10-2

Who would have thought that Kyle Lohse would be perhaps the best signing of the offseason...for any time? Maybe that's an overstatement, but I am not so sure anymore. Tonight he threw 7 innings and gave up a single (unearned) run. That puts him at 10-2. Without hesitation, he is the reason, along with Ryan Ludwick, that the Cardinals are in a pennant race. There is no reason to believe that Lohse will miss the All Star cut. I believe that he, Ludwick, and Pujols all deserve the call this year. Either way, 48 wins going into July is pretty darn good. I am a believer now. Why not? This team might regress back to the mean, but they could improve. Mulder threw a scoreless inning tonight. Clement did the same in AAA. Who knows, maybe they are the answers to the mounting bullpen questions. Now to the scores...

Bigs
7-1W
Notables:

Kyle Lohse---7 IP, 5 H, 4 K, 1 R
Chris Duncan---HR
Albert Pujols---2 for 5, 2 RBI....Ho hum
Troy Glaus---2 for 3, RBI, R (This guy has really come around; good pick up)

Memphis
3-3 (10TH)
Notables:

Bryan Anderson---2 for 3, 2B, 3B
PJ Walters----5 IP, 2 ER, 5 K

Springfield
5-4 W
Notables:

Allen Craig---2 for 4, 3 RBI
Andrew Brown---2 for 3, R, BB (Under the radar guy to keep a close eye on!!!)
Tyler Greene--3 for 4 (Mr Tools needs to have more of these games)
Fernando Salas---2 ER, 2 IP, 3 K! (Might be the fastest riser in the organization)

Palm Beach
4-3W
Notables:

Tyler Norrick----7 K, 5 IP

Quad Cities
17-4 L
Notables:

?????

Batavia
5-0W
Notables:

Scott Gorgen---3IP, 5 K (Perhaps my favorite pick this year; He could be a fast riser a la Jess Todd)
Beau Riportella---3 for 4
Blake Murphy---2 for 4, HR, 2RBI (Interesting prospect here; May be worth a watch)


Johnson City
4-3 L
Notables:

Ivan Castro---2 for 3, HR, 2 RBI (Another catcher with some potential)


Looking through these scores, I find that our catching prospects are getting a lot of the print. Here is a quick breakdown:

1) Bryan Anderson: He is the top catcher in the organization and one of the top 5 in minor league baseball. He will get a lot of Joe Mauer comparisons. He has a nice stroke, but lacks power. Hopefully, he can develop into a 10-15 HR guy. That would give him maximum value.

2) Arnoldi Tony Cruz: He has made the switch from 3rd to Catcher, although he still does play some 3rd too. His bat just keeps him here. That would be a great bat for a catcher.

3) Ivan Castro: Although a very small sample size, you gotta like what is here.

4) Blake Murphy: This guy could be a draft steal. His collegiate numbers suggest a very versatile player with plus plus tools for a catcher.

5) Luis De La Cruz: He is playing over his head a bit this year, but he has some serious potential. Give it time.

Others to watch:

Brandon Yarbrough
Nick Derba

Boston Blue Sox

The Red Sox had lost just 1 series at home this year. Now they have lost 2. After the Cards took a 2nd game on Saturday (and quite handily I might add), they became the 2nd team to handle the Sox in Fenway this year.

Bigs
9-3 W
A hit parade!!
Glaus, Miles and Ankiel each homered with Troy's being a Grand Salami
Boggs threw a very solid 5.1
McLellan had 4 Ks against 5 batters
Izzy threw 1 scoreless

Memphis
8-5 L
Jaime Garcia got the start and struggled---3 ER in 5 IP and 3 WP
Rasmus and Anderson each had a hit in 5 AB

Springfield
8-1L

Rough night for one of my favorites--Tyler Herron
Herron gave up 7 ER in 6 IP with 2 K, 2BB, and 3 HBP---OUCH!!
Jon Jay goes 2-4. He is suddenly our hottest prospect and should find himself in AAA sooner rather than later.

