Let's look forward to the Cardinals Methocalypse

[SKO]

CUBS POLL: WHAT WAS YOU FAVORITE MOMENT FROM THE WEEKEND?


#1 - Yadi failing to scoop a bad throw from Martinez Friday that would've been a  big out and maybe stemmed the eventual bloodbath that inning
#2 - Yadi rolling into a Double Play against Hendricks Saturday when it was 0-0 in the 3rd inning
#3 - Shrimp Dejonge becoming Hendricks' 8th pickoff victim of the year the next inning
#4 - CJ Edwards coming into a suddenly tense game to face STL's true legitimate good young hitter in Pham, and setting his ass down on 3 pitches in the 8th on Saturday
#5 - Russell coming in to pinch-hit in the bottom half of the inning, first action in 6 weeks, getting a standing "O", then proceeding to basically ice the game by dropping one into the back goddamn row of the bleachers and getting a second Standing "O"
#6 - Russell catching the last out of the game Saturday.
#7 - Another Schwarbomb to put them up yesterday
#8- Yadi's second rally-killing, bases-loaded double-play of the weekend in the 4th yesterday.
#9- Heyward delivering not just the back-breaking RBI for the sweep (and virtual elimination), but one that was the result of one of his better swings and better-struck balls all year (and a reminder that about the only awesome thing that could have happened this weekend but didn't was Jay getting a hit instead of striking out earlier with 2nd and 3rd).
#10 - Any of the dozen or so stunning plays that Baez made all damn weekend, compelling me to start thinking up some historical trash talk ("Ozzie Who, motherfuckers?")

If the entire bottom of the 6th Friday is not an option I think I will take Yadi's double play after the KB error yesterday. Nothing seems to me to mark how much things have changed in this rivalry than the fact that Yadi's signature 17 hopper-RBI-single-just-past-diving-shortstop has now been replaced by (Cardinal) soul-crushing routine double play.

[flannj]

CUBS POLL: WHAT WAS YOU FAVORITE MOMENT FROM THE WEEKEND?


#1 - Yadi failing to scoop a bad throw from Martinez Friday that would've been a  big out and maybe stemmed the eventual bloodbath that inning
#2 - Yadi rolling into a Double Play against Hendricks Saturday when it was 0-0 in the 3rd inning
#3 - Shrimp Dejonge becoming Hendricks' 8th pickoff victim of the year the next inning
#4 - CJ Edwards coming into a suddenly tense game to face STL's true legitimate good young hitter in Pham, and setting his ass down on 3 pitches in the 8th on Saturday
#5 - Russell coming in to pinch-hit in the bottom half of the inning, first action in 6 weeks, getting a standing "O", then proceeding to basically ice the game by dropping one into the back goddamn row of the bleachers and getting a second Standing "O"
#6 - Russell catching the last out of the game Saturday.
#7 - Another Schwarbomb to put them up yesterday
#8- Yadi's second rally-killing, bases-loaded double-play of the weekend in the 4th yesterday.
#9- Heyward delivering not just the back-breaking RBI for the sweep (and virtual elimination), but one that was the result of one of his better swings and better-struck balls all year (and a reminder that about the only awesome thing that could have happened this weekend but didn't was Jay getting a hit instead of striking out earlier with 2nd and 3rd).
#10 - Any of the dozen or so stunning plays that Baez made all damn weekend, compelling me to start thinking up some historical trash talk ("Ozzie Who, motherfuckers?")

I know it's meatbally but Friday's outburst by Lackey and Contreras with the subsequent offensive explosion made my sack tingle.
It was a fuck the umps, fuck the Cardinals, we're going to beat your ass no matter what moment.

[Quality Start Machine]

CUBS POLL: WHAT WAS YOU FAVORITE MOMENT FROM THE WEEKEND?


