Cardinals Avoid Grim Reaper and The Friday Links

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Last night, around 11:15 Allen Craig hit a double, nearly getting thrown out at second base to lead off the 6th inning. 

Moving on contact, Craig was called out when Yadier Molina’s single to the shortstop hit him. I paused the TV. Took a picture of the exact moment the ball struck Craig and was fully prepared to post that picture alone after the loss with the headline “The End”. You see it over there on the right. 

I opened up a new post as soon Daniel Descalso flied out to left to end the inning. The post was ready to go.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the *NEW worst loss of the season. The Cardinals scratched out a run in the 7th, and then got 3 sterling innings from Mujica, Boggs and Motte. (Side: How are the Dodgers not dominating with Kemp/Gonzo/Ramirez in the middle of the lineup?)

It’s only sort of hyperbole, but that win kept the Cardinals in the postseason chase for at least the rest of the season. The Dodgers can only have the Cards leave LA down one… at the worst. More likely will be a split that leaves everyone where they were. 

The sweep was avoided and the Cardinals will live to fight on another week.

A couple of other observations, in no particular order: 

1) Can Jon Jay hit the ball out of the infield anymore? He’s now batter under .240 ont he road and over .380 at home. But I’m seriously trying to figure out the last time he hit it out of the infield and can’t. You figure he’d get lucky at some point and pop it up 150 feet or something.

2) Josh Beckett. Dude. You can’t get thrown out at first from right field. That’s some super weak shit right there. 

3) I’ve watched baseball for a long time. You probably have to. And I feel comfortable saying that I’ve never seen a catcher – ever – be able to throw out runners like Yadier Molina. It’s spectacular.

Now, The Friday Links.

That’s it. That’s the week. After 4 straight days of sunny 78 degree weather, the weekend is finally here and the rain is pouring down. We need rain, no doubt. But I’ve always supported engineering the weather to make sure that it rains Monday and Tuesday with perhaps a maintenance shower late Thursday overnight into Friday and then that’s it. Who can make this happen?

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