TOWER GROVE — The extreme makeover of the St. Louis Cardinals’ bullpen continued with an early-April move for another righthander — the team’s confessed depth entering the season — and the wish to carry 13 pitchers on the 25-man roster. All arms on deck.

The arrival of Blaine Boyer from Atlanta tonight throws the Cardinals’ reliever depth chart into a bit of a scramble, though that’s rapidly become a theme of the season as the Cardinals grope for any sort of bullpen consistency. It also continues another theme: Acquiring Atlanta pitchers. The rule of thumb used to be when the Braves talk about pitching, walk out of the room. The Cardinals have stayed to listen, and have done mostly well with their acquisitions, going back years … Jason Marquis, Ray King, Adam Wainwright in a trade before 2004 … and then there was the attempts to land Will Ohman last season, the interest in Mike Gonzalez this winter, the talk of Rafael Soriano, the no-risk signing of Royce Ring this spring and now the addition of Boyer.

A GCL rotation reunion of sorts will take place tonight.

Wainwright and Boyer were roommates back in 2000 when both were starters for the Braves’ GCL affiliate. Wainwright led the team with four victories, and Boyer displayed the flighty command that was a hallmark of his early years in the Braves’ organization. Their 2000 GCL stats:

Wainwright …4-0, 1.13 ERA … 7 G/5 GS … 32 ip … 10 BB … 42 K

Boyer … 1-3, 2.51 ERA … 11 G/5 GS … 1 Sv … 32 ip … 19 BB … 27 K

Pegged for a “change of scenery” candidate by the Braves and by Boyer himself, the righthander will start his time as a Cardinal as another in the rotating cast of middle relievers for the club. Seems like an obvious place to start this morning’s 10@10 (and spin down to No. 9 for some uncanny Albert Pujols’ stats):

1. “Sometimes when your time is up, it’s just up,” Boyer told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after the deal was finalized. “I lost a little bit of confidence of Skip’s [manager Bobby Cox] and that’s understandable. … I had a great spring. For whatever reason I just got in a funk. I pitched three games, and two of them were rough. I was the odd man out. Baseball is a business and sometimes it’s difficult.” Boyer sports a mid-90s fastball, though his pitches mostly at 93 mph with it. It has some sink, and there are some Todd Wellemeyer similarities to be drawn here. In 2006, Boyer ranked 12th in Baseball America’s Braves Top 30. (He was listed on the depth chart as a starting pitcher, though it’s likely he started to get guaranteed innings.) Wrote BA: “Yet another rookie who contributed to Atlanta’s NL East title in 2005, Boyer didn’t seem big league-ready when he struggled with inconsistency during his first two months in Double-A. Once he straightened himself out, he quickly became a mainstay in the Braves bullpen, which missed him in the postseason when shoulder soreness sidelined him. A starter throughout most of his pro career, Boyer made steady albeit slow progress prior to (2005). His most impressive pitch always has been his heavy low-90s fastball that produces groundouts. He also can strike out hitters with his plus curveball. …”
2. Not that he’s thrown it that much this season. GM John Mozeliak brought up Boyer’s curveball during a teleconference with the media Monday, but Boyer hasn’t brought up his curveball much at all, according to pitching charts at Bill James Online. Of the 38 pitches Boyer has thrown this season, 26 have been fastballs. He did rely on it more last season, before the innings mounted and his consistency faltered. Boyer threw 1,264 pitches last season and 71 percent of them (893) were fastballs, 19 percent of them were curves (241).
3. By moving outfielder Brian Barton in the trade for Boyer, the Cardinals did deal from strength. They also opened the way for an informal reorganization of their outfield depth chart. Neither Barton or Joe Mather, the two righthanded hitters on the cusp, was off to a strong start in Triple-A Memphis. Shane Robinson continues what started in spring training, Daryl Jones (down in Double-A) continues what started for him last season, and Allen Craig’s bat could force a move. Does that mean Mather is still the Next Man Up for the outfield, or has that changed? 

   Who is on top of the Cardinals’ minor-league OF depth chart?

   • Joe Mather, bats: R
   • Jon Jay, bats: L
   • Nick Stavinoha, bats: R
   • Shane Robinson, bats: R
   • Mark Shorey, bats: L
   • Daryl Jones, bats: L
   • Allen Craig, bats: R (it’s time to make move)

