St. Louis Cardinals

[Woy]

Garcia to miss his scheduled start because of elbow discomfort.

Jay won't come off the DL when eligible because of continued soreness.

Freese out of the line-up once again because of his hand.

Fuck these injuries. At least we're deep and Craig will come back as scheduled.

e: Schumaker left tonight with a hamstring injury. Of course.

[SHOGUN]

My god are the Cardinals are beat to shit. This is depressing.

[Woy]

We're the MLB version of Bad Luck Brian this season. Guess it has to even out after last year's run.

Matheny is really pissing me off with some of his managing tactics. I know it's still very early in his career, but with all the talent on this roster (even with the depth), performing like this is really starting to piss me off and make me wonder if he was the right hire.

One move I've been throwing out for shits and giggles is to reacquire Rick Ankiel and have him as our 4th outfielder and 2nd LOOGY. He wouldn't be any worse than the shitheads we're throwing out there now.

[Rudi]

[Woy]

[Rudi]

[Woy]

Jaime will be shut down for a month with a shoulder injury. Joe Kelly (3rd rounder in 2009, 2-5/2.86 ERA) takes his place in the rotation.

I'm starting to accept this team will end up like the 2003 squad. Incredible offense that loses too many games because of the awful pitching.

Look at how awful that staff was!

[Woy]

Friday the 22nd will mark the 10-year anniversary of Darryl Kile's death. I still remember bawling my little 11-year-old eyes out once the news came out and later changing my Little League number to #57 for the summer all-star tournaments. DK was always one of my favorites.

Joe Strauss - Kile's death still shakes those who were close to him

Bernie Miklasz - Out of tragedy, Cardinals found inspiration

[Guest]

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter is expected to be back for the 2013 season after surgery Thursday to repair a nerve injury in his right shoulder.

The neurogenic thoracic outlet surgery was performed by Dr. Greg Pearl in Dallas. The Cardinals say rehabilitation should take two to three months, and Carpenter should be able to have a normal offseason.

The 37-year-old right-hander hasn't pitched all season and hasn't been on the mound since winning Game 7 of the 2011 World Series against Texas. The injury occurred during spring training.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/81...back-13-season

[Woy]

2-3 months? That might bring him back in time for the post-season! /CardsfansonTwitter

He's been missed but not much as originally anticipated. The staff has been good this year - the struggles are because of some inept managing and that the team won't click at the same time. One week the pitching staff will be great, but the offense will struggle (see these last two series, we could have easily went 6-0). The next the offense will play up to its full potential and the bullpen will implode every night.

It's so frustrating to watch.

[Guest]

2-3 months? That might bring him back in time for the post-season! /CardsfansonTwitter

He's been missed but not much as originally anticipated. The staff has been good this year - the struggles are because of some inept managing and that the team won't click at the same time. One week the pitching staff will be great, but the offense will struggle (see these last two series, we could have easily went 6-0). The next the offense will play up to its full potential and the bullpen will implode every night.

It's so frustrating to watch.

Lance Lynn really stepped up this year for you guys, that really took the brunt of losing Carpenter. I thought Matheny was a good choice as manager, but it seems he doesn't understand match ups, which is odd for a former catcher.

[Woy]

Lance Lynn really stepped up this year for you guys, that really took the brunt of losing Carpenter. I thought Matheny was a good choice as manager, but it seems he doesn't understand match ups, which is odd for a former catcher.

In addition to Lynn, Lohse has been one of the most underrated pitchers in the NL and Westbrook has been surprisingly efficient. They also had to deal with a recovering Wainwright and an injury to Jaime Garcia.

I also liked the hire of Matheny because I loved him as a player and always thought he would make a good manager. I haven't lost faith in him because this is his first managerial job ever (even Little League), but some of the mistakes he makes out there are absolutely baffling. I guess I've been spoiled with Tony LaRussa for so long that I have higher standards for a rookie manager.

[Guest]

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak says it's unlikely the team will be able to re-sign 16-game winner Kyle Lohse. He also doesn't see a spot for Lance Berkman even if he were willing to accept a reduced role.

