The Online Source for St. Louis Sports
ISSUE #83
August 3, 1996
Copyright © 1996 St. Louis Sports Online
Reproduction Prohibited Without Permission of Publisher [StLSports@aol.com]
St. Louis Sports Online is an online sports weekly that aims to provide
St. Louisans (and transplanted St. Louisans) with an additional source of
news, information, and humor about St. Louis-area sports events and St.
Louis-area sports teams.
Contributors to #83 include Fowl Ball correspondent Jim Hunstein, contributing
writer Mike Rainey, and StLSO subscriber Joe Cook.
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St. Louis Sports Online AUGUST.96.1 CONTENTS
1.0 StLSO News and Notes
2.0 StLSO Sports Shorts
2.1 Cardinals News by MIKE RAINEY
2.2 Blues News
2.3 Rams Report by JIM HUNSTEIN
2.4 StLSO Quote of the Week
2.5 StLSO Headlines of the Week
3.0 StLSO Features
3.1 A Response From Dad by JOE COOK
3.2 As Pre-Season Opens Rams Have Many Question Marks By MIKE RAINEY
3.3 Signs That You're No Going To Win A Gold Medal In The Olympics by JIM
HUNSTEIN
3.4 Overheard At The Olympics by JIM HUNSTEIN
4.0 StLSO Recaps
4.1 Cardinals Series-by-Series Summaries by JIM HUNSTEIN
5.0 StLSO Numbers
5.1 Cardinals Statistics (through 8.1.96)
5.2 MLB Standings (through 8.1.96)
6.0 StLSO Media Views
7.0 StLSO Interactivity
8.0 StLSO Editorial: Defense Never Rests
St. Louis Sports Online AUGUST.96.1
1.0 StLSO News and Notes
Sure, there probably was one, but it's hard to remember a championship team
in either the National or American League that didn't have a dependable
bullpen and a top-notch closer. That the bullpen was a main concern of the
Cards' braintrust was expressed by GM Walt Jocketty, who noted just after
the All-Star break that he was looking for more consistency from the Redbirds'
relievers as well as the second base position.
With the no-waivers July 31 trade deadline a thing of the past, Jocketty
and the organization appear to be counting on two veterans who wore Cardinal
uniforms last season.
Lefthander Danny Jackson, who hasn't appeared on the mound in a St. Louis
uniform in nearly one year, is expected to see bullpen action when he returns
to the big leagues. A spot on the 25-man roster for Jackson is now open,
since Rule V draftee Miguel Mejia has apparently suffered a strained right
quadriceps muscle.
Two things to keep in mind. Jackson has little or no history of relief work--he
has pitched as a starter in 307 of his 323 big league pitching appearances.
Of course, in the first twelve years of his career (with the Indians, Red
Sox, and Cubs), Dennis Eckersley pitched as a starter in 369 of his 376
appearances.
But during nine years in Oakland (all playing for Tony La Russa and Dave
Duncan), ALL BUT TWO of Eck's 525 appearances were in relief.
Eckersley was 32 when he began his career as a reliever. Jackson is 34.
Meanwhile, rumblings are getting louder that closer Tom Henke will return
to the Cardinals for the stretch drive. Gary Gaetti, who during the Cards'
last home stand bought a bow at Henke's archery shop, believes that Henke
will wear the Cardinals' uniform this year. "I think we may see a surprise
in the next couple of weeks. I think we'll see [Henke]."
Speaking of Eckersley, the veteran reliever seemed to curse out loud as
he left the mound Sunday after being lifted with one out in the ninth inning
of Sunday's 6-4 defeat of the Expos. Perhaps the booing by many in the Busch
Stadium crowd had something to do with Eckersley's reaction...and it seems
likely that Eckersley's pitching record (0-5, 3.99 ERA, 44 hits in 38.1
IP) of late had something to do with the crowd's reaction to Eck.
The Rams head into their first pre-season game at Pittsburgh with several
question marks on offense...but St. Louisans interested in football will
no doubt be watching for Lawrence Phillips. In light of Phillips' off-the-field
problems, the guy had better perform while wearing the blue-and-gold.
Speaking of Phillips, the Chicago Tribune referred to Phillips as "St.
Louis' New King of Beers".
