A lot of buzz around Kansas City last week with the arrival of prospect Eric Hosmer.

Let’s take a look at what we can expect from him and the Royals as we move into week 6.

Photo Courtesy of Minda Haas

The Midwest boys will head east this week squaring off with the Yankees and the Tigers. In the Bronx, they face Garcia, Burnett and Nova. Then in Motown they will see the 100 MPH throwing, two-time no-hitting pitcher, Justin Verlander, Brad Penny, and Max Scherzer.

Injury Front:

Jarrod Dyson made his way back to the field this week and looks like he’ll avoid the DL. Still worth monitoring (with his good speed) but not worth a roster spot just yet.

Robinson Tejeda began a rehab assignment this week. In holds leagues there are many other better options available at this point.

Playing Time:

Kila Ka’aihue was demoted this week with Eric Hosmer’s arrival. Hosmer was the first round pick for the Royals in 2008. At only 21, he was considered to be one of the top hitting prospects in all of baseball. He broke out last season slugging 20 home runs between three leagues. His plate discipline has been excellent and he has the ability to hit for power with 78 extra base hits last season. With just over 100 at bats at AAA this season, he was batting .439 and earned the promotion. If Hosmer sticks, which is highly likely given his discipline, he should hit around .270 with 10-15 HR and drive in 60. He’s worthy of a roster spot in mixed leagues. In keeper leagues, he is definitely one you should grab now if somehow he is still available.

Who’s HOT:

Jeff Francoeur continues to be a steady force in the middle of the lineup. If you look at his peripherals, his HR/FB% is 21%, which is clearly unsustainable. However, he is having better success hitting the fastball and that has been the pitch he has been weak on in years past. The slider and off-speed pitches have been the pitches that Fracoeur has had success with. Naturally, pitchers have stayed away from that to throw more heat. Jeff has capitalized on some better plate discipline as well and at only 27 still has prime years in him. He still has a propensity to swing at pitches out of the zone (39%), so it’s not a bad idea to see what the trade market will bring as his value may not ever be higher.

Who’s NOT:

Jeff Francis has hit a rough stretch. He’s given up five or more earned runs his last three outings. If you are hanging on hoping he’ll shape back into what he was the first two weeks of the season, you have to let that notion go.

“You can never have enough pitching.”

“Pitching and defense win championships.”

“Good pitching beats good hitting.”

Which one is your favorite quote about pitching? They all essentially say the same thing, and they all apply to every team that has ever played the game. You have to have pitching to contend. Just ask the Royals, Pirates, Blue Jays, Orioles, Naturals, and every other team that hasn’t been to the playoffs for a decade or more.

So where does that leave the Cardinals? Well it doesn’t take an expert to figure out losing Adam Wainwright for the season is going to be tough to overcome. And although he didn’t play much last year, losing Brad Penny isn’t going to help the team’s cause much either. Had both stayed with the team and stayed healthy, you’re probably talking about 30-35 wins just from those two guys alone. That’s a tall order for Kyle Lohse and Kyle McClellan. Most would say it’s impossible, but there are at least a couple reasons to believe they can pull it off.

Lohse is finally healthy – The last time Kyle Lohse was fully healthy was in 2008, a year in which he went 15-6 with a 3.78 ERA. If Lohse can stay health and re-channel the Dave Duncan magic, he has a chance to return to double digits wins. 15 might be pushing it, but you never know. I expect he will at least win 12.

McClellan’s stock is rising – Kyle McClellan has been mowing down opponents in this, his first spring training as a starter. He’s had 4 wins in the month and shows no signs of slowing down. The 26 year old’s stock has been rising ever since 2008…when he made the jump straight from AA Springfield to the major league bullpen in St. Louis. His ERA in his first three seasons has gone from 4.04 in 2008 to 3.38 in 2009 to 2.27 last year (notice a trend?). There’s no reason to believe McClellan can’t do this year what Jaime Garcia did last year and put together a solid 15+ win season. Conservatively, McClellan should get at least 10 wins this year.

So on the low side, you have 22 wins; on the high side you have 30.

Other Positive Notes –

- Jake Westbrook’s presence for a full season: Obviously when a pitcher switches leagues and comes over for 12 starts in a trade, his impacts won’t be anywhere near what it will be for a full season. He’s another pitcher who can hopefully fulfill his full potential under Dave Duncan’s guidance.

- Chris Carpenter still has it: Carp went 16-9 with a 3.22 ERA last season. He’s not getting any younger, but shows no signs of slowing down.

-Jaime Garcia: This is the true wild card in the rotation. Garcia went 13-8 with a 2.70 ERA last season, but really faded towards the end of the season and his struggles have continued this spring (his spring ERA is over 6). If Garcia can regain his confidence and build off of his rookie season success, the Cardinals’ staff will be in great shape with he and Carpenter as a 1-2 punch.

What the rotation needs to do for the Cardinals to contend:

Win 60 or more games: Again, a very tall order, especially considering last year’s rotation won 63 games, and 20 of those aren’t coming back (Adam Wainwright). Carpenter and Garcia will need to average 15 each (which the just about did last year) and the other 3 starters will need to get into double figures. Even with 63 wins last year, the team still lost the division race by 5 games. 60 is simply a number they must get to, if not surpass, in order to keep the Cardinals in contention.

This rivalry transcends the game on the field. Nothing is off-limits when it comes to St. Louis and Chicago. Which city has the better landmark, the better pizza, the better fans? All questions argued between April in September. But it all eventually boils back down to one thing: the teams. Who’s winning, who’s not? And that’s what we’ve come to do here today… to break down both teams, and decide who’s got the edge as this century-old rivalry continues in 2011…

Starting Pitching

Heading into spring training, the Cardinals should be feeling pretty good about their rotation. Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright are perennial aces, each finishing in the top 3 in Cy Young voting as recently as 2009. Wainwright is coming off career years in ERA (2.42) and Wins (20), while Carpenter turned in another solid season (3.22 ERA) and is an astounding record of 84-33 since 2004. Jaime Garcia had a great rookie campaign (13-8, 2.70 ERA) and could be the left-handed starter the Cardinals have been looking for since Rick Ankiel’s pitching career when up in flames back in 2002. Jake Westbrook is a solid number 3 pitcher (career .500 pitcher with an ERA of 4.22) that the Cardinals will have the luxury of running out as their number 4. The only question that remains is the 5^th spot. Kyle Lohse was very unimpressive in his road back from injury late last season (4-8, 6.55 ERA in 18 starts) but may be the Cardinals best option. Brad Penny is now a member of the Detroit Tigers, and while there was some thought of possibly moving set-up man Kyle McClellan into the rotation, that seems very unlikely now with the trade of Blake Hawksworth in the Ryan Theriot deal.

The Cubs have a few more question marks in their starting rotation heading into spring training. They have 3 solid pitchers in Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano, and Matt Garza. All three had ERAs under 4.00 and winning records. Garza was a great pick-up. While it’s hard to what a 15-10 record and 3.91 ERA translates to in the NL Central, I think it’s safe to say those numbers will substantially improve from his time in the AL East. The Cubs will try to catch lightning in a bottle again with Carlos Silva, who started last year 9-2 with a 2.48 ERA before struggling with injuries in the second half of last season. Tom Gorzelanny is about attractive a number 5 pitcher as Kyle Lohse is for the Cardinals, but with a decent ERA of 4.09 last year, he’s definitely in the running.

Edge: Cardinals. Cards have as good a 1-2 punch as anyone in baseball, and too many question marks for the Cubs.

The Bullpen

IN 2010, the Cardinals Bullpen was head and shoulders superior to the Cubs. Chicago was 15^th in the NL in bullpen ERA at 4.72. The Cardinals were nearly a full run below that at 3.73. The Cardinals lost a critical, up and coming piece to their staff in Blake Hawksworth, and the Cubs have reacquired veteran Kerry Wood. And while Cubs closer Carlos Marmol gave blew more saves (5) than Ryan Franklin (2), his ERA was nearly a full run better (2.55 vs Franklin’s 3.46).

