Fellow Redbirds rooters, I want to thank those of you who followed me from the BND website to this page. But I would like to announce that View From the Cheap Seats will be returning to it's former web locale" www.bnd.com/cheapseats.
Please update your bookmarks accordingly to stay up to date on all the Cardinals 2011 post-season happenings and beyond.
Posted at 06:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
News out of Chicago is that Theo Epstein has agreed to a five-year, $15-million contract to become the new GM of the Cubs.
It will be interesting to see how this shapes the Wee Bears' 2012 plans. Chicago has a long history of passing out stupid money on free agent contracts like those it lavished on Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Zambrano and Kosuke Fukodome. And that's something that fueled a belief that the Cubs would be reluctant to spend the kind of money that it would take to steal a 32-year-old Albert Pujols away from the rival Cardinals.
But Epstein is also free with checkbook, passing out handsome deals to lure J.D. Drew away from the Dodgers, to pitcher John Lackey and to outfielder Carl Crawford. I doubt, unless things that had soured so much in Boston that he had to get out, that Epstein would leave the high spending Red Sox for a team that plans to rebuild through the farm system.
Posted at 06:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
On this day 47 years ago, Cardinals third baseman Ken Boyer hit one of the most dramatic homers in World Series history.
With the Redbirds trailing New York 3-0 at Yankee Stadium, Boyer launched a grand slam that would propel St. Louis to a 4-3 win in game four of the 1964 Fall Classic.
The Cardinals won the first game of the series in St. Louis but dropped two in a row. So the pivital clout saved St. Louis from falling behind three games to one and instead evened it at two games each. Ultimately, the blow decided the World Series because the Cardinals ended up winning it in the seventh and final game.
Boyer only hit .222 in the series. But two of his five hits were homers. In videos of the grand slam, if you look closely, you can see Boyer pat the Yankees third baseman on the behind as he rounds the final corner toward the plate. The New York third sacker is his brother, Clete.
Posted at 12:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Bottom of the Ninth:
Jason Motte is brought in with a huge lead to get some work. Rafael Furcal went deep into the hole at short to rob Mark Kotsay of a hit. Yadier Molina, playing first base, made a nice scoop to dig the ball out of the dirt. Carlos Gomez flied out to right field for the second out. Corey Hart drove a ball to the track in right. But Adron Chambers hauled it in and the Cardinals evened the series at one game each. Cardinals 12, Brewers 3.
Top of the Ninth:
Yadier Molina gave a pitch a ride. But he hit it to dead centerfield for the first out in the ninth inning. David Freese recovered the nine-run lead for the Cardinals with an opposite field homer to make the score 12-3. Gerald Laird entered the game as a pinch hitter and struck out and Adron chambers ended the night for the St. Louis offense with a strike out looking. Cardinals 12, Brewers 3.
Bottom of the Eighth:
Mitchell Boggs entered the game in relief and promptly served up a long solo homer to Prince Fielder to make the score 11-3. He fell behind Rickie Weeks 3-1. But Boggs came back to retire the Brewers second sacker on a high bouncing ball to shortstop. Jerry Hairston also checked on Rafael Furcal at short for the second out. Yunieski Bettancourt grounded to third for the final out. Cardinals 11, Brewers 3.
Top of the Eighth:
Former Cardinals farmhand Chris Narveson is in the game for Milwaukee. Jon Jay hit another ball squarely -- but right to the centerfielder for the first out. Albert Pujols broke his bat on a groundout to second -- which was cheered wildly by the Milwaukee crowd. Allen Craig hit for Matt Holliday and recorded an infield single. Kyle Lohse pinch hit for Rzepczynski and struck out to end the frame.
Bottom of the Seventh:
Marc Rzepczynski has come in to pitch for the Cardinals. Carlos Gomez led off for Milwaukee as a pinch hitter and he grounded out first to the pitcher covering. Corey Hart hit a lazy fly on a 3-1 pitch to right field where Adron Chambers has taken over for Lance Berkman. Nyjer Morgan drew a five-pitch walk to reach base for the first time tonight. I wonder if Rzepczynski knows it is 11-2. Ryan Braun hit a two-hopper to David Freese for the forceout at second base. Cardinals 11, Brewers 2.
