Battery Recharged: LaRue set to catch Wellemeyer
HOUSTON — St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa has insisted there are no such thing as “personal catchers” in his clubhouse, he has relented to the idea that maybe there is something to it, and now he’s revisited the notion tonight at Minute Maid Park.
Backup catcher Jason LaRue will start tonight’s game against Houston, matching up again with Todd Wellemeyer – the starter he shepherded to some of the righthander’s better starts this season.
La Russa has repeatedly said that he doesn’t like the message a “personal catcher” sends, but in the same breath he’s come to explain that he doesn’t want to ignore an edge. And earlier this season, with LaRue behind the plate, Wellemeyer had that edge. The righthander is looking to take advantage of the “reset button” — his words — that the All-Star break provided. Both he and pitcher coach Dave Duncan said dozens of successful bullpen sessions are swell, but none matter as much as an inning on the mound. The consistent and refined mechanics that Wellemeyer has been able to show in side sessions have not yet translated to the games — especially not when innings begin to go haywire.
The lineup for tonight’s game, with — stand down click-and-kvetch crowd — Colby Rasmus in it.
- Skip Schumaker, 2B
- Nick Stavinoha, LF
- Albert Pujols, 1B
- Ryan Ludwick, RF
- Mark DeRosa, 3B
- Colby Rasmus, CF
- Jason LaRue, C
- Todd Wellemeyer, P
- Brendan Ryan, SS
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(5 votes, average: 4.8 out of 5)
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Derrick Goold said he was going to Mizzou for capital-J journalism, but after growing up in the Time Zone Baseball Forgot he was really drawn to MU sitting between two major-league cities. Goold joined the Post-Dispatch in 2001 after working for The Times-Picayune and Rocky Mountain News, covering sports from LSU to NHL and every level of baseball in between. 
Daddy likes that lineup. Go birds!!!!
Good lineup tony glad the geritol is working
Curious lineup…isn’t Wandy a lefty? I thought Tony usually flip-flopped Schumaker & Ryan in this situation. Otherwise, I like it, especially if Duncan never EVER gets off the bench again. Let’s hope Todd recharged the batteries and actually does some good tonight, and that Rasmus doesn’t run into any flagpoles.
I like it, maybe would like it more with Colby 2 and Stavinoha 6 but I can see it. One point, just because you play 4 RH hitters in a row isnt a bad thing, the Phillies play 3 LH in a row and it doesnt seem to hurt them. I think that a set lineup would give guys a better chance to get into a groove, with the occasional rest day in there.
This line up is probably the best you can produce from the pieces available except for Molina for LaRue, but Jason has done a nice job and Welle has had some of his better starts with him behind the plate. Despite his bad knees, LaRue actually resembles someone running to first base also. Good news the auto-out trio of Duncan, Ankiel and Thurston are on the bench, the bad news the auto-out trio are your bench.
With the exception of Larue for Molina, which I understand with Wellemeyer on the mound, and Rasmus not hitting in the two hole. This is how the lineup should always look!!!
1) Schu
Pitcher
2) Rasmus
3) Pujols
4) Ludwick
5) DeRosa
6) Stav or Ankiel with the way he hit last night deserves some more chances
7) Molina
9) Ryan
When they get Glaus’s bat back and/or bring up Wallace that lineup will look even better.
Is this the first line up of the year that has included at least one of the auto-out trio? I would feel pretty safe wagering that it is.
Thank God no Duncan, now if the Cards’s don’t need a pitch hit in the 9th to win this might just work out.
I wonder if Rasmus will start running more now that he is batting lower in the lineup
PLEASE FIX THE FIRST SENTENCE, IT IS A RUN-ON! IT MAKES ME WANT TO “VOMIT”!!!
“La Russa has repeatedly said that he doesn’t like the message a “personal catcher” sends, but in the same breath he’s come to explain that he doesn’t want to ignore an edge.” — Yet he still plays Duncan, Ankiel and Thurston night after night?
I’m surprised that facing a lefty that we’re not doing Ryan (R), Rasmus (L), Pujols (R), Ludwick (R), DeRosa (R), Stavinoha (R), LaRue (R), Wellemeyer (R), Schumaker (L). Probably has to do with Ryan’s recent struggles at the plate. Must figure he can get more people on in front of Albert this way.