The Edge: Cardinals. Both teams certainly have holes to fill, but the Cubs have more work to do if they plan to erase that big gap separating their bullpen and the Cardinals’.

The Infield

As always, the Cardinals have a big question marks at every position west of Albert Pujols (which by the way, the Cubs $10 million dollar contract they gave to first baseman Carlos Pena was very cute, but he’s a .241 career hitter coming off a .196 season, and Pujols is a future Hall of Famer. Let’s not waste any more time on first base: Advantage: Cardinals).

The Cardinals will hope Skip Schumaker figures things out at the plate and returns to his .300+ form of his earlier years with the Cardinals. It’ll be interesting to see how Ryan Theriot experiment works out; certainly won’t be worse than the Khalil Greene era, right? At third, David Freese is a big question mark heading into the season as well coming off his injury. It’s easy to forget he’s only had a few months experience in the big leagues. Although he appears to have a bright future, you just never know how the native St. Louisian will bounce back. Yadier Molina is a perennial gold glove candidate behind the plate, but his average has dipped of late.

The Cubs have the luxury of a proven anchor in Aramis Ramirez over at 3^rd. Although he had a terrible season by his standards, hitting just .241, he still managed 25 HRs and 83 RBIs. It was his first full season coming off an injury plagued 2009, and I would expect him to return to his usual .300+ average with 30+ HRs and 100+ RBIs. That might be more than the left side of the Cardinals infield combined. Chicago also has a promising young middle infield. Starlin Castro hit .300 in his rookie campaign (he’s only 20) and Blake Dewitt wasn’t spectacular, hitting .261 with 19 errors, but 82 RBIs from a second baseman is definitely nothing to scoff at. Geovany Soto isn’t as good a catcher as Molina, but makes up for it with his power and average.

Edge: Cubs. Even with Albert Pujols, the Cardinals have some big questions at every other infield position. The Cubs will get major power from both corner spots, and quiet, top of the order production from the middle of their infield.

The Outfield

The Cardinals outfield could be scary good this season. If Colby Rasmus gets the 400+ at bats he deserves and doesn’t have to sit every third day or vs left-handed starter, he is a .290/30 HR/85 RBI/20 Steal waiting to happen. But will he get the Abs, and will he stay healthy? Speaking of health, Lance Berkman could do some serious damage as well. He’s shown in the past he can be a .350 hitter with 40+ HRs and 100+ RBIs, but he isn’t getting any younger. The Cardinals will have to hope he has at least one more spectacular season left in him. We all know what Matt Holliday can do. His only downfall has been hitting early in the season with runners in scoring position. After huge pressure in his first season after a major contract, expect Matt to relax and produce even more than last year.

The Cubs outfield was a disaster last season. Kosuke Fukudome has been disappointing for three years now, hitting just .263 with 13 HRs while making $14 million. Alfonso Soriano has had two straight down years, hitting around .250 since ’09 with dropping power numbers. Marlon Byrd, the Cubs only “All Star” last year, hit .293 with just 12 HRs and 66 RBIs. Need we go further?

Edge: Cardinals.

Despite the clear advantages in many areas, the Cubs had the Cardinals’ number last year. The Red Birds only won 6 of 15 games against Chicago. It was just one of many examples of the Cardinals’ struggles to beat bad teams last year. More than two-thirds of the Cardinals’ losses in 2010 came at the hands of teams with records that were .500 or worse. St. Louis needs to take care of business against teams like the Cubs this season if they plan to play in October.

During this week, guest writers from around the Internet will drop by to break down the 2011 season and how it looks for the teams in the American League Central. Today’s post comes from Jennifer Cosey as she takes a look at the Detroit Tigers.

Although the mound is still tarped over and the grass lies dormant, Tigers fans will soon gather at Comerica Park for the club’s annual TigerFest on January 22. It’s stealing a few hours from the dreary off-season. It’s warming the glacial Winter by rubbing elbows with fellow die-hards. It’s glimpsing Spring, and the day when the ballpark stands will be full and raucous again.

So what do Tigers fans have to look forward to in 2011? At the Winter Meetings, Jim Leyland said “You might as well make up your mind that this is going to be a true dogfight in the Central division.” If you’ve braced yourself for the skirmish, let’s see how are things looking in the Tigers’ armory.

Pitchers/Catchers

Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer are a formidable front-end duo. Last year, when Scherzer was sent down to the Tigers’ AAA affiliate in Toledo, he immediately looked at game film and identified a flaw in his mechanics. He corrected the problem right away, and began destroying minor league batters. In his first game back in the majors, he struck out 14 batters. I like his ability to evaluate and adjust.

Although Rick Porcello had an uneven sophomore season, look for him to do well, as long as he can keep his ground ball to fly ball ratio healthy. The back end of the rotation…volatile. Armando Galarraga, outside of his imperfect game, was a man afraid to throw strikes much of the time. Phil Coke will attempt to make a successful transition from reliever to starter.

There may still be an addition to the starting rotation, as the Tigers have had reported interest in Brad Penny. If there are no acquisitions and someone falters, Andy Oliver and/or Jacob Turner could get the call. Jim Leyland said that Turner’s secondary pitches were better last year than Rick Porcello’s were at a similar point in his career. Great, now pundits everywhere will be salivating over his debut. Don’t rush the kid (please).

The Tigers took a bit of a risk adding Joaquin Benoit to the bullpen. Sure, he sparkled last year for the Rays, but before that he was injured and mediocre. However, if he pans out, and if Ryan Perry continues to progress, and if Joel Zumaya can stay healthy (all right, all right, you can stop laughing now), our pen will be strong. These are a lot of “ifs.” Closer Jose Valverde was mostly stellar last year, until Leyland hung him out to dry on July 31, in a 61-pitch outing that ended in a Tigers victory, but which I feel may have largely contributed to Valverde’s tendonitis.

Alex Avila has the catcher’s starting job all to himself this year, since Gerald Laird could not even occasionally bob over the Mendoza line. I like his defense. Good footwork. Takes initiative to “catch” up since he didn’t don the mask until four years ago. Unfortunately, he may have also been allowing Laird to mentor him at the plate. Victor Martinez will log time behind the dish against lefties. The Tigers will love his bat at DH, but I don’t want to see too much of him in a catcher’s mask, because of what we’d lose defensively.

Infield

Last season, when Brennan Boesch’s bat was riddled with holes, and Magglio Ordóñez went down with a broken ankle, Miguel Cabrera was left exposed. The result was a ridiculous number of intentional walks (32), more than double the number issued to the next highest players in the AL, Joe Mauer, Robinson Cano and David Ortiz (tied at 14). This year, with Ordóñez signed to a one-year deal, and Victor Martinez added as a free agent, Cabrera will see a lot more hittable pitches.

Infield defense will be solid at the corners (yes, Cabrera is turning into a good first baseman). Brandon Inge, while dismal at the plate, plays hustle defense with the best of them. If we can get around 20 home runs from Inge, we should be happy.

Up the middle? Well, Jhonny Peralta at short was giving me nightmares, until I saw him play there for most of his time in Detroit last year. He was not great, but surprised me with acceptable glove work. Second base looks to be a carousel featuring Carlos Guillen, Will Rhymes and Scott Sizemore. Last year, Guillen couldn’t stay healthy, Sizemore looked rancid (but was recovering from a severe ankle injury) and Rhymes may have overachieved, especially offensively.

Outfield

Austin Jackson looks to follow up a rookie-of-the-year caliber season with a solid sophomore campaign. However, he featured an unsustainable BABIP of .396 last year. Look for him to be fine, if he can cut down on the Ks a little.