Palm Beach
Off

Quad Cities
4-2 L
Josh Wilson started and threw 6: 7 H, 2 R 1 ER 5 K (He hasn't done much since being a 1st rounder, but he is still young and his numbers are pretty good this year)

Tommy Pham had another Tommy Pham night: A HR and 3 Ks

Batavia
7-5W
Blake Murphy goes 3-4, a single double triple and BB (A mid round Catcher to keep an eye on)
Lance Lynn throws 2 scoreless

Note: This is the team to watch if you want to see a who's who among the Cards draft. Names to watch include Lynn, Murphy, Colt Sedbrook, Chris Swauger, Xavier Scruggs, Shane Peterson, and Jermaine Curtis. Like I said---a who's who

Johnson City
7-6W
Nico Vasquez goes 2-5(Keep this name in mind; he could be good)

Bringing Up Bryan

Maybe I'm crazy, but I think it's time. It's time for Bryan Anderson to be elevated to the bigs (if Yadi is DL'ed that is). He has hit 320 with Memphis this year. His bat has a ton of upside. Why not bring him up and let him play everyday if Yadi is out for an extended period? Then we will see what we have in his bat. Perhaps, a Spring look at 2nd Base would then be in order. Like I said, what's the worst that could happen?

Games:

Cards
7-6 Winner

It was a doozy. Yadi could miss substantial time, but he saved the game with his plate blocking antics. A couple of Phillie errors later and we have 42 wins. 42 wins? Wow! Who would have thunk it....

Good days at the dish for Ankiel and Glaus

Springfield
3-1L

Josh Dew K'd 2 in 1 IP. That's about it. His Palm Beach line was stellar. So far, his Springfield line has left something to be desired, but some peripherals are shining (3-1K:BB)

Memphis
6-1 L

Brian Barden (31O BA) and David Freese (10 HR) are fighting for ML spots. I am not sure where they belong but both keep hitting the ball in AAA. Jaime Garcia got a little roughed up (6 ER in 5 IP)

I would think that Barden is on track to be next year's Aaron Miles as he can play 2b,SS, and 3B. Freese---He is 25 and is blocked a bit by Troy Glaus. He will never be a long term answer at 3rd for the Cards, but he can hit a little bit obviously (17 and 96 last year).

A Good Night

The Big Birds get a win handily

Looper throws a 3 hit shutout and the bats score 10 off of Johnny Cueto, a big time prospect. Heck, even Jason LaRue went yard. You know things are going well when LaRue hits a dinger.

Memphis
5-2 W
Colby continues to heat up. He goes 2-4 and walks. Brian Barden has a double and HR in the win where Mike Parisi goes the distance.

Here's a question---How would Barden fare as the Aaron Miles next year? With these numbers, why has he never been able to stick in the bigs before?

Springfield
6-1W
Izzy strikes out 2 of the 5 hitters he faced
Allen Craig goes 2-4

However, the big story here is Jesse Todd. He throws 7.1 innings and gives up a single unearned run. He also manages 6 Ks. He is 5-1 this year with a Springfield ERA of .83. Did you read that right----0.83!!!!! The peripherals are also very solid. 66 K: 16 BB, a GB % of about 55 and a WHIP under 1. I think it is time to start considering Todd, not Jaime Garcia (as good as he's been) our top pitching prospect....no seriously!!

Palm Beach
9-3 L
Nothing too exciting here. Donovan Solano goes 3-5
18 year old stud, Richard Castillo, goes 3 scoreless. Bookmark this guy.
He is 18 y/o and is doing well (so far) in High A ball. Smells like a BA gem in a couple of years.

Quad Cities
2-1 L 7-3W (Double header)
Tommy Pham hits another HR. Like I said yesterday, this guy is still one to watch. He is young and can hit for a lot of power. Hopefully, the plate discipline will develop.
Blake King has a nice outing---4 IP, 7 K

Bad News Birds

So let's start with the good news----The Cards won! They won with a lot of hitting (Homers from Ankiel, Pujols, and Ludwick) and some very sound mound work (Boggs--4 H, 5IP, 2 ER; Bullpen---4 IP, 1 H). That is not too shabby. They walk away a 7-2 victor and Ryan Ludwick looks like his old (or is that new?) self.

