Ladies. I know you missed the hot logo. The LBCR is back for its first installment of the 2010 season. Here she blows.
We are 1/3 through the 2010 season and things are just about as expected. Sure there are some scrubs still hanging around in the standings (pun intended), but that’s to be expected at this point in the season. Usually it’s not until July that the playoff caliber teams really start to separate from the pack. That said, I’ve had the honor/pleasure/horror of watching all but six Birds games this young season, and I’ve got some bones to pick and some praises to sing. In no particular order.
Freese => Has been unbelievable. Basically carried the offense on his shoulders for most of the first 1/4 season. Literally without his clutch RISP numbers, the Birds would have 4-5 less wins. And can you say future Gold Glover? I can.
Pujols => Interesting season so far. He’s looked terrible with RISP, but otherwise has been MVP caliber. Since fisting the Cubs at Wrigley last weekend, he’s really picked up his game. I expect the remainder of the season to look something like this. Walk, Walk, Walk, HR, Walk, Walk, Double Play, HR, HR, Walk, K, Walk, HR, K, Double Play… you get the idea. Easily the runaway MVP favorite still.
Ryan => Ack. This guy spent the first 1/4 of the season having an Ankiel-esque meltdown both at the plate and in the field, totally eliminating any pre-season hopes of repeating that .300 average and pushing him over the top into Gold Glove territory. That said, we all know what he’s capable of, and the past few weeks, he’s really shown signs of progress. Too bad for him Lopez is playing well right now, because his leash is short and he’s fighting for playing time.
Skip => Double Ack. Better at the plate than Ryan, but still a far cry from what TLR expected coming into the season. That combined with his league leading 73 errors and Cardinals fans are understandably concerned about the 2nd base situation.
Franklin => Same ol’ shit, just a different day. Solid so far, but has shown signs of hitability. He, McClellan, and Motte all give up way too many fly balls for my liking. Which brings us to…
The overachieving bullpen => First in the NL? You don’t say. Honestly, you wouldn’t know it sometimes, but these guys have come up big most of the season so far. The Lefties have been great, and even Motte is somehow managing to get that 97 mph 4-seamer past even elite hitters. Motte must have got some raising action on that fastball in the off-season, because last year, he’d get lit up pitching the high heat too often. Reyes has been great too, but let’s be honest, the starting rotation has generally taken care of business enough to make it easy on these guys (with the exception of the now injured Lohse). Speaking of the starting rotation…
Carp & Waino => Another year they may split Cy Young votes. But I think this year – from what I’ve seen so far – Waino will separate himself a bit. Carp is still a dominator, but he’s definitely losing command of the strike zone waaaaay more often that I’m used to seeing. Maybe he’ll work into his own as the season moves on, but he’s definitely not the best pitcher on the team right now. I was thinking about Penny’s injury… honestly, part of me is happy. I mean, he was lights out until he got hurt – but his injury isn’t arm related. I’m wondering if keeping him out of the rotation for a month or so is going to ensure he can totally dominate in October (there were some legitimate concerns about his season stamina coming into this season). Garcia on the other hand, is showing signs of “I’m young, not used to pitching this much, and I’ll probably suck by September.” I could be being paranoid there. Hard to say.
Ludwick => Give him a Gold Glove. Now. Also very glad to see his bat has some 2008 pop in it after a “meh” 2009 season. Should be an All-Star again if the voters aren’t total jackoffs.
Stav => I love this guy. The next Matt Stairs?
Rasmus => As expected. He needs to work on putting the ball in play just a bit more often, and then I’ll put up with his ten thousand strikeouts. Defensively he’s been something of a let down. Or maybe he just makes everything look too easy. But I’m still waiting for some Edmonds-esque highlights out of Center Field this year.
Molina => Newsflash: everyone in the league knows he is trying to slap an outside pitch to right field. Everyone. He’s going to have to learn to turn on the ball, because time after time he hits it right into the defense. Still the NL’s best behind the plate, though. All Star.
Holliday => Love/Hate. Amazingly, his overall numbers are good. Better than usual through May, actually. But I don’t know how he does it. He seemingly cannot protect Pujols 9/10 times. The law of averages dictates that success with RISP can’t be much different than overall AVG by the end of the season. I hope that’s true. Sometimes when he swings I wonder if he even knows what he’s doing up there. More than anyone else on the roster, Holliday is the guy that’s going to give me ulcers by year’s end.
So what does it all mean, you ask? Being the “glass is half full” kinda guy that I am, I think it means World Series. Proven Cardinals hitters have a history of righting the ship before crunch time if they get off to slow starts. That’s just how it’s done in StL. I can’t remember the last position player to have a Soriano-esque season in StL. Just doesn’t happen. The only real question is whether our pitching can hold up and stay healthy. And by “hold up,” I mean “improve and stay that way.” I know on paper our pitching has been excellent, but there have been a lot of narrow escapes for the staff already this year, and luck ain’t gonna cut it in October.
LB
