Players traded mid-season cant get a QO.

Well that sucks.:mad:

We'd be asinine to make a qualifying offer to Masterson. He'll take the money and laugh all the way to the bank. No one wants a washed up starter with a 5+ ERA.

Not sure he is completely washed up that can't bounce back after this season but does look like damaged goods at the moment. At least not his shoulder that is bad.

But yeah as you said wouldn't get a qualifying offer anyway.

I thought qualifying offers were based on stats/skill level? His stats suck. I was thinking a qualifying offer would be small potatoes.

But anyway, we can't get a draft pick for the guy in the off season.

The qualifying offer is the average of the top 125 salaries of the season just finished. So same for everyone, no matter how good or bad they are.

Welllll nlm that. He's damaged goods? But, it looks like Craig is too and we got out from under that contract and .240 average.

Ubaldo Jimenez returns today this could get ugly for Orioles.

You guys looked pretty good, World Series calibur team the first two games. Was it our pitching or you guys? You got a good record. Is this your year to make a run deep into the playoffs?

Whats with the Tom Clancy name on the uniform?

The stadium looked half full today. You guys are having a good year, do you not sell out the stadium?

Lance Lynn may be the most underrated pitcher in Cardinals Nation and in baseball in general.

For good reason I guess but damn he is turning it around. He has always won games but now he seems to be holding the mental part of it together.

Lynn has pitched like a legit number two.

Miller has been improved of late as well.

Continuously, it's the anemic offense that will doom this season.

Unless the team can maintain a 2.0 ERA we are hosed.

The good thing is that pitching wins in the playoffs, but I'm not sure we can get there

He earned it. It was obvious he had talent but he would melt down at the slightest trouble. An error committed by a player, a bad call by the home plate umpire etc. We weren't crazy or not analyzing his production incorrectly.

For whatever reason it has clicked with him this year. He is not letting things bother him. He just moves on to the next pitch.

With this new found stability on the mound he is definitely a good #2 right at this moment.

Why does it seem like our core future young players are regressing? Seems to me we do a damn fine job finding them. Developing them into big show calibur players. Then they have regressed when they get under Matheny. Wong is the only one who is better than he was last year.

Is this a trend? Small sample size quirk?

From Bernies column on STLtoday:

This opinion may surprise some readers, but if Oscar Taveras is coming up short in his work ethic or hustle, then manager Mike Matheny is absolutely doing the right thing to sit him for a while. A little tough love can be valuable in sending a message to a young player. Matheny did the right thing here.

Now, having said that … Matheny can’t bury Taveras -- not that he will. I was surprised that Matheny dogged Taveras to the media. That goes against Matheny’s service-leadership philosophy and contradicts Matheny's accusations of "cheap shots" taken at his batting coaches by those who cite the team's poor offensive numbers. What Matheny said about Taveras was pretty personal -- unlike what anyone in the media has said or written about John Mabry. Until now, the manager has always kept unpleasantries in house.

Teaching Taveras a lesson is fine but I’d also like to see Matheny be more consistent in getting after veteran players who aren’t grinding or hustling the way they should be. The players who make terrible base-running mistakes; the Cards are awful in this area and Taveras isn't alone. So where's the heat on the others who run the bases poorly? A manager can’t have double standards.

I would also add this: while I support Matheny’s teaching moment here with Taveras, why is it that so many young Cardinals have regressed or stalled after performing so well in 2013? Closer Trevor Rosenthal’s walk rate has more than doubled. His strikeout rate is down. Shelby Miller has regressed and continues to be overly dependent on one pitch, the four-seam fastball. Top pitching prospect Carlos Martinez — so dominant late last season — was demoted to the minors. Matt Adams’ home-run rate has declined dramatically. Reliever Kevin Siegrist — after being sidelined by a forearm strain earlier this season — isn’t as good as what we saw in 2013. And starting pitcher Michael Wacha’s season was derailed by a shoulder-related injury.

On the other hand, second baseman Kolten Wong has made progress. I realize that young players have fluctuations in performance and confidence. And injuries can knock them back. The Cardinals aren’t alone in experiencing this. But Matheny got this gig, in large part, because GM John Mozeliak believed Matheny would do an exceptional job of bringing along the young talent. I think it’s fair to say that the Cardinals have taken a step back in this area in 2014. (I wrote an extensive piece on this; you can read it at STLtoday.com.) And some of this can be attributed to the simple reality of regression to the mean.

