The Royals still have some things to play for.

Can the Royals still win the Central Division? Good sense would tell you it’s not worth checking the standings.

Could they somehow win a wildcard spot? Even less of a chance.

How about finishing .500? It would take a historic tear for that to happen.

So is there any number of wins worth rooting for? Any standard for the team to try to reach?

Well, while most critics bemoan the typical strong finish to an abysmal season, there are a couple of numbers worth watching.

(Now before you start accusing me of being part of the problem, accepting bad baseball, let me state that I hate losing, and I hate not being in a real pennant race. But there’s nothing I can do about it, and it’s fun to play with numbers, even when they’re losing numbers)

Here’s what the Royals still have to shoot for:

70-92: Since 1996, the Royals have only finished on the plus-side of 70 wins five times. Let’s hear it for small victories.
72-90: One win better than 2011. Not worth celebrating.
74-88: Good enough last year for 19^th place of the 30 major league teams. Out of the bottom 10, into the middle third of the league.
75-87: The most wins by a Royals team since 2003 – matching the record of the 2008 team.
76-86: The Royals fell to 11 games under .500 on April 24 when a 12-game losing streak plunged them to 3-14. If the Royals can reach 76 wins, it will mean they’ve played better than .500 baseball since that dismal date. This is the number I’m most intrigued by.
3^rd: The Royals haven’t finished third in the Central Division since 2003.

How about some individual standards to shoot for?

100: The number of RBIs Billy Butler will likely exceed. No Royal has reached this mark since Carlos Beltran did it in 2003.
54: Alex Gordon could reach this record – Hal McRae’s number of doubles, set in 1977.
13: If Bruce Chen could reach 13 wins, he would top his team-leading mark of 12 from both 2010 and 2011. He would tie his best-ever win total, which he notched with Baltimore in 2005. And he would finish above .500, barring he records no more losses. It will be tough, as Chen can only squeeze in a few more starts this season.

Ok, so these would all be very hollow victories, I admit. There are only a few numbers KC fans should care about – 1^st in the division, 1^st in the league, and 1^st in the game.

But for the time being, some other numbers are worth pulling for.

The St. Louis Cardinals entered play Sunday with a 46-41 record, just one game behind their record at this point last season. To make a late-season run this year similar to 2011, the Cardinals will need to add some experienced arms in the bullpen.

The Cardinals sent Colby Rasmus to the Toronto Blue Jays on July 27 last year as part of a three-team trade that gave the Cardinals three critical pieces of their championship team: starting pitcher Edwin Jackson, and relievers Marc Rzepczynski and Octavio Dotel.

Jackson started some critical games for the Cardinals in the second half of the season, and Rzepcysnki provided needed lefthanded relief to neutralize potent left-handed hitters such as Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard. However, the most important part of that group that is no longer with the team is Dotel.

Dotel, who now pitches for the Detroit Tigers, filled the role Julian Tavarez played for the Cardinals in 2004 National League championship and Braden Looper pitched in relief for the 2006 World Series championship team. Unfortunately, the Cardinals don’t have a pitcher similar to Dotel in their bullpen this year.

The team may have hoped Scott Linebrink would fill that role this year, but he got hurt in Spring Training and the Cardinals released him before he ever threw a pitch in the 2012 regular season. Now they have a group of 20-somethings that are pitching as typical 20-something pitchers without much experience.

Sure, much of that group pitched well during last year’s playoff run, but they also had a veteran leader in Dotel. He not only pitched well with a 3.28 ERA as a Cardinal, but he also provided leadership for the inexperienced bullpen. His absence has left a huge void in this year’s bullpen.

Victor Marte, 31, is the oldest of the group, but he is in his first full season is not ready to lead a group of other pitchers. Jason Motte, 30, has 20 saves this year and finished off the World Series last year, but he still has issues of his own, which include finding a reliable second pitch that he can throw with confidence.

The bullpen’s lack of experience has shown up in the numbers this year, as well. The Cardinals have a 4.49 bullpen ERA, which is 25th in the majors.

Manager Mike Matheny has grasped at straws in Memphis by bringing up Eduardo Sanchez and Sam Freeman, but both have looked overmatched and should stay in Memphis for the rest of the year. If Motte created nail-biting moments last year, just imagine Freeman pitching in an important game late in the year or in the playoffs. Those would be heart-attack inducing innings.

So, as the trading deadline approaches, the Cardinals have been linked to starting pitchers such as Brewers starter Zack Greinke, but they need to look toward pitchers who can throw key innings late in a game rather than the first six or seven innings.

Sure, the starting rotation is fragile with Chris Carpenter and Jaime Garcia on the disabled list, but Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly provide much more stability in their roles than Fernando Salas or Mitchell Boggs do in their bullpen roles.

Plus, a veteran reliever will likely be a cheaper find than a front-line starter who may or may not test the free agent market in the offseason.

Looking back, the Cardinals would have been wise to pursue Dotel a little more aggressively. Hopefully they get a second chance at a similar pitcher later this month.

In the final piece of this series, we use the WAR data to finish taking a look at the trades that Dayton pulled off in 2010, and try to determine what all of this really means.

August 13, 2010: The Kansas City Royals traded Jose Guillen to the San Francisco Giants for a player to be named later and cash. The San Francisco Giants sent Kevin Pucetas (minors) (October 14, 2010) to the Kansas City Royals to complete the trade.

By this point in Jose Guillen‘s tenure with the Royals, they were just looking to get rid of him and unload a portion of his salary.  Guillen was in the last year of his deal, had (obviously) cleared waivers, and it was time for the Royals to get a look at some of the guys who had a chance to be part of their future.  And if they could get something in return, well all the better.  Along came Brian Sabean and the San Francisco Giants, who were in the middle of a pennant race and needed a bat.  Pucetas is a 27 year old career minor leaguer, who is unlikely to ever crack the Big Leagues.  However, this trade has to be considered a huge success for Moore considering their desperation to unload Guillen at the time.  It is telling that in Guillen’s almost 3 years with the Royals, he managed to post a cumulative WAR of -1.0.  That’s what $36 million of David Glass’ money bought the Royals in 2007.  Guillen did little after going to the Giants and was not even included on their playoff roster, which was the year they won the World Series.  I’m not sure if Jose has officially announced his retirement, but it is safe to say he is done.

Guillen: -0.7 WAR with Giants (2 months of 2010)

Pucetas: 0.0 WAR (has yet to reach Majors)

Royals win trade by 0.7 WAR

November 10, 2010: The Kansas City Royals traded David DeJesus to the Oakland Athletics for Justin Marks (minors) and Vin Mazzaro.

Yikes!  While DeJesus had a down year in 2011, he did not come close to falling on his face with the fervor that good ole Vinny Mazzaro did.  Royals fans likely have one memory of Mazzaro from the 2011 season and it is this:

IP     H     R    ER    BB   SO   HR   HBP
2.1   11   14   14     3      2      1        0

That was his line as he appeared in relief against Cleveland on May 16.  At least he didn’t hit anyone.  While Mazzaro did appear for the Royals a few more times before the 2011 season came to an end, it is that game and that game alone that Royals fans remember.  It is still unclear what exactly it was that Moore saw in Mazzaro when making this deal.  He showed very little in 2 seasons with the A’s, and managed to make that look amazing compared to what he did in 2011.  As for Justin Marks, he is a 24 year old pitcher who logged a 3.98 ERA in Wilmington, the Royals’ Single A affiliate last year.  Considering how much of a pitcher’s league the Carolina league is known to be, along with his age, it is unlikely he ever has any meaningful impact on the big league roster.  The Royals were shopping DeJesus at the time, and one would have thought they could have gotten more than they did.  So either the market was much softer for him than first thought, or Billy Beane somehow pulled yet another fast one on the Royals.  I would tend to believe the latter, considering that even after an extremely down 2011 season for DeJesus, the Cubs still decided to invest $10 million in him over 2 years to make him their Opening Day right-fielder.  After consistently putting up WAR’s in the 3′s with the Royals (with a 4.4 in 2005), he regressed to a 0.6 WAR in 2011.  I expect DeJesus to rebound nicely in Chicago.

