Series Preview: St. Louis Tire Fire (11-24) at Chicago Cubs (17-17)

In Series Previews by berselius107 Comments

I don’t even know what else there is to say about the dumpster fire in Cardinals-land. Will Oliver Marmol have a job by the end of the month? By the end of this series? The ‘play the game the right way’ nonsense with Tyler O’Neill was bad enough vibes, but then seeing the same pattern continue with this bananas Contreras quasi-benching is just ridiculous. Mike Matheny and TLR wouldn’t be doing this in a fever dream (dying laughing). Which is to say, I am so here for it.

Despite some of the comments from the offseason re the rivalry, I feel pretty bad for Contreras here. This Cardinals pitching staff sucks ass. When your rotation is screwed going into the season because 74 year old Adam Wainwright goes down, the finger should be pointing elsewhere. Willie’s defensive numbers behind the plate are right in line with where he’s been in the past – we can’t qualify the game calling stuff but even Yadi couldn’t cover up that big pile of shit. Contreras has more than done his part, skipping the WBC to get extra time with the pitchers and doing everything they’ve asked. He’s reached out to Yadi for help*. And even then, the PitchCom goes both ways. If the Cardinals pitchers are so immersed in whatever nonsense system they use, they can just call their own games. I don’t think the pitch clock precludes calling games from the dugout either.

*third-hand at this point, but Yadi basically told Contreras that he’s doing fine and the pitchers just aren’t executing. Then Marmol comes out with the following quote: “The reality is, it’s more than he’s ever had to do. Nothing against the way he’s done it, but it’s very different & it’s a lot of work.” I’m sure players love when your manager drops a quote that says you’re a lazy moron, and only feeds the…biases…of Cardinals fans. Maybe they can bring in Tim Tebow to catch?

Anyway, #FreeWillie, and enjoy the circus I guess. My joke about Skip Schumacher bringing the devil magic to Miami instead may actually have some legs.

Team Leaders

Switching to actual numbers on the year!

Urinals

  • OBP: Lars Nootbaar (.442)
  • ISO: Nolan Gorman (.263)
  • HR: Gorman (7)
  • R+RBI: Goldschmidt/Gorman (34)
  • wRC+: Paul DeJong (165)
  • BSR: Brendan Donovan (1.1)
  • Defense: Nolan Arenado (2.4)
  • SP K/9: Jack Flaherty (9.44)
  • SP BB/9: Jordan Montgomery (1.98)
  • SP FIP: Montgomery (2.87)
  • RP K/9: Jordan Hicks (15.23)
  • RP BB/9: Chris Stratton (0.90)
  • RP FIP: Stratton (2.41)
  • WAR: Goldy (1.4)

Cubs

  • OBP: Happ (.431)
  • ISO: Wisdom (.358)
  • HR: Wisdom (11)
  • R+RBI: Belli (45)
  • wRC+: Happ (150)
  • BSR: Hoerner (2.5)
  • Defense: Swanson (3.5)
  • SP K/9: Taillon (10.59)
  • SP BB/9: Smyly (2.11)
  • SP FIP: Taillon (2.48)
  • RP K/9: Leiter (14.79)
  • RP BB/9: Alzolay (1.72)
  • RP FIP: Alzolay (2.47)
  • WAR: Belli (1.5)

Who isn’t available?

Cyle is still rehabbing his shoulder injury, and probably won’t be back for a few weeks. He swing by Chicago to get some coaching from the big league staff and will have at least one more start. Yan Gomes is on the concussion IL, but was able to take BP over the weekend which is a great sign. Brandon Hughes is back on the IL with a knee injury, but it sounds like he’ll rejoin the team without a rehab assignment once it’s up. RP Codi Heuer made his first rehab appearance following Tommy John last year, and looked great, hitting 99 on the gun. If all goes well he’ll be a flamethrowing reinforcement in a month or so.

For the Cardinals, aside from the self-inflicted wounds above, OG Scapegoat Tyler O’Neill is on the IL with a back strain. Willie is day to day with an ankle injury.

Pitching Matchups, game times

2023 K/9, BB/9, ERA, FIP listed for all starters

Monday: Miles Mikolas, RHP (8.20, 2.17, 5.79, 4.94) vs Marcus Stroman, RHP (8.27, 3.48, 2.18, 3.70), 6:40 PM CT

Tuesday: Jack Flaherty, RHP (9.44, 5.77, 6.29, 5.43) vs Jameson Taillon, RHP (10.59, 2.12, 5.29, 2.48), 6:40 PM CT

Woden’s day: Jordan Montgomery, LHP (8.34, 1.98, 3.29, 2.87) vs Justin Steele, LHP (7.48, 2.28, 1.45, 3.20) 6:40 PM CT

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Comments

  2. Rice Cube

    I suppose it really isn’t Willson’s fault (at least not completely) if the rotation blow but these are interesting points to consider

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  5. Author
    berselius

    Rice Cube,

    Still baffling at how much the Cardinals FO has been able to frame this story as catching intangibles and not just their starters being shitty (dying laughing). This sucks for Contreras but at least he got paid before this nonsense happened.

