SB Nation St. Louis Cardinals Spring Training
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The St. Louis Cardinals are on their way to Florida for Spring Training and the Grapefruit League. Follow this stream for updates until they break camp and head north.
Jaime Garcia pitched six good innings for the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, allowing five hits and just one run, but the Washington Nationals pitched a little bit better and came away with a 2-1 victory.
Related: An Interview with Kevin Goldstein and a Review of the Baseball Prospectus 2012 Annual
Gio Gonzalez got the start for Washington and allowed three hits and one run over five innings of work, striking out seven batters in the process.
Carlos Beltran was 1-3 at the plate for St. Louis and drove in the team's lone run. Mark DeRosa and Danny Espinosa both had two-hit games for Washington, and they accounted for both of the Nats' runs.
For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos, SB Nation's Cards blog. Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports, and MLB Daily Dish for all your MLB rumors and news.
The St. Louis Cardinals' opening day roster is just about set, but moves continue to be made below the major league level. Of those moves, maybe the most notable is the promotion of top pitching prospect Trevor Rosenthal past High-A and straight to AA. As pointed out by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold, this move is pretty rare as far as Cards pitching prospects are concerned.
Trevor Rosenthal will join Clayton Mortensen and Chris Perez as recent #Cardinals minor-league pitcher prospects to skip High-A #stlminors
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) April 1, 2012
Rosenthal, who had the most impressive spring of St. Louis' pitching prospects, will also make a start for the team in its exhibition game vs. against the Springfield Rebirds, the team's AA affiliate and Rosenthal's future teammates. Rosenthal— rated by most prospect watchers as the team's fourth best pitching prospect behind Shelby Miller, Carlos Martinez and Tyrell Jenkins— allowed only one earned run in seven innings this spring while striking out five and walking two.
For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos, SB Nation's Cards blog. Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports, and MLB Daily Dish for all your MLB rumors and news.
It's not often we get to say this without sneering, so indulge me: Jake Westbrook, the St. Louis Cardinals' third-starter-turned-fifth-starter, is literally in the best shape of his life. As pictures have come out of spring training it's become obvious that the weight loss teased in early spring notes columns was no joke. For instance:
I feel a little uncomfortable saying this, but look at that! Compared to a Google Image Search for Jake Westbrook—keep SafeSearch on, just in case—it's clear he's never looked better. Combined with his excellent performance—he out dueled Stephen Strasburg Saturday—it's suddenly very easy to get caught up in small sample sizes.
Of course there's no way of knowing just how well Westbrook will pitch from fewer than 30 good spring innings and an especially healthy offseason, but he struggled so much in 2011 that it's become increasingly possible to expect him to regress positively in 2012. And I'll take that, even if it makes me wonder about Jake Westbrook's svelte new figure. Which I'm not totally ready for.
The St. Louis Cardinals (16-8) continued their impressive spring training performance Saturday with a 6-2 win over the Washington Nationals (11-15).
SP Stephen Strasburg (L, 1-4) and SP John Lannan both made appearances on Saturday, but neither could silence the Cardinals offense for long. In the second inning, Strasburg allowed back-to-back singles followed by a bases-clearing double from 2B Daniel Descalso, who then reached third on an error and subsequently scored on a ground out. Then, in the sixth inning, Lannan allowed two singles, a walk and yet another double to Descalso, which added another three runs on the board for a 6-0 game.
A solo home run from 1B Chad Tracy proved to be the only blemish on Jake Westbrook's night. Westbrook (W, 2-1) pitched 5 and 2/3 innings while allowing only 2 H and 1 ER, but did allow 3 BB to his 4 K. All told, Westbrook lowered his spring ERA to 1.50, and the Cardinals got their 16th win.
For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos, SB Nation's Cards blog. Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports, and MLB Daily Dish for all your MLB rumors and news.
The St. Louis Cardinals, now with just three games remaining on their 2012 Grapefruit League Schedule, beat the New York Mets 4-3 on Friday afternoon. The Cards benefited from a strong performance from SP Kyle Lohse (W, 3-1), who pitched 6.0 solid innings, striking out 7 and walking only 1 batter. The Mets offense struggled against Lohse and managed only one unearned run off the righty.
The chief offensive contributions on the day came from 1B Matt Carpenter -- who went 2 for 4 with a double and a solo home run -- and LF Matt Holliday -- who went 2 for 4 with a par of singles. The Cards also got a key double from pinch hitter Adam Melker, a double which pushed their lead to 4-1 in the 6th inning.
The three-run cushion proved just enough as RP Fernando Salas failed to record an out in the 8th inning, walking 1 batter and allowing 3 hits and 2 ER to put the Cardinals lead at 4-3. RP Victor Marte (S, 3) relieved Salas and pitched the final two frames to close out the St. Louis win.
For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos, SB Nation's Cards blog. Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports, and MLB Daily Dish for all your MLB rumors and news.
The St. Louis Cardinals get to begin the defense of their 2011 World Series Championship on Wednesday, April 4 in MLB's Opening Night game against the new-look Miami Marlins at brand-new Miami Ballpark, but before any of that happens that have to finish up their remaining Grapefruit League schedule. With all of the material roster move already decided and the start of the regular season still a few days away, the last bit of Spring Training feels like a heap of Lima beans that need to be finished before dessert is served. Just four more spoonfuls to go.
| St. Louis Cardinals Remaining Spring Training Schedule | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, March 30 | METS | JUPITER | 12:05 p.m. CT |
| Saturday, March 31 | Nationals | Viera | 12:05 p.m. CT |
| Sunday, April 1 | NATIONALS | JUPITER | 12:05 p.m. CT |
| Monday, April 2 | Cardinals | Springfield, MO | 6:10 p.m. CT |
For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos, SB Nation's Cards blog. Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports, and MLB Daily Dish for all your MLB rumors and news.
The St. Louis Cardinals got a solid start from Lance Lynn, who gave up one run on five hits in five innings of work on Thursday, but they couldn't muster up much offense and lost to the Miami Marlins, 3-1. The defeat dropped the Cardinals' spring record to 14-8.
Related: The St. Louis Cardinals' vote of maybe-confidence in Tyler Greene
Anibal Sanchez got the start for Miami, and he also only gave up one run in five innings of work. It was St. Louis that struck first, picking up its lone run in the fourth inning, but Miami rallied to score a run in the fifth, sixth and eighth innings.
St. Louis managed just four hits on the day, and two of them came from Carlos Beltran, including a home run.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more in-depth coverage, head over to Cardinals blog Viva El Birdos. And for more from around baseball, check out Baseball Nation.
Look, St. Louis Cardinals fans. There's no way around it. We need to talk about Erik Komatsu's sick beats.
The Cardinals' Rule 5 selection—suddenly likely to make the 25-man roster—isn't just a lightning-fast center field prospect they swiped for free and the proprietor of the hashtag #KomoThoughts, he's also an up-and-coming hip hop producer named Komo Beatz who sells and licenses tracks on his website. You can lease them at very affordable rates, whether you're looking for a Drake type, a West Coast type, a Jeezy-type-banger, or even an introspective piano-based jam with Komo Beatz rapping the hook already*. Nearly all of them feature a sample of somebody saying "Comin' at you with that fire." You're going to want to listen to nearly all of them.