One person who is definitely gone is bullpen coach Dyar Miller. Mozeliak said Thursday that Miller was surprised when informed he would not be kept.

The defending champions ended up one victory shy of a repeat trip to the World Series, squandering a 3-1 lead over the San Francisco Giants in the NL championship series.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/cardina...7572--mlb.html

[Woy]

Both were assumed not to be brought back after the season. Lohse did some awesome things the past two seasons for us, but he'll be seeking a multi-year deal and our rotation is already crowded enough (especially since Jake Westbrook was brought back for another year). Puma is either going to look for a DH role somewhere or retire - I'd love to have him back as a weapon off the bench if he would accept that though.

Areas that need addressed in the off-season are: RH bats for the bench, LHP relief and MIF. I've been throwing around the possibility of trading for Elvis Andrus for a month or two now, but if they want one of our young arms (Miller, Martinez, Rosenthal) then I'd pass on it.

[Woy]

A look at the 2013 rotation candidates.

Given health, the Cardinals could argue that all five spots in the rotation for 2013 are already spoken for as they leave 2012. They won't. The team plans to open at least one spot for competition, and there could be two spots open if Jaime Garcia is unable to use rehab and strengthening to avoid surgery on his left shoulder. A look at how the rotation turns for 2013, including the three veterans who have contracts that can expire at the end of the coming season:

CHRIS CARPENTER, RHP

2012: 0-2, 3.71 ERA, three starts

Career as a Cardinal

95-44, 3.07 ERA, 198 games (197 starts)

Contract: Will earn $12.5 million in final year of two-year, $21-million deal.

A sudden return from what was supposed to be season-ending surgery in July gave Carpenter valuable innings to contribute, sure, but also to test his health. He'll return as the Cardinals' ace next season and arrive at spring training after a normal offseason, optimistic that nerve issues have been surgically corrected and, for the first time since 2008, won't be a constant concern.

ADAM WAINWRIGHT, RHP

2012: 14-13, 3.94 ERA, 32 starts

Career as a Cardinal

80-48, 3.15 ERA, 214 games (151 starts)

Contract: Will earn $12 million in final year of six-year, $36 million extension.

In his first season back from elbow reconstruction, Wainwright muscled through early limitations and finished with 213 2/3 innings in 2012. His year ended with seven strong innings in his lone NLCS start, assuring the righty the only question going into the offseason and next year is whether the team can negotiate a deal that keeps him a Cardinal for the rest of his career.

JAIME GARCIA, LHP

2012: 7-7, 3.92 ERA, 20 starts

Career as a Cardinal

34-23, 3.43 ERA, 90 games (81 starts)

Contract: Will earn $5.75 million in second year of four-year, $27-million extension.

Shoulder troubles eroded Garcia's season and complicated his standing within the rotation. The lefty sought several opinions on a rotator cuff tear, and it was determined he could try to recover without surgery. The Cardinals will know by mid-November if that worked. Surgery or not, he enters 2013 with the club "holding our breath a little" for his health, GM John Mozeliak said.

JAKE WESTBROOK, RHP

2012: 13-11, 3.97 ERA, 28 starts

Career as a Cardinal

29-24, 4.18 ERA, 73 starts

Contract: Will earn $8.75-million in first year of extension that includes 2014 option.

The Cardinals' resident sinkerballer was unable to contribute in the postseason because of an oblique strain, one that he'd overcome by the end of the NLCS. That was a disappointing ending to his best season with the Cardinals, one that included 6 1/3 innings per start, his lowest ERA since 2004, and an extension that reworked his 2013 option into a potential two-year pact.

OPEN CASTING

After an All-Star turn and a team-best 18 wins in the regular season, Lance Lynn is the incumbent for this spot. But the Cardinals plan to create a competition between Lynn (18-7, 3.78 ERA, 29 starts) and the three ascending talents who made their major-league debuts this past season: Joe Kelly (5-7, 3.53 ERA, 16 starts), Trevor Rosenthal (0-2, 2.78 ERA, 19 games), and Shelby Miller (1-0, 1.23 ERA, six games). They are the future. They could be the present.