There is little to report on the Blues' front, except that the 'Note have
signed Kevin Plager (son of Barclay Plager), a Vipers RHI player. Also,
Bernie Nicholls did NOT sign with the Blues. Nicholls, an unrestricted free
agent, signed on with the San Jose Sharks. In the absence of a trade, Shayne
Corson is expected to see extensive duty at center ice.
2.0 StLSO Sports Shorts
2.1 Cardinals News by MIKE RAINEY
*The Cardinals were able to manage a split in the four-game series with
the Expos last weekend. After being shut down in the first two games of
the series, the Cards got solid starting pitching from Andy Benes and Todd
Stottlemyre, and saw their slumping offense come to life helping them to
take victories Saturday and Sunday.
*After a day off Monday, the Redbirds opened up a three-game series in Philadelphia
on Tuesday against the hapless Phillies. The Cards managed to overcome a
6-2 deficit Tuesday to take a 7-6 lead in the 8th. But the bullpen blew
up again, this time Rick Honeycutt and T.J. Mathews, and the Phillies went
on to win 8-7. The Phillies were leading Game 2 of the series 2-0 in the
4th inning on Wednesday when the game was called because of rain. The two
teams were scheduled to play a double-header on Thursday.
*Wednesday's no-waivers trading deadline came and went without the Cardinals
making any moves to shore up their bullpen, which has been a weakness of
late. GM Walt Jocketty is still trying to talk Tom Henke out of retirement,
but the clock seems to be running out on that. Jocketty hopes the bullpen
will get a boost with the return of Danny Jackson, who should be back some
time this month.
*While the Cardinals didn't make any moves their Central Division competitors
did. Cincinnati reacquired injury-prone slugger Kevin Mitchell from the
Red Sox for two minor league players. Mitchell was hitting .304, with two
home runs and 14 RBIs in 27 games with Boston, and had two hits in his first
four at bats for the Reds. Meanwhile the Astros acquired Kirt Manwaring,
a solid all-around catcher, from the Giants for disappointing backstop Rick
Wilkins.
*Willie McGee made his first career start at first base on Friday against
Montreal. McGee had been taking ground balls there for a couple weeks. Tony
La Russa wanted to give John Mabry the day off against tough Expos lefthander
Jeff Fassero and decided to insert McGee there. "I work hard,"
McGee said. "Game situations are a lot different but I think I can
handle it. I know if I worked at it, I could be efficient at it."
2.2 Blues News
*Brett Hull, the only amateur in the Nike Gateway Classic field, failed
to make the 36-hole cut after posting back-to-back scores of 85. Hull's
170 total was 26 strokes greater than the 146 needed to make the cut.
144 golfers took part in the Gateway. Two withdrew after 18 holes. Of the
142 players that finished 36 holes, Hull finished 142nd, and after his two
rounds told the P-D's Dan O'Neil--"I learned a lot."
*In StLSO #82, it was reported that Wayne Gretzky was disturbed by Mike
Keenan's interactions with Shayne Corson after Corson had broken his jaw
during a game with the Penguins. Our source for the story was Larry Wigge's
hockey column, which appears weekly in The Sporting News.
StLSO reader Matthew Mark Thomas points out that Al Strachan (a hockey writer
for the Toronto Sun and ESPNet) had the same story long before Gretzky signed
with the Rangers.
According to Strachan, after Gretzky left Keenan's office, he was met by
Brett Hull.
And what did the Golden Brett say to the Great One? "See. I told you
so."
2.3 Rams Report by JIM HUNSTEIN
Hail! Hail! The gang's all here! At least enough. The Rams agreed to terms
with both of their first round draft picks and both rookies have reported
to camp. RB Lawrence Phillips and WR Eddie Kennison are not expected to
see much action in this weekend's pre-season opener at Pittsburgh.
Phillips (and his agent) agreed to a 3-year deal which, as expected, did
not include a signing bonus. But it did include a number of incentive bonuses
as well as certain "behavioral rules". The basic contract calls
for a total of $5,625,000 over the three years. The first year has a base
salary $1.25 million with a bonus of $250,000 if he makes the roster. The
second year has a base of $1,575,000 with a $300,000 bonus if he participates
in the team's off-season conditioning program in St. Louis. The third year
base bumps to an even $2 million with a $225,000 bonus for the off-season
conditioning program again. The contract also includes several real incentive
bonuses that could earn Phillips another $600,000 over the three years for
things like 1,000 yards rushing and a Pro Bowl berth.