#1 - Yadi failing to scoop a bad throw from Martinez Friday that would've been a  big out and maybe stemmed the eventual bloodbath that inning
#2 - Yadi rolling into a Double Play against Hendricks Saturday when it was 0-0 in the 3rd inning?
#3 - Shrimp Dejonge becoming Hendricks' 8th pickoff victim of the year the next inning?
#4 - CJ Edwards coming into a suddenly tense game to face STL's true legitimate good young hitter in Pham, and setting his ass down on 3 pitches in the 8th on Saturday
#5 - Russell coming in to pinch-hit in the bottom half of the inning, first action in 6 weeks, getting a standing "O", then proceeding to basically ice the game by dropping one into the back goddamn row of the bleachers and getting a second Standing "O"
#6 - Russell catching the last out of the game Saturday.
#7 - Another Schwarbomb to put them up yesterday
#8- Yadi's second rally-killing, bases-loaded double-play of the weekend in the 4th yesterday.
#9- Heyward delivering not just the back-breaking RBI for the sweep (and virtual elimination), but one that was the result of one of his better swings and better-struck balls all year (and a reminder that about the only awesome thing that could have happened this weekend but didn't was Jay getting a hit instead of striking out earlier with 2nd and 3rd).
#10 - Any of the dozen or so stunning plays that Baez made all damn weekend, compelling me to start thinking up some historical trash talk ("Ozzie Who, motherfuckers?")

Fun fact: Tommy Pham is 29 fucking years old. He's not young at all. He's just a career minor leaguer who finally figured it out just in time to flash in the pan before his decline phase.

I heard that a lot from Cardinals fans lately. "Next year we'll be a younger team etc etc". 5 of their likely starters next year (Molina, Fowler, Gyorko, Pham, Carpenter) will be at least 29 or older. Guys like Grichuk, Piscotty, and Wong are no longer young prospects, they're three or more years in and decidedly average. Paul DeJong was a non prospect for a reason. He's struck out 115 times and only walked 17 times (one of which we know from experience WASN'T A FUCKING WALK), after the requisite Cardinals Rando Insanely Hot Streak he's got a .666 OPS over the last month. He'll struggle in year two just like Diaz, Grichuk, Piscotty and every other mediocre chud they had who benefitted from a bunch of fastballs and BABIP luck. None of their "young" guys are anything but role players.

TL;DR: they're going to keep winning just enough games to avoid a protected pick while missing the playoffs for another year or two before rebuilding too late to really cash in any of their chips and it's going to be fucking great.

I thought the Pham thing was in reference to Pat Hughes continuously calling him "Young Tommy Pham".

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

CUBS POLL: WHAT WAS YOU FAVORITE MOMENT FROM THE WEEKEND?


#1 - Yadi failing to scoop a bad throw from Martinez Friday that would've been a  big out and maybe stemmed the eventual bloodbath that inning
#2 - Yadi rolling into a Double Play against Hendricks Saturday when it was 0-0 in the 3rd inning?
#3 - Shrimp Dejonge becoming Hendricks' 8th pickoff victim of the year the next inning?
#4 - CJ Edwards coming into a suddenly tense game to face STL's true legitimate good young hitter in Pham, and setting his ass down on 3 pitches in the 8th on Saturday
#5 - Russell coming in to pinch-hit in the bottom half of the inning, first action in 6 weeks, getting a standing "O", then proceeding to basically ice the game by dropping one into the back goddamn row of the bleachers and getting a second Standing "O"
#6 - Russell catching the last out of the game Saturday.
#7 - Another Schwarbomb to put them up yesterday
#8- Yadi's second rally-killing, bases-loaded double-play of the weekend in the 4th yesterday.
#9- Heyward delivering not just the back-breaking RBI for the sweep (and virtual elimination), but one that was the result of one of his better swings and better-struck balls all year (and a reminder that about the only awesome thing that could have happened this weekend but didn't was Jay getting a hit instead of striking out earlier with 2nd and 3rd).
#10 - Any of the dozen or so stunning plays that Baez made all damn weekend, compelling me to start thinking up some historical trash talk ("Ozzie Who, motherfuckers?")

Fun fact: Tommy Pham is 29 fucking years old. He's not young at all. He's just a career minor leaguer who finally figured it out just in time to flash in the pan before his decline phase.

I heard that a lot from Cardinals fans lately. "Next year we'll be a younger team etc etc". 5 of their likely starters next year (Molina, Fowler, Gyorko, Pham, Carpenter) will be at least 29 or older. Guys like Grichuk, Piscotty, and Wong are no longer young prospects, they're three or more years in and decidedly average. Paul DeJong was a non prospect for a reason. He's struck out 115 times and only walked 17 times (one of which we know from experience WASN'T A FUCKING WALK), after the requisite Cardinals Rando Insanely Hot Streak he's got a .666 OPS over the last month. He'll struggle in year two just like Diaz, Grichuk, Piscotty and every other mediocre chud they had who benefitted from a bunch of fastballs and BABIP luck. None of their "young" guys are anything but role players.

