Cardinals Jaime was El Jefe Tonight

Jaime Garcia (source: Wikipedia)

Everyone in Cardinal Nation - if not baseball - is agog at the performance of Jaime Garcia tonight at Busch Stadium against the Milwaukee Brewers.  I have to admit I missed most of it as my sister-in-law had an automobile emergency at game time that I had to respond to.  I wasn't happy about missing the game, but a man must do what a man must do.

I caught the game in the top of the sixth via at bat on my iPhone as we drove back across the city towards home.  It did not take long to notice how quickly Garcia was getting the ball, getting signs, and delivering.  The score was 6-0 at this point, and Garcia's actions made me think more was involved.  A quick touch of the box score showed that my instincts were correct.

What I did see of the sixth and seventh inning told me that Garcia had it all working.  Every pitch was low in the zone, and the movement was exceptional.  The furtive swings of the Brewers' batsmen told me the backstory I had missed, and their body language as the looked at called strikes solidified my extrapolations.

In our house lives a beautiful 15 year old girl.  A girl who has lately  discovered the joys of baseball (I thank the Arizona Diamondbacks and their fun ball park for this).  After one out in the eighth, I was thinking I had the perfect opportunity to show her the second-by-second drama that only sports can provide.  And the build-up/release rollercoaster that is at the heart of what baseball is about.  But before I could stand up to do this, Garcia walked a man.  Now pitching from the stretch, he promptly lost the no-hitter to Yuniesky Betancourt (of all people) on a sharp ground ball that found the hole between second base and shortstop.

The quick loss of the no-hitter once a man reached base did not surprise me.  In fact, I was looking for it.  The past week taught me some lessons.

It marked the fifth time this week that such an event occurred.

I first noticed the trend during Garcia's last start on Sunday when he started the game with four perfect innings.  But the fifth inning started with a single.  The it went  out, 2-run HR, walk, single, and a run-scoring single.  Then on Monday, Kyle Lohse was lights out again through two 1/3 innings, then he lost all control.  The Gaby Sanchez grand slam punctuating my point.  I thought it all a fluke until Jake Westbrook cruised through 4 2/3 innings Thursday without allowing a Florida Marlins getting a runner on base.  But once Greg Dobbs reached base and Westbrook began delivering from the stretch, the Marlins next 4 batters reached base and two runs scored.

Of course, the Marlins getting their first hit with one out in the eighth is hardly evidence of some latent failing amongst an otherwise outstanding starting staff.  But once Garcia finally let a runner reach base and approached Betencort from the stretch, the no-hitter was lost.

Why?  I don't know.  Perhaps losing a good groove then pitching from the stretch  is just enough to tip the balance of competition to the favor of the hitters.  It has also been a certain something the Cardinal hitters have exploited.  If nothing else, it's an interesting trend - one I noticed only because all the starters were lights out...until someone got on base.

Breaking Down The Cardinals Loss & Franklin's Third Blown Save

Another blown save by Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin.  Another St. Louis loss.  This one in the most excruciating fashion imaginable.  The San Francisco Giants were down to their last strike.  Runners on 1st and 2nd, and Mr B-12 himself - Miguel Tejada - at the plate.

Let's stop right there and recap a bit.  Jaime Garcia was absolutely masterful tonight.  He had no-hitter stuff.  But in the fifth inning, a Garcia pitch gets away and hits Pat Burrell up around the head and neck.  Next, Miguel Tejada grounds a single between short and third.  Then former Cardinal Mark DeRosa shortened his swing, punched a little flair to right, and the Giants took a 1-0 lead.

In the top of the sixth, Skip Schumaker drew a walk, two groundouts moved him to third, and he scored on a wild pitch.  Then in the eighth, Colby Rasmus hit a towering home run to the deepest part of AT&T ballpark to give the Cardinals the lead.  Miguel Batista gave up a two-out triple to Nate Schierholz, but then struck out Freddie Sanchez swinging to take us to the ninth.

In the top half of the inning, and desperately needing an insurance run or two to take some pressure off the struggling Franklin, the Cardinals manages to sandwich a weak fly out between two soft ground outs. A rather uninspired effort at a time when more was needed.

