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October 11, 2006
Four Reasons Why the Cards Could Shock
Everyone’s talking about the NLCS as if it’s a foregone conclusion that the Mets will win easily. I hate to play the foil to everyone’s expectations, but the Cardinals are a team capable of taking four of seven from the Mets. I’m not saying that I think it will happen, but they should by no means be written off. After all, remember how many people wrote the Tigers off and how that worked out. Anyway, here are four reasons why the Cardinals might give Met fans a sleepless night or two. Any one of these won’t be enough to save the Cards, and all four probably won’t happen. But some combination of these potentialities could result in a disappointing series for the Mets. In no particular order (though getting the most obvious out of the way first): 4. Albert Pujols is one scary dude. Albert Pujols can’t do anything alone, but with just a little bit of effort from his friends in the lineup or an off day from the Mets offense, he might be able to make the difference. He’s one of the game’s most consistent performers, a guy with tremendous contact skills and immense power (50 strikeouts, 49 homeruns in 2006). You may have heard Tim McCarver gushing over Pujols’s plate coverage the other night, a testament to those skills. If anyone gets into scoring position ahead of Albert, look out: Pujols put up a .397/.535/.802 line in those situations. There are very few situations where I’d advise pitching around a player, but Pujols up in such a situation might just be one of them. Adding his fantastic defense at first base and smart baserunning, you have a player with no weakness. It’ll be very important for Mets pitchers to take out the Cardinal tablesetters. While it may not be a great idea to walk him every time he comes up, I sure wouldn’t want to be in a position where I couldn’t either. 3. The rest of the Cardinals’ lineup might suddenly look healthy. The Cardinal offense is not bad, and there is a chance that they could jump to an early lead against one of the Mets’ less-than-imposing starters, particularly if there’s an improvement in their team health. David Eckstein might have endured a tough August and suffered a couple of late-season injuries (concussion, oblique, hamstring) that ate his September, but he still put up a .350 OBA despite that. The good news for the Mets is his poor NLDS (.133/.133/.133), may indicate that he’s not quite past his injuries. Scott Rolen’s in a similar place. He put up good numbers on the year (.887 OPS), but suffered an awful September and was so bad during the NLDS that LaRussa rested him and his balky shoulder during Game 4. He took an anti-inflammatory shot on Sunday and claims he’s ready to go. If he is, he adds a new dimension to the Cardinal lineup. I’m not sure how optimistic I would be if I were a Cardinal fan and have no idea how optimistic Tony La Russa is. Jim Edmonds can still hit when he’s in the lineup, but he’s only gotten 67 at bats since the start of August due to a concussion and now a foot problem. Unlike Eckstein and Rolen, Edmonds performed pretty well during the NLDS, hitting .308 although failing to get an extra-base hit. Finally, let’s not forget about Chris Duncan who has had a superb rookie campaign in 2006 (22 homeruns in just 280 at bats). Provided Duncan gets more than the six at bats he saw against the Padres, he could provide the non-Albert thump the lineup needs. He can’t hit lefties very well, but against the likes of Steve Trachsel and John Maine, he could be a major obstacle. 2. Jeff Suppan is a capable pitcher who may be due for a bounce back from his NLDS start. As Andrew mentioned yesterday, Game 2 starter Jeff Suppan has had an excellent second half. Suppan is one of those rare pitchers who can enjoy some moderate success with poor strikeout rates; he won’t blow anyone away. Instead he finds his success when he has good control and keeps the ball down. His groundball rate in 2006 was the best of his career, although nothing as extreme as you’d see from let’s say Derek Lowe. Because of that he can be beaten with long fly balls from time to time. Suppan got roughed up in the NLDS thanks to a troublesome fourth inning. His control was spotty and he left the ball up when he couldn’t really afford to resulting in a few more line drives and deep fly balls than he can really get away with. Still, you can’t ignore Suppan’s second half, and a return to that form could give the Mets fits with Chris Carpenter being in the same rotation. 1. The Cardinal bullpen was excellent in San Diego and could repeat their success. Yes, I know that the Mets’ bullpen is better. But the Cards have a potentially good group of guys also despite the absence of closer Jason Isringhausen due to injury. Adam Wainwright appears to be the man closing things out now, and Braden Looper is, if nothing else, an okay setup guy. But Josh Kinney and Tyler Johnson were especially impressive against the Padres and could be all the depth they need if their starters pitch halfway decent. If they need more Brad Thompson, Josh Hancock, and possible Game 4 starter Anthony Reyes (or Jason Marquis, I suppose) could also be there. From the situational lefty angle, the Cards employ two, Johnson and Randy Flores. On the basis of the Padres series, Johnson looks like the tougher opponent. Flores has some control issues and while he’s (much) more effective against lefties than righties, I can’t say he totally murders them either (.258/.337/.355). Still, the Cardinal bullpen had an awfully rough stretch in September and a meltdown against a potent offense wouldn’t be unthinkable. But it’s just one more reason why the Cardinals could stun the mighty Mets. 400 Responses to “Four Reasons Why the Cards Could Shock”Leave a ReplyYou must be logged in to post a comment. |
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MSNBC just said the game was cancelled because of weather
game is cancelled
thats friggin BS…calling the game a full 3 hrs before 1st pitch.
