Baseball is Finally Here!!!

[CGI_Ram]

Not sure I would agree with this. We may lack pop in our lineup, but it's a really deep lineup 1-8.

2014 they finished 23rd in scoring, down 164 runs from 2013. That's a run a game.

If they want to make a serious run, they need to score more than that.

 

[Mr. Walker]

2014 they finished 23rd in scoring, down 164 runs from 2013. That's a run a game.

If they want to make a serious run, they need to score more than that.

They didn't make a serious run last year?

 

[CGI_Ram]

They didn't make a serious run last year?

Well, sorta. But... That was not a dominant team.

They played 5 games over .500 through June, July, and August.

It took a September surge just to reach 90 wins.

Their demise in the NL Championship? Runs. 16 in 5 games against the Giants.

 

[Mr. Walker]

Well having Molina and Wacha go down for a significant amount of time didn't help.

 

[CGI_Ram]

Well having Molina and Wacha go down for a significant amount of time didn't help.

No question.

Let's hope Heyward provides the offensive boost everyone believes is possible.

 

[Memento]

No question.

Let's hope Heyward provides the offensive boost everyone believes is possible.

Atlanta had way too many batting coaches. Now Heyward just has to focus on one. He'll be just fine. And let's not forget that Wong, Adams, Holliday, Peralta, Grichuk, and Reynolds can still hit the long ball. Reynolds is good for 20/200 (that's homers/strikeouts).

 

[Mr. Walker]

A few hours before first pitch....here are my season predictions for the Cardinals..

1. Matt Carpenter: 11 homers, 62 RBIs, .303 BA
2. Jason Heyward: 26 homers, 97 RBIs, .285 BA
3. Matt Holliday: 24 homers, 92 RBIs, .290 BA
4. Matt Adams: 29 homers, 80 RBIs, .265 BA
5. Jhonney Peralta: 18 homers, 66 RBIs, .274 BA
6. Yadier Molina: 13 homers, 72 RBIs, .297 BA
7. Jon Jay: 6 homers, 43 RBIs, .288 BA
8. Kolten Wong: 15 homers, 63 RBIs, .272 BA

Bench:
Randall Grichuk: 12 homers, 29 RBIs, .245 BA
Mark Reynolds: 14 homers, 34 RBIs, .232 BA

Pitchers:
Adam Wainwright: 18-8, 2.96 ERA
Lance Lynn: 20-9, 3.52 ERA
Michael Wacha: 16-8, 3.25 ERA
John Lackey: 13-10, 3.78 ERA
Carlos Martinez: 14-7, 4.02 ERA
Marco Gonzales: 4-2, 2.62 ERA
Jaime Garcia: 2-1, 1.88 ERA

Jordan Walden: 4-4, 6 saves, 2.35 ERA
Trevor Rosenthal: 2-5, 42 saves, 3.28 ERA

95 WINS, 67 losses

 

[Mr. Walker]

Jon Morosi ‏@jonmorosi 4m4 minutes ago
B.J. Upton is going with Craig Kimbrel to Padres, source says.

 

[Dodgersrf]

Well having Molina and Wacha go down for a significant amount of time didn't help.

Molina is getting up there. How much fuel do you think he has.
He has a lot of miles on him for a catcher.
Still one of the best when he's out there though.

 

[Memento]

Jon Morosi ‏@jonmorosi 4m4 minutes ago
B.J. Upton is going with Craig Kimbrel to Padres, source says.

Holy shit. Craig fucking Kimbrel - alias, the best closer in the league for the last decade not named Mariano Rivera - on the Padres? They're the easy favorites for the first wild-card and maybe even the West.

The Marlins don't have the infield, the catcher, or the starting pitching after Fernandez to compete right now.

The Giants have no starting pitching after MadBum (unless they're counting on unlikely bounce-back years from Cain and Lincecum and career numbers from Vogelsong) and a gaping hole at third base.

The Mets have lost too much pitching to injury (they were my pick until Wheeler went down and Syndergaard was sent back to Triple-A), and they're lacking in some offensive categories.

Pirates will get the second wild card, but the Padres have to be taken as a serious threat right now.

 

[Memento]

Molina is getting up there. How much fuel do you think he has.
He has a lot of miles on him for a catcher.
Still one of the best when he's out there though.

Molina just dropped twenty pounds so that he could stay behind the plate for the rest of his contract. I don't care about his mileage; you can't measure the heart he has. And he is the best, bar none. Posey, to me, is a first baseman (good behind the plate, but no way in hell the Giants keep him there when they can upgrade his bat with a move to first). Molina is still the best defensive catcher since Pudge (and in my opinion, has surpassed Rodriguez since he's a known PED user; Canseco said that he personally injected him, and Canseco - despite being a noted piece of shit - has been proven right every time in these matters.)

Quickest trigger finger, great pitch framer, one of the smoothest pickoff artists to play the game, and the pitchers love him.

 

[Dodgersrf]

Molina just dropped twenty pounds so that he could stay behind the plate for the rest of his contract. I don't care about his mileage; you can't measure the heart he has. And he is the best, bar none. Posey, to me, is a first baseman (good behind the plate, but no way in hell the Giants keep him there when they can upgrade his bat with a move to first). Molina is still the best defensive catcher since Pudge (and in my opinion, has surpassed Rodriguez since he's a known PED user; Canseco said that he personally injected him, and Canseco - despite being a noted piece of crap - has been proven right every time in these matters.)

Quickest trigger finger, great pitch framer, one of the smoothest pickoff artists to play the game, and the pitchers love him.

I agree as far as him being the best. He is, and it's not even close.
Catchers take a lot of wear and tear. Molina is no exception.
I just wouldn't count on him to play as many games a season as years past. He is huge when he's on the field and in the lineup though.

 

[Memento]

Cardinals/Cubs coming up right now. THIS SHOULD BE GOOD.

GO CARDS!

 

[Memento]

Dear fate. Heyward with a nice double. Holliday with the RBI. Molina with two beautifully framed pitches on Rizzo that got a strikeout. 1-0 Cards with one inning in the books. I love this game.

 

[Memento]

Wong with a walk. Jay with a hit. Carpenter with an RBI. Two strikeouts for Waino. 2-0 Cardinals.

 

[Mr. Walker]

So far so good for both St. Louis/Chicago games.

 

[Memento]

Waino with two more strikeouts. Heyward with another double. 2-0 Cards.

 

[Memento]

One-two-three inning for Waino. Wong with the first steal for the Cards this season, but the Cards can't capitalize. 2-0 Cards with four innings in the books.

 

[Memento]

Another strikeout for Waino, another hit for Carp and Heyward, another RBI for Holliday. Double steal by Heyward and Holliday. Lester was knocked out in 4.1 innings, but Adams and Wong could not capitalize. 3-0 Cards.

 

[Memento]

Nice defensive plays by Holliday and Wong. Motte with the Cubs' first 1-2-3 inning. Wainwright's last inning, most likely. 3-0 Cards.