So we reach the bottom of the ninth.  Franklin comes in and promptly got Aubrey Huff to ground out.  The next batter was Buster Posey.  Posey then did something Cardinal fans had forgotten could be done.  He shortened his stroke and took a decent pitch the other way for single.  It was a fabulous piece of hitting - one I wish some St. Louis player would do (Skip is doing that this season...he's it).  Franklin looked to be a bit rattled at this point and walked Pat Burrell.  Giants rookie first-baseman Brandon Belt pinch-ran for Burrell.

Now, Cardinal twitter Nation started going beserk.  Everyone seemed to know what was coming.  Aaron Rowand was coming up, and the end was nigh.  But the ever-fading Rowand hit a fly ball caught by right-fielder Lance Berkman.  So in walks Tejada.

Franklin gets a called striked on a fastball.  It was a good pitch.  Then Tejada fouled off a nice sinker.  Up in the count, Franklin put a pitch in the dirt, but Tejada took it for a ball.  Tejado ruined a 1-2 fastball by fouling it off.  Next, Franklin threw a splitter in the dirt, but Tejada didn't go fishing.  Another pitch out of the zone, and we have a full-count.

This was a very exciting at bat.  The two veterans were really in a battle.  Franklin hadn't made a mistake, but neither had Tejada.  With the count full, I was certain that Franklin would bust him in on the hands and he did.  What I didn't expect was the bat speed of Tejada to get around on the pitch and rip it just foul down the third base line.  It was the perfect pitch from Franklin, but at 91mph, I guess it didn't have enough oomph.

After Tejada fouled off another cutter to stay alive, the at bat was getting interesting.  Franklin started out having control, but after the last two foul balls I began wondering what the Cardinals closer would do.  What he did was throw a fastball around the plate that Tejada got a good swing on.  He struck it well, and lifted it into left-centerfield.  The crowd thought he got it all - and I did too.  But Franklin had missed the sweet spot of Tejada's bat.  Jon Jay and Colby Rasmus raced back towards the warning track and converged on the ball.  A sure out to end the game.

But No!  As unbelievable as it seems, Rasmus had it in his glove and had it pop out.  He used two hands as our dads taught us, and he dropped it.  Posey scored.  Belt raced around from first and scored the winning run.  I could not believe what I just saw.

The play looked strange.  While it was no can of corn, it was a play you see major league outfielders make all the time.  But Jon Jay was very close to Rasmus as the ball came down, and it appeared to this observer that Rasmus may have been worried about a collision at the last second.

Why was Jay right there?  Did Colby fail to take charge of the play?  He's the center-fielder - it's his call.  Did Rasmus flake out and think Holliday was the left-fielder?  I doubt Holliday has the range to be right there like Jay was.  Perhaps it was too loud as the Giants fans thought it might be a home run off the bat.  If that's the case, it would be tremendous breakdown in fundamentals for a Tony LaRussa managed team.

LaRussa didn't give much insight, as he was testy in the post-game interview.  Understandably so, since this had to be one of the most brutal losses he's had to endure in his long managerial career.  And coming at a time when his ball club could really use the win.

And an even bigger question lies with Franklin who was clearly quite emotional and shaken after suffering his third blown save in four chances this season.  A question mark at the end of the bullpen is not what a reeling team that can't score runs needs.

Another unfathomable facet on this nightmarish night was the fact that it was scored a double for Tejada.  How can that possibly be?  The ball hit Rasmus in the glove - that must be an error.  Must be.  I'm a fan of home cooking as the next guy, but this is another example of how official scorers in Major League baseball have become nearly as corrupt as the judges in a professional boxing match.  A travesty.  A sham.  A mockery.

There was no comment I heard from Jaime Garcia about not getting the win out of such a brilliant performance.  I'm not sure I would understand all of what he would have to say, but I am certain that this Arizona-based scribe could pick out the curse words.

Cardinal Nation Needs to Remember April 2010

It's been that kind of start for Tony LaRussa's Cardinals
Source: AP

Cardinal Nation got a breather yesterday from it's collective meltdown about the team's ineffectual offense. St. Louis manager also got a breather from questions about the ballclub's ineffectual offense. And now that we've caught our breath, maybe it's a good time to gain perspective by revisiting our mindset last April.

