Will Smith, one of the Royals pitching prospects, didn’t show his potential in Wednesday night’s 8-3 loss to the New York Yankees. Smith pitched three and a third innings, giving up six hits and five runs, all earned, with three of the runs home runs. He struck out one and walked one. Smith left the game with a glittering 13.50 ERA and got the loss. After Smith faced 16 batters, long reliever Luis Mendoza came in to relieve Smith. Honestly, Mendoza should have started the game instead of Smith.

Usually, a debuting pitcher does well against a lineup that hasn’t seen them before. But these are the New York Yankees, and they weren’t fooled B. Smith.

Smith’s start is similar with another Royal pitcher who made their Major League debut at Yankee Stadium. The immortal Eduardo Villacis.

Royals fans remember the right-handed Villacis, but not fondly. It was at a low point in the Royals 2004 season, which was already spiraling out of control. Expectations were high after an 83-79 2003 season, but when Villacis started the May 1 game against the Yankees, the Royals were 7-15 and had lost their last three games.

Villacis was called up from AA Wichita to fill in for the injured Darrell May. Unlike Smith, Villacis wasn’t a prospect. In fact, few Royals fans knew who he was. Most of the Royals players didn’t know him either.

But Villacis could throw strikes, said former General Manager Allard Baird. In his Major League debut, Villacis threw 36 strikes out of 66 pitches, but didn’t strike out anyone and walked four Yankees. He pitched three and a third innings, gave up six hits and five runs, all earned, with a glittering 13.50 ERA and the loss. Just like Will Smith. At least Villacis only gave up one home run compared to Smith’s three home runs. Then again, Smith threw one more strikeout than Villacis.

The 12-4 loss to the Yankees would be Villacis’ only Major League appearance. He was sent back to Wichita and on May 24, 2004 Villacis was claimed off waivers by the Chicago White Sox. On July 20, 2005 Villacis was released by the White Sox, ending his baseball career.

It’s doubtful Smith will suffer the same fate as Villacis, seeing he’s one of the Royals pitching prospects. But one has to wonder how this will affect Smith’s development. Smith may be sent back to Omaha, or make another start with the Royals. It depends how the Royals view Smith. Does the team consider him a prospect who had a bad debut and will get another Major League start, or a pitcher who needs more seasoning in the minors? With the Royals, it’s hard to say. Just look how they’re handling second baseman, uh, designated hitter Johnny Giavotella.

On we go, with our analysis of the trades of the Dayton Moore era as General Manager of the Kansas City Royals.  When combined together, the results up until 2010 have not been altogether flattering.  As was mentioned in the previous piece, as we get closer in years to the present day, the data becomes less reliable as many of the players involved in these trades are still in the minor leagues so there are no statistics with which to come up with their WAR.  Due to the number of trades made in the 2010 year, this year will be split into 2 columns with the next and final piece also including the conclusion to this evaluation.  So without any further ado, the GMDM trades of 2010:

May 1, 2010: The Kansas City Royals traded Carlos Rosa to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Rey Navarro (minors).

In 2 forgettable seasons with the Royals, Rosa compiled a 0.3 WAR, which is right around replacement level.  He was clearly expendable, and was out of baseball after the 2010 season.  Navarro spent last season in Double A Northwest Arkansas, and at best, projects out to be a slick-fielding utility infielder who can’t hit.  He will likely spend 2012 in Triple A Omaha.  So while Arizona technically wins this trade on WAR, the Royals have a chance to come out on top still.

Rosa: 0.1 WAR with Diamondbacks (2010)

Navarro: 0.0 WAR (has yet to appear for Royals)

Diamondbacks win trade by 0.1 WAR

July 22, 2010: The Kansas City Royals traded Alberto Callaspo to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for Will Smith (minors) and Sean O’Sullivan.

