Fortune smiles on the Cardinals.  Just as the bullpen was completely gassed, the two relief pitchers who sucked the most got injured in the same game, allowing fresh-armed relief pitchers enough time to catch a plane from Memphis and get to Arizona in time for the game.  We dodged a bullet.  PHEW!


SALAS, SANCHEZ AVAILABLE IF NEEDED

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinal-beat/article_348d4a38-661e-11e0-a0f7-001a4bcf6878.html

Last edited by Max (4/13/2011 9:06 pm)

"the two relief pitchers who sucked the most got injured in the same game,"

Tallet's been decent. Certainly better than Franklin.
Man, when Berkman is hot, he just rakes.

artie_fufkin wrote:

"the two relief pitchers who sucked the most got injured in the same game,"

Tallet's been decent. Certainly better than Franklin.
Man, when Berkman is hot, he just rakes.

I want to see him score some runs when we are not already up by four, but that was welcome.

Max wrote:

artie_fufkin wrote:

"the two relief pitchers who sucked the most got injured in the same game,"

Tallet's been decent. Certainly better than Franklin.
Man, when Berkman is hot, he just rakes.

I want to see him score some runs when we are not already up by four, but that was welcome.

It's the 2nd inning and you're playing a team that scored 13 runs last night. That's a big hit.

Even Westbrook's hitting, and Westbrook can't hit.

Wow. It looks like Aaron Heilman is on sanitation duty tonight. He hasn't been the same since Yadi took him deep.

where and when will the payback come?

i figured westbrook would come out after 6 or 7 and someone would come in and look for retribution.  but, no . . .

"where and when will the payback come?"

I'm not sure how much of this got mentioned in the St. Louis broadcasts, but FSAz was all over the mutual admiration between La Russa and Gibson. I don't know if that was a factor, or the lack of retribution was due to TLR's realization that Kennedy had very little idea where the ball was going once it left his hand.

"truthfully, i do not think larussa orders plunkings."

He admitted he ascribes to the eye-for-an-eye theory in "Three Nights in August." I think there was half a chapter about it.

Max wrote:

truthfully, i do not think larussa orders plunkings.  not even a signal, like touching his nose.  i think that on the cardinals, at least, the pitchers decide for themselves when to plunk a guy.  la russa's role in it is to insist publicly that 'mistakes' can NOT be up.

He is strongly against beamballs around above the shoulders.  Anything else if fair game.

Max wrote:

artie_fufkin wrote:

"truthfully, i do not think larussa orders plunkings."

He admitted he ascribes to the eye-for-an-eye theory in "Three Nights in August." I think there was half a chapter about it.

true, but i just don't think that on a la russa managed team he needs to order them.

If the book is to be believed, whenever retaliation is in order, there's a meeting in his office to discuss who the target from the opposing team is going to be. Of course, La Russa is to team meetings what Dean Martin was to celebrity roasts. They probably have a meeting to decide between sugar or Equal.

Max wrote:

artie_fufkin wrote:

Max wrote:

true, but i just don't think that on a la russa managed team he needs to order them.

If the book is to be believed, whenever retaliation is in order, there's a meeting in his office to discuss who the target from the opposing team is going to be. Of course, La Russa is to team meetings what Dean Martin was to celebrity roasts. They probably have a meeting to decide between sugar or Equal.

how could they ever retaliate in the same game?

There's a presumption they haven't.  In the passage from TNA, one of the lesser players from the Cardinals had been plunked the night before, but the game was too close for them to retaliate then and there, so there's a meeting before the next game to decide which player of corresponding talent from the other team is the target.
If I recall correctly, Garrett Stephenson - as was his wont - ignores La Russa's directive. I believe the entire chapter is devoted to Stephenson's inability to take direction from the coaching staff and how frustrated it makes La Russa. Duncan and Stephenson have the usual half hour pre-game meeting going over that night's lineup, the usual "pitch so-and-so this way," "don't throw a fastball near the plate to this guy," "off-speed stuff away to this guy ..." etc., and Stephenson comes out and throws nothing but 4-seam fastballs for the first three innings.