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Milwaukee and St. Louis Officially Kick Off Interesting and Meaningful Baseball

Pat LackeyPosted Aug 26th 2008 11:22AM by Pat Lackey (author feed)
Filed under: Brewers, Cardinals, NL Central

I'm never exactly sure when the "pennant race" begins in earnest, but if I had to pick I think I'd go with the Brewers-Cardinals series this week. The Brewers have a 3 1/2-game lead on the Cardinals in the NL wild-card race and as the calendar is about to turn to September, that's suddenly becoming significant. A sweep by the Brewers gives them a massive lead. A sweep by the Cardinals makes things very interesting.

In the two-game series, the Brewers are kicking things off by sending the semi-scuffling Ben Sheets to the mound against Todd Wellemeyer tonight, while Manny Parra and Adam Wainwright go at it tomorrow. That means that the Cardinals are thanking their lucky stars that CC Sabathia pitched against the Pirates on Sunday and they won't have to see him in their most important series of the season.

Oddly, this is the last time the division rivals will play this year. As Andrew noted yesterday, the schedule is much more favorable to Milwaukee than it is for St. Louis, which heaps even more pressure on the Cards for these two games. If they don't take advantage of these two games with the Brewers, they really might not get a better chance to make this race interesting.

Cardinals Make the Right Decision With Adam Wainwright, Good Things Happen

Pat LackeyPosted Aug 23rd 2008 1:06PM by Pat Lackey (author feed)
Filed under: Cardinals, NL Central, MLB Injuries

For a while, the Cardinals debated bringing Adam Wainwright back in the bullpen after his finger injury healed. That didn't make much sense to me, and in light of Chris Carpenter's latest set-back, it apparently didn't make much sense to the Cardinals either. Last night he made his first appearance with the Cards since June 7th and it was a solid six-inning start against the Braves.

Wainwright's six-inning, four-strikeout, one-run outing is certainly something the Cardinals wanted to see, but he offered even more than that. The 18 run explosion that the Cardinals levied on the Braves was spearheaded by Wainwright's three hits. Their 18-3 win last night keeps them within 2.5 games of the Brewers in the NL Wild Card race that they refuse to drop out of no matter how many times I pronounce their chances dead.

With Chris Carpenter's return up in the air but seemingly possible, I guess there's a chance Cards might return Wainwright to the pen to close out the year no matter how well he pitches in the rotation. I have a hard time thinking they would be that short-sighted with Wainwright pitching well last night and in his last couple rehab starts, but anything's possible. If the Cardinals are going to catch the Brewers, though, they'll find it a lot easier with Wainwright in the rotation.

Are the Cardinals Handling Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter Correctly?

Pat LackeyPosted Aug 19th 2008 7:35PM by Pat Lackey (author feed)
Filed under: Cardinals, NL Central, MLB Injuries

For most of this season, the Cardinals have been waiting on the return of their aces, Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, to the rotation. Carp came back a couple weeks ago but was quickly sidelined with trouble in his pitching shoulder. With Carpenter back, the Cards had planned on hurrying Adam Wainwright back into the bullpen for the rest of year. Now that plan is in doubt with Carpenter's return in doubt.

Here's the rub: Wainwright has looked very good in rehab since getting straightened out after a bad first start. He struck out seven batters in less than five innings on Saturday and his injury was a finger injury, which means that there's little concern over him re-injuring a shoulder or elbow in a hurried comeback. Given how well he pitched in the rotation both last year and this year, isn't he the guy the Cardinals should want in the rotation?

By the same token, doesn't the older pitcher coming off of Tommy John surgery with shoulder trouble seem like the one that should be headed to the bullpen? This might all be a moot point if Carpenter's injury is serious enough to make him miss time, because Wainwright will definitely head to the rotation in that case. The Cardinals are going to need as many innings out of Wainwright as they can get if they want to catch the Brewers. That means putting him in the rotation is the only logical answer.

Adam Wainwright May Return to the Bullpen

Pat LackeyPosted Aug 7th 2008 12:09PM by Pat Lackey (author feed)
Filed under: Cardinals, NL Central, MLB Injuries

One day after setting the date for Adam Wainwright's rehab start with AAA Memphis, the Cardinals have moved it up a day. They've also floated the idea that he's likely going to return to the big club in the role that he broke in with; closer. It's an idea that's been discussed for a while with the Cardinals' pen constantly struggling and Jason isringhausen's second failure as a closer this year. From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
"We moved him up since he's probably going to come back as a reliever," general manager John Mozeliak said. "It's not set. There's a chance before he comes back that we have a solution and it's not a need. Then he'll come back as a starter. We want to be prepared. Right now, everything is on the table."
This is one of those things that's been said a million times, but a good starter is always better than a good reliever. There's no indication if this is a long-term move for Wainwright, or just one to shore up the pen and get Wainwright back on the field as quickly as possible. If that's the plan and this is a short-term move, it makes sense. With the Cardinals in the heart of the NL Wild Card race, maybe short-term is the only term they're worried about at the moment.

