July 17, 2002 featuring The Book On Jason Isringhausen

TEAM NEWS: 51-39 (1st place NL Central, 3.5 game lead)

The Cards have been red hot, winning 4 of 5 since the All-Star Break. They continue to do it with smoke and mirrors, with only one proven starter in the rotation that's healthy.

Rotation

Ace Matt Morris looked fantastic in his first start after the break, allowing just a run on 4 hits and 2 walks in a 2-1 win at San Diego. While he settled for a no-decision, Morris looked and felt fantastic on the hill, indicating that the extra break he took with the All-Star Break may indeed have helped. Morris has been roughed up a number of times this year, including his last two starts before the break.

Next start: 7/18 vs. SF

Another key was his pitch count, which was held below 100 for the fourth time in five games. Let's hope Larussa makes a habit of this.

Jason Simontacchi continues to amaze, despite taking a no-decision in his last start. Larussa left him in there for one too many batters, as he allowed a three-run triple to Bubba Trammell with 1 out in the 7th in a game the Cards eventually lost 4-3. His next start should be interesting to watch, as Barry Bonds and the Giants get their first look at him.

Next start: 7/17 vs. SF

Bizarre fact - Through 11 starts, Simontacchi has just 28 Ks compared to only 19 BBs. In other words, he's not a savior in strikeout leagues. It'll be interesting to see how close to the plate he is when Bonds, currently on pace to break his own BB record, is batting.

Bud Smith finally did it! Upon his return to the site of his no-no last season, Smith threw a gem for 7 innings, holding the Padres scoreless on just 3 hits and a walk in picking up his first win of the year. The most positive things about his outing was that he finally had something resembling his command from last year, and he looked confident for about the first time all season. He also went deeper into a game than he has all season.

Next start: 7/19 @ PIT

Smith's name surfaced in trade rumors that he may go to San Diego the next day. Don't really look for the Cards to give up on the kid. Watch him in his next start against Pittsburgh. If he's got his confidence back, Smith could be a huge sleeper for the second half.

Stunningly, 30-year-old rookie Travis Smith produced his third straight above average start, netting his second consecutive win against the NL West leading Dodgers. Smith has allowed just 5 runs (4 earned) in his last 3 starts, a span of 18 innings. Much like Simontacchi, he won't produce any bigtime K numbers.

Next start: 7/20 @ PIT

Honestly, he's not a good fit for a fantasy team. While he doesn't walk too many batters, he's far from unhittable. His stuff is a level below Simontacchi, and that's really saying something. Travis Smith is just a short term solution until the Cards can either acquire a starter through trade or get healthy.

An old nightmarish friend returned to the rotation on Tuesday, as Andy Benes got the call, showing just how desperate the Cardinals are to acquire another starter through trade. Benes actually pitched 4 quality innings, allowing 2 runs and fanning 6.

Next start: 7/21 @ PIT

It appears that Benes earned himself another start. Though he didn't get the win, he chewed up some valuable innings and actually kept the team in the game. Honestly, he doesn't belong in AA ball, so if you're desperate enough to grab him for your fantasy team, this column can't help you.

Bullpen

Why are the Cardinals in first place? Their starting pitching, thought to be among the best in the majors in the preseason, has been surrounded by question marks all year. The offense hasn't produced like it should all season. The bullpen has been amazing all year, posting a 3.04 ERA in just under 300 innings, and deserves much of the credit for the Cardinals success.

Jason Isringhausen seems to have used the All-Star Break to rest his arm and turn things around. Heading into the break, Izzy was reeling, blowing 3 of his last 6 saves, and hadn't looked good at all since missing two weeks with an elbow injury. After resting up a bit over the break, Izzy came back and had saves on three consecutive nights, facing just 1 batter over the minimum and fanning 3. The starting staff is hurting right now, and the offense hasn't really gone too crazy with support lately, so expect the majority of the Cardinals wins to be close games. Izzy should see a lot of opportunities in the second half.

Steve Kline has looked a lot more like himself lately. For over a month after returning from the DL, Kline didn't seem to have the confidence that he usually does in his pitches or his arm. Recently, though, he's gone on a tear, posting holds in 8 of his last 14 appearances as well as appearing in 4 of the Cardinals last 5 games. Kline does still see the odd save opportunity fall into his lap, but is really best used in leagues with holds. His secondary numbers (ERA/WHIP) got off to a horrible start this season, but have finally started to drop.

