The Royals wrap up their California road trip this weekend with a three game series with Oakland.  With the Tigers getting their series with the red hot Rangers off to a humiliating start, this could be a great chance for the Royals to close the one game lead in the American League Central.  Here are the matchups by the numbers.

The A’s are coming off of a losing series against the Rangers.  They were out scored in that series by only a single run.  In 42 games, the A’s have scored 199 runs for an average of close to 5 runs a game.  Strangely enough, the number of runs scored against the A’s is an identical 199.  If the Royals can contain Oakland’s offense this weekend they are sure to like where they sit in the rankings come Monday morning.

Friday:

James Shields gets the start for the Royals.  Shields took the loss in his last game against the Yankees and a no decision against the White Sox.  Both were tough losses for the Royals as Shields only allowed 2 runs to New York and none at all to the Sox.  Shields has struck out close to a batter an inning and owns a 0.97 WHIP.  Look for Big Game James to keep the Oakland offense in check on Friday night.

The A’s will send Jarrod Parker to the hill on Friday to face Shields.  Parker has been pretty terrible thus far.  His only wins so far this year have only come when his team has provided great run support behind him such as his 10-6 win against the Angles.  His ERA is approaching 7 and has been allowing close to 2 base runners an inning.  If Parker turns this around on Friday it will be surprising.

Saturday:

Ervin Santana will start for the Royals.  Santana is coming off of a disappointing game against the Yankees giving up 8 hits, 2 of which were home runs.  The long ball can at times be Santana’s biggest weakness and as mentioned before, the A’s can hit.  Fortunately, the Coliseum is a pitcher friendly park and should help Santana keep in on the field.

Santana will face off against Tommy Milone.  Milone has been pretty hit or miss so far this year.  His ERA is a deceiving 3.71.  He has surrendered 13 earned runs in his last 5 starts, however in two of those starts he shut his opponents down completely.  The Royals hope they get the Tommy Milone that gives up an earned run per inning and not the Tommy Milone that gives up none at all.

Sunday:

Luis Mendoza gets the start on Sunday.  Mendoza has had a rough year so far.  Unlike Santana, his troubles extend past giving up home runs.  Mendoza has given up lots of hits as well as the occasional walk and he has yet to pitch past the 6^th inning.  The Royals are going to have to provide Mendoza with a lot of run support to keep this game in control.

Run support could be hard to come by though as A.J. Griffin will be starting for the A’s on Sunday.  Griffin posted a 3.06 ERA last year and has looked sharp so far.  His 3.48 ERA this year is somewhat bloated thanks to one horrendous start against the Red Sox where he gave up 7 runs in 4 innings.  The Royals will have to try to get to Griffin early for the finale of the series.

Every once in a while we reach a point in our lives when our next action will dramatically affect our lives. The string has been tightened as far as it will go without snapping. There is no in between. We either do or we don’t. It’s time for action, and that action will have long-reaching consequences.

That’s where the St. Louis Cardinals were Friday night in Washington, D.C., down 7-5 in the ninth inning to the Nationals with two strikes on catcher Yadier Molina. The next strike would’ve ended the Cardinals season. Period. But Molina worked a walk and kept the season alive.

Then the Nationals had two strikes on second baseman Daniel Descalso. The next strike would’ve ended the Cardinals season. Period.

But Descalso hit the next pitch up the middle and two runs scored to tie the game, and the Cardinals went on to win 9-7 in one of the greatest postseason comebacks in the history of Major League Baseball.

Wait, didn’t this just happen last year? The Cardinals were down to their last strike twice against the Texas Rangers in Game 6 of the World Series before coming back to win on a walkoff homerun by third baseman David Freese.

Stuff like that isn’t supposed to happen. Even if a team pulled off a miracle in one instance, the chances of that same team recreating that miracle the following season are so incredibly small that people who even think it is possible would be considered crazy.