At the time this trade was made, the consensus was that the Royals sold high on Callaspo and made out well.  O’Sullivan was pegged as a solid, young back of the rotation starter, and Smith was a lower level minor leaguer with a little more upside.  A year and half later, the consensus is that O’Sullivan isn’t very good, Smith is still a few years away, and Callaspo has continued to be an effective player for the Angels, sporting a stellar .366 OBP and 4.5 WAR (near all-star level) in 2011.  However, at the time he was traded, the Royals needed to find a way to get Wilson Betemit in the lineup, and knew they had Mike Moustakas coming up soon, so Callaspo needed to be dealt while his stock was high.  While O’Sullivan has shown some flashes, he has been more bad than good.  He is however, still just 24 years old so it is possible he could turn the corner and become a useful major league pitcher.  Smith is just 22 and pitched at Northwest Arkansas in 2011.  He will likely make the jump to Omaha in 2012.  He is not currently on the 40-man roster, but is slated to be a non-roster invitee to spring training.  Just going by the numbers and the productivity that each team has received at the major league level up to this point, this trade qualifies as the single biggest fleecing of the Dayton Moore era…and not the kind of fleecing you want to see if you’re a Royals fan.

Callaspo: 5.0 WAR with Angels (1/2 of 2010 and 2011)

Smith: 0.0 WAR (has yet to appear for Royals)

O’Sullivan: -2.0 WAR with Royals (1/2 of 2010 and 2011)

Angels win trade by 7.0 WAR

July 28, 2010: The Kansas City Royals traded Scott Podsednik to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Elisaul Pimentel (minors) and Lucas May.

When Moore signed Podsednik as a free agent prior to the 2010 season, the best case scenario would have been for Pods to play at a high level for half a season, allowing the Royals to flip him at the deadline for some useful pieces for the long-term.  And that is exactly what happened.  Podsednik, at the age of 34, was in the midst of putting up statistically the second best season of his lengthy career with a line of .310/.353/.400.  Moore then predicatbly found a taker for him at the deadline in the Dodgers.  In return the Royals received Pitcher Elisaul Pimentaul and Catcher Lucas May.  Pimentel spent 2011 at Double A Northwest Arkansas and has yet to establish himself as anything more than organizational depth.  May appeared with the Royals in 2010 for an uninspiring 39 plate appearances, before being dealt in 2011 to the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Podsednik did little for the Dodgers after this trade, but judging off of WAR, the Royals once again came out on the short end.

Podsednik: 0.0 WAR with Dodgers (1/2 of 2010)

Pimentel: 0.0 WAR (has yet to appear for Royals)

May: -0.6 WAR with Royals (1/2 of 2010)

Dodgers win trade by 0.6 WAR

July 31, 2010: The Kansas City Royals traded Rick Ankiel and Kyle Farnsworth to the Atlanta Braves for Gregor Blanco, Jesse Chavez and Tim Collins.

What was said above about best case scenario for Podsednik, can also be applied to the signing of Rick Ankiel.  However, it ends there as Ankiel was far from effective in his half-season with the Royals.  In fact, at times it seemed he might be attempting his best Juan Gonzalez impersonation with all of the time he spent on the DL.  It was a miracle the Royals were able to unload him on anyone.  Farnsworth was brutal in 2009, his first year with the Royals.  However, in 2010, he bounced back in a big way making himself a very attractive chip at the trade deadline.   Of the 3 players the Royals received in exchange for these 2, Tim Collins is the only one still with the Royals and will be battling for a spot on the 2012 opening day roster pitching out of the bullpen.  With him being the only player in the entire trade still on the roster of the team they were traded to, this trade could get even better for the Royals as time goes on.

