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Playoff rotation may be reduced by one pitcher
By Rick Hummel
Of the Post-Dispatch
08/16/2005
In preparing for a potential playoff scenario, look for the Cardinals by Aug. 31 to reduce the number of pitchers on their staff from 12 to 11, general manager Walt Jocketty said Tuesday.
"Once you set your roster on Aug. 31, you can move players around, but the number of pitchers and position players is set" for the postseason, Jocketty said. "You don't normally need the extra pitcher in the postseason (there are several off days built in). You'd rather have an extra position player for the bench. The hard part is going to be the person you would take off."
The Cardinals have had 12 pitchers virtually all season.
In 2002, the Cardinals were stuck taking 12 pitchers into the postseason because they had to have that many on Aug. 31 for a makeup doubleheader in Chicago. Then, when third baseman Scott Rolen suffered a shoulder injury in the first round of the playoffs, they were caught with only four available bench players.
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Jocketty said it hardly was out of the question that righthander Anthony Reyes, dazzling in his major-league debut last week in Milwaukee, would be one of the few recalls made in September.
Reyes technically could be a postseason pitcher if the Cardinals get there even if he is brought back after Aug. 31 because the Cardinals can replace pitcher Mike Lincoln, who has been disabled all season, with any player (i.e. Reyes), who was in their organization on Aug. 31.
It also isn't impossible that Rick Ankiel could be brought up in September as an outfielder. That would be the first time the former pitcher would be in the big leagues as a position player.
"I love Rick Ankiel," manager Tony La Russa said. "There's something good about having him on a ballclub."
No big moves
Jocketty said he didn't envision making any major move to shore up the club's roster for the last six-plus weeks other than welcoming back Yadier Molina, Larry Walker, Reggie Sanders and Rolen from the disabled list.
"I'd like to get Larry Walker back for the second half of this year like we did last year," Jocketty said of his early August acquisition in 2004. "We've got four ballplayers on the disabled list who are far better than anybody we could acquire in a trade. Without them, we've been maintaining, but we're a much better team with them.
"I still don't feel the urgency to do something. If something develops, great. If it doesn't, I'm not concerned about it."
Jocketty said reports were good on the hand scan that Molina underwent on Tuesday. He has been out since July 7 with a broken bone in his left hand.
Jocketty and La Russa said the catcher should be appearing in this six-game home stand - possibly as early as Thursday - and would not need to go out on a rehabilitation option in the minors.
The reason for this is that the Cardinals value Molina's catching and handling of the pitching staff far more than his hitting, which has improved. La Russa had said earlier in the season that Molina, who opened up one for 31, would be his catcher if he never got a hit.
Molina, who warmed up staff ace Chris Carpenter in the bullpen Tuesday night, said, "Two or three more days and I'll be back. I felt pain last week, but right now it feels OK."
Trainer Barry Weinberg said, "We saw really significant healing. It will be quick."
Right fielder Walker should be joining Molina in the lineup sometime this week. Walker put on an impressive long-ball display in batting practice Tuesday as he made his first appearance on the field at Busch Stadium since he went out of the lineup again with a herniated disc in his neck.
"Maybe (today)," quipped La Russa, hopefully but not realistically. Walker, for instance, has six runs batted in for 14 at-bats against Arizona righthander Brandon Webb, who is starting tonight.
"But (Walker) is the one who's going to say."
And Walker says, not yet.
"I wish (he could play tonight)," Walker said. "A couple more days of this (batting practice) and we'll see."
Sanders, who suffered a broken right fibula on July 15, should be cleared to start running today if he passes muster from an X-ray administered Tuesday night.
"It feels pretty good," Sanders said. "There's no pain."
As for third baseman Rolen and his inflamed left shoulder, Jocketty said, "He's about the same. I don't think he's regressed. He's maybe progressed a little. But I think there's still a realistic chance he can come back."
Changing the order
Second baseman Mark Grudzielanek hit fourth for the second time this season - and in his career - Tuesday night. Normal cleanup man Jim Edmonds was dropped to fifth and he was armed with a new/old approach to hitting.
"I'm going back to the way I used to hit," said Edmonds, who has one homer this month.
And that approach is?
"Just hitting," he said. "Not worrying about where it's going or getting on top of the ball or any of that other stuff. Hogwash."
Good company
When Albert Pujols reached 100 runs on Saturday, he became the fourth player to score 600 or more runs in his first five seasons, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Two others were New York Yankees - Hall of Famers Earle Combs (614) and Joe DiMaggio (613). The third previous 600-run man was Pittsburgh Hall of Famer Paul Waner (605).
Staff writer Derrick Goold contributed to this report.
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