Please, enjoy these Komo Beatz while browsing SB Nation St. Louis
This is perhaps the best thing about the year 2012: Twitter accounts have turned all minor-to-moderate celebrities into real human beings with real interests and hobbies. And real side-gigs as Komo Beatz. I love baseball.
*I've sweated all my life / grindin' every day, I don't really need to talk / cuz they see the way I play. I wear my pockets real fat / like they're really out of shape, and you know I'm 'bout to shine / cuz I'm runnin' out of shade.
Opening Day is exactly a week away, and the St. Louis Cardinals' line up for today's Spring Training game vs. the Detroit Tigers looks a lot to what we might see when the Redbirds take the field on April 4 in Miami. Skipper Mike Matheny will send Adam Wainwright to the hill today, and backing him up will be every projected Cards starter.
Wainwright has been stellar this spring, having not allowed a run in 14 innings, though his five walks to nine strikeouts indicates that everything is not yet perfect as the Cardinals' ace returns from Tommy John Surgery. Here's today's line up, with the first pitch being tossed at 12:05 p.m. CT:
For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos, SB Nation's Cards blog. Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports, and MLB Daily Dish for all your MLB rumors and news.
The St. Louis Cardinals originally thought that utility man Allen Craig, who is recovering from off season knee surgery, would be ready to be with the team on Opening Day, but on Wednesday morning skipper Mike Matheny said the timeline for Craig's return has been extended.
#Cardinals have eased off projection Craig will be ready for opening day. "We've taken a step back," Matheny says. Caution rules. #STLcards
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) March 28, 2012
Craig is slated to be the team's starting second basemen, and he will be replaced in the line up by Tyler Greene until he is healthy. Last season, Craig hit .315/.362/.555 while mostly playing left field, and the Cardinals are so eager to get his bat in the line up that they plan on shoehorning him at second base. Craig also hit .243/.391/.622 in the postseason, which included three home runs in the World Series vs. the Texas Rangers.
For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos, SB Nation's Cards blog. Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports, and MLB Daily Dish for all your MLB rumors and news.
The St. Louis Cardinals dropped to 13-7 overall with a 6-3 loss to the New York Mets in Jupiter, Florida. The Cardinals led 2-0 after six innings but a five-run 7th inning for New York would key the victory. The win improves the Mets 6-14 overall.
Second baseman Daniel Murphy finished 2-for-5 with a run scored for New York. First baseman Justin Turner went 2-4 with an RBI and one run scored. Left fielder Vinny Rottino also had two hits, a run scored, and a run batted in after entering the game as a pitch hitter.
New center fielder Carlos Beltran went 2-for-3 with a run scored for St. Louis. Matt Carpenter played first base and third base and doubled twice in the loss. Matt Holiday went 1-for-4 for the Cardinals.
For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos, SB Nation's Cards blog. Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports, and MLB Daily Dish for all your MLB rumors and news.
St. Louis Cardinals prospect Cody Stanley has been suspended for 50 games for violating the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treament program, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.
#STLCards catcher Cody Stanley has been suspended for first 50 games of yr for violating Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment program
— Jenifer Langosch (@LangoschMLB) March 27, 2012
Related: Cardinals Spring Training 2012, Grapefruit League Schedule
Stanley, a former fourth-round draft pick by the Cardinals, spent the 2011 season in single-A with the Quad Cities River Bandits. He hit .264/.317/.425 with 11 home runs and 66 RBI in 101 games. He is one of St. Louis' best catching prospects.
For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos, SB Nation's Cards blog. Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports, and MLB Daily Dish for all your MLB rumors and news.
It's the home stretch for the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals in Grapefruit League play, as Mike Matheny's team gets ready to open the 2012 season.
Here's how the schedule looks for the Cards this week:
Monday: vs. Mets, 12:05 p.m. CT
Tuesday: no game scheduled
Wednesday: vs. Tigers, 12:05 p.m. CT
Thursday: at Marlins, 12:05 p.m. CT
Friday: vs. Mets, 12:05 p.m. CT
Saturday: at Nationals, 12:05 p.m. CT
While Grapefruit League games aren't the most exciting thing in the world to watch, there's plenty for Cards fans to keep an eye out for this week. Adam Wainwright is as close to must-see Grapefruit League TV as there is so far, as the rehabbing ace has yet to give up a run as he continues his comeback from Tommy John surgery.
Cards fans should also keep an eye out on Lance Lynn this week, as he's likely going to be holding Chris Carpenter's rotation spot for awhile this season.
Jake Westbrook, who makes his fourth start of the spring on Monday, is also worth watching, as he's yet to allow an earned run this spring. Westbrook, who shed 15-20 pounds over the winter, has allowed just six hits while walking three and striking out nine in 12 innings of work so far.
For more on the Cardinals, be sure to head over to Viva El Birdos and join the discussion.
The St. Louis Cardinals have released catcher Koyie Hill and infielder Alex Cora, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The two veterans were battling for roster spots this spring after being given minor league deals over the offseason, but it appears that neither was successful in their respective pursuits.
Hill, 33, had spent the past five years playing for the Chicago Cubs, getting significant playing time as the back-up to Geovany Soto since 2009. Regarded as a quality defender and game-caller, he's also proven to be a horrible hitter. Over 927 career plate appearances, Hill's .211/.275/.298 line reflects a level of ineptitude that essentially crushes his value in spite of he brings to the table defensively.
Cora, 36, spent last season in a utility role with the Washington Nationals. Appearing at all four infield positions, he hit .224/.287/.276 over 172 plate appearances in 2011, his third consecutive year of brutal offensive performance at the big league level.
For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos, SB Nation's Cards blog. Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports, and MLB Daily Dish for all your MLB rumors and news.
The St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets played to a 6-6 tie in 10 innings Saturday at Digital Domain Stadium, the Mets' spring training home in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
The Cardinals' starter, Lance Linn yielded a three-run first-inning home run to New York first-baseman Ike Davis, staking the Mets to an early lead. But St. Louis fought back with four of its own in the third to take a brief one-run lead before the Mets tied it up with a solo home run by Lucas Duda in the bottom of the fourth.
Left-hander Mike Pelfrey started the game for the Mets and pitched through six innings, giving up five runs on eight hits. Linn, making his second start of the spring for the Redbirds, went 4 2/3 innings, yielding four runs on three hits, before turning it over to the bullpen.
The Mets plated two more runs in the sixth on a two-run single by Ronny Cedeno off reliever Scott Linebrink, helped out by a throwing error by Cards third-baseman Daniel Descalso. St. Louis came back to tie the game in the top half of the ninth on a ball hit to left field by Mark Hamilton that was misplayed by the Mets' Vinny Rottino, allowing the tying run to score.
The game was not a fielding gem by either team. Both teams committed three errors.
The St. Louis Cardinals were impressive at the plate and in the field on Thursday afternoon in dispatching the Washington Nationals 9-0. Jaime Garcia pitched five scoreless innings, giving up just three hits and striking out nine Nats hitters.
