MLB FanHouse

What the FIP? Cy Voters Still Missed

Jeff Fletcher — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, Giants, MLB Awards

Since Zack Greinke and Tim Lincecum won Cy Young awards this week with modest victory totals, there has been much discussion about how baseball writers are finally moving into the 21st century and looking beyond the win column.

Although I'm all for patting baseball writers on the back -- since I am one, and I did vote for Greinke -- I think in the case of the NL Cy Young, my colleagues may have looked past victories, and still picked the wrong guy to make their point.

Let's start with the ol' FIP, or Fielding Independent Pitching. FIP is a stat intended to quantify how well a pitcher performed based solely on the things in his control (strikeouts, walks and homers) without regard to the vagaries of the defense behind him.

More Coverage: Lincecum Ekes Out NL Cy Young

FIP is a great stat when trying to project the future. If I were a scout or a GM, I'd be all over pitchers who had a good FIP.

However, when we're talking about the Cy Young, it's not about projecting the future. It's about evaluating what the pitcher actually did. And as far as evaluating what he did, an out is out is an out.

What really matters in pitching? Getting outs. Preventing runs.

Fortunately, we already have two excellent, garden-variety stats that tell us what we need to know about these things. As far as getting outs, opponents' on-base percentage is the ultimate measure. It's easier-to-calculate cousin is WHIP. As far as preventing runs, we've got ERA.

So let's look at our two NL Cy Young contenders: Tim Lincecum and Chris Carpenter. (Two? Yes. More on that later.)

Lincecum had a 2.48 ERA and a WHIP of 1.05, while Carpenter's numbers were 2.24 and 1.01. Looks to me like Carpenter did a better job than Lincecum at those two jobs: getting outs and preventing runs.

Now, the pro-Lincecum people are going to bring out his FIP. Lincecum's FIP of 2.34 was much better than Carpenter's 2.78. The reason for that is essentially that Lincecum had 10.42 strikeouts per nine innings, and Carpenter had just 6.73.

Lincecum is a power pitcher. He struck guys out. Carpenter is not. He let guys put the ball in play and his defense got the outs.

If I'm trying to project the future of both pitchers, or if I'm trying to decide which guy I'd like on my team for 2010 or beyond (ignoring their age, in this case), I'll take the guy with the strikeouts. Strikeouts are nice and clean and don't require any help from the defense.

But if I'm filling out a 2009 Cy Young ballot, I don't care about 2010 or projections. I care about what actually happened. What actually happened was that Carpenter got outs at a better rate than Lincecum. Just that more of them were boring grounders to the shortstop instead of big exciting punchouts. You can say that strikeouts are better than groundouts because you can't move a runner or score a run on a strikeout, but Carpenter still did a better job preventing runs, so it didn't matter.

Is it really fair to penalize a pitcher who did his job (got outs, prevented runs) because he didn't do it a certain way (with strikeouts)?

Not to me.

Let's look at another of the numbers that went against Carpenter: Innings pitched. Carpenter was hurt for a little over a month. He made four fewer starts and pitched 32 fewer innings than Lincecum.

If I'm judging the pitchers on their value to the team, that's a consideration. Those 32 innings Carpenter didn't pitch were pitched by guys much worse than him, and it hurt the Cardinals when he wasn't out there. That counts against his value, for sure. In an MVP race, Carpenter would definitely lose points for not being out there.

But the Cy Young isn't about "value." It's about performance. It's about how well a guy pitched. A pitcher should be evaluated for what he did when he was on the mound, not for what happened to his team when he wasn't. Penalizing Carpenter for a game Mitchell Boggs pitched is no better than penalizing Greinke because (pick your own Royals player) is lousy.

The only reason to consider innings is if one pitcher was so far short in innings that you could question whether his rate stats would have been sustainable if he'd pitched a full season. If a pitcher made five starts in April with a 1.20 ERA and then blew out his arm and missed the rest of the year, you couldn't assume that he'd have maintained that level over five more months. In Carpenter's case, though, he made 28 starts. I feel pretty confident that anything he could do over 28 starts he could also do over 32.

If you want to put a premium on "stuff" (read: strikeouts) or "value" (read: innings pitched), that's OK. That's just not my interpretation of what the Cy Young is. I don't think picking Lincecum is an egregious mistake. I just wouldn't have picked him.

Hey, you ask, what about Adam Wainwright? He's not even in this conversation because he was well behind Lincecum and Carpenter in my Big Two stats, ERA and WHIP. When it came to the fundamentals of the pitcher's job, getting outs and preventing runs, he simply wasn't as good as the other two.

What he was good at was sitting in the dugout while his team scored runs, or sitting in the dugout while his bullpen recorded saves. The fact that Wainwright still got the most first-place votes for the Cy Young shows that too many of my colleagues are still over-valuing victories.

We are moving in the right direction, but we're not there yet.

What the FIP? Cy Voters Still Missed originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NL Cy Young Award: Tim Lincecum

Jeff Fletcher — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:01:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, Giants, MLB Awards

Tim Lincecum won his second consecutive Cy Young Award on Thursday, pulling out a narrow victory that is likely to be the story of this awards season.

The Giants' 25-year-old flame-thrower edged out Cardinals' teammates Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright in an election that was just as tight and unpredictable as expected, with a twist at the end.

Lincecum (15-7, 2.48) had the fewest victories of any starter to win the Cy Young in a nonstrike season, and he also became only the second pitcher to win the Cy Young without getting the most first-place votes.

Lincecum received 11 first-place votes among the 32 ballots cast, from two writers in each National League city. Wainwright got 12 first-place votes, but he finished third because he had only five second-place votes. Carpenter, the only one of the three who was not named on all 32 ballots, got nine first-place votes and finished second.

In 1998, Tom Glavine edged Trevor Hoffman, despite getting two fewer first-place votes than Hoffman.

With voting based on a 5-3-1 points system, Lincecum totaled 100 points, followed by Carpenter with 94 and Wainwright with 90.

The six-point margin between the top two was tied for the third smallest since Cy Young voting expanded to three spots per ballot in 1970. The smallest margin was Steve Bedrosian's two-point victory over Rick Sutcliffe in 1987, followed by Fernando Valenzuela's three-point win over Tom Seaver in 1981. The 1979 election was also a six-point victory, for Bruce Sutter over Joe Niekro.

This race was expected to be a tight one because the pitchers had such similar performances.

How They Voted
Voting for 2009 NL Cy Young (5 points for a first-place vote, 3 for second, 1 for third):
Player, Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
Lincecum, Giants	11	12	9	100
Carpenter, Cardinals	9	14	7	94
Wainwright, Cards	12	5	15	90
Vazquez, Braves		1		3
Haren, D-backs			1	1

Lincecum led the league with 261 strikeouts, but he finished just behind Carpenter (17-4, 2.24) in ERA. Wainwright (19-8, 2.63) led the way in victories. Wainwright and Lincecum both pitched at least 30 more innings than Carpenter, who missed a month early in the season with an injury. Wainwright and Carpenter pitched the Cardinals into the playoffs, while Lincecum's Giants finished in third place in the NL West.

The voting was completed before the start of the playoffs (and before Lincecum had been arrested for possession of marijuana, by the way).

With the repeat victory, Lincecum became the first pitcher since Randy Johnson to win consecutive Cy Youngs. Johnson won four in a row from 1999-2002.

Lincecum, at 25 years, five months, is the youngest pitcher to win back-to-back Cy Youngs since Roger Clemens won his second in 1987 at 25 years and three months.

There have been eight pitchers who have won back-to-back Cy Young awards. Johnson and Greg Maddux hold the record at four in a row, followed by Clemens, Sandy Koufax, Lincecum, Pedro Martinez, Denny McClain and Jim Palmer, who each won two in a row. Clemens won two in a row twice.

At the end of Lincecum's conference call with the media, he read a statement regarding the marijuana charges.

"I made a mistake and I regret my actions earlier this month in Washington. I want to apologize to the Giants organization and to the fans. I know as a professional athlete I have a responsibility to conduct myself appropriately both on and off the field. I certainly have learned a valuable lesson through all this and promise to do better in the future. I hope and expect the matter will be resolved soon. In the meantime, I am focused on preparing for the 2010 season. Since all this is still pending before the courts, this is all I can say on the topic right now."

NL Cy Young Award: Tim Lincecum originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BaseCast: Heavy on the Cys

Andrew Johnson — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, Giants, Royals, MLB Awards, BaseCast

It's a baseball podcast. The math is easy, right? BaseCast. Let's rock.

The American League Cy Young Award winner, Zack Greinke, was announced Tuesday and the National League Cy Young winner will be announced Thursday, so what better time for the MLB FanHouse crew to discuss both pieces of hardware.

In this edition of BaseCast, Jeff Fletcher, Ed Price and I discuss the implications of Greinke capturing the award, both for the voting body and for the team he plays for, before trying to wrap our head around the intriguing NL race, which features three excellent pitchers (Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Tim Lincecum), but no clear favorite.

Listen in after the jump.

Listen to the podcast above, or click here to download the file.

BaseCast: Heavy on the Cys originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Footprints in the Snow: Cardinals

Pat Lackey — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, NL Central

Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.

The Cardinals increased their win total from 86 to 91 in 2009, and in so doing they won the National League Central going away. They had both the presumptive NL MVP (Albert Pujols) and two of the top candidates for the NL Cy Young (Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter) on their club.

