2021 MLB Season

[CameronDuke]

Another typical game from the St. Louis Cardinals when they play a team with a winning percentage over .500. Final score; 2-0 in favor of the visiting Brewers. Adam Wainwright kept the game close even without his best stuff but the Cardinals couldn't get anything going against that outstanding starting rotation of the Brew Crew. The Cards .380% against those teams give you an idea on what kind of season it's been so far for my beloved Cardinals. I mentioned in another post about listening to two guys on MLB XM Radio of their discussion on this years team. Both guys agreed that OBP and OPS are the two stats needed for a a good offensive team and a team needs 4 to 5 players with an OBP of .340 or better or they can make up for a lack of those type hitters with 4 to 5 players with OPS of .800 or better. They can of course have a good W/L record with a good starting rotation and solid bullpen. The Cards have 2 players, Paul Goldschmidt with .346 OBP and Dylan Carlson(IL) with .341 OBP who meet the OBP stat. Arenado with a .835 OPS and O'Neill with .846 OPS are the only 2 Cards who have the .800 OPS. Nolan has 25 homers and 30 doubles and O'Neill has 20 homers and 18 doubles. Arenado has played in 20 more games than Tyler O'Neill. Tommy Edman and Carlson have been the leadoff hitters for most of the season, but Tommy has .302 OBP which is terrible for a leadoff hitter. Carlson on the other hand with that .341 OBP and being a switch hitter is a much better fit. Edman does have 29 doubles and 7 home runs which would be an ok hitter down in the lineup. I'm hoping the organization addresses the problem of lack of offensive in the offseason. A good start would be a free agent signing of one of the shortstops who are scheduled to be FAs. There are some good ones that will be out there. I guess what I'm saying is wait until next year.

Good analysis. I have not given up on the Redbirds sneaking into the playoffs this year, and if they did, you just never know what could happen. But I do understand their playoff prospects look slimmer with each loss they take. Flaherty is going tonight so if the Redbirds offense can get a few runs on the board, I feel confident Flaherty will pitch well.

Speaking of leadoff hitters and OBP, a guy I loved and was sad to see the Cards not re-sign was Kolten Wong. He was 3-4 for the Brew Crew last night on the road at Busch Stadium vs our Cardinals. He also won the NL Gold Glove at 2B the last two seasons in 2019 and 2020. This season, he’s hitting .285 with 9 HRs, 29 RBI, 8 SBs, 23 doubles, an OBP of .346, a slugging percentage of .457, and an OPS of .803. I do like Carlson and Edman and the fact that they’re both switch hitters is a bonus, but man do I miss Wong batting leadoff for the Cardinals!

[jv001]

Good analysis. I have not given up on the Redbirds sneaking into the playoffs this year, and if they did, you just never know what could happen. But I do understand their playoff prospects look slimmer with each loss they take. Flaherty is going tonight so if the Redbirds offense can get a few runs on the board, I feel confident Flaherty will pitch well.

Speaking of leadoff hitters and OBP, a guy I loved and was sad to see the Cards not re-sign was Kolten Wong. He was 3-4 for the Brew Crew last night on the road at Busch Stadium vs our Cardinals. He also won the NL Gold Glove at 2B the last two seasons in 2019 and 2020. This season, he’s hitting .285 with 9 HRs, 29 RBI, 8 SBs, 23 doubles, an OBP of .346, a slugging percentage of .457, and an OPS of .803. I do like Carlson and Edman and the fact that they’re both switch hitters is a bonus, but man do I miss Wong batting leadoff for the Cardinals!

Oh man do I miss Kolten. I guess it was another Mozeliak evaluation gone wrong choosing to keep Matt Carpenter and his big contract for one more year. I just looked at other teams OBP & OPS. Here is what I found on a few: Brewers: OBP 5 players ver .340 and 5 players with OPS .800 or better. Reds: 5 players .340 OBP. 6 players .800 OPS. Pirates: Brian Reynolds meets both stats and the only player. Cubs: 2 players with .800 OPS and one of them is our own Patrick Wisdom. LAD: 6 players with OBP & OPS. SF Giants: 5 players .340 OBP and 6 players .800 OPS. Houston: 7 players with .340 OBP & 7 players with .800 OPS. Tampa: has 3 players .340 OBP & 4 players with .800 OPS. That former GM and former player knew what they were talking about when it comes to putting a good offense together. Three former Cardinal players, Wisdom, Arozarena and Diaz(Houston) were on the lists above who Mozeliak traded. That's not counting Garcia on the Rangers. I believe it's time for a change at the top but I'll believe it when I see it.

