This week tested my patience. Not towards the Cardinals… But towards the fan base. The first two games against the Mets in Citi Field didn’t go as planned losing 9-4 on Thursday then 6-2 yesterday. Fans across forums and message boards all over social media called for a change in staff.
CardsCards on Twitter
This new and improved Mike Matheny doesn’t seem all that different to me. #STLCards
Mark Flauter on Twitter
Hopefully, we’re another game closer to #stlcards manager Mike Matheny getting fired. #FireMatheny #dewallet
Of course fans have felt this way for a while it seems. Ever since the Cardinals missed out on the playoffs in 2016, fans have openly showed their disapproval of the Cardinal manager and front office. I myself question some of the decisions that are made but at the end of the day nobody cares what I think. Did I think it was a good idea to pitch Bowman for the 6th and 7th inning today? No, but did it work out? This time yes. And I can see why they did it. We have a good lead and he got through the 6th without many issues. He was hitting spots and was good on velocity hitting 94 on his fastball. He pitched well today. Matheny and Maddux could have just as easily brought in a guy like Lyons or Sherrif in this instance and nobody would bat an eye. But those guys could have easily had a bad inning and someone (maybe not many) would have said he should have kept Bowman in. Not everybody is going to be pleased by every decision that the manager makes.
Now, let’s talk about why the Cardinals are fine. In fact. They are still a force to be reckoned with.
Jordan Hicks is an absolute stud. Look at the fastest pitches thrown so far this season. According to Statcast, Jordan Hicks doesn’t have the fastest pitch… He has the top 5… Plus a few more scampered throughout. And what’s more impressive is that those are 2-seam fastballs. The movement on his pitches just adds to the difficulty of hitting against him. It was also nice to see Dominic Leone make an appearance in the 9th. It wasn’t a save opportunity but he did put on a good showing striking out two and giving up just one hit.
https://twitter.com/aaronarchcity/status/980637910851604480?s=21
Lauren Bundy on Twitter
Dominic Leone? More like Dominate Leone amirite? #STLCards
It was good to see a solid outing from the starting pitching today with Luke Weaver getting the win. Luke went 5 innings allowing 1 ER off 5 hits and 3 walks. He also struck out 3. I’m sure he could have gone into the 6th inning but his pitch count already stood at 92 pitches after five. One thing that has hampered the rotation have been walks and Luke was no exception. In the Minor Leagues he had a 1.8 BB/9 and in his time in the Majors it’s risen to 2.7 BB/9. Now this could be just from major league hitters being more patient, but it is still an interesting note. Even at 2.7 it’s a pretty low rate that is among the best in baseball (Kershaw-2.2, Scherzer-2.5, Verlander-2.7). Something else that’s interesting is that his strikeout rate is significantly higher in the Majors. He currently owns a 10.8 K/9 rate over an 8.8 K/9 in the minors. Despite his frame, Weaver manages to hit into the mid-upper 90’s with his fastball and has great command for such a young pitcher.
Joe Trezza on Twitter
The Cardinals’ first win of 2018 is a 5-1, sweep-avoiding victory against the Mets at Citi Field. Luke Weaver won. Marcell Ozuna notched three hits. Paul DeJong homered twice. Yadi left the yard. Leone debuted.
The offense is starting to click. Jose Martinez has shown that he needs to be in the lineup every day. Although he was hitless in today’s game, he hit some screamers. He got the barrel on the ball, just hit it right to the fielders. Paul DeJong had his first multi-homer game of the season hitting his first and second homers, while Molina added to his home run total with his second bomb of the season. Tommy Pham and Marcell Ozuna each had multi-hit showings after failing to collect a hit in the first two games. Pham stole and base and Ozuna began adding to his RBI total for the season.
This team isn’t perfect, but it’s gonna be quite entertaining to say the least. Cardinals avoid the sweep in New York winning 5-1 and are heading to Milwaukee where the Cards will send Miles Mikolas to the mound to face Zach Davies. I’ve been one of the most optimistic fans when it comes to how Mikolas will fare this season and I’m hoping that this will be a good showing for him. If he struggles, I’m not gonna overreact just yet.
Thanks for Reading!
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