Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Get your peanuts, programs, and start singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” because baseball is back! The Cardinals started their season by taking the win against the Chicago Cubs. They had a shutout win (3-0) in the Cubs territory, Wrigley Field. Adam Wainwright lead them to victory by pitching six innings, six strikeouts, no walks, and giving up no runs. He had players in scoring positions, but he managed to get out of trouble. Wainwright seems to be healed and back in action after the injury he experienced during Spring Training.

“I felt great to be out there pitching for the season opener. There are some things I need to work on like keeping them off base, but I believe our team did great for the first game this season. I can’t wait to see how the rest of this series goes,” Wainwright said.

Manager, Mike Matheny, was impressed with Wainwright’s ability to get out of trouble when he had players on bases. “There’s just special athletes like that, when they get in tough situations, they are able to handle their pitches when they know they need to make a big play.”

Adam Wainwright pitched against Jon Lester for the Cubs. Carlos Martinez took over pitching in the seventh inning still remaining scoreless. Jordan Walden got three outs before Trevor Rosenthal struck out for the save.

In the trainer’s room, there is talk about Jaime Garcia is going to start a throwing program in the next week or so due to his shoulder inflammation. He was placed on the 15 day disabled list before the game. He was competing for the fifth place rotation spot before this injury occurred. Matheny wants to make sure Garcia and Tommy Pharm are feeling better and the doctor lets them go back in the regular season. He does not want to face any challenges with his players being severely injured.

Cardinals take on the Reds, tomorrow, Friday April 9, 2015 at 7:10pm.

Cardinals Pitch Back into Season

The Cardinals have named the pitcher who will be the 5th starter in the rotation: Carlos Martinez. This decision came after Jaime Garcia’s renewed shoulder issues and was announced on Monday. Jaime Garcia would have likely been given the position however Martinez has held his own posting 3.94 ERA and 16/5 K/BB ratio across 16 innings during his time in Florida’s Grapefruit League.

In the beginning of spring training, Mike Matheny wanted Martinez to control his emotions. When Matheny told Martinez the good news, there was no reaction or emotion from Martinez.

“It kinda backfired when I told him because I didn’t get much. I told him to work on his emotions, and see that’s what he is doing! He really took my advice,” Matheny said and laughed on Monday.

The Cardinals edged out the New York Mets 5 to 4 yesterday April 1, 2015 as Martinez pitched six scoreless innings scattering 3 hits, struck out 5 and walked one runner.

“I worked better today and I felt better than any other start,” Martinez said through a translator. “My changeup was my best pitch, I feel, and my slider was my best pitch after my changeup.”

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny hopes Martinez can stay consistent as he becomes a key attribute in the Cardinal’s pitching rotation. Lance Lynn will start for their season opener against Milwaukee on April 13th, and Adam Wainwright will start against St. Louis April 15th. He will be followed by the rotation of Lynn, John Lackey, Michael Wacha and Martinez.

Wainwright on the Rise

Spring training game stats so far:

March 5th W 4-1 vs. Marlins

March 6th W 5-2 vs. Astros

March 7th L 5-6  vs. Nationals

March 8th W 5-2 vs. Marlins

March 9th L 0-3  vs. Red Sox

March 10th L 6-7 vs. Astros

March 11th W 6-2 vs. Braves

March 12th W 8-2 vs. Orioles

March 13th L 3-6 vs. Marlins

March 14th L 3-6 vs. Twins

March 15th T 6-6 vs. Twins

March 16th W 1-0  vs. Tigers

March 17th W 7-1 vs. Marlins

Adam Wainwright is back! Spring training for him is starting this upcoming Saturday against the Atlanta Braves. Last spring training game against them was on March 11th, and the men of St. Louis took home a win. Hopefully they can do it again with the help of abdominal pain-free Wainwright. He has practiced since spring training by throwing 40 pitches in a simulated game this past Monday. The Cardinals are expecting him to throw 50-60 pitches in his debut game on Saturday.

Not only do the Cardinals have the electric Adam Wainwright on the mound, but they also have the promising Michael Wacha to back him up in the case of an unfortunate situation that ends with Wainwright on the bench. Wacha had a breakout season in 2013 when he registered a 2.78 ERA and a 1.098 WHIP over his first 64 ⅔ major league innings. If both Wainwright and Wacha remain healthy, then the depth that the Cardinals have at the mound makes them a sizeable force in the National League Central Division.