Despite that very good season, there were promptly dumped out of the playoffs in three games by the Dodgers, and they suddenly find themselves facing an uncertain offseason with key free agents and the contract of a certain once-in-a-generation first baseman looming over everything. To say this offseason is important for the Cardinals would be an understatement.

More Footprints in the Snow

Who Might Leave

Matt Holliday, LF; Joel Piniero, SP; Rick Ankiel, OF; Khalil Greene, SS; Mark DeRosa, IF; Troy Glaus, 3B; Jason LaRue, C; John Smoltz, Aging Legend; Todd Wellemeyer, SP

Shopping List

With nine free agents, the Cardinals have a few weaknesses that are going to need addressed before Opening Day 2010. The first and most pressing need is to find a bash brother for Pujols, whether that comes by re-signing Matt Holliday or by pulling in another free agent. The market for that kind of thing is pretty limited after Holliday and Jason Bay, so if the Cardinals fail to bring Holliday back into the fold they may have to try and reload via another trade.

Beyond that, they'll probably need a third baseman now that Brett Wallace is in the A's system (DeRosa and Chone Figgins are their best options, but they'll both be heavily pursued) and at least some rotation help for Wainwright and Carpenter with Piniero on the free-agent market. They can try to bring him back, but there will likely be some outside interest in him as well.

Money Matters

The Cardinals only have two arbitration-eligible players this offseason -- Ryan Ludwick and Skip Schumaker. Ludwick will probably be due a raise on his $3.7 million 2009 salary, while Schumaker is in his first year of arbitration and likely won't be too pricey. Ludwick is too important a part of their offense with Ankiel departing and Holliday likely to go, so they'll tender him a contract, too.

The most important contract matter for St. Louis this winter is actually one that won't be officially up until after the 2011 season. That's Albert Pujols, who's signed with a team option through that year. The Cardinals of course want to work out an extension with him, but he's made it pretty clear in the past that he wants a commitment to winning from them and with Tony La Russa's future after 2010 up in the air, John Mozeliak's front office needs to have a good winter to assuage their star.

That's not to say that Pujols wants to leave or is planning his escape route from St. Louis. It's just that the specter of his free agency is looming over everything that the team does, even when its two years down the road.

Offseason Goals

The nine free agents are a double-edged sword for the Cardinals. On one hand, losing those nine to free agency creates a lot of holes on the roster. On the other hand, the high number of free agents with a low number of arbitration cases means that they should have plenty of financial flexibility to take care of their needs and stay at the top of the division. Even if they go into the season without crossing off all the goals on their shopping list, La Russa has done a good job recently of finding unexpected offense from players like Ludwick or shuffling Schumaker around the diamond (he was actually pretty good at second base once he adjusted to the position) to fill needs and Dave Duncan is a magician with the pitching staff, turning around guys like Piniero and resurrecting John Smoltz after an ugly stint in Boston.

Footprints in the Snow: Cardinals originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Boras: Holliday Can Play in Both Leagues

Jeff Fletcher — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:02:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, Red Sox, Yankees, MLB Inside Scoop

CHICAGO -- Matt Holliday's performance in Oakland last year might have given some American League general managers a reason to be reluctant before ponying up the big bucks for him, but Scott Boras is ready with the answers.

Of course, Holliday's agent has to take that approach, because the two biggest suitors on the market -- the Yankees and Red Sox -- play in the American League.

Boras said the slow start had less to do with Oakland or the American League than it did with Holliday's own swing.

"Really, it was about Matt's hitting mechanics," Boras said. "He made some adjustments in the offseason. After about the first five weeks of the season, he went back to his normal stance. If you look at numbers from that point on, his slugging and OPS was at the same level he was at in the National League."

Sure enough, starting on May 5, Holliday hit .330 with 22 homers and a .961 OPS over his final 134 games, a stretch was just about evenly split between the A's and Cardinals. (By the way, it should be noted here that one of the sources of Holliday's revamped swing last winter was Mark McGwire, who was recently hired as the Cardinals' hitting coach.)

Boras used the phrase "franchise player" repeatedly in describing Holliday, comparing him to Mark Teixeira, who signed last year for $180 million, and practically said the Yankees got a bargain with the Teixeira deal.

"Last year we had one club that went and made a commitment to a franchise player and they won a world championship," Boras said. "They had an infrastructure and made the right decision and it turned out to be the right decision baseball-wise and economically. I think Matt Hollliday is another player like that in this marketplace."

What Boras didn't say is that Teixeira had proven himself in both leagues, is a premium defensive player at a more important position and is a switch-hitter.

Boras said he's been meeting with as many teams as possible during the GM Meetings in Chicago. The Cardinals, the only team that can talk dollars with Holliday before Nov. 20, have been one of them. Boras wouldn't close the door on a return to St. Louis. He said that realistically, if there turn out to be five serious bidders for Holliday, that would be a good number.

When asked what Holliday wants out of a team, other than the most money, Boras said he wants to play for a winner.

"If you talk about these long-term contracts, you don't want to get stuck in a place where you can't win annually," Boras said. "That's an important part for a free agent that's a franchise player. You want to make sure the owner is not only committed today, but committed longt-erm."

Boras: Holliday Can Play in Both Leagues originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Dugout: Return Of the Mac

B. Thompson Stroud — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:45:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, NL Central, The Dugout

Whoever was just hired as the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals, raise your hand. All right, you in the suit. Tell us how you got the job. What? You don't want to talk about it? Hey that seems pretty weird!

Yes, 2010 will see the return of shadowy figure Mark McGwire to Major League Baseball. He should use his influence to get the Cards to sign Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds to coaching deals as well, and everyone in St. Louis can root for a ball club instructed by the Monstars.

Today's Dugout is after the jump.

The Dugout

	Online Host Welcome to the St. Louis Cardinals Batting Practice Chatroom!
	SonOfJorEl: so what do I do if I'm up against a fastball pitcher?
	TheGwire: What do you mean? Isn't he going to intentionally walk you? Just don't swing the bat. Then they let you walk to first.
	SonOfJorEl: I... I don't think so? I mean why would he-
	TheGwire: Okay, uh, if you don't want to do that, why don't you just try swinging as hard as you can at everything?
	SonOfJorEl: I'm sorry, Mr. McGwire, I'm trying to learn, honest I am, but not all of us are buit like a Tackleberry from Police Academy action figure
	SonOfJorEl: Do you have any actual advice about hitting?
	TheGwire: Here, turn around. I'm going to stick this in your butt.
	SonOfJorEl: ... ?
	TheGwire: /makes "turn around" gesture with syringe'd hand
	SonOfJorEl: I dunno Mr. McGwire, I don't think I should be -
	TheGwire: Oh stop whining, this is legal.
	SonOfJorEl: well all right /turns around
	TheGwire: and by "legal" I mean "legal right now," because Major League Baseball doesn't know about it. Say ahh! /jabs needle into butt
	SonOfJorEl: wait what were you saying about the AUGHHH
	Online Host SonOfJorEl has been injected with a substance, but you don't have any proof that he has been so unless your judge jury executionar why don't you just shut up
	TheGwire: There, that should do the trick.
	SonOfJorEl: What exactly did you stick me with, anyway?
	TheGwire: it's a product of my own design, we call it "Niceanhappodrine"
	SonOfJorEl: Oh, that sounds pleasant! /sniffs and it smells like Mistletoe Yankee Candle!
	TheGwire: Balsam and Cedar, actually. Yeah, me and Canseco discovered this during a deep sea fishing trip back in '87, we've been using it ever since.
	SonOfJorEl: you and who now
	TheGwire: Jose bet me that he could dive into the briney deep and crush a living fish to death with his spinal erectors
	TheGwire: I said that was total horsesh** so of course Jose gnashes a bowie knife between his teeth and dives into the sea in his boxer briefs to prove me wrong
	SonOfJorEl: why was he in his underwear
	TheGwire: bout fourteen minutes later Jose surfaces wearing the skin of a manatee and brandishing this gigantic f***ed up snapping turtle
	TheGwire: long story short, we siphoned the contents of that beast's lower abdomen into mason jars
	TheGwire: man, the eighties were a fun and exciting time
	SonOfJorEl: I was eight years old, please just tell me how to hit a baseball
	TheGwire: Oh, sorry. With this gunk in your bloodstream you should be able to bunt into the upper deck
	SonOfJorEl: why do you call it "niceanhappodrine"
	TheGwire: because if we called it "erodes your frenulum and turns you into the Cloverfield monster" nobody would let us stick them with it
	Online Host LaRussasOnFire has entered the chatroom.
	LaRussasOnFire: Hey Khalil, how's batting practice going?
	SonOfJorEl: /projectile vomits
	LaRussasOnFire: That's about what I expected. Mark! How's your first day on the job going so far?
	TheGwire: I'm not here to talk about the past.
	LaRussasOnFire: oh, sorry. How is your SECOND day on the job GOING to go?
	TheGwire: Great! I'm going to teach Albert Pujols about the benefits of taking off for 80 to 90 games per season
	LaRussasOnFire: Excellent. Hey, when you're doing with Khalil, would you mind helping out Nick Stavinoha? He's really awful.
	TheGwire: do you want me to inject him with something?
	LaRussasOnFire: No, not necessarily.
	TheGwire: do you want me to hug him after I hit a home run?
	LaRussasOnFire: No.
	TheGwire: do you want me to not talk about him?
	LaRussasOnFire: no
	TheGwire: sorry skip, those are the only things I know how to do. /shrugs shoulders, tears entire back in half

Photos link to player info. (Photo Credit: Getty Images) WordUpThome.com

The Dugout: Return Of the Mac originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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McGwire Hire Feels Like Bad Joke

Terence Moore — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:15:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, MLB PEDs

This can't end well. In fact, unless the city of St. Louis is just into the bizarre -- you know, such as plans to replace that large arch downtown with a Starbucks or something, this will end sooner than later.

