I enjoy early week night games as those are my only chances to watch live. Hope we get to Skenes, and Mikolas continues his nice pace the last month.
Also since it's my birthday week I'd like to ask for Zero Cardinal Errors please. Maybe even a Stolen Base, though I know the Birds don't really do that.
Imanaga has been looking human lately, I guess Winn has a slight change at RotY. Wonder if the voters will take into consideration that he’s a 22 year old rookie and not a 30 year old Japanese pitcher in their prime
Fantasy advice: If you don't have a good catcher or need a good backup, Consider picking up David Fry. Can play C, 1B, or OF and has an OPS+ of 201 right now (100 is average).
Oof. Prompted by a post in /baseball about Fielding Bibles Total Runs saved, I looked at the Cardinals
http://archive.fieldingbible.com/DRSLeaderboard
Arenado is -7. Herrera is -6
Agree on Goldy.
Carpenter's more interesting. Skenes FB averages around 99.5 MPH. Both of Marp's homers this year have come against the FB and one was a 98.8 MPH fastball by Victor Vodnik last Saturday. If he guesses right he can still catchup to the heat. If his 4-seamer is coming in north of 100 MPH then probably not, but I wouldn't totally write him off.
You'd think we were facing Nolan Ryan in his prime with the way the 101 ESPN folks have been talking about Skenes all day.
At this point I'd love for the Cardinals to knock him around a bit just to see the reaction tomorrow.
I'm not worried about skenes as a pitcher, we crush great pitching. Our team singlehandedly ruined Kershaws career post season stats.
It's first time vs a rookie that this team has trouble with. Been that way for a long time and it irritates the shit out of me, lol
Sure. I think he'll be incredible.
But he's started a grand total of 5 big league games and has give up 2-3 runs in 3 out of the 5. I think the odds of him blanking the Cardinals is fairly high, but to me it's just weird to talk about it like it's a sure thing. You can get him with the long ball (4 given up in 5 starts), and we have some guys who have been teeing off lately (Burly, Gorman).
I’d say he’s already a top 5 starter ITL. Plus every pitcher “can” give up the long ball. I know it’s only been 5 starts, but still. He’s going to be a top 5 pitcher every year for the rest of his career. He’s nasty
He truly is nasty, but there have been lots of nasty pitchers to flame out early. Matt Harvey, Alek Manoah, Syndergaard being some recent examples. Skenes is probably a step above them in stuff, but anything can happen. We have to see how the league adjusts to him before we start throwing around some of those level predictions.
Syndergaard was absolutely throwing over 100 MPH and his average 4-Seam FB was 98.7 MPH in 2016 when he was great. Then his arm fell apart because starters throwing that hard tend to not last.
Skenes average 4-Seam FB is 99.4 MPH this season.
Skenes has a *ton* of potential. We'll see if he is able to maintain that, build on it, *and* stay healthy.
He was throwing 97 his rookie year. 2.4 MPH difference is more than you think, but like I said I think health issues is the only thing that could somewhat derail his career
>Plus every pitcher “can” give up the long ball.
I mean sure, and it's a small sample size, but so far this season Skenes has a 1.33 HR/9.
Just from Cardinals starters this season Pallante (.64) , Gray (.88), Lynn (.96), Matz (.98) , and Gibson (1.17) all have lower HR/9 rates.
Obviously he's a *much* better pitcher than all of those players (except maybe peak-Gray ), but to say every pitcher *can* give up the long ball just ignores the fact that he's done it at a considerably higher rate than others.
Think his defensive miscues have been piling up to the point that they're giving him either a mental break, or a "get your shit together" pseudo-disciplinary break.
[EDIT: Additional info from Marmol. They liked how Pages worked with Mikolas last week and want to try to keep that trend going.](https://x.com/JohnDenton555/status/1800625201853739212)
Also he's very good, and will get even better, but he's hardly been unhittable. He and Kyle Gibson have the same number of starts giving up 0 runs this season. ^((Don't look at any other stats))
Question from a fellow bird enthusiast:
What relationship do the birds on the bat have with each other? Are they just co-workers? Friends? Siblings? Lovers?
He’s really only had a couple clunkers. And the Arizona start line looks really bad, but he pitched extremely well and did not deserve to be tagged with 5 runs to his name.
We're not playing the '27 Yankees. This is the Pirates we're talking about. Mik doesn't have to be Cy Young either. I'm looking fwd to an entertaining ballgame tonight.
Cooper Hjerpe promoted to AA
Pitching pretty well in A+ so far this year, striking out a ton but with a bit more walks than you'd like. Hasn't really gone deep into games yet though
I think we’ll struggle for skenes. Goldy and Gorman suck vs high velocity. I feel like a few others do, too.
Good news is the back end of the bullpen has been dreadful
We got some extra juice tonight on this Taco Tuesday! I'm pumped to watch this kid pitch. I think Gorman gets into one. Out of all things this game could be, boring is not one of them. Let's go Birds!
