Lynn will start Thursday. #cardinals push other starters back a day. #stlcards
Holliday and McClellan will go on DL tomorrow, per Mozeliak. Lynn starts tomorrow. #stlcards
I’m not expecting a whole lot from Lynn, but he’s fortunate to be going up against a weakened Giants lineup which is 5th to last in MLB in wOBA for the year with .297.
Congrats to Lance and best of luck to the kid.
Entries (RSS)
Congrats to Lance – hope it’s a good outing
Wondering what happens with the 40 man roster.
Lynn becomes the #39 on the 40 man roster. Was he at an experience level that he would have been required to be put on the 40 man roster this coming off season?
yes, he would have to go on in the off season anyway.
These starts will be interesting. if he does good it could help his trade value and if he does bad it will kill his trade value and hurt prospect status. Only 6 QS in 10 attempts with Memphis and just 3 of those going into the 7th against minor league hitters he could put some innings on the pen with pitch count issues unless he mesmerizes teams without video on him like what those guys do to us.
I disagree on this. Alot of guys don’t do well in there first 2 MLB starts. I think his medicore performance at AAA this year will/has hurt his trade value more than what he does these next two starts. That said if his velocity is up and shows that he’s not overwhelmed even if he doesn’ tdo great he could show other teams that he is in fact a future MLB pitcher and increase his trade value.
His trouble at Triple-A has added red flags but they can always pass that it off on being a PCL thing but if he comes here and gets in jams and works behind in count like he has with Memphis and isn’t able to escape at the same clip it will cement those Triple-A question marks.
hooray for lance! the club needs to find out what he’s really got at the ML level. he would have made an appearance in september anyway. why not see what he’s got now?
Regardless, this is what players live for, a chance to get to the show!
Lynn’s issue, in my opinion, has been that he has become stale doing a second year in AAA.
Go for it!
Agree. He’s the best option right now and there’s a chance that his soggy performance this year has to do with feeling stale and stalled in AAA. He’s had all the learning time he should need to show that he’s a major leaguer. If he’s not one we can move on.
On the off chance that he makes a splash as a starter I wonder if we’d bring KMac back as a reliever when he’s ready. The pen could use the help and it might eliminate the need to trade for a closer.
Rumor is that when Holliday hits the DL, Cleto may be added to the MLB roster if they decide to add another pitcher.
Source????
Adding a AA starter with previously appalling control issues to the pen, just when it appears he’s worked through some of his problems as a starter, seems like a bizarre move in the extreme.
Surely if they’re adding another bullpen arm it’ll be Todd (or perhaps even Broderick or Dickson).
Chris Duncan hinted at it on local radio
Apparently it’s true according to the PD. I’m astonished. Seems like a desperation move for a first place team to make but hopefully they have a good read on what he can do.
What I’m wondering is why the hell they’re asking him to make his MLB debut on three days’ rest. Probably has something to do with TLR setting up the rotation he wants for the June 10-12 series against the Brewers, but still, that’s rough for Lynn. I’m assuming he’s never started on short rest in the minors.
Takes the heat off him getting to face the bad hitting and now short on bats Giants team rather than a rivalry game with the Cubs who are just behind us in NL hitting and it also lets Garcia face the Brewers.
No kidding. Setting him up to fail, IMO.
More important that we have our rotation set for the Brewers that Lynn having a good first start.
As excited as I am to see Lynn in the majors — why isn’t Boggs pitching instead? Wasn’t he stretched out for this? AND, it would actually be his turn in the rotation.
According to the organization, Boggs isn’t being stretched out to start again–supposedly, the primary reason was to get work back on some of the pitches he had stopped using and get him innings. The plan is to put him back into the bullpen, with the possibility of using him as a spot starter when needed. Even so, Boggs has had only two starts, I believe, and both have been on a strict low pitch count.
I also disagree with Andrew that this could hurt Lynn’s trade value. A similar move didn’t hurt Clayton Mortensen’s trade value, and he was not pitching as well as Lynn is now when he was made part of the package for Holliday (Lynn also is the same age as Mortensen when the trade happened).
I happen to think that was the case because Billy Beane almost exclusively trades based on what round the person was picked in so he can then use that person to flip for another prospect.
Except he didn’t flip Clayton.
He swapped him for Ethan Hollingsworth who was tied for the California League in wins and was 2nd in ERA last year witch isn’t a bad grab for a guy you DFA’ed. Both he and Clayton were on their teams “Others to Note” section of John Sickels top 20′s this year prior to deal.
Let’s hope Lynn goes deep – no idea who can pitch tomorrow after this week’s shenanigans
Not sure where all the talk regarding Lynn’s trade value is coming from…. But the Cardinals are most definitely not trading him to anyone anytime soon. This is a guy that will be vying for a 5th starter spot next year with Chris Carpenter more than likely gone since the team will not be picking up his $15M option for 2012. Unless Carpenter takes about a 5M pay cut and signs a 2 year deal at around 10M per year he will not be back. Thus candidates for 2012 rotation shown below:
1. Lynn
2. Ottavino (is and when he ever gets a hold on his control issues)
3. DBD
They are making at least one trade and could likely be two depending on who they land so some guys are going to be moved and Lynn is one of the few close to MLB ready guys we have so he will be asked about in most everyone one of them.
