Orcin's Brave New World

[madJ]

Every time I managed the Cardinals they were strong second half teams. Only the last season I played with them they hovered around .500 and in 3rd/4th place in the NL Central until the all star break, just to finish with the best record in the NL.
Slow starters can be frustrating early in the season, but I rather take those over hot starters that fade away and ultimately collaps in the second half of the season.

[Orcin]

St. Louis Cardinals (0-3, 2 GB, 5th) @ Philadelphia Phillies (1-2)
We haven’t seen the Phillies since… well… you know. There’s no better time for us to purge our demons and take out our frustrations on some opposing pitchers. The Phillies added star catcher J.R. Murphy (.316/.403/.513 w/PIT in 2021) to their lineup in the off-season, so they are a formidable opponent.


04/07/2022: OFF




04/08/2022 (G004): STL 8, PHI 2
WP: Thompson (1-0), LP: Warner (0-1)
HR: STL – Crawford (1)

The Cardinals pounded out 14 hits and cruised to an 8-2 win over the Phillies. J.P. Crawford and Trey Michalczewski each had 3 hits for the Redbirds. St. Louis starter Gerald Thompson surrendered 6 hits and 4 walks over 7 innings, but made some big pitches when it counted. The Redbirds shook up the lineup a little for this game, putting Crawford back in the leadoff spot and moving Deol up to sixth behind Sano.




04/09/2022 (G005): STL 4, PHI 1 (11)
WP: D. Chambers (1-0), LP: Howard (0-1), SV: Brothers (1)
HR: none

Back-to-back doubles by Oscar Taveras and Jorge Alfaro in the 11th inning provided the winning margin for St. Louis over the Phillies. Taveras had 4 hits in the game and B.A. Vollmuth was 4-5 with 2 doubles in his first start of the season at first base. Closer Rex Brothers struck out J.R. Murphy with the bases loaded for his first save.




04/10/2022 (G006): STL 2, PHI 0
WP: Odorizzi (1-1), LP: Hendrix (0-1), SV: Montgomery (1)
HR: none

Another strong performance by Jake Odorizzi gave the Cardinals a sweep over the defending world champion Phillies. Odorizzi took a shutout into the 9th before tiring. J.P. Crawford had two hits including a triple and Trey Michalczewski was 3-4 with a RBI to account for most of the St. Louis offense.


MLB News
Baltimore 2B Kolten Wong separated his shoulder and will be out for 5-6 weeks.


CARDINALS STATS – WEEK 1





The lineup has changed already:
Crawford, ss – T-Mick, 3b – Taveras, rf – Alfaro, c – Sano, dh – Deol, lf – Cooper, 1b – Barreto, 2b – Finch, cf

That’s too many RH hitters bunched together at the bottom of the order but Barreto’s slow start forces me to move him down.

[Orcin]

St. Louis Cardinals (3-3, - GB, T-1st) @ Arizona Diamondbacks (2-4)
The Diamondbacks will throw a tough left-hander (Agreste) in game 1 of the series, but we get an opportunity to hit against the bottom of their rotation in the final two games. It would be nice to put some hits together for a change and take some pressure off our pitching staff.




04/11/2022 (G007): ARI 9, STL 7
WP: Rodriguez (2-0), LP: D. Chambers (1-1)
HR: STL – Alfaro (1), Deol (1); ARI – Nunez (1)

A walk-off homer by Ivan Nunez gave Arizona the victory in a wild affair. The Cardinals, behind 4 hits and 4 RBI from catcher Jorge Alfaro, staked starter Taijuan Walker to an early 7-1 lead. However, Walker gave up 5 runs in the 5th inning, setting the stage for the late heroics from the Diamondbacks catcher.




04/12/2022 (G008): STL 3, ARI 1
WP: Flores (1-0), LP: Skaggs (0-1), SV: D. Chambers (1)
HR: none

B.A. Vollmuth doubled in two runs with two outs in the 8th inning to give St. Louis a comeback win over Arizona. Vollmuth was in the game because Trey Michalczewski had been ejected earlier for arguing balls and strikes. Jose Flores pitched eight strong innings and out-dueled Tyler Skaggs to pick up his first win.

After the game, the Cardinals announced that free agent pitcher Michael Wacha has been signed to a one-year contract for $3 million. Wacha will report to AAA Memphis, joining the rotation there to build up his endurance.