According to the P-D, there is a gentleman's agreement between the parties
about how Phillips will conduct himself off the field. He will show up on
time for practice and meetings and be in by midnight (unless team curfew
dictates otherwise). He will not leave practice or the team without the
coach's permission nor will he consume more than two alcoholic beverages
at any one time. There is no financial penalties if he violates these rules.
Kennison's contract is a little more straightforward. He signed a 5-year,
$5.825 million deal which included a $2 million signing bonus. Kennison
had held out because he (and/or his agent) wanted a 4-year deal so the speedster
could become a free agent after 4 years. The signing bonus is important
because it is prorated over the term of the contract and is guaranteed money.
In football as opposed to baseball, most contracts are not paid if the player
gets hurt and can't play.
Coach Rich Brooks expressed his displeasure at the condition in which Kennison
reported to camp, having missed two weeks and 21 practice sessions. The
wideout had not been working out on an everyday basis and claimed he didn't
have anyone back home (in Lake Charles. La.) to throw him passes. So in
addition to having to learn the patterns, he needs to get in route-running
shape. Ironically, the whole thing was avoidable; the contract he signed
was the same one the Rams offered him two weeks earlier.
All this contract signing has not included one QB Mark Rypien. He is still
AWOL, having missed 21 practices so far. He is still holding firm on his
end of the negotiations and may well sit out the season. Or not, since he
is a free agent. Right now, Steve Walsh is down as the starting quarterback
and Rypien's absence has given him that many more reps running the offense.
This could also be a case of the veteran not wanting to partake of training
camp. But given his situation, this may not be the case. Indeed, a quarterback
who threw well but lost his three starts to eliminate the team from the
playoffs, and one who saw the team sign another front-line quarterback in
the off-season, will not play hard-to-get for too long.
The Rams, apparently not planning for Rypien to show at all, signed a free
agent passer, QB Jason Cue, late of the semipro New Jersey Colts. Cue (6-2,
215) set 12 school passing records at Division I-AA Wagner College in 1994.
He played minor league baseball in Canada last season. Since then? He's
been laying carpet with his brother-in-law in New Jersey. This move was
made by the Bighorns not so much to bolster the position but to bring in
a fresh arm to spell Walsh, Jamie Martin, and Tony Banks.
The Rams will limp into their first pre-season game with several injuries
to key players. The following are currently out for various reasons and
will not make the trip to Pittsburgh: RB Jerald Moore (thigh, so bad he's
missed most of training camp and may be destined for the injured reserve
list), OT Darryl Ashmore (knee), LB Thomas Homco (knee), DL Troy Ridgley
(knee), S Toby Wright (hamstring), TE Troy Drayton (knee, which may be drained),
LB Roman Phifer (hamstring), DE Alberto White (hamstring), RB Greg Robinson
(hamstring, injured on a kick return), and DE James Harris (groin, which
is being examined by doctors in St. Louis).
2.4 StLSO Quote of the Week
Ozzie Smith, on those who minimize the importance of defense as it applies
to winning baseball games: "Those are people that are ignorant."
2.5 StLSO Headlines of the Week
*From the 8.3.96 P-D: "Eckersley Yanked Again; La Russa Says He's Pressing"
*From the 8.1.96 P-D: "Attitude Hurt Rams, Bettis Says"
3.0 StLSO Features
3.1 A Response From Dad by JOE COOK
I see where Jim Hunstein, in his "Letter From Camp" contribution
in ISSUE #82, has taken a few veiled shots at life here in Macomb, IL. I
figure, being a current resident from said town, and also being a native
of St. Louis, I could comment upon his comments.
So in the spirit of Mr. Hunstein's "Letter from Camp Macomb",
I thought I would play the role of his father.
Dear Son,
I'm sorry you aren't having as much fun as you would have liked your first
week or so in Camp Macomb. But I'm sure your spirits will pick up as the
weeks go by. Just hang in there. I know being from the St. Louis area and
all, you're not used to the lack of traffic backups, the fresh clean air,
the low crime rate, etc. Yes, it will take getting used to. But I'm sure
you'll get to appreciate it eventually.
