PITTSBURGH — It figured that the National League’s best team would come out of the Central. It just did not figure this team would be in the conversation. The St. Louis Cardinals? Come on.
There’s no Chris Carpenter or Jason Isringhausen. And those days of the piano bars changing the “American Pie” lyrics to “The three men I admire most, Edmonds, Rolen and Albert Pujols” are a distant memory.
No sober person would have picked the Cardinals to rule the NL, but they have been among the league’s feel-good stories. This is a modest team with many modest players, who get it. They buy into manager Tony La Russa’s business model.
Nowhere is their selflessness reflected better than with runners in scoring position — they’re batting an NL-best .309. Even more impressive, they have only eight home runs. That’s indicative of a team not overswinging under pressure.
“I think it goes to our approach and understanding the task, ” Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak told me. “We don’t always need to play for the home run, and our two- strike approach has been sound.”
Pujols gives deep roots to the lineup, someone to build around, glean information or just learn from observation. Now that Manny Ramirez has been exposed as a fraud, Pujols is the greatest, and unless proven otherwise, cleanest player in the game.
But the lineup around him doesn’t exactly shove pitchers into therapy. Ryan Ludwick is the most accomplished but has only one monster season on his resume. And Skip Schumaker and Chris Duncan are grinders. Pujols makes everyone better, including catcher Yadier Molina, whose bat is beginning to equal his Gold Glove defensive prowess.
“His offense has been a pleasant surprise,” Mozeliak said.
The rotation has stabilized, led by reclamation projects Kyle Lohse and Joel Piñeiro. Ryan Franklin, meanwhile, has brought sanity to the bullpen, taking over the closer’s role.
“Don’t underestimate Dave Duncan, either,” said former Cardinals pitcher Ray King. “He just might be the greatest pitching coach ever.”
If nothing else, the Cardinals are among the NL’s best teams. That much is indisputable.
Paging all Franciscos.
Teams go to great lengths to find a closer, looking everywhere from their farm system to free agency to Google (no, Kyra Sedgwick is not available). Turns out there is a secret solution: Just get a guy named Francisco.
The Mets’ Francisco Rodriguez and the Reds’ Francisco Cordero rank tops in saves in the NL. And the Rangers’ Frank Francisco, no relation to San, has been among the best in the AL. Frank is the least known of the Franciscos. But he’s having arguably the best season. He hasn’t allowed an earned run.
“He has an explosive fastball and above-average curve and split-finger,” Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine said. “What sets him apart is his poise and confidence.”
Footnotes.
There’s no doubt that the Dodgers’ players will embrace Ramirez upon his return in July. The core guys on that team — Andre Ethier, James Loney, Matt Kemp, Russell Martin — view him as a leader. The bigger issue is how Ramirez will react to cascading boos. He’s not Barry Bonds, someone who ate hate for breakfast. Ramirez is sensitive and immature at times. If he goes all Boston on the Dodgers — bailing out in a time of crisis — that will spoil Los Angeles’ season more than his 50-game suspension. He took a positive, though belated, step Friday in apologizing in person to his teammates. . . . If the Yankees are still hovering around .500 come June, the pressure will mount on CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett. This will be their first experience feeling the wrath of fans. It can be venomous. It’s the dark side of taking the Yankees’ money. Those who survive are poster children for baseball Darwinism. . . . Time to start making room in the Roy Halladay home for another Cy Young Award. The Toronto ace is an absolute beast. If the Blue Jays make him available for trade, the Rockies have to go all in to bring home the local kid.
EYE ON …
LHP Johan Santana, New York Mets
Background: Seems like Santana forgot to read the fine print when he signed his $137 million contract prior to last season. Article V, section II reads: “Run support is optional.” We kid, of course, but this is getting ridiculous. The Mets’ bats, on cue, go into a coma when Santana steps onto the mound.
What’s up: An argument could be made that Santana, not Tim Lincecum, should have won last season’s NL Cy Young Award. Problem is, he lacked victories. That’s an issue again. The Mets scored just 24 runs in his eight starts, and a scant 18 while he’s been in the game, the worst support in baseball, according to Elias Sports Bureau. And the Rockies’ Jorge De La Rosa thought he was snakebit. Santana pledges support for his teammates, but the lack of offense wore on him a year ago. A year later, nothing has changed.
Renck’s take: An ace’s job is to make his teammates feel like they are going to win. Santana has done his part, posting a 1.36 ERA. But he’s only 5-2. Every staff has a guy whose offense deserts him (see Arizona’s Dan Haren). There are two reasons the lineup has not had Santana’s back. First, he usually faces the top starters from other teams. And teams score less against the likes of Josh Johnson, Derek Lowe and Yovani Gallardo. Secondly, Santana provides motivation for opponents. Teams want to beat the best, and he’s currently at the top of that list. It should be only a matter of time before he starts getting better support.
AT ISSUE
Convenient injuries raise suspicions about disabled list
What: Stupidity and carelessness have caused plenty of strange injuries over the years. But there’s been a rise this season in suspicious injuries among high-profile but slumping players.
When: During the first five weeks of the season, in order, Detroit’s Dontrelle Willis (anxiety disorder), the Yankees’ Chien-Ming Wang (stiff hips) and the Mets’ Oliver Perez (knee) all landed on the disabled list. A few GMs nearly joined them with facial discomfort after perusing the DL.
Background: Baseball is famous for phantom injuries, guys conveniently getting hurt when they aren’t playing and a roster spot needs to be opened. It happens more in the minor leagues than majors, where scrutiny makes the practice tougher to pull off. Teams can file a complaint if they feel someone is abusing the DL. Proving it, however, is difficult. Blood work revealed Willis’ disorder, even if he wasn’t convinced. Something is clearly wrong with him as his mechanics have gone haywire. Wang was awful and out of minor-league options when Alex Rodriguez’s doctor determined the right-hander had “hip” problems. Yankees GM Brian Cashman disputes the notion that there’s anything sinister at work. Wang wasn’t forthcoming, they said, about his problems. The Mets, in shelving Perez, a free-agent bust thus far, claimed Perez’s knee was bothering him for a few weeks.
Renck’s take: I have seen players arm-twisted into going on the DL, so it makes sense to be suspicious when fallen stars are shut down. The three teams mentioned — Tigers, Yankees and Mets — are not alone in putting players on the DL for questionable reasons. There’s a fine line between a defensible ache and convenient pain. It would be nice, just once, to see a guy land on the DL with a “swollen ERA” or “zero confidence.”
UPS AND DOWNS
THREE UP
1. Angels: Rest of AL West had a chance, but now Ervin Santana and John Lackey are back.
2. Brewers: Lead NL in home runs and rank near top in runs and OBP.
3. Mets: Have destroyed left-handed pitchers this season.
THREE DOWN
1. Diamondbacks: A.J. Hinch experiment off to chaotic, disappointing start.
2. Mariners: Closer Brandon Morrow becoming an open-ended question.
3. Padres: Somebody forgets to keep feeding toll on magic carpet ride.
