1 of 1- APIAD
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Spring Stats
I havent followed the action much beside looking at boxscores. Somethings that stick out:
2b battle
Greene- Leads the team in at bats with 37. They are giving him a chance but he isnt doing much with it. .243/1/5 with 4sb and 5BB/9SO. In the field he has 3 errors.
Descalso- They are taking a look at him as well, 30AB. .314/1/2, 10 walks 4 SO. In the field he has 2 errors.
Skip has been a non factor with his injury. He did get off to a slow start. 21ab, 190/0/1
Cora has 16 ab and a .250 avg
backup catcher battel
Hill has 2 errors and a .214/0/2 line in 14ab
Cruz is getting playing time at several spots. 18ab .278/0/0
Anderson 13ab .462/0/2
Some players making noise:
Komatso has 35 ab .314/0/7
Adams 36ab .278/2/8, 1BB/10SO
Carpenter 29ab .310/1/5
Slow start and same sample size worries:
Furcal is hitting .207
Jay has 3BB and 12 SO
Freese has 5BB and 10SO
Good signs:
Molina and Holliday are hitting with a plus .400 avg.
Beltran is hitting .260
Berkman is hitting .313
- artie_fufkin
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Re: Spring Stats
This may be my own impression, and it may have to do with the change in personnel, but it seems like Matheny is more willing to be aggressive on the bases than LaRussa was.
Furcal's situation is a bit worrisome. I think at this point an average of about .250 would be acceptable if he plays the defense he brought last year, but if he's hovering around the Mendoza line, that's a problem. And I'm a little concerned about Berkman's knee.
The best news is with the obvious and glaring exception of Carpenter's situation, the pitching staff has been on form. Westbrook apparently lost 20 pounds and was brilliant his last time out, Garcia continues to progress and Wainwright has pitched without limitations.
I don't expect the Cardinals to run away with the division, but barring a catastrophic rash of injuries, they ought to be able to at worst contend with the Reds and the Brewers.
- APIAD
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Re: Spring Stats
They cant be any less active on the basepads then when TLR was managing.
I think Cardinals baseball will be watchable in 2012 but they have found a problem that needs fix in spring training and they need to address it.
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Thread Starter- forsberg_us
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Re: Spring Stats
Maybe it's the eternal cynic in me, but am I the only person who is going into this season under the assumption that this team will NOT win the World Series again? No National League team has repeated as World Series champ since the 70s. With all the extra teams in the playoffs now, the likelihood of repeating is virtually nil. I'd be perfectly happy if this team is entertaining and reasonably competitive. After two World Series titles in six years, expecting anything more seems greedy.
Carpenter going down seemed almost fitting. It's sort of like 2007 all over again. Instead of a banged up and old Edmonds and Rolen, we're relying on banged uo and old Berkman and Beltran.
Personally, I'd just as soon they find out if Lynn has the ability to start. After this season, both Westbrook and Lohse are gone, and they have to consider the possibility that Carpenter's condition is career threatening. Even assuming Shelby Miller is ready by 2013, they could be two starters short of a rotation. Why not find out if Lynn can fill one of those spots. Oswalt isn't going anywhere, and it isn't exactly like he's a sure thing to survive the season.
I really think the 2012 and 2013 Cardinals are going to be designed to fill seats until the organization figures out what it has with Miller, Martinez, Cox, Wong, Adams, Jackson and a bunch of other kids who are the future of the organization. If they happen to make the playoffs and win a series or two, that's just bonus.
- APIAD
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Re: Spring Stats
Repeating is not likely but it is still the goal. This team, I feel has a chance to be very good.
I guess that Lynn is fine to try out. He has been valued at a Jeff Suppan level. 5-6 innings/3-4 runs. That aint bad but if he can be a shutdown bullpen guy yu have to weigh the value.
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Thread Starter- tkihshbt
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Re: Spring Stats
I have an inkling the season ends up something like 2007, except hopefully we don't have any unexpected deaths.
The World Series hangover + no Pujols + no Carpenter = bad juju
Last edited by tkihshbt (3/23/2012 11:30 am)
- artie_fufkin
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Re: Spring Stats
"am I the only person who is going into this season under the assumption that this team will NOT win the World Series again?"
Not at all. There are at least two, and maybe as many as four, teams in the NL East who are better. I don't know what the mood is in St. Louis, but most of the chatter I'm hearing is the Angels are the team to beat.
- APIAD
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Re: Spring Stats
tkihshbt wrote:
I have an inkling the season ends up something like 2007, except hopefully we don't have any unexpected deaths.
The World Series hangover + no Pujols + no Carpenter = bad juju
Me to. That is why I would like to see them sign Oswalt. Dont repeat the same mistakes of overvalueing a WS team.
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Thread Starter- APIAD
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Re: Spring Stats
JUPITER, Fla. _ Cardinals shortstop Rafael Furcal, hitting .194 with no walks and a .278 on-base percentage, is batting eighth again today against the Minnesota Twins rather than the leadoff man spot he has manned in most of his time since coming from Los Angeles last July.
Furcal hit eighth when second baseman Tyler Greene led off in a game last week and today, against Twins righthander Nick Blackburn, Daniel Descalso will lead off and play second. Furcal also has taken a turn in the No. 6 spot this spring.
Righthander Kyle Lohse will make his next-to-last start of the exhibition season. Lohse has been tabbed to pitch the first game of the season on April 4 at Miami.
McKendree product Brian Dinkleman, hitting .269, is in the Twins' lineup as the designated hitter. Blackburn won't hit but Lohse will. The Twins' lineup otherwise isn't notable.
Neither Joe Mauer nor Justin Morneau, the Twins' flagship players for the last half dozen years, is on the trip from Fort Myers, Fla.
The Cardinals are playing a more or less regular crew, with Descalso appearing instead of Greene.
The lineups:
Cardinals
Descalso 2b
Beltran rf
Holliday lf
Berkman 1b
Freese 3b
Molina c
Jay cf
Furcal ss
Lohse p
Minnesota
Revere lf
Hughes 2b
Valencia 3b
Parmelee rf
Doumit c
Burroughs 3b
Dinkleman dh
Benson cf
Dozier ss
Read more:
Furcal's sucking is reaching a worrysome/Kennedyish level. This maybe a pretty good look at the opening day/everyday lineup. The wild card being that the Cardinals will open against either Johnson or Buhrle. I would thik the later.
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Thread Starter- artie_fufkin
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Re: Spring Stats
There's nothing wrong with Lohse's ST stats, I just wish he wouldn't give up a home run every time out.
- APIAD
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Re: Spring Stats
I know Greene is thought of as a good defensive SS but he hasnt really shown it in the majors. If that were to come around he might get used a SS more if Furcal keeps sucking.
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