Related: St. Louis Cardinals Rank No. 11 In Forbes' Team Value Rankings
Washington starter Gio Gonzalez had a terrible outing, and by the time he exited the game in the fourth inning, the game was essentially over. Gonzalez allowed eight runs on 10 hits and four walks.
Matt Carpenter and Tony Cruz were 3-3 on the day, while Carlos Beltran and Shane Robinson each had two-hit games.
For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos, SB Nation's Cards blog. Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports, and MLB Daily Dish for all your MLB rumors and news.
Forbes.com is reported the St. Louis Cardinals, fresh off their world championship, have increased their value 14% over the last year, bringing the franchise value to $591 million -- quite a lot more than the $150 million now-owner William DeWitt Jr. paid for the franchise in 1996.
According to Forbes, the Cardinals may have another value boost looming on the horizon:
The Cardinals have a [television] deal that runs through 2017 with Fox Sports Midwest. The Cardinals had baseball’s second-highest average television ratings last year, 8.9, and with just six years remaining on their deal the timing would appear to be about right for the team to negotiate a payout triple the $14 million in television fees they got last season.
The Cardinals enter the 2012 season looking to repeat as World Series winners, and doing so could likely improve their already impressive television ratings and increase their leverage in working a new television deal.
For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos, SB Nation's Cards blog. Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports, and MLB Daily Dish for all your MLB rumors and news.
Kyle Lohse gave the St. Louis Cardinals five solid innings on the mound, Erik Komatsu went 3-5 at the plate, and the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Houston Astros 6-1 in Grapefruit League play on Tuesday afternoon.
Related: 2012 Cardinals Roster: St. Louis Cuts 7 More, Roster At 37
Lohse gave up just three hits in his five innings of work, striking out one batter and walking two in the process. The Astros managed to score their lone run in the fifth inning and had just one more hit after Lohse was relieved.
In addition to Komatsu, Bryan Anderson and Tyler Green also had multi-hit games for St. Louis.,
For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos, SB Nation's Cards blog. Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports, and MLB Daily Dish for all your MLB rumors and news.
The St. Louis Cardinals announced their latest roster cuts on Tuesday afternoon. Here's a list of the cut players, per STLToday.com:
RHP Chuckie Fick
RHP Adam Ottavino
LHP Sam Freeman
RHP Trevor Rosenthal
LHP R.J. Swindle
SS Ryan Jackson
C Steven Hill
Most notable among the cut players is Trevor Rosenthal, the tall righty who ranks among the team's Top 15 Prospects. Rosenthal threw 7.0 innings for the Cardinals this Spring Training, striking out 5 and walking only 2. In 2011, he pitched 120.1 innings in High-A and managed an impressive 3.04 FIP.
SS Ryan Jackson also ranks among the team's top prospects, and the soon-to-be 24-year-old is expected to start the season in Double- or Triple-A.
For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos, SB Nation's Cards blog. Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports, and MLB Daily Dish for all your MLB rumors and news.
So: Skip Schumaker has come down with a torn oblique, the most common injury in the baseball universe. I have it on good authority that this makes the St. Louis Cardinals somewhat less attractive, but the good news for fans of left-handed outfielders with no power is that the Cardinals have been stocking them all offseason. Do you like super-fast tweener outfielders? Adron Chambers! Rule 5 center fielders more your style? Try Erik Komatsu!
The Cardinals even have several converted corner infielders available, in slugging (Mark Hamilton) and on-basing (Matt Carpenter) variations.
Whether all of these outfielders are actually useful as baseball players is debatable. But Skip Schumaker operates within the same sketchy parameters, so this is all completely within reason. Given Allen Craig's likely absence, the Cardinals should have both reserve outfielder spots open to Memphis-bound players for the start of the season.
The St. Louis Cardinals got two runs in the fourth, two in the sixth, and fended off a ninth-inning rally attempt from Atlanta to defeat the Braves 4-3 in Grapefruit League play on Monday afternoon.
Related: Skip Schumaker Injury: St. Louis Cardinals 2B Has A Torn Oblique
Lance Lynn pitched five solid innings for the Cardinals, giving up just two hits and one run over that span. Matt Carpenter got St. Louis on the scoreboard with a two-run home run in the fourth inning, and Carlos Beltran hit a solo shot in the sixth. Beltran and Yadier Molina had multi-hit afternoons.
Atlanta got one run in the ninth to pull to within 4-3 and had the bases loaded with just one out, but St. Louis managed to escape the jam.
For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos, SB Nation's Cards blog. Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports, and MLB Daily Dish for all your MLB rumors and news.
On Monday, Skip Schumaker got an MRI done after he injured an oblique muscle during an at-bat last Friday, and unfortunately, the examination found he had suffered a tear.
Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said that Monday’s MRI revealed that Skip Schumaker suffered a tear in his right side last Friday. Schumaker knew that he had suffered an oblique injury during an at-bat, but the severity of it wasn’t exactly known.
Related: Past & Projected: A Look at Average Starts of the St. Louis Cardinals Rotation Members
Mozeliak has not offered a timetable for Schumaker's return at this point. Schumaker also suffered an oblique injury during the playoffs last season.
For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos, SB Nation's Cards blog. Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports, and MLB Daily Dish for all your MLB rumors and news.
The St. Louis Cardinals have begun their title defense with a modest effort in the Grapefruit League so far, but it's usually not a good idea to pay attention to the results this time of year. The Cardinals are 7-6 in Grapefruit League play.
The full Grapefruit League standings:
| Grapefruit League | |||
| Team | W | L | Pct |
| Detroit | 12 | 1 | .923 |
| Toronto | 13 | 4 | .765 |
| Boston | 9 | 4 | .692 |
| Minnesota | 10 | 8 | .556 |
| Miami | 7 | 6 | .538 |
| St. Louis | 7 | 6 | .538 |
| Houston | 8 | 7 | .533 |
| New York | 8 | 8 | .500 |
| Philadelphia | 7 | 9 | .438 |
| Baltimore | 5 | 7 | .417 |
| Pittsburgh | 6 | 9 | .400 |
| Washington | 5 | 8 | .385 |
| Atlanta | 5 | 11 | .312 |
| Tampa Bay | 4 | 10 | .286 |
| New York | 3 | 11 | .214 |
St. Louis returns to action on Monday against the Atlanta Braves.
For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos, SB Nation's Cards blog. Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports, and MLB Daily Dish for all your MLB rumors and news.
St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright has been impressive in limited action this spring, having given up no earned runs while striking out three and walking two in five innings across two starts. He'll get another chance to add to those numbers on Sunday when he faces the Miami Marlins, the team that shares a Spring Training complex with the Cards.
The Marlins will also likely be the team that Wainwright sees in his first regular season start since blowing out his elbow in 2011. The Cardinals and Marlins will kick off the 2012 MLB regular season in South Florida in the Marlins' new park, and Wainwright will almost certainly make that start. But that's a bit on the horizon, and today St. Louis brass will merely be looking from another encouraging outing from one of the best pitchers in baseball.
