Shane Robinson seems like a nice guy.
How can anyone so tiny and scrappy not be super humble and ready to help your grandmother across the street at all times? If you asked him for his autograph, he’d probably return the favor by asking if he could help file your taxes.
But if we’re trying to win baseball games, then Matt Holliday is probably a better option as a pinch hitter. We’ll get back to Magic Mike and his penchant for holstering his guns until he’s already been shot in a minute.
We’ve buried the lede.
The Cardinals are giving away games on defense. They were only charged with 1 error on Sunday (presumably because errors are now like juries – any reasonable doubt results in a hit), but Matt Carpenter and Daniel Descalso both had balls to field that were playable and ended up not being played.
A win on the road against Stephen Strasburg was there for the taking. But it was gifted back. The Cardinals defensive has now recorded 16 errors in 19 games. According to dWAR, Matt Holliday is technically the best fielder the Cardinals currently employ (+.03).
Further complicating a split 4 game series was manager Mike Matheny’s insistence on pulling the cord on the power late. He sat Matt Adams for Jon Jay Friday. He sat Matt Holliday for Shane Robinson on Sunday. Yes, Jay did get a hit. Yes, the defensive debacle at home cost the Cardinals both games. But the curious managerial decisions in a season that is rapidly moving along are piling up.
For now, we’ll leave it be. Trust that Magic Mike knows what he’s doing.
But the defense (specifically MARP) need to step it up. Leaving winnable games on the table makes the inevitable losses that come over a season less palatable.
Don’t look now, but the Cardinals are once again back to 3 games in arrears of the Brewers.
Photo: Washington Times
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