Now the bad, nay awful, news. Albert Pujols is injured! He will go on the DL today with an injured calf. The seriousness of the injury has yet to be determined. Let's hope it is a quick 15 day stint. Now a quick injury countdown: Our 3 best players (Carp, Pujols, Waino), a bunch more pitchers (Mulder, Clement, Pineiro, Thompson, Kinney, Johnson, Izzy---Jeez! That would make a very solid staff right there), and some others here and there (Ankiel, et al). This is getting serious.... (Clue, 1985)


Now to the Baby Birds...

Memphis
-Colby is ok. He went 2-4 and is hitting 225. No, 225 is not great, but it is better than 180!!
-Anthony Reyes went 7 giving up 3 runs. How frustrating...
-Very little offense in this game as Brian Barden had the lone XBase hit for the Redbirds (a double)
-Iowa wins 4-3

Springfield
-A 3-1 winner
-Tyler Herron goes 5.2 and gives up a single run. He has really flown under the radar the last couple of years. He keeps posting sub 4 ERAs and striking batters out better than 2:1. In fact he had 24K to 2BB in Palm Beach before his latest promotion. He turns 22 in August

Palm Beach
A 5-4 winner
-Nothing too exciting to speak of. Brad Furnish was very average on the mound in the victory

Quad Cities
8-5 W
-The big story of the night is Tommy Pham. He hit 2 HR. The 20 year old CF has a paltry average---around 200 in a QC/PB combo. However, he has also hit 10 HR between the 2 teams. I would not be at all surprised if he is one of the big jumps next year. It seems that Daryl Jones is starting to put the tools together this year. Maybe Pham can follow suit next year.

Another quick note:
The Cards have finalized contracts with 30 picks, including a couple of high profile guys. Sandwich pick Lance Lynn has agreed to terms. I would not at all be surprised if he found himself in the Quad Cities to start. Also, Devin Shepherd, Shane Peterson, Jermaine Curtis, and Anthony Ferrara have all signed. Here is a look at the full story from the Cards website

Here is a better story from STLTODAY

News and Notes: Read at Own Risk

I don't know whether Cardinal Nation should be terribly concerned (Wainwright is on DL and Wellemeyer is hurting) or very excited (Boggs is starting tonight, McLellan might get a rotation shot, and Garcia would appear to be next in line). I guess the abundance of pitchers is a good problem to have, but frankly I didn't want to see the Memphis Mafia Part Deux just yet. I was getting very comfortable with a Starting Five of Waino, Lohse, Wellemeyer, Looper, and (eventually) Pineiro. Right now, most teams would take our DL rotation in a stretch run any day of the week (Carp, Waino, Mulder, Clement, Thompson). Ugh! Is our medical staff that bad, or is it just dumb luck? Clement is not on our staff, but the rest--maybe so. Oh well, such is the world of America's Pastime. Let's move forward and play the game.

I am very excited to see Boggs tonight. In all likelihood, he becomes the next Brad Thompson for our bullpen. He probably won't end up as a big league starter----of course the same was thought with Looper and Wellemeyer (and Kent Bottenfield for that matter). Let's give Dave Duncan a round of applause. He should be in the Hall of Fame real soon for those 3 names alone. Let's see how he can do with McLellan/Garcia. I think we have 2/5 of our 2009 rotation right there.

