Ryan Turner's St Louis Cardinals fan blog

It's about that time of year. The time when NFL camps are in full swing, rankings are being released for college football, and the Cubs begin to wilt in the August heat. One week ago, the Cubs and Cards were tied atop the NL Central and Chicago was two games ahead in the loss column. In that short span, the birds have opened up a 4.5 game lead in the division and are three up in the loss column. People aren't making such a big deal about those games in hand now that the Cubs have started playing them and losing them. St. Louis has been taking advantage of their schedule as of late, winning seven of their last nine against the Mets, Pirates, Reds, and now the Padres. The Cubs on the other hand, had seven straight against the last two NL Champions, the Rockies and the Phillies. They only managed to win one of these games, thus allowing for the Cards to gain separation. The Cubbies get a slight break, as they're hosting the AAA Pirates this weekend and then will visit the lowly Padres for three, but then it's right back to business as they get the Dodgers for four in LA.

Continue reading "Cubs Starting to Fade in Central Race"

Monday night, I spoke with my buddy Mike about baseball. We talked about fantasy where I'm selling the farm for draft picks in my keeper league more shamelessly than the Pirates are trading for prospects, but also about how Pujols' slump had to be nearing its end. I don't know what it was that got him so on again in such a hurry. Perhaps after he flew out in the first, making what was his only out of the game, a Mets fan heckled him, asking him," How do you like them apples?" Now, I have great respect for Albert, but his English isn't the best, so perhaps he misinterpreted the comment as a challenge to hit the apple in center field. Seven innings later, he accomplished this feat. Two innings later, after Mark DeRosa was plunked to give the Cardinals the lead, he officially went into beast mode. He clubbed his second bomb of the game, metaphorically bitch-slapping the Mets. He looks like he actually bitch-slapped one of them in this photo. I suppose he also could've been offering Omir Santos a high five as if to say," Hey, it's not your fault that I'm this awesome."

Continue reading "Pujols Rejoins the Cards' Surging Offense"

What a game! Wednesday night’s marathon between the Dodgers and Cardinals was the best game that I’ve attended this season, in addition to being the longest game I’ve ever been to. It had a little bit of everything. There were plays at the plate, an appeal for missing a base which ended up being called an out, and of course, Manny being Manny. Just under five hours after the game had begun, the had Cardinals rallied three times, twice for the tie and once for the win.

However, the game could’ve ended much earlier. After Colby Rasmus drove in the tying run in the bottom of the ninth in his first at-bat of the game, he was thrown out at second base attempting to steal. I thought he was out when I was watching live at the game, but I slowed it down when I got home, and it looked like he got in there ahead of the tag. If he’s called safe, perhaps Yadier Molina singles and brings him in. In the 12th inning, we got to see Joe Thurston’s latest baserunning gaffe. To Thurston’s credit, he’s put together some very solid at-bats this season as a pinch-hitter. He continued that trend on Wednesday by lining a ball down the right field line. He even made the smart decision to not try and extend his hit into a triple when he was representative of the winning run. Unfortunately, he missed first base. The Dodgers appealed to first and he was called out. Maybe Thurston needs to stick around late after the Cards’ game on Sunday against Houston. It’s a “Kids Run the Bases Day” at the ballpark and perhaps he can get some pointers from Tee-Ball players.

Continue reading "Cards Grind Out Win Against Playoff Contender"

1. The Cardinals are apparently desperate enough for offense that they're looking at bringing up Troy Glaus to play left field or just as a pinch hitter. He still can't throw without pain, so Brendan Ryan would have to sprint out from shortstop to get the ball flipped to him if the ball gets hit to left. This could result in a lot of singles becoming doubles and with the Cards having a ground ball inducing pitching staff, they could lose out on a lot of double plays this way.

2. St. Louis is apparently interested in Adam Dunn. Dunn is a terrible outfielder and he strikes out a lot. A lot of times, it looks like he swings the bat as hard as he can with his eyes closed. That being said, Chris Duncan and Rick Ankiel aren't making contact with their eyes wide open, so I'd be open to bringing in Dunn. He's currently making $10 million a year with Washington after signing with them in the offseason, but they could give him up as they only signed him to a two-year deal and they clearly aren't going anywhere this year or next. 

Continue reading "A Few Quick Thoughts on the Cards Heading into Monday's Game"

1. Tonight’s the Home Run Derby. I’m heading down there later to soak up some of the atmosphere and to see if I can get close enough to Clark Street to maybe grab a ball. Albert Pujols has come close to hitting it out of the park in regulation play, so he might have a shot when he’s being grooved pitches. That being said, I’m a little worried about him heading into this competitive batting practice extravaganza.

Pujols had minor surgery on his elbow this year that will eventually need reconstructive surgery. Pujols is in the midst of his best home run hitting season in his already extraordinary career. Would it be cool to see him win the derby in his home stadium? Of course. But I’d much rather see him get to the 50 home run plateau for the first time, which could also propel the Cardinals to their first postseason berth since they want it all in 2006. Colby Rasmus and Ryan Ludwick are both starting to get into grooves. If Pujols goes down, those performances disappear faster than Mark McGwire at a press conference. That’s not to take anything away from either player, but if pitchers can be more careful with them, they’ll make fewer mistakes. Fewer mistakes will equal lower production and it will trickle down through the rest of the already struggling lineup.

Continue reading "All-Star Preview Among Other Topics"

The Blues have done well this offseason to retain key pieces of last year’s team such as Keith Tkachuk, Jay McClemment, Brad Winchester, and Mike Weaver. I personally didn’t see Weaver coming back, not because of his lack of performance, but because I didn’t think that the Blues would have room for him on their roster. That changed once the team decided to buyout the final year of Jay McKee’s contract. The Blues now have Weaver, Erik Johnson, Carlo Coliacavo, Eric Brewer, and Barret Jackman locked up for next year. They also have a qualifying offer on the table to Roman Polak who is apparently expecting some massive contract offer from the Blues, but the team isn’t biting. The club would probably be willing to pay him more than just the qualifying offer they gave him, but they’re not going to overpay for a guy who’s just a supporting player, albeit a solid one.

