WP: Duke
LP: Wellemeyer
S: Capps
Tonight was one of those games that about 1,000 different thoughts ran through my head with every pitch.
The lineup ran as:
LF Rasmus
SS Greene
1B Pujols
RF Ludwick
C Molina
CF Ankiel
3B Freese
P Wellemeyer
2B Ryan
So I began thinking about this and something really freaked me out. Is this really a lineup that can get some things done this year? Tony La Russa is a miracle worker, we all know that. And last year's lineup wasn't much different -- and they put together a 10-over .500 season.
But Ludwick had a career year and Molina hit the cover off the ball. Can a lineup with a lot of experience issues compete for a division title?
Again, as fans, we tend to get so psyched for the start of baseball, we grossly over-analyze the first few games of the season. If the Cardinals can get a win tomorrow, they'll have split the opening series with the Pirates -- if not, they'll be 1-3...still only two games under .500 with 158 to play. Sounds silly when you say it out loud.
To bring it full circle, does this team really have it? In late innings, when a team needs some clutch hits to get themselves back in the game, after Albert, will fans really be all that confident in whoever is next at the plate? Time will tell, of course, but tonight made me a little uneasy.
As far as the game -- not too pretty.
The Pirates will likely have another sub-.500 season and they put up 12 hits on the Cardinals starter and 17 overall. Wellemeyer was bad (although the bullpen was OK). There was hardly any offense and the only time you felt good about what was happening, Joe Thurston gets himself thrown out at third trying to stretch his double with no one out in the 9th. Don't know if that was his or Oquendo's fault, but a runner on second or a runner on third makes no difference when down three with no one out.
Phew.
Oh well, tomorrow's a new day. And the 2008 Cardinals didn't fare well against Pittsburgh either. Let's go grab a W tomorrow, Redbirds.
Thursday, April 9:
Pirates (2-1) @ Cardinals (1-2) 1:40 EDT
Thursday, April 9, 2009
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