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4. Outfielder Ryan Ludwick takes a 21-game hitting streak into tonight’s game against the New York Mets. He’s one game shy of tying Rogers Hornsby for the third-longest overlap hitting streak in Cardinals history. From the end of the 1920 season to the ‘21 season, Hornsby hit in 22 consecutive games. The ‘20 and ‘21 seasons were the first two of six consecutive batting titles for Hornsby. Ludwick is flirting with an April title. Entering play today, Ludwick leads the National League with a .405 average. He also ranks high in the Triple Crown categories: second with 15 RBIs and tied for the league lead with five homers.
5. After consecutive September collapses, the Mets’ clutch has been called into question up in Queens. This season, they’ve fanned the criticism by struggling with runners in scoring position. The Mets are hitting .235 (25-for-106) and slugging .387 with runners in scoring position. Ryan Church, despite an overall strong start, is 1-for-10 in RISP at-bats; David Wright is 3-for-13. Luis Castillo, the target of some of Shea’s final boos, is actually 4-for-9 with RISP at-bats, and since a 1-for-10 start to the season the second baseman who the Mets couldn’t deal despite trying all winter is 13-for-26.
6. The Mets have undergone their own bullpen makeover. Only lefty Pedro Feliciano returns after spending all of 2008 as a Mets’ reliever. The retooled relief corps hinges on setup man J.J. Putz (acquired via trade) and closer Francisco Rodriguez (acquired with cash). The Mets have added LHP Casey Fossum to the roster so that they have a second lefty in the ‘pen for this series.
7. Kurt Hunzeker’s annual t-shirt designs — including “The Colonel” logo — from Spring Training are up in the Bird Land@Facebook page. There is also an open call there for any 10@10 tidbits, nuggets or … better yet … suggested reading articles you have. It’s an easy place to drop an article that moves you, and many use it to stay updated on the minor leagues.
8. THE FARM REPORT: In Springfield’s 9-4 victory Sunday, catcher Steven Hill went 3-for-4 with two home runs, three runs scored and four RBIs. He’s hitting .394 this season. … Third baseman Brett Wallace went 3-for-4 to raise his average to .275. A quick look at the rest of his stats show that he’s still getting on base — with a .482 OBP. … LHP Tyler Norrick, working as a reliever, struck out three in two innings of work. The Festus, Mo., native has appeared in six games, striking out 15 in nine innings and walking four on his way to a 2.00 ERA. … So, with Chris Perez and Jason Motte in the majors, who’s closing in Triple-A Memphis? Former starter Jess Todd has two saves since. Todd had his second two-inning save in as many appearances in a 4-2 win Sunday. Todd has four strikeouts and two hits in those two saves. … Tyler Greene went 2-for-5 with an RBI and is not now hitting .326. … Five of Low-A Quad Cities starters in Saturday’s lineup ended the game with a batting average of .192 or lower. Jon Edwards went 2-for-4 to raise his average to .160. … Contrast that with High-A Palm Beach, where the Cardinals’ affiliate has three batters in the Florida State League’s top 10: 1. Shane Peterson, .419. 5. Adron Chambers, .394. 8. Jermaine Curtis, .382. … Curt Smith went 3-for-4 Saturday for High-A Palm Beach, and on Sunday he hit a three-run home run.
9. More fun with Bill James Online. The Web site tracks each individual hitter’s reaction to individual pitches. What it shows about Albert Pujols is remarkable. The Cardinals first baseman has seen 229 pitches this season, according to BJO. He’s taken 131 of them (57 percent), and 28 of those have been strikes vs. 103 balls. Of the pitches he’s seen, he’s fouled off 45 and put 45 in play. Here’s the striking number: He’s swung and missed at only EIGHT of 229 pitches. In 2008, he saw 2,325 pitches. He took 59 percent of them (1,374). He put 478 in play, and he swung and missed at only 96. It was the first time in his career, according to BJO numbers, that Pujols swung and missed at less than 100 pitches.
10. A bonus poll. Mets outfielder Gary Sheffield became the 25th member of the 500-home run club with a pinch-hit home run last week. The number used to be a Golden Ticket to Cooperstown. Sign. Sealed. Hall of Famer. But the Steroid Era and the Chicks Dig the Long Ball culture have changed the perception of the modern 500-homer hitter. “If anybody questions 500, tell them to go try it,” Sheffield said. Yahoo! Sports baseball writer Jeff Passan points out that Sheffield is the 11th member of the 500 Club to join in the past 11 years. There were 15 members after 120 years of baseball. So 500 doesn’t have the status it once did, but does Sheffield? He burst onto the scene as Milwaukee’s bright shortstop prospect with the iconic Topps “Future Star” rookie card — remember those braces? He almost won a Triple Crown as a third baseman in San Diego, he won a World Series as an outfielder in Florida, and he may have the most rip-roaring bat speed any of us with ever see. Ask a third-base coach. Sheffield also has been dragged into the performance-enhancing drug quagmire in connection with BALCO and Barry Bonds. He told Sports Illustrated that he “unknowingly” used a steroid to recover from a knee injury. That has been a Scarlet Letter — a big, embroidered “S” — when it comes Hall of Fame voting. So,  do you side with the stats, do you fixate on any stain, or do you need more time. 

    Is Gary Sheffield a Hall of Famer?

    • Yes
    • No
    • Need more information

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