Ankiel: 0.3 WAR with Braves (1/2 of 2010)

Farnsworth: -0.3 WAR with Braves (1/2 of 2010)

Blanco: 0.4 WAR with Royals (1/2 of 2010)

Chavez: -1.0 WAR with Royals (1/2 of 2010 and 2011)

Collins: 1.1 WAR with Royals (2011)

Royals win trade by 0.5 WAR

Please come back next week for the conclusion of this evaluation.  So far, it is not looking good for Dayton…

The Cardinals are chasing the Milwaukee Brewers in the standings. The Brewers are hot and the Cardinals, while playing solid baseball lately, just cannot seem to make up any ground. They sit five games back of first place entering Monday’s action and are in dire need of a winning streak.

This season finds the Cardinals upside down when it comes to the subject of streaks. They have strung together four wins in a row seven separate times this year but have also been victim of a seven game losing streak. It is not a common problem for a Tony LaRussa led Cardinal club to have a longer losing streak than a winning streak. When it does happen, the team typically does not experience success.

Tony LaRussa arrived in St. Louis for the 1996 season, beginning his tenure with the ball club and returning the team to the playoffs after a lengthy absence. They would finish that season 88-74 with a six game lead over the Houston Astros and on their way into postseason play. During that year, from August 30 through September 7, the Cardinals would string off an eight game winning streak. Their longest losing streak would occur early in the season, from April 25 through May 1 and would last six games. Result: +2 streak factor, Cards win the division, lose the NLCS to Atlanta.

The return to success under Tony LaRussa would not find consistent success in the early days and 1997 would find the Cardinals struggling to put much together at all. They would finish with a 73-89 record, never seeing a day of the season above .500 and finishing in fourth place, eleven games behind the Astros. Twice during that season, from April 27 to May 1 and from June 28 to July 2, they were able to put together a five game win streak. As the season was coming to a close, from September 20 – September 26, they would drop seven straight contests. Result: -2 streak factor, Cards finish in fourth place.

The team was able to find winning ways again in 1998 during the magical summer of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. They would finish with a record above .500 at 83-79, but it would not be enough to eclipse the Houston Astros (or the Chicago Cubs). The end of the season would put the Cardinals in third place, 19 games behind the division winner. The Cardinals would experience a six game win streak towards the end of the year from September 15 until September 22. However, they would also go through two six game losing streaks from June 3 to June 8 and from August 21 until August 28. Result: even streak factor, Cards finish in third place.

Roller coaster seasons littered the early part of the LaRussa era and the team would close the century with a losing record, 75-86. A fourth place finish 21.5 games behind the division winning, and suddenly dominant, Houston Astros. The team would pull off a four game win streak twice during the season, once from April 13 to April 17 and once from July 22 to July 25. Later in the season, from August 23 through August 30, the team would drop seven straight contests, putting the finishing touches on another negative streak factor. Result: -3 streak factor, Cards finish fourth.

The Century would turn and so would the luck of the Cardinals as they would return to the top of the National League Central Division. A strong season would see a final record of 95-67 and a 10 game lead over the Cincinnati Reds. On July 27, the team would begin a four game losing streak that would end on July 30. During September, however, the team would rip off a seven game win streak from the 11th through the 17th. Result: +3 streak factor, Cards win the division, lose the NLCS to the Mets.

The start of the 2001 season would see the arrival of Albert Pujols, the finish would find the Cardinals tied with the Houston Astros. The Astros, however, won the season series and were awarded the division title and the Birds would arrive in the post-season as the Wild Card. The Cards would drop six straight at the end of June, from the 26 through July 3. They would answer in August, ripping an eleven game winning streak from the 9th through the 19th. Result: +5 streak factor, Cards win the Wild Card (tie for first), lose the NLDS to Arizona.

The Cardinals would find a groove and finish 2002 well in first place with a 97-65 record and no sign of sharing the title with rival Houston this time. They would eventually drop the NLCS, continuing their search for a return to the World Series, but along the way they would win eight straight games in September from the 3rd through the 11th. The longest losing streak they would endure would occur from July 31 to August 7, lasting seven games. Result: +1 streak factor, Cards win the division, lose the NLCS to the Giants.