DeJesus: 0.6 WAR with A’s (2011)

Mazzaro: -0.7 WAR with Royals (2011)

Marks: 0.0 WAR (has not reached majors)

A’s win trade by 1.3 WAR

December 19, 2010: The Kansas City Royals traded Yuniesky Betancourt, Zack Greinke and cash to the Milwaukee Brewers for Jake Odorizzi (minors), Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar and Jeremy Jeffress.

Moreso than any other trade analyzed in this study, time will tell whether this one will work out in the Royals’ favor or not.  And if this trade ends up working out well for the Royals, the impact of it will trump the impact of all of the aforementioned failed trades combined.  But for fun, we will take a look at how it worked out in the 2011 season.

After Zack Greinke‘s 2009 Cy Young campaign, it appeared the Royals had their staff ace that would lead the starting rotation into the youth movement we are watching today.  But in 2010, Greinke was not the same.  At times he would show the stuff that made him so electrifying in 2009, but overall he looked disinterested.  Royals fans were in denial about it at the time, but looking back, it was very clear that with 2 years left on his deal, Zack no longer wanted to be in Kansas City.  So the Royals were faced with a decision: keep an unhappy Zack Greinke around in a clubhouse full of young impressionable players and worry about his negativity rubbing off on them, or trade him.  In hindsight, it is clear that trading Greinke was Moore’s only option.  It is even more clear after reading the following quote from Greinke.  When asked, in Feb. 2011, if he ever asked the Royals for a trade, Zack replied:

“I guess I kind of did right before the Trade Deadline last year because we were trading all our players. … When I signed, I was led to believe we were building around the guys we had, and we were getting rid of all of them,” he said. “So I sort of did then. Then at the end of the year, I sort of did again. And then during the offseason, I sort of did again. And then the media got the one where I think my agent must have said it somehow. … So I guess I sort of did about four times.”

Hence, in December of 2010, the Royals and the Brewers came to agreement on this deal.  Greinke proceeded to go to Milwaukee and pitch (and act) like Greinke.  First, he hurt himself playing basketball during Spring Training and missed the first month of the season.  Then he comes out in May and posts an out of this world K/W ratio while somehow managing to have an ERA hovering around 5.  Eventually though, he settled down and pitched like a Cy Young candidate the rest of the way for the NL Central Division Champion Brewers.  Betancourt, who was a throw-in in the deal after the Royals received Escobar in return, actually had a solid season for the Brewers in 2011. And now, ironically,he will wear a Royals uniform in 2012 albeit as a utility infielder.

As for what the Royals received in return, so much is tied up in the future.  But in just last year, it became clear that Escobar is something extremely special with the glove.  While he wasn’t useless with the bat, he is still a light hitter.  If this part of his game can continue to come around, you have yourself an elite ballplayer.  Cain came up for a quick audition at the end of the year and did fine.  The Royals clearly believe he is ready to take over as the everyday centerfielder, as they have traded away Melky Cabrera to the Giants to make room for an everyday role for Lorenzo.  Jeffress began the season on the big league roster, and while he displayed a very live arm and the ability to strike batters out, he struggled badly with his control and was sent down for the majority of the rest of the season.  It remainst to be seen what his role might be in 2012, but it is likely he begins the season in Omaha.  And after all of that, we have not even discussed the player who was stated to be the biggest grab in this trade for the Royals, 21 year-old righthander Jake Odorizzi.  Odorizzi spent last season split between Single A Wimington and Double A Northwest Arkansas.  He figures to begin this season either in Northwest Arkansas or Omaha, with a chance at a September callup to Kansas City.  So while the Royals clearly gave up a bit of production in the short term in this trade, the long term looks extremely bright.

Greinke: 1.7 WAR with Brewers (2011)

Betancourt: 0.7 WAR with Brewers (2011)

Escobar: 2.0 WAR with Royals (2011)

Cain: 0.1 WAR with Royals (23 September 2011 plate appearances)

Jeremy Jeffress: 0.0 WAR with Royals (2011)

Jake Odorizzi: 0.0 WAR (has not reached majors)

Brewers win trade by 0.3 WAR

So…what does all of this mean?

Strictly looking at WAR, Dayton Moore has clearly come out on the short end of the trades that he made in the years of 2006-2010.  Overall, these trades negatively impacted the Royals performance of the Royals through the 2011 season.  However, having reviewed all of these trades, it is very difficult to find one anywhere that set the fanchise back in the long term.  There are no atrocities such as Johnny Damon for Roberto Hernandez, Jermaine Dye for Neifi Perez, or Carlos Beltran for John Buck and Mark Teahen.  Granted, there weren’t any Damons, Dyes, or Beltrans on the roster when Moore took over.  But the point is that it is clear there was a strategy.  Until the Greinke trade, there is a very conservative theme to the trades that Moore has made.  And it is this Greinke trade that will be the biggest indicator as to whether Moore will be able trade effectively when he needs to.  When Dayton took over the job in June 2006, he stated this his primary mission was to rebuild the farm system so as to get to a point where the majority of the big league roster is homegrown talent.  It has taken awhile, but the Royals are now just about there.  Moore should be applauded for not taking his eye off of the ball.  The Royals are almost there.  “The Process” is almost complete.

Michael Corleone must have been a Cardinal fan because he said it better than anyone. In excruciating agony the Cardinals toy with us. We love them in the begining and throughout the season. Then as has been the case the last six seasons, the August-September lull kicks in. Not the grind of the 162 game season, I am referring to the now annual late season Cardinal decline.

No one starts looking for their out quite yet, but the world outside of organized crime, rather baseball, becomes more and more appealing heading into Milwaukee August 1^st for a three game series the Cardinals were with 3.5 games of first place. August usually marks the official dog days of the season when the grind is in full effect. With 53 games remaining anything is still possible and a pennant race begins.

Entering the August series at Busch against the Brewers the Cards were 3.5 games out with a 57-52 record with a chance to pull within a half game. This would be their best chance to sniff first place since June 9^th when the Cardinals were a season best 12 games over .500 and had a 2.5 game division lead and promptly coughed up three in a row and the division.

In what was a crucial three game series the Birds had a chance to put some real distance between themselves and the Brewers. Instead they decided to go another direction. The Cardinals kicked off the dog days in spectacularly disappointing fashion losing all three to Milwaukee and the division lead in the process. One could hear a collective “here we go again” throughout Cardinal Nation.

Five years running the Birds had swooned big time come August and September and this season looked to be no different. Leaving Milwaukee the Cardinals nose dived to long time low of 10.5 games out of first on August 28^th. Now was time to panic, time to let go…time to move on.

This was fine with me. It is hard to let go when it’s five or six games. Start getting into double digits and my attention can justifiably turn elsewhere. The Cards dinked and dunked a bit and were still 10.5 out on September 5^th. The division was lost and the wild card well out of reach.

