Are those really big bugs flying across the field, or are the people in the upper deck throwing paper airplanes?

artie_fufkin wrote:

Even when these guys do something good, something else bad happens.

Tonight was the first night I found myself being apathetic. They're just too frustrating.

OK, who thought back in January that Pat Neshek would be their best relief pitcher?

tkihshbt wrote:

artie_fufkin wrote:

Even when these guys do something good, something else bad happens.

Tonight was the first night I found myself being apathetic. They're just too frustrating.

I wouldn't say I'm apathetic. My expectations have certainly diminished. I didn't expect them to hit .800 with RISP again, and I was a little concerned about bullpen guys like Maness, Siegrist and Rosenthal replicating last year's success, but I certainly thought they had enough talent to dominate the division.
 

artie_fufkin wrote:

tkihshbt wrote:

artie_fufkin wrote:

Even when these guys do something good, something else bad happens.

Tonight was the first night I found myself being apathetic. They're just too frustrating.

I wouldn't say I'm apathetic. My expectations have certainly diminished. I didn't expect them to hit .800 with RISP again, and I was a little concerned about bullpen guys like Maness, Siegrist and Rosenthal replicating last year's success, but I certainly thought they had enough talent to dominate the division.
 

It gets hard to devote three hours every night to a team that refuses to win easy. It's better than the alternative, which is being the Diamondbacks, but watching the Cardinals try and dink and dunk their way to four runs and then pray that the starter can go seven and give Rosenthal a cushion is exhausting. And it's only June 5.

I think what it comes down to is that I enjoy the individual pieces more than the team itself, which is strange. Watching Matt Carpenter dissect a pitcher is enjoyable. Watching Peter Bourjos run the bases is exciting. Watching Adam Wainwright toy with hitters is fun. Watching this team as a whole is like a trip to the dentist.

Also, I know the AL is not a popular league amongst our group, but the A's and the Jay's are playing like it's 1992. They are a good alternative to the never-ending dead-end rallies of the Cardinals.

Last edited by tkihshbt (6/05/2014 10:56 am)

"Also, I know the AL is not a popular league amongst our group, but the A's and the Jay's are playing like it's 1992. They are a good alternative to the never-ending dead-end rallies of the Cardinals."

The A's run differential is an absurd plus-121. On June 5!
Until he started on this hot streak, Carpenter was frustrating me with all the good pitches he let go by. And when they swing at cookies, they don't make good contact, especially Holliday and Craig. Craig's last at bat was a perfect example. Herrera was gassed because he's not used to throwing 30 pitches in an inning, and he was chucking fastballs right down the middle. It turned out well because Craig eventually came up with a 2-run single, but there were three or four pitches earlier in the sequence that ordinarily you would expect Craig to crush.
I don't think after three years of hitting .300 with a ton of RBIs that Allen Craig has suddenly become a mediocre hitter, but there's something less aggressive about his approach, and the approaches of other hitters in the lineup, that's making the Cardinals not score runs the way we'd expected.

artie_fufkin wrote:

"Also, I know the AL is not a popular league amongst our group, but the A's and the Jay's are playing like it's 1992. They are a good alternative to the never-ending dead-end rallies of the Cardinals."

The A's run differential is an absurd plus-121. On June 5!
Until he started on this hot streak, Carpenter was frustrating me with all the good pitches he let go by. And when they swing at cookies, they don't make good contact, especially Holliday and Craig. Craig's last at bat was a perfect example. Herrera was gassed because he's not used to throwing 30 pitches in an inning, and he was chucking fastballs right down the middle. It turned out well because Craig eventually came up with a 2-run single, but there were three or four pitches earlier in the sequence that ordinarily you would expect Craig to crush.
I don't think after three years of hitting .300 with a ton of RBIs that Allen Craig has suddenly become a mediocre hitter, but there's something less aggressive about his approach, and the approaches of other hitters in the lineup, that's making the Cardinals not score runs the way we'd expected.

The funny thing about their approach is that Mabry was an uber-aggressive, first-pitch fastball hitter.  It's been a long time since I read Moneyball, but I seem to remember that Beane was critical of Mabry for not working the count.

forsberg_us wrote:

artie_fufkin wrote:

"Also, I know the AL is not a popular league amongst our group, but the A's and the Jay's are playing like it's 1992. They are a good alternative to the never-ending dead-end rallies of the Cardinals."

The A's run differential is an absurd plus-121. On June 5!
Until he started on this hot streak, Carpenter was frustrating me with all the good pitches he let go by. And when they swing at cookies, they don't make good contact, especially Holliday and Craig. Craig's last at bat was a perfect example. Herrera was gassed because he's not used to throwing 30 pitches in an inning, and he was chucking fastballs right down the middle. It turned out well because Craig eventually came up with a 2-run single, but there were three or four pitches earlier in the sequence that ordinarily you would expect Craig to crush.
I don't think after three years of hitting .300 with a ton of RBIs that Allen Craig has suddenly become a mediocre hitter, but there's something less aggressive about his approach, and the approaches of other hitters in the lineup, that's making the Cardinals not score runs the way we'd expected.

The funny thing about their approach is that Mabry was an uber-aggressive, first-pitch fastball hitter.  It's been a long time since I read Moneyball, but I seem to remember that Beane was critical of Mabry for not working the count.

I think just because mabry could hit a hr he doesnt want to see anyone else do it either.