You mentioned speed traps (not once, but twice!). Surely son, you didn't
get a speeding ticket on the way up here? Tsk. tsk. Of course, if you would
listen to your mother and obey posted speeds, you shouldn't have to worry
about speed traps and such. And you would have a lot more $$ to spend on
the nice Ram trinkets they have on sale here. Which means also you can forget
about dear ol' dad sending you any money as well. :)
I'm glad you appreciate the numerous signs on lamp-posts entering town.
See, they're for city slickers like you who might lost on their way trying
to navigate through all those various cornfields you spoke of. Don't worry
though, I doubt the corn will get high enough to cover them for awhile yet.
As for the idea that a "small pocket of fans" would be cultivated
by having the camp up here in West-Central, IL., I would suggest you look
at the fan support of the St. Louis Cardinals (no, not that old, departed
football team that had the same name). Son, did you know that this area
is almost evenly split between both Cardinal and Cub fans? Yes, it's true!
And I am sure the Rams would like to see such a rivalry develop on this
side of the river between them and the Bears. I am sure you realize by now
all the fans that have come up to see the Rams practice -- something like
1000 a day so far. If you multiply that out over the course of 4 weeks or
so, that's 30,000 people attending football practices here in Camp Macomb.
I would say that's not such a small pocket of fans -- almost as many that
attended St. Louis Cardinal (yes, this time I mean the dearly departed football
team) games. Hmm...then again, you could be right, son -- Those were small
pockets of fans then. :)
Oh, and one final thing, Jimmy -- fans here *do* have the opportunity to
attend Ram football games. I have tickets to 6 home football games for the
Rams this season. See, they have this device called a telephone (Yes, we
do have those things up here, aren't they wonderful?), and I was able to
order tickets (even for the 49er game!). So, see ya at the TWA Dome, sonny!
And chin up -- I'm sure you will eventually really enjoy your time there
and learn to be a really happy camper in Macomb. :)
With love,
Dad
3.2 As Pre-Season Opens Rams Have Many Question Marks By MIKE RAINEY
As the Rams prepare to open their pre-season schedule Saturday night at
Pittsburgh, the team has question marks at some key positions. Let's see
where they stand on both sides of the ball going into Saturday night's opener.
Offense: The key here is the offensive line, which was inconsistent at best
last season. The line could receive a big blow if Gerald Perry retires.
He left camp this week and is said to be contemplating just that. A healthy
Zach Wiegert should stabilize the left guard position. If Wayne Gandy and
Dwayne White play up to their potential this could be a solid unit. Center
Bern Brostek is always solid and is among the league's best. The Rams declined
to sink anymore money into this position in the off-season, hoping this
unit would gel.
The biggest concern on offense has to be the quarterback position. No Rams
quarterback threw a pass in NFL competition last season. Steve Walsh is
an efficient thrower with a weak arm who was 8-3 in 11 starts with the Bears
in 1994 while leading them to a playoff berth. Coach Rich Brooks is high
on untested Jamie Martin and thinks he can be the team's backup this season.
Tony Banks is the third-stringer and is being groomed as the "quarterback
of the future." It now seems highly unlikely that Mark Rypien is going
to sign.
The Rams have finally reached an agreement with first-round picks Lawrence
Phillips and Eddie Kennison. The team also now believes that if Phillips
serves any jail time because of his DUI in California, it will be after
the season. If Phillips stays in the Rams lineup and not the police lineup,
the offense could hum. Walsh needs a good running game to keep defenders
honest so they cannot key in on him. Harold Green, a free-agent acquisition
from Cincinnati, could spell Phillips at times and prove valuable as a third
down back. Brent Moss has looked brilliant in camp thus far and should make
the team. Third round pick Jerald Moore also has promise. Rookies Ernie
Conwell and Derrick Harris should see time at fullback.
The wide receiver position could be on of the team's strong suits. If Alexander
Wright stays healthy, and Kennison develops, they will take lots of the
pressure off Isaac Bruce. With those three the Rams will certainly not lack
speed at this position. Todd Kinchen is back and will be the fourth receiver.
Jermaine Ross and Johnny Thomas will add depth. Tight ends Troy Drayton
and Lovell Pinkney could also be a big part of the passing game...but Aaron
Laing is pressing Pinkney for the back-up role.