Still mathematically alive so much would have to happen for the Cardinals to make a serious run at the wild card. Well wouldn’t you know it all started to fall into place. The Cardinals found their pride while the Braves lost the ability to win.

Cue Michael Corleone and work on your best Al Pacino impression… “Just When I Thought I Was Out…They Pull Me Back In”.

As the Braves lost four in a row and seven of ten. The Cardinals, a team without a five game winning streak all season, won five in a row to pull within 4.5 games of the Wild Card with 15 games left to play. Dammit. I was done, seriously. With six games against Milwaukee and Atlanta sure to be the nail in the coffin it was over. Dammit.

I want off the roller coaster. Just win it all or stop all together. The odds are still heavily stacked against St. Louis but not out of reach. The Birds are back to 12 games over .500 and out of the 14 remaining games only four are against a team with a winning record. We have to accept that it could happen.

Just as I was ready to block Fox Sports Midwest and focus entirely on the Rams the Cardinals have pulled me back in and become must see TV once again. Dammit.

These are just my thoughts…keep on reading and you’ll get up to speed.

Derek is on Twitter @SportsbyWeeze and also writes for the Rams at RamsHerd.com

Also on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SportsByWeeze

Last August the Cardinals went to Cincinnati for a key 3-game series against the Reds. You might remember it – it included some colorful comments about St Louis from Brandon Phillips, a pseudo-brawl, and a Cardinal sweep. The Cardinals won their next game against the Chicago Cubs, but lost the final two in that series, on 14 and 15 August. That started a tumble that saw them lose 13 of 18, and nine games in the standings. Beware the Ides of August.

This week the Cardinals went to Milwaukee for a key 3-game series against the Brewers. You will remember it – it included some frustrated comments about Milwaukee fans from Tony LaRussa, a sequence of ‘you throw at our guy, we’ll throw at yours’, and the Cardinals losing 2 of 3. The Cardinals once again approach the middle of August, and find themselves in a heated pennant race for the NL Central title. What will the outcome be in 2011?

It’s a strange coincidence that both seasons seem to be mirror images. The Cardinals are trying to fight through the challenge of a division rival with little recent playoff history,but playing with a lot of passion, and carrying a large grudge from years of Cardinal dominance. St Louis was unable to overcome the passion last season, despite a supremely talented core of players (Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, Yadier Molina). Many in the organization came to believe the August 2010 swoon was personality driven – the club did not have enough character guys to pick themselves up when the going got tough.

General Manager John Mozeliak went out and reconstructed the roster because of the August collapse, and precisely so they could weather that kind of challenge in 2011. Lance Berkman was the biggest name signing amongst several players brought in (or sent out) to change the tenor of the clubhouse. The Cardinals were going to be better offensively, and have the team chemistry to fight through any adversity.

It initially looked that way. The Cardinals had played well and, even after enduring a 7-game losing streak in mid-June, found themselves in first place, 7 games over .500, on 1 July. Since that day they’ve been positively mediocre (13-15). They now sit 3.5 games behind Milwaukee. Unlike last season, in which they played Cincinnati only 3 more times after that August series, they still have 9 games remaining against the Brewers. There is adversity to attend to. Pujols has not been Pujols, and the team has endured injuries as well as inconsistent performance from the bullpen in the late innings, but all teams endure injuries and poor performance during a season. The elite teams, the ‘character’ teams, fight through it. The rest of the league succumbs to it. St Louis appears to be succumbing to it.

Despite all the front office’s efforts, this team is performing a lot like last year’s. And the Ides of August approach. St Louis has the time, the schedule, and the roster to write a different ending to this story, but time is running out. The team built to fight through any adversity is going to have to fight much harder than they probably expected.

To answer this question one must first complete the question. Enough to win the NL Central? Enough to Win the NL? Enough to win the World Series? And even, enough to win the Wild Card? The answer to all four questions is NO. It is way too little and way too late.

The trade deadline is there to strengthen title contenders and help those out of the pennant race reload. It is not there to make mediocre teams just a bit less mediocre. I am sorry to break it to Cardinal Nation but that is what this team is and that is all that was accomplished with this year’s moves. The deal was big, but big deceptive, not big productive. I liken it to a child moving food all around his plate to give his parents the appearance he is eating.

Edwin Jackson, Corey Patterson, Octavio Dotel, Rafael Furcal and Marc Rzepczynski are all fine players. Fine being used in the loosest sense of the word. The issue is, save Rzepczynski, the rest of this group was best equipped for a pennant run in 2007. John Mozeliak deserves credit for not standing pat. The pressure is on to prove to both Cardinal fans and more importantly Albert Pujols that the team will do whatever is needed to win. A for effort…unfortunately C for results.

The moves made at the trade deadline by Cardinal management were nothing more than attempt to save face and undo poor decisions that were made before a game was played. The moves that should have been made, the real moves. Needed to take place back in January or February. It was then that Cardinal brass made the decision to go for offense over defense. I think everyone can agree that approach has become a horrible failure.

It started out great. A few games were lost here and there but Theriot and others were hitting well and everyone thought it would all balance out in the end. Problem is it did balance out, just the wrong way. Berkman stopped hitting .400 and Theriot is back under .270. Had Furcal’s glove come over in May maybe things would have been different. Had Dotel replaced Franklin by June…who knows. Had there been an actual backup plan in place for inevitable walls that would be hit by Lohse, Westbrook and McClellan. Well, you get the idea, things may have been different.

One had to do no more than watch Monday night’s game or Tuesday’s 5^th inning to see how poor defense and a worn down staff can impact a game and a season. Edwin Jackson is a nice #3 or #4 but that still leaves two SP spots that need attending to. I like the moves for what they are, an upgrade over what they have. But to say the Cardinals are “going all in to win it all now”, as many local scribes have stated is ludicrous.

Is the team better than it was a month ago? Maybe. Were the Cardinals contenders then? No. And I am sorry but these moves did nothing to change that. Patterson will be gone after the season, as will Dotel, Furcal and most likely Jackson. The real question, the real motive behind the trades is this. Are they enough to stop Pujols from leaving?…

These are just my thoughts…keep on reading and you’ll get up to speed.

Derek is on Twitter @SportsbyWeeze and also writes for the Rams at RamsHerd.com

Also on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SportsByWeeze

If, and that still is a very big two-letter word, the Cardinals decide to try to trade Colby Rasmus — in the next two weeks, over the winter, or a year from now — there are two things which will have to happen. One, the Cardinals will have to find a team willing to trade for Rasmus, and two, that team must be willing to give the Cardinals players who they consider either equal or of greater value than Rasmus.

The Marlins' Randy Choate may be of great interest to the Cardinals

The first part should be easy. There are at least nine teams in need of a center fielder, and Rasmus, even with his inconsistencies and defensive issues, would provide an immediate upgrade at the position for all nine of those teams. It’s the second part which becomes the tricky issue for the Cardinals. If Rasmus could be convinced that it might be in his best interest long-term to become a leftfielder, the list probably expands to more than nine teams which would be interested in him.

The Cardinals’ biggest need right now appears to be for a left-handed reliever who can retire a left-handed batter at a key moment in the game. With 12 games to play against Milwaukee, and Prince Fielder, and three games left against the Reds, and Joey Votto, that one factor might be the one which decides the pennant race in the NL Central.