Right fielder Magglio Ordóñez signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Tigers, despite Scott Boras’ best efforts to pimp him out elsewhere. Ordóñez worked out for the Tigers at the winter meetings, to show he is healthy after breaking his ankle last season. His always-average defense looked a bit better last year after an intensive off-season workout program spent with football players from the University of Miami.

Ryan Raburn looks to nab the starting job in left field, but he’ll face competition from Brennan Boesch, Casper Wells and a now healthy Clete Thomas. Raburn started last year like a man who forgot to bring his bat to the park, but turned it on around mid-season. He’ll have to better than that if he hopes to beat out the other hopefuls.

Forecasting

I must preface this by saying that I abhor making predictions. I love baseball because there is a game almost every day, and it’s nearly impossible to know what a 162 game schedule will bring. Don’t make me remember the 2008 Tigers team, which on paper looked like a behemoth, and wound up in the cellar.

Prior to last year’s season, after some arm-twisting, I looked at my tea leaves, and said that the Tigers would win 85 games. They fell short, and finished all square at 81-81. Failed to make the playoffs…again.

What will the Detroit Tigers do in 2011? Why don’t you tune in with me on March 31, and we’ll find out together.

Jennifer Cosey runs a blog from a Detroit Tigers fan’s view over at Old English D.

This time last year, the St. Louis Cardinals were picked by just about everyone to win the NL Central with little trouble. They had just signed Matt Holliday to the richest contract in franchise history, Brad Penny was added to round out the rotation, and they were the defending division champs. No other teams made huge moves before 2010 to try to catch the Cards. Some picked the Cincinnati Reds as a dark horse candidate, but that was about the extent of the legitimate threats. The NL Central was the Cardinals’ to win or lose.

And we all know how that turned out.

Fast-forward one year. The Cards made a lot of moves early to shore up the 2011 club in anticipation of spending this part of the offseason trying to re-sign Albert Pujols. It was a smart move, because that’s exactly what is happening: this week the team announced they have re-opened talks with the legend’s agent, and things are moving in a positive direction. That’s great news for Cardinal Nation. But after that piece of business is taken care of, the question remains: will it be enough?

The division champion Cincinnati Reds had little to do this offseason. A piece here and a piece there was really all the tweaking needed…most of their 2010 club is returning and healthy. So they could be counted on as, at the very least, co-favorites for the 2011 crown with the Cards before the Hot Stove proceedings really got underway. When the Cards re-signed Jake Westbrook, the team appeared to have the best rotation—on paper, of course—in the division. Add offensive upgrades in Ryan Theriot and Lance Berkman, and the Cards were poised to take the Central back from the Reds in 2011.

But the Theriot and Berkman additions are not all they seem. Theriot was added at the expense of Brendan Ryan’s incomparable defense, effectively weakening the Cards’ middle infield (and possibly their entire pitch-to-contact staff). Berkman will be asked to play a full season in the outfield for the first time since 2004, and he has recent injury issues to go with his advancing age. Perhaps it was these perceived weaknesses and a belief the Reds could be prone to a regression that led some of the other teams in the Central to ask, “Hey…why can’t we compete with these guys?”

First, the Milwaukee Brewers got busy revamping their god-awful rotation and acquired Shawn Marcum from the Toronto Blue Jays. Then they surprised everyone by trading for former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke, sending some of their best young talent to the Kansas City Royals in return. These bold moves instantly thrust the Brewers into the conversation about who would win the division this year. The Brewers have always been able to hit, and now apparently they can pitch, too.

Not to be outdone, the Chicago Cubs went out and got the lefty power bat they’ve craved for so long in Carlos Pena. They also added a rejuvenated Kerry Wood to their bullpen. But the Cubs have lots of problems too, and were believed to be rebuilding while they wait out the terrible contracts of Alphonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome, and Carlos Zambrano. Still, the rumors persisted, and finally Chicago decided to make some noise in the NL Central projections Friday by trading half their farm system to the Tampa Bay Rays for RHP Matt Garza. Suddenly they have a deep rotation to go with a deep bullpen. If their head cases can keep their cool, the Cubs will not be a pushover in 2011.

The Brewers and the Cubs obviously see an opportunity this season; why else would they trade away so many young, cheap players for veterans? These teams are not without their flaws, to be sure, but they look a heck of a lot better than they did last season. The Reds look to be just about as good as they did last year. Even the Astros cannot be completely dismissed; they have a young lineup, but their rotation of Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez, JA Happ, and Bud Norris is decent at worst. No, this is not the new AL East. But it certainly does not look like the same old NL Central, either.

After taking all that in, how much better do the Cardinals look this year than last? Can they compete in a four team dogfight for the NL Central crown? Maybe John Mozeliak better speed up the Pujols negotiations a little…he might have some more work to do for 2011.

Chris Reed is a freelance writer who also writes for InsideSTL Mondays and at Bird Brained whenever he feels like it. Follow him on Twitter @birdbrained.

As I-70 Baseball takes a look at the Cardinals 2010 season, one word will come up over and over: injuries. Injuries to starting pitchers Brad Penny and Kyle Lohse plus the loss of David Freese eventually caught up with the Cardinals as they faded in August, falling behind the Cincinnati Reds. Whether or not the team should have overcome those misfortunes will be talked about all off-season. 23 years ago, a Cardinals team suffered far more injuries, but that resilient group of Redbirds didn’t let that stop them. A group of super-subs, such as Jose Oquendo, Rod Booker, Steve Lake, Tom Pagnozzi, Lee Tunnell and John Morris rose to the occasion and helped carry the 1987 Cardinals all the way to the World Series.

Winter Woes

Even before the first pitch was thrown in spring training, the Cardinals had several question marks on their roster. Willie McGee, Jack Clark, Jeff Lahti and Ken Dayley had off-season surgery to take care of injuries left over from the 1986 season. The injuries sustained by Clark and McGee were not serious, so both were expected to make a complete recovery and be ready to play by opening day. The two hurlers weren’t quite so lucky.

Jeff Lahti had missed most of the 1986 season with a shoulder injury. He would have surgery to repair the torn rotator cuff, but it did not heal and the former leader of the 1985 “Bullpen by Committee” retired before the start of the season. His spot in the bullpen would eventually be taken by the veteran Bill Dawley.

The prognosis for Dayley was even more dire. Shoulder and elbow troubles had limited his role in 1986. He would eventually undergo Tommy John surgery. It was still a rather new procedure and the recovery timetable was on the order of 12-18 months. Dal Maxvill made a difficult decision and didn’t offer Dayley a contract for the 1987 season, making him a free agent. Unable to find a team willing to take a chance on the lefty, Dayley ignored the rehabilitation plan offered by Dr. Jobe, and let his arm dictate his recovery. He so impressed the Cardinals, they offered him a contract and gave him a spot in the bullpen. In just 7 months from his surgery, Dayley was back pitching in the major leagues. And not just pitching – dominating. His fastball had more life and his curveball had even more bite. If he was the best left handed reliever in the game before the surgery, he was in a completely different level now.

He would return to the lineup on May 21, in Atlanta. The Cardinals would go slow with him at first, but as the games went on, it was clear that Dayley was back. He didn’t allow a run in his first 10 appearances, so Whitey Herzog started putting him in higher pressure situations. By mid-June, he was back to his regular workload – no worse for the wear. Ken Dayley and Todd Worrell were back to being the terrorizing twosome, closing out the end of Cardinal victories.

By seasons end, Dayley would record a career high in wins (9) to go with a career low ERA (2.66). He was still striking out more than one batter per inning, but his control suffered a bit as his walk rate nearly doubled from his last few seasons. Even with the additional free passes, Dayley was still nearly unhittable, especially from left handed batters.