The 2003 season would be one of the most competitive in Division Play history. The team would finish with an 85-77 record, yet wind up in third place despite only being three games behind the division winning Chicago Cubs. Early in the season, the team was able to string together seven wins from April 27 to May 4. Just before that, from April 19 to April 24, they would drop five in a row. Result: +2 streak factor, Cards finish third.

As 2004 arrived and came to a close, fans everywhere figured it was the year for the Cardinals. They would post an amazing 105-57 record and find their way back to the World Series for the first time since 1987. When you win that many games, losing streaks are not common, and it took until the end of the year before they dropped four in a row, from September 27 to September 30. In the heat of August, the team was able to begin a nine game win streak that would start on the 27th and last until September 5. Result: +5 streak factor, Cards win NL Pennant, lose the World Series to the Red Sox.

A second season in a row with triple digit wins, 2005 would end with the Cardinals on top of the division and winning exactly 100 games and dropping 62. Early in the season the club would post a six game win streak from April 21 through April 27. It is hard to call it a losing streak, but they would drop three straight games on three separate occassions – May 5 through 7, June 21 through 23, and September 22 through 24. Result: +3 streak factor, Cards win the division, drop the NLCS to Houston.

The 2006 season was an ugly year that ended up with the Cardinals having luck on their side. The team would only win 83 games (losing 78), but would find themselves on their way to the playoffs anyway. The strange season would see them piece together a seven game win streak from July 7 through July 16 and an eight game losing streak twice – June 20 through June 27 and July 27 through August 4. Many people expressed that the Cardinals “backed their way” into the playoffs and a world title, but the team never complained. Result: -1 streak factor, Cards win the World Series over Detroit.

If the team backed their way into the playoffs in 2006, it must have carried over to 2007. The team played horribly, finishing 78-84, seven games back of the division winning Chicago Cubs. Twice near the end of the season, from August 11 through the 16th and again from September 26 through 30th, they put together five game win streaks. Between them, from September 7 through September 15, they would drop nine straight contests. Result: -4 streak factor, Cards finish in third.

In 2008, the Cardinals would return to their winning ways. Unfortunately, so would the entire National League Central Division. The team would finish 86-76, which was only good enough for a fourth place finish, 11.5 games behind the division winning Cubs. They would enter September and drop seven straight games from September 10 through the 17th. From the 23rd through the 28th of the same month, they would win a season high six straight. Result: -1 streak factor, Cards finish fourth.

The following season the Cardinals would kick into high gear and post a 91-71 record, winning their division. They would post identical streaks of five, though they would win that many in a row six different times during the season – April 9-13, April 21-25, May 19-23, August 12-17, and finally from August 28 – September 2. The only time they would drop five in a row would occur from June 5 through June 9. Result: even streak factor, Cards win the division, lose the NLDS to the Dodgers.

Last season would see the Cincinnati Reds emerge as division champions, leaving the Cardinals to second place after a 86-76 season. On July 11 they would begin a eight game win streak that would come a close on July 21. A pair of five game losing streaks would hit the Cards on August 14 through August 20 and from August 28 through September 1. Result: +3 streak factor, Cards finish second.

Through 15 seasons under their current manager, the Cardinals have been able to compile a +13 streak factor, one World Championship, and 8 post-season appearances. If they expect to arrive in the postseason again, they need a winning streak to turn the standings around. Currently, the Cardinals find themselves at 65-56 and five games behind the Milwaukee Brewers. They have strung together four consecutive wins on seven occasions, however, they have dropped seven straight from June 10 through June 17. Current Result: -3 streak factor, Cards in second place.

Can the Cardinals turn it around and avoid a negative streak factor and a missed post-season? Time will tell, but it seems they need to find a hot streak.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Follow him on Twitter here.

This story begins on May 1, 1954. A little over two weeks into the season, the National League was bunched up, with nobody making a strong early run. The New York Giants were in St. Louis for an early season double header. They were not prepared for what the Cardinals would unleash on them. Or, more specifically, a Cardinal.