[CameronDuke]

Oh man do I miss Kolten. I guess it was another Mozeliak evaluation gone wrong choosing to keep Matt Carpenter and his big contract for one more year. I just looked at other teams OBP & OPS. Here is what I found on a few: Brewers: OBP 5 players ver .340 and 5 players with OPS .800 or better. Reds: 5 players .340 OBP. 6 players .800 OPS. Pirates: Brian Reynolds meets both stats and the only player. Cubs: 2 players with .800 OPS and one of them is our own Patrick Wisdom. LAD: 6 players with OBP & OPS. SF Giants: 5 players .340 OBP and 6 players .800 OPS. Houston: 7 players with .340 OBP & 7 players with .800 OPS. Tampa: has 3 players .340 OBP & 4 players with .800 OPS. That former GM and former player knew what they were talking about when it comes to putting a good offense together. Three former Cardinal players, Wisdom, Arozarena and Diaz(Houston) were on the lists above who Mozeliak traded. That's not counting Garcia on the Rangers. I believe it's time for a change at the top but I'll believe it when I see it.

Yeah, the metrics those analysts are referencing have “proof in the pudding” based on the teams you mentioned. The Cardinals really need to take tonight’s game vs the Brew Crew and set themselves up to win the series tomorrow. Their next 9 games after tomorrow are vs the Pirates and Tigers, teams currently with less wins than the Cardinals and games that the Redbirds should be favored in. These next 11 games have the potential for an 8-3ish type run from the Redbirds which I really think would set them up for contention for a wild card spot the last month.

[CameronDuke]

Yep the Cubs beat the Reds 2-1 yesterday in Cincinnati and are up 5-0 in the top of the 2nd today.

The Cubbies are helping out all other teams contending for a Wild Card spot by beating up on the Reds, who currently sit just 1.5 GB of the Friars for the NL’s 2nd wild card spot.

Wild card winners can be World Series champions!

The following wild card teams have won the World Series: the Florida Marlins, in 1997 and 2003; the Anaheim Angels, in 2002; the Boston Red Sox, in 2004; the St. Louis Cardinals, in 2011; the San Francisco Giants, in 2014; and the Washington Nationals, in 2019.

[CameronDuke]

With Yu Darvish on the IL, the Friars, in need of pitching reinforcements as they try to hang on to their wild-card lead, signed right-hander Jake Arrieta to a minor league contract on 8/16. Tonight he makes his debut for the Friars on the road at Coors Field against the Rockies.

Arrieta was released by the Cubs last week after he was 5-11 with a 6.88 ERA this season in his second stint with them.

[CameronDuke]

Cubs beat the Reds 7-1 today in Cincinnati to take the series.

The Reds fall to 65-57 and currently sit 2 GB if the Friars for the 2nd wild card spot.

The Friars currently trail the Rockies 3-2 in the bottom of the 2nd in Denver. Jake Arrieta got tattooed in the first inning in his debut for the Friars, allowing 3 ER.

[cato]

Cubs beat the Reds 7-1 today in Cincinnati to take the series.

The Reds fall to 65-57 and currently sit 2 GB if the Friars for the 2nd wild card spot.

The Friars currently trail the Rockies 3-2 in the bottom of the 2nd in Denver. Jake Arrieta got tattooed in the first inning in his debut for the Friars, allowing 3 ER.

Funny enough, Arriera got a hit in the top of the third, and ended up scoring the tying run on a Manny Machado single.

Hopefully Jake settles in on the mound now.

[CameronDuke]

Funny enough, Arriera got a hit in the top of the third, and ended up scoring the tying run on a Manny Machado single.

Hopefully Jake settles in on the mound now.