April Fools

Two events conspired to make April 1, 1987 a day that all Cardinals fans would remember. Mike LaValliere and Mike Heath had struggled behind the plate and at the plate throughout the 1986 season. Heath would be traded to Detroit during the 1986 season, leaving LaValliere as the starter with Steve Lake as his backup. A young backstop named Tom Pagnozzi was waiting patiently in the wings. None of the catchers were particularly impressive during spring training, so it was decided that an upgrade would be needed if the Cardinals were to catch the suddenly dominating New York Mets.

At the same time, a young right handed hitting outfielder named Jim Lindeman was hitting the cover off the baseball. He had played winter ball in Puerto Rico and continued his hot hitting when he arrived in Florida in the spring. This gave General Manager Dal Maxvill an interesting bargaining chip – one that he would cash in. A deal was struck with the Pittsburgh, sending Mike LaValliere, pitching prospect Mike Dunne and Andy van Slyke to the Pirates in exchange for Tony Pena. While Pena did not have a particularly good season with the Cardinals, he proved to be the final piece that helped the Cardinal win the National League Pennant.

It was just a coincidence, but there is a special irony in the deal being completed and announced on April Fools day. I’m sure that many in Cardinals Nation opened the newspaper on April 2, hoping to read that it was just a hoax.

Shortly into the season, it looked more like a cruel, cruel joke.

The First Bad Break

The third game of the season would be played in Pittsburgh, the team the Cardinals had just swapped players with shortly before opening day. Neither Van Slyke nor Pena would get a hit in this first contest, but what happened in the top of the 9th inning sent a shock wave throughout the midwest. With Tony Pena leading off the inning, reliever Brian Fisher hit the new Cardinals backstop with a pitch. It hit him in the left hand, and Pena had to be taken out of the game. After the game, it was learned that Pena had broken his left thumb and would be out for the next six weeks.

So much for the upgrade behind the plate.

Steve Lake would take over the catching duties until Pena’s return in late May. Lake’s biggest moment in the 1987 season would come against the Dodgers on May 1. The Dodgers had jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but as Cards starter Joe Magrane toughened, LA starter Rick Honeycutt let the game get away in the sixth inning. Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda would go to his bullpen, calling on Tom Neidenfuer. If you don’t remember, it was Neidenfuer that gave up the game winning home runs to Ozzie Smith “Go Crazy Folks” and Jack Clark in the 1985 NLDS. He would suffer a similar fate as Willie McGee greets Neidenfuer with a long home run into the 2nd deck in right field. That’s as far as I remember seeing Willie McGee hit a baseball. The Cardinals would take a 4-3 lead that Todd Worrell would give back as Pedro Guerrero tied the game with a single in the 9th. In the bottom of the 10th inning, Jack Clark sneaks a grounder through the hole in the left side of the infield and legs it into a double. With 2 outs, Steve Lake hits a seeing eye single into left field that Pedro Guerrero boots, allowing Clark to score the winning run without a play. I still remember watching Guerrero kick the ball in frustration.

This is the type of game that the Cardinals would play throughout the first half of the season. No lead was safe, no game was over until the last out was recorded. If anything, this team was even more exciting than the 1985 version of Whitey’s rabbits.

The Next Cardinal to Fall

April 19, 1987. It was the Sunday afternoon game following one of the most exciting games in the ’87 season. The promotion for the Saturday night game was a toilet seat cover. Most of them would be found on the playing field when the Cardinals scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 10th inning to win the wild affair, 12-8. That game also featured the first career RBI from Tom Pagnozzi, just before Tommy Herr sent all the Cardinals fans hope happy with a walk-off grand slam.

If that was the high point in the early season, the next day would be the low point for the Cardinals season. While chasing after a pop foul ball, Mets catcher Barry Lyons slides into the Cardinals dugout, hitting John Tudor, who was not even pitching that day. The collision would break Tudor’s right leg and he would miss the next three months. Tim Conroy and Lee Tunnell would initially take over for Tudor, eventually giving way to Rick Horton later in the summer.

Tudor would return to the Cardinals in August and pick right up where he left off, as if the last three months didn’t happen. Yes, this 1987 team was resilient, to go along with being very exciting.

You have to be Kidding, Right ?

Three games later, the injury bug strikes again. In the bottom of the third inning against Greg Maddux and the Chicago Cubs, Tommy Herr hits a routine one out single. As Herr is running down the baseline, his groin muscle gives out and he has to be removed from the game. The injury probably occurred in the first inning when Herr was part of a double steal. He stayed in the game, and it just gave out as he ran down the first base line. His replacement would be a young utility infielder named Jose Oquendo. Perhaps you’ve heard of him ?

Tommy Herr joins Ken Dayley, John Tudor and Tony Pena on the disabled list, and an increasingly crowded infirmary. Herr would miss nearly three weeks with the injury, but just as with Pena and Tudor, another role player stepped up to fill the void. And the Cardinals just kept on winning.

And what about May

May would turn out to be no easier on the Cardinals training staff. The first Cardinal to fall is Tito Landrum – on May 1. He would miss nearly the entire month of May with a injury. Jim Lindeman would follow just a week later with an injury of his own that would keep him out of action for nearly as long as Landrum. Unfortunately, Landrum and Lindeman were Herzog’s two right fielders. Once again, a player comes off the bench and fills the spot vacated by the injured player. This time it was Curt Ford, who took over right field until Herr was activated, allowing Oquendo to move to right. Resilient and versatile.

Before the month would end, one more Cardinal would visit sick bay. On May 29, against Mike Scott and the Houston Astros, rookie Joe Magrane suddenly lost his control. He had to be taken out of the game and would miss the next two weeks. Lee Tunnell, recently inserted into the rotation due to the heavy schedule, would take over for the injured Magrane.

Toeing the Line

While the Cardinals would manage to get through June without any additional drama, July would come along and take the last wind out the Redbirds sail. Or so we thought at the time. In his last start before the All Star Game, Danny Cox was pitching a gem against the San Francisco Giants. In the seventh inning, Mike Aldrete lines the ball off the foot of Danny Cox. It would ricochet all the way back to catcher Tony Pena, who threw out Aldrete. Cox would stay in the game, but afterwards it was learned that he had broken a toe, and would be out of action for a month.

How this particular game ended shows just how unbelievably resilient this team was. Cox would leave the game with the score tied at 3. Todd Worrell would hold the game until the 10th inning, when Lee Tunnell got lit up for three runs. The Giants had taken a 6-3 lead in the extra frame. If it were any other team, the game would have been over. Not so for this band of characters. The Cardinals would send 9 men to the plate in the bottom of the 10th inning. Super sub Jose Oquendo lines an RBI single, scoring Willie McGee with the winning run. Most of the damage was done with 2 outs. Clearly, something special was happening in St. Louis.

At the Midpoint

When looking back at the 1987 Cardinals, and all of the injuries the team endured, it might be hard to understand how they outlasted the Montreal Expos and New York Mets. One look at the batting averages at the midway point of the season will tell you all you need to know.

Everybody in the Cardinals lineup was swinging a mighty bat. All but poor Jim Lindeman. Lindeman never regained the stroke he had in spring that led to the Andy van Slyke trade. But don’t worry about Lindeman, he would make up for it in the National League Championship Series – but that’s a story for another day.

There were two significant improvements in the Cardinals offense that led to a lot of their early success. Finally healthy again, Jack Clark was hitting everything out of sight. And the ones that didn’t leave the park were frequently finding gaps between the defenders. Clark was well on his way to becoming just the second Cardinal in the Busch II era to hit 30 home runs. The other was Richie Allen. Mighty impressive company to be keeping.

The other was Ozzie Smith. No longer a one dimensional player, an off-season conditioning program had put quite a bit of muscle on the Wizard’s frame. When he reported to spring training, he was noticeably more muscular, and that translated to a more able bat. As a result, Smith would take over the second spot in the batting order, hitting patiently behind Vince Coleman, as Willie McGee had done two years earlier. Moving McGee down in the order gave Herzog some more pop and speed for the bottom part of the order. This combination proved to be deadly to relief pitching, and starters that managed to last for the fourth time through the order.