That player alone, however, no matter his importance to the current makeup of the Cardinals, would not be sufficient value to obtain in a trade for Rasmus. More than likely, the Cardinals need to pick up a couple of high-level prospects, probably pitchers or a shortstop, if they are going to part with their former number-one draft pick, who people forget, is still only 24 years old.

If the Cardinals want to talk now about a possible trade for Rasmus, it would seem to make the most sense for GM John Mozeliak to be calling his counterpart on these teams, which are listed in alphabetical order:

Atlanta – Through the All-Star break, the Braves had the worst batting average for centerfielders in the NL (.222) and had only four home runs and 18 RBIs combined between Jordan Schaffer and Nate McLouth. The Braves actually have two quality left-handed relief specialists in All-Star Jonny Venters and Eric O’Flaherty. They also have a promising left-handed starter, Mike Minor, in Triple A, and their 2010 No. 1 draft pick, shortstop Matt Lipka, playing in Class A.

Chicago White Sox – The White Sox owe Alex Rios a lot of money, but he is having a terrible year. Their combined centerfielders hit even worse than the Braves, .210, before the All-Star break and Rios was only slightly better with a .213 average with six homers and 21 RBIs. When John Danks comes back off the disabled list, the White Sox will have six starting pitchers. Most observers believe they will trade Edwin Jackson, who threw a shutout on Saturday in front of several scouts, including one from the Cardinals. Another starter might interest the Cardinals more, however. How about left-hander and St. Charles native Mark Buehrle, now 32, who has talked openly about one day wanting to pitch for the Cardinals before he retires. He is a free agent after the season and would have to approve any trade.

Florida – The Marlins traded for veteran Mike Cameron before the All-Star break, but he is not the team’s long-term answer. Putting Rasmus in the middle of Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton would give Florida a talented young outfield for years to come. Combined, the Marlins’ centerfielders hit .234 before the All-Star break and had just seven home runs. The Marlins have pitching to trade, both starters and relievers, and names such as Ricky Nolasco, Annabel Sanchez and Leo Nunez certainly should come up in any discussion about Rasmus.

San Diego – The Padres like Cameron Maybin, which is why they might be included to move Rasmus to left field. Everyone knows about Heath Bell and Mike Adams in their bullpen, but another name to consider is former Cardinal prospect Luke Gregerson, and they also have a young flamethrower in the minors, right-hander Brad Broch, who was just promoted from Double A to Triple A. The Padres actually think they might get more in return for Adams than Bell since he is under contract through next season.

Seattle – The Mariners’ centerfielders had the worst average in the majors before the All-Star break, .196, with five homers and only 21 RBIs. The Mariners don’t really have the pitching depth to trade off the major-league roster, but they do have two young talented shortstops in the minors, Nick Franklin and Marcus Littlewood, who might interest the Cardinals.

San Francisco – A lot was said and written before the break about the Giants’ interest in Carlos Beltran, but the asking price for the Mets’ outfielder is going to be very high and will attract interest from a lot of teams. The Giants do need a centerfielder after posting only a .248 average with 3 homers and 24 RBIs before the All-Star break. If the asking price for Beltran gets too high, maybe the Giants would look at Rasmus. They have quality left-handed relief specialist in Javier Lopez, another very good setup reliever in Sergio Romos and two young minor leaguers, a left-handed starter named Eric Suskemp and an outfielder named Francisco Peguero.

Tampa Bay – Like the Beltran talks, the buzz about Rasmus before the break seemed to center on the Rays. Their only interest in Rasmus would seem to be if they could also move B.J. Upton at the same time, either in that or another trade. There would seem to be no incentive for them to trade starter Jeremy Hellickson, although James Shield would appear to be a more likely target for the Cardinals. They also have left-handed reliever Jake McGee, who was just promoted to the majors this week from Triple A.

Toronto – The Blue Jays centerfielders had a combined .244 average before the All-Star break with only four home runs, although Rajah Davis had 24 stolen bases. Toronto has several relievers who are said to be available, but the Cardinals would likely want a higher return for Rasmus.

Washington – The Nationals primary centerfielder before the break was former Cardinal Rick Ankiel, who is struggling and without former Cardinal connection Jim Riggleman there, his playing time could start to diminish, B.J. Upton’s name has been linked to the Nationals for some time, but it isn’t known the actual level of their interest. What would or should interest the Cardinals would be if the Nationals would consider trading All-Star Tyler Clippard, a right-hander who also has been very effective against left-handed batters.

The market for left-handed specialists

With or without bringing up Rasmus, the Cardinals are expected to be exploring the market for a left-handed specialist between now and the July 31 trading deadline. These six would appear to be the best of the lot, and again, at least worthy of a phone conversation:

Jonny Venters, Atlanta – There probably is no way the Braves would consider trading the All-Star, but they do have another lefthanded reliever in Eric O’Flaherty and rookie Craig Kimbrel gets the bulk of the save opportunities. Through Saturday he had allowed only seven hits in 51 at-bats to left-handed batters, a 137 average, and had four walks and 20 strikeouts. For his two-year career, lefthanded batters have only posted a .177 average against Venters.

Randy Choate, Florida — The 35-year-old veteran is a target for several teams, including the Yankees, which figures to bring up the asking price. He has allowed only five hits in 53 at-bats to lefthanded hitters this season before Saturday, a .053 average, with one walk and 23 strikeouts. For his career, Choate has held left-handers to a .205 average.

Marc Rzepczynski, Toronto – The 25-year-old has been outstanding this season for the Blue Jays, holding left-handed batters to a .152 average (10-of-66) with six walks and 21 strikeouts. He has held opposing left-handers to a .209 average for his career.

Eric O’Flaherty, Atlanta – He is the same age as Venters, 26, but has not received the same level of attention. Quietly, however, he has been very effective, holding left-handed batters to a .182 average this season (10-of-55) with two walks and 12 strikeouts. O’Flaherty actually has more experience than Venters and for his career has held left-handed opponents to a .219 average.

Cory Luebke, San Diego – The Padres moved Luebke into their starting rotation in late June, but before then he was very effective against left-handed batters, holding them to a .152 average. For his career, opponents are hitting only .181 against the 26-year-old Luebke.

Javier Lopez, San Francisco – The 34-year-old left-hander has been a key setup man for Brian Wilson with the Giants, holding opponents to a .111 average (7-of-63) while issuing seven walks and 20 strikeouts. Left-handers have a career .220 average against Lopez.

Check out news from around Major League Baseball in this rest of this article over at RobRains.com.

With the disappointing end to the 1985 World Series now a distant memory, Whitey Herzog’s St. Louis Cardinals would travel to New York for an important three game series with their arch rivals, the Mets. Rainy weather would shorten the series down to just this one game, with the other two to be made up when the Cardinals return in August. Six games over four nights, perhaps in the heat of a pennant race, gave the schedulers and fans chills just thinking about it. Before worrying about those games, the Cardinals and Mets had one to play on April 14. It turned out to be a very long one.

Dwight "Doc" Gooden

For Mets manager, Davey Johnson, filling out the lineup card was a simple task. Not only were his regular eight position players set, so was his starting rotation. And what a rotation it was: reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Dwight Gooden, Ron Darling, Sid Fernandez, Rick Aguilera and Bob Ojeda. Add in the righty/lefty relief tandem of Roger McDowell and Jesse Orosco, and you have a staff that was good for 108 wins and a World Series title.