Mike Timlin has been on fire all season, and the trend looks to continue after the break. His 0.88 WHIP is often overshadowed by his penchant for the long-ball, but his 2.65 ERA is far from disappointing. Timlin's K numbers are never astronomical for a reliever, but he'll continue to see a bunch of opportunities for holds. Timlin has recorded a hold in his last 3 outings.

Dave Veres has been the lone contributing member of the 'pen that has struggled lately, as he's allowed a run in each of his last 2 appearances, lasting just 2/3 of an inning. Veres is very hot and cold, particularly with his sinker. Still, the former closer sees plenty of hold situations go his way himself, and is worth a look in holds leagues.

Mike Crudale could be a name to keep an eye on for the future, but won't see much late inning work for the Cards this year. AAA Memphis' closer in the pre-season, Crudale has looked fantastic at the big league level (1.94 ERA, 0.94 WHIP), but is being groomed more as a middle reliever in the bigs. Eventually, he may grow into a setup role, but don't really expect it to be this year.

Mike Matthews and Luther Hackman fill out the pen. Both have pitched admirably well so far, but neither will ever have much of a fantasy role.

Infield

1b Tino Martinez has struggled since the break, collecting just 3 hits and 0 RBI. The acquisition of Martinez has looked like a bust all year, as the only thing he's really added to the team is a dimension of "been there, done that" leadership. This is normally when he heats up, so if he's going to, expect it soon. In the meantime, Eduardo Perez hit homers in 2 consecutive starts where he spelled Martinez, but isn't really much of a threat unless he turns around his putrid .167 batting average.

2b Fernando Vina has been mired in a slump since mid-June, watching his batting average drop from .298 to .272. On the positive side, he's started a modest 4 game hitting streak and is still capable of scoring a ton of runs if he can just get on base.

3b Placido Polanco has turned an awful start around, posting 12 hits in his last 6 games, including a massive 5/5 performance against the Dodgers in their last game before the break. He's hit for a .371 average in the past month and has already matched his career high of 5 homers, a figure that doesn't look to rise much. His versatility and ability to hit for average make him worth a look in some leagues.

SS Edgar Renteria has also caught fire, with 11 hits in his his last 6 games. The speedy Renteria just saw his average rise to .293 with a 4/4 performance in LA on Tuesday. Unfortunately, he's not running as much as he's capable of, nor has he flashed his power much. His spot in the order (6) doesn't allow for many RBI opportunities either.

Outfield

CF Jim Edmonds saw his modest five game hitting streak go by the wasteside on Tuesday, wearing the collar with an 0 for 5 performance, striking out 4 times. Since his return from injury in June, Edmonds' batting average has dropped from .341 to .311, but his power still makes him a quality threat in any lineup.

LF Albert Pujols continues to try and shrug off his All-Star snub, and has gone just 3/16 since the break with only 1 RBI. A return to the friendly confines of Busch Stadium could get him going, as he's a .325 career hitter at home as compared to just .304 on the road.

RF J.D. Drew has supposedly returned from the DL, though he's started just 1 of 4 games since his return. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Drew will likely be listed as day to day for the rest of the year, as he's expected to opt for arthroscopic knee surgery at the end of the season.

Super sub Eli Marrero continues to play in Drew's stead until/if Drew ever decides he's fit to play. Marrero has done a fantastic job this year, playing 5 different positions (including all 3 OF positions) while posting solid .267-8-33 numbers. The key to Marrero is his speed, as he's mustered 11 steals. The only real position that he's valuable at from a fantasy perspective is Catcher, where he's assured a return to eligibility for next season already.

Local Perspective/Rumorama

After the New York Yankees unnecessarily snatched Jeff Weaver, widely regarded as the gem of the trade market, from the A's (via the Tigers) at presumably little cost, the Cardinals are now forced to pursue other options. Yankee owner George Steinbrenner prompted many members of the baseball community to go off on him for this maneuver, including Cards manager Tony Larussa who seemed curious as to why teams keep feeding them.

The elimination of Weaver from the market leaves the Cards with several lesser options. Cleveland Indians starter Chuck Finley, Orioles starters Scott Erickson and Sidney Ponson, and Rangers' starter Kenny Rogers have been the most oft-mentioned names.