04/13/2022 (G009): STL 6, ARI 1
WP: Thompson (2-0), LP: Allen (0-1)
HR: STL – Alfaro (2), Cooper (1)

J.P. Crawford was 3-5 with 2 RBIs as the Cardinals pounded out 12 hits and took the rubber game of the series. Gerald Thompson pitched into the 8th inning, allowing only 1 run on 5 hits while striking out 4. Catcher Jorge Alfaro continued his hot hitting with a home run to give the Cardinals a lead they would not relinquish.


04/14/2022: OFF
Memphis pitcher Jordan Sheffield is out for the year with a fractured elbow. The 26-year-old right-hander was unhappy about his role on the team and will probably not return next season.

[Orcin]

Colorado Rockies (5-4) @ St. Louis Cardinals (5-4, - GB, T-1st)
Finally, we get a home game. It will be interesting to see what happens when the N.L.’s #1 pitching staff (Cardinals) meets the league’s best offense (Rockies). Ex-Cardinals infielder Hector Rios is playing shortstop for Colorado and batting .387.




04/15/2022 (G010): STL 5, COL 1
WP: Rosenthal (1-0), LP: Mata (0-1)
HR: COL – Smith (2); STL – Barreto (1)

Trevor Rosenthal shut down the Colorado offense and Franklin Barreto provided all of the St. Louis offense in a 5-1 victory. Rosenthal went 8 innings, allowing only 4 hits and striking out 6. Barreto drove in all 5 runs with a double and a homer.




04/16/2022 (G011): STL 2, COL 1
WP: Odorizzi (2-1), LP: White (0-1), SV: Brothers (2)
HR: STL – Taveras (1)

A two-run homer by Oscar Taveras provided all of the runs that the Cardinals staff needed. Jake Odorizzi struggled with his control, but managed to get through six innings allowing only one run. Colorado’s Prince Fielder picked up his 2500th hit in the losing effort.




04/17/2022 (G012): COL 7, STL 5
WP: Sale (1-1), LP: Walker (0-2), SV: Ortiz (2)
HR: STL – Cooper (2)

Taijuan Walker continued his early season struggles, and the Rockies outlasted the Cardinals to salvage the final game of the series. Colorado catcher Nick Ciuffo had three hits and scored two runs for the winners.

[Orcin]

MLB STANDINGS – WEEK 2




MLB LEADERS – WEEK 2




CARDINALS STATS – WEEK 2






Comments
• Barreto has started slowly and all of his production came in one good game.
• Lonnie Finch and Vance Knox have combined for a terrible start in center.
• Almora’s return will force a decision between the slackers for a 4th outfielder.
• Taijuan Walker’s weak start is not a concern. He will be fine.
• Wayne Conley has not started well as the situational lefty. I am looking.


MLB Career RBI Leaders
So, who is the leader in the Major League Baseball in career RBI?

Hank Aaron, 2297
Babe Ruth, 2217
Albert Pujols, 2149 #
Alex Rodriguez, 2019
Barry Bonds, 1996
Gehrig, 1995
Cabrera, 1986 #
Musial, 1951
Cobb, 1937
Foxx, 1922
# = active (Pujols is currently unemployed at age 42)

[Orcin]

Miami Marlins (6-6) @ St. Louis Cardinals (7-5, - GB, T-1st)
The Marlins swept their first series from Milwaukee, but they have lost 2 out of 3 in their next three series. We were swept in our first series, but since then we have won 7 of 9. The Marlins are last in batting average and 9th in runs scored. Good pitching, especially from the bullpen, has kept their record respectable.




04/18/2022 (G013): STL 6, MIA 5
WP: Flores (2-0), LP: Brentz (2-1), SV: Brothers (3)
HR: MIA – Gregor (3)

Vance Knox lined a based-loaded double into the left-center gap to break a 3-3 tie and provide the margin of victory for the Redbirds over the Marlins. Rex Brothers struck out pinch-hitter Travis Jankowski with the bases loaded in the eighth, and then struck out the side in the ninth to earn the save.




04/19/2022 (G014): MIA 6, STL 0
WP: Mieres (1-1), LP: Thompson (2-1)
HR: MIA – Gregor (4)

Conrad Gregor’s 2-run homer in the 3rd inning gave Miami enough runs to beat St. Louis today. Oswaldo Mieres frustrated Cardinals hitters, allowing 8 hits and 2 walks but no runs over his eight innings of work. Shortstop J.P. Crawford had 3 hits for St. Louis, but was left in scoring position each time.




