I was among those who loved the Ryan Ludwick story in the first part of the season, which culminated in a trip to the All Star Game, but thought there was no way this could last. Over the last 10 games, Ludwick's average has gone from .292 to .307. Over this stretch, he has 6 HR and 11 RBIs. He now has 6 more home runs (29) and 9 more RBIs (82) than Albert Pujols. No one thought this possible, not even Ryan Ludwick's parents. The Not-So Crappy Cardinals have played a decent brand of baseball as of late, but the bullpen is becoming a major issue. Isringhausen does not have it right now, Franklin is not dependable, and McClellan is not ready for the spotlight despite a great rookie campaign thus far. Chris Perez, who has 24 career appearances, got the save against the L.A. Many Ramirez's last night. This is not the guy one wants closing out games this weekend against the front-running Cubs. TheCubs seem to have a stranglehold on the division, but the Cards remain only one game out of the Wild Card, trailing the Brew Crew. The Double C gave another great performance on Tuesday, pitching 5 scoreless (only 51 pitches) innings before taking no-decision when Izzy & Co. blew a 4-run 9th inning lead. I pose the same query form last week when it comes to the Cards. They can hit, but can they pitch? I wish I knew.Random inane mutterings:
- Manny Ramirez has been on a tear since Boston gave him away, batting almost .600 with 4 home runs and 9 RBIs in 6 games. The funny thing about this is that before acquiring Ramirez, the Dodgers were a .500 team (54-54), and after acquiring Ramirez, the Dodgers are a .500 team (3-3).
- The Mets have bullpen issues, but remain within striking distance of the Phillies.
- The Terrible Tigers are on life support and I fear the doctor is about to ask me if I want to pull the plug on my World Series pick after they lost 6 in a row this week.
- Is Seattle really 26.5 games behind the Angels?
- Chipper Jones could win the NL batting title by missing the rest of the season, he is currently 19 points ahead of Pujols (.369-.350).
- Carlos Lee is the most underrated player in baseball right now (.309/28 HR/97 RBI).
1 comment:
I gotta say, the Cards have hung in longer than expected, and Ludwick is a big reason.
Will Chipper have enough plate appearances to qualify?
Dodgers are .500, but a different .500. We have weaker opponents coming up, and Penny coming back tomorrow.
Really- who has heard about Carlos Lee? That's amazing. Maybe now that Fav-ra drama is over, we can talk about actual sports again.
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