The post-game report

[kennyboyerfan]

Observations:

1. We just beat the piss out of a very good pitcher. Offense is peaking at just the right time. Good thing, too.

2. Carpenter was good, very good, but there's no way you can say he is as dominant as he was mid-season. I'll certainly take it, but all these innings are starting to pile up, I believe.

3. The good news -- Flores and Thompson broke their post-season maiden. They should have less butterflies the next time. The bad news -- both gave up runs.

4. Mulder needs to throw a lot of first-pitch strikes, because the Pads are definitely going to try to get his pitch count up to get to our bullpen.

5. I don't care if Izzy gives up 14 runs, as long as we have a 15-run lead. He's no Lidge, Rivera or Hoffman, but we already knew that. The biggest mystery is still undetermined -- can King and Tavarez gets us through the seventh and eighth innings in a close game?

6. Please, Lord, put a chip on Jason Marquis' shoulder that he feels compelled to knock off by pitching spectacularly out of the bullpen. We are really going to need him.

7. All that stuff about the Padres getting a lot out of the game, and gaining some confidence, is media hype/bs. They know full well who the better team is. I just don't think any of the Cardinals are going to lose much sleep fretting over the prospect of facing Astachio and Woody.

8. So far, so good -- not perfect, but we get nothing for style points. Just win, baby.

[ElviswasaBluesFan]

You've got to think Mulder and Morris (gulp) are better than Astacio and Woody.

[kennyboyerfan]

QUOTE(ElviswasaBluesFan @ Oct 4 2005, 03:55 PM) Quoted post

You've got to think Mulder and Morris (gulp) are better than Astacio and Woody.
[/b][/quote]

That Morris/Woody game won't be pretty -- two great pitchers in Cardinal history getting the snot beat out of them. One nice thing about San Diego ballpark -- you've really got to crush it to go out in center. Not that Morris isn't capable of allowing those kinds of hits, but we can use any edge we can get with him.

[Reggie Cleveland]

QUOTE

2. Carpenter was good, very good, but there's no way you can say he is as dominant as he was mid-season.[/b][/quote]

True, but....so? I don't think we can fault a guy for not pitching like the '68 Gibson forever. We don't have to win with a 89-pitch shutout; he just has to pitch well, and he did.

And now he'll have eight days' rest. It's all good, man.

[kennyboyerfan]

QUOTE(Reggie Cleveland @ Oct 4 2005, 04:03 PM) Quoted post

QUOTE

2. Carpenter was good, very good, but there's no way you can say he is as dominant as he was mid-season.[/b][/quote]

True, but....so? I don't think we can fault a guy for not pitching like the '68 Gibson forever. We don't have to win with a 89-pitch shutout; he just has to pitch well, and he did.

And now he'll have eight days' rest. It's all good, man.
[/b][/quote]

I agree. He also seems to have a heart as big as Woody's. Gotta love the way he battled.

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
--Albert Einstein

[Fishbone]

Granted I was a few sections up, but it looked from a distance that Carpenter did a better job of locating his curveball as the game progressed. Or am I just having selective memory?

[JWB]

QUOTE(Fishbone @ Oct 4 2005, 05:07 PM) Quoted post

Granted I was a few sections up, but it looked from a distance that Carpenter did a better job of locating his curveball as the game progressed? Or am I just having selective memory?
[/b][/quote]

I thought it looked better than his last few season starts.

[kennyboyerfan]

QUOTE(JWB @ Oct 4 2005, 04:09 PM) Quoted post

QUOTE(Fishbone @ Oct 4 2005, 05:07 PM) Quoted post

Granted I was a few sections up, but it looked from a distance that Carpenter did a better job of locating his curveball as the game progressed? Or am I just having selective memory?
[/b][/quote]

I thought it looked better than his last few season starts.
[/b][/quote]

Definitely. And he was getting squeezed pretty good, too. There were several borderline pitches he didn't get.

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
--Albert Einstein

[g45]

Carp's velocity seemed up today: mid 80s fball recently, low 90s today as in better days.

Can you lay off velocity and work on your breaking/changeup stuff for some starts, take an on the mound break, and not let the opposition know about it?

He has always sweated alot in the heat, so the cramp is understandable. Just seemed alot better today.

[backstop]

I thought he left a couple curves up and in, like his release point was a bit off. Seems like it happened with Loretta up a couple times. Might have been intentional, given that it was Loretta.

[joe_w]

QUOTE(kennyboyerfan @ Oct 4 2005, 04:54 PM) Quoted post

3. The good news -- Flores and Thompson broke their post-season maiden. They should have less butterflies the next time. The bad news -- both gave up runs.
[/b][/quote]

This was also Chris Carpenter's first appearance in the post season.

[Brosnan2715]

In hoping that it really was just hand cramps, I'm glad Carpenter threw 91 pitches.

I still say unless we're up 2-0 that Morris should not pitch Game 3.

[dv6y]

Carpenter was good this year, but he had his fair share of innings where men got on. If you noticed, when that happened, all of a sudden his fastball got up to 93 ... he was fine.

[steveInebriated]

QUOTE(dvyyyyyy @ Oct 4 2005, 11:35 PM) Quoted post

Carpenter was good this year, but he had his fair share of innings where men got on. If you noticed, when that happened, all of a sudden his fastball got up to 93 ... he was fine.
[/b][/quote]
He hit 94 -- unless Tony was messin' with the gun again...

[Reggie Cleveland]

QUOTE

I still say unless we're up 2-0 that Morris should not pitch Game 3.[/b][/quote]

I probably agree with that, but being up 2-0 (which we will be) will be the perfect time to see which Morris is going to show up for the playoffs. If he's on....man, will we be tough to beat.