Mark McGwire as Cardinals hitting coach?

I'm still waiting for the punch line.

In order for this to work, McGwire has to discuss what he hasn't wanted to discuss forever, and you know what that is. Instead, he spit at a bunch of congressmen during a hearing on steroids during the spring of 2005 on Capitol Hill by telling them, "I'm not here to talk about the past."

Yeah, well. The guy has no choice now. He will be hounded by his "past" on every Cardinals road trip. I'm guessing that more than a few folks in St. Louis also will have questions about his "past."

So why did you start using steroids?

When did you stop -- or did you stop?

Why did you choose to deceive those congressmen on national television instead of having the guts to come clean?

Where have you been hiding -- and why have you been hiding -- during most of the last eight years since your retirement from baseball with the Cardinals?

How come you're returning to baseball now?

Since none of those questions will leave McGwire's world until they are fully and honestly answered, this famously private guy will tire of it all and challenge the major league record for shortest tenure as a hitting coach.

No doubt McGwire understands the art of swinging and succeeding. He played Dean Martin to Sammy Sosa's Jerry Lewis when they battled down the stretch of the 1998 season for the all-time record for home runs during a season. They both topped Roger Maris' magical 61, but Sosa finished with 66 to McGwire's 70.

Not only that, McGwire retired in 2001 with 583 home runs, courtesy of leading his league in homers four times. He also topped Babe Ruth's previous record by slamming pitches out of ballparks at the rate of one every 10.61 at bats.

McGwire can teach, too. He has received accolades from Matt Holliday after they've worked in the shadows during recent years. He also has been a quiet tutor to others, including youth with the Cardinals' minor-league teams.

Those things are secondary to the big thing. Actually, this is the only thing: Mark, tell us the depth of your cheating with performance-enhancing drugs to become baseball's all-time biggest slugging fraud before Barry Bonds?

It's not going to happen. A preview of stonewalling to come from McGwire and from those around him with the Cardinals occurred on Monday during a news conference in St. Louis . It was to announce that Tony La Russa will return as Cardinals manager and that McGwire will replace Hal McRae as hitting coach.

La Russa was there. McGwire wasn't.

Surprise, surprise.

It got worse, because La Russa said of McGwire's role, "You're going to see a hitting coach -- much like Hal, in that the guys who do a good job -- Mark's not gong to hang around the (batting) cage just watching BP. He's going to work from spring training in the early morning until the last guy leaves in the afternoon."

To translate La RussaSpeak: The Cardinals are going to keep McGwire away from public view as much as possible. Goodness knows, what might happen if somebody gets close enough to ask McGwire one of those questions.

What about those questions, Tony?

"Well, I've already addressed (McGwire's steroid rumors) since the first time it came out, and I have never changed my comment," said La Russa, McGwire's manager when he made his major league debut with the Oakland Athletics in 1986. La Russa also was McGwire's manager during his five years with the Cardinals. Added La Russa, "I've seen him get stronger. In fact, when you see him, he's not a guy who has wilted down to nothing. I mean, he's as big and strong as ever. He works out every day.

"So I've already said what I believe. He's a product of hard work and of a lot of discipline with his diet and all of that stuff. I think the organization; we all feel the same way. Now at some point, he's going to have to talk, and I don't know what he's going to say."

I know what McGwire has to say. He has to say he was guilty of much of what has been alleged about his steroid use. Which brings us back to that question as to why he left seclusion: Cooperstown , perhaps?

In order to reach the Baseball Hall of Fame, you need 75 percent approval from those voting during a given year. McGwire received 23.5 percent during his first year of eligibility, 23.6 during his second and 21.9 percent last year.

Not good. So maybe this is McGwire's way of politicking his way back into the public's consciousness. Maybe he'll become the anti-Pete Rose by calling a huge news conference to display a bunch of tears and ask for everybody's forgiveness.

Maybe there is a wrecking ball in front of the Gateway Arch.

Terence Moore is a national columnist and commentator for FanHouse. He is a frequent panelist on "Rome Is Burning," an ESPN show hosted by Jim Rome, that is seen Monday through Friday at 4:30 PM ET. Moore spent more than three decades working for major newspapers, including 26 years as an award-winning sports columnist for the San Francisco Examiner and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He resides in Atlanta.

McGwire Hire Feels Like Bad Joke originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mark McGwire Cards' New Hitting Coach

Pat Lackey — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:18:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, NL Central

Mark McGwire will end his baseball exile and accept a position with the St. Louis Cardinals as their hitting coach, a Cardinals source confirmed to FanHouse's Ed Price Sunday afternoon. He'll replace Hal McRae, who's held the position for five years. The story initially appeared on Brian McRae's Twitter account, though it's since been deleted.

McGwire played 4 1/2 seasons with St. Louis, in which he hit 220 home runs and briefly set the single-season MLB record with his 70 homers in 1998. Of course, since then he's been surrounded by steroid rumors and has more or less dropped entirely off of the baseball radar after his Congressional testimony in 2005.

This news seems to make it pretty clear that Tony La Russa, who's been close with McGwire after managing him both in Oakland and St. Louis, should be back in 2010 as the Cardinals manager. There was initially some question about that, but a report by Joe Strauss Sunday morning pointed pretty strongly towards La Russa's return. It's hard to imagine any way McGwire accepts this job without La Russa in St. Louis.

What will be interesting is how the private McGwire handles his return to the baseball spotlight. He must know that by accepting this position, he's going to have to do some talking about the past, so to speak. Though, by announcing the hiring early, the Cardinals are probably hoping most of that dies down by the time the team is ready for spring training next February.

Mark McGwire Cards' New Hitting Coach originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:18:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Dugout: Common Ground

B. Thompson Stroud — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:15:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, Dodgers, Phillies, Red Sox, Rockies, Yankees, MLB Playoffs, The Dugout

The playoffs are almost over and the stage is set for the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies to face the dreadnought New York Yankees ... or the Los Angeles Angels Angels, pending a dead Christopher Lloyd-style miracle.

The bottom line is this: the World Series is like one block to our left, and we're going to have to start buckling down and making some declarative statements. Before we do that, though, today's Dugout features some pre-ALCS decision arguing and some sad realities.

The Dugout

	Online Host Welcome to the 2009 MLB Playoffs Chat!
	NeedsABathia: ...and then if we beat the Angels tonight, we go to the World Series. I can't believe it.
	ManuelLabor: that's great... it's gonna be the very best team in the AL against the very best team in the NL.
	BenFranciscoGiants: it's fun to hate on you because y'all are a bunch of greedy homosexual ingrate dirtbags, but "baseball success" and "Yankees" are pretty much synonymous
	ACliffLeeTiltingPlanet: And hey, if we're gonna win, we should win against the best!
	CarlNotLenny: well yeah they're good, but "best in the AL?" I don't know, I thought we had a real shot at it
	PeteRoseWentToBetancourt: the yankees won 161 1/2 of 162 games this year no offense to the twins but
	FightTheHerges: It doesn't matter! The Angels aren't out of this yet. The ANGELS are the best team in the AL.
	TheDefeatedVictor: yeah right, they're the best team because they're in the AL West, even the Orioles could win 80 games in the AL West
	InTheSpringBecomesDeRosa: dude, have you SEEN the Orioles?
	TheDefeatedVictor: not since I came to Boston, they wouldn't let me play, they've got me washing their dishes
	LudwickVanBeethoven: the AL West isn't so bad, you've still gotta beat the Mariners 55 times out of 60
	InTheSpringBecomesDeRosa: washing their dishes??
	FightTheHerges: Angels/Phils Angels win in 5
	TheDefeatedVictor: yeah I hear next season they're gonna sign David Eckstein and David Wright and move Fenway Park to Berlin
	PointBlake: we kept telling people to "think blue," but I guess we should've specified the shade
	PunchedYourBelliard: anybody still picking the angels is a dumb, i'm still picking the angels to lose in the first round i don't care what you say
	NeedsABathia: come on, guys, calm down, I can't tell where the conversation is going anymore
	ManuelLabor: Everyone here deserved to be here. We all had great seasons, win or lose, and we gotta remember that.
	ACliffLeeTiltingPlanet: maybe if we could all find some common ground
	NeedsABathia: I'm pitching my next two games on one day and twenty minutes rest respectively, is anybody else doing that
	CarlNotLenny: lol no
	InTheSpringBecomesDeRosa: well we all like 30 Rock, don't we? That's new tonight, we could watch that instead of the Yankees
	PointBlake: I find 30 Rock to be pedantic, overrated, and mediocre at best. Also, "underwhelming"
	LudwickVanBeethoven: give me a break, what kind of shows do you like then
	FightTheHerges: I bet he says "Scrubs"
	PointBlake: why yes I do like Scrubs, I like how they go from jokey to serious without any warning and I also love the use of low-distrubition rock songs to show emotion instead of dialogue or acting
	PointBlake: I also like "My Name Is Earl." Your point???
	PeteRoseWentToBetancourt: we should check and see if we all have the same birthday, in case we are merely fragments of an insane man's imagination
	BenFranciscoGiants: maybe we all been dead this whole time!
	ManuelLabor: What about baseball? We all love baseball, right?
	NeedsABathia: nah man I f***in hate baseball
	ManuelLabor: What!! Since when?
	NeedsABathia: when you get traded to New York they put you under and remove the part of your brain that thinks baseball is fun and happy and replace it with one that treats it like a stressful obligation
	NeedsABathia: it also makes you think Ed Hardy clothes and Affliction t-shirts are cool
	CarlNotLenny: come to think of it Ed Hardy is pretty bad ass
	TheDefeatedVictor: I guess we're never gonna find common ground
	ManuelLabor: Yeah, you're right. I mean, what could EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US have in common?
	Online Host Meanwhile, in the Los Angeles Dodgers Chatroom...
	WordUpThome: /sits on bench with head in hands
	MannyTheTorpedoes: nyah hee hee /makes bizarre scooping gesture with hands
	WordUpThome: WHAT ARE YOU DOING
	MannyTheTorpedoes: signelling to payro that we are oud of playoffs
	MannyTheTorpedoes: r u ok do u wan hifive
	WordUpThome: NO, I'M NOT FINE. IT FEELS LIKE IT IS JUST NEVER GONNA...
	WordUpThome: NEVERMIND, I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABO
	WordUpThome: ABOUT IT
	MannyTheTorpedoes: what r u gona do neg season /puts entire sunflower into mouth
	WordUpThome: HEAD BACK TO THE AMERICAN LEAGUE, SEE IF ANY TEAMS NEED A NIGH IMMOBILE OLD MAN D.H. HOW ABOUT YOU
	MannyTheTorpedoes: gona get millons of dollar to be gray at baseball sometime an sometime not care go home watch spontchbob
	WordUpThome: ALL THAT WORK WE DID TRAVELING THE COUNTRY ON A TANDEM BICYCLE, AND WHAT DID IT GET US
	MannyTheTorpedoes: cople extra weeks of beisbol
	WordUpThome: I GUESS I SHOULDN'T HAVE EXPECTED A BUNCH OF CLEVELAND INDIANS TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS
	WordUpThome: SEE YOU NEXT SEASON, BUDDY
	MannyTheTorpedoes: bye jim tommy
	Online Host WordUpThome has left the chatroom.