Top of the Seventh:
Jon Jay grounds out to lead off the seventh. It's the first time he has been retired tonight. That means Albert Pujols came to the plate with the bases empty for the first time. But no matter, Pujols doubled down the right field line to improve to 4-for-4 on the night. It was an odd ground rule double. The ball only flew about 250 feet. It landed on or very close to the foul line and then hopped into the right field stands over the side wall. Matt Holliday singled and Pujols scored to increase the St. Louis lead to 8-2. Lance Berkman hit another hard ball right to an infielder. This one was too hot to handle for Jerry Hairston and Berkman reached first to make it two on and one out. Yadi Molina singled on a grounder to right to drive in Holliday and make the score 9-2. David Freese kept the merry go round going with a single to drive in Berkman to make the advantage 10-2. Nick Punto joined the fun to make it 11-2. LaTroy Hawkins entered the game to pitch to pinch hitter Adron Chambers (Not sure why La Russa didn't leave in Salas with a huge lead) and Chambers struck out looking... Rafael Furcal flied out to left center. But the Redbirds have broken the game open. Cardinals 11, Brewers 2.
Bottom of the Sixth:
Fernando Salas entered the game to pitch for the Redbirds. Jerry Hairston, batting .409 in the post season hit a fly ball to the warning track in centerfield. But Jon Jay tracked it down for the first out. Yunieski Bettancourt flied out to Jay in left center on the first pitch he saw. Jonathan Lucroy struck out to end the frame. Hopefully, after a short inning, Salas can at least complete one more. Cardinals 7, Brewers 2.
Top of the Sixth:
David Freese led off the inning with a strikeout looking on a questionable call. Nick Punto hit a lazy fly to left field for the second out. Ryan Theriot pinch hit for Lance Lynn and hit a two-strike single up the middle. Furcal struck out to end the inning. I wish the Cardinals would have left Lynn in the game for another inning or two. There are still a lot of Brewers outs to record. Cardinals 7, Milwaukee 2.
Bottom of the Fifth:
With the top of the order coming up, Edwin Jackson walked Corey Hart to start the fifth. He fell behind Nyjer Morgan but got the Milwaukee centerfielder to fly out to Jon Jay to fall to 0-for-3 on the night. Ryan Braun rifled a ground rule double that Jay barely had a chance to turn around. And that's it for him as manager Tony La Russa is going to the bullpen with on out in the fifth. In comes lefty Arthur Rhodes to face lefty Prince Fielder... And he walks the only man he comes in to face. Rookie Lance Lynn is called in with the bases loaded. Lynn coaxes a double play from Rickie Weeks and the Cardinals miraculously stay ahead by a 7-2 margin.
Top of the Fifth:
Jon Jay lead off against Milwaukee reliever Marco Estrada and doubled down the right field line after working the count and getting a pitch he could handle. Albert Pujols, suddenly hitting to his hot spot in right center, doubled again to drive in Jay and make the score 6-2. Matt Holliday failed to move Pujols to third by striking out. Then Lance Berkman hit a worm burner right to Prince Fielder on the first pitch he saw for the second out as Pujols went to third. Albert scored on a passed ball to make the score 7-2. Yadier Molina grounded out to second to end the top of the fifth. Cardinals 7, Brewers 2.
Bottom of the Fourth:
After Edwin Jackson struck out the side in the third, he got off to a bad start in the fourth. Prince Fielder led off the Brewers with a double. The Rickie Weeks got ahead 3-1 and launched a two-run homer to get Milwaukee back into the game 5-2. Jerry Hairston was retired on a ranging play by Nick Punto. The St. Louis second baseman fielded the ball going to his right and threw out the runner from the shortstop side of second base. Yunieski Bettancourt singled to right. Jonathan Lucroy hit to third for a forceout at second base. Casey McGehee came in to pinch hit for starting pitcher Shaun Marcum and hit a check swing grounder back to Jackson. Cardinals 5, Brewers 2.
Top of the Fourth:
Yadier Molina, who fell behind in the count early and then had a second chance when a fly to right landed one row deep in seats foul, ripped a double down the third base line. David Freese hit a grounder to second and made a productive out as the runner went to third. Nick Punto hit a single up the middle past the drawn in shortstop to give the Cardinals a 5-0 lead. Edwin Jackson bunted Punto to second. Rafeal furcal grounded to third and was barely beaten by the throw to fall to 0-for-3 on the night. Cardinals 5, Brewers 0.
