Yeah. As i thought, i did not get much time to watch any baseball on the opening part of the week. I did however keep track of the box scores. Albert finally got his offensive season started last night with a couple of bombs, especially the first – and they turned out to be the series clinchers. I was really impressed with the pitching especially Reyes in Game 2 – he tossed 3 scoreless when it looked as if we were gonna lose that game. I think we were unlucky to lose the first game late again, especially after fighting back so well. I dont think i would muck around with this batting order at the moment. I love the idea of Izturis batting ninth – just another lead-off and if he dont get on base then you still have your real lead-off on deck. I obviously did not see any games so i cannot give my usual positives and negatives, nor can i comment on how good Houston really are but i would say if the cards keep winning series after series, people cannot help but think that they are the real deal in 08. We should – looking ahead at least take 2-2 with the Giants but realistically 3-1 and that would put us 10-3 on the season.

Coverage-wise, i have my birthday party on Saturday so unfortuntely wont be covering the Saturday (wellemeyer) game but i will definately be doing the Sunday game – Piniero’s return and the deciding rubber. i hope to post on Friday/Saturday though and update my series prediction as well as to discuss the other important things.

PS – I did see the Cubs game the other night where they were 7 up after 3 and only won in the 12th because the Pirates had to pitch with Evan Meek and the really had noone else. Extremely amusing television Would have been better if Pirates won though

Until next time…

I think i saw…

WILT – The View – Same Jeans

The first sweep of 2008 for the St. Louis Cardinals has arrived in style. Once again, another great start from a cardinals pitcher – this time Kyle Lohse who was very unlucky earlier in the week in what turned out to be the season opener against the Rockies. He has now pitched 13 consecutive scoreless innnings to start out the season and is 1-0, a great start for him. Ankiel was absolutely superb today both offensively and defensively – his play in the ninth is a must see if you have not seen it yet. Glaus was also made a great defensive play to turn a spectacular double play. Molina hit a couple of great doubles and the Cardinals generally were fantastic on offense, defense and pitching. Nothing negative came out of this game at all and this is a great way to travel into Houston.

As for the Nats, well, they will be disappointed to have been swept so early in the season and im really not too sure how good this sweep really is yet. Zimmerman looks like he is playing on a one man team at the moment. Once again the SP did not do much wrong out there – and for a rookie lefty he is very unlucky to take the loss against an inspired Lohse and the whole Cards team. They just really need to get some bats going and i have made a mental note to see how they get on next week. Defensively they are pretty solid although Johnson did make one particulary embarassing play in foul ground where he lost the ball in the sun. This series was a tale of teo lead off men – Barton gets on base(s) with his speed, Guzman gets out. It must be frustrating for him and i wouldnt like to knock him as it looks like he does have talent as does the entire Nationals team – id just like to see Young in there – it was a lot more intimidating. Belliard didnt play today either and i think he must be their everyday 2B if they are to do well this season.

Positives – Lohse’s hot start, Ankiel, Barton and the relief pitching.

Negatives – None, seriously none, but i would say how many times does Pujols have 2 consecutive hitless games – that will turn into a positive tomorrow as 3 is impossible

Final – Washington Nationals 0 St Louis Cardinals 3

No day games in Houston, which isn’t so good for me but i will keep track of the box scores and i will post at the end of the series hopefully to announce another sweep

Until next time…

I think i saw…

WILT – Kenny Chesney – No Shoes, No Shirts, No Problems

The second game of the series. The same scoreline as the first – and a very similar in game pattern. Cardinals jump out early and survive a late comeback from the Nats who had a big assist from Reyes. I never felt the game was safe at 4-1 and then even at 4-2. Wainwright was very good – just had one bad inning where AK made a spectacular play to save more runs. To me, Kennedy had to be player of the game saving runs scoring runs battng runs in, he did it all. Wainwright did pitch very well though and went 8 innings with only two runs committed. Im unhappy the Russ got put on the DL, hes obviously struggling and if you know me, you will know that he is one of my favourite pitchers. I feel that the power guys just didnt get going today and its good that we can win games without major contributions from Pujols, Ankiel and Glaus, all three had no RBI’s today. Ludwick also was hitless today. Ankiel didnt look himself today. he was definately trying too hard also Skip seems to be trying to force the issue in his At-Bats. Relax, guys – there really is not a lot of pressure on this team in comparison with previous years. Then, along comes Reyes. Like it or not, he made some bad pitches and nearly lost the game – the closer role is NOT for him – id have rather Wainwright been allowed to continue, at least he has experience in closing out games. I really like Reyes role as a relief pitcher but he shouldnt be allowed to close out games in my opinion. I would have said the same thing if he had struck out the side in the ninth, i just dont think he’s right for that job.