At the All Star break, the Cardinals were scoring nearly 6 runs per game. They just outscored the competition, on a daily basis. They had built up an amazing 9 game lead over the Expos and Mets, and they would need nearly every one of those games as the summer turned into fall.

Another Bad Break

As the Cardinals started getting their starting pitchers back from injuries, the offense suddenly started struggling. The bats had carried the Cardinals through the first half of the season, getting to the finish line would now fall on the shoulders, or perhaps more precisely, the arms of the pitching staff. For Danny Cox and John Tudor, it was as if nothing had happened. Tudor returned to his winning ways, slowing building up his stamina in his first month back. While Cox never returned to his 1985 form, he anchored the rotation down the stretch. His biggest moment would come on October 1 when he threw a complete game against Montreal, clinching the National League East title while many of the Mets were in the stands watching.

As the offense continued to struggle, the Cardinals would be given another hurdle to jump. This time it is right fielder, Curt Ford. Ford, who had been hitting .330 just a month earlier, breaks his right hand on August 9 and will miss the next six weeks. Even worse, when he comes back he is unable to regain his batting stroke, and he would only get two more hits while being used infrequently. He would finish the season with a .285 average, which is very respectable. But it was just a shadow of what he had been doing earlier in the year.

Even with this latest injury, the Cardinals were still managing to stay ahead of the hard charging New York Mets and Montreal Expos.

The One that Finally Did It

The date was September 9, and the Cardinals were facing the third place Montreal Expos, just three games back in the standings. St. Louis had just lost the first two games of this important three game series and would follow this with a brutal three game series in New York. With Montreal surging and the Cardinals in free fall, it is now or never time.

In the sixth inning, Jack Clark leads off with a routine ground ball to third base. Tim Wallach’s throw is wide and Clark tries to avoid the tag by Andres Galarraga. In doing so, his feet get all tangled up and he ends up spraining his ankle, or so we thought at the time. Not a big deal, “The Ripper” can rest it for a few days and be back in time for the late pennant chase. Unfortunately the injury is far more serious, and it does not respond to treatment. Clark misses misses most of the rest of the season, and for the few games he does come back, he is not the same player. Once again, another Cardinal will step up. This time it is a combination of veteran Dan Driessen and the sensation from spring training, Jim Lindeman. They provided enough for the Cardinals to outlast both the Mets and Expos, and miraculously past the NL West winners, the San Francisco Giants.

Finally the injuries caught up with the Cardinals. For all that they had done to overcome adversity for 162 games plus a playoff series, the World Series games played in Minneapolis turned into slugfests. And the Cardinals failed to bring any sluggers to the match. With Clark out, and a rib cage injury limiting Terry Pendleton to only hitting from the right side, the Cardinals just didn’t have enough offense to match up with the Twins. In Minnesota. Oh, there were some great moments, like Tom Lawless watching his home run barely clear the outfield wall in St. Louis, but in the end, the Cardinals just came up 15 outs short in the series. Still, it was an exciting season and the ’87 Cardinals played like champions.

The next time a fan uses injuries as an excuse when a team fails to meet their expectations, tell them about the 1987 Cardinals and how they didn’t let things like broken bones, sprained ankles and groins get in the way of their goal. And their destiny.

As Cardinal fans accept reality and come to terms with the fact that their beloved team has virtually thrown in the towel, it seems like we all want to start pointing fingers. Sadly, fans are more interested in the “blame game” than the actual baseball games.

For the majority of the season, as this team continued to struggle off-and-on and I continued to get more and more uneasy, I found it impossible to figure out what exactly was wrong with this team.

Hall of Fame Manager? Check
MVP Candidates? Two checks
Cy Young Candidates? Two checks
Rookie of the Year Candidates? Two checks
Gold Gloves? Three checks

On paper, the team appeared to be great. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think most Cardinal fans were expecting an October run. I know i70baseball Editor Bill Ivie suggested that if the Cards did not win the pennant, the season would be a huge disappointment. Considering how I felt coming into the season, I completely agree with Mr. Ivie.

That’s exactly what this season was. The perfect example of a disappointment. Not to mention, one of the most monumental collapses any team has gone through in recent memory.

What’s wrong with this team?

Third base is obviously an issue. The middle infielders have had very sub-par seasons both in the field and at the dish. The injuries to Brad Penny and David Freese have been crucial to the depth of this roster. The acquisition of a fifth starter ended up being the acquisition of a fourth starter, which then left the fifth spot empty with only Lohse and Suppan to fill. Am I forgetting something? I surely am.

Then we get to the off-the-field problems. What in the world happened with LaRussa and Rasmus? Does anybody truly know? I don’t think so. That’s the clubhouse chemistry rift that continues to get the bulk of the attention, but nobody is talking about something that could be destroying the Cardinals offense. Not only this season, but possibly in the future as well.

Something is obviously wrong with the bats. They seemed just fine throughout the first half of the season, but there is no denying that even then they were off-and-on. In the past month or so, the offense has really hit a wall. Why is that?

My theory: The contrasting philosophies of Tony LaRussa and Mark McGwire.

First of all, can we please stop bashing Mark McGwire?

He’s not even through his first full season as a coach and people are throwing him under the bus? That makes zero sense. Let the man instill his ideas. It does not happen over night. Were you expecting Steve Spagnuolo to instantly make the St. Louis Rams a playoff contended? No. Using some fans’ logic, he should be fired too.

Also, let’s try thinking outside of the box and stop being so simplistic at times. Think stuff through, Cardinal Nation. Let’s really dig into this before we think firing the hitting coach will solve all problems.

Mark McGwire has a very, very intelligent approach to hitting. “You think he’s just so big and strong and that’s why he hits home runs, but he really knew what he was doing at the plate,” says second baseman Skip Schumaker, who has been a student of Mac’s for several years.

McGwire preaches consistency in your swing. He wants his players to take the shortest path to the ball with their hands before swinging through the ball. This will basically eliminate loops and non-essential movement in a player’s stroke. Less movement equals less room for error, and Big Mac could not be more right about that.

He knows what he is talking about, folks! McGwire’s philosophy is solid, and I honestly think he is a good hitting coach. The problem lies in his boss.

While Mark’s ideas are considered old-school and traditional, TLR coaching ways are (I know this is hard to believe) actually very modern. When it comes to baseball, and hitting especially, Tony is a video addict. He believes you can correct yourself and anticipate what a pitcher will do by watching video.

Mark McGwire cannot stand relying on video.

Big Mac has always said today’s players, young and old, depend way too much on video and advanced scouting reports. McGwire wants his hitters to trust their natural ability instead of falling in love with video, much like LaRussa has.

Think about this:
Tony LaRussa is very familiar with his coaching staff. For the most part, it has stayed together through the years. With the exception of one position. Hitting coach. TLR has had several hitting instructors and none of them have had profound success in St. Louis. Most of them were run out of town. Is it crazy to think that maybe, just maybe, it is LaRussa that can’t figure out hitting? I have a hard time believing that every single one of the hitting coaches that have come through St. Louis since the 90′s have all – for lack of a better term – sucked. Something tells me that it could be what their boss is making them teach. Maybe that’s what is wrong, not the actual coaches.

To me, it seems like McGwire is still trying to use his ideas. I respect that, but what happens when you have one coach teaching one approach and another coach (yes, LaRussa does coach) teaching the exact opposite approach? What are the players supposed to do? What is McGwire supposed to do? Talk about friction.

The most unfortunate part about this is that, for some unknown reason, management has not been able to get these two brilliant baseball minds on the same page. Wouldn’t you think that’s something that should be gone over right after, or even before Mark is hired?