Defense: This should be the strength of the Rams team. The defensive line
is among the best in the conference with second year pro Kevin Carter, Cinderella
story D'Marco Farr and newcomer Leslie O'Neal. Jimmy Jones is proven, but
needs to have a better year at tackle than he had in '95. The Rams depth
on the defensive line is a concern should one of the starting four go down.
The pre-season games will be a hint as to how much of a concern this area
is, as the backups will get ample playing time.
The addition of Robert Jones will be a big help to the linebacker corps,
along with holdovers Roman Phifer and Carlos Jenkins. Jones is excellent
at stopping the run, and Phifer is one of the league's best linebackers.
Jenkins' problem in the past has been that he is to light to handle the
rigors of an NFL season. But he is capable anyway and should be a solid
contributer. Again depth is a problem here.
The secondary should not have a problem with depth. The Rams were able to
retain Todd Lyght by matching his offer from Jacksonville and added Maurice
Hurst, whom they had an interest in last season. Toby Wright and Keith Lyle
are two of the NFL's best young safeties. Anthony Parker will probably be
used in nickel packages more often this season if Hurst can stay healthy
at right cornerback. Depth comes in the way of Gerald McBurrows, Mike Scurlock
and Torin Dorn.
The pre-season should be an interesting one as some of the concerns surrounding
the Rams could be answered. Another interesting development to keep an eye
on is the performance of place kicker Chip Lohmiller. The Rams starters
could be good enough to garner a wild-card spot, but the team's depth remains
a question mark.
3.3 Signs That You're No Going To Win A Gold
Medal In The Olympics by JIM HUNSTEIN
*Yachting crew leader: Gilligan
*You're halfway through the marathon as the Closing Ceremonies wrap up
*You tend to footfault a lot in table tennis
*Too wrapped up in your duties as president of the Izzy Fan Club
*In equestrian, you have two choices of mounts; a sway-back nag named Alpo
or the stuffed Trigger
*You snort the gymnast's chalk
*You tried blood-doping, but couldn't go through with it because it tastes
so bad
*The shot? You forgot where to put it
*Too much individual handball, if you know what I mean
*Your synchronized swimming partner is Martin Short
*Your home country is the size of Shaq's shoe
*ABC wants to use your efforts in mountain biking to replace the guy going
off the side of the ski jump in their "agony of defeat" on Wide
World of Sports
*You strangled three people with your rhythmic ribbon
*In archery, you shoot more like Robin Givens than Robin Hood, more like
George Will than Will Tell
*Your cannonball drenched, but did not impress, the diving judges
*Unlike those taken by certain other swimmers, the little colored pills
you're popping are just Skittles
*You're an Aussie and you choke like a shark
*Your bandana-clad dog keeps chasing and catching your discus
*Your field hockey coach dumps most of the good players, alienates the best,
screams at everyone, and doesn't come close to winning
*You know the dream where you're late for a very important event and the
you're standing naked in a huge auditorium? It's not a dream this time.
*You lose count in the decathlon and eat your weight in fries after 9 events
*They don't let you use any of the moves your wrestling coach Doink the
Clown taught you
*Instead of real training, you rely on your PF Flyers to run faster and
jump higher
*You're a female gymnast who can vote
*Your opponent in the fencing finals has a huge black helmet, a raspy voice,
and a light sabre
*You're so slow, you come in last in the next heat
*The first jump of your triple jump is a bunny hop
*Before you toss the hammer, you toss a few screwdrivers
*You were unanonymously elected Olympic Village Idiot
*You got pommel-strated
3.4 Overheard At The Olympics by JIM HUNSTEIN
*"The Germans haven't been that tough in the pole vault since the Wall's
come down."
*"What say you and I get up close and personal."
*"I'd love to go out for a beer, but I have to babysit the women's
gymnastics team."
*"Mr. Gilooly? How much to do John Tesh?"
4.0 StLSO Recaps
4.1 Cardinals Series-by-Series Summaries by JIM HUNSTEIN
4.1.1 Cardinals vs. Montreal (July 25 - 28)
IN THE ARCHIVES: The Cards split the 4-game series 2 and 2 (but this was
no love connection) with Montreal and fell from first for a day before recovering
by the end of the season.