The draft is a wrap. Keith Law approves (Cards #4 for him). I approve. Some say upside is not there. I say pish posh. Scott Gorgen has loads of upside. The only knock on him is size (short and stocky). Who cares? If he can pitch, he can pitch, and this guy CAN PITCH. Saw him a few days ago. The reports on his advanced change are spot on. I think he will surprise a ton of people and eventually land in the BA top ten for the Cards. Besides Gorgen, we got a nice, balanced haul. Niko Vazquez might be a power bat at 2nd. Aaron Luna too. It is unlikey that both pan out, but if 1 of the 2 does, we have a legit power bat for that barren wasteland in teh system. As far as pitching is concerned (besides the aforementioned Gorgen), it is all about signability issues. Lance Lynn will be signed and he will be an underwhelming pro. His ceiling is #4. Hey, that's fine. Every team needs 5 starters. The 2 signability issues to which I refer are Anthony Ferrara (a high school LHP) and Mitch Harris (RHP out of Navy). If we can sign both of these guys, our draft goes from solid to great. Harris could be a #3--not bad for a 13th rounder (come to think of it, we have had success with 13th rounders----Pujols!!!). Ferrara could be a 7th round steal. He has a low riding fastball at 90-91 and a couple of developing off speed offerings. Other notable names---Xavier Scruggs, Devin Shepherd, and Jermaine Curtis.

The draft ceiling: 7-8 big leaguers
Floor: 1 big leaguer----there is 0 chance that Brett Wallace's bat doesn't crack the bigs

Speaking of drafts and cracking the bigs, let's look at a few previous years---starting with the 2004 draft.

2004:

Best Pick: Ummmm....Mark Worrell???
Worst Pick: Gotta go with Chris Lambert

Ugh!! Flush rounds 1-5. We got nothing. In fact, I sit next to 3rd rounder Eric Haberer in class now. 9th rounder Mike Parisi was ok in a brief STL stint and 12th rounder Mark Worrell has had a sniff.
Still hope: Matt Scherer and Jarrett Hoffpauir.

Grade--D

2005:
Best Pick: Colby Rasmus is a top 10 prospect, but Jaime Garcia is a top 30 prospect that the Cards dug out of round 22.
Worst Pick: Nick Webber I guess----Its hard to call a guy that has cracked AAA in 3 years a terrible pick, but he was considered a big time prospect coming out

Other good picks: Mitch Boggs has made the majors. Kenny Maiques appears to be a 37th round find

Others of note: Tyler Herron, Mark Mckormick, and Tyler Greene all are still around. Herron probably has the best chance of getting to St Louis. 3rd rounder Daryl Jones is starting to put the tools together and 4th rounder Bryan Anderson has hit his way to Memphis (at age 21). Overall, I could see at least 5-6 out of this group in St Louis

Grade----A-; We had 4 1st rounders. Rasmus looks like the best pick. Getting Garcia that late could be epic in a couple of years. If Jones can develop a 20-25 HR swing and Anderson can hit for a little power, this class is A+ without hesitation

2006:
Best Pick: Chris Perez is the real deal
Worst Pick: Adam Ottavino might be a real bust

Others of note--Shane Robinson is hitting well, Brad Furnish might still become a very good prospect, Allen Craig and PJ Walters have been pleasant surprises, and John Jay has turned into a legit prospect. Nick Additon was a huge steal in round 47. He is still in A ball, but is progressing.

Grade---A-: Blowing the Ottavino pick hurts, but this draft could eventually trump '05. If Walters, Perez, Craig, and Jay keep doing what they are doing, we have a nice haul. Jon Edwards is still a guy to keep an eye on, as is D'Marcus Ingram. Additon is a long shot, but right now he is our 2nd best LHP.

2007:
Best Pick: Jesse Todd has exceeded expectations big time. Some believe that he, not Garcia, is our top pitching prospect
Worst Pick: They wasted a 4th rounder on a guy, Kyle Russell, that it seems they had no intention of signing

Others of note: Kozma is starting to look like a very solid 1st rounder; he is the organization's SS of the Future. Clayton Mortensen has had his critics, but he has also cracked AAA---This is probably Best Pick 1A. 8th Rounder Tyler Henley has a lot of fans. I project him as more of a 4-5 OF, but he is a baller. Rounds 13-14 (Steven Hill and Josh Dew) look like steals so far.

Grade: B---This class was a bit unheralded. Kozma and Mortensen both had their critics. Not as good as the 2 previous years, but better than most critics believed at the time. I could see 2/5 of our starting 5 being from this draft come 2010.


1 final tidbit---Looking back at the previous draft classes, I found that 2003 COULD HAVE BEEN stellar.

