Tag Archives: Stl Cardinals

Cardinals Weekend Takeaways 6-5-15 thru 5-7-15

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The Cardinals wrapped up their series with the L.A. Dodgers this weekend, going a healthy 3-1 against a very good ball club. Here are the scores:

Friday: 2-1 (W)

Saturday: 0-2 (L)

Sunday: 4-2 (W)

The Takeaways:

  • Pitching, Pitching, Pitching. The starting pitching in all three games was excellent for both clubs. First, the good guys: Carlos Martinez (7 IP, 1 ER, 11K, 4 BB, 3 H), Jaime Garcia (7 IP, 2 ER, 6K, 0 BB, 6 H) and Lance Lynn (5 IP, 2 ER, 5 K, 1 BB, 6 H). For the Dodgers: Brett Anderson (7.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 K, 3 BB, 4 H) Clayton Kershaw (8 IP, 0 ER, 11 K, 1 BB, 1 H), Zach Grienke (6.2 IP, 1 ER, 8 K, 1 BB, 6 H).
  • The back of the Cardinals rotation beat the front of the Dodgers. The Dodgers have seen their rotation depth depleted with season-ending injuries to Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy, but they had two Cy Young winners and a former top prospect on the mound.
  • In a lot of ways, Brett Anderson and Jaime Garcia are similar players, as talented lefties who have struggled for years to stay healthy. Both deserved a win in their respective games, and both were let down by no run support. Garcia is now 1-3, when he should be 3-1, at least.
  • Jhonny Peralta is on fire. Peralta had a homer and a double in Sunday’s win, and continues proving his contract a bargain.
  • Late-game rallies were the difference in both Friday and Sunday’s games, both in the 8th inning.

On Yonder Horizon…

The Cardinals are climbing a mile high, opening a series with the Rockies at Coors Field. The Cardinals will start John Lackey (4-3, 2.93 ERA) while the Rockies counter with David Hale (1-0, 4.26 ERA).

Cardinals Takeaways 6-4-15

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The Cardinals played a late, late game for fans here in the central time zone as they opened a four game set with the Dodgers in Los Angeles. The bats kept cracking, and Wacha kept rolling as the Cardinals won 7-1.

The Takeaways…

  • Michael Wacha put a rough start (or more accurately, a rough inning) against the Dodgers last weekend behind him with a quality start, 7 innings, 5 strikeouts, and 1 walk with 7 hits. Wacha’s season record now stands at 8-1 as the young gun makes a serious bid for an All-Star selection.
  • The entire lineup chimed in again. Like in Wednesday’s game, the Cardinals lineup contributed top to bottom. Every starter but Molina had a hit, and Molina still got on with a walk. Heyward and Wong both had multi RBI games. Peralta, Reynolds, and Holliday got in on the action and Matt Carpenter hit his 18th double. Depth is how the Cardinals score, and depth is how the Cardinals win.
  • Randal Grichuk has pop. With his pinch hit double, Grichuk now has 9 doubles…in 72 at bats scattered across 25 games. That’s impressive. He also has 2 homers and 2 triples to go with it. That and stellar defense has made Grichuk worth a whopping 1.3 WAR in those 25 games, according to Baseball Reference

On Yonder Horizon…

Carlos Martinez (5-2, 3.13 ERA) and Brett Anderson (2-3, 3.42 ERA) will do battle in a rematch from last series. It’s another midnight oil game, starting at 9:10 central time.

Cardinals Takeaways 6-3-15

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The Cardinals looked to finish off the Brewers at home as they split the first two games, both of which ended 1-0. Veteran John Lackey took the mound for the Red Birds, while youngster Jimmy Nelson took the hill for the Brew Crew. The final result was a 7-4 Cardinal victory.

Takeaways

  • The bats came alive, as every starting fielder for the Cardinals save for Kolten Wong and Matt Holliday had at least one RBI. Carpenter, Molina, and Peralta all had multi-hit games.
  • John Lackey had a quality start, tossing 7 innings with 3 earned runs and 5 strikeouts. He continues to step up as the veteran horse with Adam Wainwright out for the season.
  • Trevor Rosenthal now has 17 saves, which is one less than the Brewers have wins (18). Let that sink in.
  • There was a scary moment in the sixth inning as Hector Gomez flew into the stands while catching a fly ball and landed face down on the stadium steps. He was attended to in the crowd for several minutes by trainers before leaving the game on his own power. Two Brewers ended up in the stands during Tuesday’s game. This may be a part of the game MLB needs to look into.

On Yonder Horizon…

Michael Wacha (7-1, 2.27 ERA) will take on Carlos Frias (4-2, 4.29 ERA) as the Cardinals head to LA for a series with the Dodgers. The game starts 9:10. Thanks west coast.