Yardbarker: Jason Isringhausen

Top Ten: Biggest Thieves in Baseball - Pitchers

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 17:45:22 -0500

I started thinking about just how much money the Milwaukee Brewers are flushing away as their prized Closer sits on the bench, since putting him in the game holds the risk of another blown save. More on that later. I realized he was making $10,000,000 dollars this year. He is basically stealing money from the Brewers organization, which I am ok with. So I started wondering, who else is stealing money from their organization and severely underperforming. So bear witness to the Top Ten pitchers who should be wearing little masks with the eyes cut out when they leave the clubhouse. 10) Paul Byrd - Cleveland Indians: $7,500,000 Might be on the higher end of the total salary he actually earns it, well more of it than some of the others on this list. His 4.72 ERA isn't something many brag about but his 122 Innings does help the ....

Joba Out of Commission

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:28:44 -0500

Joba Chamberlain is heading to the DL, but he actually received some good news as well. Ian Kennedy will get another shot in the rotation in the meantime while a former Yankee is enjoying his short time with his new team in the NL.

That's Mr. Pujols To You, Pal

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 01:14:19 -0500

Albert Pujols is on one of his classic streaks where everything a pitcher throws at him gets hammered. Wednesday night the All-Star first baseman went 4-for-4 hitting two singles, a double and a grand slam to lead the Cardinals past the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-6.

Ludwick hits walk-off homer in 11th

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:35:17 -0500

The "greet and beat" was on for Ryan Ludwick once he'd reached home plate.

Phillies - Cardinals Series Recap

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:42:30 -0500

The Phillies came into Friday night's game against the St. Louis Cardinals one game ahead of the second place New York Mets in the National League East standings. The Phillies currently stand two and a half games up on the now second place Florida Marlins, and three up on the now third place Mets after taking two of three from the Cardinals. The Marlins lost two games against the Colorado Rockies and the Mets were swept in Houston, extending their losing streak to four. Game 1 Cardinals 6 Phillies 3 In a surprising twist, Phillies' ace Cole Hamels struggled for the second start in a row, giving up five runs on eight hits in six innings. He gave up four runs in the third inning. Outfielder Skip Schumaker singled to start the third and Cesar Izturis walked ahead of Joe Mather, who hit his fifth homer. "Now that I think about it," Hamels said. "The big innings that I have given up (this year), the changeup has been up. I haven't really been able to locate it down in the zone." Hamels was barely outmatched by former Phillie Kyle Lohse, who went five innings and gave up three runs. Lohse failed to get an out in the sixth inning, and has gone seven innings only eight times this season in 24 starts. Coming into Friday, the Cardinals as a team have 25 blown saves this season and current beleaguered closer Jason Isringhausen has eight blown saves of his own and has already lost his job once this season. Nevertheless, he got the final four outs to close out the game for St. Louis on Friday, including two walks and two strikeouts. Game 2 Phillies 2 Cardinals 1 Friday's loss ended a five game Phillies' winning streak and the next day the Fightins did exactly what good teams do: they started a new winning streak. They rebounded nicely for Joe Blanton's first win as a Phillie, giving up just one run on four hits in seven innings. Blanton struck out five, all on called third strikes. Ryan Howard and Greg Dobbs provided Blanton with all the offense necessary on two solo home runs. Blanton took care of the rest, giving up a solo home run to Ryan Ludwick, his third home run in two games. "He kept us off balance, moved the ball around the strike zone and just off the strike zone," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "He did a good job of mixing things up." Blanton's opponent, former Mets' reliever Braden Looper, is 2-6 with a 5.53 ERA lifetime against the Phillies. Two of those loses have come this season. Game 3 Phillies 5 Cardinals 4 Phillies' closer Brad Lidge got his 28th save in 28 chances Sunday, but came very close to blowing his first save of the season. With the Phillies leading 5-3 coming into the ninth inning, Troy Glaus led off the inning with a solo home run, just the second home run given up by Lidge this season. The Cardinals then proceeded to load the bases with two outs and the situation was looking dire indeed. Then Lidge reminded us all why he is the best reliever in the National League. Instead of getting overwhelmed and cracking under the pressure, Lidge came back and struck out the next two batters to close out the game. Despite not getting the win, Brett Myers put together his second quality outing in as many chances. It appears that his three week stint in AAA helped him workout his demons and get him back on track. Myers allowed just two runs over six innings and continues to build the confidence he needs to lead the Phillies down the stretch. Down 3-1, the Phillies put together a four run eighth inning capped off by Shane Victorino's three run home run to put them ahead for good. "You kind of have an idea of what he has by watching video, and I was just trying to hit a ball I could drive," Victorino said. "It was a fastball. That's what I think it was." Pat Burrell continues to be the most consistent and timely hitter on the Phillies, getting a two-out RBI single off Cardinals' reliever Russ Springer immediately preceding Victorino. Coming into Sunday, the trio of Howard (31), Chase Utley and Burrell (27) combined for more homers than eight of the 30 major league teams. The Phillies are off Monday and look to extend their current two-game winning streak Tuesday in Philadelphia against the Marlins.

