Freese needs to go 17 himself.
- Thread starter redbird4state
- Start date
The Cardinals didn't sign him from anybody. They actually traded Edmonds for him a few years back, I believe.
That's right Todd. Just frustrating to watch him turn his hips on the second one. All he had to do was take a couple of steps and at least get his body behind it. Carpenter had a few mistake pitches that got lost, and that was the difference tonight. Pujols is Pujols with the oppo bomb. I'm holding out for us getting to HoffmanTodd4State said:
I will too.. If we can take 2 of 3 from every team we play this season, we'll be in good shape, and WS Champions..
tough way to lose it, but the season is young..<div>
</div><div>again, 2 of 3 from here on out won't be bad..</div>
</div><div>again, 2 of 3 from here on out won't be bad..</div>
agreed..<div>
</div><div>I don't see Franklin being what he was last year. Reyes is good for a blowup every 3-4 batters. Hawksworth may be okay. I just don't see anyone like Wainwright was when he came in with the big hook back in the day..</div>
</div><div>I don't see Franklin being what he was last year. Reyes is good for a blowup every 3-4 batters. Hawksworth may be okay. I just don't see anyone like Wainwright was when he came in with the big hook back in the day..</div>
I was hpoing that Motte would step up and take over the closer role, but last I saw his ERA was something like 27.00.
Your other option is try to talk Smoltz into re-signing as a closer. He certainly wants to pitch again, so he might be willing. If those don't work, you're looking at a trade. Correct me if I'm wrong, but but I don't think your farm system is exactly prospect rich right now, which would make that option hard to accomplish.
and I don't the trade market is all that great for closers right now anyway. Certainly not for what the Cardinals could offer. I can't think of a team off hand that has a quality one that they would want to trade.
Smoltz might be the way to go. Of course, he is going to need some time to get into shape.
Smoltz might be the way to go. Of course, he is going to need some time to get into shape.
Smoltz probably is your best option if Motte doesn't step up for you. The kid has the arm, he just needs to put it all together. The good news is that Smoltz has kept himself ready for a return if you could pull of convincing him to close. Granted, it's not exactly game shape, but Smoltz knows how to keep himself ready. The real question with him, in my mind, is can his shoulder handle the workload of a closer. I'm not sure how it will hold up if he has to throw 4 times in 5 days.
I saw him pitch in St. Louis last year. First pitch was 94. Then he was loose. All of his fastballs after that were in the 98 MPH range.
You definately have to be careful with Smoltz. Four game in five days would be a ton for any closer. At least if you're the Cardinals and that happens, you have Franklin that could go if Smoltz needs a day off.
I agree with Tony LaRussa on a lot of things baseball wise. But closer is one I do not.
He likes guys like Eckersley, Isringhausen, Franklin- guys that don't throw all that hard and were former starters that have a lot of pitches that they can throw.
I like power arm guys. I like closers that can throw 100 MPH with a nasty breaking ball and strike out the side and blow people away.
You definately have to be careful with Smoltz. Four game in five days would be a ton for any closer. At least if you're the Cardinals and that happens, you have Franklin that could go if Smoltz needs a day off.
I agree with Tony LaRussa on a lot of things baseball wise. But closer is one I do not.
He likes guys like Eckersley, Isringhausen, Franklin- guys that don't throw all that hard and were former starters that have a lot of pitches that they can throw.
I like power arm guys. I like closers that can throw 100 MPH with a nasty breaking ball and strike out the side and blow people away.
I've never been a fan of "pitch to contact" closers. Too big a chance of something bad happening, even for sinker ball pitchers. I want a guy out there who will strike out hitters and keep the bat off the ball. I'm not sure just how much juice Smoltz could muster up now, but it would definitely be a little more if he were closing. It won't be the 98-100 he'd occasionally hit when my Braves had him closing, but I bet he could get 96-97 pretty regularly even now. And his slider and split are as good as ever. Those are the only 3 pitches he'd really need to throw if he was closing. But a hitter would still have to worry about him using the occasional change, just because he has it and it's something he could really use to pull the string in the right situation.
I have ZERO faith in that guy.... and I hope we end up finding someone to trade him to very soon.<div>
</div><div>Isringhausen threw mid-90s though.... he was considered a power-arm guy.</div><div>
</div><div>What I like in a closer, is someone who can get people out. And right now, I don't think Franklin is that guy....</div>
</div><div>Isringhausen threw mid-90s though.... he was considered a power-arm guy.</div><div>
</div><div>What I like in a closer, is someone who can get people out. And right now, I don't think Franklin is that guy....</div>