Looking at the Nats. Apparantly, Young has back issues, i heard in commentary. This line up just does not lok as formidable with Johnson in his place – he did produce for them today though. It does not help when your lead off goes 0-5 though -  pretty embarassing fo a guy whos job is to get on base. Had he got on base, Zimmerman may have had a few RBI’s from his first couple of AB’s. I think the Cards do own Leftys this year, it will be interesting to see the AVG against left handers at the end of the season – even Ray King came in and looked shaky against Skip – that at-bat seemed to go on forever (Maybe 10 pitches i think but i could be corrected) I dont know where id go if I were managing the Nats. Another inexperienced Lefty tomorrow – could be trouble for them.

Positives – Kennedy, Bartons speed (whoh) and Wainwright

Negatives – Closer Reyes, Zimmerman getting hot and Power guys (hit some homers tomorrow please, makes pitchers lives easier)

Anyways –  Final – Washington Nationals 4 St Louis Cardinals 5

We have Lohse going tomorrow, and i will cover that game also.

Until then…

I think i saw…

WILT – Carrie Underwood – Last Name

Well, its been awile since my last post – that long that mlblogs has actually changed – im quite liking the new site. Anyway, i initially made this blog to cover every team in every division but have found time a bit short to make that a realistic possibility. The good news is that i will still upkeep a blog and that it will be revolved primarily around my favourite team – the REDBIRDS.

I watched last nights game ….this morning as it was late in my country and i was tired. The advantages of mlb.tv eh. Anyway – what a start, a double, a HR and another double. It was said during the game that “Pujols owns Perez pitching.” Im gonna change that “All Cards sluggers own Perez pitching.” I was really impressed with the whole lineup – Springer only struggled because of lack of rest over the week.  Overall I can see the cards taking a win from this series maybe 2-1 before we head off to Houston. Izturis is someone i can really see doing very well at the Cards – his defense was a little dodgy today but i feel he had a few bad hops so im gonna give him the benefit of any doubt at this early stage in the season. Ankiel looks like he is going to be our every day CF – i like that and also him batting second – i think his PCT and HR count will maybe be double what it would be if he bats fourth. I didnt think too much of the Nats – where is Young? They will be a lot better side with him hitting as a Clean-up for Zimmerman. I just cant see this as a side who are going to challenge the superpowers of the East this year. nice to see Ronnie doing so well although i thought some of his plays were a little dodgy today – notably the one which allowed Molina to chug on home. Still, a different game today, the Cards really need to focus and get at least a series win from this week.  

Positives from yesterdays game - everything

Negatives from yesterdays game - TLR, please give Russ some rest – pitch Reyes instead P.S. I dont believe i am saying that :)

As far as the rest of the week goes, i saw Thompson’s dominant outing over the Rockies the night previous and rather disappointingly the rain out on opening day. I still think Glaus CAN be good enough to replace Rolen, i still believe that Schumaker is the real deal as a club player – meaning not an every day OF but maybe sharing a role with Barton. All starting pitchers have done really well and i dont know where Piniero is going to fit back into this lineup – i feel Wellemeyer is the only pitcher who i can say “it might be a one off” i really see the other SP’s doing very well.

I will still try to reveiw other games from other teams during the season but i feel this is the way forward with me being so busy with studies and other things.

So, until later today when i will be reviewing Game 2 of the series…

I think i saw…

WILT – OPM – Heaven is a halfpipe :) 

Just how impressive are those cubs. Frm the outset, as soon as DeJesus smoked the triple down the first-base line they never really looked as if they were going to win this game. However, what the Cubs always do well is they never give up and answered with one of their own. Then in the bottom of the ninth, a run down, i never gave them a chance – but in typical cubbie style they proved me wrong, if they keep proving me wrong, who knows how far they can go this year. I was impressed with the Royals also – it takes two teams to make a good game, especially DeJesus – who has been pretty good for a while now and Teahen. It looks like te outfield really can provide the firepower for them this year.

Royals + All royals pitching except Soria, especially Yabuta, OF players, team DF in general was good

Royals - Bale looked tired after 3, Soria didnt pitch well – need to be mentally stronger in the ninth

Cubs + A ninth inning win, i am not a fan of Cedeno but i cannot argue he played well, if Soriano and D.Lee have off days t seems Ramirez will always hurt. Pitching was ok

Cubs – Fukudome i want impressed with, im told from a cubbie fan Lahey is one of their best pitchers this year….didnt look like it today but its only spring.