Photos link to player info. (Photo Credit: Getty Images) WordUpThome.com

The Dugout: Common Ground originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scott Boras Gives Us a Clue on How Much Matt Holliday Will Cost

Tom Fornelli — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:07:00 EST

Filed under: Angels, Cardinals, Red Sox, Yankees, MLB Rumors

During FanHouse's marathon live chat of the ALCS and NLCS yesterday, I couldn't help but notice Scott Boras directly behind home plate as the Angels took on the Yankees in Game 3. I was informed during the chat by our own Jeff Fletcher that Boras has season tickets behind home plate at both Angels and Dodger Stadium, and he likes to show up early so he's available to the media.

Well, Boras was available Monday, and he fired his opening salvo of the Matt Holliday Sweepstakes this winter. It looks like any team that wants to sign Holliday should start their offers somewhere in the range of the eight-year $180 million that Mark Teixeira got from the Yankees last winter.

"These guys are blue-collar superstars," Boras said. "They don't hit 50 home runs, but they're complete players. They can give you something without swinging a bat."

Teixeira signed with the New York Yankees last winter, for $180 million. Boras would not say what his asking price would be for Holliday, but he made clear he considered Holliday's abilities in getting on base, hitting for power and playing superior defense similar to those of Teixeira.

"There are differences between hitters and complete players," Boras said. "Matt Holliday is a complete player.

"There is, frankly, no one like him in the market."

Well I don't know what Jason Bay did to deserve that last comment besides not sign with Scott Boras, but I think it's clear that no matter what Holliday has said, he's not going to be returning to St. Louis next season. I just don't see them paying that kind of money when they're trying to sign Albert Pujols to an extension.

As for where Holliday is likely to end up given the cost, the usual suspects come to mind. The Los Angeles Angels will probably show interest as they may be looking to replace Vladimir Guerrero, as may be the case in Boston as well should the Red Sox let Jason Bay walk. Both New York teams are likely to get involved as well, though I'm not sure how hard of a charge the Yankees will make considering the amount of money they spent on Teixeira, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett last season.

Though if Boston is involved, the Bombers might get involved just to drive up the price.

Scott Boras Gives Us a Clue on How Much Matt Holliday Will Cost originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Let's Give Holliday a Break, for Once

Terence Moore — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:35:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, MLB Fans, MLB Playoffs, National League Division Series

Contrary to popular belief, Ralph Branca didn't throw away a pennant with his pitch that became Bobby Thomson's shot heard around the world. All of the Brooklyn Dodgers kept themselves out of the World Series back then. They choked away a huge lead in September to force that playoff against the New York Giants.

Remember Bill Buckner's gaffe?

Overrated.

That was in Game 6. The Boston Red Sox still had a chance to win the world championship in Game 7, but they didn't.

On and on we can go, with a slew of examples -- even from other sports involving HUGE blunders that actually were just huge, which is to say folks should lay off Matt Holliday just a little. They won't, though. St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa had it exactly right when he said of Holliday's drop fly ball during the National League Division Series that supposedly triggered the Los Angeles Dodgers sweeping the Cardinals into the offseason: "Ain't no free lunch. Matt's going to take some hits for this."

He will, and he should. Then again, he shouldn't.

Yes, Holliday's drop occurred in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 2 in Los Angeles . Yes, there were two outs. And, yes, his catch of that routine line drive would have ended the game and tied the best-of-five series at 1-1. But consider this: Holliday wasn't on the mound for the Cardinals in the aftermath when the Dodgers tied the game and then won it. The Cardinals also were still alive in the series when they returned home for Game 3, but they lost 5-1.

And, please. When it comes to other infamous moments throughout sports history, no more talk about The Jackie Smith Drop. For one, it occurred in the third quarter of Super Bowl XIII. The Dallas Cowboys would have tied the game at the time with Smith's catch in the end zone, but it wouldn't have mattered. With Terry Bradshaw outplaying Roger Staubach, the Pittsburgh Steelers simply were better than the error-prone Cowboys along the way to a 35-31 victory.

Here's one more thing to ponder: When Georgetown's Fred Brown threw to the wrong man down the stretch of that 1982 NCAA basketball championship game in New Orleans, something rarely gets mentioned. Michael Jordan and his North Carolina Tar Heels were LEADING by a point at the time.

Who is to say Brown was dribbling Georgetown toward a game-winning shot? Maybe the Hoyas shoot and miss. Maybe there is a hurricane that rocks the Superdome and requires the game to be rescheduled and North Carolina sprints to a rout.

Maybe everybody should just chill in these situations. The sporting world loves anointing a singular scapegoat, especially when it has a chance to do so after the spotlight shines brightly on an inexplicable mishap.

So Holliday has become the Cardinals' Buckner, who was the Boston Red Sox's Leon Durham, who was the Chicago Cubs' Fred Merkle.

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Rockies-Phillies Photos

DENVER - OCTOBER 11: Ubaldo Jimenez #38 of the Colorado Rockies pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game Four of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Coors Field on October 12, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/ Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ubaldo Jimenez

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Phillies vs. Rockies

DENVER - OCTOBER 11: Troy Tulowitzki #2 of the Colorado Rockies reacts as he walks to the dugout after striking out in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game Four of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Coors Field on October 12, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/ Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Troy Tulowitzki

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DENVER - OCTOBER 11: Cliff Lee #34 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches against the Colorado Rockies in Game Four of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Coors Field on October 12, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Cliff Lee

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DENVER - OCTOBER 11: Shane Victorino #8 of the Philadelphia Phillies rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the top of the first inning against the Colorado Rockies in Game Four of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Coors Field on October 12, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Shane Victorino

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DENVER - OCTOBER 12: Shane Victorino #8 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a solo home run in the top of the first inning against the Colorado Rockies in Game Four of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Coors Field on October 12, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Shane Victorino

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Baseball fans wait in line to buy tickets at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Monday, Oct. 12, 2009. The Los Angeles Dodgers will face the either the Philadelphia Phillies or the Colorado Rockies in the National League championship series in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

DENVER - OCTOBER 12: Charlie Manuel #41 of the Philadelphia Phillies blows a bubble with gum as he watches batting practice before the game against the Colorado Rockies in Game Four of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Coors Field on October 12, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Charlie Manuel

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DENVER - OCTOBER 12: Charlie Manuel #41 of the Philadelphia Phillies watches batting practice before the game against the Colorado Rockies in Game Four of the NLDS during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Coors Field on October 12, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Charlie Manuel

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Fred Merkle? Well, let's start with Leon Durham, who foreshadowed things to come for Buckner during the 1984 National League Championships Series. What many remember is that Durham allowed a crucial ground ball to roll between his legs in the fifth and decisive game. What they often forget is that it was only the seventh inning, and the error just allowed the San Diego Padres to tie the game.

The other Cubs helped Durham blow it from there.

As for Merkle, it all goes back to September 1908 at the Polo Grounds, where he took off from first base for the hometown New York Giants on what should have been a game-winning hit against the Cubs. He didn't touch second base. He eventually was called out on a force out to negate the run. Since the crowd thought the game was over and poured onto the field to head for the center-field exits, the umpires ruled that what still was a tie game had to be replayed at a later date.