April 2010 was heady times indeed. Can you remember what it was like? Albert Pujols was raking. Adam Wainwright was dealing.

Remember when Brad Penny was pitching better than he ever had. Jaime Garcia was a godsend as a rookie. The rest of the NL Central was toast.

I remember last April. I was telling my fantasy football league that I was going to quit as commissioner because I was going to be too busy rooting my Redbirds on to the World Series.  The Cardinals were winning. We were a little concerned because Chris Carpenter wasn't sharp, but he had time to round into shape. Fans had time to boo newly signed slugger Matt Holliday because he wasn't clutch in run scoring opportunities. Skip Schumaker was the main buzzkill - both with the bat and the glove.

Do you remember?

Now Skip is about the only Cardinal with a hot bat (and looks improved in the field). Matt Holliday's appendicitis has proven how valuable he really is in the heart of the order. It's baseball, things change. Things flip around in a hurry.

April 2010 turned out not to be a harbinger of the entire season for the Cardinals. In fact, do you remember that the San Francisco Giants grounded into ten double plays in their first four games in April 2010? A bad April didn't doom them.

Remember.

Cardinals McClellan To Make First Start for Hometown Team

Kyle McClellan grew up in Florissant, Missouri as a fan of the Cardinals.  Tonight in St. Louis, a dream will come true for the Redbirds righthander as he will make his first big league start against the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The Hazelwood West High grad has been a fixture in the Cardinals bullpen since 2008.

Pitching coach Dave Duncan has been high on McClellan's potential as a starting pitcher for some time now, noting his command of a variety of pitches that are effective against batters on both sides of the plate.  That versatility has served the Cardinals well out of the bullpen, but hasn't stopped the ball club from grooming McClellan as a starter the past three springs in Jupiter. In 2009, he was insurance in case Chris Carpenter was unable to answer the bell after Tommy john surgery.  Last spring, McClellan was very impressive in the battle to claim the fifth starter role, but lost out to Jaime Garcia, who was simply even more impressive. Coming into this season, the Cardinals clearly had McClellan pencilled into the role, but made him earn it.  And earn it he did by getting batters to beat the ball into the ground, showing necessary stamina, and posting a minuscule 0.78 ERA.

McClellan was St. Louis' best performing starter in Florida.  But that was spring training.  Tonight, the game is for real.  The true test for the hometown boy to make his dreams come true.  I am bullish on McClellan's capabilities as a starting pitcher in the big leagues.  He has passed muster in his previous trials and has earned the right to take the ball in the first inning under the lamps of Busch III.   I - and all of Cardinal Nation - will be rooting shamelessly for him to succeed in what is truly his home ballpark.

Cardinals 2010 Nightmares Still Haunt 2011 Dreams

Jaime Garcia was a dream last year.  A revelation as a rookie starter for the St. Louis Cardinals, winning 13 games with a sparkling 2.82 ERA.  But more importantly, the young man is a left-handed starter, a rare commodity for the Redbirds short on development and long on humbling disappointments (Rick Ankiel, Mark Mulder).


And Garcia was a dream today, tossing a complete game shutout of the San Diego Padres while striking out a career high nine batsmen.  He managed to get out of a bases loaded jam in the sixth inning without allowing the situation spiral out of control - something he was prone to due during a rough spring training.  Garcia's masterful outing will ease the sleep of Cardinal Nation after the team started the season with two nightmarish games, both losses.

Tonight, this Redbird fantatic will be tossing and turning.  The monsters of St. Louis' disappointing 2010 campaign seemingly have not been eradicated by a busy off-season.  The scariest monsters being sloppiness of play, and untimely hitting.

Situational Hitting

The antennae go up every time a weak grounder is hit to a middle infielder with RISP and less than 2 outs.  Just like last year, I see too many batters not taking good at bats in that situation.  I love aggressive hitters that see the pitch they want and attack it no matter the count, but the key is to attack your pitch.  Swinging at the first pitch and grounding weakly to SS is not the mark of a formidable offense.

Luckily, the sample size is small, and the biggest offender so far has been Pujols - so there is a real hope for better results in scoring opportunities than we have seen thus far.  But Cardinal Nation on twitter has already expressed distain for all the St. Louis batters taking swings at the first pitch.  Often those pitches aren't choice ones.  I will grant you that the Padres have a roster full of pitchers capable of making a team look lost at the plate in a three game series.  Too often against the Cardinals, they did.