I’m not saying either hitting philosophy is wrong. What’s wrong is when you have a coaching staff that is not on the same wavelength. How can you build chemistry with the players when their bosses are butting heads all season?

I don’t have any insider information or anything like that. I wish I did, but I don’t. This is simply a theory that I believe makes a lot of sense. What I am sure of is that the St. Louis Cardinals have more problems off-the-field than on, and they must be addressed before fans experience yet another disappointing campaign.

Justin Hulsey covers the Cardinals for i70baseball and his blogs, Cardinals Front Office and Rising Redbirds, that are also dedicated to Cardinals baseball and their minor league system.You may follow him on Twitter @JayHulsey by clicking here.

What a disappointing season it has been. One of the most frustrating of recent memory, and I don’t think I’m going out on a limb with that one. The roster has been battered with injuries and sub-par performances seem to be the norm with this team.

There’s no doubt Mozeliak will have his hands full this offseason, as it seems like the more games we play, the more needs we uncover. You know your team’s season is over when you start thinking about what needs to happen in the winter months, but unfortunately the season is over. It’s time to forget about the “mathematical possibilities” and start thinking about what this team is going to look like in 2011.

Upcoming Cardinal Free Agents

Jeff Suppan, SP
The only way he gets resigned is if the organization wants to bring him back for roster depth. His career as a starter in St. Louis are, without a doubt, over. Is he coming back? No.

Jake Westbrook, SP
I’m thinking the Cardinals could get him back for $7-9MM per year and I strongly believe they will do their absolute best to bring Jake back. He has proved to be a reliable, innings-eating starter. Is he coming back? Yes.

Brad Penny, SP
Considering his nagging injuries that have never really seemed to go away, Penny has become a very low-cost, veteran starting pitcher. He has said that he wants to resign with the team and that would happen for around $3-5MM per year. Is he coming back? Yes.

Pedro Feliz, 3B
There is no doubt in my mind that this will be his only season wearing a Cardinals uniform. Who knows, maybe it’s his last season all-together. Is he coming back? No.

Aaron Miles, INF
With veterans like Schumaker, Ryan, Lopez, and youngsters like Greene and Descalso, Miles is going to have a hard time fitting in. We all know Tony likes the guy, but it’s about time to get over that crush. Is he coming back? No.

Dennys Reyes, RP
The dude’s getting a little old, and his stats are really starting to inflate. His second half this season has been dreadful. Unless he signs a very cheap contract, I don’t see it happening. Is he coming back? No.

Randy Winn, OF
If LaRussa was making the Front Office decisions (let’s hope he isn’t), then Winn would sign a $60 million contract for the next five years. Is he coming back? No.

Felipe Lopez, INF
He brings instant depth, which is absolutely huge. Lopez has proved that he can handle nearly every position on the field (he even pitched in ’10) and that will really appeal to the club when they decide if they want to resign him for $1-2MM. Is he coming back? Yes.

Jason LaRue, C
This is just a real unfortunate situation for LaRue. Not only is he out for the season with an injury sustained when Johnny Cueto kicked him in the face, Jason is also 36-years-old. Catchers that are approaching 40 fast are not exactly in high-demand. And with the arrival of Bryan Anderson, and Pagnozzi and Hill in the Minors, there really isn’t a need for JLR. Is he coming back? No.

Mike MacDougal, RP
Ha! Well… not much to say here other than nope. Is he coming back? No.

Trevor Miller, RP
Miller’s case is a little different than everybody else. He has an option for 2011, so he can basically come back if he wishes. Now that he is 37-years-old, picking up the option seems extremely logical. Is he coming back? Yes.

Keep in mind that those are my predictions. I’m not holding out on you guys with any inside information, I’m just making simple predictions. If I am correct, we will be losing Jeff Suppan, Pedro Feliz, Aaron Miles, Dennys Reyes, Randy Winn, Jason LaRue, and Mike MacDougal to free agency. That obviously clears up some room on the roster, but here’s a view at what the depth chart looks like if my predictions are, in fact, correct. There obviously cannot be this many people on the roster at one time, I’m just previewing which players could contribute in 2011, and where.

Catcher – Yadier Molina, Bryan Anderson, Steven Hill*, Matt Pagnozzi*
First Base – Albert Pujols, Mark Hamilton*
Second Base – Skip Schumaker, Felipe Lopez, Daniel Descalso*
Third Base – David Freese, Felipe Lopez, Allen Craig*, Joe Mather*, Matt Carpenter*
Shortstop – Brendan Ryan, Felipe Lopez, Tyler Greene
Left Field – Matt Holliday, Nick Stavinoha, Joe Mather
Center Field – Colby Rasmus, Jon Jay
Right Field – Jon Jay, Allen Craig, Nick Stavinoha, Joe Mather

Starting Pitcher – Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia, Jake Westbrook, Brad Penny, Lance Lynn*, P.J. Walters*, Blake Hawksworth, Brandon Dickson*, Kyle Lohse, Adam Ottavino, Evan MacLane*
Relief Pitcher – Kyle McClellan, Jason Motte, Fernando Salas, Mitchell Boggs, Ryan Franklin, Blake Hawksworth, Eduardo Sanchez*, Trevor Miller, Josh Kinney*, P.J. Walters*, Brandon Dickson*, Kyle Lohse, Adam Ottavino, Evan MacLane*

* denotes a Minor Leauge player that could make an appearance in St. Louis

Looking at all of that, I think there are three obvious holes that need to be filled. Third base is a no-brainier. I think it is unanimous that the Cardinals need help at the hot-corner. Freese will most likely be the Opening Day starter, and I have no problem with that, but the guy is way too fragile. It has been a problem throughout all of his career, and it has certainly hurt the team in 2010.

Another glaring weakness is the middle infield. Brendan Ryan, Skip Schumaker, and Felipe Lopez are not going to cut it. Looking back at the disappointing season I think fans are going to realize that the team simply did not have enough talent in the lineup to support a very impressive core. Billy Beane is a personal icon of mine, and I’ll take a page out of his book when I say that on-base percentage is the most important offensive stat. Schumaker, Ryan, and Lopez are the type of speedy infielders that typically have nice OBPs. Schumaker’s is .333 (31 points lower than his ’09 mark), Ryan’s is a horrid .282 (58 points lower than ’09), and Lopez’s is .311 (72 points lower than ’09). Cardinal Nation, I think that is pretty telling.

The only other area that I would like to see improve is right field. I know some of you have a crush on Jon Jay because he came to the big leagues and absolutely raked for a couple months, but if you look at the numbers you will see that he is starting to come back down to earth. In June and July Jay batted .442, which is pretty remarkable. Since then, he has an average of .244. Jon Jay is a very good, athletic outfield that shows a lot of promise. I really like the kid, but I’m not 100% sure we can rely on him as a starter. The Cardinals need to pursue a quality outfielder to platoon with Jay, or I’m afraid we’ll be scrambling at the trade deadline yet again.