That’s part of what made Friday’s win so amazing. Winning a close playoff game is always exhilarating, but the Cardinals won these two games under historic circumstances. The string couldn’t be pulled any tighter without breaking. As the Nationals’ fan said during Descalso’s at bat, “Just one more” would’ve completely changed the rest of the playoffs.

It’s also what makes baseball such a great sport. Within the last 12 months, baseball fans have seen the greatest final night to end a season when the Cardinals won, Atlanta Braves lost, Tampa Bay Rays won and Boston Red Sox lost. Every game ended in a walkoff except for the Cardinals, who beat the Houston Astros 10-0.

Then all of the magic rested with the Cardinals.

The Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 1-0 in Game 5 to win a series in which they were serious underdogs. And then Game 6 of the World Series turned out to be arguably the greatest World Series game ever played.

To have all of those moments wrapped up in one team within the span of a year is an incredible blessing for that team’s fans. The Cardinals might not have a dynasty the way the Yankees did in the late 1990s, but they now have a dynasty of great moments.

People will surely talk about the last two seasons long into the future. What Cardinals fans are experiencing right now is absolutely as good as it gets. Please remember that, because there will be tough times at some point in the future.

But right now soak it all in. These are days we will remember for the rest of our lives.

Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas are good friends. They play on opposite ends of the diamond. They were both selected as first round picks in the amateur draft. They made their major league debuts last season. They dressed as the Ambiguously Gay Duo for their rookie hazing. It was supposed to be Hosmer as the superstar, the face of the Royals franchise. Moustakas was going to be an important piece of the Royals youth movement, but play second fiddle to Hosmer. But at this point in the season, Moustakas is becoming the superstar and Hosmer is just another player making his way through the major leagues, trying to live up to expectations.

The bottom line is Moustakas is performing and Hosmer is not. Moustakas has a .273/.341/.468 line compared to Hosmer’s .218/.287/.370 line. Moustakas has more runs, hits, RBI and home runs. Hosmer does draw more walks and strikes out less than Moustakas, making Hosmer the more patient hitter. Hosmer is still climbing out of an extended slump he had earlier in the season and he’s playing better. But Hosmer still has a ways to go before catching up to Moustakas.

The defensive numbers favor Moustakas as well. Moustakas has a .958 fielding percentage, which is above the league fielding percentage of .946. Hosmer’s fielding percentage is at a league average .995. Moustakas has made his share of defensive highlight reels, such as yesterday’s game against Houston where he backhanded a ground ball to third and from his knees threw out a runner going to second.

But there’s more than the on-field performance. There’s Moustakas’ nickname, Moose. It’s the perfect name for a player like him. In ballparks wherever Moustakas plays, his fans will don antlers and sometimes make moose calls. Almost every time Moustakas comes up to bat or makes a play, you’ll hear fans going “Moooose!” Heck, I even heard fans in St. Louis cry “Moooose!” after Moustakas made the final out of last Friday night’s game against the Cardinals. Or maybe that was something else.

Hosmer’s nickname? It’s Hos. Not Hoss, Hos. You don’t hear many fans yelling “Hos!” when Hosmer makes a great play. And Hosmer doesn’t have fans wearing antlers on their heads, faux hawks or Amish style beards for that matter.

Lately, the Royals are making Moustakas the face of the franchise. If you go to www.kcroyals.com, you’ll see Moose towering over the Kansas City skyline where Hosmer once stood. And that’s understandable. In All-Star votes, Moustakas is fifth among American League third baseman. Moose even has a Twitter hashtag, #VoteMoose. And if there’s any Royal deserving a spot in the All-Star game, it’s Moustakas.

Meanwhile, Hosmer isn’t near the top five in votes among American League first basemen and I haven’t seen any #VoteHos Twitter hashtags either. Looks like he’ll get a few days off during the All-Star break.

It’s not as if Hosmer is a bust. Far from it. You could say Hosmer is in a sophomore slump and Moose is not. In time, Hosmer will find his stroke and become the player fans expect him to be. And baseball being what it is, Moustakas could be in a July slump while Hosmer gets hot.

