Friday Five: Awesome Facts About Sir Christopher Lee

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Hans A. Carpenter

You know him as Saramon, Count Dooku, and Dracula. Yesterday, the world lost an incredibly prolific and accomplished artist in Sir Christopher Lee, who died at age 93. Over those 93 years, Lee lived a more interesting life than most of the world combined. For some perspective, being knighted doesn’t make the top five list of interesting Christopher Lee moments. Seriously…check this out.

5 Bond Villain in Film, Bond in Real Life

Lee played the villain Scaramanga in 1974’s The Man with the Golden Gun, but in real life, he was closer to James Bond than a Bond villain. During World War II, Lee performed top-secret clandestine operations for the British SAS (Special Air Service). He fought in Finland and North Africa and, after the war, hunted war criminals. I like to picture him doing so with a lightsaber and lightning coming out of his fingertips.

His experience was extensive enough that when Peter Jackson wanted Lee to cry out when being stabbed in the back during The Return of the King, Lee corrected him. As Jackson recalls, “…he says, ‘Peter, have you ever heard the sound a man makes when he’s stabbed in the back?’ And I said, ‘Um, no.’ And he says ‘Well, I have, and I know what to do.’”

You know who else thought Lee was like James Bond? His cousin, Ian Flemming, the guy who freaking created James Bond. In fact, Flemming lobbied to get Lee cast as Bond, but it didn’t work out.

4 He Holds Hollywood Records

At 6’5”, Lee holds the record for the tallest leading man in Hollywood history. As cool as that is, brace yourself for this one; Lee appeared in over 250 movies, making him one of the most prolific actors of all time. Along with his movie pedigree, Lee also released several metal albums when he was in his 90’s and was a talented opera singer.

3 Impressive Family Tree

Speaking of opera, Lee’s grandparents opened the first opera house in Australia. That’s just the tip of Lee’s family tree. We’ve already mentioned Ian Flemming as a relative of Lee’s, but here’s a more distant one you may know: Robert E. Lee. Believe it or not, Robert E. Lee isn’t Christopher’s most famous ancestor, as that honor is saved for Charlemagne. Yeah, that Charlemagne.

2 A Part of History

In one of the more bizarre pieces of Christopher Lee trivia, a 17 year-old Lee was present at the last public execution by Guillotine in France. What are the odds of that happening? Seriously, this guy’s life plays out like Forest Gump, if Gump was a 6’5” badass.

1 Met Rasputin’s Killers, Played Rasputin

This next chapter of “Christopher Lee meets History” deserves its own entry on this list. When Christopher Lee was a boy, his mother introduced him to Prince Yusupov and Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, the men who killed Rasputin. Years later, Lee would end up playing the Mad Monk on the big screen.

Random Thoughts 6-12-15: Christopher Lee, Dusty Rhodes, The Simpsons, Jurassic World

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Hans A. Carpenter

I’ve got some thoughts bouncing around friend, time to get em’ out of the ole noggin.

• Yesterday was a sad, sad day in the entertainment world. I’ll be giving you longer posts on both of the great artists we lost, Sir Christopher Lee and “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, but for now let me just say that these two men where two of my all-time favorites in their respective industries and will be sorely missed.

• Al Jean is flip flopping on the Homer/Marge Simpson breakup that is breaking Twitter. He originally said the Simpsons would be having a “legal separation” this season, which sparked off Tweets from people complaining that the Simpsons were getting “divorced”. Either way, it doesn’t matter. If it’s a brief separation, Homer and Marge have done that several times. They’ve even teased numerous affairs. If it is a final split, it’s one more desperate gimmick being tried by a show that quit mattering over a decade ago. I loved the first half of Simpsons episodes, but it been one horrid season after another in recent years and after 27 seasons just stop already, please!

• I’m seeing Jurassic World tonight. Until now, there have been three Jurassic movies, of which one was good, Here’s hoping that number gets bumped up.