Here's today's line up for St. Louis, and it looks pretty close to what Cardinals fans might see on Opening Day, with the DH obviously removed and Beltran likely slotted a bit further down in the order.
Game Time: 12:05 p.m. CDT
Location: Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter, FL
Broadcast: WAXY (radio), WAQI (radio)
For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos, SB Nation's Cards blog. Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports, and MLB Daily Dish for all your MLB rumors and news.
The St. Louis Cardinals (6-6) could not undo the impressive Spring Training streak from the Detroit Tigers (11-1), falling 10-3 as the Tigers improved their Spring Training-best 11-1 record.
Lefty Jaime Garcia (L, 0-1) lasted only 4 and 1/3 innings as he allowed 4 ER, 3 BB and 5 H while striking out 2 batters. LOOGY reliever R.J. Swindle came in to finish the fifth inning and pitched 2/3 of a frame, allowing another 4 H, 1 HR and 3 ER. The team's closer, RP Jason Motte, came to pitch the 6th inning, with the Cardinals losing 7-3 at that point, and promptly walked two batters, allowed another hit and let the Tigers push their lead to 9-3.
The Cardinals did get a good performance out of LF Matt Holliday, however, who cracked his second homer of the preseason in a 1 for 3 effort. Lance Berkman, who was filling the DH role in the AL park, went 1 for 2 with a walk and 2B Tyler Greene had the team's only multi-hit afternoon, going 2 for 4 with a double and two runs scored.
The Cardinals will be back in action on Sunday afternoon (15:05 p.m. CDT) against the Miami Marlins.
For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos, SB Nation's Cards blog. Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports, and MLB Daily Dish for all your MLB rumors and news.
Game Time: 12:05 p.m. CDT
Location: Joker Marchant Stadium, Lakeland, FL
Broadcast: FS-N, MLB Network (delay), MLB.tv, WXYT (radio)
On Saturday, the St. Louis Cardinals head out to Lakeland, FL, to take on a Detroit Tigers team rich in first baseman. With freshly-signed 1B Prince Fielder and recently-converted 3B Miguel Cabrera, the Tigers boast two of the best two sluggers in the league.
But the Tigers do not just have some hefty bats, they also have reigning Cy Young winner SP Justin Verlander (9.2 IP and 0.93 ERA this Spring) anchoring their rotation. The Cardinals hope to have their own ace back soon, as SP Chris Carpenter returned to the mound for some practice and hopes to be in Grapefruit League action soon.
Game Time: 12:05 p.m. CDT
Location: Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter, FL
Broadcast: WAXY (radio), WAQI (radio)
On Friday, the Cardinals abused Miami Marlins free-agent acquisition SP Mark Buehrle for 5 ER in just 2.1 innings. Buehrle, one of the Marlins' big free agent signings this offseason, gave up 6 hits to the Cardinals, including Matt Holliday's first homer of the preseason and Lance Berkman's first double.
The Cardinals are still waiting on their own free agent splash, OF Carlos Beltran, to find his rhythm. In 18 spring at bats, Beltran has only 4 singles to his credit -- no walks, no doubles, no triples and no homers. Beltran hit an impressive .300/.385/.525 slash in 2011, and should help anchor an offense missing 1B Albert Pujols for the first time in a decade.
For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos, SB Nation's Cards blog. Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports, and MLB Daily Dish for all your MLB rumors and news.
After spending the first couple weeks with the big boys, the St. Louis Cardinals have sent three of their prospects- third baseman Zack Cox, as well as pitchers Shelby Miller and Brandon Dickson- to minor league camp for the remainder of spring training. The moves, reported by Matthew Pouliot of HardballTalk, occurred on Wednesday.
Some had wondered whether Miller, the team's top prospect and one of the elite pitching prospects in the sport, could be a potential option to replace the injured Chris Carpenter, but this move essentially puts that speculation to rest. The 21-year-old has made just 16 starts above Single-A, so there's probably some more room for development there.
The other two players, Cox and Dickson, weren't considered to be major players for the Opening Day roster. Like Miller, Cox is a top prospect and a former first-round pick, but he's also just 22 with similarly limited pro experience above Single-A. Dickson, 27, isn't as young or as well-regarded by scouts as the other two, but he does provide minor league depth.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more in-depth coverage of the Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos. And for more from around the world of baseball, visit Baseball Nation.
The St. Louis Cardinals have released relief pitcher Francisco Samuel, as B.J. Rains of FOX Sports Midwest reported on Wednesday. Samuel was once considered one of the Cardinals' better prospects.
A few years ago, Samuel was part of a contingent of impressive St. Louis relief pitcher prospects that also included names like Chris Perez, Jason Motte and Jess Todd. Now 25, Samuel has always battled major command issues that haven't really improved over time.
Last season, Samuel posted a brutal 12.21 ERA with 17 strikeouts and 16 walks over 14 innings with Triple-A Memphis. Other than a breakout 2008 during which he posted a 2.83 ERA across two levels as a 21-year-old, the pitcher's minor league performance has been simply brutal.
Over 213 minor league innings, Samuel has a 5.66 career ERA with 270 strikeouts and 204 walks.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more in-depth coverage of the Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos. And for more from around the world of baseball, visit Baseball Nation.
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter is experiencing discomfort in his neck, and it forced the 36-year old to leave camp in Jupiter, Florida on Friday morning. The team said Carpenter will be re-evaluated and is seeking a second medical opinion.
The club has remained intentionally vague about Carpenter's timetable after initially suggesting he would miss one Grapefruit League start. Carpenter said Thursday that he had experienced neck discomfort for 5-6 days but neither he nor the club disclosed whether the matter is thought to be muscle- or nerve-related.
Carpenter was supposed to throw a side session today while his teammates played the Minnesota Twins. After this latest setback, Carpenter's availability for Opening Day is starting to look uncertain.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more in-depth coverage of the Cardinals, head over to Viva El Birdos. And for more from around the world of baseball, visit Baseball Nation.
More than a year after the St. Louis Cardinals realized, early last spring training, that they’d be without their ace for 2011, Adam Wainwright is set to make his return to the rotation. He’ll start and take two innings Friday at 12:05 against the Minnesota Twins; it’ll be his first in-game action since his 20-win season of 2010.
A lot has happened since then: among other things, the Cardinals played a bunch of baseball games and then won the World Series. That makes Wainwright one of the Cardinals’ best chances to improve on last season—more than their free agent acquisitions, Wainwright is really the player who can push them past the loss of Albert Pujols.
Without him, last season, the Cardinals gave Kyle McClellan 17 starts, Edwin Jackson 12, Lance Lynn two, and—you’d be forgiven for this one, coming as it did when the Cardinals were Basically Eliminated from Playoff Contention Anyway—Brandon Dickson one, on September 1. I’ve got no problem with any of those pitchers, except Jackson when he attempts to see just how slowly it’s possible to pitch, but it’ll be good to have Adam Wainwright back.
