The Cardinals kick off a four-game series against the Giants tonight. Each team finds itself in third place in a surprising dogfight for its respective division; the Giants are 45-43, good for a .511 record and 3.5 games out of their division lead, while the Cardinals (44-41) have been slightly better on a rate basis…
7.2.2018 Recap: Yadi powers offensive onslaught as Cards snap losing streak
In her excellent series preview, noted Diamondbacks fan I.H. Boog highlighted the fact that coming into last night's game, the DBacks were precariously perched atop the NL West, while we lowly redbirds find ourselves in third place in the Central and on the outside looking in at the second wild card berth. There's still a…
6.29.18 Recap: Cardinals squander strong Mikolas start, cave to Braves
Cards host the NL East-leading upstart Braves tonight. Josh Matejka's series preview is very much recommended reading. Tonight we get my favorite Cardinals pitcher, Miles Mikolas, vs. Julio Teheran, who has struggled while flashing occasional dominance this year. Lineups: https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1012794887757058048 https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1012806692801843201 The Game Mikolas and Teheran traded zeroes for six innings, and Mikolas in particular…
6.25.18 Recap: Cards steal game 1 behind Gant gem, active bats
The Cardinals played the Indians last night. The Indians were in the midst of a 7-game winning streak. (Never mind that those wins were against the 31-37 Twins (1), the 24-47 White Sox (3), and the 36-39 Tigers (3)). John Gant, owner of a 3.48 ERA and a 2.93 FIP (that latter figure is 27%…
6.24.18 Recap: Cards crush Milwaukee, split series
The Cardinals have not won two consecutive games since June 9, against the woebegone Reds. (That was the tail end of a three-game winning streak.) That's more than two weeks since our last 2-game winning streak. If it feels like we've been bad, I feel you. We're 5.5 games behind our opponents today, and 2.5…
The Good, the Ugly, and the Maybe Good Again: The Cardinals are playing the Phillies this week
The Cardinals travel to Philadelphia to take on the Phillies for their next three-game set. After going 2-4 in a pair of disappointing series against the lowly Padres and some other ball team, the Cardinals find themselves 4 games behind the division leader Brewers and half a game back of the Cubs. Probable matchups probably…
6.11.2018 Recap – Cards win as Flaherty dazzles, Martinez, Marcell & Gyorko Mash
Today, we face the Padres. Jack Flaherty vs. Jordan Lyles. Despite being much younger than Lyles, Flaherty is a much better pitcher. The Padres have eight other baseball men playing tonight, batting in a certain order. Their names, from my memory, are: Janky Hoss Hunter Renfroe Franmil Spanky Xian Shorty (Freddy) Raffy The Cardinals also…
The sordid, shocking, cautionary recent history of the San Diego Padres
In advance of our first run at the Friars, John J. Fleming wrote a great piece about a nondescript 50-year-old team in one of the most beautiful climates on earth. I'm here to tell you the rest of the story. John's absolutely right when he concludes: For half a century, the Padres have, for the…
5.30.18 Recap: Blame it on Facebook
Alex Reyes's eagerly awaited return to MLB happened today, and literally nobody got to watch, because 1) day game and 2) Facebook had exclusive broadcast rights. I know what you're thinking, dear reader. But trust me when I say that I really think this Facebook thing is never gonna catch on. At any rate, it…
5.28.18 Recap: Bats quiet, Weaver wild, Martinez inept as Brewers shut down Cardinals 8-3
Today, as America pauses to remember all those who have fallen defending this nation, the Cardinals kick off a series in Milwaukee against the current division leaders. Fleming had the series preview here. Here's to hoping for a good end to a long weekend. The pitching matchup pits Luke Weaver against Brent Suter. Here's a fun fact:…
St. Louis Bullpen 