Cardinals Takeaways 6-8-15

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Hans A. Carpenter

I really don’t want to have to do takeaways for this game. It was really, really bad. The Cardinals dropped a sticker in the opening game of the series with the Rockies 11-3 as the defense imploded and John Lackey hit hard. Let’s dig in.

The Takeaways

This was an UGLY game all around. U-G-L-Y ugly.

The defense was awful, with both Kolten Wong and Matt Carpenter both being charged with errors. Carpenter had a brutal game all around, also failing to reach base.

John Lackey was shelled, giving up 8 ER over 4 IP. He gave up a whopping 12 hits. He finished with a game score of 7. His ERA spiked from 2.93 to 3.74. That’s a massive jump. It’s sad that his season stat line was so marred by this game because Lackey had been excellent coming into this blow out.

The only positives to take away from this game were two solo homers from Kolten Wong and Jon Jay. Ed Easley also recorded his first RBI on a sac fly.

On Yonder Horizon…

Hopefully things get back on track as Michael Wacha (8-1, 2.89 ERA) takes on Jorge De La Rosa (2-2, 6.15 ERA)

Cardinals Weekend Takeaways 6-5-15 thru 5-7-15

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Hans A. Carpenter

The Cardinals wrapped up their series with the L.A. Dodgers this weekend, going a healthy 3-1 against a very good ball club. Here are the scores:

Friday: 2-1

Saturday: 0-2 (L)

Sunday: 4-2

The Takeaways:

Pitching, Pitching, Pitching. The starting pitching in all three games was excellent for both clubs. First, the good guys: Carlos Martinez (7 IP, 1 ER, 11K, 4 BB, 3 H), Jaime Garcia (7 IP, 2 ER, 6K, 0 BB, 6 H) and Lance Lynn (5 IP, 2 ER, 5 K, 1 BB, 6 H). For the Dodgers: Brett Anderson (7.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 K, 3 BB, 4 H) Clayton Kershaw (8 IP, 0 ER, 11 K, 1 BB, 1 H), Zach Grienke (6.2 IP, 1 ER, 8 K, 1 BB, 6 H).

The back of the Cardinals rotation beat the front of the Dodgers. The Dodgers have seen their rotation depth depleted with season-ending injuries to Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy, but they had two Cy Young winners and a former top prospect on the mound.

In a lot of ways, Brett Anderson and Jaime Garcia are similar players, as talented lefties who have struggled for years to stay healthy. Both deserved a win in their respective games, and both were let down by no run support. Garcia is now 1-3, when he should be 3-1, at least.

Jhonny Peralta is on fire. Peralta had a homer and a double in Sunday’s win, and continues proving his contract a bargain.

Late-game rallies were the difference in both Friday and Sunday’s games, both in the 8^th inning.

On Yonder Horizon…

The Cardinals are climbing a mile high, opening a series with the Rockies at Coors Field. The Cardinals will start John Lackey (4-3, 2.93 ERA) while the Rockies counter with David Hale (1-0, 4.26 ERA).

Friday Five: Works You Didn’t Know Had Sequels

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Hans A. Carpenter

Take a look at the summer movie line up folks. If I may use my Hulk Hogan voice for a second, sequel mania is running wild, brother! Sequels usually are the biggest tease on Earth; they promise more of what we loved, but usually deliver something new to hate. In that spirit, here are three bizarre sequels you had no idea existed.Fair warning, these entries will contain spoilers of some variety. SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD SPOILER ALERT!

5. The Rocky Horror Picture Show

-Photo via IMDB.com

Ah, Rocky Horror. Who doesn’t love a 50s style musical B-movie about a sweet transvestite alien mad scientist? Rocky Horror is a cultural phenomenon which will live on forever through fun midnight screenings and haunt anyone named Janet until the end of time. We all know that. What most people don’t know is Rocky Horror has a sequel called Shock Treatment, and while the original is awfully fun, Shock Treatment is just…well…awful.