Herzog’s pitching situation couldn’t have been more different. His starting eight were in relatively good shape, but the pitching rotation was a complete mess. John Tudor and Danny Cox were set as the number one and two, and veteran Bob Forsch would bring up the rear. It seemed like Whitey auditioned every pitcher for the remaining two spots before finally setting on Tim Conroy and Greg Mathews. Unfortunately, the Cardinals would be well out of contention by the time the rotation straightened itself out.

David vs. Goliath

Rick Horton

This game took on an air of David and Goliath as the two managers turned in their lineup cards. Forget that the Cardinals were 5-1 on the young season, they would be facing one of the best in the game, Dwight “Doc” Gooden. On the mound for the Cardinals, Rick Horton. This was going to be a game of power versus deception, and the Mets had a significant advantage.

The game started out exactly as you would have expected. Gooden made quick work of the Cardinals the first time through the order. The contact hitters at the top of the order made contact, but they were harmless fly balls or sharp grounders hit right at the infielders. The big swingers in the middle of the order came up empty, and Gooden would record four quick strikeouts.

For his part, Horton was just as effective, perhaps even a bit better. None of the Mets managed to get solid contact the first time through the order. They didn’t the second or third time either. Horton’s ability to keep the ball down and vary speeds frustrated a very good offensive team.

First Blood

The Mets would score the first run of the game in the home half of the third inning. A leadoff walk to Ray Knight came back to haunt Rick Horton when he would also walk the eighth place batter, light hitting Rafael Sanata. Dwight Gooden would lay down a nice sacrifice bunt, moving both runners into scoring position. Horton would then walk Len Dykstra to load the bases, setting up a double play opportunity. This would backfire when Tim Teufel hit a fly ball to right field, deep enough to score Knight from third base.

Turning the Cards

The Cardinals would tie the game in the top of the sixth inning on a play that we learned to love in 1985. With one out, Vince Coleman hit a line drive right between the center and right fielders, and it went all the way to the wall. The speedy left fielder turned that hit into a triple, and was in easy scoring position. Coleman would indeed score when Wille McGee hit a ground ball up the middle that split the two middle infielders. After a Tommy Herr fly out, McGee would show off his speed by stealing second base, and then moving on two third base when Gary Carter’s throw sailed into center field. A Jack Clark strikeout ended the rally, but not before the Cardinals got on the board and sent a bit of a message: they were going to run, and run, and run.

The Cardinals would take the lead in the game in two innings later. In the top of the eighth, Ozzie Smith blooped a ball over the infield for a single. Playing for a big inning, Whitey Herzog decides to pinch hit for Rick Horton, in spite of him only giving up two hits through seven innings. Clint Hurdle, now the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, would hit for Horton. That turned out to be the right move as Hurdle singles up the middle, allowing Ozzie Smith to go to third base on the play. After Vince Coleman pops up to the shortstop, Willie McGee steps up to the plate, and plays the role of hero. McGee hits a fly ball to left field, deep enough to score the speedy Ozzie Smith from third base. That would give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead with just six more outs to get.

Why Did He Do That ?

Ken Dayley

The first of those six outs would come very quickly as Ken Dayley took over in the eighth inning. When Dayley was on, he was one of the best in the game. He had an electric fastball with sharp movement and complemented that with a curveball that looked like it rolled off the end of a table. Dayley was on tonight, and he made quick work of the Mets in his first inning of work.

In the Cardinals ninth inning, Andy van Slyke gave the Cardinals a chance for a much needed insurance run. With one out, he would single on a swinging bunt. He would immediately swipe second base, to put himself into scoring position. Unfortuantely, Terry Pendleton and Mike Heath would fail to drive in young right fielder, and that would prove costly in a few moments.

The brilliance of the Mets batting order came into play in the ninth inning, forcing Whitey Herzog to make a difficult decision. Johnson’s batting order alternated left and right handed hitters through the entire lineup, making it tough on late inning relievers, especially the lefties.

Herzog left Ken Dayley in to start the inning. He would walk the right handed hitting Tim Teufel. Dayley then got a very tough left handed hitter to ground into a force out, retiring the runner at second base. With Gary Carter coming up to bat, and another left handed hitter, Darryl Strawberry, on deck, Herzog goes to his bullpen and brings in Todd Worrell.

Todd Worrell

Worrell was a late addition to the Cardinals in 1985, just before the post-season roster eligibility deadline. While we remember him exploding onto the scene in September and October, with a dazzling fastball and video game slider, the truth was that he struggled at first. He had only recently been converted from a starter to a max effort reliever, and he had a few misfires before becoming the closer that we all remember. Because Worrell was such a late callup, he did not pitch enough innings to qualify as a rookie, so 1986 was his official rookie season.

In his first two appearances this season, he had been good enough to convert them into multi-inning saves. He did struggle a bit with his control, and would continue to do so for another week or so, but he was two for two in save chances. He would not fare as well in this game.

The first batter Worrell would face is the right handed hitting Gary Carter. Worrell had a high leg kick and long stride in his deliver, and Wally Backman, running for Keith Hernandez, took advantage of that and stole second base. Worrell would then lose the righty he was brought in to face when he walks Carter, putting the winning run on base.

Does any of this sound familiar ?

At this point, Herzog probably wishes he had left Dayley in the game because the next hitter was Darryl Strawberry, one of the most dangerous left handed batters in the game. Strawberry delivers with a line drive single, easily scoring Backman from second base. The game is now tied, and the young right hander has just blown his first save on the young season.

Worrell would retire George Foster and Howard Johnson to end the inning, but the damage had been done and the game would now go into extra innings.

Extra Innings

A much different Roger McDowell took the mound in the tenth inning. He made quick work of the bottom of the Cardinals order, including Todd Worrell who took his at-bat, remaining in the game.

Todd Worrell also toughened and survived a two out single and stolen base in the tenth inning and a one out walk in the eleventh.

The Cardinals would get the next big chance in the top of the twelfth inning. Now facing Jesse Orosco, the Cardinals would take advantage of his wildness and draw a pair of walks to start the inning. An Ozzie Smith bunt backfired when the Mets were able to get the force out at third base. The inning would come to a quick end with no more runs on the scoreboard.

The new Cardinals pitcher was Pat Perry, and he made quick work of the Mets in the twelfth inning, working around a walk and a wild pitch.

The game would be broken open in the span of about 30 seconds in the top of the thirteenth inning. Willie McGee would start things off by beating out a weak grounder to second base. Tommy Herr bunted McGee to second base, but the Mets were unable to make the play, allowing both runners to be safe. Davey Johnson goes to his bullpen and brings in the big right hander, Bruce Berenyi.

Berenyi would pitch around Jack Clark, eventually walking him to load the bases. That would prove costly when Tito Landrum hits a ground ball to Howard Johnson and he boots it, allowing McGee and Herr to score a pair of go-ahead runs. The Cardinals would again load the bases, and Ozzie Smith delivered the knock-out blow when he doubled home two more runs. The Cardinals now led 6-2 and all of the enthusiasm had drained out of the Mets dugout.

Pat Perry made quick work of a now devastated top of the Mets order in the thirteenth inning, and earned a nice extra inning win. Although it was Berenyi’s meltdown that led to the Cardinals rally, Randy Niemann had put the first two men on base and would take the hard luck loss.

Lost in this story is a blown save from Todd Worrell. Also lost were several scoring chances that the Cardinals could not turn into runs.

The Rest of the Story

Fortunately for Worrell and the Cardinals, there was no social media technology in 1986. Bloggers did not analyze every pitch and Twitter users did not immediately demand Worrell be sent back down to Louisville. Aside from a few call-in sports shows, nobody commented on Worrell’s early season trouble. Whitey Herzog certainly did not over-react. He threw Worrell back out for the next save opportunity, and the young right-hander converted it with little fanfare. Or effort – he only faced a single batter.