04/20/2022 (G015): STL 4, MIA 3
WP: Rosenthal (2-0), LP: Barton (0-1), SV: Brothers (4)
HR: MIA – Morneau (2); STL – Alfaro (3)

The Marlins took an early 3-0 lead on a home run by 40-year-old 1B Justin Morneau. Trevor Rosenthal settled down after that, and the Cardinals came back in the middle innings to win another one-run game. Jorge Alfaro’s 2-run homer provided the spark for the rally. After the game, the Cardinals announced that injured CF Albert Almora would begin a rehab assignment at Memphis tomorrow.




04/21/2022 (G016): STL 2, MIA 0
WP: Odorizzi (3-1), LP: Guerrieri (1-1), SV: Friend (1)
HR: STL – Cooper (3)

Jake Odorizzi dominated the Marlins, chalking up 13 strikeouts while allowing four hits and walk. A tiring Odorizzi wanted to finish the shutout, but Cardinals manager Joe Girardi was not taking any changes with the Marlins’ left-handed slugger Conrad Gregor at the plate representing the tying run. Closer Rex Brothers was unavailable, so setup left-hander Dalton Friend came in and coaxed a weak ground ball to end the game.


Comments
I checked on the availability of Miami outfielder Giancarlo Stanton. He refuses to waive his 10/5 rights for a trade to St. Louis. It’s probably just as well. I would have to rework the entire roster to fit his $20M salary into my budget. However, the fact that I even asked shows how concerned I am about the offense.

[Orcin]

Lineup Considerations

It’s pretty early to panic, but there is some concern over our pathetic total of 56 runs scored (3.5 per game, 13th in the league) through the first 10% of the season. Last year, this team was 3rd in the league with 200 home runs (1.23 per game). This year, we are 14th in the league with 10 home runs through 16 games (.625 per game).

The lineup is virtually the same, and I see no apparent reason that we would end the season at half the home run output of the prior year. Tarou Sano does not have a home run after hitting 32 last year. T-Mick doesn’t have a home run either, after hitting 17 in 2021. They are both swinging the bat fairly well and I am confident that their power will come around. Second baseman Franklin Barreto is still buried in a horrible slump, but he wasn’t counted on for power production anyway.

Left fielder Dutch Deol, center fielder Lonnie Finch, and fourth outfielder Vance Knox have combined for one home run in 128 plate appearances, which translates to only 11 homers from two outfield positions over the course of a season. Sometime next week, Albert Almora will complete his rehab assignment and take over in center field. Finch will be optioned to AAA at that time. Almora wasn’t counted on for power either.

The problem is left field, where I need far more power production. Deol and Knox are paid nearly $10M between them, and I could certainly get more bang for my buck. I have considered a trade (Stanton was only one of the deals that I explored), but I want to exhaust my internal options first.

Vance Knox is really struggling at the plate and might benefit from playing every day. He has one option remaining and about one year of my patience left. I might as well spend that option and send him to AAA in order to bring up Victor Sharp, last year’s Pacific Coast League Player of the Year. Sharp is in his final option year, and I need to make a decision on him. He will go into the lineup for an extended trial, and he either impresses me or gets traded.

Dutch Deol will temporarily be the fourth outfielder and will spell Sharp against tough left-handers. Deol has no experience in center field, so hopefully I won’t have to use him there very often. I haven’t given up on the idea of a right-handed bat in left field, but I might have to put that ideal lineup on the back burner in favor of getting the most out of the assets that I have.

[Vortex421]

Tch, Orcin. I expect better of you than to worry this soon into the season.

Did you forget that last year's team, built around your a "lineup that is virtually the same", was 7-8 after 15 games? To be 10-6 at this point bodes well for you.

If you look at the performance of players from this time last year to now, I see a glaring issue: Oscar Taveras is not hitting for power. Last year at this time he already had 6 HR. So far this year he has 1. Sano, this far in last year, also had 6. Taveras is batting .313/.313/.458, but Sano is just .234. Thus, I'd say that Taveras is missing the power component and Sano is just missing.

What does your lineup currently look like? It may be an issue of needing to tweak positions, especially if Sano is hitting fairly high up in the lineup.

[Westheim]

At least, while not hitting, the team is winning.

My team's not hitting, not winning, but I'm whining.

16 games is a really small sample size. Overall, the core of this troupe seems to be sound.

[illeracula]

Originally Posted by Westheim

At least, while not hitting, the team is winning.

My team's not hitting, not winning, but I'm whining.

16 games is a really small sample size. Overall, the core of this troupe seems to be sound.

^^ what he said.

