Results tagged ‘ St. Louis Cardinals ’

Back On Track… ?

Ah yes, my pre-game feelings were right on. The Pirates finally ended their 8-game losing streak with an impressive 7-1 victory over the Cardinals. I feel like I should make a long post reflecting on this game’s happenings. However, no one really wants to read all that, plus I didn’t even watch the game because I was playing softball. We did win our game, in case you were wondering, we 15-runned our opponent and I made my first web-gem of the year at second base on a screaming grounder up the middle. It felt good. haha. Anyways, let’s get to some Pirates baseball information: 

  1. Zach Duke : 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 1 BB – Duke was phenomenal again. He’s really good in PNC Park. Duke did just what we needed him too. The only run he surrendered was a first inning home run to Albert Pujols, which wasn’t even his fault, because it’s Albert Pujols. I honestly don’t even get upset when watching a Pujols bomb, which happens so often against the Pirates. I’ve just accepted that this guy is the best hitter of my lifetime and he’s going to hit a lot of home runs. I’m a big fan of his so whatever he does is fine with me. The important thing is to get everyone else in that lineup out, which Duke did tonight. Of course the early injury to Ryan Ludwick helped Duke’s cause as well. Anyway, great work from Duke getting us off the schneid. 
  2. Brandon Moss : 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI – Brandon Moss finally looked like a major league hitter. He ripped a single in the second and finally hit his first long ball of the year in the 5th. Let’s just hope this is a boost of confidence and this kind of night becomes a very familiar thing. That would be a huge boost to the team. Also, let me say one thing. After that home run, I got a couple texts from friends saying “look at your boy Moss” or something of that sort. Let me say this, Brandon Moss is NOT my boy. I have stuck up for him all through April just because of his youth and upside, but I’m not going to lie that faith had been wavering him. After one game I’m not going to change my wavering view of him or say that he is ready to break out, because he probably isn’t. One thing I’m not going to do is start bragging about my patience with him and say it paid off, because I was about to give up on him and hey, it’s only one game. This is ridiculous, let’s move on.
  3. Matt Capps : Well Zach Duke couldn’t finish the game and stopped after 8 innings, and that gave the Pirates a chance to see Matt Capps for the first time in over a week. He showed mixed signs. He gave up a hit and 2 walks and actually loaded the bases with nobody out, but then put it together and struck out 2 batters and got a flyout to end the game. His control was off, but he was throwing good pitches that resulted in a lot of swing and misses. The control issues were probably expected because he had been down for a while, and it’s really good to see him getting hitters off balance and vulnerable at the plate. That’s the Capps we need to see for the rest of this year, enough of the wildness and straight fastballs over the heart of the plate. 
Nothing really left to say about this game but RAISE THE JOLLY ROGER. 
Tomorrow is game 2 of this homestand, the Pirates send Ross Ohlendorf to the mound who has been excellent this year. I am a huge supporter of Ross and I love watching him on the mound. He’s been getting a ton of ground balls and really keeping the ball down in the zone. That’s what we need, he’s been going past any expectations any Pirate fan had for him this year. Let’s hope he keeps it up tomorrow as his counterpart is Joel Pineiro. Pineiro has a 3.66 ERA and a record of 4-2. He has been great at times this year, but he is still vulnerable and I think the Pirates can beat him. He actually has gotten progressively worse this season, winning his first four starts and losing his last 2. He’s not a strikeout pitcher, amassing only 13 in his 6 starts. This all looks like good news for the Pirates, let’s hope we can touch him up and really start to get hot as a team so we can run off some wins and get our respectable record back. Now let’s take a quick look into how some of the Pirates have faired in their careers against Pineiro: 
Freddy Sanchez:1/8, 2 BB, .300 OBP, .125 SLG
Nate McLouth: 3/7 – 1 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB, .462 OBP, 1.000 SLG
Adam LaRoche : 2/7, 1 RBI, 0 BB
Brandon Moss: 0/1
Jack Wilson: 4/9, 4 singles
So there you have it. Expect a home run from Nate and a couple of singles from Jack. Let’s go ahead and make some predictions:
Ross Ohlendorf: 6.1 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 2 K
Nate McLouth, 2/4, 1B, HR, 2 RBI
Nyjer Morgan, 1/3, 2 BB, 2 SB, R
Jack Wilson, 3/4, 3 1B, RBI
Pirates win 6-5
What a long post that was.  Good night baseball fans!