AccuScore Closer Report - 7/30: Shaky Pens

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:37:05 -0500

This time of year very few closers are truly safe. The situations in Pittsburgh and Cleveland are unsettled, and Detroit has thrown another surprising name into their bullpen mix. Jonathan Lee sorts it all out in this week's Closer Report.

Isringhausen Returns to Closer's Role For Cardinals

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:18:11 -0500

Much to my personal dismay, the St. Louis Cardinals have decided to give the closer's role back to Jason Isringhausen, who has been a complete disaster and is personally responsible for 11 losses this season as a result of blown saves or allowing late inning rallies to tie the score.

48 Hours Left

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:05:17 -0500

With the trade deadline looming, there are several players available for trade who looked a lot more likely to be moved a week ago than they do today. Lets take a look:
-The Rockies are 6 games back in the weak NL west and have been playing great since the All-Star break. It seemed like they were prepared to let Brian Fuentes and Matt Holliday go in favor of acquiring a few prospects for the future. GM Dan O'Dowd said in the last couple days that it was "unlikely" that Fuentes would go.
-While Manny Ramirez and the Red Sox would be mutually happy to cut ties, it will not be an easy deal to pull off so quickly. He is a very expensive player to move and does not appear to have many suitors. The Dodgers and Mets have shown interest, so far.
-Jarrod Washburn going to the Yankees no longer looks imminent. While the Yankees were willing to take on his $14 million salary if they could throw Kei Igawa in the deal, the Mariners insisted that the Yanks include a prospect. That may be more that the Yankes are willing to pay.
-O's closer George Sherrill may also stay where he is due to an exhorbitant asking price. It was reported that the Cards were interested but they have just decided to put Jason Isringhausen back in the closer role, indicating a cooling of their interest.
-Mets manager Jerry Manuel announced yesterday that Fernando Tatis is his new starting left fielder, signaling the Mariners that they have backed off in their interest in Raul Ibanez.
-Blue Jays AJ Burnett also appears less likely to be traded than he was a week ago because GM Ricciardi says so but also maybe because he has an opt-out clause and a no-trade clause for 15 teams in his contract and no one wants to deal with that.

Forty-eight hours is an eternity going into the trade deadline and anything could still happen. It's not always easy to see through all the smoke being blown by all the GMs.

Still Waiting

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:46:54 -0500

The trade deadline looms, but there was still plenty of fantasy action as teams wait for the next big name to move which will likely be Atlanta's Mark Teixeira. The Braves are falling apart with injuries to Tim Hudson and Chipper Jones and are looking to sell. Meanwhile, A.J. Burnett pitches like an ace and looks to be staying in Toronto and there continues to be closer turmoil around the league.

MLB: Cardinals Get Swept and Now Sit Four Games Behind Cubs

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:42:08 -0500

If you're a St. Louis Cardinals fan you have to be sick at what is going on in the bullpen these days. With an opportunity to gain ground on the Chicago Cubs, the Cards instead get swept by the visiting Milwaukee Brewers and fall four games back. St. Louis has gone into the later innings with the lead more times than any other team in baseball and has now blown 24 save opportunities, clearly the highest number in the league. www.rawsportsblog.com

ISRINGHAUSEN'S DAYS IN ST. LOUIS NUMBERED?

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:50:34 -0500

by Moondog, The World According to Moondog

The closer is baseball's version of the one man every manager hopes can distinguish himself among all the other members of the bullpen.

With the advent of defined roles the one that has become the most problematic for the St. Louis Cardinals this season is which pitcher can manager Tony La Russa trust to close out games.

Since arriving in St. Louis prior to the 2002 season, Jason Isringhausen has been the closer but not without many tense moments. He isn't the type of pitcher that will consistently come into the 9th and get three consecutive outs to end the game.

So far this season Isringhausen has been a complete disaster, blowing seven saves and seeing his ERA balloon to 6.15 entering Wednesday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers.

There were signs of Isringhausen's decline over the past two seasons, blowing 10 saves in 2006 and ultimately being placed on the DL with a hip injury. Adam Wainwright stepped into the closer role and made people forget about Isringhausen as the Cardinals would go on to win the World Series.

Be it mental or physical, Isringhausen doesn't seem to have the stuff to be a major league closer anymore. It's reached a point where Isringhausen's presence is doing this team a disservice by giving him the ball and watching him blow two, three, and four-run leads time after time.

Isringhausen's last save came on May 5, 11 days before he went on the disabled list because of his inability to get people out and a self-inflicted right hand laceration.

