The Cardinals should tell Miller the games start 15 minutes before they actually start so he thinks the first inning is the second. No damage today, but it always seems like he needs about 25 pitches to get through the first inning.

I was going to post ; we have a lead, but I won't cause it might jinx it .....

Molina will finish higher, but Matt C. will take some votes from him. He should finish in the top 10. Who'd have though that when the year started?

12 runs on 19 hits ; what's our trend ahead ?

Still tie for first place.  Has the new wild card stuff taken some of the excitment of the race away?  Seems like it has for me.  

APIAD wrote:

Still tie for first place.  Has the new wild card stuff taken some of the excitment of the race away?  Seems like it has for me.  

It would be a lot more interesting for the Cardinals if there was only one wild card, but as much of a traditionalist as I am, the wild card is good for baseball. You could argue the last night of the 2011 regular season was the most dramatic day in the history of baseball.
 

don.rob11 wrote:

12 runs on 19 hits ; what's our trend ahead ?

Collin McHugh no-hits them for six innings tonight ...
 

artie_fufkin wrote:

APIAD wrote:

Still tie for first place.  Has the new wild card stuff taken some of the excitment of the race away?  Seems like it has for me.  

It would be a lot more interesting for the Cardinals if there was only one wild card, but as much of a traditionalist as I am, the wild card is good for baseball. You could argue the last night of the 2011 regular season was the most dramatic day in the history of baseball.
 

You're correct about 2011, but without going back and looking to see which teams were involved, I'd ask the question--if there had been a 2nd wild card, would that night have been as exciting?

Obviously the 2nd wild card worked to our advantage last season, and the Cardinals certainly have a lot more breathing room this season because of it, but think of how much better it would be if Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Cincy were playing for 2 spots, loser goes home.  And think of how crazy the AL would be with 5-6 teams battling for 1 spot instead of 2.

artie_fufkin wrote:

don.rob11 wrote:

artie_fufkin wrote:

How many big hits has Matty C. had this year?

 For me, it's a near toss up for who the MVP on the team is ...

We always argue about the term "valuable," but for me it's the guy whose absence affects the team the most. When Yadi was out with his knee injury, the Cardinals had a losing record. Without Molina, the Cardinals are a third place team. Carpenter and Craig have been phenomenal, but Yadi is the guy they can't live without, at least for me.
 

 
In those 15 games he missed they averaged over five runs per game and were stuck in a pitching rut that existed while Molina was healthy, so I can't really use that stretch to vote for him as most valuable. Plus, people use the pitching staff's excellence as a credit to him, which means he should be at fault when they do poorly. Ultimately, I think it's Carpenter for his sustained excellence throughout the year while holding his own defensively. He has a .390 on-base percentage and is probably going to lead the entire majors in runs. Molina, too, has had a great season, but Carpenter has been out of his mind. Without him, at the top of the lineup, and especially standing on second base after a double so often, the middle of this lineup doesn't get the same opportunities.

tkihshbt wrote:

artie_fufkin wrote:

don.rob11 wrote:

 For me, it's a near toss up for who the MVP on the team is ...

We always argue about the term "valuable," but for me it's the guy whose absence affects the team the most. When Yadi was out with his knee injury, the Cardinals had a losing record. Without Molina, the Cardinals are a third place team. Carpenter and Craig have been phenomenal, but Yadi is the guy they can't live without, at least for me.
 

 
In those 15 games he missed they averaged over five runs per game and were stuck in a pitching rut that existed while Molina was healthy, so I can't really use that stretch to vote for him as most valuable. Plus, people use the pitching staff's excellence as a credit to him, which means he should be at fault when they do poorly. Ultimately, I think it's Carpenter for his sustained excellence throughout the year while holding his own defensively. He has a .390 on-base percentage and is probably going to lead the entire majors in runs. Molina, too, has had a great season, but Carpenter has been out of his mind. Without him, at the top of the lineup, and especially standing on second base after a double so often, the middle of this lineup doesn't get the same opportunities.

Your points are valid, and I certainly wouldn't criticize anyone for saying Carpenter is the team MVP. The tiebreaker for me is catcher is a much more important defensive position than second base. Not that Carpenter doesn't deserve praise for making a smooth transition. When Schumaker made the switch, it was made out to be tougher than learning how to speak conversational Swahili. Still, he handles the ball about a half-dozen times every game. As Seattle found out at its peril this weekend, Molina still shuts down the other team's running game, and that's a huge and vastly underrated component of the sport.