Rough debut for Arrieta. 3.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 Ks. I think he’ll get another start or two with the Friars but how long can you stick with the guy if he continues to struggle if you’re in the position the Friars are in? They’re pretty much out of contention for the NL West title but currently have a good grip on the NL’s 2nd wild card spot. Every game matters all season but the last month and half, that importance will be amplified for teams in contention. Arrieta has an ERA of 7.13 now.

[CameronDuke]

The Rockies beat the Friars today 7-5 in Denver. The Friars fall to 67-56 and are off tomorrow before starting a 3-game series in San Diego with big wild card contention implications on the line versus the Phillies.

[CameronDuke]

The Mets and Giants are giving fans in the Golden City plenty of free baseball to watch right now.

It’s tied at 2 per side in the 12th inning.

Make that 5-2 Mets top 12 now!

[rasputin]

Rough debut for Arrieta. 3.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 Ks. I think he’ll get another start or two with the Friars but how long can you stick with the guy if he continues to struggle if you’re in the position the Friars are in? They’re pretty much out of contention for the NL West title but currently have a good grip on the NL’s 2nd wild card spot. Every game matters all season but the last month and half, that importance will be amplified for teams in contention. Arrieta has an ERA of 7.13 now.

Arrieta has a bad hammie now.

[jv001]

Cards lose in extra innings 6-4 to the first place Brewers. Cardinal closer, Alex Reyes who pitched brilliantly in the first part of the season has not pitched well lately. He gave up a homer in the ninth inning with 2 outs and then gave up 3 more in the top of the 10th.

The Atlanta Braves have a chance to tie the 2008 Miami Marlins by having 4 infielders hit at least 25 home runs in a season. Freddie Freeman has 27 after hitting for the cycle last night. Austin Riley has 26 homers, Dansby Swanson has 24 and Ozzie(love that name) Albies has 22. Heck, they could all have 30 homers if they get hot. The trades that the GM for the Braves made before the trade deadline gave them a spark and now has them out in front in the NL East. If they get their starters healthy, they could make a deep run in the playoffs.
GoBraves.

[CameronDuke]

Cards lose in extra innings 6-4 to the first place Brewers. Cardinal closer, Alex Reyes who pitched brilliantly in the first part of the season has not pitched well lately. He gave up a homer in the ninth inning with 2 outs and then gave up 3 more in the top of the 10th.

The Atlanta Braves have a chance to tie the 2008 Miami Marlins by having 4 infielders hit at least 25 home runs in a season. Freddie Freeman has 27 after hitting for the cycle last night. Austin Riley has 26 homers, Dansby Swanson has 24 and Ozzie(love that name) Albies has 22. Heck, they could all have 30 homers if they get hot. The trades that the GM for the Braves made before the trade deadline gave them a spark and now has them out in front in the NL East. If they get their starters healthy, they could make a deep run in the playoffs.
GoBraves.

Another tough loss for the RedBirds who were up 3-0 in the top of the 4th and 3-2 in the top of the 9th. The Friars and Reds lost yesterday, too, so it would have been a day in which the Redbirds could have picked up a game on both of those clubs. The Phillies lost, too, so they did not gain any ground on the Redbirds. Jon Lester gets the ball today to try and avoid a sweep opposite Brandon Woodruff. The Cardinals are now 61-58 with 43 games remaining. Nolan Arenado was ejected from the game heading to the top of the 7th last night by Alan Porter who was the umpire at 1st base. He rang Arenado on check swing strike 3 appeals from first base in the first and sixth innings. Both calls were debatable. Nolan had words for him as he ran back out to his position in the 7th and was tossed.

Alan Porter will likely have the dish tonight. Could be an interesting game.

Tonight’s gametime is 6:45 pm CT.

Miles Mikolas will make his first start tomorrow since May 22nd. The game tomorrow will be in Pittsburgh vs the Pirates.

Let’s Go Redbirds!

[DUKIECB]

Braves continue to impress in the month of August having now won 6 in a row and 13 out of their last 15. This is remarkable considering they lost their best player in Acuna in July for the remainder of the season.

They now have a 3.5 game lead on the Phillies and 4.5 lead on the Mets who have seemingly collapsed. Its a crazy turn of events considering the Mets were around 5 games ahead of the Braves only 3 weeks ago.