May 1, 1954

The Cardinals would get out to a quick lead in the first game, helped by a Stan Musial solo home run in the third inning. The Giants would roar back, taking a 5-4 lead of their own on back to back home runs to start the fifth inning. The lead would not last long when Stan Musial answered with his second home run of the game – this time a 2 run shot. Later that inning, one of the best nicknames in baseball, Peanuts Lowrey, would pinch hit for Cardinals starter, Gerry Staley.

Stan the Giants Killer

Al Brazle would take over for Staley, but would also be unable to hold the lead. With the game tied at six, the outcome of the first game would be determined when Stan Musial steps up to the plate in the 8th inning with 2 on and nobody out. Musial hits a three run homer, to give the Cardinals a 9-6 lead. The Cardinals would tack on another run, but it was Musial’s blasts that made this game so special.

Stan would go a perfect 4-4 with a walk, three home runs and 6 RBIs.

Oh wait, there is still another game to be played.

That one would not be so kind to the Cardinals. Joe Presko and two relievers gave up 8 runs in the top of the 4th inning, and the Giants would win the game easily. The 9 Giants runs are not the story here, it is the 7 runs the Cardinals would put up.

Trailing 8-3 in the fifth inning, Red Schoendienst would lead off the inning with a triple. Stan Musial would follow that with a 2 run homer, his fourth on the day. His RBI total is now 8. He is not done. Leading off the seventh inning, Musial would hit his second home run of the day off Hoyt Wilhelm, establishing a new major league record of five home runs on the day.

Sitting somewhere in Sportsman’s Park that day was an 8 year old with a dream to play in the major leagues. That little slugger was Nate Colbert. Little did he, or anybody else in attendance know, 18 years later, Colbert would match one of those records and shatter the other.

Off to Houston via Rule 5

Nate Cobert

That youngster watching Stan Musial put his name in the record book grew up to be a big strong first baseman/outfielder. He would be drafted by his hometown team, the Cardinals, in 1964 where he would start his professional career playing in the Rookie League in Sarasota, alongside future MLBers Gaylen Pitts and Sal Campisi. Colbert would spend 1965 in Cedar Rapids where he would hit a respectable .274 with 7 doubles, 2 triples and 9 home runs.

Following Colbert’s solid season in A-ball, his career would take an unexpected turn when he was selected by the Houston Astros in the Rule 5 draft. The Rule 5 draft was first introduced in 1959 and was intended to replace parts of the “bonus baby” rules that came into play when a team signed a prospect to a large initial contract.

The Rule 5 draft takes place in December, and it allows teams to select a player from another team’s farm system that is not protected by being on the 40 man roster. The drafting team must pay the original team a fee, now at $50,000. There is a catch, and it comes from the “bonus baby” legacy: the drafting team must keep the player on the major league active roster for the entire following season. After that, the new team controls the player’s contract and can option them back to the minors. If the drafting team does not keep the player on the active 25 man roster, the player must be offered back to the original team for half of the Rule 5 fee.

As it so often happens, that just took place in St. Louis.

Brian Broderick

Last December, the Washington Nationals drafted right handed pitcher, Brian Broderick (11-2, 2.77 ERA, 2 complete games, 1 shutout) from Springfield(AA). After a few appearances out of their bullpen in 2011, the Nationals decided not to keep Broderick on their active roster. Since they could not option him to AAA, they had to offer him back to the Cardinals, and the team gladly paid the $25,000 to get him back.

The situation was much different in 1965 when Houston drafted Nate Colbert. Teams carried fewer pitchers, and as a result, they could hold on to an infrequently used bench player longer than teams do today. Add in that Houston was still in building mode after entering the National League in 1962 as an expansion team and you have all of the ingredients to a successful Rule 5 pickup.

