Friday Night Reactions, Saturday Preview

Hey Guys,

Exciting ball game last night - almost...too exciting. Franklin scared me a little bit, but he got the job done in the end.

Chris Carpenter pitched like Chris Carpenter again last night. 7 strong innings, 4 hits, 10 K's, and 0 Earned Runs. His fastball had a little more life than his previous start and he hit most of his spots. It seemed like we started our B team a little bit last night with a third of our starters getting the night off, but everybody played in the end. There was an article in the Post-Dispatch yesterday on whether La Russa "tinkers" with the line-up too much. I think early last year (pre Holliday and DeRosa) was an exception, because he was trying to find a line-up combination that worked, but aside from that, after the first couple weeks of the season, everyone seems to know about where they are going to hit when they play. I never minded playing for a coach who platooned me with another guy because there was always that certainty that I would play about half the games. The guys I hated playing for were the ones who seemed to put nine names into a hat and selected their lineup that way. I remember one summer in particular, I hit in every single spot in the lineup by seasons end. I would be hitting in the three-spot and go 3-4 with a double and be moved to the eight-spot for the next game. Other times, I'd be in the seven-hole and go 0-5 and be moved into the four-hole. It was really pretty frustrating because there was no sense of continuity. La Russa plays everyone to keep his bench players fresh. However, with the exception of Molina and Lopez, everyone knows where they are going to hit when they do play, and I think that's what is important.

I think Bryan Anderson will probably get the start behind the plate today. Tomorrow would seem to be the ideal day to do it, to give Yadier a night off before our west-coast trip, but I imagine Wainwright wants to throw to Molina. I've wrestled with this a lot, and there really doesn't seem to be an ideal day to play Bryan. Today makes the most amount of sense, to me at least, because Anderson and Jaime Garcia have worked together several times in the minor leagues. It would be easier for Anderson to get his first start catching someone he is familiar with. It also wouldn't surprise me if Lopez played over Schumaker, though I'm less certain about this than the catching situation. La Russa doesn't like to start Skip against tough lefties, and that's exactly what Johan Santana is. Other than that, I expect all the regulars to start. The Cardinals will try to wait out Santana today and expose the holes in the vulnerable Mets bullpen. If Garcia can keep us in the game through six or seven, I like our chances a lot.

Enjoy the game today everyone, it's always fun to hear Joe Buck broadcast Cards' games. The anthem for the day is Danny's Song by Loggins and Messina. Have a a good one.

Jack