Its not an idiotic statement at all. I feel that fatass should be feeling guilty about how unfair he treated Lidle. hes an arrogant, heartless coward, that wont own up that they dissed the crap out of him 2 days prior. And by the way they are presenting themselves today they could care less.
damn it, this bites, Oakland/ Detroit another night yawn!
My thoughts and prayers go out to the entire lidle family
They wouldn’t cancel the game yet. I don’t think that report is accurate.
metswin, calm down man. you have a point i’m sure but you’re being what might be called ‘inflammatory.’ let’s just chill on dissing mike and mad dog - they didn’t have to do with this. they are douchebags, yes, but not because of this.
and FUCK to this game being rained out fucking bullshit
I don’t see them postponing the game over this. Sad as it is, Lidle’s death is not a national tragedy that would warrant the postponement of this game. Rain will have more to say about it than the Lidle situation.
I agree Dpty we get screwed because Lidle is too stupid to stay home when its raining and Foggy, I feel bad for his family , but hes an idiot
Keith Olberman is reporting it….
No, there’s nothing idiotic in what you said at all. By all means, bring up a dead brother to bring up a point about how much you hate a man. CLASSY. I doubt the interview was a blip on Lidle’s radar.
wdwrkr you are a dick
I know Lister, I just felt while I was listening the other day he was treated unfairly by them thats all. The poor kid, its a damn shame.
You guys are really coming up small right now. I am very dissapointed in your reactions
If you cancel this game, then EVERY sporting event should be cancelled. It’s tragic, but is it more tragic than if a banker or writer was the pilot? No, it isn’t. It should have no effect on the game.
And that was not meant as a joke either, I wish I could edit it, but I can’t.
(The radar thing)
I hear you. They are assholes, no doubt about that. I hate them, but it’s not right to even suggest they are to blame. That’s all. Let’s move on. Is this game cancelled? I need to leave work to get my Seaver jersey on so I can be there on time if it’s not cancelled!
IF THE GAME IS CANCELLED ITS DUE TO WEATHER NOT THIS.
god u guys are crazy.
M&MD have not said that game is cancelled
already people have lidle jokes this is horrible\
Espn isnt reporting the game is cancelled. MLB isnt either. Keith Olberman is the only one saying its cancelled I guess
I dont know…MSNBC reported its cancelled.
but it seems premature….
WOW, if they cancel todays game then do they make it up friday or push everything back to tomorrow???
This SUCKS
I have not heard ANYTHING saying the game is canceled
everything pushed back 1 day if cancelled.
Unrelated but Jae Seo just resigned with the rays avoiding arbitration.
Peterson spoke of Lidle but nothing really interesting. He said he can’t put his feelings into words. Hasn’t spoken with him much since Oakland
Macha is telling stories about Lidle too
this game will be played tomorrow and tomorrows game will be played on friday. and then no off day.
This has to be the most insesative and embarrasing comments I’ve ever heard
This Blows, we all hate the stanks but this really sucks for Lidle and his familia. WOW
so you gonna keep bringing it up mdog till he fights you over it?
dep - did you see olbermann on tv? i have to make a quick decision on commitment for tonight. thanks for help on this
Lets wait for an official announcement form MLB or the mets
They’re saying Lidle’s family might not even know yet
apparently they are on a flight (eek) somewhere and can not be reached….
cliff - yes i saw olberman on TV.