Shock Treatment includes some cast members from Rocky Horror and focuses on Brad and Janet yet again. The fact that they aren’t played by Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick should be a red flag for a movie that already has more than Cold War-era Moscow. The plot centers around Janet having Brad committed to an insane asylum on a TV game show and a sinister fast food tycoon. As should be a surprise to no one, the movie was a huge flop, even more of a flop than Rocky Horror (which is famous for being a flop).

4. The Ring (Japanese Version)

-Photo via IMDB.com

American audiences will surely remember The Ring, Gore Verbinski’s horror flick about a VHS tape that killed its viewers. What you may not remember is what the hell a VHS tape is. It’s the movie with the little girl who crawls out of TVs and the little boy who annoys everyone. Anyway, The Ring had a sequel in the US that was really, really, really, really, really bad, but that isn’t the sequel I’m talking about. You see, The Ring was a remake of a Japanese horror film of the same name, which was a really big deal over there (the highest grossing film in Japanese history). The American version did well also, and opened up a tidal wave of American remakes of Japanese horror films about the ghosts of pissed off murder victims (which universally sucked).

The story of the original sequel to the Japanese Ring is nothing but bizarre. You see, the sequel to The Ring in Japan (which shared both the director and level of suck of the American sequel) was actually NOT the original sequel. The original sequel, Rasen (Spiral in English), was based on the novel of the same name by Koji Suzuki, who wrote the book on which The Ring was based. Rasen was a massive flop, and as a result, Japanese film makers just swept it under the rug and pretended it didn’t exist. They released The Ring 2, which became the official sequel, and Rasen was forgotten. That isn’t even the most bizarre part of the story.

The Ring and Rasen were released at the same time. Not close to the same time, simultaneously. They had different writers, directors, and crews, but were released together in the hopes that it may drive up business. Imagine walking out of Iron Man’s first run and seeing Iron Man 2 playing across the hall. Unsurprisingly, the plan was a complete failure, and Rasen was a bust that now lives in obscurity.

3. The Phantom of the Opera

-Photo via Wikipedia.org

This entry is yet another musical. Unless you’ve spent a few decades under a rock, you’ve heard of The Phantom of the Opera, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock opera about (SPOILER ALERT) a masked “phantom” who lives under, you guessed it, the opera house. Surprisingly, the object of The Phantom’s affection, the beautiful Christine, prefers the attractive rich guy to the chandelier dropping creep who rides gondolas underground. The original opera ends with The Phantom disappearing and leaving behind his cape and mask. You may have asked, where did he go? Judging by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s answer, you may have wished you didn’t ask.

Coney Island. The Phantom of the Bleeping Opera went to Coney Bleeping Island. What, did he really want a hot dog or something?

In Love Never Dies, Christine is invited to perform at Coney Island, where to her great surprise The Phantom is currently residing, doing, well, phantom stuff. The first run of Love Never Dies in London was a critical failure, but the Australian re-working went over much better. Still…Coney Island?

2. Donnie Darko

-Photo via IMDB.com

How exactly does one make a sequel about a movie that ends with the main character being crushed by a falling jet engine? Sadly for humanity, writer Nathan Atkins and Director Chris Fisher attempted to answer that question in 2009 with S. Darko, a truly awful sequel to the bizarrely cool cult classic Donnie Darko.

For those of you unfamiliar with Donnie Darko, first off you should be ashamed of yourself. Second, quit reading these spoilers and go watch it already! Anyway, Donnie Darko is about a high school student with mental problems played by a young Jake Gyllenhaal who is told by a large man in a bunny costume that the world is about to end. This is the start to two hours worth of insanity that ends with Donnie traveling back in time to allow himself to be crushed by the afore mentioned jet engine to right the time continuum or something. I didn’t say the movie makes much sense, just that it’s cool.

