The DFR what-have-you is all after the jump.
Memphis 4, Colorado Springs 2 (Completed from last night)
- PJ Walters pitched 7.2 innings and scattered 10 hits (am I allowed to say that with 10?) He struck out 6 and walked 2 allowing 2 runs.
- Royce Ring stranded Walters 2 runners left on.
- Allen Craig went yard twice.
- Brian Barden had a double and a run.
Memphis 3, Colorado Springs 1 (7 innings)
- Oneli Perez struck out 7 in 4 innings.
- Matt Scherer, Josh Kinney and Pete Parise combined to finish off the game. Hopefully Kinney has gotten straightened out.
- Allen Craig hit another homer. (that’s 3 on the day!)
- Jarrett Hoffpauir hit a double and a triple.
- Brian Barden and TGreene both doubled.
Springfield was off
- George Brown gave up 5 over 4.1.
- Jared Bradford let his 1 runner score, but none others in 1.2 innings.
- Brad Furnish and Elvis Hernandez were in the building.
- Matt Carpenter had 2 hits and an RBI.
- Osvaldo Morales also had 2 hits and an RBI.
- Scott McGregor gave up 1 run over 7 innings with 4 Ks and 0 walks.
- Gary Daley gave up 1 run in 1 innings amongst a lot of other 1s.
- David Carpenter struck out 2 for the save.
- Ryde Rodriguez was 2-4 with 2 RBIs.
- Jermaine Curtis was 2-5.
- Jason Stidham was 2-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI.
- Justin Smith pitched 5 innings giving up his only run via a solo HR.
- Christopher Corrigan got the win despite giving up 2 runs in 1.2 innings.
- Santo Maertz continues to Santo all over the NY-Penn League.
- Sleeper Michael Swinson went 2-4 with a double, a walk and 2 RBIs. He also stole 2 bases.
- Alan Ahmady had a 2-4 as well, but with 3 RBIs.
- Matt Adams and Jon Edwards both had 2 hits as well.
- Randy Santos struck out 5 over 5 innings.
- Patrick Daugherty took the old BS and L.
- Travis Lawler stranded 2 of Daugherty’s runners and struck out 3 over 1.1 innings.
- Jrod Part Deux had a double and a HR.
- Teddy Obregon had a 2-run HR.
- Robert Stock 2-4.
Entries (RSS)
So is defense the issue as to why Craig does not get called up? Is Thurston really that much better?
Less than a month ago most people were off the A.C. bandwagon and now people are asking why he isn’t in the big leagues. My how the tides have turned.
Stock is killing the ball, can he expect a move up anytime soon or is the plan to leave him at JC all year to get solid work at catcher?
Speaking of killing the ball, Matt Adams has to be the best hitter out of our draft class. A heavy, left-handed masher who will never see the field as a Cardinal because he isn’t a prospect at a position of need… Who does that remind you of? Maybe in 2 years we can swap him for a SP or something?
Also, any Rick Porcello lovers catch his judo-throw of Youkilis at Fenway tonight? Just one more reason I’m upset to see Kozma’s name instead of his…
I doubt Stock gets moved up this year. There were all these questions about his position coming out of the draft, but obviously the Cardinals valued him more as a catcher than a pitcher. Now he’s having a lot of success, particularly at the plate, where he was thought to be most lacking. I don’t think the organisation is going to want to mess with a good thing. I could be wrong, but they seem to have taken the long view on Stock and see him as a real developmental project, rather than a player they’re hoping to get value out of as soon as they can. I think he stays at JC all season, and moves up much more slowly than many of us would like in the next couple of years.
With Yadier Molina firmly entrenched as the catcher in St. Louis for the next few years at least, there’s no hurry to get Stock moving up too quickly. And when Molina’s contract is up after the 2012 season and he’s sitting at thirty and slowing down even further, Stock will be right about 24 years old, just a year older than Molina himself was when he took over the starting job from Mike Matheny.
“but obviously the Cardinals valued him more as a catcher than a pitcher.”
Signing as a catcher may have been the path of least resistance. That doesn’t mean that’s where the Cardinals necessarily wanted him to play.
Congrats to Xavier Scruggs and Kyle Conley on being named the players of the week in their respective leagues!
Is there anyway for Molina to get slower? Did he really get thrown out on the bases twice last night? Its one thing if a great throw gets Ryan or Rasmus or Shumaker. But Molina needs to stop running into outs.