My “Shopping List”

Willie Bloomquist, RF/SS/2B, 32 years old
This would definitely be interesting for the I-70 community, as Bloomquist is a former Kansas City Royal. He’s a veteran utility player that any manager would love to have. He has played all outfield and infield positions this season, so he would be able to help out the middle infield and Jon Jay. In Bloomquist’s lost four seasons, he has hit .270 while averaging 15 stolen bases. In 2008, he had a .377 OBP with Seattle.
Projected 2011 Salary: $1-2 million

Mark Ellis, 2B, 33 years old
I am a huge Mark Ellis advocate. If there is such a thing as playing the “Cardinal way”, Mark Ellis will demonstrate that more than anyone. He may be resigned, but the A’s have some young second basemen in there system so I would not be shocked if he’s let go. Ellis is a very good defender who is hitting .274 this season with Oakland. In his career Mark has averaged 14 home runs and 68 RBI (per 162 games), so he does have a little pop. Billy Beane has said that he has not made a decision on Ellis, and that he wants to wait until after the season.
Projected 2011 Salary: $5-7 million

Kaz Matsui, 2B, 34 years old
I know what you are thinking, but this actually isn’t as crazy as it sounds. He’s decent in the field but has had some very good offensive seasons. In 2004-2009 Kaz hit .271 with 57 RBI while stealing 28 bases (per 162). He’s coming off a very bad season in Houston, so he should come at a very low price. He’s your typical high-risk/high-reward type of infielder, but why not take a chance with him?
Projected 2011 Salary: $1-2 million

Cristian Guzman, SS, 32 years old
This past season it seemed like I heard Guzman’s name quite often as a guy that the Cardinals should acquire, so maybe he finally ends up in St. Louis in 2011. Like Matsui, he’s not great in the field, but has proved his worth at the plate. Guzman has led the league in triples three times and is a two-time All Star. Combining the past four seasons he’s hit .296, and in 2007 he had a .380 OBP. Per 162 games, Cristian averages 15 stolen bases and 54 RBI.
Projected 2011 Salary: $4-6 million

Adrian Beltre, 3B, 31 years old
How could I not include this one? Even though I don’t think there is anyway this move is made, I have to take a look at it. The main reason why I do not see this happening is because the organization loves David Freese. They think he is an All-Star caliber third baseman. If they truly believe that, why would they replace him? Not to mention, MLB Trade Rumors says Beltre will likely receive a $50M deal over four years. He’s had a great season and I would love to see him in St. Louis, but I would honestly be shocked to see it happen. Besides, his .342 BABIP this season indicates 2011 could be very disappointing.
Projected 2011 Salary: $11-13 million

Brandon Inge, 3B/C, 33 years old
How many times has Inge been a part of trade rumors involving the Cardinals? Detroit obviously doesn’t want him, and he’s fit into St. Louis perfectly, so what’s the harm? Inge has a pretty good glove and does just fine on offense. He’s having a .252 season with 11 home runs and 63 RBI. In 2006 and 2009 Inge hit 25+ home runs. The problem with Brandon is how often he strikes out.
Projected 2011 Salary: $6-7 million

Brad Hawpe, RF, 31 years old
Usually former Coors Field players make me cringe. If you don’t understand that, check out Carlos Gonzalez’s home and away stats for 2010. It’s a very simple fact that Colorado hitters can be a little overrated thanks to Coors. However, oddly enough, Hawpe’s numbers are that much better at home compared to on the road. In the past four seasons Hawpe has had at least 20 home runs and 80 RBI (including 29/116 in ’07). Even more impressive is his lifetime .373 OBP and two years of a SLG over 900.
Projected 2011 Salary: $4-5 million

While trying to find hope that things could still turn around for the Cardinals this season, I think I am instead moving into the first stage of grief: denial. The second stage – anger – is not one I particularly enjoy, so I am trying to skip that one, but this piece might be my way to breeze through that stage and move on to whatever comes next (I believe it is bargaining, but that might go quickly as well with only twenty-nine games left). I need to know right now who to be mad at, but the list is long. Help me out, will you? We can start at the top and work our way down…

Ownership: It almost feels weird to be frustrated with a group that opened their wallets to the tune of $120 million for one Matt Holliday and another $7.5 million for Brad Penny over the winter, but that seems to be exactly where we sit going into the last month of the season. Word spread that there was a bit of flexibility in payroll this year in terms of being able to bring in a big <insert needed item here> at some point in the season, but that big item did not materialize in the way people expected (unless you consider the fact that the team probably saved money by dealing, essentially, Ryan Ludwick for Jake Westbrook).

Considering the fact that this winter negotiations absolutely have to happen with Albert Pujols if the Cardinals plan on keeping him, things could get ugly if the ownership does not plan on adding any salary flexibility in the next year or two, thereby forcing GM John Mozeliak to continue bargain bin shopping to fill out a roster.

General Manager: Credit where due, Johnny Mo has not had too much to work with as of late. The team was desperate for a starting pitcher and a third baseman, but did not have the payroll flexibility or minor league trade chips to work with, so he settled for acquisitions like Jake Westbrook and Pedro Feliz instead of other various big names that floated about in the rumor mills in the days leading up to and beyond the trade deadline. Obviously Mozeliak had a hand in that payroll flexibility (or lack thereof) issue, creating the deals for Holliday and Kyle Lohse, among others. He should not expect things to get any easier in the coming days either, again considering the Pujols contract, among others.

Minor League Operations: This blame has been years in the making. Things are moving up (in my mind at least), and several of the Cardinals’ affiliates are playing at the top of their respective leagues. The rookie league Johnson City Cardinals are the 2010 Appalachian League champions, the AAA Memphis Redbirds are fighting for their playoff lives as we speak, and several teams in between are finding ways to win as well. It almost seems ludicrous to think that the organization that was ranked eighth last spring fell all the way to twenty-ninth out of thirty in a year’s time, but that is exactly what happens when you trade away several of your most prominent minor leaguers.

How these minor league teams continue to win almost does not make sense to me. If these players are worth so little that no team would take them via trade during the trading deadline, how do they continue to win? Hopefully with what appears to be a strong draft class the system will rebound soon, but for now the pieces were apparently not there to help the big league club, and that is not good.

Manager: Tony LaRussa bashing is at an all-time high right now, and I am getting really close to being completely on board. Did you see the lineup that was run out there against the Cincinnati Reds yesterday? Aaron Miles over Skip Schumaker, Nick Stavinoha over Colby Rasmus, and Pedro Feliz – all in the same lineup? I know it did not help things when the trio combined to go 0-11 on the day with five men left on base, but that lineup is just not fair.

Others have gone on and on about how Tony has chosen to manage this year, so I am choosing not to go into too much detail, but I will say that several of Tony’s choices over the past week have about sent me over the edge, not to mention his affinity for playing time for his pet past-their-prime veterans like Aaron Miles, Jeff Suppan and Randy Winn. Moving on, before I get more frustrated…

Starting Rotation: It is very difficult to be angry at the starting pitchers. How could you be mad at the stellar three headed monster of Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter and Jaime Garcia? If anything, those three should be mad at every player playing behind him for not putting any runs on the board some nights. I could gripe about Jeff Suppan again, but you all already know how I feel about him. Jake Westbrook has been serviceable, Kyle Lohse and Brad Penny injured, and Blake Hawksworth tried his best in the starting rotation, but for the most part, the starters did what they could with what they had.

Bullpen: Again, I struggle with placing blame on the bullpen. Those guys have had to eat a lot of innings not covered by Carpenter and Wainwright starts. For the most part, the relief corps of Jason Motte, Kyle McClellan, Ryan Franklin and others have been lights out, but they have had their fair share of struggles from time to time as well, including a rather insane few days in Colorado that we have all tried our best to forget. For me, the biggest goat in the bullpen this year has been Dennys Reyes, but that might just be my opinion.

Positions Players: This is the hairiest one for me. Where do you start? At the beginning of the year Matt Holliday was wearing the collar for his poor batting average with runners in scoring position, but he has righted the ship and is sitting right around the .300 batting average/.900 on-base plus slugging percentage, which is good-not-great, but I would be loath to consider him a bust of a signing.

Skip Schumaker, Yadier Molina and Brendan Ryan all had horrendous first halves, and while their numbers still are not stellar, they have been rising a bit throughout the course of the year. You could toss a lot of blame to those three.

Add this to the fact that David Freese met not only the injury bug but all of the bug’s family members as well, and they sent him packing for the year, despite what had been a strong start to a potential Rookie of the Year candidacy.

