As you are all aware, Matt Holliday is headed to the Disabled List and will miss at least two weeks of games and most likely even more than that. This comes after the team had lost staff ace, Adam Wainwright, to a season-ending Achilles injury and the loss of starting first basemen Matt Adams to a full tear in his quad.
First the team needed to go out and trade for Cole Hamels. After all, the team needed a new ace, right? Well the Cardinals have the best pitching in all of baseball. They boast an oustanding 2.72 ERA, 37 quality starts, 161 earned runs, 161 walks, 481 strikeouts and teams are batting just .244 against them. Some of this had even happened when the 5th spot in their rotation was in a bit of limbo. All of those statistic rank inside the top 10 and ERA is best in the league.
Sure, there is some doubt that the staff will hold-up. The questions about Michael Wacha and Carlos Martinez and durability still have to be a concern, but it’s not something that needs action to this point.
Then Matt Adams was lost for the season and General Manager John Mozeliak elected, yet again, to fill the spot internally. Some were pleased with the decision to allow Mark Reynolds to move to a full-time role. It’s not like Adams was hitting well at the time of his departure. However, many were hammering for a trade of a bigger bat to step-in.
Now the team will be without the services of Matt Holliday for an extended period of time. Holliday has been going through somewhat of a power outage in terms of home runs. Yet he is still producing on the offensive end and his absence could be the most difficult to overcome. He is batting .303 and is getting on base at a .417 clip. He has just 3 home runs and 10 doubles but has managed to drive in 26 RBI.
Randall Grichuk, Jon Jay and Peter Bourjos will all receive more playing time while Holliday is sidelined. Yet, it seems like one of these options just isn’t good enough for Cardinal Nation.
Social media can be a horrifying place where a few make a group look bad. Yet, after Lackey’s poor performance the other night and now the injury to Holliday it would seem like some are ready to throw in the towel on this season. You wouldn’t think the team had a 38-21 record, best run differential in baseball and a 6.5 game lead on the NL Central.
Try to remember. Mozeliak and company did not build this team around one player. They built a team, one of the deepest in the MLB and it has been for the past couple seasons and will continue to look that way in the future. This team can sustain a few injuries. If there is a trade or move to be made down the road, Mozeliak is going to make it.
Other members of the team are going to have to continue to perform at the level they have been in order to keep winning. Some players are going to have to step-up to make up for Holliday’s production in his absence. But now isn’t the time to demand that Mark Reynolds better start hitting more home runs or that Jason Heyward should start looking like Ken Griffey Jr. Despite their level of play, the Cardinals are still winning.
The team is dealing with injury, like many MLB teams have to do. The good teams find ways to win when their best players are on the DL. The Cardinals will continue to do the same.
Remember when it comes to being a fan you are paying to watch and enjoy Cardinal baseball. You’re not getting paid to scrutinize a lineup when you probably have no idea about rest days or match-ups. You are not getting paid to start demanding trades. You are not getting paid to throw away the season.
Have faith in your General Manager and organization. I can think of many other franchises around baseball that would love to have him.
4 comments
Thank you! The sky clearly is NOT falling, and this is a wise, prudent administration!
Great article!
Sigh. Among practical matters completely neglected in this rosy article is the mental aspect of the game. A pitcher’s approach to a batter is dependant on his perception of the threat level of that batter and the next batter, not to mention whether there are runners on board.
A history of hitting prowess is far more threatening and effective for the success of an entire batting order than is the reputation of a plug-in. Yes, on a rare – very rare – occasion an Albert Pujols or Gio Stanton blows away every pitcher from day one and onward. But… to depend on more than one plug-in – each with known weaknesses – to fill more than one power position as a long-term plan for success… that’s just horribly risky at best and plain foolish at worst.
As for pitching, there is no question the Cards will add a reliable arm. That is a question of when and not if. If Lance Lynn is out for any length of time it will be sooner rather than later.
Speaking of having faith (as you lectured us) my concern is for the team’s faith. I do hope moves are made quickly now… before the bullpen is burned or a young starter pays the price for taking too much load – work or emotional – and before the whole lineup starts pushing too hard at the plate and the wheels fall off the whole thing. Faith indeed! Faith is a commodity needed far more by the team than by the fans. And you better believe management knows its the team that pulls for moves when things start to go bad. Management is feeling the pressure and we’ll learn whether or not Mo has real freedom to move. He knows that good chemistry for success is precious and fragile. A losing streak with plug-ins made permanent is a very, very dangerous thing.
Thank you! I don’t know how many times I’ve put in my two cents to “Cardinal fans” to just sit back and be a fan and root for their team instead of criticise as if their personal ideas were asked for then shot down. It’s disgusting to see other “fans” acting like this on social media and at the games. If they don’t like what the organization is doing, go be a Brewers fan. At least Brewers’ fans have a reason to not like what their clubhouse is doing.
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