TL;DR: they're going to keep winning just enough games to avoid a protected pick while missing the playoffs for another year or two before rebuilding too late to really cash in any of their chips and it's going to be fucking great.

I thought the Pham thing was in reference to Pat Hughes continuously calling him "Young Tommy Pham".

It was not; I truly didn't know he was that old.

Also, SKO is right--I should have made the "bottom of the 6th" on Friday one whole choice.  I couldn't think of anything besides the botched force at home that particularly stood out (other than the near-botched baserunning by the Cubs at the beginning which could've torpedoed the inning but instead sort of jump-started it), but for a "death by a thousand cuts" inning, that's up there.

[SKO]

CUBS POLL: WHAT WAS YOU FAVORITE MOMENT FROM THE WEEKEND?


#1 - Yadi failing to scoop a bad throw from Martinez Friday that would've been a  big out and maybe stemmed the eventual bloodbath that inning
#2 - Yadi rolling into a Double Play against Hendricks Saturday when it was 0-0 in the 3rd inning?
#3 - Shrimp Dejonge becoming Hendricks' 8th pickoff victim of the year the next inning?
#4 - CJ Edwards coming into a suddenly tense game to face STL's true legitimate good young hitter in Pham, and setting his ass down on 3 pitches in the 8th on Saturday
#5 - Russell coming in to pinch-hit in the bottom half of the inning, first action in 6 weeks, getting a standing "O", then proceeding to basically ice the game by dropping one into the back goddamn row of the bleachers and getting a second Standing "O"
#6 - Russell catching the last out of the game Saturday.
#7 - Another Schwarbomb to put them up yesterday
#8- Yadi's second rally-killing, bases-loaded double-play of the weekend in the 4th yesterday.
#9- Heyward delivering not just the back-breaking RBI for the sweep (and virtual elimination), but one that was the result of one of his better swings and better-struck balls all year (and a reminder that about the only awesome thing that could have happened this weekend but didn't was Jay getting a hit instead of striking out earlier with 2nd and 3rd).
#10 - Any of the dozen or so stunning plays that Baez made all damn weekend, compelling me to start thinking up some historical trash talk ("Ozzie Who, motherfuckers?")

Fun fact: Tommy Pham is 29 fucking years old. He's not young at all. He's just a career minor leaguer who finally figured it out just in time to flash in the pan before his decline phase.

I heard that a lot from Cardinals fans lately. "Next year we'll be a younger team etc etc". 5 of their likely starters next year (Molina, Fowler, Gyorko, Pham, Carpenter) will be at least 29 or older. Guys like Grichuk, Piscotty, and Wong are no longer young prospects, they're three or more years in and decidedly average. Paul DeJong was a non prospect for a reason. He's struck out 115 times and only walked 17 times (one of which we know from experience WASN'T A FUCKING WALK), after the requisite Cardinals Rando Insanely Hot Streak he's got a .666 OPS over the last month. He'll struggle in year two just like Diaz, Grichuk, Piscotty and every other mediocre chud they had who benefitted from a bunch of fastballs and BABIP luck. None of their "young" guys are anything but role players.

TL;DR: they're going to keep winning just enough games to avoid a protected pick while missing the playoffs for another year or two before rebuilding too late to really cash in any of their chips and it's going to be fucking great.

I thought the Pham thing was in reference to Pat Hughes continuously calling him "Young Tommy Pham".

ah fair enough. Reminds me of when I'd get annoyed with fans excusing Theriot brain farts or baserunning gaffes because of his "youth" when he was a 27 year old rookie in 2007.

I also enjoyed that the Cardinals apparently let their best hitter languish in AAA for part of the season so Matheny could try Fat Adams in LF.

[Chuck to Chuck]

CUBS POLL: WHAT WAS YOU FAVORITE MOMENT FROM THE WEEKEND?


