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Granted, it is still early. But even if Carp were healthy, he might be in the bullpen.
All five starters have ERA below 3.
The "bad" ERA's are 2.72, held by Wainwright and Lynn, who are a combined 9-3.
ERA aside, the clunker in the rotation is clearly Westbrook, but the impact of that clunk is softened by a 1.62 ERA.
Keep that rotation healthy, get to July, let Mozeliak work out a trade or two, and the team will be in fine shape to make a serious run at another title.
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I'm still not sure what their true potential is, but I know I'd feel a lot better about them winning 97 games if Mozeliak could find two more bench pieces and someone to kick Freese in the ass.
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If Carpenter had been healthy in Spring Training, Miller wouldn't have made the team (at least not the rotation).
Actually, that may not be fair to say. Miller and Lynn would have been battling for the 5th spot in the rotation, and as bad as Lynn was this spring, Miller may have beaten him for the 5th spot.
My point being that Carpenter, if healthy, would have been in the rotation.
Last edited by forsberg_us (5/12/2013 1:34 pm)
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"My point being that Carpenter, if healthy, would have been in the rotation."
No question about that, but would he be performing as well as the five guys have so far? It's just a way to emphasize how deep this team is at starting pitching.
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Well, Garcia got his ass kicked and Westbrook is on the DL, so "deep" might not have been the best adjective. But their collected stats are very impressive on paper.
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What a difference 2.5 weeks makes:
Now:
Miller: 1.40
Westbrook: 1.62 DL
Wainwright: 2.51
Lynn: 3.27
Garcia: 3.58 DL
Then:
Miller: 1.58
Westbrook: 1.62
Garcia: 2.25
Wainwright: 2.72
Lynn: 2.72
"Keep that rotation healthy, get to July, let Mozeliak work out a trade or two, and the team will be in fine shape to make a serious run at another title."
Oh well. Miller and Wainwright stll make a tough 1-2 punch. Lynn ought to be able to be league average or better. But it's touch to fill two slots in the starting rotation.
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Yeah, I've seen some reaction acting like it's not a big deal that the Cardinals lost Garcia and Westbrook. It's a huge deal. Westbrook can eat innings and depending on the defense that day, be a pretty good pitcher. Garcia was having a very strong season. Rosenthal, Kelly, Martinez and Wacha aren't ready to make up 40 percent of a rotation that has postseason aspirations.
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Depends a bit upon how long Westbrook is out for. I am guessing Garcia is done for the season, pehaps forever. Best case scenario is they rest him until August and they get a repeat of last year.