S. Darko follows Donnie’s younger sister Samantha (played by Daveigh Chase, who starred in the American version of The Ring) as she gets stuck in a small town in Utah and starts time traveling for some reason. I won’t bother you with the plot details, mostly because they’re boring, senseless and impossible to remember. Trust me, it’s bad.

1. Forest Gump

-Photo via IMDB.com

This is one that Scot has mentioned before on the show I produce in St. Louis, The Sports Lounge with Scot Morris and Co, which of course you can listen to right here on 1490 “The Champ” Fox Sports radio Monday-Friday from 4-6pm central. Everyone knows Forest Gump. Frankly anyone who doesn’t know Forest Gump needs to be pulled out from under their rock and slapped in the face. It’s an American classic, enough so that in 1994 it beat out both Pulp Fiction AND The Shawshank Redemption for the Best Picture Oscar. Think about that. It’s spawned an unbelievable amount of catch phrases and is the defining role of Tom Hanks’ career.

…and there is actually a sequel to it. Winston Groom, who wrote the book on which the movie was based, wrote a sequel called Gump and Co. in 1995. It follows Forest, as he deals with the fallout from his life being made into a movie. He loses his fortune and stumbles through historical events and meets celebrities the way only Forest Gump can. There were plans in place to film the sequel, but the project has fallen off several times. It now seems unlikely we will ever see Gump and Co. on the big screen, but you can always go read the book. Wait, what am I saying. If a project has name value, a studio will push it out, no matter who’s involved or what the quality.

Cardinals Takeaways 6-4-15

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Hans A. Carpenter

The Cardinals played a late, late game for fans here in the central time zone as they opened a four game set with the Dodgers in Los Angeles. The bats kept cracking, and Wacha kept rolling as the Cardinals won 7-1.

The Takeaways…

Michael Wacha put a rough start (or more accurately, a rough inning) against the Dodgers last weekend behind him with a quality start, 7 innings, 5 strikeouts, and 1 walk with 7 hits. Wacha’s season record now stands at 8-1 as the young gun makes a serious bid for an All-Star selection.

The entire lineup chimed in again. Like in Wednesday’s game, the Cardinals lineup contributed top to bottom. Every starter but Molina had a hit, and Molina still got on with a walk. Heyward and Wong both had multi RBI games. Peralta, Reynolds, and Holliday got in on the action and Matt Carpenter hit his 18^th double. Depth is how the Cardinals score, and depth is how the Cardinals win.

Randal Grichuk has pop. With his pinch hit double, Grichuk now has 9 doubles…in 72 at bats scattered across 25 games. That’s impressive. He also has 2 homers and 2 triples to go with it. That and stellar defense has made Grichuk worth a whopping 1.3 WAR in those 25 games, according to Baseball Reference

On Yonder Horizon…

Carlos Martinez (5-2, 3.13 ERA) and Brett Anderson (2-3, 3.42 ERA) will do battle in a rematch from last series. It’s another midnight oil game, starting at 9:10 central time.

Cardinals Takeaways 6-3-15

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Hans A. Carpenter

The Cardinals looked to finish off the Brewers at home as they split the first two games, both of which ended 1-0. Veteran John Lackey took the mound for the Red Birds, while youngster Jimmy Nelson took the hill for the Brew Crew. The final result was a 7-4 Cardinal victory.

Takeaways

The bats came alive, as every starting fielder for the Cardinals save for Kolten Wong and Matt Holliday had at least one RBI. Carpenter, Molina, and Peralta all had multi-hit games.

John Lackey had a quality start, tossing 7 innings with 3 earned runs and 5 strikeouts. He continues to step up as the veteran horse with Adam Wainwright out for the season.

Trevor Rosenthal now has 17 saves, which is one less than the Brewers have wins (18). Let that sink in.

There was a scary moment in the sixth inning as Hector Gomez flew into the stands while catching a fly ball and landed face down on the stadium steps. He was attended to in the crowd for several minutes by trainers before leaving the game on his own power. Two Brewers ended up in the stands during Tuesday’s game. This may be a part of the game MLB needs to look into.