After that, Pujols has performed around the level we would expect (at least, top five in all the triple crown categories seems like it would be the level anyone would expect), Colby Rasmus has had issues, Ryan Ludwick was playing decently before his trade, and the offense has been shut out 12 times, scored one run 13 times, and two runs 18 times in 132 games. For a team that includes several All-Stars, heavy hitters and Gold Glove worthy players (I forgot to even get in to some defensive struggles the team has faced this year), that simply should not happen.

Bench: The further into the season we went this year, the more reasons I found to dislike the bench. It was an exciting start to the year seeing several of the ‘Baby Birds’ filling roles on the opening day roster. One by one players like Joe Mather, Jon Jay, Allen Craig, Tyler Greene and Fernando Salas started wearing a path in the road from St. Louis to Memphis, and Cardinal fans everywhere shook their heads at the signings of Aaron Miles, Randy Winn, and the trade for Pedro Feliz – known veterans that were brought on to provide relief off the bench.

Felipe Lopez was doing well as a bench player, but over-exposure once Freese went down wore him down to the point where he has been strongly ineffective over the past month plus. Jay has now been inserted into the starting lineup (thankfully), but as a whole, looking at the bench right now, I could replace almost all of them with a player currently playing lights out on the Memphis roster. Not okay.

Fans: I know. Blame the “best fans in baseball”??? How is that possible? They fill the stands every night, know the game better than most, and support the team, even as they spent the last road trip finding every way possible to lose to some of the worst teams in baseball this year. The bullpen especially took note after Friday’s 3-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds that they were not sure what to expect after a 2-8 road trip, but the fans were absolutely incredible.

Or at least, that is what the players see.

Thankfully, most of them probably do not read things like Twitter, various message boards, or angry Facebook statuses. Things have not been so sunny there. Has all of the venom been unfounded? Of course not, but it has not been completely rational either. Baseball makes people do funny things, and one of those things includes, apparently, lashing out when things are not going very well.

The Final Word: Obviously, no one group is to blame for the unfortunate situation the Cardinals find themselves in – eight games out in the NL Central and six games back in the wild card race. As with any team, the blame is rarely placed solely on one individual or small group of people. It is a team effort, and this team could have and should have been better. I am not skipping out on this season until it is over, but at least I can move past the anger phase now!

Angela Weinhold covers the Cardinals for i70baseball.com, BaseballDigest.com and writes at Cardinal Diamond Diaries. You may follow her on Twitter here or follow Cardinal Diamond Diaries here.

The Cardinals’ increasingly exasperating 2010 campaign is stirring up memories of past seasons.

This year’s edition of the Cardinals was coming off a frustrating post-season loss to Los Angeles, and rolled into Opening Day as the odds-on favorite to win the NL Central and perhaps make a deep run in the post-season. With Albert Pujols and newly signed Matt Holliday anchoring the offense, the third base hole from 2009 seemingly solved by David Freese, a year of seasoning under Colby Rasmus’ belt, plus Ryan Ludwick and Yadier Molina, the offense looked solid. Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright provided the bedrock for a rotation that included a reportedly healed Kyle Lohse, free agent acquisition Brad Penny and heralded rookie Jamie Garcia. On paper this was a juggernaut.

And for the first 27 games they played like one, sprinting to an 18-9 record and a five game lead in the Central. Since then they have been positively middling, posting a 50-47 record and falling 3.5 games behind Cincinnati. Injuries to Lohse, Penny, Rasmus and Freese, plus sub-standard offensive seasons from Molina, Skip Schumaker and Brendan Ryan have contributed to the team’s struggles. This pattern of futility is eerily reminiscent of a couple past Cardinal seasons under Tony LaRussa. Remember?

2006: 83-79, NL Central Champs

Some of the themes of 2010 were present in 2006.

Lost in the glow of the 2006 World Series title is how much that team struggled. In fact, the 2010 season trajectory looks a lot like 2006. Fresh from back-to-back 100-win seasons, the Cardinals were the odds-on favorite to win the National League, not just the division. They sprinted out of the gate 17-8 and ended April tied with Cincinnati atop the Central. From 1 May on, though, they put up a 66-70 record, and only clinched the division on the next to last day of the season thanks to Scott Spiezio’s triple.

Albert Pujols played the first two months of the season like he was a man possessed, hitting 25 HR over the first 52 games and posting a 1.199 OPS. Albert tweaked a hamstring on June 3 and spent most of the month on the DL. Mark Mulder’s arm woes first surfaced in a 28 May start in San Diego. He would struggle for another 21.2 innings and be shut down for the season in August. Jim Edmonds missed most of September while recovering from two concussions sustained in July and August. Scott Rolen’s lingering shoulder injury continued to limit him, and his simmering private feud with LaRussa spilled into the print pages. Jason Isringhausen’s hip issues flared up again, and he didn’t throw a pitch after 6 September.

The team acquired a pitcher mid-season (Jeff Weaver). Walt Jocketty also found a bat (Rafael Belliard) to shore up second base.

Assisting the Cardinals in 2006, the entire division played sub-.500 ball from May 1 on.

• Houston: 66-72 (finished 82-80)
• Cincinnati: 63-73 (finished 80-82)
• Milwaukee: 61-76 (finished 75-87)
• Pittsburgh: 60-76 (finished 67-95)
• Chicago: 53-86 (finished 66-96)

That St Louis team was able to weather the storm, right the ship, and get into the post-season.

2003 – Third Place NL Central (85-77)

This team most closely approximates what we are witnessing in 2010.

The biggest memory I have of the 2003 season is playing a September 5-game series in Chicago and losing four of those games.

The 2003 team was also coming off back-to-back post-season appearances, and a frustrating NLCS loss to San Francisco. This was Dusty Baker’s first season in Chicago and there was a lot of hope on the North Side since he had guided the Giants to that World Series appearance. Most observers figured, however, the division would come down to St Louis and Houston, like it had the previous two seasons.

This Cardinal team was relatively injury-free, apart from second base which was manned by Bo Hart while Fernando Vina spent 2 months on the DL. JD Drew missed part of April and all of August with nagging injuries, but of the main players that was it. The biggest issue the 2003 team had was the starting rotation. Woody Williams and Matt Morris were not exactly Carpenter/Wainwright, but they were a capable 1-2 punch at the top (29-17, 3.82 ERA). Behind them the Redbirds ran Brett Tomko, Garrett Stephenson, and either Jason Simontacchi or 22-year old Dan Haren out to the mound (32-34, 5.10 ERA).

In 2003 the Cardinals were never more than 8 games over .500, and like the 2010 version spent most of the summer chasing another team – in this case, the Cubs. They were never more than 4 games out of first all the way through August, and entering that 5-game series they actually led the division by a game. The Cardinals lost 2 of the first 3 games, then led 7-3 in the fourth game entering the bottom of the seventh inning. But the bullpen couldn’t hold the lead, and an emergency relief appearance by Woody Williams in the bottom of the eighth didn’t work either, as St Louis lost 8-7. The next day they scored 2 in the top of the first and led 5-3 after 4 1/2; but the Cubs roared back and eventually won 7-6 thanks to a Tony Womack single.

St Louis then lost 5 of their next 8, slipped 5.5 games back, and were done. Although the 2010 Cardinals did not lose the last series in the ballpark of their closest rival in the standings, their performance since that series is just like 2003.

Summary

Using the 2006 team as the example, Cardinal fans know any team managed by Tony LaRussa cannot be counted out, and may ultimately find a way into the post-season. Using the 2003 season as the example, this club may already be sliding into obscurity. What this year’s team needs is a ‘Scott Spiezio moment’ to snap them out of their current funk. Many of us thought that would be the Cincinnati sweep two weeks ago, but it clearly was not, as the club has staggered along with a 4-7 record since that series ended. They are not sunk yet – there are 37 games left, including one more set against the Reds – but as the season grows late, this year begins to look more and more like 2003 revisited.

Which will not satifsy anyone. Especially the guys in the clubhouse.