5/16 GDT: Cardinals(Wainwright)@Braves(Teheran) 6:20PMCT

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CardsofSTL
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5/16 GDT: Cardinals(Wainwright)@Braves(Teheran) 6:20PMCT

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Re: 5/16 GDT: Cardinals(Wainwright)@Braves(Teheran) 6:20PMCT

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Re: 5/16 GDT: Cardinals(Wainwright)@Braves(Teheran) 6:20PMCT

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Re: 5/16 GDT: Cardinals(Wainwright)@Braves(Teheran) 6:20PMCT

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Re: 5/16 GDT: Cardinals(Wainwright)@Braves(Teheran) 6:20PMCT

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It wasn’t exactly the expected answer from Marcell Ozuna on Tuesday night, not after he had just blasted a three-run homer and, two days earlier, recorded his first assist by throwing out a runner at home. But the answer was a telling one.

Asked if he was, for the first time in years, feeling completely healthy again, Ozuna quickly shook his head no.

“I’m not where I want to be,” Ozuna noted. “I’m just working hard every day to get the strength in my shoulder [back] and then get better. Every day, I’m getting better, maybe [by] a half a percent.”

Whatever percentage he applies to himself, it’s markedly higher than the arbitrary number assigned a year ago.

Ozuna’s home run on Tuesday was his 12th of the season. It came 246 at-bats quicker than in 2018, when Ozuna hit No. 12 on July 29. He leads the Majors in home runs with runners on base (eight) and is the first Cardinals player since Albert Pujols (2009) to drive in 37 runs in the team’s first 42 games.

A healthier shoulder has made an impact on Ozuna’s ability to stay through the ball with his swing and generate some of the hardest contact in the league. His barrel percentage (17.9), average exit velocity (92.6 mph), hard-hit percentage (51.4) and xSLG (.594) all rank in the league’s top 7 percent.

His improving health is also showing on the defensive end -- not only in the throws he is making but also in those he isn’t having to make because teams don’t feel so comfortable running freely on him. Though Statcast wasn’t able to track the velocity of Ozuna’s assist over the weekend, the eye test on that release and others would suggest an uptick from 2018, when he posted an average velocity of 78 mph. That ranked last among the 109 qualifying outfielders.

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Shildt wasn’t ready to make any guarantees, but all indications are that the Cardinals will activate right-hander Carlos Martínez over the weekend as long as he recovers well from his appearance Wednesday with Double-A Springfield.

“Positive outing,” Shildt said of Martinez’s fifth rehab outing. “A little bit of everything.”

That’s no exaggeration. Though he completed two innings on 20 pitches (14 strikes), Martinez packed a lot in as he works his way back from shoulder soreness. He allowed four singles and one run, hit a batter and induced a pair of double plays.

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A chance for the Cardinals to sustain a run of quality starts through a full turn of their rotation came to an undramatic end on Wednesday with another mostly nondescript start from right-hander Michael Wacha.

Wacha has yet to record an out in the seventh inning this season and has finished six frames just twice in eight starts. On Wednesday, a pitch count of 90 ended his night after five innings. That was one inning after he served up a homer to Austin Riley, the Braves’ highly-touted prospect making his Major League debut, and two innings after Wacha’s own errant throw allowed the Braves to dent the scoreboard with an unearned run.

And for a change, the Cardinals’ offense couldn’t bail him out. After averaging 9.49 runs of support through his first seven starts, Wacha got none as the offense stalled against right-hander Mike Soroka.

Yet for Wacha, that excess of run support has only masked the troubles that have trailed him since he opened the year with consecutive one-run starts. Since then, he’s posted a 6.23 ERA over six games while averaging 18 pitches per inning. With four more walks issued on Wednesday, he has given up 14 free passes during that stretch. Opponents have tagged him for seven home runs.

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Re: 5/16 GDT: Cardinals(Wainwright)@Braves(Teheran) 6:20PMCT

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I hope we win a series. It's been awhile.

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Re: 5/16 GDT: Cardinals(Wainwright)@Braves(Teheran) 6:20PMCT

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I would be happy if they scored a run today...

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Re: 5/16 GDT: Cardinals(Wainwright)@Braves(Teheran) 6:20PMCT

Post by Big Amoco Sign »

I guess I don't have much hope for the pitching staff to turn it around this year. Not that they can't, but they give you nothing to believe in them right now.

Outside of Jack, Carlos, and Hicks this whole staff is boring and all of them have potential of getting blown up.

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Re: 5/16 GDT: Cardinals(Wainwright)@Braves(Teheran) 6:20PMCT

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TomBruno23
For the first time in 35 years (since I started watching/following) I have very little interest in the St. Louis Cardinals so far this season. Am I OK?

Craig Edwards
Is it possible this is due to the Blues having their most realistic shot at a Stanley Cup ever? Give it some time and watch a few more games. The Cardinals are a good team with good players and that's more than many can say. They also seem to enjoy playing, which is something I definitely appreciate as a fan. I think you'll be fine.

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Re: 5/16 GDT: Cardinals(Wainwright)@Braves(Teheran) 6:20PMCT

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Big Amoco Sign wrote:I guess I don't have much hope for the pitching staff to turn it around this year. Not that they can't, but they give you nothing to believe in them right now.

Outside of Jack, Carlos, and Hicks this whole staff is boring and all of them have potential of getting blown up.

Besides the obvious solutions like adding someone from outside, I don't understand why we're not seeing a round robin of Hudson, Ponce, Gomber. Bring one up for a couple starts, send him down, bring up ONeill until you need another starter them bring one of the others up and continue. Rotate through that and see who is must effective in big league competition. Hudson is obviously not there yet.

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