#1 - Yadi failing to scoop a bad throw from Martinez Friday that would've been a  big out and maybe stemmed the eventual bloodbath that inning
#2 - Yadi rolling into a Double Play against Hendricks Saturday when it was 0-0 in the 3rd inning?
#3 - Shrimp Dejonge becoming Hendricks' 8th pickoff victim of the year the next inning?
#4 - CJ Edwards coming into a suddenly tense game to face STL's true legitimate good young hitter in Pham, and setting his ass down on 3 pitches in the 8th on Saturday
#5 - Russell coming in to pinch-hit in the bottom half of the inning, first action in 6 weeks, getting a standing "O", then proceeding to basically ice the game by dropping one into the back goddamn row of the bleachers and getting a second Standing "O"
#6 - Russell catching the last out of the game Saturday.
#7 - Another Schwarbomb to put them up yesterday
#8- Yadi's second rally-killing, bases-loaded double-play of the weekend in the 4th yesterday.
#9- Heyward delivering not just the back-breaking RBI for the sweep (and virtual elimination), but one that was the result of one of his better swings and better-struck balls all year (and a reminder that about the only awesome thing that could have happened this weekend but didn't was Jay getting a hit instead of striking out earlier with 2nd and 3rd).
#10 - Any of the dozen or so stunning plays that Baez made all damn weekend, compelling me to start thinking up some historical trash talk ("Ozzie Who, motherfuckers?")

Fun fact: Tommy Pham is 29 fucking years old. He's not young at all. He's just a career minor leaguer who finally figured it out just in time to flash in the pan before his decline phase.

I heard that a lot from Cardinals fans lately. "Next year we'll be a younger team etc etc". 5 of their likely starters next year (Molina, Fowler, Gyorko, Pham, Carpenter) will be at least 29 or older. Guys like Grichuk, Piscotty, and Wong are no longer young prospects, they're three or more years in and decidedly average. Paul DeJong was a non prospect for a reason. He's struck out 115 times and only walked 17 times (one of which we know from experience WASN'T A FUCKING WALK), after the requisite Cardinals Rando Insanely Hot Streak he's got a .666 OPS over the last month. He'll struggle in year two just like Diaz, Grichuk, Piscotty and every other mediocre chud they had who benefitted from a bunch of fastballs and BABIP luck. None of their "young" guys are anything but role players.

TL;DR: they're going to keep winning just enough games to avoid a protected pick while missing the playoffs for another year or two before rebuilding too late to really cash in any of their chips and it's going to be fucking great.

I thought the Pham thing was in reference to Pat Hughes continuously calling him "Young Tommy Pham".

ah fair enough. Reminds me of when I'd get annoyed with fans excusing Theriot brain farts or baserunning gaffes because of his "youth" when he was a 27 year old rookie in 2007.

I also enjoyed that the Cardinals apparently let their best hitter languish in AAA for part of the season so Matheny could try Fat Adams in LF.

Theriot completed his rookie eligibility in 2006.  When he was 26!

[Quality Start Machine]

Also, SKO is right--I should have made the "bottom of the 6th" on Friday one whole choice.  I couldn't think of anything besides the botched force at home that particularly stood out (other than the near-botched baserunning by the Cubs at the beginning which could've torpedoed the inning but instead sort of jump-started it), but for a "death by a thousand cuts" inning, that's up there.

It was a true Cody's Inning.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

Also, SKO is right--I should have made the "bottom of the 6th" on Friday one whole choice.  I couldn't think of anything besides the botched force at home that particularly stood out (other than the near-botched baserunning by the Cubs at the beginning which could've torpedoed the inning but instead sort of jump-started it), but for a "death by a thousand cuts" inning, that's up there.

It was a true Cody's Inning.

Yup.

[Saul Goodman]

Well that was easily the best series I've attended since the 2016 NLCS games in L.A.

[Quality Start Machine]

I just really love how many of them honestly believed last year was a fluke, the Cubs would go right back to irrelevance, the Cardinals were somehow the team on the rise. Their entire worldview has been shaped around taking it for granted that they'd always be better than the Cubs and they are just really trying hard to fight the evidence in front of their own eyes. It's never going to be what it was, people. This division will never be your playground again.

This was enjoyable. Because why wouldn't a guy with 32HR and an OPS over .900 want to take one base when he could get four?

(I admit it though, "Notorious HBP" is excellent.)

[SKO]

I just really love how many of them honestly believed last year was a fluke, the Cubs would go right back to irrelevance, the Cardinals were somehow the team on the rise. Their entire worldview has been shaped around taking it for granted that they'd always be better than the Cubs and they are just really trying hard to fight the evidence in front of their own eyes. It's never going to be what it was, people. This division will never be your playground again.

This was enjoyable. Because why wouldn't a guy with 32HR and an OPS over .900 want to take one base when he could get four?

(I admit it though, "Notorious HBP" is excellent.)

Leaning into pitches is just not the Cardinal Way.

