****The Official 2019 STL Cardinals Thread****

[BigRedChief]

Cardinals announce 25-man Opening Day roster for the 2019 season.

Spoiler!

The Cardinals today announced their 25-man Opening Day roster that includes four first-time Cardinals and 13 players that were developed within their organization.

PITCHERS (12): 60 – John Brebbia-RHP, 22 – Jack Flaherty-RHP, 53 – John Gant- RHP, 49 – Jordan Hicks-RHP, 43 – Dakota Hudson- RHP, 55 – Dominic Leone-RHP, 59 – Mike Mayers- RHP, 21 – Andrew Miller-LHP, 39 – Miles Mikolas-RHP, 29 – Alex Reyes, RHP, 52 – Michael Wacha-RHP, 50 – Adam Wainwright- RHP;

CATCHERS (2): 4 -Yadier Molina, 32 – Matt Wieters;

INFIELDERS (6): 13 - Matt Carpenter, 12 – Paul DeJong, 46 – Paul Goldschmidt, 34 – Yario Muñoz, 33 – Drew Robinson, 16 – Kolten Wong;

OUTFIELDERS (5): 46 – Harrison Bader, 25 - Dexter Fowler, 38 – José Martínez, 41 – Tyler O'Neill, 23 – Marcell Ozuna;

DISABLED LIST (5): 27 - Brett Cecil (10-day, left hand Carpal Tunnel syndrome), 44 – Luke Gregerson (10-day, right shoulder impingement), 18 – Carlos Martínez (right shoulder cuff strain), 3 - Jedd Gyorko (10-day, right calf strain), 67 - Justin Williams (10-day, right hand 2nd metacarpal fracture).

2019 Opening Day Line up

Spoiler!

Starting lineup
Matt Carpenter 3B
Paul Goldschmidt 1B
Paul DeJong SS
Ozuna LF
Yadier Molina C
Dexter Fowler RF
Kolten Wong 2B
Harrison Bader CF

Won the Central Division. Won the NLDS.

NLDS Playoff roster

Spoiler!

Pitchers (12): Miles Mikolas, Jack Flaherty, Adam Wainwright, Dakota Hudson, Genesis Cabrera, Tyler Webb, Andrew Miller, John Brebbia, Daniel Ponce de Leon, Ryan Helsley, Giovanny Gallegos, Carlos Martinez.

Catchers (2): Yadier Molina, Matt Wieters.

Infielders (6): Paul Goldschmidt, Kolten Wong, Paul DeJong, Matt Carpenter, Tommy Edman, Yairo Munoz.

Outfielders (5): Marcell Ozuna, Harrison Bader, Dexter Fowler, Jose Martinez, Randy Arozarena.

NLDS Playoff Game 1 starting lineup

Spoiler!

1. Dexter Fowler, CF

2. Tommy Edman, 3B

3. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B

4. Marcell Ozuna, LF

5. Yadier Molina, C

6. Paul DeJong, SS

7. Kolten Wong, 2B

8. Harrison Bader, CF

9. Miles Mikolas, P

NLCS Game One Starting lineup

Spoiler!

1. Dexter Fowler, CF

2. Kolten Wong, 2B

3. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B

4. Marcell Ozuna, LF

5. Yadier Molina, C

6. Matt Carpenter 3B

7.Tommy Edmond RF

8. Paul DeJong, SS

9. Miles Mikolas P

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Eight days ago if you told everyone that the Cardinals would go 5-2 against the Cubs and D'Backs everyone would have taken it. The last two games sucked, but Milwaukee playing out of their ass is beyond the Cardinals' control.

If you want to bitch, blame Gant and Fernandez for the 9th inning implosion against Milwaukee. If they had closed that game out, the Cardinals are up three with three to go.

Miller killed us in that D-Backs game.

That pitch he threw to tie it and send that game to 19, which then cost us the next game as well, was just so damn bad.

And it sure as hell looked like a simple temper tantrum. The guy absolutely could not get the low strike called on his slider so he just piped one. He gave into the batter/umpire rather than keep grinding.

And yeah, Gant and Fernandez were brutal against Milwaukee when we had a chance to put a boot on their throats.

But hey - to the "God! Why can't we just cut Martinez already!!" crowd - the common thread in the 2 worst losses we had over the last 2 weeks is that Carlos was unavailable. Maybe step back from the ledge and Carlos - m'kay? He's been a HUGE part of this surge.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Pasta Giant Meatball

If you want to celebrate an average ass team in a weak division and that's your jam...cool I guess.

That's what I thought.

Can't fix stupid, I guess. Then again, I suppose it's probably better to just ask the special children to stay in the shallow end. You'll just hurt yourself trying to swim with the big kids anyway.

Probably a smart decision...

[Pasta Little Brioni]

The postseason will sort everything out. I could use a ton of words that mean nothing like evaluating the Clark trade hilariously wrong (lulls) and defend that stance to the death...Or watch it play out. Pretty simple.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

But hey the Cubs shitting the bed sure helped pick up a few of those unexpected wins, so there's that

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by Pasta Giant Meatball

But hey the Cubs shitting the bed sure helped pick up a few of those unexpected wins, so there's that

Because Milwaukee hasn't gotten to play any shit teams during their streak I suppose.

