May 06, 2005
Don't Panic
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"Don't Panic." These are the words inscribed on the outside of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but they might as well be inscribed on Dave Duncan's Guide to the Cardinals Bullpen. I think it's safe to say that the Cards' starters have been carrying the bulk of the load for the first 27 games; what with Mulder's 10-inning complete game shutout versus the Rocket and the 'Stros, Carp's CG shutout of the Cubs, and even the bearded one is looking pretty sharp; but after a couple of recent bullpen meltdowns, I was starting to flashback to 2003. But, no need to panic.....Yet. |
Take a look at this...
This is the Cards' starting rotation through 27 games in 2005:
And, the woeful bullpen through 27 games in 2005:
How does this compare to last year's 105 game winning squad at the same point? 2004 Cards' starting rotation through 27 games:
2004 bullpen through 27 games:
The main difference? The starters couldn't get the job done and the bullpen wasn't being called on to save games, they were being called on to win them. The 2004 bullpen came into the game more often, their ERA was higher, their K/9 were lower, and not too many save situations there. Now how about 2003? 2003 Cards' starting rotation through 27 games:
2003 bullpen through 27 games:
Remember these are the glory days of Simontacchi, Tomko and Stephenson... Yet, the bullpen ERA is lower than the 2005 bullpen. Now a lot of the 2005 worries can be attributed three guys. One of them, Jason Isringhausen, who was pitching lights out before suffering a strained right abdominal muscle, is on the DL and should be back next week. Thankfully the other two, Jimmy-James Journell and Carmen Cali were banished to the minors yesterday and will be replaced by Bill Im-Pulsipher and Brad Thompson (he of the 57 2/3 scoreless innings streak). Anytime we can get rid of this line, we are improving our bullpen through subtraction: C Cali/J Journell
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March 29, 2005
Myers Back to Red Sox
After signing Mike Myers to a one-year $600,000 contract in December, El Birdos traded him back to the team from whence he came, the Boston Red Sox.
Terry Francona likes the acquisition.
"Mike's also a guy that can go two innings,'' Francona said, "so it's not a drain on your staff as much as a normal situational lefty is."
I'm guessing Bill Pulsipher likes this trade a lot, too, as now it's between him and Randy Flores to join the other lefty in the bullpen Ray "Burger" King.
Even though Dave Duncan can't figure out how Pulsipher does it, it might be nice to give him a chance.
In 9 appearances this spring, Myers had a 2.38 ERA in 11-1/3 innings.
January 01, 2005
Introduction
I grew up in St. Louis and played high school baseball with St. Louis play-by-play announcers, Chris Kerber and Joe Buck (Kerbs was a pitcher-outfielder and Joe was catcher).
I should note that my fellow alumni status with the Cardinals ownership group has not resulted in one free seat over the past 14 years. Now that the “where’d you go to high school” question is out of the way, I should mention my earliest Cardinal memory is attending Lou Brock’s final game in 1979 (my fondest memory, however, is probably Glenn Brummer stealing home 1982).
My turn-ons include useless statistics (did you know that the visiting team is much more likely to make a World Series appearance when the President throws out the first pitch of the season) and role players (Jose Oquendo, Mike Laga), and my turn-offs include bandwagon fans (if you’ve been totally into the Red Sox since July, I’m looking at you) and over-priced players (paging Kevin Brown, Mr. Brown to the white courtesy phone).
Recommended reading includes The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract and The Spirit of St Louis: A History of St. Louis Cardinals and Browns by Peter Golenbock.
I live in Chicago with my wife Katrina, who holds an almost unhealthy revulsion of all things Sosa, and I also am a contributing editor for local online events weekly, Flavorpill.
Welcome to the Birdwatch
birdwatch (v) - To watch and study birds in their natural habitat
By birds, we mean redbirds, or Cardinals, and of course by natural habitat, we mean a baseball diamond. More specifically, we are a group of Cardinal fans who love to watch the games, analyze the moves and the stats, and just plain love the game. We've all been faithful readers of other Cardinals blogs, and some of us have even written for them, but now we're combining our efforts to maximize the value for you, the reader. So welcome fellow birdwatchers. We hope to be your guides through the ups and downs of the baseball season (and off-season). Enjoy the ride.