Nothing quite as depressing as watching your team clutch defeat from the gaping jaws of victory.

I'm not even sure I care about us "gaining ground" in the standings, we are going to have to get a massive collapse to be in this thing. It is seriously sad to waste such a start however... That stings...

I read Duncan took a leave of absense for his ailing wife who had surgery, but no other details. I can't remember him taking a leave for .... anything really.

JV wrote:

Nor can I.
I only followed it via Yahoo so I don't know whether pulling Carp was the right move at the time, but you could see the ninth playing out just the way it did... except I would have bet home run.

The crowd certainly thought LaRussa brought the hook out with him too early. He threw 99 pitches. This is just a guess, but after watching Kemp just miss that hanging breaking ball that ended the eighth, Tony might have told Carpenter the ninth was his until a runner got on base.
I thought they were in good shape when Rhodes dispatched Ethier with relative ease. Salas' pitch sequence to Miles was the problem. He threw four changeups in a row. The LG is helpless against a good fastball, but he can handle 80 mph, especially when it's waist high down the middle.
I'd like to know if anyone in the press has asked LaRussa why Motte hasn't been given a shot to close. I know they tried him there last year and he didn't last very long, but he's clearly their best reliever right now. Maybe TLR and Duncan have decided he just doesn't have a closer's mentality, but at least he's got the stuff to make it worth a try.

artie_fufkin wrote:

alz wrote:

Nothing quite as depressing as watching your team clutch defeat from the gaping jaws of victory.

MLBN showed a chart last night that the Cardinals have coughed up 10 leads in the ninth inning or in extra innings so far. No other team has done it more than seven.

It's good to know that our angst about this team is not an over-reaction, or hyped up expectations, but legitimate failure from the club.

AP, I know exactly what you mean, we get raffles for the company box. Two things have happened. 1) there are now drawings like 3 times a week... 2) if you enter, you win.

I stopped entering about 2 weeks back, no point in going.

artie_fufkin wrote:

alz wrote:

Nothing quite as depressing as watching your team clutch defeat from the gaping jaws of victory.

MLBN showed a chart last night that the Cardinals have coughed up 10 leads in the ninth inning or in extra innings so far. No other team has done it more than seven.

I think Salas has done a very repectible job.  IDK if he is the closer of the future but he does fit the Cardinals mold.  A pitcher without great stuff (91-92 MPH twoseamer) but pinpoint control.  He has 5 blown saves and I dont think that is to bad for a rookie.  His problem is that if the strike zone is small he is kind of helpless.  He needs to get those calls on the edge to get guys to swing and miss on balls further out of the zone.

"I am not sold on Motte at all.  Someone suggested that now would be a good time to trade him.  I agree.  His stuff still look straight and he still lacks a second pitch.  I think if clubs are kind of caught off gaurd when he comes in the game in the 6, 7 or 8th.  If he is the closer they will prepare to face him and be ready.  Plus I dont trust him to be the last pitcher out of the pen.  At least in the early late innings there are guys ready to come in."

All good points. I'm not sure Motte takes anyone by surprise because the entire ballpark knows he's going to feed you fastballs, but there has to be something Duncan and/or LaRussa have seen that keep Motte from being the ninth inning guy.

artie_fufkin wrote:

"It's good to know that our angst about this team is not an over-reaction, or hyped up expectations, but legitimate failure from the club."

Every team has to deal with injuries, but Wainwright's absence has had a bigger impact on the pitching staff than I envisioned. When you have a guy like Wainwright who is a lock to give you six innings, more than likely seven and once in awhile eight, it really eases the burden on the bullpen. Going by my own observations, the only guy who's been consistently able to pitch into the seventh inning is Carpenter, and they've really had to push him at times to get there.

I believe I posted this earlier but Wainwright's injury really had a deep effect on 2011.  The Rasmus trade would have been shaped much differently if Wainwright was around because Jackson would not be targeted.