Despite the 12 game losing streak earlier in the season, the countless injuries to key players, the 1,834 roster moves (rough estimate) and the up and down play of the Royals, the team is 31-36 and only 4.5 games out of first in the American League Central. Yes, the Royals are still in fourth place, but they’re only 4.5 games out. With the return of Salvador Perez, Felipe Paulino and Lorenzo Cain, the continued great play of Moose and a resurgent Hosmer, the Royals could make a run towards first in the A.L. Central.

“I love it when a plan comes together” – John “Hannibal” Smith

Two weeks ago I decided to write today’s article about the city of St Louis, their baseball team, and their unbearable fans. I spent countless hours researching, and remembering, all the things I dislike about this pompous trinity and was just beginning to feel prepared as I settled in to watch Friday night’s game. Less than 4 hours later, the best fans in baseball gave me all the ammunition I would have ever needed.

I should have seen it coming. You see I had developed a theory that determines how much you hate the Cardinal Nation, and Friday night’s experience just proved it. The theory basically states that hatred of the Cardinals begins with a person’s decency and is positively correlated with how much exposure you have to their fans. In other words, the more you get to know them, the more you hate them…and Friday night was a window into their souls.

Cardinals fans are, at their core, spoiled little brats. They’re the kid you hated in high school because he drove a brand new BMW, wore Abercrombie and Fitch to school every day, and always had that smirk on his face like he knew something that you didn’t. Everything in life was so easy for him. The hot chicks adored him because of his car, he never got in trouble because of daddy’s money, and he certainly wasn’t working a job in the summer. Remember how that kid acted when he something didn’t go his way? He threw a fit, just like Cardinals fans did Friday night. Remember how he acted when someone had a great accomplishment? He tried to diminish it, just like Cardinals fans did when Johan Santana no-hit them a couple of weeks ago. And if that didn’t work? Well then, he generally went off his rocker, like sending death threats to the family of an umpire because he had the audacity to blow a call.

The thing I always hated the most about that kid was that he actually thought we were all jealous of him, and of course so do Cardinals fans. They self-gloss with the ”best fans in baseball” tag, they talk about their 11 World Series rings any time you dare to question them, and most of all they love to act like they don’t give a damn about the Kansas City Royals because that would be beneath them.

Much like the rich kid, they’re just over compensating for their obvious shortcomings. I mean, c’mon they live in one of the dirtiest, most crime riddled cities in America. It’s no wonder they flock to the K every year, who wouldn’t want to get out of that abyss for a few days? I think the city of St Louis wanted to be Chicago but could only duplicate the crime and pollution. They like to compare their barbecue toKansas City, but the fact that they consume more sauce per capita than any city in the country tells me they probably aren’t very good at cooking their meat either. Maybe their team is a divine gift after all, to make up for how terrible every other aspect of life is in that cesspool.

Of course, Cardinals fans aren’t just making up for the inadequacies of their city, they have some of their own. For one, they are incredibly hypocritical. Their love and adoration of Mark McGwire as he injected his way to the home run record was sickening in itself. It became more so when it was replaced by indignant cries as Barry Bonds did the same thing, only better. Finally, when McGwire finally came clean, they no longer seemed to have a problem with steroids, as long as you admit it. So using the moral compass of the Cardinals, it seems that cheating is fine, drunk driving is to be revered, but human error from umpires is intolerable. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised, these are the same people who cheered on Leonard Little long after his conviction for manslaughter.

Another thing the “best fans in baseball” pride themselves in is their knowledge of the game. That’s why I found it odd watching last night and hearing the roar of the crowd when Matt Holliday hit a can of corn to Jarrod

Dyson in medium-depth center field. Maybe their knowledge doesn’t include depth perception. Surely, though they stood and applauded when Alcides Escobar made one of the best plays the brilliant shortstop has ever made, right? Well, they were standing, but that’s because many of them were on their way out of the stadium…before the final out. I obviously don’t understand what makes a good baseball fan.