You are winning and not hitting, just think what will happen when your offense comes around and does start hitting.

[gwalk]

dont listen to them orcin, shake it up! You dont want to be the red soxs (champs to chumps)

maybe players are getting bored with the regular season?

im a tinkerer. I love shaking things up in may or june and seeing how it goes.

just knowing how good stanton is in real life, i'd love to see that bat in your lineup. dude's a beast!

[Orcin]

St. Louis Cardinals (10-6, - GB, 1st) @ Chicago Cubs (8-8, 2 GB, T-4th)
The Cubs are leading the N.L. in runs scored at nearly 6 per game, so they present a challenge for our pitching staff. However, they give up nearly 6 runs per game too, and perhaps our offense will wake up a little against their pitchers.




04/22/2022 (G017): STL 11, CHN 8
WP: Friend (1-0), LP: Conley (0-1), SV: Brothers (5)
HR: STL – Alfaro (4), Cooper (4); CHN – Halil (7), Pena (4), Baez (3)

Chicago hammered St. Louis starter Taijuan Walker for 6 runs, including a 3-run homer by shortstop Javier Baez that ended Walker’s day after 5 innings. The Cards battled back to tie the game in the top of the 7th on a 2-run shot by Jorge Alfaro, but back-to-back solo homers by Etrit Halil and Eduardo Pena gave Chicago a 2-run lead after 7 innings. Halil’s error in the top of 8th allowed 2 runs to score and put the Cardinals back on top 9-8. Kyle Cooper’s homer in the 9th capped a 4-5 day for him and the Redbirds held on for the win. And no, the wind was actually blowing in (not out) at Wrigley today.




04/23/2022 (G018): CHN 9, STL 8 (12)
WP: Sanchez (1-2), LP: R. Chambers (0-1)
HR: STL – Alfaro (5), Taveras (2), Sano (1), Vollmuth (1); CHN – Pena 2 (6), Renfro (1)

Eduardo Pena ended another Wrigley Field slugfest with a walk-off homer in the 12th inning, his second long ball of the day. Manager Joe Girardi blamed himself after the game for staying with starter Jose Flores too long. “I pushed the ‘next batter’ button one too many times”, Girardi said. St. Louis reliever Darryl Chambers came out of the game with a sore ankle and is listed as day-to-day.




04/24/2022 (G019): STL 6, CHN 0 (13)
WP: Solis (1-0), LP: Vizcaino (0-1)
HR: none

The extra-inning pitcher’s duel was a sharp contrast to the first two games of the series. The game got away from Chicago in the 13th inning as 2 doubles, 4 walks and an error led to 6 runs by the Cardinals.

[Sal, The Barber]

Originally Posted by Orcin

“I pushed the ‘next batter’ button one too many times”, Girardi said.

Thank God I'm not the only one! I thought I was going to have to carry this secret to my grave.

[Orcin]

MLB STANDINGS – WEEK 3




Current Power Rankings:
Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) Toronto Blue Jays (123.0, o)
2) Minnesota Twins (120.0, +)
3) St. Louis Cardinals (118.7, ++)
4) Detroit Tigers (116.7, +)
5) Chicago White Sox (116.7, +)
6) New York Mets (114.7, -)
7) San Diego Padres (112.0, --)
8) Washington Nationals (108.2, ++)
9) Milwaukee Brewers (103.0, ++)
10) Boston Red Sox (102.0, -)


MLB LEADERS – WEEK 3





CARDINALS STATS – WEEK 3








COMMENTS
• Albert Almora has completed his rehab assignment and will be activated tomorrow.
• Lonnie Finch was optioned to AAA to make room for Almora.
• Taijuan Walker does not have a quality start among his first four outings. Walker’s BABIP is .371 so let’s don’t panic yet.
• The bullpen is tired after pitching 10 innings in 2 days with D. Chambers unavailable.
• Franklin Barreto hit .250 last week so maybe he is coming out of his slump. I hope.
• Victor Sharp will be in the lineup for a while, whether he hits right away or not.
• Dutch Deol is not the long-term answer as the fourth outfielder. I am looking.

[Orcin]

Some of you probably remember my famous episode of chest pain while I was with the Louisville Colonels. It was nothing really, but my new employers insisted on a quarterly checkup as part of my contract. My doctor here in St. Louis asks a lot of questions, and he has a knack for pulling information out of me.

