Post by Commissioner Erick on Aug 4, 2022 6:45:16 GMT -5
St. Louis Cardinals (81-62) @ San Francisco Giants (85-58)
STL: Victor Gonzalez (4-9, 6.15)
SF: Shane Baz (14-7, 3.23)
Cardinals 5 Key Stats:
12.79: Victor Gonzalez’ ERA in his last six starts: Gonzalez was coming off two starts allowing zero runs entering the All-Star break. Over the second half, he’s been a disaster. His last start—a 5 inning, three-run no decision against Philadelphia—was his only reasonably successful second half start. He’s allowed 43 hits over the span in just 21.1 innings. He’ll need to be less hittable to beat San Francisco today.
2: Hits this season for Raul Mondesi: After crushing Memphis for a .314 average, the Cardinals called him up in late August needing a spark. Their offense wasn’t clicking as it had early in the season. Mondesi played in five games, picking up two singles in 21 at bats. He didn’t walk or have an extra base hit, pulling an ab muscle and straining his achilles in the process. After a setback from the achilles injury, he’s eligible to play today if the Cardinals need him.
124: RBI’s for Patrick Leonard: Leonard leads the NL in RBIs, thriving after escaping Los Angeles. Leonard has continued to become a more complete hitter with age. He’s always had huge power, but he hit above .255 for the first time last year, hitting .280. He’s increased that to .299. this year. He’s also solely a DH now, without terrible defense dragging him down. As a result, he’s produced 5.0 WAR and has St. Louis fighting for their first playoff appearance since 2023.
79: St. Louis runs scored in August: The Cardinals’ offense completely disappeared in August as the team scored the fewest runs in the league for the month. Even the Reds scored three more times. The Cardinals had a .213 average and pitiful .342 Slugging Percentage for the month. As a result, the Cardinals barely averaged 3 runs a game. St. Louis has hit decently in September against a tough slate, but those games were at home or in Arizona. Today they travel to San Francisco, the toughest place to hit in the NL, against the third best run prevention unit in the NL.
.636: Joe Mills’ OPS in August: The main reason for St. Louis’ summer struggles is Country Mills’ summer struggles. Mills hit just .196 .in July with four homers. He hit .228 in August, but with just one homer. Mills hit over .300 with six home runs every month of the year until July. Mills turned 27 recently, but is just a second-year player used to minor-league seasons and low-pressure environments. If he wants to show that he’s not getting worn down by a grueling playoff chase, he’ll need to produce against the Giants today.
Giants 5 Key Stats:
15: Games left against winning teams: San Francisco has a 1.5 game lead over the Dodgers for the NL West lead, but if they want to make the playoffs, they’ll have to earn it. They play the Reds for four games this weekend, but the rest of their schedule is all winning teams. They face the Diamondbacks for five, the Brewers for four, and the Dodgers for three. The first winning opponent is tonight, when they host the Cardinals for a trio of games.
12: Scoreless innings for Shane Baz in September. The Giants’ stud may never reach his 2024 heights, but he’s been a damn effective arm the last four years. An inability to be hit hard has led to a strong 1.02 WHIP, enforcing a 3.23 ERA. He’s struck out 213 hitters and has held right-handers to a .519 OPS—a.473 mark at home. He’ll be the perfect arm to neutralize Leonard, who is 1-6 lifetime against him.
49: Giants home wins in 68 games: The Giants have been rock solid at home, winning at a 72% clip. Their most recent homestand saw them sweep the Padres and take two of three from the Royals. They have 13 of their final 18 games at home to close the year.
12: Brian Hampton Home Runs in his last 26 Games: Hampton has continued his surge. He finished August with 10 homers in the month and has added a couple in September for good measure. He’s now batting for an .832 OPS and is second in OPS for NL Catchers.
8: Calvin Mitchell August Starts: Mitchell saw his playing time cut in July. He only started nine Games in the month, and 13 in August. Nelle Willemsen’s injury opened up more time for him and he’s seized it. He’s batting .314 for the month with a home run and three doubles. He’s playing good baseball and San Francisco will have a decision to make when Willemsen is healthy.
Questions for the GMs:
For Tim Lentz, Raul Mondesi is eligible to come off the IL. Will he be activated for today’s game?
Edward Soto was horrendous in Triple-A this year, but has major power. Any thoughts on starting him in left today?
Victor Gonzalez has had a rough second half. How much rope will you give him today?
For Dave Twibell, Zipper Willemsen is injured, but Calvin Mitchell has been playing well. Is Frazer McWhir the odd man out?
You have a couple of open roster spots before today’s game. Who will you be calling up?
Only two teams have a better pinch-hit OPS than your club, but you’re only fifth in the NL in Pinch Hit Plate Appearances. Any thoughts on having your team pinch hit more often?