Adam Wainwright Is Ready for Rehab

Pat LackeyPosted Aug 6th 2008 2:26PM by Pat Lackey (author feed)
Filed under: Cardinals, Padres, NL Central, MLB Injuries

After two months on the shelf and a couple of set-backs, Adam Wainwright looks like he's finally ready to rejoin the Cardinal rotation. He's got a rehab start tentatively scheduled for Saturday and the injured pulley in his right middle finger doesn't seem to be bothering him at all any more. From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Adam Wainwright's arm and finger, if not his mechanics, were strong enough during a simulated game Tuesday for the Cardinals to send the righthander out for a rehab start Saturday. Wainwright threw 35 pitches to teammates Nick Stavinoha and Rick Ankiel in a controlled setting at Busch Stadium. Wild at times, Wainwright also hung a slider that Ankiel crushed for a home run to deep right-center field.

[...]

"I don't think I was very sharp, but I would have gotten some outs today," Wainwright said. "I didn't have a second thought about (throwing a curve). I feel ready to go."
If that's the case, the rehab assignement is necessary to help him get back into the groove of things and he's talking like it should only take one start before he's ready to rejoin the Cardinals. With Chris Carpenter already looking pretty strong in two starts, the Cardinals may have suddenly trumped CC Sabathia's addition to the Brewers by simply getting healthy.

The Cardinals Get Good News and Bad News About Their Rotation

Pat LackeyPosted Jul 30th 2008 11:46AM by Pat Lackey (author feed)
Filed under: Cardinals, NL Central, MLB Injuries

For the first time since Opening Day 2007, Chris Carpenter is starting for the Cardinals tonight. That's the good news. He's on a pretty strict pitch count (80-85) and he's only made two rehab starts, but he's still Chris Carpenter and even while he's rounding into form there's a good chance he's going to be better than the alternatives that the Cardinals have at the moment. John Mozeliak thinks he's better than anyone the Cardinals might acquire at the deadline and he might be right.

The bad news is about the guy that assumed Carpenter's spot as the ace in St. Louis' staff. Adam Wainwright threw a bullpen session yesterday and was described as having thrown "about eight strikes." It doesn't say how many pitches he threw, but it's implied that it was probably more than ten, which makes the eight strikes not very impressive. The ugly session means no rehab starts for at least a week, which places his return somewhere from mid to late August.

This is all important because somehow, the Cardinals are still only four games behind the Cubs in the NL Central and one behind the Brewers for the Wild Card. It seemed like they were fading after five straight losses last week, but they've won three of four since then to stay in contention. Since they get to add two aces back to their staff, counting them out seems like a bad idea.

Rumor Mill Roundup: July 28

Andrew JohnsonPosted Jul 28th 2008 5:54PM by Andrew Johnson (author feed)
Filed under: Blue Jays, Braves, Cardinals, Dodgers, Mariners, Mets, Phillies, Pirates, Red Sox, Tigers, Yankees, MLB Rumors

With the trade deadline right around the corner, our MLB editor brings you the top five rumors every day until July 31.

- The Blue Jays are back above the .500 mark and might not even be willing to deal right-handed pitcher A.J. Burnett at this point, but if they decide to move him, the Cardinals remain the most likely destination. Burnett, an Arkansas native, grew up rooting for St. Louis and Tony La Russa's club could use a pitching upgrade, particularly following Milwaukee's acquisition of CC Sabathia and Chicago's acquisition of Rich Harden.


For now, GM John Mozeliak appears resolved to wait and see what the rehabbing Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter can provide and pursue relief help. Still, it's hard not to wonder about Burnett, particularly as the Cardinals muse about converting Wainwright back to relief for the remainder of the season. Wouldn't St. Louis look a lot tougher to beat if on Aug. 1 Burnett was in the rotation and Wainwright was closing out games as he did when the Cardinals won the World Series in 2006?

- Other than the Rockies, the Braves have been the toughest team to figure out over the last few weeks as they vacillate between punting the season and going for it in the NL East. Even as they move closer and closer to dumping Mark Teixeira, the team has apparently been working on a deal for Pittsburgh's Jason Bay, which was only nixed when Pirates' ownership stepped into the fray. Bay has long been thought to be the Bucs' best trade chip, but that's made the price tag too steep for many clubs. Still, Atlanta was close to dealing a package of four prospects, including Brent Lillibridge and Brandon Jones, for the left fielder. For a team like the Braves, with little hope of contending this year, that might seem strange, but Atlanta expects to be back in the hunt in 2009 and Bay is already under contract for next season.
Continue Reading Rumor Mill Roundup: July 28

Rumor Mill Roundup: July 27

Andrew JohnsonPosted Jul 27th 2008 3:50PM by Andrew Johnson (author feed)
Filed under: Braves, Cardinals, Phillies, Rays, Red Sox, Twins, Yankees, MLB Rumors

With the trade deadline right around the corner, our MLB editor brings you the top five rumors every day until July 31.