The 20 year old Nate Colbert would join the Houston Astros for the 1966 season. As expected, he was used infrequently – mostly as a pinch runner. Following the 1966 season, he would be optioned to AA to play with the Amarillo Sonics, where he would light up the Texas League with a .289 batting average, 28 home runs, 67 RBIs and 26 stolen bases. That prompted a late season promotion to Oklahoma City (AAA) where he would spend most of 1968.

Drafted Again ?

After a short injury call-up in July 1968, and a longer look in September, the Houston Astros lost their Rule 5 draftee when the San Diego Padres selected Colbert in the 1969 Expansion Draft.

It was in San Diego that Colbert would experience his best years in major leagues. In those 6 years, he would hit .253 with 163 home runs and 481 RBIs. A bunch of those would come on August 1, 1972.

August 1, 1972

The 6th place Padres would face the 4th place Atlanta Braves for a double header to start the month of August. Although the Braves had managed to stay close to .500, neither team had any hopes of catching the Cincinnati Reds on their first of five NL West titles over the next 8 seasons. That didn’t mean that they couldn’t still play some meaningful baseball.

Nate Colbert

The first game of this doubleheader was a curious one. Clay Kirby of the Padres would pitch a gem, where Ron Schueler of the Braves didn’t even make it out of the third inning. The scoring would be one sided, and the runs would come in bunches. And always when Nate Colbert came up to bat.

With one out in the top of the first, back to back walks to Dave Roberts and Larry Stahl led to the first of Colbert’s blasts. This one was a three run homer, and it gave the Padres all the runs they would need to win this game. But Colbert was far from done.

Roberts and Stahl would get on base again to start the third inning. This time it was some small ball from the bat of Nate Colbert, as the slugging first baseman hits a single, scoring Roberts. That’s four RBIs.

Colbert would hit a solo home run off Mike McQueen in the seventh inning, giving him 2 on the day to go along with five RBIs.

All in all, a good day for Colbert. Then came Game Two.

Like the first one, game two was a total slugfest, and also pretty one-sided. A late inning rally by the Braves makes this game look a lot closer than it was. It was all Padres, and pretty much all Nate Colbert.

With the Padres leading 2-0, Colbert would come up to bat in the second inning with the bases loaded. Pat Jarvis, from Carlyle Illinois, would make a mistake to the the Padres cleanup hitter, and cleanup is exactly what Colbert did. A grand slam homer, his third on the day, and RBIs six, seven, eight and nine. That blast broke the game open for San Diego, but more importantly, those RBIs tied Stan Musial from 18 years ago.

After a ground out in the fifth inning, Colbert came up to bat with one man on in the seventh. He would hit his fourth home run on the day, extending his single day RBI total to 11.

With two men out in the ninth inning, Nate Colbert comes up to the plate with Larry Stahl on first base again. He takes Cecil Upshaw for another 2 run homer, his fifth on the day. That would tie Stan Musial’s record from 1954. It would also give him 13 RBIs in the doubleheader, establishing a major league record that still stands today.

There are still two more St. Louis tie-ins to this Nate Colbert story, but it will require looking ahead 21 years, to September 7, 1993.

September 7, 1993

The Cardinals would visit Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati for a late season showdown between two teams that were well out of contention. The small crowd that witnessed this Tuesday night doubleheader saw one of the most entertaining games of the season, if not the decade.

The first game was a wild one, with a capital W. The Cardinals would use 21 players and the Reds would counter with 20 of their own. 41 of the 50 eligible players would see action in this game, and surprisingly, it would finish in regulation. The Reds would win the game, 14-13, thanks to a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth on a Reggie Sanders triple that center fielder Mark Whitten misplayed. Perhaps driven by that poor defensive play, Mark Whitten would go on to have a legendary second game, but before we look at that one, there is one plate appearance in game one that needs some attention.