Game 4 @ Cardinals, Pre-Game

Alright well I’m a little late here because I just got home, but here are today’s lineups :

Pirates lineup:

  1. Nyjer Morgan (LF)
  2. Freddy Sanchez (2B)
  3. Nate McLouth (CF)
  4. Ryan Doumit (C)
  5. Eric Hinske (1B)
  6. Brandon Moss (RF)
  7. Ramon Vazquez (3B)
  8. Jack Wilson (SS)
  9. Ross Ohlendorf (RHP)

Cardinals lineup:

  1. Skip Schumaker (2B)
  2. Colby Rasmus (CF)
  3. Albert Pujols (1B)
  4. Chris Duncan (LF)
  5. Ryan Ludwick (RF)
  6. Khalil Greene (SS)
  7. Yadier Molina (C)
  8. Joe Thurston (3B)
  9. Chris Carpenter (RHP)
Interesting stuff here, Adam LaRoche has flue-like symptoms so Eric Hinske gets the start at first, and Andy LaRoche will sit out for the 2nd straight game in favor of Ramon Vasquez. Let’s hope the Bucs can hit the ball like yesterday, although it won’t be easy against the resurgent Chris Carpenter. 
Ross Ohlendorf makes his first start of the year, and considering what he did in spring training, I expect it to be a good one. Let’s hope he doesn’t let me down. 
My fantasy team has amazingly bounced back from their dismal performance Tuesday, and I have now come the whole way back, and with Joey Votto’s 2nd 3-run homer in as many days, I’ve taken the lead! That’s what I’m talking about. 
Let’s Go Bucs!!

Game 3 @ Cardinals : Pregame

Alright well the Pirates are now 1-1 after an absolutely terrible performance yesterday. Let’s hope Zach Duke has better luck than Ian Snell did last night, of course that won’t take much. Here are tonight’s lineups:

Pirates lineup:

  1. Nyjer Morgan (LF)
  2. Freddy Sanchez (2B)
  3. Nate McLouth (CF)
  4. Ryan Doumit (C)
  5. Adam LaRoche (1B)
  6. Brandon Moss (RF)
  7. Ramon Vazquez (3B)
  8. Jack Wilson (SS)
  9. Zach Duke (LHP)

Cardinals lineup:

  1. Colby Rasmus (LF)
  2. Khalil Greene (SS)
  3. Albert Pujols (1B)
  4. Ryan Ludwick (RF)
  5. Yadier Molina (C)
  6. Rick Ankiel (CF)
  7. David Freese (3B)
  8. Todd Wellemeyer (RHP)
  9. Brendan Ryan (2B) 
Not gonna lie, copied and pasted those straight from Jennifer Langosch’s blog, so check that out. Andy LaRoche has been benched tonight after committing 3 errors in 2 games and not collecting a hit. This should definitely benefit the Pirates defensively and probably offensively as well. Vasquez isn’t a great hitter, but anybody is better than Andy LaRoche. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely don’t think the Pirates should give up on him anytime soon, but it’ll do him nothing but good to sit out a night and … think about what he’s done. Let’s Go Bucs!!

Game 2 @ Cardinals : Pre-Game

Well the lineups are in and we almost ready to go in game 2 of the Pittsburgh Pirates 2009 campaign. Here’s the lineups: 

Pirates:
  1. Nyjer Morgan, LF
  2. Freddy Sanchez, 2B
  3. Nate McLouth, CF
  4. Ryan Doumit, C
  5. Adam LaRoche, 1B
  6. Eric Hinske, RF
  7. Andy LaRoche, 3B
  8. Jack Wilson, SS
  9. Ian Snell, P
  • Looks like John Russell gives Eric Hinske the nod after his clutch hit last night in the ninth. We should see a lot of this in 2009 with Hinske as well as Craig Monroe and Ramon Vasquez. I’d love to Vasquez get some playing time at short and third.
Cardinals
  1. Skip Schumaker, 2B
  2. Colby Rasmus, RF 
  3. Albert Pujols, 1B
  4. Chris Duncan, LF
  5. Khalil Greene, SS
  6. Rick Ankiel, CF
  7. Yadier Molina, C
  8. Joe Thurston, 3B
  9. Kyle Lohse
  • A very interesting Cardinals lineup… a lot of new faces from yesterday. LaRussa takes Ryan Ludwick out in favor of super rookie Colby Rasmus, and is playing Joe Thurston at third instead of Brian Barden. 
Let’s Go Bucs!

Game 1 @ Cardinals : Recap

One word : wow. 