Sadly, the Cardinals were about to go into a tailspin, falling 8 games out of first place before they knew what had hit them. That provided very few save opportunities for Worrell, and his next one he would not be able to convert. Still, Herzog did not over-react and remained supportive of the young hurler.

All of that was about to be forgotten as Worrell started pitching with authority in mid-May. He would finish his rookie season with 74 appearances, totally a whopping 103 2/3 innings. He would post a 9-10 record, which may be more about the poor Cardinals offense than his pitching ability. A sparkling 2.08 ERA is a better indicator, as was his league leading 36 saves. Although we will remember 1986 as somewhat of a lost season, it would very memorable for Todd Worrell as he took home the Rookie of the Year award.

What we can learn from this story is that one blown save does not a bad closer make, as Emily from the Cardinals Diamond Diaries points out in a recent article.

Bob Netherton covers Cardinals history for i70baseball.com and writes at On the Outside Corner. You may follow Bob on Twitter here or on Facebook here.

As the Cincinnati Reds prepare to make their first trip to Busch stadium in the 2011 season, it is time to take another look at the unfortunate events that took place at Great American Ballpark on August 10, 2010. A late season pennant race between the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds turned tragic when Yadier Molina took exception to some things that Brandon Phillips had said the previous day. The two proud baseball players yelled at each other, some of it happening with their faces separated by mere inches. The two benches would soon empty and the ensuing scrum brought Johnny Cueto of the Reds into contact with Chris Carpenter and Jason La Rue of the Cardinals, and the results were disastrous for La Rue.

When it came time for Major League Baseball to take action, the Roseboro incident was cited as a precedent for their ruling. In the first part of this series, we will take a look back at that infamous moment in baseball history.

August 20, 1965

The events that led up to Juan Marichal striking Johnny Roseboro with his bat actually started in the middle of this Friday night game in San Francisco. The Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers were battling for the National League Pennant, with the Giants 1 1/2 games out. Thanks to a Willie Mays home run and a successful squeeze bunt, the Giants had built up an early 4-1 lead. Things got interesting when Maury Wills stepped up to bat to start the fifth inning.

Maury Wills was one of those types of players that made things happen. Sometimes it could really get under the skin of the opposition, and this was one of those times. He took a very long and slow swing, coming in contact with catcher, Tom Haller’s glove. The home plate umpire immediately ruled catchers interference and Wills was awarded first base. The Dodgers failed to capitalize on this controversial call, but that was not the end of the matter.

When the Giant’s Matty Alou, another player who could get under the opposition’s skin, led off the next inning, he tried the same trick that Wills had done moments earlier. The home plate umpire ruled that Alou’s bat did not come in contact with Johnny Roseboro’s catcher’s mitt, negating an interference call. The Giants were furious about the Alou non-call, claiming that the umpires were favoring the Dodgers. Roseboro was furious because Alou caused him to take a fastball in the chest protector. The Giants would go on to win the game, but the issue was far from settled.

August 22, 1965

With 1 1/2 games separating the two teams, Juan Marichal and Sandy Koufax would meet in the Sunday afternoon series finale. Both pitchers were having exceptional seasons. Koufax had won 21 games thus far, while losing just four. Marichal had just won his 19th game a few days earlier, and was looking to go over the 20 win mark for the third consecutive season.

It didn’t take long for the tempers to flare in this game. Marichal was still fuming over the officiating earlier in the series. When Maury Wills stepped up to the plate to start the game, Marichal sent a clear message that he was not going to put up with anything out of the Dodgers’ shortstop. He threw a high and tight fastball that put Wills on his backside. Undaunted, Wills fired back by laying a beautiful bunt down the third base line. The first two shots across the bow had been fired.

Things turned even more tense when Marichal knocked down the next batter, Jim Gilliam. With that message delivered, Marichal tried to turn his attention back to the game, but got into a bit of trouble. He would give up a run in each of the first two innings, the second ironically on a Johnny Roseboro single.

When Juan Marichal came up to the plate, things turned ugly, but not in a way that anybody expected.

Johnny Roseboro called for an inside knock down pitch, but that was not how Sandy Koufax played the game. Perhaps if it was a position player, but even then, that was not how Koufax went about his business. On a low curveball to Marichal, Roseboro dropped the ball which allowed him to get up and walk behind Marichal. He then threw the ball back to Koufax uncharacteristically hard, and quite close to Marichal’s head. Depending on which account of the story you believe, it either buzzed by closely or actually clipped Marichal in the ear. Regardless, it enraged Marichal and he confronted Roseboro.

If you want to see what happens next, here is the actual game video – but please be advised, there are a several disturbing and graphic moments.

Before continuing, it is important to know that Johnny Roseboro was a great catcher, but more than that, he was one of baseball’s toughest players. He would courageously block home plate with runners bearing down on him without as much as blinking. I remember a game when Mike Shannon, in full stride, hit Roseboro, and it was Shannon that went bouncing off in another direction.

Roseboro leaving the game (photo by Neil Liefer)

When the players were finally separated, the resulting scalp cut from Marichal’s attack left Roseboro bleeding rather badly. Willie Mays escorted the injured Roseboro off the field so that he could be taken to the Dodgers training room. The Dodgers’ catcher would require several stitches to close the wound on his forehead, and would be diagnosed with a concussion. As a result, he would miss the next two games, although he did travel with the team to New York. By August 25, he was back behind the plate, no worse for the wear. Roseboro was a very tough baseball player.

Although he protested vigorously, Juan Marichal was immediately ejected from the game. The league office would decide what additional punishment was warranted over the next several days.

Punishment

The commissioner would eventually suspend Marichal for 9 games, plus the final series of the season between San Francisco and Los Angeles. For those last two games, he was barred from even traveling with the team to Los Angeles. In addition to those 11 games, he was fined $1,750, or about 3 percent of his annual salary.

Many fans, especially those in Los Angeles, were angered over the perceived light punishment that Marichal received. The 9 game suspension worked out to just two missed starts. Giants manager, Herman Franks, used Marichal on just two days in Chicago, just so the Los Angeles travel ban would not cost him another start.

The true punishment for Marichal came much later, when it was time for his induction into baseball’s Hall of Fame. In spite of being one of the best pitchers of his era, winning more games than any other pitcher in the decade of the 1960′s, he would not be invited into Cooperstown until 1983, three full years after the start of his eligibility. Roseboro might have had a big part to play in that too, but we’re getting slightly ahead of ourselves.

The Giant Meltdown ?

Historians often cite the Roseboro incident as a turning point in the 1965 season. Marichal and the Giants were hot on the Dodgers heels, and those two (plus perhaps one later) start Marichal missed might have been the difference between San Francisco or Los Angeles going to the World Series. While that would be a storybook ending to the season, that’s not how things actually happened.

The Giants would keep winning, in spite of Marichal’s suspension. They would even win both remaining games against the Dodgers, with Juan Marichal safely tucked away in San Francisco. As late as September 16, they held a 4 1/2 game lead in the National League.

The difference in the 1965 season was a 13 game Dodgers winning streak, largely on the arms of Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Johnny Podres and Ron Perranoski. It had nothing to do with Marichal, and the Giants didn’t collapse. The Dodgers just ran away with it, as the Cardinals had done with Cincinnati the previous year.