TRIVIA: Luis Detres is one of two pitchers with over 200 strikeouts in a season for St. Louis. Who is the other?
STL: Victor Gonzalez (4-9, 6.15)
SF: Shane Baz (14-7, 3.23)
Cardinals 5 Key Stats:
12.79: Victor Gonzalez’ ERA in his last six starts: Gonzalez was coming off two starts allowing zero runs entering the All-Star break. Over the second half, he’s been a disaster. His last start—a 5 inning, three-run no decision against Philadelphia—was his only reasonably successful second half start. He’s allowed 43 hits over the span in just 21.1 innings. He’ll need to be less hittable to beat San Francisco today.
2: Hits this season for Raul Mondesi: After crushing Memphis for a .314 average, the Cardinals called him up in late August needing a spark. Their offense wasn’t clicking as it had early in the season. Mondesi played in five games, picking up two singles in 21 at bats. He didn’t walk or have an extra base hit, pulling an ab muscle and straining his achilles in the process. After a setback from the achilles injury, he’s eligible to play today if the Cardinals need him.
124: RBI’s for Patrick Leonard: Leonard leads the NL in RBIs, thriving after escaping Los Angeles. Leonard has continued to become a more complete hitter with age. He’s always had huge power, but he hit above .255 for the first time last year, hitting .280. He’s increased that to .299. this year. He’s also solely a DH now, without terrible defense dragging him down. As a result, he’s produced 5.0 WAR and has St. Louis fighting for their first playoff appearance since 2023.
79: St. Louis runs scored in August: The Cardinals’ offense completely disappeared in August as the team scored the fewest runs in the league for the month. Even the Reds scored three more times. The Cardinals had a .213 average and pitiful .342 Slugging Percentage for the month. As a result, the Cardinals barely averaged 3 runs a game. St. Louis has hit decently in September against a tough slate, but those games were at home or in Arizona. Today they travel to San Francisco, the toughest place to hit in the NL, against the third best run prevention unit in the NL.
.636: Joe Mills’ OPS in August: The main reason for St. Louis’ summer struggles is Country Mills’ summer struggles. Mills hit just .196 .in July with four homers. He hit .228 in August, but with just one homer. Mills hit over .300 with six home runs every month of the year until July. Mills turned 27 recently, but is just a second-year player used to minor-league seasons and low-pressure environments. If he wants to show that he’s not getting worn down by a grueling playoff chase, he’ll need to produce against the Giants today.
Giants 5 Key Stats:
15: Games left against winning teams: San Francisco has a 1.5 game lead over the Dodgers for the NL West lead, but if they want to make the playoffs, they’ll have to earn it. They play the Reds for four games this weekend, but the rest of their schedule is all winning teams. They face the Diamondbacks for five, the Brewers for four, and the Dodgers for three. The first winning opponent is tonight, when they host the Cardinals for a trio of games.
12: Scoreless innings for Shane Baz in September. The Giants’ stud may never reach his 2024 heights, but he’s been a damn effective arm the last four years. An inability to be hit hard has led to a strong 1.02 WHIP, enforcing a 3.23 ERA. He’s struck out 213 hitters and has held right-handers to a .519 OPS—a.473 mark at home. He’ll be the perfect arm to neutralize Leonard, who is 1-6 lifetime against him.
49: Giants home wins in 68 games: The Giants have been rock solid at home, winning at a 72% clip. Their most recent homestand saw them sweep the Padres and take two of three from the Royals. They have 13 of their final 18 games at home to close the year.
12: Brian Hampton Home Runs in his last 26 Games: Hampton has continued his surge. He finished August with 10 homers in the month and has added a couple in September for good measure. He’s now batting for an .832 OPS and is second in OPS for NL Catchers.
8: Calvin Mitchell August Starts: Mitchell saw his playing time cut in July. He only started nine Games in the month, and 13 in August. Nelle Willemsen’s injury opened up more time for him and he’s seized it. He’s batting .314 for the month with a home run and three doubles. He’s playing good baseball and San Francisco will have a decision to make when Willemsen is healthy.
Questions for the GMs:
For Tim Lentz, Raul Mondesi is eligible to come off the IL. Will he be activated for today’s game?
Edward Soto was horrendous in Triple-A this year, but has major power. Any thoughts on starting him in left today?
Victor Gonzalez has had a rough second half. How much rope will you give him today?
For Dave Twibell, Zipper Willemsen is injured, but Calvin Mitchell has been playing well. Is Frazer McWhir the odd man out?
You have a couple of open roster spots before today’s game. Who will you be calling up?
Only two teams have a better pinch-hit OPS than your club, but you’re only fifth in the NL in Pinch Hit Plate Appearances. Any thoughts on having your team pinch hit more often?
TRIVIA: Luis Detres is one of two pitchers with over 200 strikeouts in a season for St. Louis. Who is the other?