The St. Louis Cardinals will meet the Boston Red Sox Thursday for their fourth Spring Training contest of the 2012 season—still looking for their first win at 0-2-1. Jaime Garcia will make his Grapefruit League debut, going—if the Cardinals' moves so far are any indication—two innings and out. The game, a 12:05 start, will be broadcast on KMOX.
In the three games so far, first baseman Matt Adams, set to make his AAA debut this year in Memphis, has been the player to watch. Subbing for an aching and otherwise veteran-with-a-guaranteed-contract-y Lance Berkman, Adams has gone 4-9 with one home run, a grand slam.
In the nascent competition to be Yadier Molina's backup catcher, Bryan Anderson is the only contestant to have made a dent: He's 2-3 with a double. Tony Cruz has been absent, while Koyie Hill is 0-4 with an error. (Steven Hill is 1-1 with an RBI, having proved he still exists with a pinch-hit single.)
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Shelby Miller allowed a run in two innings in his first Grapefruit League start and Daniel Descalso hit his first home run of spring training, but the St. Louis Cardinals were unable to hold down the Washington Nationals for their first win of the Grapefruit League season. Lance Lynn blew the save, allowing a home run that was compounded by a defensive miscue to produce a final score of 3-3.
Tyler Greene added an RBI single and, with Shelby Miller out of the game early, fellow super-prospect Tyrell Jenkins, just 19, threw a scoreless inning in his first spring appearance. The newly crowned relief pitcher of pitching prospects’ past paid a visit, too: Adam Ottavino, moved permanently to the bullpen after a checkered career in the rotation following his selection in the first round of the 2006 draft, struck out four batters in one inning thanks to a wild pitch. Marc Rzepczynski was also strong, striking out two in one inning of work.
Matt Adams, starring in the early going of spring training with Lance Berkman taking a veteran’s approach to the first games, went 2-5 with a strikeout. The Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox will meet in Jupiter on Thursday, for a 12:05 game that will be broadcast on KMOX.
Shelby Miller, the St. Louis Cardinals' top prospect—and one of the very best prospects in baseball—will make his first Grapefruit League start Wednesday, when they face the Washington Nationals in their third official contest of spring training. Miller's debut is one of two starts that Cardinals fans will be watching extra-closely; Adam Wainwright, who makes his return from elbow surgery on Friday, has the other. Both pitchers could be crucial to the Cardinals' postseason chances in 2012.
In 2011, after a professional debut in which the organization had him on a strict innings count, Miller was as dominant as pitching prospects get; in 25 starts between high-A Palm Beach and AA Springfield he struck out 170 batters and walked just 53 in 139.2 innings. The Cardinals will try their hardest to keep from bringing Miller up before they absolutely have to—for reasons both developmental and financial—but if he keeps striking out 11 batters per nine innings it's going to be difficult to avoid.
Meanwhile, on the Nationals, an even more dominant pitching prospect is working on his opposite-field stroke. Just in case you thought I was jinxing anybody.
The St. Louis Cardinals' spring training loss Tuesday was interesting here in town primarily for Matt Adams's enormous dead-center grand slam, which briefly gave them the lead. Everywhere else in the country—at least everywhere else in the country where they remember a guy who was briefly the best pitcher on earth, even though he did it in Minnesota—the focus was on Johan Santana, who missed the entirety of the 2011 season after a long-festering shoulder injury required surgery. He got the start for the Mets, against the immortal Jake Westbrook, and... he was pretty okay! He didn't give up the home run to Matt Adams!
In his two innings Santana walked Shane Robinson, allowed a base hit to Mark Hamilton—it was a great day for physically imposing minor league first basemen—and exited having pleased Amazin' Avenue with a high-80s fastball and a still-intact left shoulder.
Shoulder surgery has felled a lot of would-be greats, but because his best years came just before this recent change in offensive environment and in Minnesota it's easy to forget just how great Santana was, at his best. Between 2004 and 2008 he won three ERA titles, three strikeout titles, and one pitching triple crown, and as late as 2010 he'd managed, balky shoulder and all, to turn himself into a kind of prematurely crafty lefty.
The St. Louis Cardinals dropped their second straight game to open their spring training Grapefruit League schedule Tuesday, putting Mike Matheny’s career as manager of a team that looks a little like the Cardinals for a few innings in Jupiter, Florida, in doubt. Prospect Matt Adams paced the Cardinals with a grand slam and Mark Hamilton doubled in the losing effort, while a newly svelte Jake Westbrook struck out two and walked two in two scoreless innings. Adam Reifer took the loss.
The mothership has the box-score. Rule 5-er Erik Komatsu, who’ll need to beat Adron Chambers for the fifth outfielder job if he’s to stay in the Cardinals’ organization, doubled to keep himself in the running, while Maikel Cleto struggled in a relief role, walking three in a little less than two innings.
The Cardinals will take on the Washington Nationals Wednesday at noon central. Super-prospect Shelby Miller is set to make his first caeer Grapefruit League start; one can only imagine Mike Matheny has a lot riding on it.
If you were taking bets for the identity of this year's Colin Porter-Memorial Spring Training Star back in February, Matt Carpenter would have been an easy pick. He fits all the criteria: He's blocked at his position by other players, he's got great AAA numbers, he's a little old to be a prospect. Now he's even got some small-sample-size Spring Training stats! Matt-Carp doubled in two runs (fellow Colin Porter contenders Bryan Anderson and Mark Hamilton) in the St. Louis Cardinals' 4-3 Grapefruit League-opening loss to the Miami Marlins.
Carpenter, who hit .300/.417/.463 last year but is not "The Skyrunner" Matt Carpenter, breaks from the Colin Porter norms in just one way: He's been a really interesting prospect since before he got on a Spring Training hot streak. The Cardinals' glut of left-handed hitters with no power—Daniel Descalso, in particular, would be an obstacle on the bench—make things tough for him in the short term, but he's already proven he can get on base anywhere in the minor leagues.
With Zack Cox in need of more seasoning at AA and Descalso likely to carve out some sort of role at second base, Carpenter has one sure calling this year: If David Freese gets hurt again, he'll be the first guy up. It's not the most exciting job a guy can have in baseball, but it's better than Colin Porter got.
The St. Louis Cardinals will make their television debut Tuesday at noon when they take on a New York Mets split-squad team on MLB.tv and, eventually, MLB Network. Fans brave enough to tune into baseball at its spring training roughest will be rewarded with a chance to see Jake Westbrook and Maikel Cleto pitch, with Matt Holliday and David Freese in the lineup from the A-team.
Ryan Jackson, starting at shortstop, is the most interesting B-teamer to watch. Drafted in 2009 as an all-glove shortstop who wasn’t expected to hit enough to reach the majors, he’s maintained his otherworldly reputation on defense while proving adequate with the bat at all minor league stops through AA Springfield. 24 years old, he could factor into a playing-time split with the various second-base candidates should Rafael Furcal get hurt and remains the team’s only in-house option to replace Furcal after 2014, when his contract runs out.
Also, Shane Robinson will be leading off and playing center field, if you like that sort of thing. At the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Derrick Goold has the full lineup.
Greg Dobbs knocked in three runs for the Miami Marlins, who held on despite a late rally from the St. Louis Cardinals to win 4-3 on Monday. It was the first game of Grapefruit League play for both teams.