The Cards have the best record in the NL and I believe the 2nd best record in MLB since the ASB regardless of how much you want to complain about mediocre.

I mean sure that's only a half a season sample size.

[Matrix]

I'm with PGM. Seems that Pujols, TLR, and Jeff Luhnow took everyone's balls on the way out.

[bdj23]

Originally Posted by Matrix

I'm with PGM. Seems that Pujols, TLR, and Jeff Luhnow took everyone's balls on the way out.

It's hard to replace a once in a generation player and a hall of fame manager.

[bdj23]

Wow

[BigRedChief]

And who’s surprised that a soft tossing pitcher befuddles the Cardinals?

Brewers down by 6. We need this win to finish this off tomorrow so we don’t have to Pitch Flaherty on Sunday.

[bdj23]

Ian Happ sucks. How do you give up a home run to him, he is worse Kyle Schwarber.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

And who’s surprised that a soft tossing pitcher befuddles the Cardinals?

Meanwhile Colorado is crushing the Brewers, we NEED this ****ing win.

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by BDj23

Ian Happ sucks. How do you give up a home run to him, he is worse Kyle Schwarber.

Same way you give one up to Tyler O'Neill, by ignoring they are automatic outs on anything above the belt.

[VAChief]

Originally Posted by Pasta Giant Meatball

The postseason will sort everything out. I could use a ton of words that mean nothing like evaluating the Clark trade hilariously wrong (lulls) and defend that stance to the death...Or watch it play out. Pretty simple.

Do you have any sense of Cards postseason history? Sure, we could go out one and done. However we already have won 7 more regular season games than the2006 squad and the 2011 squad won 90. I’ll take getting in any year over not because it is about getting hot at the right time.

[Frazod]

Man, where the **** is Jobu when you need him?



Bats are definitely afraid.

[Chief Roundup]

Originally Posted by jd1020

Same way you give one up to Tyler O'Neill, by ignoring they are automatic outs on anything above the belt.

Thoughts on the following article???

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/...k11eocghth88xf




Go ahead, Cubs. Fire (or simply don't renew) Joe Maddon, one of the best managers you’ve ever had.

Go ahead, Cubs fans. Celebrate Maddon's dismissal as if it would resolve any of the foundational problems afflicting your favorite team.

Then watch the skipper burnish his already elite legacy elsewhere and pray his replacement can oversee half the success you’ve enjoyed since 2015.

Chicago at its best under Maddon won its first World Series since 1908. It also made a pair of NLCS appearances. The Cubs at their worst under Maddon have gone 177-142 between 2018 and 2019 — better than almost any two-year span his predecessors supervised. Despite those achievements, it appears the franchise will let him go in the coming weeks.

Consecutive underwhelming Septembers on Maddon’s watch have been a bad look, and there is some legitimacy to criticism there. The Cubs are 25-24 in the final month of the past two campaigns.

But placing a majority of the blame for that on a man parked in the dugout would be unfair. Lineup orders for the most part don’t matter. Bullpen management with this crop of relievers is Russian roulette. And if a clubhouse filled with veterans needs a better babysitter, well, maybe that's reflective of their own shortcomings.

Media relations, meanwhile, have long been Maddon's strong suit, his quirky personality and passion for the history of the game generally endearing to reporters accustomed to combative personalities.

When modern managers win, their success is regularly attributed to shrewd front-office moves and player performance. When they lose, they often take a disproportionate share of the blame. Those responses should not exist in the same baseball-watching universe. They’ve been taken to the extreme in Chicago.

Perhaps Maddon has been blessed by more on-field talent than anyone who came before him. Javier Baez, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo are certainly phenomenal. Perhaps the urgency to win in baseball has become greater than ever before. Elsewhere, the Red Sox just dismissed team president Dave Dombrowski less than a year after winning the World Series.

Even under those premises, though, one would think Maddon is at least deserving of a more respectful exit given his accomplishments. The Cubs after all do not have the historic success to warrant the crazed expectations of the Yankees, Cardinals or Dodgers. They are barely on the level of the Tigers and Pirates in that regard, for goodness sake. And, by and large, they’ve been great with their current leader at the helm.

Should he leave, which appears increasingly likely, Maddon’s legacy will go untarnished for two reasons: His replacement is unlikely to surpass his success, which would emphasize his own contributions, and he will have the opportunity to lead a turnaround at a third franchise, a feat few managers in baseball history have accomplished.

Taking over the talented young Padres, for instance, could be a boon. San Diego hasn’t posted a winning season since 2010 and carries a comparatively laid back fan base, magnifying the possible credit a manager would receive for success there. Most of the roster is under team control through 2023 compared with the Cubs, who face difficult contract choices regarding Baez, Bryant, Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber after the 2021 campaign.

In some respects, the Padres job would be reminiscent of Maddon's time in Tampa Bay, when he was at the helm during the Rays’ quick rise from bottom-dweller to championship contender.

Good for Maddon if he gets to finish his managerial career in a place that won't scorch him at the first sign of trouble. He's on the path toward an eventual send-off akin to what Bruce Bochy and Ned Yost will receive this week. Maybe when that ceremony arrives, his detractors will realize how illogical their discourse toward him has been.