ON THE SCOREBOARD: G1: 4-2 Expos (Cards were 3-hit); G2: 5-1 Expos (ditto);
G3: 6-3 Cards (Ron Gant; 3-for-3 with a homer); G4: 6-4 Cards (Cards score
3 runs in the 8th)
GOING IN: Cards were 54-47, in first place, 1 game ahead of Astros and 4
ahead of Reds
COMING OUT: Cards were 56-49, in first game, 1/2 game ahead of Astros and
3 1/2 ahead of Reds. (The Astros and Reds face off next.)
AT THE PLATE: The slump continued for the first half of the series as they
collected only 6 hits in G1 and G2. That makes 13 hits (9 singles) in the
previous 4 games. But the Cards came back with 14 in the next two, 7 in
each. Gant broke it open in G3 with 3 hits, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored plus
his 18th homer. That made up for 3 whiffs in G1. Ray Lankford, batting ahead
of him, was on with 3 walks and scored all 3 times. In G4 John Mabry (#10)
and Gary Gaetti (#12) each homered and Brian Jordan and Ozzie Smith had
identical lines of 2-for-4 with 1 run and 1 RBI to pull the Redbirds back
into first place.
OFF THE BENCH: The pinch-hitters are coming alive. They were 2-for-4 with
a walk in the series. Willie McGee singled in the 7th inning of G1 for Mike
Gallego but grounded into a fielder's choice for Andy Benes in the 8th of
G3. In G4, Mark Sweeney singled for Mark Petkovsek in the 8th and Luis Alicea
drew a 9th inning walk for Gallego.
ON THE BASEPATHS: Lankford took over the team lead in stolen bases with
3 swipes in G3. He now has 23 to Royce Clayton's 22. Smith swiped his 6th
of the year in G1. In that big G4, Sweeney stole his second and Alicea his
seventh.
ON THE MOUND: The starters didn't get the support they deserved in the first
two games. Mike Morgan was stiffed by the bullpen in G1 after giving them
a 2-2 tie in the 8th. Donovan Osborne was cruising well until yielding 3
runs in the 6th and 1 in the 7th. But he was pounded for 12 hits despite
fanning 9. Andy Benes finally broke through the .500 mark with a win in
G3 to go to 9-8. He struck out 7 over 8 innings. Todd Stottlemyre was chased
in the 6th of G4 but turned over a 3-2 lead to the relief corps. Sorry about
that chief.
FROM THE BULLPEN: Those squeamish souls should skip this section. But think
about this: Whither Henke? Dennis Eckersley continued his downward spiral
by giving up a homer and another hit in the 9th of G4, only the second time
this season he has been yanked with the save opp still good. In his defense,
he got his 17th save in G3. But no matter what, there was no cause for the
fans to boo Eck on his way to the dugout. In G4, by the way, every one from
the pen made the long walk from Homer's Landing to the mound. Petkovsek
(7-2) got the win and TJ Mathews earned his 4th save. Petkovsek took the
loss in G1 after giving up a pair of runs. For the record, it was Rick Honeycutt
who blew Stottlemyre's lead in G4.
IN THE FIELD: Smith committed his 5th error in G1 but showed in G3 why he
has earned all those Gold Gloves. The best came in the 4th inning with Moises
Alou on second and Rondell White at the plate. White grounded to Smith who
saw that he had no chance to get the speedy White. So he caught Gary Gaetti's
eye at third and threw there to nail Alou who had innocently enough rounded
the base. It was the kind of heads-up veteran play that the St. Louis fans
have come to love. Oh yeah, then in the 7th with a runner on first, he cut
off Mike Lansing's hard grounder up the middle, stepped on second and threw
to first for a 6-3 double play. Not to be outdone, Petkovsek picked White
off first in the 8th. It's defense like that that will turn a losing streak
around.
IN THE HOUSE: G1: 34,271; G2: 30,048; G3: 44,269; G4: 31,226
ON THE CLOCK: G1: 3:02; G2: 2:49; G3: 2:58 G4: 3:08
ON DECK: A day off, then 3 games in Philadelphia
IN THE HOLE: 3 games in New York, New York, the town so nice, they named
it twice
4.1.2 Cardinals vs. Phillies (July 30 - August 1)
IN THE ARCHIVES: The Cards lost 2 of 3 but came out of the series back in
sole possession of first place in the NLC. They had the rare privilege of
actually playing a double-header after G2 was rained out and made up ahead
of G3. Anybody remember when those used to be on the schedule as a part
of the summer?