Final – Kansas City Royals 5 Chicago Cubs 6.

Until next time…

I think i saw…

WILT – Duffy – Mercy

Hi to all and a fantastic St Patricks Day. Id first of all like to apologise for the lack of a match report that should have appeared here by now – my St. Patricks Day celebrations got a little carried away yesterday. I had many to drink and a great night…and unfortunately missed the baseball and the Red-Sox – Pirates game i should be bringing to you.

Instead i will tomorrow be watching the Royals-Cubs game tomorrow as a replacement. I will cover a Red-Sox game before opening day because (more than anything else) i want to see how the World Series champs are going to line up this year. I also must see the NL champion Rockies next weekend.

All is looking good with the Cards at the moment. Keeping scorelines tight means you always have a chance – just one Sir Albert swing changes it all.

Until tomorrow…

HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY FROM

I think i saw…

WILT – Kenny Chesney – Shiftwork

First off, id like to congrtulate the Tampa Bay organistion for removing the ‘devil’ segment from their franchise. Seriously, i did not know they had changed it for this year but obviously it can only be a good thing.

Right onto the game. The commentators were raving about Kennedy right through the first couple of innings. I really i hope for the Yankees that he gets better as the season wears on because at the moment, from what i saw today he wouldnt get through 4 innings – he threw over 60 pitches in the three innnings he did do today – i wasnt very impressed. Opposing him was another pitcher i hadnt seen before (isn’t spring training just great) Niemann. I thought he did ok. Worked himself out of trouble…a few times but went about his business well.

Offensively, both teams were strong as expected – especially considering the squads were split into two for other games that were going on. For Tampa i thought Hinske was excellent – not just for the deep HR but for his hustling on the bases with his second hit – a single and eventually coming in to score. Base-running in general was very good. For the Yankees, Jeter was very bad, especially with the first SO and his double play but is he really bothered until April comes around? – i doubt it. A-Rod was, well, A-Rod. You know everytime he plays you are gonna get a multi hit game and superb defense. There was one confrontation where A-Rod seemed to be making a point by not hustling for a home plate collision and instead letting himself be tagged.

Defensively, the Rays were pretty bad in comparison with the Yankees – probably the best vs the worst defense in the AL. Igawa was bad again for the Yankees – i understand he had a fantastic career in the japenese major league, and i dont think his face fits in the Yankees organisation. All pitching for Tampa was very, very good.

Yankees + A-Rod, the entire team defense, also i thought Riviera got a good innings work.

Yankees - Kennedy for me, Jeter’s indifferent at-bats and Igawa’s flat pitching performance, offense in general was not productive enough when on base

Rays + Offense was great, pitching was fantastic, relief was even better and Hinske really looks like he can be a great player this year

Rays – Defense was a bit shoddy but apart from that cant really give much negative feedback – a great overall performance

Final – Tampa Bay Rays 7 New York Yankees 2

For tomorrows game, i will feature the Red Sox @ Pirates – i am interested to see why they are below .500 this spring and how they will do with Josh Beckett on the DL.

Until then…

I think i saw…

WILT – Taylor Swift – Picture to Burn

Sorry for the no-post this week, have been busy, but now im back for a busy schedule of weekend baseball. A quick note on my cards, ive been keeping track of box-scores this week and its been an indifferent week from what i can make out. Yesterday would have to have been the highlight with Rick Ankiel going long twice in one game although quite a few games went to the 10th this week – at least they are fighting hard which was something i felt was lacking last year, when we went behind i just never felt we would win.

So onto today. It is quite an easy choice of the match i am going to watch. It has to be the Devil Rays-Yankees. I heard about Giradi’s suspension, which is quite an ugly decision in my opinion. How can you suspend someone when it is not proved that they do something wrong? I doubt he told Shelley to slide in feet up into second. This does, however ridiculous, set a benchmark for future decisions this year, they are going to be a lot stricter considering that a suspension is possible for a ST incident…. so TLR is hardly ever going to be present at a Cards game this year and dont get me started with Pinella. Everyone will have thier own opinion and some people will think the suspension is justified but i cannot agree with that.