The Pirates increased their streak of ridiculous opening day games in a row to 3. 
FLASHBACK – 2 years ago, the Pirates were being shut out and down 2-0 in the 8th when Nate McLouth, a guy who barely made the team and wasn’t supposed to have any power, hit a home run to bring it within one. Then in the ninth with 2 outs, Xavier Nady took Brad Lidge out to left to tie the game, and Jason Bay hit a homer in the tenth to put the Pirates on top for good. 
Last year, the Pirates blew a big league in the ninth to the Braves, but Nady’s 2nd home run of the night helped the Pirates seal the deal and get the win. 
Now, tonight’s game was just as good or possibly better than the last two years. It was an ordinary Pirate’s early season game, a lot of sloppy play in the field and very little offense. 
Pitching: Paul Maholm went 6.2 innings, giving up 2 runs on 7 hits. Tyler Yates stranded a couple of runners in the 7th, but gave up a home run to Ryan Ludwick in the 8th. John Grabow then came on to close out the 8th, and after the offensive explosion in the top of hte 9th, Matt Capps closed out the game in nice fashion. 
Hitting: Nyjer Morgan led the offense today with 3 hits. His lead off hit put a big smile on my face and his next 2 hits were all the more reason to be pleased. Freddy Sanchez had 2 hits, as did Adam LaRoche (although one was very cheap). Paul Maholm, Eric Hinske, Ramon Vasquez, and Jack Wilson also added hits. None was bigger than Wilsons. Jack came up on the top of the ninth, the Pirates down 4-3, with the bases loaded and 2 outs. Jack quickly went down 0-2, but battled back and picked a pitch to swing at. It was a high and inside fastball that he somehow caught up to and drove it into the gap between right and center. All 3 runners scored and the Pirates went on to win the game 6-4. 
It was an unbelievably exciting game, and it’s always great to win the first one. Let’s just hope they can go out and win another game tomorrow behind Ian Snell. 

Game 1 @ Cardinals : Pregame

Alright well we’re now under an hour away from the 2009 Pirates opener. It’s cold in St. Louis, but as far as I know it’s dry enough to play some baseball. I am confident that they are going to get this game started on time and finish it with no problems. 

Pitching Matchup: Paul Maholm (0-0) vs. Adam Wainwright (0-0)
The lineups :

Pirates
  1. Nyjer Morgan, LF
  2. Freddy Sanchez, 2B
  3. Nate McLouth, CF
  4. Ryan Doumit, C
  5. Adam LaRoche, 1B
  6. Andy LaRoche, 3B
  7. Brandon Moss, RF
  8. Jack Wilson, SS
  9. Paul Maholm, P
Reds
  1. Brendan Ryan, 2B
  2. Rick Ankiel, CF
  3. Albert Pujols, 1B
  4. Khalil Greene, SS
  5. Ryan Ludwick, RF
  6. Yadier Molina, C
  7. Chris Duncan, LF
  8. Brian Barden, 3B
  9. Adam Wainwright, P
I’ll be back later with a complete recap. 
Also, so far in the Friday Pick ‘em Challenge competition, we have the following contestants:
If you want to participate, it’s just a once a week (fridays) pick the winners contest. Bloggers will post their predicted winners on their blogs and we’ll keep track to see who is the most knowledgeable (or most lucky) blogger on mlblogs.com. Comment and let me know you want in and I’ll add you to the list! 

N.L. Central Preview

Alright let’s go to my second divisional preview for the ever so fastly approaching 2009 season. Here is the N.L. East Preview just in case you missed it.