It just so happened that the Giants and the Cubs finished tied in the standings. As a result, the replayed game was a playoff game, and the Giants lost. It sent the 19-year-old Merkle into a funk for the rest of his life.

That's why it's all up to Holliday these days. When you blow it for eternity in the often wrongheaded minds of others, you have two choices, and neither is good. You can live with it, or you can do the lesser of those choices by dying with it. To hear some tell it through the years, Donnie Moore literally spent his pitching performance in the 1986 American League Championship Series dying courtesy of the memory.

Moore found himself standing one strike away in Game 5 back then from sending his California Angels to the World Series in the top of the ninth. Instead, he gave up a two-run homer to the Boston's Dave Henderson. Then after the Angeles tied the game in the bottom of the ninth, Moore relinquished what would be a game-winning sacrifice fly to Henderson in extra innings.

Never mind the Angels still had a 3-2 lead in the series. The fans, the media and the demons inside of Moore blamed Moore.

Three years later, after Moore wounded his wife with gunshots in front of their children, he pointed the gun at himself and committed suicide. This wasn't all the result of his Game 5 meltdown, but it didn't help.

The point is, Holliday needs to forget about it.

Even though folks won't let him.

Terence Moore is a national columnist and commentator for FanHouse. He is a frequent panelist on "Rome Is Burning," an ESPN show hosted by Jim Rome, that is seen Monday through Friday at 4:30 PM ET. Moore spent more than three decades working for major newspapers, including 26 years as an award-winning sports columnist for the San Francisco Examiner and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He resides in Atlanta.

Let's Give Holliday a Break, for Once originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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John Smoltz Wants to Remain a Cardinal, Should He Decide to Play in 2010

Matt Snyder — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:05:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, NL Central, MLB Rumors

John Smoltz completed his 21st major league season Saturday night when the Cardinals were swept out of the NLDS by the Los Angeles Dodgers. As of now, the 42-year-old hurler does not plan on it being his last.

Smoltz told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he'll need some more time to fully evaluate whether or not he'll come back to pitch in 2010, but his initial thought is that he will.

"As of right now," he said. "I plan to."

He's holding off on making the final decision because he doesn't want to become one of "those guys" -- the ones who waffle back and forth on a retirement decision. Thus, Smoltz expects to sign late in the free-agency period, should be decide to pitch again in 2010. He'll turn 43 during the season.

He did express his desire to remain with the Cardinals, as long as the deal would be "mutually agreeable."

Smoltz has compiled a resume that will likely land him in Cooperstown five years after he decides to hang up the cleats for good. He's the only player in major league history to save more than 150 games and also collect more than 200 career wins. He's also surpassed the vaunted 3,000-strikeout barrier. He's been to the All-Star game eight times and won a Cy Young. Most of all, though, Smoltz has cemented his legacy as an all-timer in the playoffs. His career postseason record is 15-4 with a 2.67 ERA and 1.14 WHIP.

Smoltz struggled with Boston in 2009, but seemed to feel back at home in the National League when he was acquired by the Cardinals, piecing together a few solid outings. There is a little something left in the tank, but not a ton. If he does come, it's pretty likely it would be for one last hurrah.

John Smoltz Wants to Remain a Cardinal, Should He Decide to Play in 2010 originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2009 MLB Postseason Schedule

Pat Lackey — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:20:00 EST

Filed under: Angels, Cardinals, Dodgers, Phillies, Red Sox, Rockies, Twins, Yankees, AL Central, AL East, AL West, NL Central, NL East, NL West, MLB Playoffs, American League Division Series, National League Division Series

With two series over, Major League Baseball has updated the schedule for the rest of the Division Series.

The Rockies and Phillies will play their Game 4 at 4 PM ET if the Yankees-Twins series is still going on. Should the Yankees finish off a sweep Sunday night, the NL Game would move to 6 PM ET.

Series-by-series times are after the jump (all times Eastern).

Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees:

Game 1- Twins at Yankees, 10/7, 6:07 PM, TBS
Game 2- Twins at Yankees, 10/9, 6:07 PM, TBS
Game 3- Yankees at Twins, 10/11, 7:07 PM, TBS
Game 4- Yankees at Twins, 10/12, 7:37 PM, if necessary, TBS
Game 5- Twins at Yankees, 10/14, 8:07 PM, if necessary, TBS

Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Game 1- Red Sox at Angels, 10/8, 9:37 PM, TBS
Game 2- Red Sox at Angels, 10/9, 9:37 PM, TBS
Game 3- Angels at Red Sox, 10/11, 12:07 PM, TBS

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Game 1- Cardinals at Dodgers, 10/7, 9:37 PM, TBS
Game 2- Cardinals at Dodgers, 10/8, 6:07 PM, TBS
Game 3- Dodgers at Cardinals, 10/10, 6:07 PM,TBS

Colorado Rockies vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Game 1- Rockies at Phillies, 10/7, 2:37 PM, TBS
Game 2- Rockies at Phillies, 10/8, 2:37 PM, TBS
Game 3- Phillies at Rockies, 10/11, 10:07 PM,TBS
Game 4- Phillies at Rockies, 10/12, 6:07 PM (7:37 PM if AL still going), TBS
Game 5- Rockies at Phillies, 10/13, 8:07 PM, if necessary TBS

AL Championship Series

Game 1-Angels at Yankees or Twins at Angels, 10/16, Fox
Game 2-Angels at Yankees or Twins at Angels, 10/17, Fox
Game 3-Yankees at Angels or Angels at Twins, 10/19, Fox
Game 4-Yankees at Angels or Angels at Twins, 10/20, Fox
Game 5-Yankees at Angels or Angels at Twins, 10/22, if necessary, Fox
Game 6-Angels at Yankees or Twins at Angels, 10/24, if necessary, Fox
Game 7-Angels at Yankees or Twins at Angels, 10/25, if necessary, Fox

NL Championship Series

Game 1-Rockies or Phillies at Dodgers, 10/15, TBS
Game 2-Rockies or Phillies at Dodgers, 10/16, TBS
Game 3-Dodgers at Rockies or Philliies, 10/18, TBS
Game 4-Dodgers at Rockies or Philliies, 10/19, TBS
Game 5-Dodgers at Rockies or Philliies, 10/21, if necessary, TBS
Game 6-Rockies or Phillies at Dodgers, 10/23, if necessary, TBS
Game 7-Rockies or Phillies at Dodgers, 10/24, if necessary, TBS

2009 MLB Postseason Schedule originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Playoff Pulse: Bundle Up, Colorado

Andrew Johnson — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, Phillies, Rockies, MLB Playoffs, American League Division Series, National League Division Series, Playoff Pulse

Playoff Pulse is our morning rundown of the night that was and the night that will be during the MLB postseason.

Looking Forward ...

With the World Series scheduled to go into November, we had a feeling extreme cold weather could play a factor in the postseason. Who knew it would be so soon? Wintry weather forced the postponement of Game 3 of the Rockies-Phillies NLDS to Sunday night.

It should be nicer than it was Saturday, with the game-time temperature projected to be in the low-40s, but that's still awfully frigid for baseball, and it will only get colder as the game goes on.

Advantage? Who knows? The Rockies would be the obvious pick since this is their hometown, but the Phillies might have caught the biggest break by being able to reshuffle their rotation.

Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel, who saw his fair share of cold-weather playoff games both in last year's World Series and when he managed the Indians in the '90s, said he has seen frigid temperatures work both ways.

"I've seen it work both ways. I've seen pitchers totally be dominant in cold weather, and then in the World Series ... I saw a lot of hitting against what we thought was very good pitching for us," he told reporters.

In Their Own Words
"I think it's already started. From the beginning it would be fine with me to go with it and take the umpire's best call. But if you're going to do it, seems like in the postseason with something that's obvious, what does the rule book say, get the play right." -- Tony La Russa on expanding instant replay.
By the Numbers
1928 The last year the Cardinals went to the playoffs and didn't win at least one game ... until 2009, of course.
More From FanHouse
Fletcher: Vicente the Vindicator Piliere: Scouting Notes

Looking Back ...

Despite his gaffe in Game 2, Matt Holliday heard plenty of cheers from the St. Louis crowd in Game 3, receiving a standing ovation before his first at-bat.

By the end of the game, as Holliday closed in on an 0-for-4 night and the Cardinals closed in on going out with a whimper, there was suddenly a smattering of boos.

Looks like even the could-they-be-any-nicer Cardinals fans had had enough by then. Still, the cheers for Holliday were probably a nice free-agent pitch to the left fielder, who will hit the open market in just a few weeks. Do you think the slugger would receive that kind of reception in Boston or New York if he had made a similar gaffe for the Red Sox or Yankees?

Scout's Eye View ...

Vicente Padilla, in many ways proved a very simple point against Pujols on Saturday.

First, pounding the fastball inside if you have the power fastball to do it, is still a sound strategy against any slugger, even the best in the game. And second, there is no magic formula for getting Albert Pujols out. If you can pitch to a hitter of his caliber without fear on the inside part of the plate you open up a lot of options on the other side with your secondary pitches.

-- Frankie Piliere (Full Scouting Notebook)

Sunday's Tale of the Tape ...

