(stats for 2010 are from the 2009 season)
Starting Pitching Rotation –
2004 – 1. Matt Morris: 15-10 --- 4.72
2. Jason Marquis: 15-7 --- 3.71
3. Woody Williams: 11-8 --- 4.18
4. Jeff Suppan: 16-9 --- 4.16
5. Chris Carpenter: 15-5 --- 3.46
- The Cardinals’ rotation in 2004 was an interesting one which had a win column fueled by superior run production on offense. Although the ERA of the rotation was not impressive by any means, the fact that the Cards’ offense led the national league in runs scored and was 104 runs over the league average allowed every single pitcher to obtain double digits in the win column. 4 out of the five starters had at least 15 wins and Matt Morris was the only one with double digits in the losses column.
2006 – 1. Chris Carpenter: 15-6 --- 3.09
2. Jason Marquis: 14-16 --- 6.02
3. Jeff Suppan: 12-7 --- 4.12
4. Mark Mulder: 6-7 --- 7.14
5. Anthony Reyes: 5-8 --- 5.06
6. Jeff Weaver: 5-4 --- 5.18
- 2006 was supposed to be a big year for the Cardinals in terms of pitching: Cy Young Winner Carpenter was coming off a 21 win season, Jason Marquis was hoping to regain his level of consistency from 2004, Suppan was also expected to perform somewhere around his previous level in 2004, Mulder was a big acquisition from the A’s that was supposed to make the rotation unstoppable, and everybody in St. Louis had high hopes for the youngster Reyes. The offense didn’t help the situation either and the 2006 Cardinals were unable to perform at the expected level.
2010 – 1. Chris Carpenter: 17-4 --- 2.24
2. Adam Wainwright: 19-8 --- 2.63
3. Brad Penny: 11-9 --- 4.88
4. Kyle Lohse: 6-10 --- 4.74
5. Jaime Garcia (Spring Training): 0-0 --- 1.42
- Carpenter is looking to lead the team with his first fully healthy season in 4 years. Wainwright is battling with Carpenter for the first spot in the rotation and will be a 1-2 punch of two ace pitchers in a row. Brad Penny is an interesting work in progress for Dave Duncan, and will hopefully return to his work-horse form from LA. Lohse is also hoping to bounce back from 2009 and prove that he is worth his $9.188 million dollar contract. On his second to last Spring Training start, "Lohse was efficient enough that he needed to throw 12 pitches in the bullpen to get to his scheduled pitch count of 60." His start against the Nationals was a different story... Jaime Garcia is trying to fight to keep the 5th spot in the rotation, but "the decision has in fact not yet been made." There are high expectations for this rotation, but even higher potential.
Verdict: 2010
- If they are able to fulfill their potential, the 2010 Cardinals’ rotation could be the best in the major leagues. However, if there is any way that the offense does not support them or injuries plague the rotation, then 2004 will win the contest.
Relief Pitching –
2004 – Dan Haren, Kiko Calero, Cal Eldred, Julian Tavarez, Ray King, Steve Kline
- 2.96 ERA --- 1.146 WHIP --- 335 IP
- The 2004 bullpen was an effective bullpen led by Steve Kline who posted a 1.79 ERA and Julian Tavarez with a 2.38 ERA. They posted the lowest ERA and the lowest WHIP out of all three teams and helped secure the wins for many of the starters.
2006 – Josh Hancock, Adam Wainwright, Braden Looper, Randy Flores, Sydney Ponson, Brad Thompson
- 4.06 ERA --- 1.363 WHIP --- 392.3 IP
- When a team’s bullpen posts an ERA over 4, they will hardly ever situate themselves to win. This is was part of the failure for the 2006 team. However, part of the story can be summed up by the fact that the bullpen accumulated 392.3 innings pitched over the entire season. The fact that they were needed that much shows not only the ineffectiveness of the starters, but also the overuse of the relievers.
2010 – Jason Motte, Kyle McClellan, Dennys Reyes, Trever Miller, Mitchell Boggs, Blake Hawksworth
- 3.41 --- 1.359 WHIP --- 306 IP
- Like the rest of the parts of the team, if the relievers live up to their potential, they will do well. The stats leave room for improvement, but because the relievers are from last year’s team, they know how the system works and are familiar with Dave Duncan’s pitching philosophy. This bullpen consists of experienced lefthanders, young kids striving to prove themselves, a live arm in Jason Motte (though his mechanics need work), and a competitive contender for the 5th starter role.
Verdict: 2004
- The 2004 bullpen was spectacular and their ability to hold games made way for Jason Isringhausen to close games and create wins. The 2010 relievers will do fine when it comes to contributing to the wins, but their average (possibly above average) performance will not be able to match the superiority of the 2004 bullpen.
Closer –
2004 – Jason Isringhausen: 47/54 --- 2.87
- Jason’s best year by far, where he led the majors with 47 saves and posted a strong 2.87 ERA. 47 out of the teams close wins were closed out by him, and he made it possible for the team to make an appearance in the World Series.
2006 – Jason Isringhausen: 33/43 --- 3.55
- Izzy made everyone watching bite their nails with anxiety whenever he went out to pitch in 2006. A 3.55 ERA makes it hard for a closer to be as effective as necessary, and his save to opportunity ratio shows just that.
2010 – Ryan Franklin: 38/43 --- 1.92
- Franklin rose to the occasion and started the year off a hundred times better than anyone could’ve expected. His astounding 1.92 ERA shows his mastery of every pitch in his repertoire, and he was able to keep his closer role for most of the season. Although at the end of the season he was rocky at times, if he learns from that in the 2010 season, his contribution to the team could save the bullpen and allow for a 90+ win season.
Verdict: 2004
- It doesn’t get much better than Isringhausen in 2004, and his immense number of saves says it all. I do not see Franklin getting much more than 40 saves, but just like the other parts of the 2010 team, if he performs at the top of his game like he did most of 2009, the 2010 Cardinals have a great chance to win big.
