Jerry chimes in with some excellent points:Yes, Ec...

2007-07-12T02:01:00.000-04:00

Jerry chimes in with some excellent points:

Yes, Eckstein is an almost league average player. His return isn't an exciting thing to herald. But, it will improve the Cardinals far more than you expect because, (assuming Tony La Russa hasn't lost his mind completely), it will enable the Cardinals to bench Adam Kennedy and his .252 slugging percentage, putting miles at second and eckstein at short.

It's hardly A-Rod and Robbie Alomar, but it's a vast improvement over trotting Kennedy out there every day.

Also, the team currently has four relievers in the rotation, who are to be gradually filtered out of the rotation and replaced with actual starters.

Maroth will outpitch Todd Wellemeyer. Chris Carpenter will as sure as hell outpitch Kip Wells. Barring an injury to Ben Sheets (the unlikliest of outcomes!) or Prince Fielder, they will probably have issues catching the Brewers, but they could theoretically contend for the divsion title still, especially with all of the hitters they have at their 25% PECOTA predictions.

I of course intended no pooh-poohing of Carpenter's impact. But I did pooh-pooh Eck's based on Miles's #'s, forgetting entirely about the festering corpse of Adam Kennedy, who is the odd man out once Baron Grittle von Scamperstein returns. And if/when Albert turns it on, it is possible, I guess, that the team catches the Brewers. But it wouldn't be because of Eckstein. It would be because Eckstein removed Kennedy.

I edited this post after an email from reader Venk...

2007-07-11T23:28:00.000-04:00

I edited this post after an email from reader Venkat, who pointed out that Rowand swung at the second pitch, no the first, as I had originally written. I guess I was so blind with fury at La Russa for being such a bonehead I missed a pitch.

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Jerry chimes in with some excellent points:Yes, Ec...

I edited this post after an email from reader Venk...