Now I mentioned the trinity at the beginning of this article, and I haven’t spent any time at all on the team. Honestly, before last night I didn’t have many feelings about this team. They’ve been ravaged by injury much of the season and at this point it appears to be a pretty mediocre collection of scrappy players and nearly has-beens. Of course, that’s generally good enough to win in the inferior league, but with no Albert Pujols to lead the way it won’t be this year. In fact, another Royals win tonight combined with a Reds and Dodgers victory would put the Royals closer to first place than the Cardinals, I wonder what the “best fans in baseball” would think of that?

I had almost gotten to the point where I felt guilty about writing this. Almost. As the Kansas City Royals moved closer and closer to respectability, Ned Yost seemed to fiddle less and I began to think maybe the first two weeks of the season were just a hiccup. I became nervous again with his handling of the bullpen on Wednesday, and was pushed over the edge today when I saw his Friday night lineup against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was then I realized Ned must go.

In fairness to Yost, I supposed I should start at the beginning, with expectations. I was one of the few people out there that actually thought this team could compete in 2012, so surely that explains why I’m so quick to fire Yost right? I mean if you expected 70 wins out of this club, are you really that disappointed with where they are? The thing is, Yost didn’t talk or act like a manager that expected a 70-win season, at least not until the games started…then he panicked.

In fairness to Yost, another theory has emerged to explain his managerial style. Many have speculated (with sarcasm) that Yost may think the Royals are a National league team. A more likely scenario in my mind is that Yost doesn’t think there is a difference between managing in the American or National leagues. There is, and Yost is proving it.

The other, more legitimate, excuse for the Royals poor performance is injury. While the Royals injuries have been well chronicled, I wonder how much they have really affected this club. Could you really expect Joakim Soria to have been better than Jonathan Broxton has been this year? What are the odds that Lorenzo Cain would have gotten on base at a .370 clip? Sure, Cain and Salvador Perez would have helped defensively, and Broxton could have been working his “heart attack” act as a relief man if Soria were here. Still, how much difference would they have made*? Would they have affected Yost’s use of the bullpen, his affection for the bunt, or his affinity for giving away free outs on the base paths?

*Don’t even mention the Danny Duffy injury in defense of Yost, Duffy’s injury hasn’t cost the Royals a game…yet.
If Dayton Moore doesn’t want to fire Ned Yost quite yet, he can at least ask him these questions:

• Why can’t Mike Moustakas hit higher than Jeff Francoeur in the order when Moose is clearly the better hitter in nearly every situation?
• What is the theory behind stacking middle infielders that are below average hitters at the top of the order?
• Chris Getz over Johnny Giavotella, why?
• Explain your philosophy on managing in the American league vs. the National League…

Maybe Yost has well thought out replies that I (and the rest of Kansas City) just haven’t thought of. Considering his results, I find it highly unlikely.

I am not saying that firing Ned Yost is going to save 2012, although I will mention that the Florida Marlins were 16-22 in 2003 when they fired Jeff Torberg and hired Jack McKeon. That Marlins team went 75-49 the rest of the way aided by the call up of the 20 year-old Miguel Cabrera (Wil Myers anyone?).

I think it’s far more important to consider the future. Yost has shown over the last two months that he doesn’t handle adversity very well. With the Milwaukee Brewers, he handled pressure so poorly that he was fired in the middle of a playoff race. One day in the not-to-distant future, the Royals and Yost will face the prospect of a division race again and we have no reason to believe he will handle it any better.

The St. Louis Cardinals lost a huge part of their offense when Albert Pujols signed a 10-year, $240-million deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, but that also forced the team to build a more balanced lineup. Now every spot in the order consistently pushes across enough runs to put the Cardinals atop the NL Central as April comes to a close.

But, the margin for error is much slimmer without Pujols. There were times during the last decade when Pujols basically won an entire game with his bat. If it was a close game late, Cardinals fans always felt like the team had a chance to win as long as Pujols got another at-bat.