On Yonder Horizon…

Michael Wacha (7-1, 2.27 ERA) will take on Carlos Frias (4-2, 4.29 ERA) as the Cardinals head to LA for a series with the Dodgers. The game starts 9:10. Thanks west coast.

Who’s On First: Outside Options to Replace Matt Adams

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Hans A. Carpenter

The popular thing since Matt Adams went down with a torn quad has been to take a look at possible replacements for Big City in the Cardinals lineup. In all fairness, had his production continued (.243/.281/.375) into July, we would be having this conversation then. As things stand, we’re having it early. The only but in this conversation is that Mark Reynolds (.259/.325/.393) gets the month of June to prove he can hold down the first base job. Reynolds has been serviceable thus far, and there is no rush to get something done. Still, it doesn’t hurt to mull over options, as I’m sure John Mozelaik is doing. Let’s take a look at the options in tiers:

Role Players

There’s nothing wrong with patching up a hole in the lineup with role players, as the success of the Pirates and A’s over the last few years show us. With a strong lineup and strong outfield depth, patching up first base with a compliment to Reynolds isn’t the worst idea in the world, especially considering the relatively low cost both in money and trade of picking up a player like:

Ike Davis, Athletics

.282/.348/.427 in 103 AB’s

• Davis once looked to be a promising player in New York, but has settled into more of a platoon player of the last two years. Of his 103 AB’s, 95 have come against lefties, against whom he has a .775 OPS. Davis is the type of name you typically see on the transaction ticker.

Justin Smoak, Blue Jays

.266/.356/.438 in 64 AB’s

• Smoak, like Davis, is a former top prospect who has settled into a platoon role. The switch hitter has seen left handed pitching only 3 times all season, and is has a .794 OPS and 3 homers against right-handed pitching. Smoak is in the same service class and price range as Davis.

Logan Morrison, Mariners

.240/.320/.385

• Third on the fallen prospect train is Logan Morrison, who at one point looked to be Giancarlo Stanton’s long-term lineup protection, is in Seattle now. He’s been serviceable, but unspectacular. He does have a .795 OPS against right handed pitching with 6 homers though. Not an ideal fit, but a possible useful player.

Seth Smith, Mariners

.262/.325/.489

• Seth Smith is the poster boy for platoons, with a lifetime .837. He can also play the corner outfield spots. He’s also owed $8 million, including the buyout on his 2016 option. It’s a steep price to pay for a part time player. He can play the outfield, is coming off a 4 WAR season and has been worth 1 WAR so far this year, so he’s worth a look. Seattle may not be ready to give up on a playoff birth or sacrifice a player they control next year, though.

Adam Lind, Brewers

.278/.359/.500 in 162 AB’s

• It may seem like a head scratching choice to list Lind among the role players, but his extreme platoon splits have rendered Lind a part time player at this point. He may be the Cadillac of platoon guys, but a platoon guy nonetheless, as Lind has mashed right handed pitching with a .290/.373/.536 line with 8 homers. Still, he has a .561 OPS against lefties, plays for a division rival, and may be a popular name on the trade market thanks to his pop. He may not be an ideal fit, and the idea of the Cardinals exercising his 8 million dollar option for next year in a hypothetical trade is questionable.

Buy-Low Starters

Chris Davis, Orioles

.227/.313/.500 in 172 AB’s

• Chris Davis is two years removed from a 53 homer season, which was good for 3^rd place in the AL MVP race. So why is Davis in the buy low category? He followed that MVP caliber season with a .195/.300/.404 line in 2014. In 2015, the power has been there, with 12 homers and a .500 SLG, but the OBP is still down, and he’s leading the league in K’s with 70. With the Orioles falling further down the ladder, it makes sense that they would entertain offers for the impending free agent. A qualifying offer seems to be a bit of a gamble at this point, but it certainly isn’t 100% off the table for the O’s, which clouds what kind of trade value Davis has with a first round pick possibly hanging over his head at season’s end.