Related: Spring Training Game 1: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Miami Marlins, March 5, 2012, 12:05 PM CDT
St. Louis was held scoreless for the first eight innings before mounting a comeback in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Cardinals got the tying and go-ahead runs on the bases with only one out, but the rally ended with a strikeout and a groundout to the pitcher.
Carlos Beltran went 0-3 at the plate, while Matt Holliday was 0-2. The Cardinals will play the Mets on Tuesday.
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The St. Louis Cardinals and the Miami Marlins will meet Monday for the defending champions' Grapefruit League opener, beginning the Cardinals' life without Albert Pujols in, pleasantly enough, the kind of game where he'd only take one at-bat anyway. Carlos Beltran makes his debut as designated hitter and Kyle Lohse gets the coveted Grapefruit League opening day start.
The Cardinals' two primary Spring Training competitions—between Daniel Descalso, Tyler Greene, and Skip Schumaker at second base, and Bryan Anderson, Tony Cruz, and Koyie Hill at second catcher—will finally begin in earnest; it's also our first chance to see Mike Matheny manage, although I would remind anyone looking to extrapolate from his moves here that he won't normally bring Mark Hamilton in to pitch the ninth inning. Probably.
But mostly, it's our chance to listen to something that sounds like a baseball game and then peruse something that looks like a box score. It's been a long time, but baseball is finally not-really-but-kind-of-here. Get excited.
There've been a lot of Spring Training milestones hit since the St. Louis Cardinals congregated in Jupiter last month, but this might be the biggest one: Next week, when Grapefruit League play begins, both Shelby Miller and Adam Wainwright will start something that bears a a more-than-passing resemblance to a real baseball game.
That's Miller Wednesday and Wainwright Friday, according to Derrick Goold's recap of Mike Matheny's schedule. Also set to go: Kyle Lohse on Monday—pretty big honor, being the Grapefruit League Opening Day starter—Jake Westbrook, along with Maikel Cleto, on Tuesday; and Jaime Garcia on Thursday.
Cleto's one of the more interesting pitchers to watch in this year's spring season; through AA he'd had a surprisingly excellent run as a starting pitcher, and while he struggled a little in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League it looks like he'll last longer than expected before his high-90s fastball turns him into a generic flamethrowing reliever. If he adjusts to AAA as a starter he could push himself into rotation consideration ahead of Carlos Martinez.
Color me a little more sympathetic than Jeff Gordon about the not-especially-surprising revelation that Colby Rasmus harbors a grudge about his time with the St. Louis Cardinals, which was marked by injuries, clubhouse whispers, a power struggle conducted entirely by shifty guys named Tony, and a weird city-wide propensity to see any hot streak as temporary luck and any ugly run as proof of his fundamental not-rightness.
Speaking to the Toronto Blue Jays' press corps, Rasmus talked about the St. Louis media being "on" him; the apparent oppressiveness of being "the young little puppy and everybody wants to teach me the tricks and beat me down and tell me that I'm doing things wrong," which says worrying things about his relationship with puppies; and his inability to relax in the dugout.
Gordon suggests Jon Jay, Rasmus's replacement, is a True Cardinal because he sucked for a while during the World Series and then he didn't suck at the right moment, even knocking a nameless collective of internet Cardinals fans for "dismissing him as a hapless loser" and not a clutch never-say-die type, which sounds a lot like... what happened to Colby Rasmus! (For what it's worth, I read Gordon's suggestion that Rasmus is an emotionally fragile ballplayer who, like that hypothetical hapless loser, probably wouldn't pull out of a slump when it counted... on the internet!)
Rasmus's poor numbers after the trade don't do much to promise his immediate renaissance in Canada, but I think it's worth pointing out that as much as Jay has exceeded expectations, and Rasmus has failed to meet them, their offensive numbers prior to Rasmus's disastrous trip north were fundamentally similar. Say what you will about the Cardinals having to trade Rasmus because of conclusions that others have drawn about his character, but there's not a whole lot of slack in the idea that Jay is a clearly superior baseball player.
Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting the St. Louis Cardinals and C Yadier Molina may be very near to a much-anticipated contract extension:
Movement on Molina is significant enough that source familiar w/situation believes agreement could be reached w/in a week.
— Joe Strauss (@JoeStrauss) February 24, 2012
The Cardinals drafted Molina in 2000, and he has played his entire career with the Cards. In 2011, his age 28 season, Molina hit a career-best .305/.349/.465 with 14 homers. Widely considered one of the league's top defensive catchers, Molina threw out only 29% of attempted base stealers, but has a career caught-stealing rate of 44% and has three times led the league in that category.
The St. Louis Cardinals exercised their $7 million option on Molina's contract this winter, but Molina becomes a free agent after the 2012 season.
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So: Finally, and with a little less of a flourish, maybe, than anticipated, the St. Louis Cardinals' least pleasant Spring Training storyline is over, right after pitchers and catchers-who-aren't-part-of-the-storyline were compelled to report: Yadier Molina and the Cardinals will not be negotiating a new contract in-season after failing to get a deal done before baseball season began.
This is not necessarily a bad thing; Yadier Molina is coming off the best season of his career as a hitter and still has a year of catching nearly every Cardinal game to get through to maintain his career as a Healthy Young Catcher all the way into free agency, and to sign him now would be to give his agent the highest possible baseline off which to leap. If Molina comes back to earth and just has a really good Yadier Molina season, like usual, the lowered expectations and the extra year of mileage could well make up for having to bid against other teams for his services, something his agents will have already priced into these team-controlled negotiations.
But it does show the Cardinals' clearest near-term weakness: Without Yadier Molina, they have little in the way of catching depth, both next year and down the line. Bryan Anderson and Tony Cruz are probably each above replacement level and below average, in their own ways; in the low minors, Cody Stanley failed to do much with the Midwest League and Robert Stock took another step toward the long-threatened conversion to pitcher that accompanied his selection back in the 2009 draft.
With negotiation off the table, though, 2012 at least is a sure thing: The Cardinals have Yadier Molina, one of the best catchers in baseball, under contract. Everything else can wait until a new offseason of homegrown-fan-favorite angst.
On Tuesday, Yadier Molina's agent, Melvin Roman, indicated that his client will not discuss a new contract with the St. Louis Cardinals during the regular season. He also said that he is uncertain about when contract negotions with the club would resume.
"It could be tomorrow. It could be two days. It could be two weeks," Roman said. "If they want us to come back, we'll come back."
Molina has said he'd like to remain in St. Louis, but he's also said he is not interested in giving the team a hometown discount.
Related: Yadier Molina Not About To Offer St. Louis Cardinals Hometown Discount
Molina is set to earn $7 million in 2012. He's played eight seasons in the majors, all of them with St. Louis.
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For a while the Roy Oswalt rumors were a going concern—the top priority in St. Louis Cardinals news, such as it was. But now that pitchers and catchers have reported and Oswalt finds himself in neither group, the whole thing just seems like an anachronism, like wondering seriously whether high-speed Internet access will have a deleterious effect on the operations of the Pony Express.