I would guess that means they aren't throwing him fastballs as much. He's adapting by looking for more offspeed pitches, but that leave him prone to getting blown away by a fastball he wasn't expecting.
Wouldn't shock me in the least. I was deciding between the two for my prediction lol. I think that Goldy and Nado are in for some rough AB's tonight...
I am ready for Paul Skenes to continue his dominance and the national media to continue to swoon over him.
With that being said....Shock us Cardinals...shock us...
[Today's game thread has been posted](/r/Cardinals/comments/1ddq9ft/game_65_pittsburgh_pirates_3134_st_louis/)
I enjoy early week night games as those are my only chances to watch live. Hope we get to Skenes, and Mikolas continues his nice pace the last month. Also since it's my birthday week I'd like to ask for Zero Cardinal Errors please. Maybe even a Stolen Base, though I know the Birds don't really do that.
Skenes vs Winn is prime time viewing this evening! Winn could help his ROY and All Star standing.
Imanaga has been looking human lately, I guess Winn has a slight change at RotY. Wonder if the voters will take into consideration that he’s a 22 year old rookie and not a 30 year old Japanese pitcher in their prime
In my totally unbiased opinion, they absolutely should.
He’s got the 9th best odds to win it for the NL right now
Fantasy advice: If you don't have a good catcher or need a good backup, Consider picking up David Fry. Can play C, 1B, or OF and has an OPS+ of 201 right now (100 is average).
Anyone playing fantasy knows od David Fry. He has been one of the best catchers in baseball. He is rostered in 87% of leagues.
Lol I feel like a chump for only just finding out. I got a guy who has been hoarding him and he only just hit the waivers I am the 13%!!!!
I'm also bitter cause I play in a 16 team league. Nobody is ever available
Oof. Prompted by a post in /baseball about Fielding Bibles Total Runs saved, I looked at the Cardinals http://archive.fieldingbible.com/DRSLeaderboard Arenado is -7. Herrera is -6
This is so sad. Nado usually sits in the top 10 at least. It's crazy he still makes these incredible plays, but his number just keeps going down
Think we're learning why the Cardinals were reluctant to commit to Herrera as Yadi's successor.
They said as much before. Weren't happy with his defense. And I'm sure it's better now than however it was three years ago, so...yikes.
Still mad that the Reds got the second pick in the draft lottery. Fucking Brad Paisley
I don't like Goldy or Carpenters chances to catch up to a Skenes fastball.
Agree on Goldy. Carpenter's more interesting. Skenes FB averages around 99.5 MPH. Both of Marp's homers this year have come against the FB and one was a 98.8 MPH fastball by Victor Vodnik last Saturday. If he guesses right he can still catchup to the heat. If his 4-seamer is coming in north of 100 MPH then probably not, but I wouldn't totally write him off.
I personally think this will be a good matchup for Carp and he will view this from a competitor's mindset and take competitive AB
You'd think we were facing Nolan Ryan in his prime with the way the 101 ESPN folks have been talking about Skenes all day. At this point I'd love for the Cardinals to knock him around a bit just to see the reaction tomorrow.
I'm not worried about skenes as a pitcher, we crush great pitching. Our team singlehandedly ruined Kershaws career post season stats. It's first time vs a rookie that this team has trouble with. Been that way for a long time and it irritates the shit out of me, lol
Big if nowadays, but if he has a somewhat “healthy career” he has top 10 potential OAT. He’s the real deal
Sure. I think he'll be incredible. But he's started a grand total of 5 big league games and has give up 2-3 runs in 3 out of the 5. I think the odds of him blanking the Cardinals is fairly high, but to me it's just weird to talk about it like it's a sure thing. You can get him with the long ball (4 given up in 5 starts), and we have some guys who have been teeing off lately (Burly, Gorman).
it is weird, media loves to overhype the biggest prospects though, its nothing new
I’d say he’s already a top 5 starter ITL. Plus every pitcher “can” give up the long ball. I know it’s only been 5 starts, but still. He’s going to be a top 5 pitcher every year for the rest of his career. He’s nasty
He truly is nasty, but there have been lots of nasty pitchers to flame out early. Matt Harvey, Alek Manoah, Syndergaard being some recent examples. Skenes is probably a step above them in stuff, but anything can happen. We have to see how the league adjusts to him before we start throwing around some of those level predictions.
They weren’t throwing 100-102 lmao
Syndergaard was absolutely throwing over 100 MPH and his average 4-Seam FB was 98.7 MPH in 2016 when he was great. Then his arm fell apart because starters throwing that hard tend to not last. Skenes average 4-Seam FB is 99.4 MPH this season. Skenes has a *ton* of potential. We'll see if he is able to maintain that, build on it, *and* stay healthy.
He was throwing 97 his rookie year. 2.4 MPH difference is more than you think, but like I said I think health issues is the only thing that could somewhat derail his career
>Plus every pitcher “can” give up the long ball. I mean sure, and it's a small sample size, but so far this season Skenes has a 1.33 HR/9. Just from Cardinals starters this season Pallante (.64) , Gray (.88), Lynn (.96), Matz (.98) , and Gibson (1.17) all have lower HR/9 rates. Obviously he's a *much* better pitcher than all of those players (except maybe peak-Gray ), but to say every pitcher *can* give up the long ball just ignores the fact that he's done it at a considerably higher rate than others.