Mark Whitten

That at-bat would take place in the top of the 8th inning. Trailing 9-6, the Cardinals had roared back against Reds reliever, Scott Service. Rob Dibble had come into the game and gave up the tying run on a single by Gregg Jefferies. He would then walk the bases loaded, before turning the game over to Scott Ruskin. The first batter he would face is Mark Whitten. Ruskin walks Whitten, forcing in the go-ahead run. Even though Whitten would be hit-less in the game, that RBI would soon be very significant. Not to the outcome of the game, but to writer of the major league record books.

While Whitten went 0-4 in the first game, he would demolish the Reds in the second. Cincinnati starter, Larry Luebbers, would be Whitten’s first victim, and it would come in the first inning. With bases loaded and two out, Whitten hits a grand slam to give the Cardinals a 4-0 lead. As with Nate Colbert in 1972, that would be enough runs to win the game, but Whitten was only getting started.

In the third inning, Luebbers would do what no other Reds pitcher could do in game two, retire the Cardinals slugger. He would get Whitten to pop out to third base.

Mark Whitten would face Cincinnati reliever, Mark Anderson in both the sixth and seventh innings. Both times, Todd Zeile and Gerald Perry would be on base. And both times, Whitten would hit a home run. That would give Whitten three homers on the day, and 11 RBIs. With any luck, he would have one more chance to tie, or perhaps even break the single day record for RBIs.

That chance came in the ninth inning. With Gerald Perry on base, Whitten hit a Rob Dibble pitch deep into the dark Cincinnati sky. It cleared the outfield wall by inches, but by doing so, it game Whitten 13 RBIs on the day, tying the major league record, set by St. Louisan, Nate Colbert, back in 1972. The four home runs in a single game also tied a major league record, held by many players.

No Thanks to Gilkey

There is one more St. Louis aspect to this game, and it requires a second look at the seventh inning of Game Two to find it. It turns out that some exceptional hustle on the part of Bernard Gilkey, also a native of St. Louis, cost Mark Whitten the single day RBI record.

With two outs in the seventh, Bernard Gilkey starts the Cardinals rally with a single. Todd Zeile follows that with a single, but Zeile pulls the ball into left field so Gilkey could not advance to third base. It is the Gerald Perry infield single that alters baseball history. The play was very close at first base, and the Reds were not paying attention to Gilkey who they thought had only advanced to third on the play. When he rounded third base, he never stopped running, and scored when the Reds hesitated. Gilkey’s hustle was the right play, but it also cost Whitten a 14th RBI when moments later, he hit a second home run of Mark Anderson.

Nate Colbert and Stan Musial’s record of five home runs in a double header still stand today. Colbert and Mark Whitten’s 13 runs batted in for a double header also stands as a major league record. Whitten’s 12 RBIs in a single game also ties him for the major league record, shared with yet another Cardinal: Jim Bottomley on September 16, 1924.

Let me start off by saying I hate to keep beating the dead horse that is Ryan Franklin’s struggles this season. I’ve already written extensively about it twice in the past month. First, I questioned whether Cardinals manager, Tony La Russa, would do the right thing when it came time to drop a pitcher off the roster and into the minors. Two weeks ago, Franklin’s workload severely dropped off, and I thought I had my answer.

That’s what makes the decision to demote Mitchell Boggs to the minors and keep Franklin so shocking. Tony La Russa has not been confident enough to voluntarily bring him into a close game in a month. April 23^rd, Franklin came in a 3-3 game in the 8^th vs the Reds and let both runners he inherited score with two outs. May 1^st, Franklin was the last pitcher available in a 6-5 loss to the Braves in extra innings. Other than that, here’s the situations Franklin has been asked to pitch in over the past 30 days:

May 20 – Trailing 3-0 in the 8^th @ Kansas City

May 14 – Trailing 5-0 in the 7^th @ Cincinnati

May 11 – Trailing 6-0 in the 4^th @ Chicago

April 27 – Leading 6-0 in the 8^th @ Houston

It’s not a big surprise that Franklin hasn’t been trusted. Virtually every single close game Franklin’s been involved the Cardinals have lost. The Cardinals are 3-10 in games Franklin pitches in, including 4 blown saves and 2 other games where he’s entered the game with the score tied… and exited with the Cardinals behind. At this point, it’s fair to label Franklin the “blowout specialist” of the bullpen.