That’s no longer the case. The 2012 Cardinals have to string together multiple hits to score runs in bunches, but they have done surprisingly well to start the season. From shortstop Rafeal Furcal to centerfielder Jon Jay, each part of the lineup is contributing to give the Cardinals a .278 team batting average, which is the best in the National League.

Hopefully, the increased responsibility on each spot in the order will make this team more slump-proof than previous Cardinals teams. Pujols could mask a bunch of deficiencies in a lineup, but there were times when he would be the only hitter consistently producing runs. So far this season, Cardinals hitters have done an excellent job of picking each other up and getting base hits to keep the line moving.

For example, the Cardinals smashed the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night with 13 runs, but they didn’t particularly smash the ball. Instead, the Cardinals laced together 15 hits, and only four went for extra bases with no homeruns.

I’m not saying the Cardinals can’t hit homers. They sit second in the National League with 24 homeruns, but they also have the consistency to manufacture runs without the long ball. That, combined with the excellent starting pitching the team is getting from its starting rotation, could make the Cardinals quite a force during the course of the season in the National League.

All of those offensive topics are even sweeter considering Pujols is still searching for his first homerun as an Angel, going 21 games to start the season without a homer.

In fact, the Cardinals likely have the most complete team in the division despite preseason concerns that the Cincinnati Reds might have more firepower. The Reds’ pitching staff has some significant holes.

Johnny Cueto has been fantastic to lead the staff with a 3-0 record and 1.39 ERA, but he is the only starter in the Reds rotation to have more than one win. Mat Latos, Mike Leake, Bronson Arroyo and Homer Bailey have a combined 3-7 record with a 4.65 ERA.

The Cardinals rotation, by contrast, has an ERA of 2.81, and that’s while carrying Adam Wainwright’s 7.32 ERA.

Cardinals fans could not have realistically expected a better first month to the season, and fortunately there is plenty to be excited about over the course of the next five months.

After the Cards’ disappointing loss to the New York Mets Thursday, I wrote the following on my blog: “If the Cardinals win two of three in their next two series and the Braves lose two of three in theirs, the teams will meet in St. Louis for a one game playoff to determine the Wild Card winner.” What has changed, 24 hours and one more game back in the standings later? Nothing. The above scenario is still in play.

The Cardinals certainly are not making it easy on themselves. Friday night they had their ace on the mound, and needed a morale boost from a bounce back win. They wasted both opportunities. Two losses in a row when they can barely spare one is not the easiest path. Now they are three games back in the Wild Card race, and time is running out.

But there are still five games for the Cardinals to play. The Braves have five left as well. All things considered, both teams seem equally capable of winning them or losing them based on which squad shows up each night. The Braves have the advantage of the lead right now, but that could all but evaporate before the end of this weekend and they know it.

The Cardinals really are backed into a corner though, and the worst part is they don’t control their own fate. They haven’t for months. It’s an unfamiliar position for the franchise, really. They’ve always been the chased, not the chaser. None of the Tony LaRussa-managed playoff teams had to come from behind like this. Not that it matters in the grand scheme of things; wins are wins and the Cardinals need more of them. But it’s entirely possible that they could have won the last two games as well as the next five and still missed the playoffs. Now that’s a letdown.

Don’t forget that the variables haven’t changed either. The Braves still have a depleted rotation and a young, overworked bullpen. The Cardinals are still mostly healthy and may get Matt Holliday back this weekend as well. Whether it will be enough remains to be seen, of course. But the Cards definitely have no excuses. They will live or die with an intact roster. They will win or lose based on effort and execution alone. And they will have to do it against terrible teams, while the Braves still have to face a Phillies team looking to re-gain momentum heading into October.