Hitting

  1. Cubs
    • The Chicago Cubs were far and away the best hitting team in this division last year. They averaged 5.3 runs per game, that’s a half a run more than the Cardinals, who finished second in this category last year. Geovany Soto, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, and Alfonso Soriano will put up more great numbers this year. The only thing is that there are a lot of injury risks in that lineup, but they are deep enough to compensate.
  2. Cardinals
    • The Cardinals averaged 4.8 runs per game last year, near the top of the ranks in the National League. There’s really only one thing you need to know about this offensive unit, and that’s Albert Pujols. Aside from him, they weren’t looking that great until Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel had great seasons at the plate, and now their offense looks great. Troy Glaus is going to struggle with injuries this year, but that’s not enough to shake me from naming them second in hitting in the 2009 NL Central.
  3. Brewers
    • The Brew Crew had 90 wins last year, party because of CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets, but the offense did enough to compete with the rest of the league last year. They have a lot of young guys that are now in or entering their prime, which makes me believe that this offense could have its best season in recent memory. Prince Fielder is one of the best home run hitters in the league, Ryan Braun is just one of the best hitters in the league, and they have great role players in Rickie Weeks, JJ Hardy, and Bill Hall.
  4. Astros
    • There is a big drop off here between the Brewers and the Astros. 3 of Houston’s best hitters (Lee, Berkman, Tejada) are all over 32. Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence are exciting players. Bourn can run faster than most Kenyan Olympians, and Pence just does everything well. However, I see way to much risk to say this offense is going to put up good numbers this year.
  5. Reds
    • Well the Reds gets the nod over my Pirates at the cellar of the division here. Look, the Reds are a pretty good looking team. They have a lot of young guys with big upside. Joey Votto could really break out this year, and he is the Reds best offensive threat. The Reds will definitely continue to feel the effects of losing Adam Dunn last year. Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce are there to provide good bats with a good amount of power, but this lineup is lacking in a lot of aspects still.
  6. Pirates
    • It kills me to do this, really, it does. However, the Pirates have the worst looking lineup in the last 5+ years, I’m not going to lie. McLouth and Doumit are great hitters, but there really is nothing behind them to get excited about. Andy LaRoche is having a nice spring and could put up good numbers this year, but he’s unproven. There are guys with good upside, like Brandon Moss and then some minor leaguers that the we could see up this year, but it’s pretty obvious we are still the worst offense in the division. Maybe next year.

Pitching

  1. Cubs
    • The Cubs led this division in most pitching categories last year as well, making them a very solid team. Their rotation is definitely going to take a step backwards this year, but not enough to knock them off of the top ranks. Carlos Zambrano is slowing down, Rich Harden is always injured, and you want me to believe Ryan Dempster is going to repeat last year’s numbers? I’m not buying it. However, these 3 all have the chance to be elite pitchers, and any time a team has that chance, I’ll take them. They take the top spot by a slight margin.
  2. Reds
    • I really struggled with this one, I just about took them to be first. Volquez, Harang, Cueto, Arroyo, Owings, and Bailey all have huge upside. Harang and Arroyo are proven veterans, and the other 4 are young guns with great arms. This has the chance to easily become the best staff in the Central, and even challenge to be one of the best in the majors. However, until I see Volquez and Cueto repeat their successes, I can’t put them on top quite yet.
  3. Astros
    • Well the 1-2 race was close, and so is this 3-4-5. I’m giving the Astros a slight advantage here. They have a proven ace in Roy Oswalt, who I think will have a great season. Wandy Rodriguez is set to have the best season of his career, and then there’s Mike Hampton, Brian Moehler, and Russ Ortiz. The back end is kind of weak, but definitely not terrible. Enough to earn the 3 spot.
  4. Cardinals
    • This Cardinals vs. Astros vs. Brewers is so tough. The reason I’m taking the Cardinals here is the resurgence of Chris Carpenter. He has looked great in spring and is really healthy. I think he could return to his former state as a dominant ace. Even if he doesn’t, they have a solid ace in Adam Wainwright, and a decent back end with Pineiro, Lohse and Wellemeyer.
  5. Brewers
    • A young staff with a lot of upside. Yovani Gallardo looks like an ace. Dave Bush could be a very good pitcher. The back end doesn’t look too hot with Jeff Suppan, Braden Looper, and Manny Parra, so that’s the real reason I had them 5th here. The rotation is solid enough to team with that great offense and ead them to another good season, and probably another 2nd place finish.
  6. Pirates
      • Another tragedy. The Pirates rotation is worse than their offense. This was a no brainer. The Pirates would be bottom 3 if I did this for the entire National League. Paul Maholm is the only thing that is sure in this rotation. He’s a stud. After that, there is a bunch of crap, with a little bit of upside. I’ve pretty much given up on Zach Duke, and Ian Snell is heading down that road as well. The upside comes with Ohlendorf and Karstens. Ohlendorf has been spectacular in spring, and Karstens was awesome last year with the Pirates. However, they have also both shown very bad stretches, and with the Pirates history, I’m not taking the upside to the bank quite yet. I wish I could say there is help coming from the minor leagues, but there really is not.

So here’s my final standings for the 2009 National League East:


    Chicago Cubs…………………..90 – 72
    Milwaukee Brewers………….. 89 – 73
    Cincinnati Reds…………………80 – 82
    St. Louis Cardinals…………….79 – 83
    Houston Astros…………………77 – 85
    Pittsburgh Pirates……………….71 – 92

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