The big first game on April 5th against the Chicago Clubs is what all this spring training is for. The team wants to start off strong this season. Wainwright is expected to start every 5 games according to Matheny until the major league season opener; this way he will have enough practice and rest to be able to pitch for it.

The Guys are back in Jupiter

This season has arrived! The Cardinals are back in Jupiter practicing for the upcoming season. They are becoming reacquainted with the guys who have been there before along with the guys who are experiencing Jupiter for the first time. The Roger Dean Stadium the team practices in was opened in 1998. It is the only stadium in the country to have hosted four minor league teams; as well as the only stadium in the state of Florida to host two major league teams (Marlins and Cardinals). The St. Louis Cardinals has held spring training in 26 different locations all across the states in the past 114 years. The cardinals has held spring training in Jupiter, Florida for the past 17 years.

Derrick Goold is the best out there for the latest tweets about the team. He can be found at @dgoold; and we recommend to follow him for the latest Cardinals news! Jaimie Garcia (Pitcher, #54) asserted “I am a starting pitcher” according to Goold’s tweet on the 20th. He sure does prove this in this warm weather training.

Breaking News: Cardinals have three players in the Top 100! Pitcher Marco Gonzales, Pitcher Alex Reyes, and Rightfielder Stephen Piscotty. This is great news for the boys and they’re keeping it up in the beginning of spring training.

Pictured: The Cardinals bond with their teammates by stretching before getting ready for practice. Looks like beautiful weather in Jupiter, FL.

Molina at batting practice

http://m.mlb.com/video/v37405383/cardinals-flock-to-spring-training-early/?tcid=tw_share

Adam Wainwright out for Spring Training?

Adam Wainwright, starting pitcher for St. Louis Cardinals

With only a week away from the Cardinal’s first spring training game, there has been speculation that Adam Wainwright may not start or even play during the spring. In the beginning of this week, Wainwright felt some lower abdominal pain while he was lifting. He ignored the pain, but then he realized something was not right when he had to leave a practice on Tuesday early. He could not participate in any activities due to the pain being so severe. Although his pain has not effected his pitching, it has taken a toll on several physical activities such as working out, running, and stretching.

He recently went through Tommy John surgery, an arthroscopic surgery to trim a small piece of cartilage on his right elbow. Wainwright is heading back to St. Louis to see a specialist, and the coaches will decide from there if they want to let Wainwright play. As of right now, Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak told media that they were going to slow down his pitching sessions before this injury even occurred. Wainwright believes that this injury is nothing to worry about, but coaches want to hear from the specialist how this can affect him along with his season. Results will be reported out tomorrow, Thursday, February 26th, 2015.

Spring Training

St. Louis Cardinals are starting up their Spring training for the first big game against the Miami Marlins on March 5th. Why wait 6 or 7 weeks? Well, a lot of work is focused on pitching. With two players trying to heal from the 2014 season, the Cardinals don’t want to start them too soon, but at the same time they need to get them up to the 100 pitch mark.

Cardinals manager, Mike Matheny, is focusing on different skills they can use in the next season. There is stress on the athletes to succeed, and the players are feeling the stress.

Let’s recap to last year’s season for the Cardinals.

Unfortunately the Cardinals suffered a loss in their team when Oscar Taveras, “El Fenómeno” (‘The Phenomenon’ in Spanish), died on October 26 at age 22 in a tragic car accident.

There have been injuries within this team, but they hope to recover quickly for the regular season. Adam Wainwright’s, pitcher, elbow needed surgery, and the managers want him to take the spring season easy. Michael Wacha, pitcher, also injured his shoulder. His stress reaction behind his right shoulder caused him to miss much of last year. They have yet to have him go through surgery though. Kevin Siegriest’s, pitcher, season last year was hard for him due to a torn muscle. He has undergo surgery, and the managers want him to take it easy with upcoming spring training.

If Wainwright and Wacha’s injuries aren’t cleared, Carlos Martinez will be under some pressure pitching. The Cardinals also have Trevor Rosenthal to think about since last season he allowed too many walks. Question is: Will they still put him in after last season?

Our best hitter Jon Jay fought Peter Bourjos for the center field and became our best hitter. If he bats well, he could possibly do it again.

The question people are waiting to be answered in spring training: Who will be the backup infielder for the Cardinals? Will it be holdover Pete Kozma or Greg Garcia? Or will they go with the newcomers, Dean Anna or Ty Kelly?

New things to come for the Cardinals in the upcoming season, and hard decisions they will have to make if their players are not off the DL.