He had blown six of his last nine save opportunities, including four in a row when he was given the ball in the ninth this past Sunday where he promptly gave up one run on three hits to the Padres.

He's actually been worse than the numbers indicate. The four-run lead he gave up before the All-Star game against the Pirates was technically not a save situation.

Being an avid Cardinal fan and watching nearly every game they've played this season, Isringhausen is directly responsible for losing 11 games. That's a huge swing from their current record of 57-46.

Isringhausen's place on the team was enough of an issue for the pitcher to seek a meeting in La Russa's office after last Thursday's 4-3 win over the Padres.

La Russa said recently that having a defined closer is "the best scenario, but this season, you take the circumstances that have developed. We got to the point where we lost Izzy. We're trying to get him back. We're trying to win games."

If La Russa wants to win games, then he has to arrive at a definitive decision on Isringhausen. Considering the Cards' have blown a MLB-high 24 saves and Isringhausen has shown no signs of being capable of getting the job done, it may be time to end his association with the club.

Moreover, his $8 million salary is a lot of money to spend on a pitcher who can't get anybody out. A year ago Isringhausen said he would refuse to waive his no-trade clause if the club sought to trade him during a lost season. This past Friday, he allowed for the possibility. The Atlanta Braves are believed to be in search of a closer.

"It's difficult for me to say anything about that unless they put something in front of me," Isringhausen said. "So far, that hasn't happened."

Frankly, if the Cardinals can find a taker for Isringhausen, they need to jump on the opportunity to send him out of St. Louis as fast as they can.

ISRINGHAUSEN'S DAYS IN ST. LOUIS NUMBERED?

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:50:34 -0500

MLB Busts of the Week - Week 16

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 07:11:36 -0500

Which fantasy studs dropped the ball last week? And which "sleepers" fell short of their hyped billing? Screaming Sports' Andrew Thibodeau runs down an eight-player list of fantasy bombs.

Top 7 Fantasy to Real Life Baseball Discrepancies

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:12:42 -0500

With the best players in baseball like Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez and other established stars, it usually translates into them ranked nearly as high as far as fantasy baseball is concerned in almost every single case. But due to fantasy baseball being?fantasy, some discrepancies arise as you start looking at who the most valuable players are in your 4x4 or 5x5 league.

Sometimes, the guy that ends up winning your league for you is the same guy whose fans curse the team every time that he is in the lineup, or a guy whose numbers look decent at the end of the year, but whose streakiness makes him beyond frustrating to root for in real life.

This week's Top 7 pays tribute to the players whose fantasy value and real value are the furthest from each other.

7. Dan Uggla

OK, fine, this is based upon his performance in the All-Star Game, but three errors and 27 men left on base in ten innings wouldn't mean much of anything fantasy-wise, but sure didn't help the NL. Here's the most depressing thing about the All-Star Game?with JD Drew getting his second huge home run in less than a year and being healthy all season so far, is it even fair to rip on him being the biggest pansy in baseball anymore? How depressing.

6. Alfonso Soriano

Streakier than Jim Edmonds, injured nearly as much as Drew, and as frustrating in the outfield as Adam Dunn, Soriano may put up huge numbers year after year, but you can't find too many Cub fans without several negative things to say about him.

5. Michael Bourn

He is the new Juan Pierre. He is on someone's roster in any fantasy league because of his steals, but on the Astros he is a leadoff guy with a .218 average and a .273 OB%, good for 84th out of 86 qualified players.

4. Willy Taveras

Another ungodly light-hitting outfielder who inexplicably keeps playing despite horrifically low power numbers and OB%, but fantasy owners hope the Rockies continue playing he and his 39 steals.

3. Carlos Marmol

Unless you are in one of those progressive leagues that have the holds-plus-saves category, middle relievers are the most under appreciated players in fantasy baseball. Marmol was the posterboy for that in the first half with 22 of them despite slowing down the last few weeks. He is still owned in some leagues because of his massive amount of strikeouts, but he sure won't be on major league waivers any time soon.

2. Jason Isringhausen

Ah yes, fantasy saves. There are people who, especially in NL-only leagues, have Izzy sitting on their roster hoping that he gets another chance to close so he picks up some more saves. In real life, Cardinal fans across the country scream and throw things at the TV if he even begins warming up.

1. Juan Pierre

He helps neither real nor fantasy in power, with no homers since 2006. The only thing keeping him on fantasy rosters are his stolen bases, and the only thing keeping him on the Dodgers is one of the worst contracts in baseball.

AccuScore Closer Report - 7/15

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:38:01 -0500

Now that baseball has hit the All-Star break, it is a good time to assess the bullpen situations across baseball. Eleven different relievers were named to the All-Star team, but that doesn't mean they were the most valuable relief pitchers in fantasy.