Till later today…

I think i saw…

WILT – Rascal Flatts – Life is a Highway

What a game this was for the Mets pitching staff. Maine was awsome not even giving up a hit in 4 innings. The Mets combined had only given up 2 hits going into the last inning. Reyes leading off hits a HR againdt the wind! Someone tell me how the little guy powers it out that far? David Wright hit a stand up triple in the same inning. Still on Mets offense Ryan Church hit an unbelieveably long foul ball that some poor fan had to go into gator territory to retrieve. Valentin also deserves a good mention as i thought his effort was top draw today.

Having said all this, im thinking of something positive other than pitching to say about the Astros. This was not their strongest team nor was this the best performance from the people who would be their regulars. Pence looked ok to me even though he ended up hitless and the stolen base from Newhan off Maine was quite impressive but i think that was it ofensively. Defensively Pence was excellent in RF and made a great defensive play in the 7th. Church looked a bit nervous when going near the fence in the first. There was also a great play at the plate from Quintero to nab other Reyes at home – i think in the 6th but i could be wrong. Ty was unlucky to get an error on a ball that really was not a routine play and in my opinion did the job by holding the runner at third.

The pitching matchups were good all day long – not something which is usualy associated with Spring games – pitchers just looking to get their arm in. Maine had his arm in ice after his 4 inning workout which he said in commentary was routine. If there were any negatives all day from a pitching point of view it would be Muniz for the Mets, i was less impressed with his inning of work.

Mets + Got to be Maine. He was outstanding, other good performances from Rincon, Valentin, Reyes (the power of the man) and Church.

Mets – Maybe Muniz…but maybe im too harsh. Not much else except i would have liked to have seen runners at third actually get home rather than stranded or thrown out.

Houston + Pence played ok, Wiggington also played good. Not their strongest side still competed and were in the game all the time. Pitching was ok.

Houston - Diaz to me didnt look like a MLB star. Their rotation has to be a worry behin Oswalt. Not enough offensive production to trouble a Mets side which could have could have scored more in truth.

Cards got trashed again today, i really dont know where we go from here. Looking at the scoreboard the Indians and Red Sox both put up big 0′s against NL opponents – although technically we are Cactus’s and Grapefruits for this month. I will hopefully be watching a couple more matches next week and i hope to make the weekend report a regular thing as the Regular Season kicks in.

Until the midweek posts…

I think i saw…

WILT – Evanescence – Call me when your sober

Interesting was indeed a good word to use in my last post. MLB TV had barely booted up before runs came flying from all angles. The pitching matchup was Kuroda-Looper, my first look at Kuroda and i thought he did well, he got into a little trouble in the 1st but pitched excellently in the second. Looper was on one of his bad days as on a good day he can pitch a whole lot better than that! Ludwick made two throwing errors in the same inning but made up for it with some great defense at times – he should be the cards opening day RF.

From an offense point of view the cards were Pujols-less but still had some big hitters in there (Ankiel, Glaus and Rasmus) The only player who really stood out for me offensively was Adam Kennedy and he will surely have very little opposition for the 2B position this year if he keeps the same form up both offensively and defensively as he did today. For the Dodgers….everyone was good offensively but Kemp was particulary good as he hit two triples, 1 which was maybe 1 inch from being a homer and the other was a poor play from Glaus in my opinion. 26 runs in total and nearly as many changes by both the managers, it was exhibition and was clearly used as a showcase for both bosses to assess the talent they have – rightfully so.

Defensively, it wasnt a good game, 6 errors, blinding sun and a vicious wind that the commentators said was blowing out to right. Ive already touched on Ludwicks two, Izturis made the other – a player who i do not think will make too many errors for the cards this year. Loney made 2 of the Dodgers 3 errors but players who did make errors today have surely got to shrug it off and say that even the best could have made errors out there today.

Bullpen wise, i was impressed with Hawksworth and Springer for the Cards. Hawksworth could be a very useful relief pitcher this year and Russ, i really liked last year and i hope he can do a similar job this year. All the Dodgers relief pitching looked ok and if this continues i may have to edit my earlier post and say i was wrong

So to brief it up here are some + and -

Dodgers + Pitching (Kuroda and relief), Kemp, Martin behind the plate..oh and 20 runs without Nomar

Dodgers – Not very much at all, just the errors which were all condition based errors anyway

Cardinals + Rasmus, Ludwick and Hawksworth a little but most notably Kennedy. Barton with that very cool hairstyle also deserves a mention. Defense besides errors was very cardinal-like.

Cardinals – Conceding 20 runs. The combined performance of Looper and Villone was very unimpressive. No appearance form Sir Albert

Feel free to leave comments. Im going to cover the game tomorrow between Houston Astros @ New York Mets

Until then…

I think i saw…

WILT – Carrie Underwood – So Small