Angels (Scott Kazmir) at Red Sox (Clay Buchholz), 12:07 PM ET: The focus here will be on Kazmir, who has traditionally given the Red Sox tons of trouble. David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis, Jacoby Ellsbury and J.D. Drew all have sub-.700 OPS' in their careers against the left-hander. All four are key cogs in the Boston lineup. Buchholz has a limited track record against the Angels, with varying degrees of success. Los Angeles is hitting .214 against him as a team, but Vladimir Guerrero and Chone Figgins have given him trouble, with Guerrero 4-for-9 against him in his career.

Yankees (Andy Pettitte) at Twins (Carl Pavano), 7:07 PM ET: Pettitte battled shoulder problems down the stretch, missing a start in September, and his performance wasn't exactly crisp. The left-hander went 1-3 with a 4.64 ERA in his final four turns. To make matters worse, he's had a ton of trouble against the Twins, allowing a .394 opponents average against this group of Minnesota hitters. Joe Mauer is hitting .400 against the left-hander and Michael Cuddyer . 471, but that pales next to Delmon Young's .643. Pavano has limited experience with the Yankees -- at least when it comes to things other than their disabled list. He'll have to watch out for Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon, who are both hitting over .400 against him.

Phillies (J.A. Happ) at Rockies (Jason Hammel), 10:37 PM ET: Happ has made one career start against Colorado, a four-hit shutout on Aug. 5, but the Phillies are throwing another southpaw at the Rockies, who have struggled against left-handers this season. They hit 11 points lower against left-handers as a team this year. Current Phillies only have a combined 52 at-bats against Hammel, but they've lit him up, hitting a collective .385 against the right-hander. Look out for Matt Stairs off the bench. Charlie Manuel's favorite left-handed pinch-hitter is 5-for-8 with two home runs against Hammel in his career.

Playoff Pulse: Bundle Up, Colorado originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Padilla Flashes Raw Stuff of Ace

Frankie Piliere — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:13:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, Dodgers, MLB Playoffs, National League Division Series, Scout's Eye View

In Advanced Scouting, MLB FanHouse's professional talent evaluator breaks down the playoffs from a scouting perspective.

The St. Louis Cardinals may have beaten themselves in getting swept by the Dodgers, but Game 3 left us with a classic question. Was Vicente Padilla's strong pitching performance all him or the opposing lineup's doing? On this particular night, there was probably little the Cardinals could have done to stop him.

Padilla brought the raw stuff of an ace to the hill, touching 97 mph and sitting around 93-96 most of the night. Most importantly he was able to locate his fastball inside to righties with some running action.

If you need further confirmation of the theory that attacking the zone with the fastball is the right way to go, consider these numbers. Padilla threw 97 pitches on Saturday. Seventy-seven of them were fastballs. When you are a pitcher that can reach the mid-90s with movement on your fastball, the way to go is attacking the zone, and sprinkling in the fastball where necessary.

With the Dodgers able to bring a pitcher throwing as well as Padilla is to Game 3 of the NLCS, it is difficult to imagine their opponent being able to match them. If he can continue to reach 96-97 mph and locate his curveball and cutter, there are few pitchers that can match his raw stuff to the mound, and an aggressive pitcher with that kind of pure stuff is going to be very dangerous.

Spotlight Moment

Given the ease with which Padilla rolled through the Cardinals' lineup, there may not have been one key moment that defined his outing. However, the way he went at Albert Pujols pretty much set the tone his entire outing. More often than not, Pujols thrives on pitchers' fear of throwing the ball on the inside part of the plate. In the case of Padilla, this was not the case. The Dodger right-hander did not hesitate to pound his fastball on the inner half. In fact, beyond the ball out over the plate that Pujols singled on in the first inning, he saw close to nothing but fastballs in on the hands with the occasional breaking ball mixed in down and away.

Vicente Padilla, in many ways proved a very simple point against Pujols on Saturday. First, pounding the fastball inside if you have the power fastball to do it, is still a sound strategy against any slugger, even the best in the game. And second, there is no magic formula for getting Albert Pujols out. If you can pitch to a hitter of his caliber without fear on the inside part of the plate you open up a lot of options on the other side with your secondary pitches.

Quick Hits

o. It was abundantly clear to start Saturday night's game that the Cardinals intended to continue to pound Manny Ramirez with the fastball. On paper that sounds all well and good.

But Manny is still a very dangerous hitter, one that cannot be attacked with reckless abandon. Ramirez delivered three solid hits in Game 3, but if you look back at all three pitches, it came down mostly to poor execution, first from Joel Pineiro then from John Smoltz. Three fastballs that were intended for the outside corner missed by more than half the length of the plate, and at any stage in his career, these are pitches that Ramirez is just not going to miss.

He may not be the same player right now, but he is still a very intelligent hitter. He understands that teams are looking to pound the outside part of the plate, and he will wait patiently and hunt for a mistake. It just so happens he was given three very hittable mistakes Saturday night. Whether this strong performance turns Manny around remains to be seen, but it should at least be noted that it was not the St. Louis approach against him that failed -- it was the inability to carry out that strategy. If he proves he can drive the pitchers' pitches on the outside corner, then we know that the Manny of old has returned.

o. What John Smoltz decides to do with his career this offseason remains to be seen, but if his final outing was the one on Saturday night, he at least went out showing flashes of his former self. While there is still some work to be done in his reinvention, he may have given us a glimpse of some of the adjustments he could continue to build on if he does decide to pitch next season. Age and struggles aside, Smoltz still has above-average stuff in his 92-94 mph fastball and plus diving slider. While he can't dominate with the fastball anymore, Smoltz showed the slider command to be able to pitch backwards and make a lot of good hitters look bad on the breaking ball. The lack of pinpoint command of the fastball still came back to bite him, but let's not be so quick to get Smoltz out of the fastball. He still has two quality pitches that some pitchers in their prime can only dream of.

Frankie Piliere spent the last three seasons working as a scout, most recently in the professional scouting department for the Texas Rangers in 2009. He now serves as the National Baseball Analyst here at FanHouse.

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MLB Postseason Photos

ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 10: Jeff Weaver #36 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is doused with beer and champagne in celebration of his teams 5-1 victory of Game Three to win the NLDS by sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Busch Stadium on October 10, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jeff Weaver

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2009 Baseball Playoffs

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ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 10: Manny Ramirez #99 of the Los Angeles Dodgers and teammates celebrate their 5-1 victory of Game Three to win the NLDS after sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals during the 2009 MLB Playoffs at Busch Stadium on October 10, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Manny Ramirez

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Los Angeles Dodgers' Matt Kemp, front, is doused by teammates in the clubhouse after the Dodgers defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 3 of the National League division baseball series Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, in St. Louis. The Dodgers won the game 5-1 to sweep the Cardinals and advance to the National League Championship Series. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Jonathan Broxton, left, is congratulated by teammates after striking out St. Louis Cardinals' Rick Ankiel for the final out in Game 3 of the National League division baseball series Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, in St. Louis. The Dodgers won the game 5-1 to sweep the Cardinals and advance to the National League Championship Series. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Vicente Padilla sprays teammates as they celebrate after defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 3 of the National League division baseball series Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, in St. Louis. The Dodgers won the game 5-1 to sweep the Cardinals and advance to the National League Championship Series. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Ronnie Belliard, left, celebrates with teammate Vicente Padilla after the Dodgers defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 3 of the National League division baseball series Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, in St. Louis. The Dodgers won the game 5-1 to sweep the Cardinals and advance to the National League Championship Series. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)

St. Louis Cardinals Ryan Ludwick, left, and Brendan Ryan sit dejected in the dugout after the Cardinals were swept by the Dodgers 0-3 in the National League Divisional Series (NLDS), Saturday, October 10, 2009, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. (Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/MCT)

MCT

St. Louis Cardinals Matt Holliday follows his pop-up fly ball that's caught by Los Angeles Dodger pitcher Russell Martin in the sixth inning during Game 3 of the National League Divisional Series (NLDS), Saturday, October 10, 2009, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dodgers won 5-1. (Huy Mach/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/MCT)

MCT

St. Louis Cardinals Colby Rasmus can't track down a fly ball from the Los Angeles Dodgers that bounces over the wall during Game 3 of the National League Divisional Series (NLDS), Saturday, October 10, 2009, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dodgers won 5-1. (Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/MCT)

MCT

St. Louis Cardinals Albert Pujols argues with home plate umpire Mike Everitt after being called out on strikes against the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game 3 of the National League Divisional Series (NLDS), Saturday, October 10, 2009, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. The Dodgers won 5-1. (Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/MCT)

MCT

Padilla Flashes Raw Stuff of Ace originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Padilla Delivers L.A. Sweep, Vindication

Jeff Fletcher — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 23:30:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, Dodgers, MLB Playoffs, National League Division Series

ST. LOUIS -- Two years in a row now the Dodgers have taken a player who was so maddening to his previous team that it was willing to pay him to play somewhere else.

Two years in a row, that player has been instrumental in getting the Dodgers to the League Championship Series.

As they stood in a clubhouse thick with the smell of champagne after they finished off a sweep with Saturday's 5-1 victory over the favored Cardinals in the National League Division Series, the Dodgers had both of their cast-offs to thank for the latest victory: Manny Ramirez came back to life with three hits, and Vicente Padilla continued his unlikely run of dominant pitching since general manager Ned Colletti picked him off the scrap heap.

Game 3: Dodgers 5, Cardinals 1 | Box Score | Series Home

"I believe in giving everyone an opportunity," Colletti said. "I don't know what went on in Texas. All we ever get is what other people tell you. I heard the same thing with the left fielder we got last year. There were all these preconceived notions about him, and he got us all the way to the LCS. I told [Padilla] 'We have no preconceived notions. You start with a clean slate here. You'll write the next chapter. I won't write the next chapter. Joe [Torre] won't write the next chapter. You will.' You know what? So far he's penned a pretty good piece."

