And thank you. I'm OK with pitch clock in the first half of the game. But, in the late innings, when the game is in the balance, I don't think it should be enforced as heavily. You don't want pitchers rushing through pitches then.
That will be a tough call. A lot depends on the makeup of the opposing team's roster. You have to figure on four starters and not five and do Hudson and even Flaherty provide more in long relief than Woodford? The Cardinals very likely will have three left-handed relievers and Matz might be one. They likely will have five true right-handed relievers in Helsley, Gallegos, Pallante, Hicks and Stratton. That leaves two spots among Quintana, Hudson, Flaherty and Woodford. Woodford might on the short end there. .
I don't know about No. 1 in all of baseball but what matters is that Walker will be the Cardinals' No. 1 prospect. He'll have a chance to make the team next spring.
Thanks very much for your kind words. At the time, the Cardinals thought Nolan Gorman was that left-handed hitter and that Carlson would be a more productive left-handed than he has been. Neither has transpired and it doesn't look good but that was the plan.
Flaherty will have to earn his way into the rotation. There is Hudson in the mix, too. Top four right now are Mikolas, Montgomery, Wainwright, Quintana.
I don't think the Pujols hoopla has anything to do with anything, other than for Pujols, of course, and for Marmol as to how and when to use him. I'm going to go with rut, for now. But these next eight games will give us a barometer as to how good-- not so good--this offense can be.
Gorman has some work to do next spring and adjustments to make. There is a lot of offensive firepower there but he gets himself out too much.
I think you will see Arenado and Goldschmidt in the lineup every day the rest of the season until the Cardinals cement their playoff position.
Yepez still is at Memphis, where he has been performing better. But, how would you use him? Pujols is going to DH nearly every day. Carlson is back now and Dickerson has been a steady bat in the outfield, with Nootbaar providing strong defense and occasional power. Donovan also plays the outfield and he needs to be in the lineup every day.
Hudson reverts to his original option, which has about four more days to run. But he won't go to Memphis. He will be on the taxi squad going to California and could be activated by the end of the week.
Herrera may be playing winter ball but I don't know. He actually has caught a lot of games but most have been with Memphis.
Define "overly." The fact is that the Cardinals haven't been feasting lately on the poor staffs of the Pirates and the Reds. They will encounter much better staffs now in the Padres, Dodgers and Brewers. The time is now for the offense to display some consistency.
I, too, would go after Turner. But the price could be high. He solves a lot of problems, including leadoff or No. 2 ahead of Goldschmidt and Arenado. And he's a solid shortstop.
Carlson hasn't been hitting at all well from the left side and Marmol wanted Burleson's left-handed bat in there.
It would be premature to give up on Gorman, who was counted on to be a left-handed-hitting complement and Carlson is only 23 and should be a better hitter left-handed in the future. Walker, while not a left-handed hitter, is a hitter and you could see him next year. DeJong will not be back and perhaps not O'Neill either.
Sounds like a pessimist tack to me. The Cardinals are contenders for a World Series title. Are there teams that are better right now? Of course. But that doesn't matter. It matters two to three weeks from now.
Obie has had some blood clot issues in his leg, a malady that has plagued him before. But he is said to be improving. George Hendrick was up for consideration on the most recent Cardinals Hall of Fame ballot and I will do my best to promote his candidacy at our next meeting. George isn't very high on reunions. So his not appearing here had nothing to do with his not being in the Hall of Fame.
I'm suspecting the theory is that Graceffo and McGreevy already have pitched enough in their first full pro seasons and that they should rest in the off-season before coming to camp next spring. For the most part, those who are going to the fall league have had more than one full season to build their arms.