Related note: last month Matheny said, “We’re not here for development,” and you know that Mozeliak’s bow tie had to be spinning after that one. It’s going to be a very interesting offseason for the Cardinals.

I have never been a fan of the decision to hire Matheny as manager. I think that has been Mo's worst decision thus far.

Reds bullpen throws 144 pitches yesterday, Jon Jay swings at the first pitch.

Some of it could be that the pundits and the Cardinals themselves overrated their farm system. It happened to the Royals.

With that said, Mabry and Lilliquist are clowns. No young pitcher on this team has progressed, and that's not an accident. If it weren't for Yadi and Wainwright, Lilliquist's fat ass would be in the fire along with John Mabry, who couldn't teach Tiger Woods how to **** a whore.

Masterson ****ing blows.

Masterson seems to be working out. Couldn't Martinez have done this?

I don't think anyone thought he would ever be better than Westbrook. That was the high bar. Martinez is stretched out but it looks like we are going to need him for the 8th when Neschek moves to the 9th.

I could see Masterson being useful in the playoffs. Bring him in after one of our hard throwers. Let him work one time through the lineup and pull him.

Yadi and Waino have a lot of pull for sure, as they should. Rumors galore that Mabry is done after this year. Going to spend more time with the family excuse. Who knows if its BS or not.

Descalso not being a sack of shit is a pleasant surprise.

No Neshek? Come on Matheny WTF.

Masterson is worthless. Pitchers who can't throw strikes are useless in the playoffs. There is no need for him to waste a roster spot if he can't find the plate.

Regarding Neshek getting the 9th..."Rosenthal is my closer,"--Dipshit Matheny.

Bringing in a lefty to face five straight righties. Only Matheny.

Black Thunder still sucks.

Maness or Neshek should have started the 8th considering all the right handed bats in the lineup.

Maness kicks ass again.

I still haven't forgiven him for that meatball to Gomes but I'm getting there.

Look at this fat ****ing pig. Ray King II.

It's nice having a catcher who can actually handle a bat at the ML level.

Now let's watch Rosenthal put the first two batters on.

Oh Noes Rosenthal. Might need to pour a couple shots to get through this.

AJ has had a lot of big hits for us. Double **** that pos Kotteras.

****ing clowns.

**** you Matheny you god damn one who sucks the penis piece of shit

"Who's your closer, Mike?"

Durr, still Rosenhausen.

I have a tiny mancrush on Billy Hamilton

Did anyone not see that coming?

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Should have tried to get the Red Sox to include koji

Just keep running him back out there Mike. Especially when you have a guy like Neshek rotting in the pen.

Greenwood? Is a Neshek hurt or something?

Nesheck has pitched a lot recently.

How many times do we suffer through this BS. Our closer has lost it for whatever reason. We just keep running the struggling reliever out there because he is our "closer", he is "my guy". Izzy, Franklin, Mujica etc etc

Rosenthal can't locate the fastball. He has been riden too hard, something is hurt, whatever, you can't just say we play to win but you keep putting Rosenthal out there when the evidence is as clear that anyone can see there is an issue, a reason for concern.

If they are worried about upsetting the karma with moving Neshek to the 9th. Give Martinez a try in the 9th. He can usually keep it together and remain focused for one inning.

Ya its almost to the point where I can't even watch Rosenthal at all because I know at least 2 base runners will get on and that's usually before 2 outs.

Peralta-Big Respect

Rosenthal-Get ****ed

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseb...83740fabf.html

In the aftermath of Trevor Rosenthal walking three of four hitters he faced in the ninth inning on Sunday, Matheny rather adamantly had said that the young righthander still was his closer.

So it was that Rosenthal was brought in to close out Monday’s game. But Rosenthal didn’t.

After striking out pinch hitter Chris Heisey in the ninth, Rosenthal, clinging to a 5-4 lead, walked Billy Hamilton on a close full-count pitch. Hamilton stole his 46th base and catcher A.J. Pierzynski’s throw sailed into center field, sending Hamilton to third.

With the Cardinals’ infield in, Jay Bruce knocked in his fourth run of the night with a double past Adams at first, and the game went to extra innings.

Matheny, assessing Rosenthal’s inning, said, “Actually it was not that bad. We just walked the wrong guy. You put that guy on base and we’re in straight defense mode, trying to figure out how to limit the damage.

