Cards In Trouble

[love_that_reefer]

The Cards are in some serious trouble after being swept by the MLB leading Brewers. The Cards sit dead last in the Central but there are things to look forward to after they pay their respects to Josh Hancock. First is getting closure on the tragic death of Hancock and getting back to focusing on baseball. After that you got Pujols starting to come around. He's hitting .435 in his last seven games. Now it's up to Rolen and Edmonds to knock him in. Chris Carpenter has been pain-free in his bullpen sessions and is expected back next Wednesday. This is crucial as he is their ace and gets this rotation back on track. Reyes has pitched better than his 0-5 record shows. Eckstein was moved down to eighth while LaRussa tries to shake things up. Hopefully this works and gets Eckstein's bat going. Taguchi needs more playing time over Spiezio as So has been hitting a lot better and is a lot quicker in the OF. This team can easily start to get things going and put up a good winning streak and I expect them to be in the hunt in September.

[love_that_reefer]

Chris Carpenter will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow and is expected to miss at least three months.
It was clear this was a possibility. Carpenter said he felt fine following his simulated game Tuesday, but he must have had swelling in the elbow within the last couple of days. Carpenter should be able to come back strong after having a bone spur removed from his elbow, but it typically does take three months. It looks like Brad Thompson is the leading candidate to replace him in the rotation.

I cannot believe no one has brought this up as he is one of the top tier pitchers in all of baseball. This adds to their trouble as I thought he was well on his way back. If (and this is a big if) the Cards can stay in it the hunt, Mulder and Carpenter will be returning at close to the same time for that second half push.

[redsrbetter]

To be honest, I wasn't real scared of the Cards this season. It is Miller Time this year as they have proclaimed the Central lead and seem to be building on it every night.

As far as Carp goes, he will definitely be missed. I hope he comes back strong as he career deserves nothing less. The one thing I do fear is Jocketty. He knows how to get a deal down during the deadline. So if Carp is healthy by then and Mulder is back as well, we may be seeing a big comeback by the Cards.

The thing for them to do is to keep within a safe distance of the Brewres until the All-Star break.

[love_that_reefer]

No one in the Central was really scary before the season started but the Brewers are proving everyone wrong and without an real effective Sheets. Jenkins has resurged and Hardy and Fielder are straight crushing.

As for the Cards to get things going, Edmonds and Rolen have to start hitting around Pujols and they have to go get a real RFer as Spiezio is just not an OFer. Encarnacion seems like he will be a while before getting back in the groove down in the minors. Eckstein has to start getting on base and get back towards the top of the order where he belongs. I do like Duncan hitting behind Pujols but with Rolen and Edmonds hitting .200 it doesn't really matter. This offense needs to click and quick.

[redsrbetter]

Agreed man. I just looked at the Cards offensive numbers and was honestly shocked. I expected a decline in Edmonds and maybe in Rolen, but not that much.

I love Duncan, the guy can rake. He will be a positive force in that lineup for a long time. I think their offense will get it together sooner or later. Hopefully not later.

[browntown653]

If Tony LaRussa ever bats Preston Wilson leadoff again, I will be forced to murder somebody.

[redsrbetter]

Ew, disgusting. When did that happen?

[redsrbetter]

Edmonds frustrated:

Irked by a lack of urgency, Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds said Sunday that "things are sliding" within a club that absorbed its sixth shutout in a passive loss to the San Diego Padres. The longest-tenured Cardinal, Edmonds admitted being increasingly bothered by a lack of creativity on offense and a lack of overall immediacy. His comments came moments after manager Tony La Russa refrained from addressing many of the same slump-related questions he has heard since the season's opening weeks. "There's no reason why we can't score a run here and there off any given guy at any given time. If things aren't working, we've got to change them. We need to figure out why they're not working and make an adjustment," said Edmonds, who is dealing with a slow start following two off-season operations and a truncated spring training. "We just can't keep coming up with lame excuses day in and day out why we're not winning."

FOXSports.com - Ben Maller

As a Reds fan, I know exactly how you Cards fans feel. Hopefully we can all see our teams turn things around. Maybe we are getting all of our losing behind us?