At this point Oswalt seems to have no leverage at all: Either he signs for $5 million or so for whichever team has offered him that much—apparently neither the Boston Red Sox nor the Cincinnati Reds—or he takes the year off and comes back a year older and less proven at significantly less than $5 million. For a guy with an interesting borderline Hall of Fame candidacy, missing that year seems like a bad idea, especially when it seems clear that he could get a rotation job somewhere if he's willing to take less money.
But he doesn't have much time; if he signs with the Cardinals, for instance, they'll still have to figure out what to do with Jake Westbrook and Kyle McClellan, who'd each be bumped in turn as he settled in as the fourth starter.
In case you were still uncertain as to what Yadier Molina's position was about his future with the St. Louis Cardinals, Rick Hummel has made it impressively clear in an article in which he catches Molina about as candid as you're likely to hear a baseball player approaching free agency.
"I don't know about that. Like I say - I always say this - I like the town. I like the city. At the same time, I have to think about my family ... like they worry about their team. This is business. If I get good money, I'll take it. If not, I go away."
There's much more there, too. In general I find it difficult to carp at players for trying to get all the market will bear when they reach free agency—their earning career is about 10 years long, if they're lucky, and they're not bargaining directly with the fans, they're bargaining with people who are far, far richer than they have any hope to be.
Even still, I think Molina is going at this the best way he can, even if it sounds gruff now. If you're not sure you'd be willing to offer a hometown discount, don't suggest it as a possibility—presumably Molina learned this lesson from watching Albert Pujols get excoriated for years of uncertain comments to that effect.
The St. Louis Cardinals have reported to Spring Training in Jupiter, Florida, and after the long tease of pitchers and catchers and everybody else finally reporting the games—the real, score-is-being-kept baseball games—are nearly here. Here's what the Cardinals' 2012 Grapefruit League dance card looks like, starting with their March 5 bout against the newly rechristened Miami Marlins. Televised games—they'll be on Fox Sports Midwest—are in italics; all times are Central.
March 5, 12:05: Cardinals vs. Marlins
March 6, 12:10: Cardinals at New York Mets
March 7, 12:05: Cardinals at Washington Natinoals.
March 8, 12:05: Cardinals vs. Boston Red Sox
March 9, 12:05: Cardinals at Minnesota Twins
March 10, 12:05: Cardinals at Marlins
March 11, 12:05 CDT: Cardinals vs. Nationals
March 12, 12:05: Split-squad Cardinals vs. Atlanta Braves, Nationals
March 13, 12:10: Cardinals at Mets
March 14, 12:05: Cardinals vs. Houston Astros
March 15, 1:35: Cardinals at Red Sox
March 16, 12:05: Cardinals vs. Marlins
March 17, 12:05: Cardinals at Detroit Tigers
March 18, 12:05: Cardinals vs. Marlins
March 19, 12:05: Cardinals at Braves
March 20, 12:05: Cardinals at Astros
March 21, 12:05: Cardinals vs Mets
March 22, 12:05: Cardinals vs. Nationals
March 23, 12:05: Cardinals at Marlins
March 24, 12:10: Cardinals at Mets
March 25, 12:05: Cardinals vs. Twins
March 26, 12:05: Cardinals vs. Mets
Match 28, 12:05: Cardinals vs. Tigers
March 29, 12:05: Cardinals at Marlins
March 30, 12:05: Cardinals vs. Mets
March 31, 12:05: Cardinals at Nationals
The Cardinals will play one more Spring Training contest against the Washington Nationals on April 1, and then head to Springfield, MIssouri, for their game against the Texas League Cardinals, before opening up the Marlins' new ballpark back in—well, Florida. For all that talk of going north at the end of the month's workouts and scrimmages, they don't spend much time up there...
If you're looking to buy Spring Training tickets, Viva El Birdos's ticket analytics page can show you where the market's headed and help you swoop in at the right moment.
Sunday's report from Derrick Goold that the St. Louis Cardinals and Yadier Molina had tentatively stopped talking about a new contract were perhaps not what Cardinals fans who just finished dealing with their excess Albert Pujols baggage needed to hear, but if it's any consolation this might not be a terrible thing from the Cardinals' perspective.
The Cardinals do need a free agent catcher after 2012—if it isn't Molina it'll have to be someone else, given Bryan Anderson's stagnation and Robert Stock's immense struggles as a hitter in the low minors. But Molina is also coming off what is by a significant margin the best offensive season of his career—he's unlikely to repeat it, but that .465 slugging percentage is going to loom very large in any discussion about his future that starts right now.
If, in 2012, Molina reverts to his old self—a good hitter for a catcher, and nothing more—the Cardinals will have significantly more leverage with which to deal, even though other teams will be able to make offers. If he somehow doesn't—well, okay, then the Cardinals are kind of screwed.
The St. Louis Cardinals kicked off 2012 Spring Training today with the reporting of pitchers and catchers, and two of the main attractions did not hesitate getting to work. Both Adam Wainwright, the Cardinals' ace, and Shelby Miller, the Cardinals' presumed future ace, threw bullpen sessions early in the morning, and a brief glimpse of the two in action was caught by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold.
The video isn't much, but it does, at the very least, prove Wainwright's existence after he missed all of last season following Tommy John surgery. The video is also a window into the future if all things go right in St. Louis, with Miller and fellow top pitching prospect Trevor Rosenthal flanking Wainwright.
For more news and analysis on the St. Louis Cardinals, drop by the Cards blog Viva El Birdos. For more game previews and recaps, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis.
Chris Carpenter pitched a grand total of 21 innings in 2003, 2007, and 2008. He's injured nearly every part of the arm that can be injured. Last year, as the St. Louis Cardinals' ace by default, he threw 237.1 in the regular season—that led the National League—and 36 more in the postseason, which led Major League Baseball by eight innings. He is 37 baseball years old.
Luckily, from Joe Strauss yesterday comes word that the Cardinals appear to have the same obvious concerns Cardinals fans do—they've apparently discussed lowering his Grapefruit League workload as he prepares for what will hopefully be a seventh full season in 10 tries as a Cardinal.
This has always seemed like—at the least—an obvious consideration, and I'm glad it's one the embryonic brain trust has worked out. But for all that I'm not even sure it will have an effect—nothing, to me, still seems hazier in the world of baseball evaluation than trying to determine the reasons and timeline for a pitcher's total collapse.
Particularly when he's totally collapsed twice already.
It's true: The St. Louis Cardinals' Pitchers and catchers are today obligated to report to Spring Training. Soon we will have things to talk about, besides how little there is to talk about. But you mustn't be fooled: Baseball season has not yet arrived. What has begun is a desperate month-and--a-half in which you try to convince yourself, over a period that feels like three months, that baseball season has begun.
And I say this as someone who loves Spring Training, right down to the fight to be the last man on the roster. It's just that you're going to be disappointed in how long a month is once you find yourself unable to watch most of the games, left with labyrinthine box scores that begin at Matt Holliday grounding out and end with Shane Robinson trading places with Mark Hamilton in center field.
