Cards vs. Royals

The Cards play the first of a home and home series with the Kansas City Royals this week.

June 17, 2008
Kansas City 2, St. Louis 1
Losing pitcher - Ron Villone (1-2)

June 18, 2008
Kansas City 3, St. Louis 2
Losing pitcher - Kyle McClellan (0-2)

June 19, 2008
Kansas City 4, St. Louis 1
Losing pitcher - Brad Thompson (1-2)
HR: Rick Ankiel (11)

The Cards move on with a 42-32 record.

Cards vs. Phillies

We took two out of three...but did our loss have to be so depressing?!?

June 13, 2008
Philadelphia 20, St. Louis 2
Losing pitcher - Todd Wellemeyer (7-2)
HR: Skip Schumaker (3)

While we only had one home run, Philly had four of them. Two of them, due to my fantasy teams, I did not mind...that being Chase Utley (22) and Pat Burrell (17). But still...our playing was horrid last Friday.

The Cards had two runs on ten hits. The Phillies scored 20 times on 21 hits.

June 14, 2008
Philadelphia 2, St. Louis 3
Winning pitcher - Kyle Lohse (8-2)
SV - Ryan Franklin (9)
HR: Adam Kennedy (1)

June 15, 2008
Philadelphia 6, St. Louis 7
Winning pitcher - Anthony Reyes (2-1)
HR: Troy Glaus (9), Skip Schumaker (4)

The Cards move on with a 42-29 record.

Izzy could be back soon

When the Cardinals play the Cubs in the first weekend of July, the Cubs will be without Alfonso Soriano, who broke his hand yesterday against the Braves.

Mark Mulder might be back before the All-Star break. In the meantime, Mitchell Boggs has recieved a second start.

Izzy may be back soon.

"At that point, I was mentally exhausted," Isringhausen said Wednesday. "Not because I kept getting beat, but because I care about my teammates and I beat myself up even harder because I let them down. I've never been one to not want the team on my back. I always wanted to be the guy who wanted to carry the team.

"I didn't want to do it anymore," he said, "because I wasn't doing a good job of it."

Many of the Cardinals' horses and several of the closer's friends help put Isringhausen back together again. Immediately upon his arrival at the Cardinals' facility in Jupiter, Fla., Chris Carpenter and Josh Kinney spotted a flaw in Isringhausen's delivery that may have caused him problems. Along with Matt Morris, they were there Monday when Isringhausen trotted out his refined mechanics and pitched two shutout innings in his first rehab start.

Sent to Springfield on Wednesday for a second appearance in three days, Isringhausen was joined at Hammons Field by Mike Matheny and John Mabry.[...]

During his hiatus in Florida, Isringhausen and Carpenter discussed if that could be a cause for his problems — the lure of a career milestone. Recently, several hitters have slowed as they approached historic home run totals; starters can scuffle as they approach 300.

The two Cardinals pitchers wondered if a closer could do the same.

"I can't say yes or no to that," Isringhausen said. "I try not to think about it. I've never been caught up with it before. I can't let that consume me. But you see guys going for 600 (homers), 500 home runs and they take awhile to hit it and then when they do they're better.

"Everything then is better."

Cards vs. Reds

St. Louis started their second series against the Reds this season, one day after Ken Griffey, Jr. hit his 600th home run.

June 10, 2008
St. Louis 7, Cincinnati 2
Winning pitcher - Mitchell Boggs (1-0)*
HR: Rick Ankiel (9), Ryan Ludwick (15), Albert Pujols (16)

* denotes first major league win for Mitchell Boggs.

Pujols' 16th home run of the season was also his 298th in his career. He's two home runs away from his 300th career home run.

June 11, 2008
St. Louis 10, Cincinnati 0
Winning pitcher - Braden Looper (8-5)
HR: Rick Ankiel (10), Jason LaRue (1), Ryan Ludwick (16)

This was Looper's first career complete game shutout (and complete game for that matter). It only took him 98 pitches and he gave the bullpen a night of rest but we can thank the offense for providing that. Looper fanned 4 Reds while Johnny Cueto walked 8 Cardinals in 101 pitches. If you blinked, you missed it. The game lasted 2:16, thanks to a three-hit complete game shut out.

June 12, 2008
St. Louis 2, Cincinnati 6
Losing pitcher - Mark Worrell (0-1)
HR: Troy Glaus (8)

The Cards left Cincy with a 40-28 record on the season.

Cards vs. Astros

The Cards took on the Astros for the fourth time this season...and mainly without Rick Ankiel.

June 6, 2008
St. Louis 1, Houston 6
Losing pitcher - Braden Looper (7-5)

June 7, 2008
St. Louis 8, Houston 4
Winning pitcher - Adam Wainwright (6-3)
HR: Troy Glaus (7), Ryan Ludwick (14)

Wainwright would get placed on the DL after the game.

