Cardinals Enjoy Their Homecoming

No matter the long term ramifications of John Mozeliak’s machinations, one thing seems to be clear.

These guys can hit.

The Cardinals got serious for the third time in four games, reminding people of the heady days of April when the offense could actually put up runs with regularity.  Look at this breakdown of when the Cardinals have scored six or more runs:

April : 10 times in 23 games
May : 5 times in 27 games
June : 6 times in 29 games
July : 7 times in 23 games

While the new guys got a lot of the noise and accolades , the Hero tag should go to Brendan Ryan, for some smooth defense as well as a nice 4-4 night.  Ryan’s got to step up his game with Julio Lugo in town now, so seeing that was a good thing.  Of course, let’s not get carried away.  I don’t think anyone is going to be confusing him with Ozzie Smith.  Oh, wait…..

Of course, it’s not like you need a whole lot of offense with Chris Carpenter on the mound . I’m pretty sure few Cardinal fans dared hope that this Chris Carpenter would be the one that returned to the team this year, but he’s been everything you could hope for.  If this offense is able to carry the team into October, there’s a good chance the pitching will help keep them there.

Rick Ankiel continues to pound the ball while Colby Rasmus sits with his heel injury.  Since the All-Star Game, Ankiel is hitting .419 with a slugging percentage of .742.  There are going to be some interesting decisions to make once Rasmus is healthy enough to get out on the field, which sounds like it should be today or tomorrow.

Ryan Ludwickwould have to get the Goat label after an 0-4, 2 strikeout, 4 LOB night.  Some nights, it’s just not your night and there’s not much you can do about it.  Ludwick’s bat has been on fire of late, though, so a bad night is not the worriesome thing it was earlier in the season.

It was a welcome thing when I read this morning that apparently Todd Wellemeyer is heading to the bullpen .  Granted, I’m not sure where you’ll use him out there.  Will he be the mop up long man?  You won’t bring him in to a game that is on the line, I don’t think.  So we may not see a lot more of him, unless Mitchell Boggs, who is in line to take over the role, bombs a couple of times.

It was also interesting to see Mozeliak indicate we won’t see any more of Troy Glaus.  Not that it is surprising, since we know there’s no place he could play.  Even if he was able to play third right now, would you move Mark DeRosa off of that?  Where would you move him?  Granted, if Glaus was reasonably thought to be able to play third right now, the Holliday deal maybe doesn’t get made, but as it stands there is no place for him save off the bench.

Glaus’s rehab stint is up in the next few days.  Now, they can just not activate him, leaving him to sit around, or they can “find” another injury and disable him.  Hopefully, though, they can find someone that’d give up a mid-range prospect for him.  It was great having him on the team last year, but I’m still not completely sure that was a winning trade for Mozeliak.  Probably did get the win on it, but it may depend on how Scott Rolen finishes up the year.

Another great pitching matchup tonight, as Adam Wainwright takes on Chad Billingsley.  Wainwright has tolerable career numbers against the Dodgers, though he’s not fooled Rafael Furcal and Russell Martin very much.  Billingsley is a welcome sight for new Cardinal Matt Holliday, who has three home runs off of him.  Otherwise, Billingsley has done OK against Redbird hitters , at least the ones that have faced him.

If you’ve got the time, The Victoria Times has been doing a “Position in the Spotlight” series and, for St. Louis, has focused on #3 hitters in Cardinal history.  Check it out .

Daniel Shoptaw is the founder of “C70 At The Bat,” where he regularly writes about his beloved St. Louis Cardinals.  You can find more of his work here .