A masterpiece, actually.

Padilla's performance against the Cardinals on Saturday, seven dominating scoreless innings, was no less than the game of his career. Although the Dodgers led the best-of-five series 2-0, there was still a fair amount of pressure facing Padilla and the Dodgers. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa had co-aces Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright lined up to pitch the next two games if they could win Game 3.

The sellout crowd of 47,296 -- the largest in the history of the new Busch Stadium -- had barely gotten into its seats and started waving its white towels when the Cardinals threatened to deliver an early knockout blow to Padilla. They loaded the bases in the first inning, with noted clutch specialist Yadier Molina at the plate.

Instead, Padilla got Molina on a groundout to short. By the time the Cardinals got their next man on base, in the fourth inning, the Dodgers had taken a 3-0 lead on the strength of Andre Ethier's two-run homer, his second blast of the series. Ethier, who also doubled and tripled in the clincher, needed just one swing to provide enough offense for Padilla.

"Wow," Ethier said. "It's unbelievable for him to step up the way he did tonight. I think it was a little more than we asked him to do. We asked him to just give us a quality start and give us a chance to win."

Catcher Russell Martin said that he could tell from Padilla's warmups in the bullpen that he had his A Game, which he's had for most of the time since the Rangers released him and the Dodgers picked him up. Including Saturday's game, Padilla is 5-0 with a 2.72 ERA with Los Angeles.

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Cardinals-Dodgers Photos

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Cardinals vs. Dodgers

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"When he has good stuff, he's really tough to beat," Martin said. "Today he had it. He had great life on his fastball, great movement. He was really commanding the bottom part of the zone. When you do that, you are going to have a good time. He had a good time out there."

The Dodgers' victory, and Padilla's contribution to it, also came with some satisfaction for a couple of the people who most strongly endorsed the decision to bring Padilla to Los Angeles when they were asked by Colletti and Torre. Dodgers third base coach Larry Bowa had managed Padilla with the Phillies, and Dodgers starter Randy Wolf was his teammate. Both said they told Colletti that Padilla would not be a problem, on the field or in the clubhouse.

"I was reading all this stuff about how bad he was in Texas, but he wasn't bad with me," Bowa said. "Joe said 'I don't want my clubhouse messed up. You think hell be alright?' I said, 'I'm telling you Joe, he'll be fine.' I said he was on time. He took the ball. That's all Joe cared about."

Wolf said: "I think he's going to be a good pickup for us. I know the kind of stuff he has and I know the kind of team we have. I don't know what happened in Texas, but I know the kind of guy he is. We would leave him alone, let him do his business. I also know that sometimes clean slates are good."

As Wolf sat in the dugout and watched Padilla mow through the Cardinals order on Saturday, he remembered the way he could dominate as a young pitcher years ago in Philadelphia. All of that came rushing back, with no thought of the bad reputation he brought from Texas.

"He threw 95 pitches, and what 85 were fastballs?" Wolf said. "He was 95-96 all game. Great movement. He can pitch in the zone. He doesn't need to punch out guys because he can throw 95 at their hands and they'll swing and hit ground balls. I was very excited for Padilla, especially for what he has gone through this year."

Padilla Delivers L.A. Sweep, Vindication originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 23:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chris Carpenter Would Start Game 4

Jeff Fletcher — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:07:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, National League Division Series

ST. LOUIS -- Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said on Saturday afternoon that Chris Carpenter will start Game 4 for the Cardinals, if they win Game 3 today, which would be the first start of Carpenter's career on three days' rest.

La Russa said that he didn't announce the decision on Friday because he wanted to wait to see how Carpenter felt playing catch. Carpenter reported he was OK, so La Russa decided to the ball to his ace in the must-win game.

La Russa said that the Cardinals would not have made this decision if there was not an off day on Monday, because then he'd not only have to use Carpenter on three days rest for Game 4, but Adam Wainwright on three days rest for Game 5. With the off day, Wainwright would be fully rested for a possible Game 5.

Even though the extra off day, which was added to the first round in 2007, makes this decision less risky than it was before, it is not quite a no-brainer because of Carpenter's health history. Carpenter has had a long history of injuries throughout his career. He missed almost the entire 2007 and 2008 seasons. So the Cardinals will be asking a pitcher who is somewhat fragile to do something he's never at the end of a long season.

"If it's fair to say that we're always careful with our pitching and careful with Chris, then we'll be extra careful," La Russa said. "Just go as long and hard as you can. If that's five innings, six innings, fine. Whatever he's got, it helps us compete in that game."

Carpenter said he expected to be kept on a shorter leash than normal. Starters Kyle Lohse and John Smoltz are both available out of the bullpen in this series. Either might be fresh on Sunday if they are needed on Saturday.

"I'm not sure how much they're going to let me go, but I'm going to go as hard as I can," Carpenter told reporters on the field during batting practice. "We've got plenty of depth behind me."

Also, the recent history indicates that pitchers haven't fared well going on three days rest. Since the first year of expanded playoffs, pitchers who have started on three days rest are a combined 19-30 with a 4.71 ERA. This, remember, is a group that includes mostly top-of-the-rotation starters, or they wouldn't be forced back on three days rest, so these numbers indicate a fairly significant dropoff in their performance.

Still, it's hard to blame La Russa for this decision because of the off day. If held back Carpenter, they'd have Carpenter and Wainwright both fully rested on the same day, which doesn't do them much good.

Now the Cardinals just have to win on Saturday to get there.

Chris Carpenter Would Start Game 4 originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cardinals Will Not Recover From Hole

Tom Fornelli — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, Dodgers, MLB Playoffs, National League Division Series

It truly was one of the more magical endings to a baseball playoff game we've ever seen, a game that can't be described any better than a Hollywood ending in which the hero miraculously manages to fight off an entire army with one gun and six bullets to save the girl.

In the movies, we never get to see the loser's epilogue. The NLDS between the Dodgers and Cardinals leaves its Hollywood atmosphere and shifts to St. Louis this weekend, where we'll find out if the Cards can bounce back from a game in which both Matt Holliday and the entire roster took a collective line drive to the groin.

The Cardinals can say all the right things about putting this loss behind them and just worrying about Game 3 on Saturday, but there's no way that their psyches aren't affected by all this. They have to be. It's impossible to go from a brilliant performance from Adam Wainwright, who pitched eight magnificent innings and only made one mistake -- and really, that pitch that Andre Ethier took out to left-center field wasn't even a mistake -- to one out away from heading back to St. Louis even, to having what happened happen and not be shaken up by it.

Now they're supposed to go back home and put together a three-game win streak against a team with all the momentum in the world at their back? Yes, in baseball momentum is only as good as your next starting pitcher, but the Cardinals have already played their two best hands in that department and lost.

The best thing the Cardinals had going for them in this series was the combination of Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright in the first two games, and both of those men have pitched. The Redbirds have nothing to show for it.

On the other side, they have an offense that really isn't anything spectacular but for the two men in the middle of it, Albert Pujols and Holliday. Pujols hasn't hit a home run since Sept. 9 and is clearly pressing at the plate, trying to do something, anything to help his team. He's 1-for-6 in the series and hasn't seen a pitch worth hitting, but in atypical Pujols fashion, he's helped the Dodgers out by swinging at pitches he normally doesn't even give the time of day.

And there's no way he's going to see a pitch worth hitting for the rest of this series either. Not with Holliday behind him, a Matt Holliday that has been huge for the Cardinals this season, but also one who might be trying to do too much in light of what happened to him on Thursday.

The Cardinals can say all the right things and talk about how they're going to put this all behind them and soldier forward, but they're not. No, this is the part of the movie where the hero and the heroine ride off into the sunset while the "bad guy" lies on the ground behind them bleeding to death.

Cardinals Will Not Recover From Hole originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Playoff Pulse: And on the Fourth Day, They Started?

Andrew Johnson — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, Red Sox, Twins, Yankees, MLB Playoffs, American League Division Series, National League Division Series, Playoff Pulse

Playoff Pulse is our morning rundown of the night that was and the night that will be during the MLB postseason.

Looking Forward ...

Is it the desperation of potential elimination that makes teams more willing to push the envelope? Or more willingness to push ace pitchers? Or an extremely good batch of No. 1 starters and a weak bunch of No. 4s?

Whatever it is, two clubs in 0-2 Division Series holes appear ready to bring back their Game 1 starters on short rest in Game 4, should they get to that point. The Red Sox acknowledged as much before their Game 2 loss to the Angels.

"[Lester] threw 100 pitches [in Game 1]. I think we'd like to bring him back [in Game 4]. I'm getting ahead of myself, but then we'd want [Josh] Beckett to pitch Game 5. That's what we're hoping to do. But, try to get through tonight, make sure Lester's OK," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, legendary to baseball scribes nationwide for his terseness, was less forthcoming about his plans, but did hint that he would do the same with Chris Carpenter.

"We're spending a lot of time thinking about what we do to get to Game 4," La Russa said. "That is definitely the priority. ... Chris is one of the guys that's a possibility."

Carpenter and Lester are two of the best pitchers in baseball, so Francona and La Russa obviously want to maximize the number of starts they can get from them in a series, particularly with such a strong No. 2 behind each in Adam Wainwright and Josh Beckett, respectively, ready to follow them in a decisive fifth game.