Bottom of the Third:
Back to the top of the order for Milwaukee. Corey Hart struck out looking to lead off the frame. Nyjer Morgan, who contributed to two Cardinals runs by not being able to make defensive plays, struck out swinging to fall to 0-2 in the game. Ryan Braun, hitting .522 in the post-season when he came to the plate, fell behind 0-2 in the count and barely checked his swing on ball one. But Edwin Jackson struck him out on a breaking ball in the dirt to fan the side. Cardinals 4, Brewers 0.
Top of the Third:
Pitcher Edwin Jackson singles on a fly ball up the middle on a ball that Milwaukee centerfielder Nyjer Morgan can't reach with a dive. Rafael Furcal popped a lazy fly out to left field. Jon Jay singled to right. Then Albert Pujols, given new life after a foul to right field falls just beyond the reach of Corey Hart, hits one off the centerfield wall for a two run double. Matt Holliday moved Pujols to third with a productive out. Rickie Weeks robbed the Cardinals of a fifth run with a diving play at second to retire Lance Berkman. Cardinals 4, Milwaukee 0.
Bottom of the Second:
Rickie Weeks flied out to centerfield. Jerry Hairston singled on a line drive up the middle. Yunieski Betancourt lined a single to left field. Catcher Jonathan Lucroy got ahead 3-0 in the count before fouling off a fastball and swinging through a 3-1 slider. With the count full, Lucroy skied a fly ball to right for the second out. Pitcher Shaun Marcum popped a foul half way up the first base line and two gold glovers -- Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina -- watch the ball drop between them. Fortunately Jackson gets Marcum to pop a ball behind second base and Jon Jay rushes in to catch it. 2-0 Cardinals after two innings.
Top of the second:
Yadier Molina grounded out to short and David Freese quickly fell behind 0-2 before hitting a lazy fly to right field. Punto popped out to second. Cardinals 2, Brewers 0.
Bottom of the first:
St. Louis starter Edwin Jackson fell behind 3-1 to Milwaukee leadoff man Corey Hart but got him to fly out to centerfield. Nyjer Morgan grounded out to second base. Left fielder Ryan Braun singled on a grounder up the middle to bring up Prince Fielder who hit a rocket to second baseman Nick Punto. After one inning, Cardinals 2, Brewers 0.
Top of the first:
Rafael Furcal grounded out to shortstop after getting ahead of Milwaukee starter Shaun Marcum. Jon Jay followed with a bunt single. Albert Pujols launched a ball just foul before straightening one out and giving the Cardinals a 2-0 lead.
Posted at 05:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Cardinals hitters need to jump on Milwaukee starter Shaun Marcum early and often tonight.
Although his overall numbers are very good, Marcum has struggled mightily over the last four weeks or so. He's got a 5.17 ERA over the last month with a 2-2 record. Over the season, hitters are averaging .232 against Marcum. But over his last two starts, they're hitting .306 with six extra base hits over his last 12 1/3 innings including a pair of homers, a triple and three doubles.
Marcum is 1-1 this season against the Redbirds with a 4.15 ERA.
Posted at 01:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
The Cardinals had it in the palm of their hands Sunday night. But, like so many times before in the first three-quarters of the 2011 season, they let it get away.
They held a 5-2 lead against Milwaukee's best pitcher and were on the verge of knocking Zack Greinke out of the box when St. Louis starter Jaime Garcia inexplicably started serving up go-fer balls the Brewers stormed back to a 6-5 lead in a game they eventually took 9-6.
St. Louis wasted a three-run homer from David Freese who parked a ball over the right centerfield wall to put the Cardinals up 4-2 after a first inning 1-0 lead was erased by a walk and a monster Ryan Braun homer in the bottom of the first.
After the Cardinals retook the lead it seemed that Greinke had lost his composure. He was in a position to be bombed out the game but impatient Cardinals hitters let him regain his footing -- and some terrible defense opened the door for the Brewers to get back in the game.
Octavio Dotel, who relieved Garcia, had a ball hit back to him which he threw flat footed toward first base. The toss was wide and, instead of Albert Pujols vacating the bag to keep if from going into right field, he swipped at it casually and the ball bounded away.
If the Redbirds would have won, they would have had command of the National League Championship Series. The worst they could do would be a one game each tie when the series shifted to St. Louis for three games. Now they are in a must win situation tonight or else they could come home in desperation mode, down 2-0.
The Birds will send Edwin Jackson to the hill against Sean Marcum. Hopefully they can hold serve and come home to play behind Chris Carpenter as Milwaukee reaches the lower part of its rotation.