A good sign Sunday was the clutch piece of situational hitting new SS Ryan Theriot did to drive-in an insurance run in the ninth inning.  With Theriot not performing well with the glove in his first couple of appearances in Busch Stadium after replacing the popular Brendan Ryan, his clutch at bat is the other side of that coin.  Colby Rasmus also had a productive out in the fifth inning, moving Lance Berkman to third base and allowing Yadier Molina to stroke an RBI single through the drawn-in infield for the Redbirds first run.


A Not-So-Hard Nine

2010 showed us something I'm not sure we've ever seen - a Tony LaRussa managed club that seemed lax in the fundamentals.  If anything has been the main engine powering TLR's teams, it's that they play harder and with fewer mistakes than the other team.  Other than that scintillating but ultimately meaningless series in August against Cincinnati, 2010 was marked by the Cardinals sloppiness of play in key situations - especially against lesser teams.  This series was much of the same.

One very key point of Thursday's opening day game was the play that allowed the Padres to take the lead in the 11th inning.  Ryan Theriot took the error, but it all began to unravel with Jon Jay's three-hop dribbler of a throw to Theriot who was the cut-off man.  Theriot then clearly rushed the play, mishandling the throw and compounding it all with a poor relay throw to the plate.  Theriot did not handle that well, but it may have been a completely different situation if Jay simply makes a solid throw to the cut-off man.  That's little league basics.

Add in more nightmares from that game.  Matt Holliday getting picked off second to squash a rally, Skip Schumaker missing Yadier Molina's attempt to catch Ryan Ludwick stealing, and Pujols' team-record tying 3 GIDP's.  Mix in the innumerable walks the Cardinal staff gave up in Saturdays rout, and concerns about the teams readiness to play become valid questions.

With all these thoughts in my head, it will not be a sound sleep tonight.  But sleep I will because Jaime Garcia was a dream today. 

Is Cardinals Garcia Running Out of Gas?

Jaime Garcia's rookie season has been the stuff of dreams.  Only able to pitch 37.2 innings last season in the minors after returning from Tommy John surgery on his elbow the St. Louis Cardinals didn't plan on having him on their Major League roster, much less being an essential part of the rotation.  He has a low ERA of 2.27 in 18 starts and sports an 8-4 record that is more indicative of the troubles of the St. Louis offense in the first half of the season rather than Garcia's effectiveness.

But the low number of innings pitched last season raises red flags.  Garcia has already pitched 103 innings so far this year and it's not out of line to question how long his strength will hold on as the Cardinals enter the stretch-run of the season.

Perhaps Garcia is already running out of gas.  He was not sharp at all in his last start against the Dodgers on July 16th.  A very inefficient Garcia threw 82 pitches but only lasted 3.1 innings, giving up 8 hits and 2 ER.  

Garcia has only finished the sixth inning once in his last four starts.  On July 2 he did have a brilliant start, shutting out the Brewers over seven innings allowing only 3 hits.  But in the other three starts, he has only lasted a combined 10.2 innings while giving up 9 ER on 21 hits and 4 walks - an average of 2.45 base-runners per inning and an ERA of 7.94.

Garcia is still performing better than Blake Hawksworth or Jeff Suppan over the last four starts, but Garcia's bad outings have been worse than the other two fill-in starters.

Tonight's start against a predominately left-handed hitting lineup could lessen these concerns.  Tonight could also be the exact moment when the franchise's efforts to gain another starter before the trade deadline become much more urgent.

St. Louis Cardinals Mid-Season Awards

As a frustrating first half of the 2010 season winds down, it's time to evaluate the winners and losers on the St. Louis Cardinals talented roster. The MLB All-Star Game is traditionally viewed as the midpoint of the season as most players get a three day break to rest, heal, and reset. It also is the perfect time to evaluate what we've seen so far. Here's this humble scribe's breakdown of the Redbirds first half award winners.

