The memory is surprisingly vivid even a month later. It is June 29. The Cardinals – on the road in San Diego – were getting hammered 12-2. After the game, the young Padres were cavorting on the field. They were careless, happy and hot. Although they weren’t expected to contend, at that moment they were […]
Archives for July 2019
Who Are These Guys?
Injuries and the other attrition that attends the course of the long major league baseball season has shaken the staid lineups that the Cardinals had trotted out through most of the early months of the season. With the Cubs in town tonight to end the month of July, both teams sit tied atop the division […]
Still Comes Back to Pitching
The way that the Cardinal’s hot streak came to a thudding halt against Houston at home this weekend should serve as a reminder of some fundamental principles. The first of these principles affirms that it is the depth of the lineup – not necessarily whatever impact bats might be in the middle of it – […]
Dakota Hudson’s New Weapon
Yes, the slider sometimes misbehaves. It did so in the first inning of last night’s game in Pittsburgh. After Adam Frazier led off with a single, Dakota Hudson’s 3-2 slider to Bryan Reynolds sailed high, and Pittsburgh had their first two runners on base. The slider to the next Pirate hitter, Starling Marte, did worse […]
Finding a Way to Win the Close Ones
Rotation More or Less Survives Cincinnati
The Cardinal pitching staff came into Cincinnati on something of a roll. In the previous seven games they had given just 17 runs (2.43 per), getting quality starts in 6 of the 7. But, they call it the Great American Smallpark for a reason. For four games over the long weekend in Cincinnati, the Cardinal […]