[Tonker]

I just really love how many of them honestly believed last year was a fluke, the Cubs would go right back to irrelevance, the Cardinals were somehow the team on the rise. Their entire worldview has been shaped around taking it for granted that they'd always be better than the Cubs and they are just really trying hard to fight the evidence in front of their own eyes. It's never going to be what it was, people. This division will never be your playground again.

This was enjoyable. Because why wouldn't a guy with 32HR and an OPS over .900 want to take one base when he could get four?

(I admit it though, "Notorious HBP" is excellent.)

Actually, purely mathematically speaking, a guy that has a slugging percentage of less than 1.000 should absolutely want to take a HBP if it's on offer.  *pushes glasses up nose*

[Chuck to Chuck]

I just really love how many of them honestly believed last year was a fluke, the Cubs would go right back to irrelevance, the Cardinals were somehow the team on the rise. Their entire worldview has been shaped around taking it for granted that they'd always be better than the Cubs and they are just really trying hard to fight the evidence in front of their own eyes. It's never going to be what it was, people. This division will never be your playground again.

This was enjoyable. Because why wouldn't a guy with 32HR and an OPS over .900 want to take one base when he could get four?

(I admit it though, "Notorious HBP" is excellent.)

Actually, purely mathematically speaking, a guy that has a slugging percentage of less than 1.000 should absolutely want to take a HBP if it's on offer.  *pushes glasses up nose*

Wouldn't that be OPS? Because, you'd also want to take the HBP if your OBP was under 1.000.  So, the only way an HBP would be a bad outcome is if the average chance you got on base plus the average base you acheived was less than 1.  RIGHT?

[CBStew]

I just really love how many of them honestly believed last year was a fluke, the Cubs would go right back to irrelevance, the Cardinals were somehow the team on the rise. Their entire worldview has been shaped around taking it for granted that they'd always be better than the Cubs and they are just really trying hard to fight the evidence in front of their own eyes. It's never going to be what it was, people. This division will never be your playground again.

This was enjoyable. Because why wouldn't a guy with 32HR and an OPS over .900 want to take one base when he could get four?

(I admit it though, "Notorious HBP" is excellent.)

Actually, purely mathematically speaking, a guy that has a slugging percentage of less than 1.000 should absolutely want to take a HBP if it's on offer.  *pushes glasses up nose*

Wouldn't that be OPS? Because, you'd also want to take the HBP if your OBP was under 1.000.  So, the only way an HBP would be a bad outcome is if the average chance you got on base plus the average base you acheived was less than 1.  RIGHT?

1968.  The Dodgers' Don Drysdale had a streak of 58 scoreless innings when the Giants' Dick Dietz came to the plate in the 9th inning with one out and the bases loaded.  Drysdale hit him in the arm with a pitch, but the umpire ruled that Dietz had made no effort to avoid the pitch, called it a ball, continuing the at bat.  Dietz then hit an easy fly ball too short to allow the runner on third to score and the next batter made an out.  The streak continued. 

[Quality Start Machine]

I just really love how many of them honestly believed last year was a fluke, the Cubs would go right back to irrelevance, the Cardinals were somehow the team on the rise. Their entire worldview has been shaped around taking it for granted that they'd always be better than the Cubs and they are just really trying hard to fight the evidence in front of their own eyes. It's never going to be what it was, people. This division will never be your playground again.

This was enjoyable. Because why wouldn't a guy with 32HR and an OPS over .900 want to take one base when he could get four?

(I admit it though, "Notorious HBP" is excellent.)

Actually, purely mathematically speaking, a guy that has a slugging percentage of less than 1.000 should absolutely want to take a HBP if it's on offer.  *pushes glasses up nose*

Wouldn't that be OPS? Because, you'd also want to take the HBP if your OBP was under 1.000.  So, the only way an HBP would be a bad outcome is if the average chance you got on base plus the average base you acheived was less than 1.  RIGHT?

1968.  The Dodgers' Don Drysdale had a streak of 58 scoreless innings when the Giants' Dick Dietz came to the plate in the 9th inning with one out and the bases loaded.  Drysdale hit him in the arm with a pitch, but the umpire ruled that Dietz had made no effort to avoid the pitch, called it a ball, continuing the at bat.  Dietz then hit an easy fly ball too short to allow the runner on third to score and the next batter made an out.  The streak continued. 

Nobody calls that anymore. Beege's career OPB would have been 50 points lower if they had.