So why again is Franklin in the majors and Boggs in the minors? The “best” explanation I’ve received thus far is that Boggs is still within the window of his contract/career where he can be sent to the minors, whereas Franklin would have to be released altogether. While I can understand the club not wanting to lose the services of a pitcher they’re committed to paying another $2.5 million dollars this year, sometimes it’s just best to cut your losses…literally.

Here’s a quick comparison of Boggs and Franklin:

The numbers don’t lie. It’s not as if this is a small sample size like La Russa argued in Franklin’s defense in the second week of April (after Franklin’s fourth blown save). In 18 appearances, Boggs prevented the opposing team from scoring 12 times, a 67% rate. In 13 appearances, Franklin has prevented the opposing team from scoring twice… a 15% rate. The two teams he did manage to hold scoreless were the Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals… not exactly offensive juggernauts.

But I guess it’s useless to analyze the numbers any longer. It’s blatantly obvious that Mitchell Boggs is the better pitcher. There’s really nothing else to say. Tony La Russa obviously feels Franklin’s proven track record over the course of the past 3 years has earned him the benefit of the doubt.

Boo-birds at Busch, frustrated radio talk show callers, and angry sports forum posters would lead you to believe that Cardinal Nation adamantly disagrees.

Haven’t heard much complaining about Cardinals’ demoted reliever Ryan Franklin in a while? There’s a reason for that. No, he hasn’t been leading a remarkable resurgence on the mound. In fact, he hasn’t taken the mound at all since May 1^st.

Two weeks ago, I raised the question, “Will Tony La Russa do the right thing when it comes to his personnel options in the bullpen?” Basically I questioned whether the Cardinals’ skipper would keep Ryan Franklin on the team despite his 8.86 ERA and send a promising young arm like Eduardo Sanchez or Fernando Salas back to AAA when Brian Tallet and/or Brian Augenstein came off the disabled list.

While we haven’t gotten an “official” answer to that question yet, it seems pretty clear now what La Russa’s answer will be. It’s been a good run, Mr. Franklin. By all accounts, Ryan Franklin is a great person and teammate and no one likes to see a good guy end his career like this. But the bottom line is he just can’t be trusted to get hitters out anymore. Disagree? The Cardinals’ manager doesn’t. Ryan Franklin hasn’t been trusted to take the mound since giving up the winning run in the bottom of the 9^th in Atlanta a week and a half ago. Interestingly enough, every game since then has been decided by 3 runs or less (the lone exception was a 4-0 loss to the Brewers, but that game was 1-0 heading into the 9^th).

In the past 2 ½ weeks, Franklin has taken the mound twice: Once with a 6-0 lead in the 8^th where he gave up 2 hits on just 4 pitches and was yanked, and again in the aforementioned game in Atlanta where he was essentially La Russa’s only remaining option.

Pretty soon Brian Tallet will be coming off the disabled list, and when he does, look for Ryan Franklin to be designated for assignment. What other choice does the Cardinals’ management have now? Every other active reliever has an ERA below 3.25…and Franklin’s ERA is more than 2 ½ times higher. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what went wrong this season. Franklin followed up an All-Star appearance in 2009 by saving all but 2 of his save opportunities in 2010. I suppose a reasonable guess is that Mother Nature, and consequently every hitter in the National League, has caught up with the 38 year old right-hander.

When the obituary of Ryan Franklin’s baseball career is written… it will highlight the fact that before his downfall in 2011, he managed to save 65 of 72 games in the previous two seasons. Not bad for a 5^th starter turned middle reliever in his mid 30s.

Mr. Franklin, Cardinals Nation wishes you well on all your future endeavors. When the dust settles, most fans will look back on your career fondly.