Greene and Kinney up, Walters and Stavinoha down

Josh Kinney

After a three week stint on the DL, Khalil Greene has been activated.

Greene was back in St. Louis on Wednesday but was not expected to be activated until this weekend. Manager Tony La Russa wanted to observe Greene go through an extensive workout before making any further decisions, but obviously liked what I saw.

Greene spent four games and logged 15 at bats in Memphis. He hit a healthy .400, had three runs, two doubles, and two RBI.

Greene hit the disabled list in wake of his very serious anxiety disorder that forced him to abuse himself. As if he doesn’t have enough on his plate as it is, Khalil will now man the hot-corner instead of shortstop. Due to Brendan Ryan and Tyler Greene’s success, Khalil agreed to move over to third.

KGreene seemed very relaxed when asked about the move and said he is “very excited to return”.

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Josh Kinney, P.J. Walters, and Nick Stavinoha also received news today regarding where they are going to spend at least the next week or two. Kinney was recalled from Triple-A affiliate Memphis and Walters is set to take his spot in the Minors.

For Kinney, this will be his second stint with the Big League club. He made three appearances with St. Louis earlier this season. Josh recorded 2.2 innings and allowed four runs while walking four. However, he has had some previous success in the Major Leagues.

Kinney had a pretty damn good start to his career before he needed his Tommy John Surgery. Kinney made a huge impact on that 2006 World Series team with an accumulation over 6 innings of three hit ball (no runs). That ’06 season was definitely his best. Josh threw over 25 innings with a 3.24 ERA and 22 strikeouts. Anything close to that would be a huge help in the ‘pen.

As for Walters, he is sent down to Memphis for the second time this season. Out of his grand total of six outings, Walters only came out of one without giving up any runs. That happened to be the only one-inning outing he has made thus far.

Walters will be a huge help to the 31-35 Memphis Redbirds who have definitely been on the raw end of these promotions. P.J. has 4.14 ERA as a Redbird, but has yet to settle in any one level. Maybe this move will be his last and he can find a groove as one of Memphis’ front-end-of-the-rotation guys.

Stavinoha has become one of the most loved guys in the city and in the clubhouse over the past few weeks, but is also packing his bags for Memphis.

Stavinoha proved he could handle MLB pitching when he belted in 10 RBI as one of the team’s bench players. In May, Stav batted .256 and was among the team’s best in most offensive categories.

Nonetheless, he just isn’t a starting outfielder yet in the MLB. And with a group of very solid outfielders, Stav found himself struggling with no room to play here lately. He is batting a mere .190 in June with only 21 at-bats with the return of Ludwick and Ankiel.

Nick’s clutch hits and key RBI will be missed to say the least, but all in all, you can hardly argue that Stavinoha is not at the level the rest of our outfielders are at.

Justin Hulsey
Cardinals Front Office

Cardinals Receive Needed Offensive Help

Ryan Ludwick

The Cardinals may be on a roll of late, but you can’t hide the fact that the offense is in a slump. St. Louis is 7-2 in the previous nine games, but have only scored more than five runs once in the past three weeks.

The scuffling offense gets one of its biggest weapons back on Friday night, and not a day too soon.

All Star slugger, Ryan Ludwick, is scheduled to be activated this Friday when the 28-19 Cardinals take on the 23-23 Giants in San Francisco this weekend.

Ludwick experienced a strained right hamstring on May 12^th when he dove for a fly ball against Pittsburgh.

The Cards, who were the MLB’s best offensive team in the first few weeks of the season, scored an average of three runs per game with Ludwick out of the lineup. In the early stages of this season, St. Louis had a scoring average of above five.

With Luddy coming off the DL, somebody will have to be sent down to Memphis. IF I was John Mozeliak, this would be the hardest decision of this season so far.

The likely candidates to be sent down are Stavinoha and Brad Thompson.

Stavinoha has been hot of late, but it would kill me to send down a hot bat in the middle of the team’s offensive slump. However, with Rasmus, Ankiel, Ludwick, and Duncan… Stavi would see little playing time and almost be wasted.

On the other end of the spectrum, Brad Thompson has been the definition of waste. Many argue that he is in the lineup just in case a starting pitcher implodes in the second inning. Well that is great but Thompson has only pitched TWICE since May 8^th. We just do not need 13 pitches on the roster.

Another option would be to move Khalil Greene to the DL and basically just switch roles with Ludwick. While Khalil CERTAINLY needs to be DLed, I think the Greene-Ludwick exchange would hurt us… as it would only leave us with one bench infielder. The lack of depth in the infield concerns me, so I would wait to put Khalil on the DL until Tyler Greene is available to promote (June 3).

As the GM, I would demote Nick Stavinoha. I hate saying that, but he would get little playing time due to the outfield depth we already have.

—

Not only is Ludwick expected to start on Friday, Cardinal outfielder Rick Ankiel is also part of the plan for tomorrow.

Ankiel was actually activated from the DL on the 24^th, but had taken the Milwaukee series off after he experienced soreness throughout his body after his Sunday start.