Neither manager has particularly appetizing options among their rested hurlers either. Francona would go to Daisuke Matsuzaka if he didn't hand Lester the ball, while La Russa would go to Kyle Lohse or John Smoltz. Unless Smoltz hopped into a rejuvenator machine, we wouldn't trust any of that trio in a do-or-die game either.

In Their Own Words
"To me, Albert is in a class by himself. ... It may cost me [Saturday]. I don't know a three-run homer instead of a two-run homer. But I'm still going to make someone else beat me." -- Dodgers manager Joe Torre on his team's approach to Albert Pujols.
By the Numbers
July 4, 2007 The date of the last Twins victory in the Bronx. Johan Santana beat Mike Mussina that day. They've lost 10 straight in New York since. *-- Ed Price*
More From FanHouse
Price: Two Bronx Stars Born Krasovic: Halos on Brink Piliere: Scouting Notes

Looking Back ...

If TBS knows funny, then the Twins know drama. They've been involved in two of the three best games this week, with the other being Game 2 of the Dodgers-Cardinals NLDS.

Minnesota is now on the brink of elimination, and based on our extremely small sample size, that might be a bad thing for postseason intrigue.

Then again, a Yankees-Angels ALCS, which is what we appear headed for now, probably wouldn't be lacking for storylines. And if the Angels failed to finish the deal, a Yankees-Red Sox ALCS wouldn't be lacking either.

Scout's Eye View ...

The execution of the strategy to get ahead of the Yankees by pitching backwards and neutralizing their patient approach is what kept the Twins in Game 2. What lost the game was the inability to execute this strategy later on in the night. Looking back at Alex Rodriguez's ninth-inning at-bat against Joe Nathan, it's clear than the Twins closer had the right idea, but the inability to execute.

Nathan went with his secondary stuff three times in a row to start, missing first with a curveball then with two sliders. After getting back into the count with a 3-0 fastball for a strike, Nathan made a mistake over the heart of the plate with a fastball. Hitters of A-Rod's caliber don't miss those.

As poor of a mistake as this pitch was, it was the inability to throw his secondary pitches for strikes to begin the count that really came back to haunt him. When Rodriguez isn't forced to honor the breaking ball and can stay on his back leg on the pitch away, that's when you see those long home runs to center and right-center field, just like we saw on Friday.

-- Frankie Piliere (Full Scouting Notebook)

Saturday's Tale of the Tape ...

Dodgers (Vicente Padilla) at Cardinals (Joel Pineiro), 6:07 PM ET: Padilla definitely loves being a Dodger; his 3.20 ERA in eight appearances was his best in any setting since 2000. He's also 3-0 on the road as a Dodger. It's a pretty small sample with the current Cardinals, so there's no good read (only Mark DeRosa, of the starters, has faced him more than 10 times). Pineiro is considerably better at home (2.87 ERA compared to 4.07 on the road) and handcuffed the Dodgers in St. Louis earlier this year (eight innings, six hits, one earned run, seven strikeouts, one walk). Beware, however, of Manny Ramirez. In 38 career plate appearances against Pineiro, Manny has 14 hits (.424), four home runs, eight RBI, three walks (.500 OBP) and a 1.288 OPS.

Phillies (Pedro Martinez) at Rockies (Jason Hammel), 9:37 PM ET: In Pedro's last two outings, he was pretty bad (7.71 ERA in seven innings), his ERA was almost four runs higher on the road this year and his career numbers in Coors Field aren't good. On the flip side, no Rockies regulars have faced him more than four times, and that generally favors the pitcher (though both Garrett Atkins and Brad Hawpe have homered off before). Hammel is a much better road pitcher, as his home ERA is a daunting 5.73 in 2009. The Phillies haven't had any trouble getting baserunners on him, either. In 9 1/3 innings against the defending champs this year, Hammel coughed up 14 hits and two walks (a 1.71 WHIP). A possible X-factor? Matt Stairs is 5-for-8 with a double and two bombs off of Hammel. It's definitely going to be interesting in Denver. The matchups favor the hitters of both teams in a big way, but the weather may cancel it out.

-- Matt Snyder

Playoff Pulse: And on the Fourth Day, They Started? originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cardinals' Pineiro Sinks to Top

Jeff Fletcher — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:37:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, MLB Playoffs, National League Division Series

ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals are facing their most important game of the season, so it's good that they have Joel Pineiro to take the ball.

Who'd have guessed you'd read that sentence a couple years ago?

Pineiro was trying to overpower hitters with velocity that had long since left him as recently as last year, his fifth consecutive mediocre season. It took the insistence of Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan, the master of the fixer-upper, to get Pineiro to accept what he had become, and to get the most out of it. Starting in spring training, Duncan told Pineiro to just focus on the sinker instead of the four-seam fastball.

Now, Pineiro is arguably the best No. 3 starter in the majors -- no one else won 15 games and came in third on his staff -- and he's got the ball for Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Dodgers on Saturday. Trailing 2-0 in the best-of-five series, the Cardinals have to win.

"He's not going to get rattled," said Cardinals pitcher John Smoltz, an expert on pitching in the playoffs. "He's got the command and stuff that's going to allow him to put the ball in action. If he was historically all over the place during the year, a game like this might exacerbate it, but he's a control pitcher who is going to control the strike zone and make things happen."

That's what he is now, anyway. Pineiro, 31, was a power pitcher when he first reached the big leagues with the Mariners in 2000. Through 2003, he was 37-20 with a 3.38 ERA, with all the looks of a dominant top-of-the-rotation guy. Then, what he was doing stopped working. His strikeouts decreased with his velocity, and his ERA rose. He lost his spot in the rotation, and then went to the Red Sox, where he got knocked around some more as a reliever. The Cardinals got him in the middle of 2007 and he showed some signs of progress at the end of the year, or maybe it was just the AL-to-NL bounce. Last year, the league caught back up to him, and he had another disappointing season. All told, Pineiro was 35-47 with a 5.34 ERA from 2004 to 2008.

"It was very frustrating," Pineiro said. "Usually I'm a guy that wants to challenge hitters and not walk anybody, but sometimes you try to overthrow the ball and then you start getting guys on. You go from one man on base, two men on base, then a big hit comes around and you're down 2-0 or 3-0 early."

In spring training this year, Duncan convinced Pineiro that he had to change what he was doing. He had a nasty sinker, but he didn't use it much. He also wasn't able to effectively throw his breaking ball or changeup. He was essentially a one-pitch pitcher, and it was the wrong pitch. Duncan had him focus on a different pitch, the sinker.

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Cardinals-Dodgers Photos

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Vicente Padilla listens to a question during a news Friday, Oct. 9, 2009, in St. Louis. during a news conference on Friday, Oct. 9, 2009, in St. Louis. The Dodgers lead the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 in the best-of-five games National League division baseball series. Padilla is scheduled to start Game 3 on Saturday in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Cardinals vs. Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre responds to a question during a news conference on Friday, Oct. 9, 2009, in St. Louis. The Dodgers lead the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 in the best-of-five games National League division baseball series. Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre arrives for a news conference on Friday, Oct. 9, 2009, in St. Louis. The Dodgers lead the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 in the best-of-five games National League division baseball series. Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa leaves a news conference on Friday, Oct. 9, 2009, in St. Louis. The Cardinals trail the the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-0 in the best-of-five games National League division baseball series. Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa speaks during a news conference on Friday, Oct. 9, 2009, in St. Louis. The Cardinals trail the The Los Angeles Dodgers 2-0 in the best-of-five games National League division baseball series. Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa speaks during a news conference on Friday, Oct. 9, 2009, in St. Louis. The Cardinals trail the the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-0 in the best-of-five games National League division baseball series. Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Members of the St. Louis Cardinals grounds crew pull a tarp over the field in Busch Stadium Friday, Oct. 9, 2009, in St. Louis. Heavy rains have forced the cancellation of practice for Game 3 of the National League Division Series baseball game set for Saturday between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Joel Pineiro listens to a question during a news conference before Game 3 in the National League Division series in St. Louis, Friday, Oct. 9, 2009. The Dodgers will take a 2-0 lead into Game 3 when they play the Cardinals on Saturday. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

"He just told me to basically go out there and trust it," Pineiro said. "'This is going to be the one pitch I think that's going to help you out during the year and in your career.' He kind of made me throw that pitch every day in my bullpens, and it seemed to work out OK."

Pineiro went 15-12 with a 3.49 ERA. He pitched two shutouts, which were two more than he had in the previous five years combined.

"He's done an outstanding job," outfielder Ryan Ludwick said. "I think he gets overlooked a lot of times because of [Chris] Carpenter and [Adam] Wainwright. It's unfortunate. It could be a whole other story because if you look at his record it's not a firm indication of what he's done. There were a lot of times he pitched a one- or two-run game and we haven't given him the support. He could have five or six more wins."

Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin was Pineiro's teammate in Seattle. He said he sees the same tough competitor, but with a much more effective repertoire of pitches.

"He's not scared," Franklin said. "He goes out and goes after guys, except he goes after them now with a little sinker that's one of the best in the game. He's a pitcher now, not a thrower."

Pineiro says his only regret about the pitcher he's become is that it took him so long to get here: "I kind of told myself why didn't I learn that sinker eight years ago when I started coming up? It's just a learning process when you're young. You think you just throw hard and blow it by people."

Cardinals' Pineiro Sinks to Top originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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