Mike Napoli, Red Sox

.208/.323/.403

•When he’s firing on all cylinders, Napoli is a dangerous hitter. He also has a sterling post-season reputation, as the Cardinals saw first with the Rangers in 2011 and later with the Red Sox in 2013. Still, Napoli is trending downward over the last two years. His power was down in 2014, but he still managed 17 long balls and a .370 OBP. This year, Napoli has 8 homers but is hitting just a shade above the Mendoza line. He can still walk, but with health questions and contact struggles Napoli is no lock to be productive so the price must be right.

Brandon Moss

.239/.310/.454

• This name may be forced off the list by team play soon, as a recent hot streak may have pushed the Indians back onto the edge of contention. If they slip back to the bottom, Brandon Moss may be had. Is he much to write home about? No, he isn’t. He is, however, a competent major league hitter who has averaged roughly 2 WAR over the last three seasons. In 2015, Moss has 8 homers, but a less than inspiring .310 OBP. He has extensive experience in the corner outfield, which is a plus, and is controllable in 2016.

Outside the Box

While I’m not wild about the idea of moving the guy yet again, these two names would be upgrades that would slot in comfortably at the hot corner. Again, not my first choice, but an idea to consider.

Martin Prado 3B, Marlins

.284/.318/.370

• Prado hasn’t been himself at the plate over the last two years, but he is still a competent hitter who plays quality defense at 3^rd. He also can play 2^nd and the outfield, which would give Mike Matheny plenty of rest flexibility and insurance incase of injury to Kolten Wong. Is Prado a middle of the order thumper? No, but he is a versatile, quality player. One bit of pause may come from the $11 million owed to him next year ($3 million of which will be paid by the Yankees), but depending on his production that one could go either way.

Adrian Beltr, Rangers

.257/.295/.408

• Name value aside, this potential deal has many causes for pause. First, look at Beltre’s .702 OPS. It’s very un-Beltre-like. He’s 36. He’s owed $18 million next year. He’s on the DL. Like I said, very many “uh oh” moments. Still, he’s Adrian Beltre! He’s still an elite glove at the hot corner, and would give the Cardinals an imposing defensive infield with the sure handed Jhonny Peralta sandwiched between the rangy Beltre and Wong. Beltre is on a five-year tear in the AL, with a .879 OPS as recently as last year. It’s a gamble for sure, it’s one of the riskiest propositions on this list. However, it also has lots of upside.

Slash! Splash! Splash!

The next three names are the type of big splash deals the Cardinals rarely do, but both would be a permanent solution at 1^st.

Edwin Ecarnacion, Blue Jays

.216/.300/.437

• By the measure of his last few years, Encarnacion is having a down year. He’s basically been a right-handed Chris Davis with less strikeouts. So why is he in the splash section and not bounce back? Over the last four years, Encarnacion has torn through the AL and been one of the most consistently effective middle of the order hitters in the game. For three strait years he has posted an OPS over .900, and he has an affordable option for next season at $10 million. For those reasons, the Blue Jays will have no shortage of interest if and when they make Encarnacion available and they certainly will not give him away.

Carlos Santana, Indians

.227/.381/.383

• Is Carlos Santana going to win a batting title? No, likely not. Consider this: he led the AL in walks in 2014 with 113 and is doing so again in 2015 with 39. In short, Santana is an on-base machine. He has pop, is a switch hitter, and is in his prime at age 29. He is under team control for two more years at team-friendly pricing. For those reasons, and the Indians’ recent play, it seems unlikely that Santana is available. If he is, he won’t come cheap. Still, he’d look good in red.