There’s no question, it’s especially Ludwick that’s been missed in the batting order.. Ankiel is off to something of a slow start this year, whereas Ludwick already had eight home runs in 30 games and is slugging .538. Ank, one of the streakiest players on the team, has hit .247 with only two home runs in his 85 at bats this year.

It is obvious that the offense is just not the same without these two. If you combine Rick and Luddy’s 2008 stats, you will find one helluva player. When you take out these two, you take out a .283 average, 62 HR, and 184 RBI. Basically, home run wise, just envision at McGwire-less 1998 Cardinal team.

“Ludwick’s a quality producer, so he’s got to make it better,” manager Tony La Russa said.

The main victim of these injuries has unarguably been Albert Pujols. Opponents have been able to pitch around the St. Louis Cardinals star following the injuries to Ludwick and Ankiel that left Pujols with little protection. He drew four intentional walks in last weekend’s series against Kansas City — one of them with two on and no outs — and seven walks overall. Albert has been walked 12 times in the past six games.

With no reason to pitch to Pujols, he is finding it hard to get into a groove. There is little difference between what he is experiencing now and pinch-hitting. Lately he’s only getting a chance to hit twice a game at the most due to the ridiculous amount of walks. When he gets his protection back, expect more real at bats, and look for Pujols to heat it up a little bit.

The Cardinals have still found a way to breathe with two of their top three sluggers out of the lineup thanks to amazing pitching. The opposition has only scored a mere eight runs in the past seven days.

St. Louis will likely take a dose of there own medicine when they visit the Bay City this weekend. They will face greater pitching with Cain, Zito, and Jonathan Sanchez taking the mound.

I suspect more 2-3 games in the next few days. With Lohse missing his Friday start due to a “burning cramp” in his elbow that may DL him, Pineiro, Carpenter, and Waino will take the mound for the Redbirds at AT&T Park where the Cards are 12-15.

Both teams’ offense has been pretty poor of late. Hopefully, the return of Ludwick and Ank will spark something in St. Louis’ lineup.

Justin Hulsey
Cardinals Front Office

Khalil Greene Cuts Himself?

Khalil Greene seems lost... well... he is.

In a very dismal offseason, Khalil Greene stole the show. The once proclaimed offensive stud was on his way to St. Louis to be the starting shortstop.

The Cards invested two minor-league pitching prospects and $6.5 million to the guy that would become the franchise’s fourth Opening Day starting SS in six seasons. He appeared to be the answer at that position as he brought a good bat and plus fielding.

He did have a bad 2008 that had some fans scratching their heads, but apparently it was all due to his self-inflicted hand fracture he suffered after the whole punching incident. Well no problem then, right? Just an injury that resulted in an “off” year? Wrong.

Well it did seem that way in Spring Training when KGreene batted .408 with 17 RBI in 71 at bats. The most promising stat was his mere four strike outs in Spring…a stat that plaque him in ’08.

However, Greene says, “It’s a different set of circumstances in Spring Training.” Apparently so, because Green is currently batting at a .208 clip (200 points under Spring) with two home runs, 14 RBI, 13 runs, and 2 SB.

Cardinal management is now starting to realize why Greene has struggled the past couple years. When we first learned about Greene’s anxiety problem, we just thought it was the same thing Zach Greinke and Dontrelle Willis went through. To my knowledge…not even close.

With Khalil’s issue, he is making a very difficult game nearly impossible. He explains, “It’s not the most enjoyable aspect of this. It’s about trying to find a balance, about not being too hard on myself and being able to naturally let it go.”

Including tonight, Khalil has only started in two games in as many weeks. However, with Tyler Greene’s demotion, most figured Khalil would get more opportunities in an attempt to find his hitting stroke.

It was also considered that Khalil may get increased time due to the recent Boston trade rumor involving Greene. With more at bats, the Cardinals may have hoped value would be increased a touch.

While it may have seemed that why, La Russa says that may not be the case. “We’re trying to take some things off him for awhile. He’ll play. He may start here or there. We’ll see how it goes. But we’ve decided to give him an opportunity to step back a little.”

While there has been no public clarification of actual problem, Greene has recently admitted to “self-abuse”. He says that he has had the same issue since childhood, but it has increase over the past few years.

Unfortunately, the public is now starting to realize how serious and how scary Greene’s issue actually is.

This is an excerpt from the Post-Dispatch’s Joe Strauss.

Teammates noticed Greene punishing himself during the season’s first road trip. When one Cardinal player approached Greene in the Wrigley Field dugout to ask what he was doing, Greene responded of his frustration, “It’s the only way I can get it out.”

Last weekend Greene left PNC Park in Pittsburgh with one hand bleeding. He had not sought treatment from the team’s training staff. One person in uniform described Greene’s struggle as “scary”.

Umm…no doubt about that one. I have read this over and over, I have asked others, but it is what it is. According to this, if this is true (Strauss is a good source), it appears Khalil Greene has the same problem many high schoolers deal with. He cuts himself to relieve stress.

The only good thing about this is that Khalil knows he needs to fix the problem. He is not denying it what-so-ever.