I related my latest episode to him during our visit this morning. I was sitting at my desk one day last week and my heartburn seemed unusually bad. Heartburn is a normal occurrence for someone that drinks six or eight espressos per day, but this felt worse than usual. In addition, I was sweating profusely in an air-conditioned office, and I felt light-headed. The feeling went away in a few minutes, so I didn’t think any more about it until today.

My doctor told me in no uncertain terms that these were heart attack symptoms and sternly repeated some of his earlier warnings; namely to knock off the espresso, exercise more, stop drinking alcohol, ease up on the workload, and reduce job-related stress. He also gave me a prescription for Nitro pills, to be taken immediately upon experiencing symptoms of this nature in the future.

I am a General Manager of a major league baseball team. Cut back on the stress? Who is he kidding? Besides, I am only 47 years old – not some geriatric that needs to be coddled. And by the way, life without espresso and tequila is not worth living. I shoved the prescription in my desk drawer and went back to studying the waiver wire.

[Orcin]

Pittsburgh Pirates (9-10, 3 GB, T-4th) @ St. Louis Cardinals (12-7, - GB, 1st)
Pittsburgh is another team with pitching problems. Their starting rotation is very young and unproven except for 29-year-old “ace” Davey Potter (career record of 25-36). You may recall that there was quite a bit of bad blood between these two clubs last season, so it will be interesting to see if that carries over to 2022.




04/25/2022 (G020): STL 8, PIT 1
WP: Rosenthal (3-0), LP: Potter (0-1)
HR: PIT – Aguas (1); STL – Bean (1)

Pirates’ starter Davey Potter did not make it out of the 1st inning as the Cardinals batted around, scoring 5 times. Trevor Rosenthal took it from there, allowing 1 run in 8 innings while striking out 10 Pittsburgh batters. J.P. Crawford was 3-5 with 2 runs scored for St. Louis.




04/26/2022 (G021): PIT 3, STL 1
WP: Waldron (1-1), LP: R. Chambers (0-2), SV: Jones (4)
HR: PIT – Massari (2), Vasquez (4)

Pittsburgh took the second game of the series with a great pitching performance by Tyler Waldron. The veteran right-hander went 8 innings, giving up an unearned run on 6 hits. St. Louis starter Jake Odorizzi left the game tied after 5 innings with an undisclosed injury. Fans seated near the dugout reported Odorizzi complained of elbow pain.

Note: I sense some more “job-related stress” coming on.




04/27/2022 (G022): STL 4, PIT 3
WP: D. Chambers (2-1), LP: Jones (2-3)
HR: PIT – Massari (3); STL – Michalczewski (1)

St. Louis captured the rubber game of the series via a walk-off home run from Trey Michalczewski, one of four hits on the day for the Cardinals third baseman who also scored three of the four St. Louis runs. Taijuan Walker went seven innings and struck out 10, but the bullpen (Friend and Montgomery) blew a 3-2 lead for him in the eighth.

[Orcin]

Trade Discussions

The injury to Jake Odorizzi has the potential to wreck our entire season. I don’t have a diagnosis yet, but I have to plan for the worst. If Odorizzi goes on the disabled list, he will be replaced in the rotation by recently signed free agent Michael Wacha (2-0, 0.78 ERA in 3 starts at AAA). Swingman Ray Chambers has pitched well out of the bullpen, which is precisely why he is staying in the bullpen. Wacha is no Odorizzi, so the rotation is clearly weaker if the injury is severe.

You might think that I am looking for a pitcher on the open market, but that would not be a smart move. It is impossible to replace a premium starter like Odorizzi at this stage of the season. It would cost too much in terms of trade assets and payroll budget, and the extra pitcher would eventually be a roster problem. We have enough depth to field a respectable rotation without Odorizzi – maybe even better than respectable if Walker settles down and the kids (Flores and Thompson) continue to develop.

The more serious issue is the offense. We need to score more runs and take some of the pressure off our pitchers. The answer to our problems – present and future, regular and post-season – is more offensive production from our left fielder. The time has come to put a more productive hitter in this premium offensive position. Before you suggest the obvious, the answer is not Tarou Sano. I want a better defensive outfielder.

But wait a minute… left fielder du jour Victor Sharp just got here. Maybe he will be the next Oscar Taveras. Yes, but what if he is the next Dutch Deol or Vance Knox? Sharp has almost 200 major league plate appearances, and he is barely above replacement level. Is that sample large enough to draw a proper conclusion on a 26-year-old player? He looks worse this year than before. Can we afford to wait out his slump while we accumulate a larger sample? These are the questions that keep GM’s up at night.

