It’s been tough writing about the Redbirds lately given the craptastic May they’ve been having. I’ll gladly chalk some of that up to injuries (Ludwick, Carpenter, Ankiel) and other “issues” (Wainwright’s mechanics and wtf is wrong with Khalil Greene?), but make no bones about it, the Cardinals are having some problems worth noting.
Problems like:
1. Todd “Meatballs” Wellemeyer (allowed 30 runs in 46 innings pitched, rarely makes it past the 6th)
2. Kyle “Oh Noes!” Lohse (0-3, 4+ERA, and hasn’t made it past the 6th in his last 3 starts)
3. Joe “Going Back to AAA” Thurston (batting .178 in May)
4. Chris “I can’t hit lefties to save my life” Duncan (batting .211 with 13 K’s in May)
and even…
5. Albert Pujols (9 RBI’s, 7 BB’s, and 5 K’s thus far in May) – ok, not really a “slump” by human standards, but he’s left a lot of people on base this month.
So what does this all mean? It means losing 2 of 2 vs. Philly, 2 of 3 vs. Cincinnatti, 2 of 2 vs. Pittsburgh, and getting swept by the Brewers. That’s what.
But there’s a glimmer of hope. As I write this, the Cardinals are taking BP for the 3rd of 3 vs. the Cubs. And yes, the brooms are out. Even more importantly, last night Chris Carpenter pitched an absolute gem in his first live action since the ol’ rib strain. And this may be wishful thinking, but Pineiro’s CG SHO on Tuesday seems to have provided something of a kick to the nuts that this ball club has desparately needed of late. Of course it doesn’t hurt when the team you’re playing against blows throw AB’s like a $2 hooker on coke, but hey it’s the Cubs, I expect nothing less.
What the Cardinals need right now: Ludwick and/or Glaus to get back in that lineup and Wellemeyer to stop giving away every 5th game. We are too damn susceptible to left-handers right now and our power is anemic. Surprisingly, teams have still been brining it to Albert even though it’s fairly safe to pitch around him without those extra bats in the lineup. I can’t imagine that pissing contest will continue much longer, however. Pujols don’t stay cold for long.
LB
1 Comment
May 22, 2009 at 3:22 pm
theres some chatter supposedly that the birds may try to trade khalil greene to the red sox at some point. also, theres some talk that mark derosa might be on the cardinals radar if glaus isnt able to return. nonetheless, i think we are ok at both positions whether we make a deal or not.