ON THE SCOREBOARD: G1: 8-7 Phillies (the Phils had 22 hits); G2: 2-1 Phillies
(the winning run scored on a Cardinal error; guess who); G3: 7-1 Cards (Phils
were 4-hit)
GOING IN: Cards were 56-49, tied for first with the Astros, 3 ahead of the
Reds
COMING OUT: Cards were 57-51, in first place 1/2 game ahead of the Astros
and only 2 ahead of the Reds (who have won 3 heading into Friday's game
at Montreal) and 3 1/2 ahead of the Cubs (themselves riding a 4-game win
streak against the Rockies).
AT THE PLATE: The bats seemed to have come alive as 7 was the magic number.
That's how many runs they scored in G1 and G2, and the number of hits in
G2 (no one had more than one). Ron Gant had two homers in the series to
bring his season total to 20. John Mabry (#11 in G1), Gary Gaetti (#13 in
G1), and Brian Jordan (#14 in G3) also went deep. The four of them were
8-for-17 with 6 RBI and 5 runs scored in G4. Mabry's average has slipped
to .309 and he is no longer in the top 10 in the league.
ON THE BASEPATHS: Miguel Mejia once again raised doubts about why he's on
the roster, other than the fact that he has to be or else he'll be taken
away. Is that the worst thing that could happen? All he has is speed and
even that wasn't enough. He pinch-ran for Mark Sweeney in the 9th inning
of G2, the one the Cards lost by one run. And he was thrown out stealing,
his third time caught this year. Couple that with his whopping .063 average
(1-for-16, actually way below average) and you have to wonder what exactly
his potential is. (As this is being written on Friday evening, word comes
down that he has pulled a hamstring. Maybe that will get him on the DL and
let a real player play. Anybody have Dmitri Young's phone number handy?)
OFF THE BENCH: Teams win close games with productive benches. Mejia was
nailed and Gant whiffed looking in G2 and the Cards lost 2-1. But Sweeney
drew a walk in the 6th and Willie McGee (who else?) singled in the 8th in
G1 and they won 8-7.
ON THE MOUND: It was the good, the bad, and the ugly. The good was Andy
Benes' complete game victory in G3 as he gave up only 1 run on 4 hits with
7 strikeouts. He is now 10-8 and tied with his little brother for the team
lead in wins. The bad, and this is more bad luck, was Donovan Osborne's
valiant effort in G2. He took the loss (9-7) but only gave up 2 runs in
6 innings, which sometimes is good enough for a win. The ugly was Alan Benes
in G1. He was hammered for 6 runs in 3 2/3 innings. But he didn't get a
loss, thanks to the bullpen.
FROM THE BULLPEN: Specifically, that was TJ Mathews who blew G1. After four
other relievers managed to keep the Phillies in check (despite each one
giving up at least one hit), Mathews (1-4) gave up 2 singles and a line
drive over Gant's head and took the loss. Cory Bailey only gave up 2 hits
in 2 innings in G2 and no one was called in for G3.
IN THE FIELD: Luis Alicea is making a stronger and stronger bid for more
pine time. His stone glove cost the Cards a win in G2. That followed another
E in G1. In his defense, so to speak, he was 3-for-4 in the series, including
two key hits in G1.
OVERALL: Cards are 11-1 against the Astros and Reds. Keep that up and we
might just have us a date for the big dance in October. The Cards still
have only one representative among the league leaders in any significant
category. Except for team wins, of course.
IN THE HOUSE: G1: 20,166 G2 & G3: 22,934 (That's the count coming into
G2, the first of the double-header. Wonder how many were around at the ned
of G3.)