June 8, 2008
St. Louis 5, Houston 4
Winning pitcher - Kyle Lohse (7-2)
SV - Ryan Franklin (8)

The Cards finish this week's series with a season record of 38-27.

Draft Roundup

Here's a roundup of some of the Cardinals' 2008 draft picks.

One Cardinal draftee, Justin Leith, will not be St. Louis bound. Instead, he has chosen to go the collegiate route.

It is not known yet as to whether Mitch Harris will play for the Cardinals or serve the country.

The righthander just graduated from the United States Naval Academy, and he already been assigned to the USS Ponce.[...]

There is a rule in place called the Alternative Service Option, which permits for some alternate scheduling of required active duty. A pair of West Point grads followed their NFL draft selection earlier this year. But as covered in many articles about Harris as the draft approached, the Secretary of Navy has suspended the Alternative Service Option during war. Academy grads are bound to five years of active duty after graduation.

Harris has the build and the stuff of a much higher pick. It’s the rank that drops him.

Harris is a 6-foot-4, 220-pound righthander who has blossomed in the past couple years with Navy’s baseball team. He reportedly throws a fastball in the mid-90s and he dominated this past season. He had 12 strikeouts per nine innings pitched and an ERA less than 1.90.

The Cardinals did announce the signings of 30 draft picks.

1a. Lance Lynn RHP; 2. Shane Peterson OF; 5. Jermaine Curtis; 6. Eric Fornataro RHP; 7. Anthony Ferrara LHP; 10. Alejandro Castellanos 2B; 11. Devin Shepherd OF; 14. Charles Cutler C; 16. Miguel Flores RHP; 17. Joshua Hester RHP; 20. Luis Mateo SS; 21. Matt Rigoli 1B; 23. Jonny Bravo LHP; 24. Zachary Pitts RHP; 25. Jason Buursma RHP; 26. Christopher Swauger OF; 27. George Brown LHP; 28. Matthew Frevert RHP; 29. Brett Lilley 2B; 32. Samuel Freeman LHP; 33. Kevin Thomas RHP; 34. Jack Cawley C; 36. Chris Notti RHP; 38. Daniel Richardson RHP; 39. Curt Smith 1B; 40. Paul Cruz OF; 42. Blake Murphy C; 43. Joe Babick OF; 44. Santo Maertz RHP; 49. Adam Veres RHP

St. Louis Draft Action - Day 2

215. Anthony Ferrara, LHP, Riverview HS
245. Ryan Kulik, LHP, Rowan
275. Aaron Luna, LF/2B, Rice
305. Alejandro Castellanos, 2B, Belmont Abbey College
335. Devin Shepherd, RF, Col of Southern Nevada.
365. Michael Swinson, CF, Coffee HS
395. Mitch Harris, RHP, US Naval Academy.
425. Charles Cutler, C, California
455. Scott McGregor, RHP, Memphis
485. Miguel Flores, RHP, Cerritos College
515. Joshua Hester, RHP, Freed Hardeman
545. Jared Bradford, RHP, LSU.
575. Xavier Scruggs, 1b, UNLV.
605. Luis Mateo, SS, Puerto Rico HS
635. Joe Rigoli, 1b, Pace U (2004 pick and son of a Cardinals’ scout)
665. Colt Sedbrook, SS, Arizona
695. Jon Bravo, RHP, Azusa Pacific
725. Zachary Pitts, RHP, Louisville Senior
755. Jason Buursma, RHP, Bucknell
785. Chris Swauger, OF, The Citadel
815. George Brown, LHP, St. Johns
845. Matt Frevert, RHP, Missouri State
875. Brett Lilley, 2B, Notre Dame
905. Brett Bruening, RHP, Grayson County College
935. Justin Leith, LHP, Barron G Collier HS.
1022. Shane Boras, 2B, Junipero Serra Catholic HS (son of Scott Boras)
1085. Chris Notti, RHP, Moorpark College
1115. Daniel Jimenez, LHP, St. Charles North HS
1145. Daniel Richardson, RHP, Delaware
1175. Curt Smith, 1B, Maine Orono
1205. Paul Cruz, CF, Tampa
1235. Kevin Siegrist, LHP, Palm Beach CC
1265. Blake Murphy, C, Western Carolina
1295. Joe Babick, RF, King HS
1325. Santo Maertz, RHP, Santo St Peters College
1354. Chris Taylor, C/OF, Charlotte
1382. Brandon Sizemore, 2B, College of Charleston
1409. Ray Asaro, RF, UC Irvine
1436. Adam Prange, RHP, South Mountain CC
1463. Adam Veres, RHP, St Petersburg JC
1490. Daniel Miranda, LHP, Miami Killian HS

St. Louis Draft Action - Day 1

Day one of the MLB Draft is complete and here's who my beloved St. Louis Cardinals selected in the first six rounds.
13. Brett Wallace, 3B, Arizona State University (JR)

Drawing rave reviews for his work in the box, he's one of the best hitters in college and perhaps in the entire Draft class. His unbelievable plate discipline will undoubtedly be attractive to some teams, though it's unlikely he'll play anything but first as a pro. He could be the kind of Major Leaguer who hits .300 with 25 homers and a high OBP annually.