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  6. Author
    berselius

    He caught a fucking no-hitter in 2021, but I guess that had nothing to do with him. Insane that Robothal is joining this concern trolling.

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  7. Perkins

    berselius:
    Rice Cube,

    Still baffling at how much the Cardinals FO has been able to frame this story as catching intangibles and not just their starters being shitty (dying laughing). This sucks for Contreras but at least he got paid before this nonsense happened.

    Guessing it’s because Contreras is the new guy in town. Easier/simpler to blame one guy than to acknowledge the front office’s failure to construct a good rotation. Plus “he’s not Yadi” is probably an easy sell to the knuckle dragging fanbase.

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  10. Author
    berselius

    From the comments on Jaffe’s fg piece on the tire fire

    Let’s not forget that under Marmol and Mo, suddenly Mike Maddux, who has been a pretty solid pitching coach over his career, bolted for Texas. Bench coach Skip Schumaker left to become a manager of the Marlins, one can hardly blame him for taking a promotion, but then also Jeff Albert left as hitting coach to join the Mets as he felt he was blamed for too much, and then Matt Holiday was hired to replace Skip Schumaker and did a quick 180 just a few weeks later. There’s something pretty off about all of this that screams “toxic.”

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  21. Author
    berselius

    berselius,

    No catcher in the history of baseball has ever called for a hanging breaking ball.

    More fun with comments on this situation (dying laughing)

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  22. Author
    berselius

    I also saw someone arguing that since Yadi always called games for the Cards veteran pitchers, it’s unfair to ask them to call their own game (dying laughing).

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  37. Rice Cube

    andcounting,

    In theory I guess it makes sense to deploy the bat anywhere else in the lineup as the situation arises, in practice that was a decision doomed to failure.

    Stroman striking out Goldy twice is unexpected but fun

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  41. Rice Cube

    Podcast gonna be lit if the Cubs don’t figure out how to score some runs soon or even tomorrow night during the scheduled record (dying laughing)

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  44. Perkins

    I’m really not looking forward to the eventual narrative that this series helped the Cardinals right the ship.

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  46. andcounting

    Today is my birthday, so I fully expect Ross to start Nick Madrigal at every position including DH (in a misguided attempt to ensure pitcher Nick Madrigal doesn’t have to hit for his damn self).

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  55. uncle dave

    Rice Cube,

    Yeah, I mean, everyone does it. It’s just always kind of fun when they crack down on some grey area behavior and you find out who did it more than everyone else…

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  56. Rice Cube

    Given how Cubs injuries have been dealt with in the past they might as well bring back Nelly and give Nico the 10 days off, but I’m not in charge

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  65. BVS

    Rice Cube,

    Pulls into driveway, doesn’t hit bomb square, it skitters off to the side onto the bushes where AC is watching. “Hope your birthday is a bomb!” card he got from Berselius is prescient.

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  66. BVS

    Zach McKinstrey 2023
    WAR AB H HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
    0.0 73 19 2 6 4 1 10 19 .260 .345 .411 .756

    Nick Madrigal
    WAR AB H HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
    -0.1 62 16 0 6 2 2 2 6 .258 .292 .323 .615

    Might have traded the wrong end-of-bench IF, bút it’s close.

    Formatting isn’t my strong suit

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  67. Perkins

    For what it’s worth, I hit a HR with Nick Madrigal in MLB 23 The Show yesterday. So it’s in the realm of possibility (dying laughing).

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  73. Rice Cube

    I swear I called that Hosmer result three seconds before it happened but I was just following GameDay while shopping for salad (dying laughing)

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  74. Perkins

    Rice Cube,

    Not at all, but got insanely lucky timing and locating a swing perfectly. I’ve actually been using him regularly at DH because his contact skills are so strong.

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  88. Author
    berselius

    Incredible relief appearance/quasi-start from Assad but I have no idea why he came back out for the 9th, even with the Cubs depleted pen

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  91. Rice Cube

    (dying laughing) I thought they were going to let Assad wear it but I guess they had to quick warm up some other guy, in this case Rucker, WTF are they doing?

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  92. Rice Cube

    I like Swanson’s game and Seiya getting on base a couple times even though I think he got a couple gift strikes, plus Morel’s bomb, but the rest of that game…ick

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  96. Author
    berselius

    (dying laughing)

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  98. andcounting

    Gomes returning to the lineup and the Cubs trouncing the Cardinals would absolutely be the narrative maker.

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