Civil Suit and Forgiveness

Disappointed with the light punishment handed down from the commissioner, Johnny Roseboro filed a civil suit against Marichal for $110,000. That suit was later settled out of court for $7,000. The matter was settled, or so we thought. What happens next surprised everybody.

Johnny Roseboro did what a lot of people might not have been able to do, he forgave Marichal. Perhaps it was because his actions played a big part in that terrible event, or he was just a really good person; the two were able to put that unfortunate event behind and become friends.

Marichal a Dodger ?

Things got very interesting in Los Angeles when Juan Marichal, now 37 years old and in the tail end of his career, signed a free agent contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He only appeared in two games that season, one of them in Dodger Stadium. Johnny Roseboro made a plea with the fans in attendance to forgive Marichal and accept him as a Dodger. Marichal even wore Roseboro’s number, on the former catcher’s insistence.

There were no hard feelings on my part, and I thought if that
was made public, people would believe that this was really over
with. So I saw him at a Dodger old-timers' game, and we posed
for pictures together, and I actually visited him in the Dominican.
The next year, he was in the Hall of Fame. 

Hey, over the years, you learn to forget things. --Johnny Roseboro

After Baseball

After baseball, the two became close friends. Roseboro may have even had a hand in Marichal’s induction into the Hall of Fame when he wrote letters to Baseball Writes’ Association of America (BBWAA), urging them to reconsider their opposition to the former Giants pitcher. On the third ballot, Marichal received enough votes, and was finally inducted in 1983. The two would frequently show up at old-timers events, and Roseboro would travel back to the Dominican Republic to play in Marichal’s charity golf events. Perhaps the most touching moment came in 2002, when Marichal delivered an emotional eulogy at Roseboro’s funeral.

Next time we will take a look back at August 10, 2010, and see how the two incidents were similar, and where they were drastically different.

Bob Netherton covers Cardinals history for i70baseball.com and writes at On the Outside Corner. You may follow Bob on Twitter here or on Facebook here.

As Chris Carpenter prepares to take the mound to start the 2011 season, I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at some of the pitchers who took the mound in opening day. The Bob Gibson era (1959-1975) seemed to be as good a place as any to start. It may surprise you to learn that Gibby didn’t get the opening day call until 1965. In fact, early in the Solly Hemus era (1959-61), the future Hall of Fame pitcher would be moved between the bullpen, the rotation and the minor leagues, in spite of consistently demonstrating his enormous talent. It wasn’t until the arrival of Johnny Keane that Gibson got a chance to show what he was capable of – and National League hitters were never the same.

If Gibson wasn’t the opening day starter, who was and how did they do?

Larry Jackson (1959, 1960, 1962) 1-1 with 1 no decision

Larry Jackson

Larry Jackson was one of the best pitchers of his era but had the misfortune of playing his career on non-contending teams – sort of an anti-Jason Marquis. The first part of his career (1955-1962) was with the St. Louis Cardinals, who were rarely over .500. Unlike the his team, Jackson was consistently over .500, going 116-87 in those 8 seasons. He would earn 3 All Star Game invitations as a Cardinal plus one more with the Cubs in 1963. His 24-11 record with the Cubs in 1964 would earn him second place in the Cy Young voting. Unfortunately for Jackson, the award was only given to one pitcher, not one per league as it is done today. Jackson was clearly the best pitcher in the National League in 1964. Not only could Jackson pitch, but he could also field his position, earning him the reputation of being the best defensive pitcher of his generation. He would consistently lead the league in fielding percentage and at one time held the major league record for most consecutive chances without an error. By any measure, Larry Jackson was a bona fide ace.

Jackson would pitch well enough to win all three opening day starts, but would end up 1-1 with one no-decision. A blown save by Jim Brosnan in 1959 would cost him a win against the Giants. Some shaky Cardinals defense and a lack of hitting would hand Jackson a tough loss against the Giants in 1960. In his last opening day start for the Cardinals in 1962, the schedule makers gave Jackson the advantage as he would earn an easy win against the expansion New York Mets.

You may be asking why Jackson didn’t get the opening day start in 1961 ? During spring training, he was hit by a piece of Duke Snyder’s shattered bat and suffered a badly broken jaw. He would miss the remainder of spring training as well as the first two weeks of the regular season. Because his jaws were wired shut, the liquid diet did not give him adequate nutrition and he lost a lot of weight. As a result he struggled early in the season. By July 1, all of that was in the past and he would have a terrific second half, posting an 11-3 record with an ERA just over 3 runs per game.

As for home openers during Jackon’s era,Vinegar Bend Mizell and Lindy McDaniel would combine for a nice 5-2 win over the Cubs in 1960.

Before moving on, let’s close the book on Larry Jackson.

After a blowout season in 1964, Jackson ran into a bit of trouble in 1965, losing 21 games. He didn’t pitch poorly, in fact quite the opposite. It was more a reflection of the Cubs than anything Jackson had done. Early in the 1966 season he would be traded to the Phillies in their version of the Lou Brock for Ernie Broglio deal, with the Cubs receiving a young right hander named Ferguson Jenkins. After getting off to a slow start for the Cubs in 1966, Jenkins would go on to win 20 or more games for six consecutive seasons (67-72). He would start nearly 40 games a season, and average over 300 innings pitched during that stretch. He would win the Cy Young award in 1971 with his league leading 24 victories, and get a second place in 1967 and third place in 1970 and 1972. Yes, the Cubs got the better of that trade, perhaps to make up for the Lou Brock deal in June 1964.

While nowhere near as dazzling, Jackson had a fine end to his career in Philadelphia. Jackson was selected by the Montreal Expos in the 1969 expansion draft and rather than pitch for another losing team, he retired after the 1968 season.

Ernie Broglio (1961, 1963, 1964) 1-1 with 1 no decision

Ernie Broglio

Ernie Broglio would get the next few opening day starts – 1961, 1963 and 1964. Like Jackson, the fan favorite would go 1-1 with one no decision.

The 1961 opening day in Milwaukee against the Braves was a great game. If featured two of the best pitchers at the time, Broglio (who had gone 21-9 in 1960) and Warren Spahn (who was one of the greatest left handed pitchers ever, and had gone 21-10 in 1960). Few runs were scored, as expected, and Broglio left after 7 innings with the Cardinals down 1-0. A late run by the Cardinals tied the game and a home run off Spahn in the 10th inning gave reliever Lindy McDaniel the victory.

In 1963, Broglio would open the season in New York against the Mets. He would throw a complete game 2 hit shutout, striking out 8. Young Ray Washburn would follow that up with a 4 hit complete game shutout. And to complete the most amazing start to a season, veteran left hander Curt Simmons would throw a complete game shutout in the home opener against the Phillies. Three games, three shutouts. What a start to the 1963 season. If not for a certain left handed pitcher in Los Angeles, the Cardinals might have won the pennant in 1963.

Broglio would have the misfortune of hooking up against that same lefty, Sandy Koufax, in the last of his opening day starts for the Cardinals. The year would be 1964, and Broglio was about to be traded to the Cubs for a young unknown left fielder. The trade would be one of the most lopsided in baseball history – certainly one of the most unpopular. Broglio would develop arm trouble and his career would soon be over. We all know how the Lou Brock story ends – a trip to Cooperstown, NY.

In the 1964 opener, Broglio would be let down by his team’s defense and Ron Taylor could not keep the game close. Koufax was, well….. Koufax and he threw a nice complete game shutout. The Cardinals had their chances but could never break through against the lefty. Not many teams did.