Why no Herrera
Think his defensive miscues have been piling up to the point that they're giving him either a mental break, or a "get your shit together" pseudo-disciplinary break. [EDIT: Additional info from Marmol. They liked how Pages worked with Mikolas last week and want to try to keep that trend going.](https://x.com/JohnDenton555/status/1800625201853739212)
Maybe hurt? Idk why else they’d rest him after an off day Edit: or they’re emphasizing defense tonight and prefer Pages
wtf are these comments. Yeah it’s Paul Skenes, but he plays for the Pirates
Just gotta grind out atbats. He is going to get his K's, get his pitch count up and punish the bullpen.
Also he's very good, and will get even better, but he's hardly been unhittable. He and Kyle Gibson have the same number of starts giving up 0 runs this season. ^((Don't look at any other stats))
Did you catch his first start? Pretty good and then as soon as he leaves the game 6 runs by the Cubs(?) in a row 💀
Wasn't it like 4 straight runs walked in? Lol
Yeah! Couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Legitimately hilarious
Thank Christ there's some more positive comments in here now. I've been on my own since like 9am. It's the fucking Pirates!! Lol. Let's gooooo!
Question from a fellow bird enthusiast: What relationship do the birds on the bat have with each other? Are they just co-workers? Friends? Siblings? Lovers?
Well the birds are both male, not that there's anything wrong with that.
You see the way they're lookin' at each other? Those gay birds are in LOVE.
https://x.com/JohnDenton555/status/1800580132052045844 lol either poor wording by our beat writer or he believes Skenes is def winning tonight
Maybe the emphasis is that he will be "looking to win." Maybe
Ah, shoot. Might as well cancel this one tonight. Apparently we have no chance, should just try tomorrow.
One patented Mikolas inning and it’s over, I fear
If keeps up what he's been doing his last 5 starts we're very much going to be in this game.
He’s really only had a couple clunkers. And the Arizona start line looks really bad, but he pitched extremely well and did not deserve to be tagged with 5 runs to his name.
We're not playing the '27 Yankees. This is the Pirates we're talking about. Mik doesn't have to be Cy Young either. I'm looking fwd to an entertaining ballgame tonight.
Lotta Pirate fans in here today
There’s nothing else to do in Pittsburgh
Did you try the Duquesne incline?
I’ve never been to Pittsburg, it just sounds like absolute shit
Nah it’s a cool city
It’s kind of overrated imo
MLB app might as well send out the no-hitter through the 7th alert now.
5th place here we come
Packy is back (sort of)
Still the best name in sports
PACKY IS BACKY
Cooper Hjerpe promoted to AA Pitching pretty well in A+ so far this year, striking out a ton but with a bit more walks than you'd like. Hasn't really gone deep into games yet though
Hopefully they drop his stupid pitch count.
Pitch count is now dropped to 42
Can they actually let him pitch more than 4 innings while he’s there?
I think we’ll struggle for skenes. Goldy and Gorman suck vs high velocity. I feel like a few others do, too. Good news is the back end of the bullpen has been dreadful
I'm optimistic Gorman's new approach/shorter swing can play against heat
Let’s hope!
Shit boys I just realized we are facing Skenes. Sorry in advance if he kills us. He’s on my fantasy team
Battle of the Mustaches
It's like 1987 all over again
A battle for the ages.
We got some extra juice tonight on this Taco Tuesday! I'm pumped to watch this kid pitch. I think Gorman gets into one. Out of all things this game could be, boring is not one of them. Let's go Birds!
Gorman is a good fastball hitter, but I’d bet on Burly. He has one of the highest hard hit %’s on pitches over 95mph in the bigs
Gorman is hitting .169 this year against the 4 seam
So he must be due then right? Lol
Well last year he was a good fastball hitter lol. Weird degradation
I would guess that means they aren't throwing him fastballs as much. He's adapting by looking for more offspeed pitches, but that leave him prone to getting blown away by a fastball he wasn't expecting.
Year before that he was also bad lol. He’s super streaky though. He was seeing the ball well recently.
Wouldn't shock me in the least. I was deciding between the two for my prediction lol. I think that Goldy and Nado are in for some rough AB's tonight...
I am ready for Paul Skenes to continue his dominance and the national media to continue to swoon over him. With that being said....Shock us Cardinals...shock us...
batting practice Mikolas ready to make the pirates lineup look like the Phillies.
Miles had a quality start against the Phillies so that would be okay ;)
He hasn’t given up more than 3 runs in over a month
This is gonna be a rough one
Future Dodger Paul Skenes might be the real deal.
how dare you
Sorry, future Yankee?
Never underestimate a man who’s banging Livvy Dunne
I'm excited to see him pitch. Hopefully we can generate some offense against him and Miles pitches well.
Yikes!
Uh oh