Prince Fielder, Rangers

.359/.412/.563

• There is around a 0.000000000000001% chance of this deal ever going down, but if you squint just right it’s barely outside of the realm of insanity. Fielder is on a tear, and while the Rangers are currently above .500 the safe bet is that they are sellers by July. That being said, Fielder is coming off an injury year, there are legit questions about how long he can remain in the field, and he’s owed $24 million over the next five years. Oh, and he’s 31. The comfort comes from knowing the Tigers are paying $6 million of his salary each year, making him essentially a $90 million dollar player. In today’s money, that isn’t that bad. Still, it’s not going to happen. He’d be the kind of bat that would change everything, though.

Cardinals Takeaways 6-2-15

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Hans A. Carpenter

The Cardinals came into this game looking to avenge a 1-0 loss, as Matt Holliday looked to extend his on-base streak to 46 games. One of those two goals was met, as the Cardinals won 1-0.

The Takeaways

The streak is dead. Matt Holliday’s on-base streak was ended at 45 games, and his night ended in controversial fashion as he was ejected in the 7^th inning for arguing balls and strikes. Was he likely to get another AB? No, not likely, but it’s still sad to see the streak end in controversy. Which leads me to my next point…

Of course it was Joe West! No umpire in the big leagues, with the exception of Angel Hernandez, has more of a reputation for injecting himself into game play than “Cowboy” Joe West. If you know an umpire’s name, it’s never for a good reason and nobody exemplifies that idea more than Joe West. Mike Matheny was also tossed after he came out to defend Holliday, who was walking towards the dugout at the time of the ejection. In nearly six years of Holliday suiting up for the Cardinals, that was the angriest I’ve ever seen him.

Lance Lynn was fantastic. 7 and 2/3 innings, 5 K’s vs 1 BB and 5 hits. Not too shabby. With close to 120 pitches, Mike Mathey shows again a faith to let Lynn pitch deep. Lynn finished the day with a season record of 4-4 with a 3.03 ERA.

The Brewers rode the Cravy train, but it stopped just short. Tyler Cravy gave up two hits to Randal Grichuk, one of which lead to an RBI for Mark Reynolds. Otherwise, Cravy was great in his first big league start, going 7 innings with 1 ER and 6 K’s.

On Yonder Horizon…

John Lackey (3-3, 2.83 ERA) looks to continue being the Cardinal’s veteran horse as he takes on Brewers youngster Jimmy Nelson (2-5, 3.90 ERA). This is the last game of the series with the Brewers, after which the Cardinals have the Dodgers to deal with.

Cardinals Takeaways 6-1-15

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Hans A. Carpenter

Game one of the three game set with the Brew Crew ended in a 1-0 shutout, with the Cardinals offense unable to convert runners to runs. Here are the takeaways from this disappointing game:

10- the number of runners the Cardinals stranded. The team went 0-6 with runners in scoring position, and were unable to turn two men on-base in the 9^th into walk-off magic.

Jaime Garcia did his part. The control was there, as Garcia again failed to allow a free pass. Otherwise, he had 5 strikeouts and 3 hits scattered across 7 quality innings, with a low pitch count to boot. An RBI single by Carlos Gomez ended up the only run scored the entire game.

Matt Carpenter can’t hit Mike Fiers, and this lineup looks totally different without Carpenter driving it.

Kolten Wong can play second base. In the 8^th inning, Wong had an incredible leaping catch followed by laser-beam throw on a comeback shot that ricocheted off the mound. Youtube it, it’s worth it.

Jason Heyward came dangerously close to being picked off at second in the bottom of the 9^th. After an uncomfortably long review following a Brewer’s challenge, the “safe” call on the field was upheld.

Holliday On-Base Watch: 45 games.

On Yonder Horizon…

Lance Lynn (3-4, 3.41 ERA) will take the mound against…well…somebody. The Brewers rotation has been thrown into disarray thanks to a 17 inning marathon Sunday which forced tonight’s original starter, Matt Garza, to pitch in relief. As a result, Mike Fiers was pushed up a day and the identity of Lance Lynn’s counterpart is yet to be announced.