I’m not believing it till I see it on another source like MLB or ESPN.
Bloomberg just said he wont confirm if it is Lidle until the family is notified
thats your opionion mdog, why would I expect anything else from you. Lidle means nothing to me, he was an idiot , he killed 3 innocent people because he decided to go fly in the rain and fog. Why do you ask their family how they feel
Sorry dude but that just makes me sick and quite frankly it’s more disturbing that no one else calls him on it
thanks - i had originally promised to go to an important biz dinner tonight, then bailed (awkwardly) once i got a free field box ticket, and now trying to figure out whether to work my way back in. but very time sensitive - i have maybe 30 mins to figure it out. d@mn rain.
according to the mayor, only 2 ppl died and they were both on the plane.
apperently an instructor and the student.
Wow, now is not the time to blame anyone, im sure Lidle didnt get in that plane with the intention of killing innocent people
mdog sometimes you let things ppl say that bother you go
because getting into a fight about those comments at a time like this would be more inappropriate in my eyes.
There were also reports of 3 people in the apartment who got killed.
Not seeing that the game is cancelled on MSNBC.com either…
no more arguing about this from me I can assure you.
it was on TV not the web for the 3rd time.
There were two people killed and the other person was on the plane. So, first, get your facts straight.
Second, you’re an ass. You have no idea what happened and this was another human being!
A PERSON was killed! Just because you don’t know him doesn’t mean you should rip the guy apart. Have some class! While you’re bashing him, why don’t you kick his dog and punch his wife in the face too!
the mayor said they spoke to the 2 ppl in the nearest apartment.
he also said they were on a site seeing flight. passing by the statue of liberty.
lets just not fight. tragedies like this should make all of us realize how trite and unimportant to the grand scheme of things our arguments on here are.
I’m sorry I’m offended by ignorance, but hey it’s always my fault so I’m cool with it. I think I’m done with this site quite frankly. I don’t know if the great guys here can outweigh the one insensative moron
Everyone stop being retarded please. No need for infighting. This is sad and being disrespectful is worthless.
no one knows the exact body count…i’ve seen several different #’s.
Bloomberg just said no deaths in the building.
So how ABOUT EVERYONE CALM DOWN and stop blasting people.
The loss of life for anyone is a shame. Bryan people get killed every day, I put no more importance on a ball player being killed that anyone else. Its a shame for his family and the families of those also killed.
Yes, I know that it was SEEN on TV, but one would think it would be on the site by now if verified.
Everyone, chill. It’s a tragedy, the SAME as it would be if anyone of any profession was on it. That he’s an athlete does not make it any more tragic. No need to bite each others heads off. It’s a horrible thing, Lidle’s family deserves respect and condolences, and it’s entirely unrelated to the rest of the sporting world’s events tonight. That’s it.
Cliff, the way I’m looking at the weather, for weather reasons alone, I’d say there’s a ~70-80% chance the game gets played tonight, although perhaps somewhat delayed. Although two things could change that - the storm turning east instead of north, or a storm coming across Pa being quicker and more east than I thought.
I’d hate to make you decide yes and then I be wrong.
Newark radar, storm going north that could turn east
Williamsport, Pa radar showing storm heading northeast
What a day for my first posts, huh?
Good point dep. No sense at all to fight about it. We all have diff opinions and such and no sense in beating it to death. hey I dropped the who M@MD thing
mdog - stop. you’re being really dramatic right now man. we’re mets fans; we’re not all best friends and we’re not going to agree about MOST things in the universe. this is sad. soldiers and civilians dying in iraq every day is sad. grandmas dying is sad. there is no need for people to freak out bc somebody is being admittedly ignorant. JUST RELAX.
Thank you Bryan from Albany for being man enough to step up to an injustice instead of burying your head in the sand
I am ashamed at this bullshit here.
ESPN just updated their site and are discussing tonight’s game. Seems like hot air…
Amen, dep. The bottom line is that people died today as a result of a horrible accident that should serve as a reminder of how precious every moment we have on this earth truly is.
