WHERE DO I BEGIN...

I have 2 days worth of games and events to discuss today, but I don't know where to start. Let me warn you: the things I have to say aren't good.

Let's start with Tuesday night. Kyle McClellan was 6 outs away from beating Roy Halladay and walking away with the W. That's pretty impressive for a guy in his first season as a starter, going toe to toe with the best of the best.

Tony lifted K-Mac in the 7'th for a pitch hitter, so it was up to the bullpen to close out the game. Kyle had gotten 21 outs at that point, while only giving up one run. Unfortunately, the game was far from over. The Cardinals bullpen deteriorated before my eyes. It took 64 pitches from 5 different relievers to secure 3 outs and get to the bottom of the inning. The top of the 8'th began with the score 2-1 Cards, and ended at 10-2 in favor of the Phillies.

Don't get me wrong - I'm angry that the pen gave up 9 runs in a single inning. I think the most frustrating part though was how they gave up those runs. I wouldn't be happier if the Phillies smacked us around, but it would be much more understandable. Instead of throwing quality pitches, we beaned batters and walked in runs.

Tuesday was the Cardinals first of several games without #5 in the lineup. A win would have been a huge confidence booster, both for the team and the fans. Instead, we witnessed a meltdown to remember.

How did the club react to the embarassing 8'th inning? They announced yesterday that Miguel Batista has been released. I don't agree with that move one bit. Batista is 40 years old and way past his prime, I will admit that, but he was a veteran presence in a very young bullpen. I know that his strikeout to walk ratio was pitiful, but I'm pretty sure that he wasn't the only problem!

Batista was supposed to be the long-man in the bullpen. He could eat up innings for us. Tony had already used him once as a spot starter. I think that he was a valuable piece to the bullpen, and we gave up on him a little too early. He really wasn't doing that bad for us. However if John Mozeliak has decided to start trimming the fat, when can we send Ryan Franklin packing??



As for Wednesday night, the Cardinals couldn't muster anything against Cliff Lee. He pitched a 6-hit shutout, and St. Louis was handed their second consecutive loss. It's a good thing that the Brewers keep losing when we do. Remarkably, we are only 1/2 game out of first place. The Reds are 2 games out though, and closing fast.

We have an awful lot of rookies on the team right now. We have an inexperienced bench, and our best player is injured. The good news is that Nick Punto and David Freese are both doing well in their rehab assignments. Hopefully both will be back with the big club soon.

The announcers last night kept saying that playing against Halladay and Lee wouldn't give us a fair indication of how our team will perform without Albert, because they are 2 of the best pitchers in baseball. Al, Dan, and Rick, I hope you're right.

Hang in the Cardinal fans...