:

“Box in Hand,” Ghostface Killah
“Plumskinzz,” KMD
“Magic Johnson,” Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Bong,” New Fast Automatic Daffodils
“Bakersfield,” Ween
“Footprints,” MadLib
“Endangered Species (remix),” Ice Cube
“Love on the Rocks,” Ween
“Smoke and Mirrors,” RJD2
“3s and 7s,” Queens of the Stone Age
“Take Your Time,” Al Green

Round and round

If there’s one constant here at 5iveoclock, it’s that posting is sporadic. I know my loyal readers (all three of you) are hanging on my every word, but real life is intrusive and doesn’t permit me to post as often as I’d like.

But fear not, loyal reader/s. When I resumed Cardinals blogging, Daniel from C70 at the Bat was kind enough to invite me into the fold of the United Cardinals Bloggers. Daniel since has organized a roundtable of discussion, which I am enthusiastically taking part. The roundtable involves a different Cardinals blogger each day posing a question to the rest of the nerds bloggers. The interrogating blogger then gathers all the replies and posts them on his/her own site for all to gaze upon in stupefied wonder.

Here are links to the first couple of entries:

• Nick at Pitchers Hit Eighth: Was Kyle Lohse’s contract bad timing or a huge gaffe?
• Deaner at Cardinal Nation Globe: Who is your franchise player not named Albert?
• Check That’s A Winner for the next question/answer set.

Tampa imports Isringhausen

Flush with success after their signing of Cardinals pariah Adam Kennedy, the Tampa Bay Rays are going back to the Cardinals castoff well with their signing of erstwhile closer Jason Isringhausen.

While it’s nice that Izzy found work, I’ve always been a bit ambivalent about him. He’s always seemed to be a standup guy, one who never made excuses when he blew a save. But on the other hand, blowing saves came to be somewhat his specialty, particularly in 2008. Even when he did convert, he always seemed to make things difficult for himself, which was terribly frustrating for fans.

By the end of his career with St. Louis, I actually began to feel badly for him. It was obvious he wasn’t right physically, and his continued failure began to affect him mentally, culminating in his infamous slap of a clubhouse TV.

But now he has the proverbial change of scenery in Tampa, and I wish him well. But I certainly won’t miss his coronary-inducing appearances. Other Cards bloggers just might, though.