- The elephant in the room four days from the trade deadline is Manny Ramirez, who once again is on shaky ground in Boston. In a perfect world, the Red Sox would love to rid themselves of the near-constant headache that Ramirez provides. In practice, they are still very much in the hunt for their third World Series in five years and would need to replace his production in step with any deal. That makes the completion of any trade unlikely in the next few days.

Joel Sherman and Mike Puma of the New York Post run down the potential list of suitors for Ramirez, and because of Boston's desire to ship him out of the American League, it is a very short one. The Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Mets and Phillies are the teams with both the need and the financial wherewithal to pick up the tab for Ramirez's $20 million deal. Because the left fielder has 10-5 rights (10 years in the league, five with the same team) he can veto any deal the Red Sox put together. That leads Sherman and Puma to conclude that Ramirez would only accept a deal to Philadelphia, where he would be reunited with manager Charlie Manuel, who was his hitting coach in Cleveland.

- And what of the Rays? The Yankees have gotten stronger already, and could add Jarrod Washburn or another pitcher at any moment. The Red Sox are embroiled in the latest Manny drama, but are more likely to improve from within. Tampa Bay has been pretty quiet, but they are out there looking for upgrades in the form of a right-handed outfield bat and bullpen depth. With Xavier Nady and Casey Blake off the market, the team may look internally for a right-handed bat, with the rehabbing Rocco Baldelli a possibility. That leaves the club looking to trade for a left-handed reliever with Brian Fuentes at the top of the Rays' list, with Arthur Rhodes, Jack Taschner, Will Ohman and Ron Mahay as backup options.
Continue Reading Rumor Mill Roundup: July 27

On Deck: Chasing the Cubs

Tom FornelliPosted Jul 21st 2008 5:56PM by Tom Fornelli (author feed)
Filed under: Brewers, Cardinals, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Twins, Yankees



On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups

Since the Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs are the two teams in the NL Central making all the moves, most people have begun writing off the St. Louis Cardinals as division contenders. It's pretty hard to blame anyone for feeling this way. After all, in recent weeks the Brewers have added an ace to their starting rotation in CC Sabathia, and just yesterday they added some infield depth when they picked up Ray Durham from the Giants.

I don't expect the Durham trade to be Milwaukee's last play, either.

Meanwhile, the Cubs have added Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin to their pitching staff, and there's talk they're thinking of adding someone like A.J. Burnett to the rotation, and Brian Fuentes or Huston Street to the bullpen.

The Cardinals? Well, for the most part they're just crossing their fingers that Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright can return in August and provide a boost to the ballclub. The problem with this approach is that the Redbirds may very well find themselves out of the race by then if they sit on their hands. That's why every game right now is important for the Cardinals, and the four game set they're about to begin with the Brewers tonight is huge.
Continue Reading On Deck: Chasing the Cubs

Rumor Mill Roundup: July 21

Andrew JohnsonPosted Jul 21st 2008 4:22PM by Andrew Johnson (author feed)
Filed under: Cardinals, Cubs, Mets, Red Sox, Tigers, MLB Rumors

With the trade deadline right around the corner, our MLB editor brings you the top five rumors every day until July 31.

- The Mets have no idea what to expect from Ryan Church the rest of the way and the Fernando Tatis-Endy Chavez combination in left field probably isn't going to cut, so everyone, including manager Jerry Manuel, is expecting the team to add an outfielder before the trade deadline. Just don't expect that outfielder to be of the Adam Dunn or Matt Holliday variety -- they just don't have the chips. New York has one of the shallowest farm systems in baseball as a consequence of the Johan Santana trade, particularly in the coveted major-league ready category.

That leaves the Mets looking at players like Xavier Nady, Raul Ibanez and Casey Blake, which really is fine. They need an upgrade on what they currently have in left field and some insurance for their injured right fielder to win the NL East, not a star player.

- The Cubs have already added starter Rich Harden and reliever Chad Gaudin, but they're still looking for pitching. A high-ranking team official took in A.J. Burnett's last start for the Blue Jays. A looming DL trip for closer Kerry Wood could change the team's focus, though. Wood's injury is not believed to be serious, but the team's bullpen was heavily taxed over the first half, and now they're down their best arm. Suddenly Damaso Marte, Brian Fuentes and Huston Street have to be looking pretty good to GM Jim Hendry.
Continue Reading Rumor Mill Roundup: July 21
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