Continue reading "The Blues fill a big need, look to sure up roster"

The Cardinals made their big trade, but they’re still just treading water in the weak NL Central. After acquiring Mark DeRosa on Saturday, they have lost all three games in which he has played. They nearly dropped another contest on Wednesday night after getting a fantastic performance from Adam Wainwright, who allowed just one run over nine innings to the Giants, but caught a couple of lucky breaks to win it in 10 innings.

Colby Rasmus led off the inning and would be followed by Albert Pujols and Ryan Ludwick, so one would figure they’d have a decent chance to score, even on a night when they only picked up one run through nine innings. Rasmus had a decent at-bat, but it should’ve ended when he popped up a foul ball near the Giants’ dugout. Third baseman Pablo Sandoval circled around it but couldn’t make the grab, as the ball bounced off his glove. Sandoval apparently can’t field against St. Louis, as he’s committed four of his six errors this year against the birds, three of which came in one game in San Francisco. Rasmus then took a pitch that appeared to be knee-high and on the outside corner, but the umpire didn’t ring him up, allowing him to crank a monster shot into the right field bleachers on the next pitch. It was the first of hopefully many walkoff homers and it certainly gave the Cards a boost. They could really use tonight’s game too as their next 10 will all be on the road against the three teams that are currently in fourth, third, and first in the division.

Continue reading "Cards Still Need Offensive Boost"

The NHL season hasn’t even been over for a week and I already miss it. I have a fever and the only cure is more blaring goal horns. This season left a much better taste in my mouth than the previous one because not only did the Blues make it back to the postseason, their biggest rival didn’t win the postseason. The Red Wings had everything going their way. There hadn’t been a home team that had lost a Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals in 38 years. The road team hasn’t won a championship in a Game 7 in any professional sport since the Pirates did it back in 1979. So Detroit took that fact and dominated the first period. Pittsburgh outshot the Wings 10-6 in the first, but it didn’t feel that way watching it. But then Detroit let them off the hook.

With no score after one frame, Pittsburgh had taken hold of the momentum. They got a turnover deep in the Wings’ zone in the first and a helpful bounce to take a 1-0 lead. Maxime Talbot was the culprit picking up his third goal of the finals. Just under nine minutes later, the Pens got an odd-man rush and Talbot struck again, firing a laser past Chris Osgood. It was a nice shot, but Osgood could’ve had it. If he stops that, it’s a completely different game. The Wings’ fans were still in the game after getting down 2-0, so staying within one likely would’ve allowed them to come back and win it. After all, they did manage to beat Marc-Andre Fleury once. Speaking of Fleury, he was a superhero for the Penguins in the third period, especially over the last two minutes. The diving save he made with about four seconds left was nearly as miraculous as Santonio Holmes’ catch to win Super Bowl XLIII. What a way to win the Stanley Cup. The Steelers got their rings last week, by the way. They weigh nearly a quarter of a pound. Now that’s some bling!

Continue reading "NHL Finals Recap and Award Predictions"

The Cardinals made two important moves on Friday. The first was to activate Ryan Ludwick from the disabled list. After suffering a strained hamstring in Pittsburgh a couple of weeks ago, he was ready to go after about six or seven days. Putting him on the DL was the only move that the Cards could make though, since they were already going with a short bench and they can't afford to not have Ludwick long term, as Pujols already doesn't have enough protection in the lineup.

Rather than sending someone down, the Cards decided to finally put Khalil Greene on the DL with what they're calling social anxiety disorder. Greene contributed a pair of at-bats to drive in game-winning RBI on the last homestand as a pinch-hitter and while that was encouraging, it was still clear that he isn't himself. He hasn't really been himself since he arrived in St. Louis or even his last season with the Padres. He could be a huge weapon if he can get things together, so hopefully this little break will help him put the pieces back. The Cards haven't gotten much offensive production from left side of their infield this season and if the they're going to compete for the long haul, this will have to change. 

Continue reading "Options for the Cards at third base and Stanley Cup Finals preview"

1. Well, the Cardinals' recent road trip didn't go according to plan by any stretch of the imagination. They had to salvage a win at the end of each series after dropping the first two. Coming home to play the Brewers didn’t improve things. The only lead the Cards had against Milwaukee in the entire series got washed out by a monster of a storm on Friday. Colby Rasmus, who hit the two-run homer in the bottom of the second of Friday’s rainout, managed to get it back by hitting another two-run bomb in the bottom of the seventh of Monday’s makeup. However, it wasn’t enough as the Cards were held to just six runs over the three-game series, none of which came during Adam Wainwright’s two-hit, one run performance on Saturday. The Cards managed to get back on track a bit on Tuesday, thanks to a three-hit complete game shutout by stopper Joel Pineiro (Did I really just say that?). Rasmus’ bat stayed live with yet another two-run bomb off of lefty Ted Lilly in the fifth. The Cards also managed to manufacture a run in the first with a leadoff walk to Brendan Ryan, a sacrifice by Rasmus, and a stolen base by Ryan off of Lilly whose ignorance of the situation led to there not even being a throw down to third. This set up Yadier Molina for a two-out RBI single to put St. Louis on top after one inning. Molina also helped the Cards get back some of their defensive prowess in the top half of the opening frame, picking off Alfonso Soriano off of first, the 29th time Molina has done so in his career.

Continue reading "The Cards' Cavalry is on its way"