Should the Cards not make the playoffs this year, some may look at these two recent losses as what cost the Redbirds their shot. It’s especially stinging that the Cardinals’ Achilles’ heels all year—questionable defense and a suspect bullpen—played prominent roles once again. But since that has been a year-long issue, take away any five of those bullpen losses or games lost on errors and the Cardinals are still in the hunt for the NL Central title, with the Wild Card likely being the consolation prize for either them or the Brewers. These last two losses were poorly timed, but if the Cards miss the 2011 postseason they were not the sole reason why.

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

An above .500 this week, including a win Friday night against in-state rivals St. Louis Cardinals, has left a feeling of mixed emotions and expectations for this young team. This team is still trying to find a rhythm, which with two starting pitchers getting ready to come off the DL, is going to be somewhat easier than it has been during the past three or four weeks.

Photo Courtesy of Minda Haas

Joakim Soria has seemed to find his rhythm again and that is good news for one of the youngest bullpens in baseball. With him and consistent efforts out of Aaron Crow, the Royals bullpen could solidify more upon Bruce Chen and Kyle Davies returning to the starting rotation.

The Royals are entering probably the most exciting time of the first half of the season this weekend in St. Louis, inter-league play. With the series this weekend in St. Louis, the Royals begin a two-week stretch of playing teams that they would only see in a potential World Series berth or spring training exhibitions. Every year at this time of the season, the question is raised, who is the better league this year.

The Royals have a chance to show case their young talented lineup to certain fan bases that may have never seen them play nor will again, lest that team and the Royals make it to the World Series. This gives opportunity for the potential All-Star candidates to draw some voters that probably would not consider voting for them otherwise. The only catch is, these players have to perform at the level they have been so far this season.

The defense has been solid and so has the offense. Both are ranked in the top five in the American League. One of the highlights on defense in particular has been Escobar at shortstop. It seems like every game he makes a play that he was not supposed to make. The bats are becoming a little more consistent as the lineup has stabilized in the past few ball games, but with one of the best hitters out of the lineup (arguably the best hitter too, Billy Butler) when playing at National League ballparks it is going to be slightly more difficult to manufacture runs during these away games.

The Royals pitching is again holding this team back in a variety of ways. So far this season I have seen, the starting pitching be solid, then the bullpen gets shaky and then the roles reverse by the end of the week or sometimes the series. The Royals currently rank dead last in the American League in ERA and have given up the third most home runs by any pitching staff this year. The pitchers have to keep the ball in the ballpark consistently in order to give the offense and defense opportunities to help win ball games.

Three phases of this game have to be executed well in order to be in contention in the season. The Royals have begun solidifying two of those phases, but one is still holding them back.

I have no answer to the question—I seriously want to know.

The cop-out answer is “a lot.” Obviously the Cardinals, like a number of teams, have been decimated by injuries and it has definitely caught up to them. But the walking wounded are slowly trickling back to the lineup, and as they do maybe the powers that be can start to get a clearer picture of how the second half of the season will shake out.

Still, even with the disabled list completely empty, this team has needs. And trying to assess the best possible moves to be made is nothing short of maddening.

For instance, it could be said the Cardinals need to acquire a strong relief pitcher. OK, fine…lefty or righty? Because with the erratic ineffectiveness of guys like Ryan Franklin, Miguel Batista, Brain Tallet, and Trever Miller, it’s easy to see where a stopper that throws with either hand could be a boost to an already taxed bullpen. But how long before one new arm becomes equally taxed?

Perhaps, then, the best move would be to acquire a starter that can eat some innings. The Cardinals could then move Kyle McClellan back to the bullpen, maybe killing two birds (ahem) with one stone. But before Chris Carpenter’s eight inning performance Friday night, the Cards had been hard-pressed to get more than six innings out of any of their starters. Would one starter be enough to give the bullpen a break? Anymore, it seems like Cardinal starters are hitting the wall earlier and earlier each game.