Get excited about Spring Training, by all means. Get excited that pitchers and catchers are in Jupiter, where you wish you could be. But think of yourself circa March 7th when you believe that it's truly baseball time today.
The St. Louis Cardinals' spring training season opened officially on Saturday with pitchers and catchers reporting, and now everything will be geared towards defending their 2011 World Series title. First workouts begin on Sunday, Feb. 19, while position players report on Thursday, Feb. 23, and the first full team workout is set for Friday, Feb. 24. New manager Mike Matheny is hoping to keep his first camp efficient and focused, as he told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
"It's been a very efficient camp," he said. "There's no standing around. We get in, get our work done and get them out of here...Maybe inside there are going to be (changes)...So there will be more chalk talk inside. There's going to be some more instruction that goes on there and then comes out here and expects to be put into play. In general you don't really mess with something that has been effective."
Strong starting pitching will be relied upon to stabilize the team now that Albert Pujols is gone, and the rotation should include Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Kyle Lohse, Jaime Garcia and Jake Westbrook, barring any injuries. It appears that Kyle Lohse is experimenting with a curveball this year, and the staff at SB Nation's St. Louis Cardinals blog, Vivos El Birdos, is moderately excited:
Kyle Lohse was busting out a new curveball, with only some moderate success. Apparently, some of them did not make it a full 60' 6". Still, a "new pitch from an okay pitcher" puts him at the head of the early running for the Joel Pineiro award, named for the pitcher who rose suddenly and spectacularly from being a pedestrian 5th starter to being (briefly) the best pitcher on the staff, to being a pedestrian 5th starter again, and to a minor league deal for 2012. A biting curveball is not quite as likely to make Lohse a temporary ace as the mystical Pineiro one-seamer, but I still like to hear that pitchers are working on something new.
For more news and analysis on the St. Louis Cardinals, drop by the Cards blog Viva El Birdos. For more game previews and recaps, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis.
With Florida's Grapefruit League starting up in a matter of weeks, the St. Louis Cardinals are getting ready for their 2012 season and their chance at defending the champion's crown. The schedule kicks off on Saturday, Feb. 18, with the pitchers and catchers reporting:
Pitchers & Catchers: Saturday, Feb. 18
First Workout: Sunday, Feb. 19
Position Players: Thursday, Feb. 23
First Full Workout: Friday, Feb. 24
The Cardinals will get their first look at their rotation on Saturday, and the are expected to roll out a starting rotation something like this:
1) Adam Wainwright
2) Chris Carpenter
3) Kyle Lohse
4) Jaime Garcia
5) Jake Westbrook
Last year, the team was almost entirely without the services of ace SP Adam Wainwright after a severe injury ended his year during the preseason. In 2011, without Wainwright, the Cardinals still managed to cobble together a solid rotation with a 3.81 ERA and 3.69 FIP.
Here's a look at the first week of games for the Cardinals:
| Date | Time | Opponent | Location |
| March 5 |
1:05 p.m. |
Miami | Jupiter |
| March 6 |
1:10 p.m. | NY Mets |
St. Lucie |
| March 7 |
1:05 p.m. | Washington | Viera |
| March 8 |
1:05 p.m. | Boston |
Jupiter |
| March 9 |
1:05 p.m. | Minnesota | Ft. Myers |
| March 10 |
1:05 p.m. | Miami | Jupiter |
| March 11 |
1:05 p.m. | Washington | Jupiter |
For more news and analysis on the St. Louis Cardinals, drop by the Cards blog Viva El Birdos. For more game previews and recaps, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis.
So: David Freese has a bobblehead. A 2011 World Series MVP bobblehead. And Jon Jay—his teammate, you'll remember, on the 2011 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals—has decided to tweet about it, presumably because he picked one up himself. And that's how this exists:
I like that he's being displayed with all of Jay's University of Miami gear—it makes the whole thing seem a little like a ransom note. If David Freese doesn't save the Cardinals' season three times in a row in 2012, this bobble head will get it.
I also like that ragging on David Freese seems to be the official pastime of the St. Louis Cardinals—Matt Holliday has already been spotted on numerous occasions wearing a Freese shirt, which is, I think, one of those things we normals will never be able to understand. Imagining Rob Neyer facetiously wearing my blogger shersey up and down SB Nation headquarters doesn't quite seem like the perfect analogy, but it might just be because I don't play squash.
For a while things in the St. Louis Cardinals' newly Pujols-less world seemed pretty calm, but Yadier Molina's comments ahead of Spring Training—it's a business, he's sad Albert Pujols is gone, the Cardinals will do what the Cardinals will do, et cetera—riled things up enough that new manager Mike Matheny had to perform his first bit of damage control over the weekend. Speaking to Joe Strauss, who wrote the original Molina story, Matheny reminded Cardinals fans that, for one thing, Molina was already at Roger Dean Stadium.
He also suggests there's no connection between Molina's decision to skip the Winter Warm-Up and his angst over Pujols's exit, which I'm willing to buy—that always seemed more like a weird fan inference than a real possibility.
So: The Cardinals aren't likely to get a hometown discount from Molina, but it was probably foolish to expect one in the first place; in the meantime, it makes sense anyway to wait and see what he'll do in his contract year, considering how over his head he appeared to play on offense in 2011.
Hey guys! Let's get psyched about Spring Training! Here's round one: The St. Louis Cardinals are just now assembling in Jupiter, but Joe Strauss already has a report about Adam Wainwright throwing at nearly full strength, and he's already throwing curveballs, sinkers, cutters, and everything else you were hoping to get really psyched about. He did not yet give us a Best Shape of His Life quote, but I'm already on the lookout for it.
It's that time of year: After a season in which the Cardinals won the World Series without a single inning from Waino, let's remember that in 2010 the Cardinals had a starter who threw 230 innings with an ERA of 2.42 and won 20 games, if you're into that. This year, in some form or another, they will be getting that guy back.
It's February: You don't have to pretend he doesn't exist anymore, and you don't need to be worried about how well he'll recover. Now is the time to get excited about Adam Wainwright.
Lance Berkman's April Fools Prank Will Make You Love Him, Adam Wainwright Even More
by Dan Moore
I'm convinced, and have been since December, that one of the main reasons St. Louis Cardinals fans have been able to deal with Albert Pujols's exit so well has been Lance Berkman—the sheer competence and likability of the person who was signed to replace him. Berkman's April Fools prank on Adam Wainwright, himself a likability infusion for the 2012 club, does nothing to dissuade me of this belief.
Here's how it went down, according to primary accounts from Derrick Goold and Jenifer Langosch: In the third inning of the last Grapefruit League contest of 2012, Roger Dean Stadium's PA announcer did something all PA announcers do: He announced a random-fan giveaway. It was a big one: A truck.
Lance Berkman drove the truck out onto the warning track, where it became clear that it was Adam Wainwright's 2009 Chevy Silverado. Fans were chosen—David Freese's cousin, as it turns out—and Wainwright was left to look confused in the dugout as Berkman's plants hopped into the truck.
God bless you, Lance Berkman. You're no Albert Pujols, but you'll do.
Apr 02 4:03p