“Obviously, the ball getting through is not part of the plan. He ended up continuing to make good pitches and got out of it and gave us a chance to keep going.

“But that wasn’t what he was looking for. Or us. If you give free bases, especially to a guy that’s a burner, you’re asking for trouble. And we had trouble.”

Matheny, asked if he had employed Rosenthal for the righthander to gain a shot of confidence, said, “I put him out there to get a save.”

After Bruce doubled, the next ball was hammered into the gap, but Jay made probably his best defensive play of the year to snatch it.

Rosenthal didn't get unlucky. He walked a guy who never walks. He has the worst BB/9 of any closer in baseball and he gave up two more hard hit balls.

He's a ****ing bum right now, so get him out of there.

He was not in trouble because of batted ball luck. GEEZZZ Matheny needs to pull it out of his ass.

This team just cannot get out of its own way.

They do have the 4th best record in the NL. So what do you think fans of the 5th - 16th teams are saying about their club?

Someone see if that shoe falls out of Descalso's ass.

Hamilton is basically the same reason Bourjos should get more PT in CF.

We actually have some fight now. Seems like we're turning a corner? Maybe?

It's pretty simple. When they hit, they win.

Man, I hope so. I'm catching enough flack from Royals fans as is.

I paused to answer a work email with bases loaded and nice quick resolution after just one more pitch.

Seems like we have come from behind to win a lot lately. And when we are getting our asses kicked we still don't lay down. We keep trying. Yeah, maybe, there is something going on here. The schedule is favorable for us to get hot and take home field advantage in the NL playoffs.

Without Molina we have no chance to get him out at 2B. Just let him go and concentrate on the batter.

Right now, Jay is a better option in RF in all phases than Taveras, and I can't ****ing believe I'm saying that.

Cueto is a little bitch. Thats all.

That stings because its true, right now anyway.

I cannot ****ing stand Assterson.

Time to just cut our losses and release that assclown.

You could make a case that Masterson is worse than Kip Wells. He might be the worst Cardinal starter of this millenium.

Dude makes Simontachi look like a prime Carpenter.

Couldn't Martinez do this? Lyons at least has a decent start here and there. Masterson has been garbage every single start.

I think he has one good start but still. Martinez could do better than this crap.

Kip Wells *shudder*

Am I missing something here? Why Lyons? 21 hits and 12 runs in his last 2 games GEEZZZ are they trying to sabotage the team? Why not call up Gonzales?

Lyons is on full rest. Gonzales threw yesterday and the bullpen is shot because Justin Masterson is a ****ing shit****.

Masterson is starting vs Cubs this weekend. Gonzalez should get that start. Or Martinez. The dude has such an upside, we should take the growing pains and see if that #1/#2 upside materializes.

How bad were the Cards hurting for pitching to trade for Masterson?

Family member who is a Cards fan asked me about the trade and I had heard of his name from the Indians but didn't know if he was actually any good. So we looked him up and I literally laughed my ass off. You've got a team fighting for the division/wildcard spot and they pick up a guy that had something like a 6+ ERA with a 1.6 WHIP. That made as much sense to me as when the Cubs announced they backed up a Brinks truck in ****ing Edwin Jacksons driveway.

He was hurt and had been an All-Star in the past. Moving to a different league, even with the velocity drop, I can see how an argument could be made that as his knee improved he'd gain some zip on his fastball and become a passable end of the rotation pitcher.

That obviously hasn't happened, so instead of torpedoing 1/5 of your remaining games, just cut the one who sucks the penis. He can't bring any draft pick compensation, he has the control of 2001 Rick Ankiel and the heart of Jamie Garcia.

At this point, I'd just be happy if he could throw strikes.

There is an issue with all our young stud pitchers stalling or back sliding their progress this year.

The Cardials have a history of picking up "trash" pitchers at the deadline and striking pitching gold for a 1/2 season with the trade. Weaver. Mujica etc. We gave up a guy who has 5 corner outfielders in front of him. With Taveras and Holliday penciled in for at least two more years.....there was no room at the inn for Ramsey. I was okay with the trade because of their history turning around pitchers.

I'm fine with trying to strike gold again when dumpster diving at the trade deadline. But, when you have 6 or so games and there is no improvement, its time to cut bait.

Ugh. ****ing.....A.

At least we got that damn Alvarez out.

Jeezuzzz....that looked like a bomb when it came off the bat.

"Rosenthal is my closer" - Captain Dipshit