Part of the reason for that could be having to get extra outs each inning. The Cardinals have made a lot of errors this season. In terms of game outcome, some errors are more costly than others. But all errors give the other team an extra out, and that means extra pitches thrown. It adds up quickly. And the Cards’ rotation is not exactly made up of 200 inning workhorses. So should a stud defender be their target? Maybe pick up a flashy shortstop that could move Ryan Theriot to second base? Then the Cards’ pitch-to-contact starters may be more efficient…which would allow them to throw more innings…which in turn would put less stress on the bullpen.

The list of available players is still relatively short, though. The Angels just released lefty starter Scott Kazmir, who is still pretty young but has been battling injuries and ineffectiveness in recent years. JC Romero has just been designated for assignment by the Phillies, too. He could provide help for the left side of the bullpen. Both would represent low-risk acquisitions. But these guys were cut loose for a reason; would either be any better than what the Cards already have? More players like them will start to show up on free agent lists as the summer wears on, too.

The only other option is for the front office to totally move all in and make a blockbuster trade of some kind. Teams like the Mets, Padres, and Orioles may be selling soon, and all have players that could help the Cardinals. But impact players never come cheap, and really that is what the Cards need. Role players and supporting cast they have plenty of. So it’s a classic case of “be careful what you wish for” this time of year. Is Cardinal Nation willing to bid farewell to someone like Colby Rasmus for a chance to win now? Because if you want to see someone like Jose Reyes or Heath Bell wearing the Birds on the Bat, someone like Rasmus will be asked about.

Even in the throes of a seven game losing streak, the Cardinals are still only a game out of first place. It may not yet be time to hit the panic button. But the NL Central has become a four team race (Pirates!), so the margin for error is slimmer than ever. If John Mozeliak and company do not have a contingency plan in place, now would be the time to draw one up.

[Adapted from an article on El Maquino]

As most people have figured out by now, I start my summer-long tour with I-70 Baseball [this] week as both a Cardinals and Royals writer. So, they may not appreciate the fact that I’m already ripping on one of their writers, but it makes for good reading, right?

[Saturday], a gem popped up on the site entitled “Colby Rasmus Is A Bad Centerfielder.” Naturally, with my near-paternal instinct to defend my boy Colby, I clicked and read. I have to say, I didn’t like what I saw. Some of the highlights:

“[The Cardinals] might have the worst defensive starting centerfielder in all of baseball, and his name is Colby Rasmus…”

It’s on.

“…In the bottom of the third inning [Friday night], Craig Counsell sent a Kyle Lohse delivery to deep right-center. Right fielder Jon Jay tracked it to the wall and leaped but could not come up with the catch. The ball rattled around a quirky little notch in the Miller Park wall and Counsell ended up with a stand-up triple. On the telecast, Al Hrabosky practically screamed about it and the Fox Sports Midwest replay confirmed it: Rasmus was standing in his centerfield position watching Jay attempt to make the play. He simply did not move. He was an innocent bystander, just like the 33,000+ spectators in the stands. It honestly looked like he could not care less.

“Could Rasmus have made the catch? Certainly not. But had he run to back up his right fielder, Rasmus would have been in position to do two things which could have been immensely helpful to the situation: he could have chirped at Jay, who was watching the ball, about his location and approach to the wall/notch; and he could have grabbed the ball on the carom and fired it back into the infield to keep Counsell’s hit to a double.

“The real problem, though, is this was not an isolated incident. Rasmus has a history of playing somewhat aloof in the outfield. But, believe it or not, he is actually a pretty skilled defender…as long as his head is in the game. Rasmus has shown he can make big plays; he just doesn’t make them all the time. And that’s a mental lapse, not a physical one–”

–Stop right there. Yes, I agree (just like Razz would probably agree) that he’s got to play a smarter outfield. But that doesn’t mean he’s a bad centerfielder. Chris Reed, you said yourself that his errors are mental and that he is capable of making great plays (of which I left some links to on the comments section of the article). So if he can make said great plays, why chastise him for not getting a ball you yourself said he couldn’t get to and going as far as calling him the worst centerfielder in the Majors?