I agree with mizz. Lynn is projected as a No. 3 starter. He has no trade value by himself, before or during this season, because no. 3 starter prospects are a dime a dozen and easily replaced by veterans.
A discussion a few days ago brought up Lynn as trade bait for a closer because he apparently won’t get a chance given the major league rotation. My argument was that given some stability questions about the rotation and the depth issues in the organization for the rest of this season and the next–especially if they don’t bring back Carpenter–Lynn will get his chance and is not blocked.
Where have you see him viewed as a #3 anymore? I seen some go there after his big sub 3 2009 but with mediocre numbers over 40 starts now in Triple-A all I see is #4 or “back of the rotation” everywhere I’ve looked.
Some of the experts were saying that after he added velocity at the end of last season. I’d say #3 is a stretch; he’s a #4 at best, which we might need next year.
The Cardinals worked on some mechanics changes with Lynn last year that added some velocity. He was touching 97 at times. More importantly, he went from working in the 90-92 region to the 92-94 region with regularity.
I don’t think that all held up this year but his velocity is up a tick.
I would disagree about #3 starter prospects being a dime a dozen. They are not that common. Guys who might be a #5 are a different story.
Lance Lynn is not a #3 starter. He’s a back end of the rotation guy, fringe AAAA guy.
I’ve seen him no less than a dozen times live and in person, and you will see nothing but #4/5 projections from him pretty much anywhere you look.
He’s a guy who has lots of value to a club while he’s cheap as a back end of rotation guy, or insurance at AAA type guy. If you’re expecting more, you’re setting yourself up to fail.
Unless they sign Pujols to a mega-deal and don’t expand payroll, there’s no way we go into next year sans Carpenter without signing a FA pitcher.
With Wainwright likely to miss the start of 2012 with his TJ recovery, that makes our starting rotation Garcia, Lohse, Westbrook, McClellan and Lynn. That doesn’t look like the rotation of a contender, to me.
What makes you think Waino misses the start of 2012? Given his timing of his surgery etc. I think he’s on the opening day roster.
Yeah I think you might be right – I was under the impression recovery was ~18 months for TJ, seems it’s more like a year and he had it in (??) Feb I think.
All the same – I think retaining Carp on a cheaper deal or someone like Buehrle would make a lot of sense. I don’t see KMac as more than a fringey 5th starter, and it’d be nice to have Lynn as cover and possibly transition him into a SP role from the pen.
Speaking of guys… these two guy’s numbers have been absolutely ridiculous this year!!!
Mark Hamilton .393 avg (1.171 ops and a .452 avg for May)
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=1B&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=453236
Matt Adams .344 avg (1.161 ops and a .352 avg for May)
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=1B&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=571431
Wainwright got his TJ surgery right at the start of spring training so it will be 12 months at the start of spring training 2012. He’ll be throwing this winter. Baring a setback, I think Wainwright will be in the rotation to start the 2012 season but agree with your point that the surgery puts a cloud over how much the Cards can rely on Adam in 2012. Also agree with your assessment that the Cards definitely bring Carp back if Pujols is not resigned; however, given his #s this season, the likelihood of Pujols returning has gone upon dramatically. That’s the other side of the sword with the Pujols situation. It hurts the team this year but brings Albert’s price tag down to the Cards’ price range. If Albert is resigned, then I think the Cards decline Carp’s option and he is gone. If no Carp, the team really needs a #6 starter in a bad way. Lynn’s start today is very important for the team going forward so I’m disappointed it will occur on 3 days rest. After Lynn, we’ve got? Boggs? Cleto? We need Lynn to succeed.
With cleto up and Lynn on short rest, is there any chance they will be piggybacked? Eg, Lynn for four, cleto for two or three? That would make a lot of sense to me. Afterwards, they could adjust the roster for the next week.
If they were going to do that you’d imagine it’d be Lynn and Boggs. But who knows. Cleto was a real surprise!
I believe the team when they say Boggs is out of whack. I think he probably needs to stay down. The cleto test is exciting. He could do ok then go to the Memphis rotation. He could also be showcased for a trade to a team looking at him in relief. He might be auditioning to replace Sanchez after we trade him, too.
Does anyone know how the cards fixed his control problems and why Seattle couldn’t? It is only a third of a year, but given his velocity he could be a good rotation prospect. Someone will always take a chance on that skill. Also, I’m assuming his control is fixed. It has not been a problem this year and though the sample is limited, it is beyond fluky level. What is different?
There’s a really good Goold article about it at the PD website – I advise you check it out as he puts it more succinctly and interestingly than I could!
Also – I really hope we DON’T trade Sanchez. I think he will end up as our best reliever going forward (people overlook his age and the fact he’s been really squeezed so far) and probably isn’t worth as much in a trade as he is to us. Trading Sanchez for (say) Heath Bell would be absolutely disastrous.
Good guess. Makes more sense of the Cleto call up.