Any judgement being made on the flight are inappropriate since we have no idea what happened or what went wrong. It is sad that people died, bottom line. I join everyone in praying for the families of the deceased, whatever the number is.
I’m totally with you on this man, but some of the comments you made were personal attacks on Lidle and I felt it was an inappropriate time to make them. Maybe I’m over sensitive, but there is no need to trash a guy who was just killed in a tragic accident. Especially when all the facts still aren’t known.
Amen Bryan
The shots M&MD are showing of Shea do not look good. I don’t know that they could drain the field in time to play a game tonight whether the rain stops or not.
thanks for posting the weather update, mucho helpful
http://www.weather.com/weather/map/11371?clip=647®ion=null&collection=localwxforecast&presname=Flushing,%20NY%20Forecast&name=index_large_animated&day=1
The worst of it is staying west of the stadium. with that said, it still doesnt look good
I cannot wait for the Mets to take the field and to give this city a more recent HAPPY baseball memory.
Fuck the Cardinals.
That is all.
its really coming down in NYC right now…..cats n dogs stuff
Forecast shows rain to 3am, this game wont get played
http://www.weather.com/outlook/events/sports/hourbyhour/38720:20?from=36hr_topnav_sports
It is pouring at Shea
This weather can toss my salad.
At least Cliff is well enough to have theoretically started tonight. That is GREAT news. I
Take it out and measure it for me.
My 2 cents…
They should let teams adjust their rosters because no day off, this real bad news. Now we have to bring Glavine back on short rest just to pitch a game 5. It also means having to take it a little easy with the bullpen
If they don’t play tonight because it’s too rainy, maybe we can have some of my former pages run around on the tarp and slip and slide and get wet and measure it for me…
That is all.
I was not a fan of Lidle (I thought he was nasty when he was with the Phils, especially with his Wagner remarks), but this is an awful tragedy and you have to feel for his friends and family, very sad. My prayers are with them….
shades of Thurman Munson or what??
M&MD think they will play
This rainout is f’in gold for the Cardinals. Unbelievable.
I personally think today should’ve been cancelled anyway (weather or not) in light of Lidle’s death.
Some things are far more important than baseball - this is one of them.
from the phils phorum, someone posted that wcbs reported many acta lived in the building.
remember corey was a met once.
I’m sure this was commented on earlier, but I actually had to do some work today so I just saw it. Has anyone done a stat rap on Reyes? I think I saw that he wasn;t much better than Marquis, so I’m doubting we should really be too concerned.
no stats here, but from what i could gather is he is like Perez. great stuff, but can blow up.
Reyes has legit talent, unlike Marquis. He’s a rookie so there’s certainly the potential for him to get tattooed, but he also has the stuff to pitch a good game. It’s a good choice by the Cardinals.
People do seem to forget Lidle was a Met
yup rookie year in 1997 me thinks
That was it. He was 7-2 that year
ESPN just said the commisioner is considering cancelling both games due to the incident.
VERY insensitve comments….
people make mistakes, man….
please don’t throw out the hate
game thread open.
from espn, via philliesphans phorum:
also, it seems that lidle’s wife is on a plane back to CA and may not know yet.
If he cancels both games, then he needs to adjust the entire schedule of the playoffs.
I’m sorry, but not taking into account the weather, Corey Lidle should not affect the postseason schedule. Did they cancel games for Buck O’Neil? He did more for this game than Lidle did.
Listen, it’s extremely unfortunate, but it should have no bearing on these games.
i hope he makes up his mind in 25 minutes, so I wont head out to shea.
me too, chris….me too
I agree danny. Its very unfortunate what happened to lidle but they shouldnt cancel the games because of it.
Possible fuel problem is being thrown out there right now
Danny I just don’t think we know how the players feel. If they are not into it because one of their own just died, than who are we to tell them to play
While he was alive, most guys shunned him because he was a replacement player. That’s a fact. It would be a little contradictory to cancel the game now.
True but ESPN is reporting that players on all teams are stunned. I would hate to lose this game because some of the guys don’t have their heads in it
The rain has lightened out in midtown…i was just outside
lightened up