39. Michael Lynn, RHP, University of Mississippi (JR)

Lacking great pure stuff, Lynn is a level behind the elite college arms in this Draft class. But he makes the most out of his average offerings with excellent command, a knowledge of how to pitch and a real competitive streak on the mound. He's done a good job of maintaining his weight this year and will have to continue to do so as a pro. He won't wow you, but he's the type who could be a solid innings-eater who presumably won't take long to be big-league ready.

59. Shane Peterson, OF, Cal State - Long Beach (JR)

A fairly good athlete, Peterson has shown the ability to hit for average in college, but it's unclear whether his approach will work at the pro level. There have been glimpses of power in BP, but not in games, lending some to wonder if he's got enough pop to play first or a corner outfield spot as a pro. Defensively, he's fine at either position with enough arm for right. How much power people think he'll develop later on could determine how quickly he gets taken.

91. Ernest Vasquez, SS, Durango HS (NV)

Vasquez played in his first game of the season at the end of March because he was academically ineligible. When he's on the field, he shows a bat that could translate into a .270 hitter with 20-25 home run pop down the line. He has well below-average speed, which turns some off when considering him as a shortstop, but he's got the arm and the actions to stay there for now. If he fills out, he could handle a move to third, both with the glove and what's expected from that position offensively, in the future.

125. Scott Gorgen, RHP, UC Irvine (JR)

Gorgen's combination of stuff, command and makeup in a different package would be flying up Draft charts everywhere. But as a stocky "undersized righty," he'll have to fight an uphill battle to get the recognition he probably deserves. There are always teams who look outside that certain box, and his ability to throw three pitches -- fastball, curve, changeup -- for strikes to go along with a terrific work ethic should entice one of them to take him.

155. Jermaine Curtis, 3B, UCLA (JR)

After an All-Star campaign in the Cape League last summer, there were some high expectations for Curtis. He hasn't lived up to them, struggling at the plate to hit the ball with the same authority he has in the past. He doesn't have the arm to stay at third and would profile better at second at the next level. He'll have to get out of his funk in order to go as highly as anticipated when the season began.

185. Eric Fornataro, RHP, Miami Dade CC South

Cards vs. Nationals

June 3, 2008
St. Louis 6, Washington 1
Winning pitcher - Kyle Lohse (6-2)
HR: Yadier Molina (3)

June 5, 2008 (Game 1)
St. Louis 4, Washington 1
Winning pitcher - Todd Wellemeyer (7-1)
Losing pitcher - John Lannan (4-6)
SV - Ryan Franklin (7)
HR: Troy Glaus (5), Albert Pujols (15)

June 5, 2008 (Game 2)
Losing pitcher - Ryan Franklin (2-2)
HR: Troy Glaus (6), Joe Mather (1), Mark Worrell (1)

Mather and Worrell pick up their first career home run in major league baseball.

The Cards leave Washington with a 36-26 record.

Cards vs. Pirates

May 30, 2008
Pittsburgh 5, St. Louis 4
Winning pitcher - Todd Wellemeyer (6-1)
SV - Ryan Franklin (5)
HR: Albert Pujols (14)

May 31, 2008
Pittsburgh 14, St. Louis 4
Losing pitcher - Mike Parisi (0-2)
HR: Troy Glaus (3)

June 1, 2008
Pittsburgh 4, St. Louis 7
Winning pitcher - Braden Looper (7-4)
SV - Ryan Franklin (6)
HR: Troy Glaus (4)

June 2, 2008
Pittsburgh 5, St. Louis 4
Losing pitcher - Adam Wainwright (5-3)

The Cards finish the series with a record of 34-25.

Cards select "Prince" Joe Henry

PD:

Stories spout from former Negro League player "Prince" Joe Henry.

He once faced legendary pitcher Satchel Paige.

Sometimes he ran the bases in a tuxedo with tails, a top hat and red shoes.

He barnstormed to places like Yankee Stadium with Reece "Goose" Tatum, the Harlem Globetrotters' original showman.

But no major league team ever claimed him.

Until today.

The St. Louis Cardinals will draft Henry before the Major League Baseball Entry Draft begins this afternoon in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Each of the 30 teams will ceremonially select a predetermined former Negro Leaguer to honor a fading chapter of the sport's history.

For many years, Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, now a vice president with the San Diego Padres, has wanted to honor Negro Leaguers while they are still alive. The death of Buck O'Neil, the Kansas City Monarchs' legend, in 2006 motivated his pursuit. Black players like O'Neil were relegated to the Negro Leagues until Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. However, many continued to play in the Negro Leagues because some clubs had racial quotas and were slow to integrate.

"It's real important to have a connection with this group of men and women who have been associated with the game and never really got their due," Winfield said.

I think it's nice that Major League Baseball is doing this sort of thing.