We drafted: Anthony Reyes, Daric Barton, Brett Sinkbeil, Max Sherzer, and Ian Kennedy
That is a pretty solid group

Draft Notes

Our 1st pick is in--Big Brett Wallace
http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/wallace_brett00.html

He is a big, bulky dude---a 3B that might make Miggy Cabrera look like Twiggy. As long as he can hit (he alleged does that really well), I am more than content. You know he will almost certainly sign so that is not an issue. If he eventually has to leave 3rd for a different position, he could go LF or to another team. Right now, all he has to do is HIT!

Here is a link with some video
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/events/draft_report/y2008/index.jsp?mc=wallace


Pick 2: Lance Lynn, RHP Ole Miss

Another big guy---6'5 260. Pound for pound, we win rounds 1 and sandwich

As far as skill goes, this is not all that exciting of a pick. I keep hearing Kevin Millwood comps. Of course, last year Mortensen was supposedly a blah pick as well. Now, he is arguably our #2 pitcher on the farm. Lynn is said to have a good fastball, workable change, and an average breaking pitch. I smell a fast tracker suited for Dave Duncan

Lance Lynn video

Shane Peterson, a Long Beach State OF/1B came next. Another somewhat blah pick. The upside doesn't sound all that great

Others:
Earnest Vasquez
Scott Gorgen

Jaime Time?

Lets start with the big club

Lohse pitched 5 strong innings before handing the ball to a sharp bullpen. When you can get 4 shutout innings without using Perez, Flores, and Franklin, you are doing alright.

At the plate, Yadi had a nice night---3 RBI. Joe Mather didn't have a hit, but I will take a 600 OBP (3 BB) in the #2 spot any day of the week. Albert appreciates it I'm sure. Kind of a lopsided box score. No hits from 1-3. 11 hits from 4-9 (Cesar had 3 of them). As much as management was criticized for that signing, I will give them props. I remember back when he had more errors than hits in spring. Not the case anymore. He has been darn near spectacular in the field and solid in the 9 hole. If we could find an adequate bat for 2B, I think we would have a very good lineup.

Memphis
Jaime Garcia!! 7 IP, 3 H, 9 K!! 2 ER---That's a damn fine line. Is it safe to say that he is the best lefty still in the minors (Kershaw is up)? I believe it to be a 2 horse race with David Price (Tampa Bay). His ERA is 3.50. He has a solid WHIP and K:BB. I think we have a great #3 for years to come (I am assuming Carp/Waino go 1-2).

By the way, David Price is a year older and 2 steps lower in the minors.

At the plate, Colby went 1-4 (a HR!) with a walk. I bet he is hitting 260 by the end of June. The Redbirds get a 7-2 W.

Quad Cities
Blake King walked 6 and his offense got 4 hits. Enough said. A 5-0 loss

Palm Beach
6 innings of 1 hit ball for MATT CLEMENT! He struck out 5 batters and got 9 outs via the ground ball. Who would have thought that he would be closer at this point than Mark Mulder? The fact that he missed some bats is the most important thing to me because that means he has some arm strength back. If he reinvents himself completely to a GB pitcher, Dunc won't complain. Great news all around here. We have the luxury of taking our time, but he would be a nice August addition.
Little offense to speak of in the 2-1 victory.

A Stinker

Waino was on fire for 6 innings. Then the wheels came off. Losses like that, to me, are much more difficult to stomach than the blowout variety (Saturday). 4-3 at home just does not sound all that great when we should have went 5-2 on the home stand. It's even more difficult when we see the Cubs win every game they play (seemingly). Hopefully we can pick it up in DC.

In other news, Colby is picking it up. He went 2-5 in a loss and has his average up to 224. I smell a hot June coming on. Mark McCormick gave up 3 hits in 7 innings. Too bad all 3 were homers. Fernando Salas came in and threw a shutout 9th in the same game (3 Ks!!). He has struck out 56 and walked 8 on the year. Nick Additon pitched 5 innings of no hit ball and struck out 6. He needs to be promoted ASAP. Pete Kozma had a single, double, and triple in the Quad Cities victory.