My stubborn refusal to play a left-handed hitter at both corner outfield spots has limited potential solutions to this problem… until now. Sharp is a left-handed hitter, so I guess that whole balanced lineup thing has gone out the window anyway. The trade market for corner outfielders really opens up when you ignore which side of the plate they use.

Dutch Deol has trade value (because of potential plus defense) and his salary equates to that of a proven veteran starter. Deol plus something could bring back additional OPS in the form of a left-handed corner outfielder, and the salaries might match up. I want to get the diagnosis on Odorizzi before I pull the trigger on anything drastic, but there is no harm in examining my options.

[Orcin]

Los Angeles Dodgers (9-12, 4 GB, 3rd) @ St. Louis Cardinals (14-8, - GB, 1st)
The mighty Dodgers are struggling out of the gate. Let’s take a closer look, shall we? The pitching is still strong, but the bullpen has been pretty shaky at times. The real issue is the offense – they are 10th in the league in runs scored and last in home runs. Owner Magic Johnson expects to win a championship, and manager Aaron Holbert is already on the hot seat in his second season after winning 99 games in 2021. There isn’t much patience when the payroll is $234 million.



04/28/2022 (G023): LAN 4, STL 0
WP: Bundy (3-1), LP: Flores (2-1)
HR: none

Dylan Bundy and two relievers combined to shut out St. Louis on six hits. Bundy gave up three hits while striking out eight and walking none over his 7 2/3 innings of work. Joc Pederson had three hits to lead the more than adequate Dodgers offense.




04/29/2022 (G024): LAN 3, STL 1
WP: Adams (2-3), LP: Thompson (2-2), SV: Street (2)
HR: LA – Thompson (2)

The Dodgers scored two unearned runs in the 5th inning and held on to defeat St. Louis in the second game of their series. Cardinals’ pitcher Gerald Thompson committed the error that led to his defeat. He was also wild, walking three and hitting a batter, but he also struck out eight while allowing only two hits in eight innings of work. Nick Adams and five relievers held the Redbirds to only one run despite numerous opportunities.


Odorizzi Injury Update
Jake Odorizzi was diagnosed with elbow tendinitis. The good news is that surgery will not be required to correct the problem. The bad news is that a minimum of 2 months of rest, probably more like three, will be required. He can begin throwing in six weeks. If all goes well, he could be activated in August. Odorizzi was placed on the 15-day disabled list and Michael Wacha was called up from AAA. Ray Chambers will start on Sunday because Wacha just pitched yesterday, but it is expected that Wacha will move into the rotation next week.




04/30/2022 (G025): STL 4, LAN 1
WP: Rosenthal (4-0), LP: Fernandez (1-2), SV: Brothers (6)
HR: STL – Alfaro (6)

Trevor Rosenthal continued his scorching start, striking out nine to beat the Dodgers. Jorge Alfaro’s three-run homer in the 6th broke a 1-1 tie and provided the winning runs.




05/01/2022 (G026): LAN 8, STL 4
WP: Turner (2-3), LP: Friend (1-1), SV: Ryu (1)
HR: LAN – Richmond (2), Monda (1)

Cardinals’ starter Ray Chambers turned a 4-1 lead over to the bullpen after six innings. However, Bill Richmond’s 3-run bomb off lefty reliever Dalton Friend in the 7th inning gave Los Angeles the lead. An error led to three more runs for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers took three out of the four games in St. Louis to move their record close to breakeven. And now, the bad news…


Oscar Taveras Injured, Will Miss 6-7 Weeks
Adding to the Cardinals problems, star outfielder Oscar Taveras injured his arm Sunday while attempting to throw out a runner at third base. He was diagnosed with an elbow sprain. Taveras was placed on the 15-day disabled list with an estimated recovery time of 6-7 weeks. Outfielder Vance Knox was recalled from AAA to replace Taveras on the active roster.

[Westheim]

Uh-oh. By my calculation, Mr. Orcin should be having the espresso machine on his lap and cuddling it, slowly rocking back and forth, by about ... now.

But no! Adversity is were great men show their true greatness and come out to - ...... yeah, whatever, I always do the rocking and sobbing thing.

Eager to see how this will play out, though. I expect nothing less than a blockbuster trade.

[madJ]

Oh boy, losing both Odorizzi and Taveras for roughly 2 months is really bad news. Let's just hope some of the replacement guys take that as a chance to step up their game in the hopes to earn a permanent starting job. That would help them long term and the Cardinals short term for sure.

But in the meantime: enjoy the espresso.