It was ugly.
Allen Craig is now batting .309/.364/.513 for a .384 wOBA. He’s been cold when there was an opportunity with the parent club and hot when he’s seemingly blocked.
I think I’d take Craig over K. Greene right now and Craig would be a solid bat of the bench next year. Ideally, the Cardinals would reconsider the ill-conceived idea of moving Craig away from 3B. I still think he profiles as only slightly below average there defensively and the bat will make up for it.
Not sure if this has been reported yet but I was looking on the Quad City roster and
Scott Schneider has been promoted from Batavia after a very good season there. Not sure what type of stuff this kid has but his stats are pretty impressive.
No K’s for Justin Smith?
Hasn’t he been a K machine?
Oh Lord, grant me the patience to accept the Cardinals’ handling of Allen Craig.
I swear, the roster handling this year is taking months off my life.
Not sure what the problem is with the handling of craig.
Nice to see him crushing the ball, but when the cards needed him earlier this year he was not productive.
Besides, he is in his first year of AAA and only 24. Had they brought him up earlier, they would have burned an option year.
I rather him stay in Memphis and play everyday work on his D, while they are in the playoff run and when the AAA season is over call him up. He may lose all the gains he’s made if he gets called up and then just sits and maybe gets an AB every 2 or 3 games.
Congratulations…I can no longer say Scott McGregor or Roberto Espinozo without using cheesey foreign dialects…
I have been a fan of Craig for 3+ years now…and what kills me is he has a history of streakiness/slow starts…but yet he always seems to consistently pull together a .280+/.330/.490-type slash line w/ 20+ homeruns at the end of the year. Even when Craig wasn’t tearing it up, I stilll wanted to see him get playing time, just based on his offensive output shown during spring training. I really am fairly stunned with how the brass have treated him this season and the apparent evaluation that Thurston and his o-lay routine at third and *another*-infield-popup-offense are a better option. Stunned! My disdain with Barden and Thurston over the year has become borderline unhealthy…and my time invested watching those two take at-bats during Cards telecasts rank right near the top on the “Time Out of My Life That I Want Back” category, running neck-and-neck with my sophomore year Differential Equations class and our annual Sexual Harrassment Training. I shouldn’t be discussing this at 9:30 in the morning…I now need a drink.
And how bad would QC be without Scruggs tearing it up and Curtis getting a do-over…scary. I am really surprised Curtis has sucked so badly at PB this year. :-\
Is there anyway Craig can play RF?
If so I could see Holliday LF, Ludwick CF, Craig RF for the Cardinals next year against a LHP. We could also see this lineup more than just against a LHP if Colby Rasmus continues to smell for the third straight year. (’08 in Memphis ’09 in St. Louis.)
And if for some strange reason Holliday doesn’t resign I would assume Craig will be the first option as the starting LF on opening day?
Rasmus will be fine. Remember when everyone was handing him the ROY when he got hot in June. He has been slowed by injuries, illness, and inconsistent play. I have been happy that TLR has stuck with him as much as he has. I guess with Ankiel sucking there isn’t much choice. Does anyone realize that Rasmus will play in the same league next year for the first time since high school. That has to be HUGE for him. Every year since HS he has been moving up the ladder playing against older more experienced, more talented competition. Now he gets to repeat and he can grow and get better. Rasmus is going to be an All Star.
@Double A – trying not to laugh out loud in the middle of the office at that rant. Classic. I hated Diff EQ as well. Pulled a D which equals Diploma.
annual sexual harrassment class…i mean can the info really change that much from year to year…i feel for you on that one…i, for one, dropped diff Eq like a bad habit and changed my major…yay for throwing in the towel!!!(actually, i had made the decision i wanted to be a Physical Therapists, and math really is not important for PT)
FREE ALLEN CRAIG!!! oh, and please no ludwick in centerfield ever again
I agree, Ludwick in CF is a really bad idea; Rasmus will be fine.
I don’t have a problem with Craig’s handling. He needs to play. With the MLB club he wouldn’t get the time in the field or the ABs he needs. I hated it when Thurston was starting; I have no problem with him rotting on the bench. I don’t want anyone that could be considered a prospect to get 2-10 ABs/week. I think that is why guys like Greene and Thurston are on the MLB team and potential prospects (or real prospects) that are probably better than those guys are in the minors playing (instead of sitting).
Matt Carpenter’s already at Palm Springs? Woof.