MVP
CANDIDATES

• Albert Pujols:     All discussion of Most Valuable Player (either for the Cardinals, or for the NL) begins with the All-Star first baseman.  While Pujols hasn't always been as clutch in 2010 as fans are accustomed, the slugger hasn't slacked off the pace of his First-Ballot Hall of Fame career.  He is batting .307 with 21 HR, 61 RBI, and 54 Runs scored.  His .412 OBP .577 SLG & .989 OPS slash line is below career norms, but all rank in the top 3 in the NL.  Always finding a way to win, whether through his aggressive but intelligent base-running or his Gold Glove caliber defense (.997 fielding percentage with 3 errors), Albert is the engine that drives the team.
• Adam Wainwright:    Last season was Wainwright's breakout season, winning 19 games and garnering the most first-place votes for the Cy Young award.  He didn't win that award though, finishing 3rd in the balloting.  That slight seems to have pushed the right-hander to an even higher strata.  He is second in the NL in Wins (13) ERA (2.11) and Complete Games (4).  Taking the torch as staff ace from Chris Carpenter, Wainwright's losses reflect his dominance as much as his wins.  He's suffered 2 losses in 1-0 games, and another loss came in a complete game which he allowed only 2 earned runs.

And the winner is...     PUJOLS. Exceptionally tough decision, based simply on Pujols being everyday player.

Cy Young
CANDIDATES

• Wainwright     13-5  2.11 ERA  19 starts 4 CG 1 SHO 136.1 innings 127 strike outs.  

 And the winner is...     WAINWRIGHT.  No one else in the conversation.



Rookie of the Year
CANDIDATES

• David Freese:     Freese was handed the job on Opening Day 2010 and is clearly the team's #1 at the position.  A shaky start to the season in the field belied his reputation with the glove, but he settled down and has been solid defensively with flashes of brilliance. At the bat is where Freese has shined, though. His .296 batting average ranks first amongst all NL rookies in batting, staying over .300 until an ankle sprain slowed him down. Currently on the DL, Freese's discipline at the plate and penchant for driving in runs has been sorely missed in the line-up.
• Jaime Garcia:     Coming into Spring Training after losing most of 2009 because of Tommy John surgery, the highly though of prospect was a long shot for the rotation. Garcia simply forced his way into the rotation with his outstanding performances in camp. The 24 year old Mexican-born left-hander promptly put up numbers not seen by by an NL rookie SP since Fernando Valenzuela. Garcia hits the break with an 8-4 record and his 2.17 ERA ranks just behind teammate Adam Wainright for third in the NL.  Garcia does walk too many batters and has been shaken by errors by his fielders, but these are correctable.  A fantastic curve, a major league fastball, and command of a variety pitches shows there is still room to improve upon his fantastic start.
  
• Jon Jay:     Recently called up from Triple A Memphisfor the second time this season, Jay is proving to be the catalyst the offense has been needing.  Since rejoining the Cardinals on July 2, Jay has been involved in half of all the innings the St. Louis offense has put runs on the scoreboard.  The 25 year old OF enters the break on an 11-game hitting streak and is batting .385 in his limited ABs and sporting a very impressive OPS of 1.018 which would be 3rd in MLB if he had enough plate appearances.  

And the winner is...     GARCIA.  As impressive as Freese has been, without Garcia the Cardinals would be challenging the Cubs for irrelevance in the NL Central.

Comeback Player of the Year

CANDIDATES

• David Freese:     Freese missed a good portion of the 2009 season due to ankle surgery precipitated by injuries sustained in an automobile accident the previous winter.  Though he made the Cardinals 2009 opening day roster, he didn't stick around long.  He was penciled in as the big league club's starting third baseman after a successful return to Triple A Memphis in August, but he put that opportunity in jeopardy with a DUI arrest this past off season.  He has put that problem behind him, and had been a vital part of the Redbird line-up until his current stint on the DL.
• Jaime Garcia:     Garcia first sported the Birds on the Bat late in the 2008 season going 1-1 while starting one game and appearing in nine others.  He was showing good promise, but suffered a ligament injury and had to undergo Tommy John surgery missing most of the 2009 season.  As 2010 Spring Training commenced, Garcia was ticketed for the minors to rebuild arm strength - at best a relief role in the majors.  But he impressed enough to travel north with the team, and Redbird fans cannot imagine where the Cardinals would be without him in the rotation.

And the winner is...     GARCIA. Both had tough roads back, but Garcia is more valuable.