“I just think being able to sit back and try to look at myself in the third person may allow me to do that,” Greene said. “What can I do in a situation to be a more productive player physically and emotionally? I don’t know if there ever comes a time when that aspect of it is not going to be there for me. I think it’s about being able to find a more consistent coping mechanism or a healthier outlet to deal with things.”

The entire team clearly knows about it too. Just look at their reaction to anything good that comes out of Greene’s play. They act like he just crushed a game-winning grand slam. But do not get me wrong, I have NO problem with that.

Lately, Pujols has shown some real concern for Khalil’s game and has, in a way, taken Greene under Pujols’ wing. Before the games, you can find Greene out there with Pujols trying to figure out what is wrong with his bat.

“I haven’t talked to him about what he’s going through, but I think I can help him with what he’s dealing with in the box,” Pujols said. “Khalil’s got a lot of ability. I know he’s more than a .240 or .250 hitter. If there’s something I can do to help and he wants it, I want to help. He’s a good guy. He’s here to help us win.”

With ALL due respect Pujols, I see where you are coming from. But Greene’s issue extends far from “the box”. There comes a point in time that you have to worry about a dude’s life over his game.

IF I was John Mozeliak, I would make it my mission to find Greene some help before something bad happens. Do one of two things: Send him to AAA, let him feast on lower-level pitching… or… DL him, bring up Tyler Green, and see if some off time does anything. Maybe it will help.

Get better, my man.

Justin Hulsey
Cardinals Front Office

Tyler Greene Gets SCREWED

Really? You'd rather have Thurston?

Cardinals outfielder Rick Ankiel, who suffered a bruised right shoulder and an injury to his left side when he crashed  into the Busch Stadium wall on May 4, was removed from the 15-day disabled list today. Ankiel is playing right field today and is batting fifth against the Royals.

A week ago, Ankiel was scheduled to be activated this past Wednesday. But after waking up sore after BP, La Russa decided to let him rehab a little longer in hopes of Ankiel being back this coming Friday.

Before Saturday’s game, La Russa indicated that Ryan Ludwick would likely be back before Ankiel. However, after a good workout after the game on Saturday and waking up feeling good, Ankiel was activated and made the start in this afternoon’s game.

La Russa said this morning when asked why not wait until we start the Milwaukee series, “If he’s ready tomorrow, then he’s ready today. So why not do it?”

Ankiel has played center field exclusively this season but will play right field, at least for the moment, “so he’s only got one direction he’s got to worry about,” said La Russa.

In wake of Ankiel’s activation, shortstop Tyler Greene has been sent down to AAA Memphis which has proved to be a very controversial with Cardinal Nation.

Green had just started to heat up went he got the call this morning. In only 38 at bats, Tyler hit .263 (.275 in May) with two home runs, four RBI, five runs, and two stolen bases. In the past 10 games, he has raised his average an incredible 83 points. You could make the case that he WAS the Cardinals hottest hitter. So why send him down?

You’d be naïve to think that he has only made an impact with his bat. In my opinion, he was the Cardinals best defensive infielder. He was a huge part of the excellent defense that has been a major role in out five-game win streak.

With Greene playing the best he ever has and other players, such as Thurston, REALLY struggling I do not understand the logic. But to be fair, I have disagreed with numerous decisions so far this year.

Thurston has had 102 at bats so far, and is rocking a .235 average (.188 in May!!!) with one home run, 14 RBI, 14 runs, and two stolen bases. If you think those stats are better than Greene’s, you are sorely misled. If you convert Tyler’s stats to the 102 at bats that “Triple-A Joe” has had, Greene would have six home runs, 12 RBI, 15 runs, and six stolen bases. For somebody who wasn’t supposed to have any offensive potential, that is pretty good.

Remember when I told you that Greene’s average was on an 80 point incline? Well, Thurston’s has plummeted 26 points in his previous 10 games. In his past 10 STARTS, Thurston has gotten two hits!

It’s not just with the bat either, Thurston sucks in the field too. Triple-A Joe has screw us over multiple times with four errors in 48 games. Tyler Greene hasn’t logged an error yet in 15 games.

La Russa commented on how we could not afford to send down Stavinoha because we need a fourth outfielder. I totally agree with that, you always need 4-5 outfielders on the roster, but we now have five infielders. With only one INF on the bench, we have zero depth after the starting four. By the way, that bench infielder is Thurston. There’s no way I would start him.

Talk about depth, we still have 13 pitchers. Most thought that we would send down one of those guys today with Ricky coming back. I was one of the people that thought that, especially when some of those 13 rarely pitch.

The perfect example is Brad Thompson. In a previous post, I explained why Thompson is a complete waste in the ‘pen and I am sticking to that. The last time he pitched was a week ago. He has had two outings in the past 20 days. The dude is a career Minor League, so why is he still here?

IF I was John Mozeliak, I would have sent down the rarely-used Thompson to bring in depth in the outfield… while still having a few guys to rotate in the infield.

Sending Tyler Greene down may mean that Khalil Greene is ready to start again. Khalil is currently struggling with an anxiety issue that has kept him off the diamond lately. La Russa may think he is ready though after Khalil’s last two pinch hit appearances that resulted in two RBI.