Posted at 07:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
The Cardinals could do major damage to the Brewers if they steal game one of the National League Championship Series.
Because ace Chris Carpenter was needed to secure the fifth game of the division series, Milwaukee will start ace Zack Grienke in the opener against Cardinals young lefty Jaime Garcia. The match up is a huge paper advantage for Milwaukee. And playing the game in Miller Park makes things even more lopsided.
In short, The Brewers must take advantage of their position -- because if they lose game on, things could tilt in the Birds' favor quickly. Even a split gives St. Louis three games at Busch Stadium with ace Chris Carpenter starting the first one. Win two of three at home, then all the Birds have to do is win one of two back in Wisconsin and its World Series time.
Posted at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Cardinals second baseman Skip Schumaker has been ruled out of the NLCS because of an oblique strain that caused him to be removed from the Redbirds' Friday win over the Phillies.
Skippy was hitting .600 with three RBI in the post-season and he drove in the winning run of the NLDS before being forced to the sidelines.
In other injury news, the Phillies reported today that slugging first baseman Ryan Howard ruptured an achillies tendon in the last play of the NLDS. The injury could easily keep the St. Louis native out of action past the beginning of spring training. He was about to beginplaying under a five-year, $125 million contract extension that complicated the Cardinals' effort to re-sign Albert Pujols.
Posted at 07:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
I don't know about you. But I am thoroughly enjoying the fact that Chris Carpenter and the Cardinals stuck a cork in the big, fat yaps of Phillies "fans."
I can't print of this family friendly blog most of the reactions to St. Louis' game five win that I found on Phillies discussion boards because you can't string together three words that don't have an f-bomb in there someplace. I especially enjoyed the thread that criticized Roy Halladay's performance -- in which he hurled eight innings and allowed one run -- because he ALWAYS struggles in the first frame. Seriously.
So let's avoid the post series venom and check out some of the bold predictions the expert Philadelphia fans made about their matchup with the Cardinals before the Redbirds sent the Phillies home for the winter:
-- I can't see us NOT sweeping them. They've gotta be pretty gassed and the Braves lost their way into giving the Cardinals the WC. Wasn't like St. Louis played well. They struggled with HOUSTON. Carpenter going game 3 means we will PROBABLY be up 2-0 heading to St. Louis. There's just no way.
-- Halladay is the best period. LEE is the best in the post-season. Hamels also is great in the post-season. Oswalt has experience against St. Louis, in the regular and post-season. Winning in St. Louis. There's no way we lose this series.
-- They're hot, but not hot enough to really consider it to be something to be worried about. I'd more say they have more momentum than you'd wanna see from a team you're facing. I'd say it's more momentum than actually being "hot" right now. But really, one game and one dominant performance from Halladay and you can wipe all that away. It's really just that first game you have to worry about, IMO.
-- we gona' sweep!
-- can't wait to watch LaRussa outmanage himself.
-- Carpenter has never pitched on 3 days rest before, but he will now be available for a game 5 if necessary on normal rest... Too bad he'll probably be teeing off on the golf course during this tentatively scheduled game.
Posted at 07:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
The Cardinals' playoff run is going to make it harder for the team to cry poor when it comes time to re-sign Albert Pujols.
Meanwhile it will put pressure on Pujols to put his wallet where his mouth is since he's repeatedly said his top priority is to go to a place where he has a chance to play for a World Series every year.
Playoff games do wonders for a team's financial ledger. If the average price of a ticket to the NLDS series against the Phillies is $60, the Cardinals sold about $5.5 million worth of tickets to the two games they have already hosted. And now they're guaranteed two more home playoff games that will average more than $100 per ticket. If the NLCS goes at least five games, in short, the Birds would have sold at least one season worth of Albert's next contract for five dates. I don't know how much of that is profit. But I do know that minus a post season bonus that comes from television revenue, the players don't get paid for overtime once the season ends. And, then there's the concession sales, merchandising and parking revenue that will flow in for playoff games.
Pujols will play in the NLCS for the fifth time in his 11-year career and has a chance to play in the World Series for the third time. Not many teams can boast that sort of consistent success. And the ones that can already have first basemen signed to huge contracts...
Pujols is going to be enormously rich no matter where he signs. But maybe this extra time he and the other Cardinals are spending together will help to show him that the grass isn't greener in some other ballpark.
Posted at 10:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
