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Sunday, April 22, 2007

STL Post-Dispatch: Return of Encarnacion seen as key

Three offense-free weeks have altered perceptions at 700 Clark Street.

Exhibit A: Juan Encarnacion, who would have been shopped last winter if not for December wrist surgery, has become the Cardinals’ missing cornerstone. The same team that won its final three World Series games with Encarnacion tethered to its bench now looks to him as the May answer for its April drought. Few items more clearly illustrate where the Cardinals have fallen.
...
Short of trading for a starting outfielder, something the club found impossible last month, Encarnacion represents the best hope of providing stability to what has been manager Tony La Russa’s mix-and-match outfield… The need for more “damage” has caused the club to contemplate promoting John Rodriguez from Triple-A Memphis. So far, a greater need has existed for Skip Schumaker’s versatility.

Getting shut out by Jason Marquis was probably the Cards’ version of Arizona losing to Russ Ortiz, eh?

NTNgod Posted: April 22, 2007 at 01:49 AM | 8 comment(s) | Login to Bookmark
  Related News: GeneralSt Louis

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   1. Vaux, A.B.D. Posted: April 22, 2007 at 03:04 AM (#2341930)
If Encarnacion is the key, they'd be better off trying to pick the lock.
   2. Shibal Posted: April 22, 2007 at 03:59 AM (#2341948)
When Wade Miller shuts out the Cards tomorrow, then you'll really see some squealing. St. Louis might as well just get Reggie Sanders or Emil Brown...they're available cheap.
   3. Social media assassin (Templeusox) Posted: April 22, 2007 at 04:06 AM (#2341951)
Wily Mo Pena for Bryan Anderson.
   4. KJOK Posted: April 22, 2007 at 05:41 AM (#2341968)
Hopefully we'll see Encarnacion and Rodgriguez getting more OF PT at the expense of the pathetic group of Schumaker, Spezio, Taguchi & Preston Wilson, but yes, when Encarnacion is your 'missing cornerstone' things are really bad.
   5. Sparkles Peterson Posted: April 22, 2007 at 05:53 AM (#2341969)
So far this season, Skip Schumaker's "versatility" consists of being replacement level in every facet of the game. There is seriously something wrong when I can get excited about the return of Encarnacion and Rodriguez to this roster.
   6. DCW3 Posted: April 22, 2007 at 08:29 PM (#2342401)
So far this season, Skip Schumaker's "versatility" consists of being replacement level in every facet of the game. There is seriously something wrong when I can get excited about the return of Encarnacion and Rodriguez to this roster.

Well, the stupid thing was putting Schumaker on the team over J-Rod to begin with. But this has to be about as bad a bench as any NL team has put out in recent memory. Except for Spiezio, everybody on the bench is at best replacement level, and until Encarnacion comes back, one of Taguchi, Wilson or Schumaker has to start every day.
   7. greenback Posted: April 22, 2007 at 09:19 PM (#2342440)
Schumaker is on the roster because he hit .400 in spring training. I'm convinced that TLR has to give an April roster spot to one undeserving player with good spring training stats. Even if he knows the stats don't have any predictive value, he'd go nuts if something close to 20% of the "full season" was meaningless.

They probably should've put Spiezio on the 15-day DL, but that would be too easy.
   8. Guts Posted: April 22, 2007 at 09:27 PM (#2342444)
Can't Tony stomach his hatred for JRod for the good of the team? Gooch, P-Dub and Skip are all terrible, have been terrible, and are going to continue to be terrible. The offense only works one day a week; Juan and John can't make anything worse at this point.
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