Finally! Looks like Berkman will be back on Friday, wonder what thats going to do with the rotation, Craig is pretty hot right now!

I know I don't have to tell you to have fun there:-)
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I guess that too many bats in the lineup is a nice problem to have. Suspect that Craig and Beltan will see a little more time on the bench. I'm also hearing that Beltran may see a few games in center field. It's a shame that neither of them can play second base.

Btw, we're going to the game Friday ... duh. Anyway, it will be the first game for us this year. We have some good seats and we're really looking forward to it. We also hear that they are retiring LaRussa's number that night.
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Maybe I'm showing my baseball ignorance, but Beltran in Center field? Isn't he a bit too old to cover that much ground and have that much speed? He's a hitter, but is he that good of a defensive outfielder?
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Not ignorant at all. Center field is Beltran's natural (old) position. He's a decent outfielder with good instincts. But, age isn't as big a problem for him as his knees ... that's why they have been playing him in right field. Defensively, he's no where near as good as Jay but the club wants to keep his bat in the lineup.
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Jon Jay is right at home in center, unless he needs a day off they should keep him there IMHO. Hopefully Molina is better and can play tomorrow, that's one guy the Cards can't go without for long.

I still have hopes of catching a game in August when I head home to Ky. Are there any give aways tomorrow?
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I see Beltran is still on fire...wish he would have done half of that in NY.
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Haven't heard when Yadi will be back. Whenever it is, it won't be soon enough.

The wife tells me that our game is Tony LaRussa bobble-head night.
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The scuttlebutt is Friday for Yaddi. A Tony bobble head:-)
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Man what a game! How was it? Even though we did not get the W it was fun to watch past the 1st inning. For one I'm sure Mac is happy with Beltrans performance :-). The strike zone was more than a little off for the entire game but both sides suffered from that. I really had game 6 fever when the bases were loaded for the 1st time near the end. But the Braves are a very good team and will make for a great series this weekend!
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The good: Beautiful evening to be at the stadium. Great seats. Enjoyed the LaRussa ceremony. Exciting game. The Cards kept coming back ... the bats are a threat up and down the lineup. Watching Matheny make some good lineup moves with pinch hitters. And, of course, Beltran ... the wife pointed out that he hit more HRs last night than Albert has hit so far this season.

The bad: Hoped to see Berkman ... they say his calf is still sore. Yadi's two passed balls ... maybe he wasn't ready to come back. All those hits into the right-field corner early in the game ... Beltran wasn't even getting close to catching them ... knees? And, leaving the bases loaded over and over in the last couple of innings. Tempted to include the Card's pitching on this list but I won't; the Braves earned this one.

And the ugly: The Tony bobble-head. He wasn't wearing sunglasses. It looked like he was about 6'4" and weighed 140 ... they call it a "figurine." And the absolute worst part ... his head doesn't even "bobble."
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Thank God for Molina and Matt. C. I know the Cards had to slump at some point but vs the Cubs is just not the time to do it!
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Including today, it's been an incredible run of poor pitching ... bad enough to make me cringe. Hope they straighten it out on the west-coast.
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With Garcia on the mound and the run lately I expected to wake up to a bad loss this morning. I was happy with what I saw. Looks like he pitched pretty well. Funny that Freeze does not hit a HR for 17 at bats until today and he is being said to be in a slump, lol!
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I expected the same thing ... what a pleasant surprise.

It's amazing what good pitching can do for you ... can't expect to out-slug the other team every game.

I'm a little worried about the injury bug. First, Beltran. Then, Jay. Now, I hear that Craig has some sort of hamstring issue that may keep him out through the road-trip. All key players ... not good.
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Salas walked in the winning run? On four pitches?
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Yeah, WTF? It's bad enough that injuries are popping up left and right. I really thought that Matheny was being overly cautious early on my giving so many days off to the guys. But the Cards have to get the basics together like they were in the beginning of the season. Also I'm betting that Beltran ends up on the DL shortly with he knees.
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Maybe it would help if he just stood still out in right field. I doubt if we would notice the defensive difference. Sorry ... kinda grumpy.
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:-) Mornings can be a b*tch at times.

I think Beltran is very good in the outfield. He is very smooth and natural out there and has a cannon for an arm. It may be that for the past few weeks he has kept the knees under wraps and that is hampering his efforts:-)
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It's not that he is missing balls that are hit right to him. He's just not able to get to a lot of balls that a lot of outfielders could reach. That leaves a sizable gap down the right-field line (saw this last week when we were at the game) and forces the centerfielder to cover more ground than is humanly possible (saw this last night with balls hit into a "gap" that shouldn't have been there).
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:-) :-) :-)

Looks like my prediction was a little off:-) Realistically who would have expected the Cards to stay on top for the whole season? It's still very early and I think it is somewhat of a good thing for the wheels to come off at this point so they can figure it out. But this bullpen needs to remember last year and get it together. And Mathney should reconsider giving so many int walks, I have faith!
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