I won’t justify Colby’s not even trying for the ball, but you should at least understand his reasoning that A) I can’t catch this ball and B) JayJay probably can. Calling him lazy is, I think, a bit out of line. Maybe he is or maybe he isn’t: I have no way of saying how hard he works on his game. But I’m willing to bet a bum wouldn’t make it this far.

“… If he wants to be an elite centerfielder, however, he must step up his defense and it starts with the fundamentals. He has to take charge, call the ball, direct traffic. Otherwise, the Cards may need to seriously think about a shuffle in the outfield sooner rather than later.”

With who? Even if Colby skipped out on some plays, Jay isn’t fast enough to cover center–especially with Lance Berkman to his left. Then what do you do when Matt Holliday gets back? Bottom line: he is the only one of the team’s outfielders who has the speed to cover all that ground.

* * * * *

Okay. . . I’m calm. And I probably wouldn’t even rip Reed’s story except that I saw some other upsetting stuff about Number 28 [Saturday]. (That, and he stole my nickname for Daniel Descalso.)

Unless they get all their news from the watered-down Cardinals.com, who aren’t allowed to post any fun news, Cards fans know that Colby’s dad Tony Rasmus is highly involved with both the way his son swings and the media that talk about the way his son swings. So much so that he even commented on [my] site a few months ago in approval of that written defense of Colby. He talks to St. Louis reporters sometimes, but leaves his mark on fan sites and blogs such as [El Maquino], the Cardinal Nation Blog and HardballTalk, where I first found out he was doing this and how he got the link to EM. Anyways, it was discovered in a Riverfront Times blog that Colby was commenting on TCNB as “RCWarrior;” the same RCWarrior who said this a few days ago:

In my opinion Colby’s chameleon approach to playing baseball since he has reach St. Louis has doomed him….in St. Louis. He has tried to change most every facet of his game to please this person or that person. He never had throwing problems or fielding problems until he reached St. Louis. These changes have been bad judgement decisions by Colby and have hurt his game. The fans have noticed he is not the player that he was proclaimed to be. It sickens me that he chose against my advice I might add to change the way he played the game, lost his aggressiveness, and became a passive looking player that I find hard to watch. He has made bad decisions and forgot how to play the game. Thats my take on the situation and I believe the only way out for him is to start fresh somewhere else. He may forever be this boring player that doesn’t seem to care about the game even if he gets traded but he surely isn’t going to change the way he is viewed in St. Louis. I’d like to watch the kid that busted his [butt] when he played again one day. It may never happen again but a guy can dream can’t he?

At least Chris isn’t alone on the effort issue. Like I said, maybe he is lazy and maybe he isn’t. I tend to lean to the latter, but even his dad thinks he’s not trying hard anymore.

Maybe what troubles me the most is that Cards fans don’t seem to see the massive potential this guy’s got. 30-homer power, easy. He’s fast, can steal, get to fly balls, hit triples. The “chameleon approach” shows itself most at the plate: swing for the fences and strike out? Or hit for average and lose power? If he can choose either and stick with it, he can be the five-tool player I know he can be. Hopefully, he can so in St. Louis.

But the animosity towards him has spread so fast that fans on blogs, talk radio and Twitter have called for the trading of Colby Rasmus–so much so that Bernie Miklasz felt the need to pen a column insisting on the craziness of that conclusion.

My question as a Cards fan in Kansas City is this: Is the Colby bashing a St. Louis-area thing? Fans there seem to be overly critical of the guy for whatever reason (likely the perception of his effort, which I don’t agree with but understand) while I and other national writers think you’re nuts.

They can’t stand Colby, yet they had a love affair with Brendan Ryan: a great fielder but terrible hitter whose concentration was never not in question and a guy who is only a fraction of the player Razz is. And it appears, from Tony Rasmus’ comments, that those fans may be a key factor in driving him away.

Be careful what you wish for, Cardinal Nation. You just might get it.

Postscript: You can hit me up at my Cardinals site or Twitter. And no hard feelings, Chris!