Tag Archives: Kyle Lohse

Which Three Years Were Better: 2004-2006 or 2011-2013?

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The past 10 seasons are an extraordinarily rich time in St. Louis Cardinals history, as we all know. Seven trips to the postseason, six times in the National League Championship Series, five National League Central titles,  four World Series appearances resulting in two World Championships — obviously a glorious time to be a Cardinals fan.

Yet also two very distinct ways to that success, with the Tony La Russa/Walt Jocketty era reaching its pinnacle in 2004 with its reliance more on veteran acquisitions to make an impact and now the John Mozeliak/Mike Matheny way that’s blossoming with talent developed from within. Which has me wondering: of these past seasons, which three-year stretch was better: 2004-2006 or 2011-2013?

Here’s a refresher on these two championship stretches.

2004-2006

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Record: 105-57 (best in MLB), finished first in NL Central.

Postseason: Won NLDS 3 games to 1 over Dodgers; won NLCS 4 games to 3 over Astros; lost World Series in sweep by Red Sox.

Top hitters: The MV3 — Albert Pujols .331/.415/.657 with 46 home runs and 123 RBI, WAR of 8.4; Scott Rolen .314/.409/.598 with 34 homers and 124 RBI, WAR of 9.1; Jim Edmonds .301/.418/.643 with 42 homers and 111, WAR of 7.1. Also, Tony Womack hit .307 and had 26 stolen bases. Edgar Renteria hit .287 with 72 RBI and 17 stolen bases.

Team batting average: .278, first in NL.

Team OPS: .804, also first in the NL.

Top starting pitchers: Chris Carpenter, 15-5, 3.46 ERA; Jason Marquis, 15-7, 3.71 ERA; Jeff Suppan, 16-9, 4.16 ERA.

Saves leader: Jason Isringhausen, 47.

Team ERA: 3.75, second in NL (Braves first at 3.74)

Postseason moment to remember: Jim Edmonds 12th inning walk-off home run in Game Six of the NLCS.

Award recognition: The MV3 finished third (Pujols), fourth (Rolen) and fifth (Edmonds) in NL MVP voting. Tony La Russa was second in the NL Manager of the Year race.

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Sixth Cardinals Win A Fitting Tribute To No. Six

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What better way for the St. Louis Cardinals to honor Stan Musial than with six hits and their sixth win on the night to honor No. 6? Perhaps there was one thing better: the pitching of Shelby Miller. The future of the Cardinals definitely triumphed over past Cardinal Kyle Lohse as the Redbirds beat the Milwaukee Brewers 2-0.

5168e5ba790b4.preview-620Beyond the game, the pregame tribute to honor Stan and the No. 6 in the outfield grass were pretty amazing as well.

Here’s a look at the good, better and best of the game.

Good

Let’s start at the end. On a night when pitching ended up the story, it was good to see Mitchell Boggs get his second save of the season. It was neither pretty nor easy as he gave up both a walk and a single with one out and had to face Ryan Braun as the potential go-ahead run. But Boggs struck him out for the second out, then Rickie Weeks for the final out. Whew …

Also good to see: Trevor Rosenthal with three quick outs in the eighth.

It was good as well to see Kyle Lohse do well in his return to Busch Stadium. The fans gave him a very nice, mostly standing ovation. And his final numbers in the loss — two runs, six hits, two strikeouts, no walks — would have pleased us all during his Cardinal days. Continue reading →

Clutch Carp Does It Again: Cards Win In Ten

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Mr. Baker, meet Mr. Carpenter, a.k.a. Mr. Clutch 2012.

For the second time in as many games, Matt Carpenter, who made the roster as a bench player, gave the Cardinals a win, this time in walk-off fashion against the Reds. Oh yeah, in his first at bat of the game … in the 10th inning. Cards win it 2-1 in their first extra inning game of the year.

At this rate, a "Mini-Carp" autograph is going to be worth a fortune by October!

I suppose this is where I invoke the “small sample size” rule in order to curb my enthusiasm about young Matt Carpenter’s swell start. But, I really am impressed with the way this kid is playing right now. I mean, when Lance Berkman was out for a few games, there were plenty of worried glances around Cardinal Nation. But “Mini-Carp” showed no fear. And after starting the night back on the bench, he made good on his bases-loaded, one-out opportunity to end Tuesday’s standoff, grabbing his 10th RBI in the process. That ties him for second, behind David Freese.

Most importantly, though, Cardinals win. With all these division games in the first month, every win is exceptionally important!

Here’s a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from Tuesday night’s battle.

The Good

Kyle Lohse. The guy is doin’ work. He finished the day with seven innings pitched, and no runs on four hits. That means through 20 1/3 innings, he’s given up two runs. How much of a relief will it be if he keeps this up?! Especially with Chris Carpenter out and Adam Wainwright still finding his way back to form, Lohse seems to be the go-to guy. *Knock on wood*

Carlos Beltran. When he’s on, he’s really, really on. And I’d say early on, he’s locked and loaded. He blasted his fourth home run of the year to put the Cardinals ahead early. That 1-0 lead would hold up until a few unfortunate bobbles allowed the Reds to score in the eighth inning.

Matt Carpenter is an obvious pick. But also, Tyler Greene. No, he didn’t have the chance to play defense or swing the bat. He just did what he does best — RUN! He replaced David Freese in the 10th inning and raced home to score the winning run on Matty Carp’s sac fly.

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