Archives for June 2021

When Harold Ramirez’ long fly ball fell in to the glove of centerfielder Dylan Carlson, Amed Rosario tagged up and trotted home from third.  And just like that, it was 2-0 in the first inning.  Again. At one point this season, the St Louis Cardinals’ pitching staff ranked near the top in first inning efficiency.  […]

The 3-2 fastball to Cesar Hernandez looked like it had nailed the inside corner at the knees.  It seemed to hit the mark on the strike zone graphic that most television broadcasts conveniently display, and by pitcher Carlos Martinez’ reaction, it was apparent that he believed that it was a strike.  But umpire Chris Segal […]

The rally came absolutely out of nowhere – like one of those sports miracles whose stories get told for decades after. Surely you will rarely find an offense as dead in the water as the Cardinals were going into that sixth inning.  To re-cap, St Louis rode a four-game losing streak into Sunday afternoon’s finale […]

Tyler O’Neill’s reaction said it all.  As soon as the ball left his bat, his head drooped, he let the bat slide out of his hand, and he jogged dejectedly toward first.  This had been the moment.  Making his second career start, Cincinnati right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez was nearing the end of his run.  He had […]

You could, I suppose, say that it could have been worse.  Not last night’s game, of course.  St Louis’ 14-3 manhandling at the hands of the Dodgers – a game that the Cards trailed 11-1 after 1 inning – could hardly have gone worse (box score). But, when considering the just concluded 10-game road trip, […]