[CameronDuke]

We mourn the passing of Bill Freehan, who spent all 15 years of his career wearing the Olde English ‘D’.

He was an 11-time All Star, five-time Gold Glove winner, 1968 World Series Champion and impactful community leader.

Courtesy the official Twitter account of the Detroit Tigers @tigers

Mr. Freehan was about as Michigan a man and Detroit Tigers as it gets. Freehan attended the University of Michigan, where he set an all-time Big Ten Conference batting mark of .585 in 1961 and also played football. He signed with his hometown Tigers in 1961 for a $100,000 bonus, which his father withheld until he graduated in 1966.

In 1978, Freehan was one of seven members of the inaugural class of inductees to the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor. He served as a color commentator for Seattle Mariners broadcasts in 1979–80, and for Tigers broadcasts on PASS Sports television in 1984–85, and returned to the University of Michigan as head coach of the baseball team from 1989 to 1995.

Godspeed, sir.

[DU82]

We mourn the passing of Bill Freehan, who spent all 15 years of his career wearing the Olde English ‘D’.

He was an 11-time All Star, five-time Gold Glove winner, 1968 World Series Champion and impactful community leader.

Courtesy the official Twitter account of the Detroit Tigers @tigers

Mr. Freehan was about as Michigan a man and Detroit Tigers as it gets. Freehan attended the University of Michigan, where he set an all-time Big Ten Conference batting mark of .585 in 1961 and also played football. He signed with his hometown Tigers in 1961 for a $100,000 bonus, which his father withheld until he graduated in 1966.

In 1978, Freehan was one of seven members of the inaugural class of inductees to the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor. He served as a color commentator for Seattle Mariners broadcasts in 1979–80, and for Tigers broadcasts on PASS Sports television in 1984–85, and returned to the University of Michigan as head coach of the baseball team from 1989 to 1995.

Godspeed, sir.

Sorry to hear this. Freehand is probably the best catcher eligible for the Hall of Fame who is not been selected, and better than a few already in.

[tommy]

Judge denies the accuser's request for restraining order against Bauer. Probably means unlikely criminal charges will be filed against him. Does this mean the Dodgers will reinstate him? We shall see . . .

[Duke79UNLV77]

Judge denies the accuser's request for restraining order against Bauer. Probably means unlikely criminal charges will be filed against him. Does this mean the Dodgers will reinstate him? We shall see . . .

He won on the legal issue, but even his stated defense has made him out to be a very creepy, scary guy. I wonder if the Dodgers would have preferred the other outcome as a better chance to get out of the contract. As a Dodgers’ fan, if Bauer pitches Game 7 of the World Series for them, I’d hope he gets shellacked.

[CameronDuke]

The Redbirds avoided a sweep last night by beating the NL Central division leading Brewers 8-4 at Busch Stadium. Back to back HRs from Tyler O’Neill and Lars Nootbaar were part of a 5 run 5th inning off Brew Crew starter Brandon Woodruff. The Cardinals improve to 62-58 with 42 games remaining and 3.5 GB of the Friars for the NL’s 2nd wild card spot. Miles Mikolas will make his first start tonight for the Redbirds since May 22nd vs the visiting Pirates at Busch Stadium opposite Mitch Keller. Gametime is set for 7:15 pm CT.

Let’s go Cardinals!

[CameronDuke]

The Mets and Phillies are leaking oil. Both lost again last night and the Braves were off so the Braves separated themselves over both teams by 0.5 games by not playing.

The Braves are now 4 games up on the Phillies and 5 games up on the Mets. The Braves get to play the MLB’s team with the fewest wins this weekend (the Orioles - 38 wins) in Baltimore while the Phillies get 3 in San Diego vs the Friars and the Mets get 3 in Los Angeles vs the Dodgers.

I’ll be very surprised if the Braves are not leading the Phillies by 5 or more games after play ends Sunday and the Mets by 6 or more games.

It is trending to look like the NL East goes thru Atlanta this season and the Mets will be making tee times at Bethpage Black this October while the Phillies make tee times at Merion Golf Club.