When the Cardinals acquired John Lackey on July 31st, I may have been one of the few happy people in St. Louis. In one phone call, John Mozeliak traded a promising if questionable young pitcher in Joe Kelly and a lost 30 year old bat in Allen Craig to the Boston Red Sox for veteran pitcher John Lackey. Right away, I liked the deal a lot. If anyone had paid attention in the World Series in 2013, they would know Lackey dominated in three appearances and outpitched Michael Wacha to close the lights on the season. I liked the swap while others mourned the loss of part time comedian/full time pitcher Kelly and the once machine like bat of Craig. In baseball, you evaluate talent every single day and loyalty can be as punishing as it can be rewarding. Lackey was the right call and in four starts, he has proven why.
The biggest reason I liked the Lackey trade was the fact that he would fit perfectly into the confines at Busch. He is an old school arm with the normal assortment of weapons. Good fastball, changeup, curveball and a cutter. He pounds the strike zone and doesn’t walk that many. He may get beaten up on occasion(Baltimore) but he will die with the ball going over his head on a line other than being tossed back to him by the catcher after a free pass. Lackey is also a guy who likes pitch in his home park, posting a 3.10 ERA in 2014 at home as opposed to a 4.78 on the road. Busch Stadium ranks around the bottom of the league in home runs produced this season, so it is a pitcher’s haven. Lackey is suited for a park like Busch.
The Cards made the trade due in part to Lackey’s postseason ability. In 104 playoff innings, he has a 3.03 ERA and 78 strikeouts. That was on display in 2013 when he threw 26 innings and posted a 3-1 record. Lackey isn’t even the top arm in this deck. He sits right between Adam Wainwright and Lance Lynn with Michael Wacha on the way back.
Since his arrivals, Lackey is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA but if you take away a bad inning in Baltimore, the number is very good. At Busch Stadium, he is 1-0 with a 20 innings pitched and six earned runs allowed. He has struck out 16 and walked 4 in those 25 innings. I can’t tell you what Lackey will offer on the road. His grit will be tested next week in Pittsburgh in PNC Park, where the Cards don’t play well. I can tell you Lackey is a durable strong ace type pitcher who been worth every sentimental penny lost in the Kelly/Craig trade.
He will only get better, as the team scores more runs and maintains their current offensive bump in production. If the team scores more runs, Lackey’s pitching stands taller. He deserved wins in his past two outings but got nothing due to a lack of early offense. Hopefully, that changes.
Tuesday, he also contributed 2 hits and scored a run. So maybe, Mozeliak did acquire a bat of some kind in the deal.
Mo got this. A proven starter. Someone who takes the pressure off Wacha in his return and makes the team feel better about playoff stretch wins. Justin Masterson’s acquisition was an appetizer but the Lackey trade was the required shot to this bullpen.
As we have seen in the past week, the Cards can hit when the hitters in this lineup do their job. Hitting is contagious and it’s also very streaky, especially for a team with little power. The bats are starting to come out of it and that is when good pitching is needed. Masterson hasn’t impressed much yet. Lackey has shown plenty. There’s also that sweet 2015 salary of 500,000 dollars that Lackey has shook John Mozeliak’s hand on. That’s true value.
If you still aren’t convinced, think about this. Tuesday night, sixth inning, and runners on second and third. Due to a pair of errors behind him, Lackey was looking at a 4-1 deficit. There was only one out. Lackey pitched out of it. He gave the team a chance and stopped the bleeding. That is where I put my hat tip last night. A key moment.
I still don’t think we have seen the best of Lackey. So far, we have gotten solid pitching from the veteran Texan. I’ll take it while a bigger dose of dominance is on the way.
Thanks for reading and catch more of my thoughts on Twitter, @buffa82.
2 comments
A good measure of a pitcher is how he does with a runner on third and less than 2 outs. Second and third with no outs and not allowing a run to score is an accomplishment. Lackey was a great addition by Mozeliak!
[…] of his own. Lackey had second and third with 1 out in the 6th and escaped without further damage. He has been exactly what the doctor ordered since coming over from the Red Sox. A steady top of the rotation arm with experience and an ability […]
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