Curt Simmons (1966) No decision

Curt Simmons

During the Ernie Broglio era, Curt Simmons would get the start in the home openers in 1961, 1963 and a rather late one in 1964. As he did so frequently in a Cardinals uniform, Simmons would pitch well and go 2-0 with one no-decision.

Curt Simmons would get the opening day start in 1966, the last of his Cardinals career. He would face the Phillies and their left handed ace, Chris Short. Short is at the high point in his career, winning 17 in 1964 and 18 more in 1965. He would go on to win 20 for the only time in his career in 1966. On this day, he was as good as any pitcher the Cardinals had faced. He would go 9 2/3 innings before being relieved by former Cardinal, Roger Craig. Simmons pitched well for the Cardinals, but the story was the bullpen. Nelson Briles, Joe Hoerner and Al Jackson had pitched 4 innings of shutout baseball. Dennis Aust, a short right hander would finish up the game with 2 strong innings. Unfortunately he would pitch three. In the twelfth inning, former Cardinal Bill White and future Cardinal Richie Allen would get to Aust and give him the only decision in his short career, an opening day loss.

Bob Gibson (1965, 1967-1975) 2-2 with 6 no decisions

Bob Gibson

The Gibson era would truly begin with a historic season opener in 1965 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. New manager Red Schoendienst was handed one of the finest rotations in Cardinals history, and at the top of it was Bob Gibson. Gibson would respond with the first of his five 20 win seasons (to go with two more 19 win seasons and an 18 win one). Facing Gibson was former Cardinal ace, Larry Jackson. Jackson wouldn’t make it out of the first inning as the Cardinals jumped out to a quick lead. Cubs errors (5 on the day) and the inability to find the strike zone doomed Jackson. Unfortunately Gibson was not all that much more effective and left after 3 1/3 innings. The bullpen did not fare any better as Ron Taylor, Tracy Stallard and Barney Schultz got roughed up by Cubs bats, although Stallard was the best of the three, going 4 1/3 innings and allowing only a single hit. It was that hit plus a walk that led to a Ron Santo three run homer in the bottom of the ninth off Barney Schultz which tied the game at 9.

What happens next makes this game historic. In the bottom of the tenth inning, a young left hander named Steve Carlton makes his major league debut. He faces one batter, and walks him. To make things even more historic, the game would end after 10 innings as a 10-10 tie. Yes, a tie in the Major Leagues. In 1965, there were no lights at Wrigley field and there was a late afternoon curfew that came into play.

The game would be made up on July 11 and the Cardinals would lose both games of the double header 6-0. Wrigley Field wasn’t being friendly to the Cards lefties on this day.

Gibson would return as the opening day starter in 1967 and throw a complete game shutout against the Giants, striking out 13 along the way. Not to be outdone, he would combine with Ray Washburn to throw a brilliant 3 hitter against the Braves in 1968. Washburn would collect the victory in relief. With a healthy Ray Washburn, the Cardinals run on their second consecutive National League pennant was all but assured. The only question would be who they would face in the fall classic.

Gibson would again take the mound in the 1969 opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but would be long gone by the time a decision was recorded. As they had been for several years, Bob Gibson and Joe Hoerner were brilliant. Gibson went 9 innings, striking out 10. Hoerner went another 4 innings without allowing a hit, facing the minimum number of hitters (12). Mel Nelson would take the mound in the 14th inning give up 4 runs in 2/3 of an inning. This was Nelson’s second time with the Cardinals and this would be his only decision in his final year in the majors.

In 1970, Gibson would open the season in Montreal and combine with Chuck Taylor for a nice 7-2 win. George Culver, obtained from Cincinnati for long time fan favorite Ray Washburn, got the home opener against the Mets and pitched a good game for the win.

The 1971 opening day game was one for the ages. It featured two of the best right handers in the game – Bob Gibson and Chicago’s Fergie Jenkins. The battle in Chicago did not disappoint anybody, although Cardinal fans didn’t like the outcome. Both men brought their “A” game, as they always did when facing each other. Jenkins went 10 innings, allowing only a single run on a home run by Joe Torre. Gibson went the distance as well, 9 1/3 innings. A one out home run by Billy Williams in the bottom of the 10th inning was the difference in the game as the Cubs won 2-1.

The home opener in 1971 was a sentimental one as the St. Louis native, lefty Jerry Reuss took the mound against the Giants. He lasted all of three innings and would take the loss. Reuss would never live up to his potential for the team he grew up watching. After a clash with Cardinals owner Gussie Busch over facial hair, Reuss would be sent to Houston following the season. He would go on to have a nice long career for Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, helping both teams get into post-season with regularity. He would end his 22 year career with an amazing 220 victories, which proves that if you are a lefty and can throw strikes, you can have a long career in the major leagues.

In 1972, Gibson would open the season at home against the Montreal Expos. Montreal would get off to a quick lead on a two run homer by future Cardinal Mike Jorgensen. Gibson would settle down and leave after 6 innings, down 2-0. The Cardinals would later tie the game at 2. In his second inning of relief, Al Santorini would give up a leadoff single to future Cardinal, Ron Hunt. Jose Cruz misplayed Hunt’s single, allowing him to advance to second. An infield ground out and a sacrifice fly and the Expos led 3-2, a lead they would make hold up. One hit and Santorini takes a hard luck loss.

Bob Gibson takes a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the 8th inning in the 1973 opener at Pittsburgh. With one out, the Pirates loaded the bases against Gibson and Red Schoendienst went to his bullpen, calling on Diego Segui. Segui would be lit up like a Christmas Tree and would take the loss as the Pirates scored 5 runs, three being charged to Gibson.

Bob Gibson would face former Cardinal Jerry Reuss in the home opener in 1974. It was a typical Reuss pitched game. The Cardinals always seemed to have runners in scoring position, and managed to plate 4 of them in his 7 innings. Gibson went 8, and while he looked much better than Reuss, the score was tied at 4. The Cardinals would light up former Cardinal relief specialist, Dave Guisti and Al Hrabosky would earn the first of his 8 victories, although it was not a spotless outing for the Mad Hungarian. Al Hrabosky put together two amazing seasons in 1974 and 1975, going a combined 21-4, all in relief. Many of those appearances were multiple innings. Nobody was any better than Hungo and he received quite a few Cy Young votes for his 13-3 1.66 ERA 1975 season.

In his last season in the majors, Bob Gibson took the ball on opening day against the Montreal Expos. This was a historic game as two of the best pitchers of their era were making their last opening day starts. Facing Gibson was former Baltimore Orioles ace, Dave McNally. Both hurlers would finish the season with 3 victories, McNally getting one of them in this game. A huge crowd turned out to cheer on these two legends, and both starters turned in a good game. Had Red gone to his bullpen after 7 innings like he should have, Gibson might have one more victory. Cardinal fans will still remember those 12 strikeouts, as if it was Gibson’s farewell gift to all those in attendance.

In the post-Gibson era, Lynn McGlothen would get the first opening day start in 1976. It was hoped that McGlothen would follow in Gibson’s footsteps, but alas that was not to be. John Denny and Bob Forsch would get the next opening day starts as the Cardinals searched for an ace to anchor the top of the rotation. That would eventually happen as Joaquin Andujar and John Tudor formed one of the best 1-2 starters in the 1980s.

Bob Netherton covers Cardinals history for i70baseball.com and writes at On the Outside Corner. You may follow Bob on Twitter here or on Facebook here.