ON THE CLOCK: G1: 3:37 G2: 2:38 (not including the aborted few innings of
the rained out game) G3: 2:23
ON DECK: 3-game series with the Mets in New York
IN THE HOLE: 3-game series with the Padres at Busch
5.0 StLSO Numbers
5.1 Cardinals Statistics (through 106 GAMES (August 1))
5.1.1 Batting
AB HIT 2B 3B HR SLG RUN RBI BB SO OBP SB CS E AVG Mabry,John 369 114 20 2 11 .463 47 53 27 60 .356 1 1 5 .309 Jordan,Brian 337 101 25 0 14 .499 61 77 19 61 .337 15 3 2 .300 McGee,Willie 221 66 10 1 3 .394 37 30 12 44 .335 3 1 2 .299 Pagnozzi,Tom 252 73 15 0 8 .444 31 38 14 52 .327 3 1 6 .290 Smith,Ozzie 137 39 5 1 0 .336 19 9 14 4 .351 6 3 5 .285 Clayton,Royce 335 92 14 3 3 .361 45 23 25 71 .325 23 11 10 .275 Sheaffer,Danny 146 40 8 2 2 .397 9 17 7 19 .307 2 3 5 .274 Lankford,Ray 374 102 23 5 18 .505 74 62 50 86 .358 23 3 0 .273 Sweeney,Mark 136 36 8 0 3 .390 23 18 24 23 .375 2 0 3 .265 Gaetti,Gary 327 86 17 0 13 .434 46 48 22 59 .309 1 2 8 .263 Gant,Ron 246 64 9 2 20 .557 48 56 51 54 .387 9 3 3 .260 Alicea,Luis 275 67 17 0 4 .349 36 30 36 56 .331 7 2 22 .244 Gallego,Mike 57 11 0 0 0 .193 5 1 2 12 .220 0 0 0 .193 TOTAL 3678 983 188 16 100 .409 519 485 327 746 .327 99 40 91 .267
W L IP HIT RUN ER BB SO ERA SA BS HR G ST C Fossas,Tony 0 4 31.1 31 15 10 13 26 2.87 2 4 6 44 0 0 Mathews,TJ 1 4 55.0 41 23 19 23 48 3.11 4 3 5 43 0 0 Osborne,Donovan 9 7 135.2 133 59 50 29 87 3.32 0 0 14 20 20 2 Eckersley,D 0 5 37.2 41 19 16 5 33 3.82 17 2 6 38 0 0 Stottlemyre,T 9 7 150.1 136 67 64 62 131 3.83 0 0 21 22 22 4 Honeycutt,Rick 2 0 32.2 32 14 14 7 24 3.86 2 3 3 42 0 0 Bailey,Cory 3 1 34.1 40 17 15 17 29 3.93 0 0 1 31 0 0 Morgan,Mike 3 4 83.0 81 39 37 34 38 4.01 0 0 10 13 13 0 Benes,Andy 10 8 157.1 149 78 71 42 104 4.06 1 0 20 24 23 3 Petkovsek,Mark 7 2 54.0 56 26 25 22 24 4.17 0 3 8 27 4 0 Benes,Alan 10 6 125.2 130 88 75 55 90 5.37 0 0 19 22 22 2 TOTAL 57 51 963.2 944 495 440 343 685 4.11 26 17 122 367 108 11
American League National League
Eastern Divisions
Team Won Lost GB PCT Team Won Lost GB PCT
New York 64 42 - .604 Atlanta 66 41 - .617
Baltimore 54 52 10.0 .509 Montreal 58 49 8.0 .542
Toronto 50 58 15.0 .463 New York 52 57 15.0 .477
Boston 47 59 17.0 .443 Florida 50 58 16.5 .463
Detroit 36 72 29.0 .333 Philadelphia 44 64 22.5 .407
Central Divisions
Team Won Lost GB PCT Team Won Lost GB PCT
Cleveland 65 43 - .602 CARDINALS 57 51 - .528
Chicago 59 49 6.0 .546 Houston 57 52 0.5 .523
Milwaukee 52 56 13.0 .481 Cincinnati 53 51 2.0 .510
Minnesota 51 56 13.5 .477 Chicago 53 54 3.5 .495
Kansas City 49 60 16.5 .450 Pittsburgh 49 59 8.0 .454
Western Divisions
Team Won Lost GB PCT Team Won Lost GB PCT
Texas 61 47 - .565 San Diego 58 52 - .527
Seattle 59 48 1.5 .551 Los Angeles 57 52 0.5 .523
Oakland 55 54 6.5 .505 Colorado 54 54 3.0 .500
California 51 57 10.0 .472 San Francisco 46 60 10.0 .434