i saw that brandon inge played short stop for the tigers today, who need someone in the bullpen. any chance that well worn trade route between detroit and st louis is in action? reyes and ? for inge? if he plays short well, what an upgrade!

Perhaps it’s just me, but isn’t 65 pitches in a pitcher’s first spring training start alittle much? (Kyle Lohse.) Given the current state of the Cardinals starting pitchers, their sore arms, shoulders, etc., I think a more conservative approach is needed with the starting staff and their phyical condition and a more limited pitch count for those who have not been in training camp all spring. All one needs to do is take a look at the injured and hurting pitchers they currently have.

DG,

What’s your take (sorry if you posted earlier, I didn’t see it), on the Reyes situation and comments? It seemed like Duncans comments were a little strong (being obvious to everyone…).

Why don’t they just let Reyes start? His spring hasn’t been terrible, his last outing was good and it seems like there is a double standard here. If someone else struggles in spring, no big deal its ST. If Reyes has a bad outing, then he isn’t starting in the majors? Regardless of options, hasn’t Reyes already proved to be unable to learn more at AAA? He dominates there and disappoints here. Maybe if all the stupid mind games stopped he could pitch better here.

This is finally a home-grown pitcher (i.e. cheap) with an upside. Maybe not as big as once perceived, but certainly better than the upside for Wellemeyer or Thompson.

Thompson does nothing for me. A sinkerballer who allowed a ton of home runs isn’t what I’m looking for. He’s at best a below average major league starter. Reyes has been that, but could be more.

Is a trade the next move?

Sorry two more questions I forgot during my diatribe about Reyes…

What’s the latest on Ryan’s injury? Will he be ready opening-day?

If not, any chance Mather is up instead of Jimenez to be a backup?

It seems that the last thing the Cards need is another light-hitting, low-OBP middle infielder… No thanks, we have plenty as it is.

Thanks again for the great coverage.

Brian,

It’s funny but if Thomspon is a “below average major league starter”, then that makes Reyes an even worse major league starting pitcher. Thompson in his 17 Starts last season had an ERA of 4.66 in 92.2 IP with a 6-4 record. Of the 17 games he started he went 6 innings or further in 10 of them had 9 of them be Quality Starts. Reyes’ had 20 Starts last season had an ERA of 5.71 in 104 IP with a 2-14 record. Of the 20 games he started he DIDN’T make it to the 6th inning in 12 of them and only 5 games of Quality Starts.

Oh, and if we are going to talk about long ball allowed. Brad allowed 14 as a Starter in 92.2 IP and Reyes allowed 15 in his 104. Thompson, also, still holds a AA record for consecutive scoreless innings (51?) from just a few seasons ago. So, why should a guy like Reyes continue to be given more opportunities over a guy who has proven he can do a better job in that spot?

Take the numbers that Thompson put up as a starter last season and spread them out over a whole season and you basically have Braden Looper without the $5.5 million contract.

Reyes needs to go back to AAA and learn how to finish putting hitters away, i.e. he needs to develop an “outpitch”.

Brian,

– It’s starting to look like Reyes is the classic change-of-scenery player, and, no, that scenery is not Memphis. There seems to be an interesting current running through Cardinals Nation, one that inflates how well Reyes has pitched and underestimates Thompson. The truth runs in the middle. And the Cardinals have sided with known quantity over glimmers of quality.

A trade may be the only way to really judge Reyes’ value, independent of all this history.

– The information Ryan is right up there in the blog entry.

– La Russa rejected that idea when I asked if Mather was back in the picture if Ryan is out for an extended term. One reason: Backup shortstop. The Cardinals would need one.

dg

I am glad to hear that Thompson is finally getting the chance he has deserved for 2 years. He has been a constant performer that may have some flaws, but he can get the job done. Reyes has been a huge dissappointment and I hope he will be let go. Reyes is too inconsistent to pitch in the majors and I predict that he will never be a quality starter. Maybe the bullpen is where he belongs (with another team)?

Derrick,

Thanks for the reply, sorry I missed the Ryan info.

Clevy, my comment about being below average for Thompson is true, the hope originally offered by Reyes was the one hitter against the White Sox and the WS start against the Tigers. Obviously he’s been below average (last year was absolutely horrendous), but he seems to have the potential to do more. Thompson doesn’t really have the stuff to be even middle of the rotation starter. Reyes might. Probably won’t in St. Louis. Maybe he’ll bomb elsewhere and wash out and never live up to the original hype and those two starts, but those two starts were about as good as they get.

I recall hearing on the radio two years ago a scout (or maybe someone quoting a scout?) saying Wainwright would be at best a 3rd starter, and Reyes could be a top of the rotation starter. Wow how things have changed.

My opinion on the whole matter is is tied my disgust with our current starting rotation.
We need 2nd, 3rd and 4th starters right now. Not 4 pitchers (Looper, Clement, Wellemeyer, Thompson) who should be at best 5th starters.

Reyes might not be the answer, but the fact that it looks like Wellemeyer might be our 2nd game starter is ludicrous. I’m fed up with Thompson, Wellemeyer et al. Retreads and never-will-bes don’t win games. Neither do any of our starters, except for Wainwright.

I’m too lazy to do the research (plus nobody is likely reading this anymore, as it’s gone beyond a comment and turned into it’s own blog post), but how many combined wins do you think Looper, Wainwright, Pineiro, Thompson, Wellemeyer, Reyes and others have? I’m guessing way less than a 100. Looper might be the leader there with all of his previous blown saves. And until (and “if” several times over) Carpenter, Mulder and Clement return, we have at best a AAAA rotation.

Has a team that draws 3+ Million fans a season ever thrown a starting day rotation this bad two years in a row?

/rant

I really wish Reyes could get a chance to rectify last season. I feel that he would be a better starter than Thompson. We all must remember that he had the worst run support in the majors.
If you look at all the major league innings pitched last year, Thompson and Reyes allowed 68 and 72 ER (respectively) last season.

Brian,

I totally disagree with you on Thompson. The kid is a sinkerball pitcher and the more innings he throws the better he will get. Look at last season in the final month. HIs ERA in September when he was put back in the Rotation was 2.96.

If you look at his numbers in his 17 starts last season & look at Wainwrights first half season’s starts you’ll see something even more strange. Adam had 17 starts before the AS break, he was 7-7 in just over 100 IP with an ERA of 4.66. Thomspon’s 17 starts, while not as many IP (which can be explained in the fact that he had to be stretched back out for the rotation), he was 6-4 with a 4.66 ERA. Now what would he have done had they given him as many opportunities as they did Wells or Reyes?

Thompson’s sinkerball reminds me of a guy who started games for the Cubs back in the 70’s, Rick Reuschel. The guy didn’t have a good fastball, just an average curve and changeup, but he had an excellent Sinker. He threw that pitch 80% percent of the time and was extremely successful with it. He looked so hittable, but every game I seen him throw you’d look up in the 7th inning and he’d have allowed maybe 2 or 3 runs, had gotten a dozen ground ball outs with maybe 2 or 3 strikeouts. Total frustration would have set in at that point.

If Duncan & LaRussa would give the ball to Thompson every 5th day & just tell him to pound that sinker in there 4 out of every 5 pitches he’d get tons of ground outs and eat up innings. Some where along the way in the next 3 or 4 seasons, Thompson is going to prove everyone wrong and become a winning MLB Starting pitcher. The scouts were wrong on Reyes, due to his lack of an outpitch and they are wrong on Thompson, too.