GM Walt Jocketty put to rest a lot of rumors that the Cards were thinking of dealing starter Bud Smith and RF J.D. Drew to the Padres for OF Bubba Trammell and starters Brian Lawrence and Dennis Tankersley on Monday. "We have no interest in trading those players to San Diego," Jocketty told a reporter from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The Book On:

Jason Isringhausen

Jason Isringhausen, 29, broke out in his rookie year with the New York Mets as a starter. In 14 starts, Izzy went 9-2 with a 2.81 ERA and finishing 4th in the NL Rookie of the Year ballotting, primarily because he only played half the season in the majors. A power pitching prospect, he looked like he may be at the top of the Mets rotation for years to come, but sufferred a few setbacks in his second season with the club. After struggling through an awful 6-14 second season, Izzy shut it down in mid-September, requiring surgery on a tear in his right shoulder and to remove bone chips from his elbow.

He never would be the same pitcher with the Mets, receiving a call-up towards the end of 1997 after he had recuperated from his surgeries as well as Tuberculosis, and pitching pretty poorly in a starting role. Izzy was sent back down to the minors for the entire 1998 season. He began the 1999 season in the Mets rotation, but was sent back down to Norfolk in June before being called back up to showcase himself for a trade in a bullpen role in July. Hours before the deadline, on July 31, 1999, the Mets traded Izzy and reliever Greg McMichael to the A's in return for A's closer Billy Taylor.

After about a month with the A's, Oakland knew that they had found their replacement for Taylor in end-game situations. Izzy was fantastic down the stretch, going 8 for 8 in save opportunities and posting a 2.13 ERA after the deal. This trend would continue in 2000, as Izzy would make his first All-Star appearance, notching 33 of his 40 save opportunities and keeping a solid 3.78 ERA. Izzy continued to build on it by putting up an even better 2001 that saw him close 34 games successfully with a 2.65 ERA, lowering his WHIP to 1.08 in the process.

When his contract expired in the offseason, it was known to many clubs that Izzy would be available, and his hometown Cardinals were the ones who came calling. Izzy, who grew up just across the Mississippi in Brighton, Illinois, has performed incredibly well for much of the season, and is on pace to shatter his career high of 34 saves, having posted 22 already. As he was in Oakland, he's prone to his slumps (4 of his 7 blown saves in 2000 came in 9 chances... 6 of his 9 blown saves in 2001 came in a month-long stretch), but Isringhausen is lights out when he's on. The Cards have found a keeper.

The Walking Wounded

J.D. Drew - Drew is back from the DL, but is still sufferring from tendinitis in his knee.

Spin - Drew and Larussa said that Drew would have to take the occasional day off the rest of the season, as he'll likely opt for arthroscopic surgery. So far, this occasional day off has meant that he's started in just one of four games since his return. If you have him, it's a good idea to find some sucker who actually believes that Drew will ever stay healthy enough to produce.

Woody Williams - Williams left his start a week ago complaining of back pain after batting in the 5th inning. It has since been found to be a strained rib.

Spin - Williams has been, arguably, the Cards best pitcher when he's healthy. The initial diagnosis was that he'd miss two starts, and he's eligible to return from the DL on July 22.

Garrett Stephenson - Stephenson remains on the 60 day DL after hamstring surgery.

Spin - Don't look for him to help this year.

Quick Picks

New feature to the quick picks.... Consecutive appearances in parentheses.

Add/Acquire

Woody Williams (8) - Woody is out for a bit, and some owners may be convinced he'll be out longer than originally planned. He seems to be recovering nicely, and has been the Cards best pitcher. Somehow, he still slips under the radar of many a fantasy manager.

Bud Smith (4) - Go get him. His stuff looked filthy in San Diego this past week, and all the youngster needs is a little confidence to build on. He could be one of the best second half sleepers in the league.

Jason Isringhausen (3) - Some fantasy managers will still be concerned that he'll revert to his poor showing in June. He's really just too good to do that, and his recent string of three saves in three games could be an indication of what to look forward to the rest of the way.

Eli Marrero (2) - Drew's constant whining and nagging injuries make Marrero a lock to start 70% of the games the rest of the way somewhere on the field. His eligibility at catcher makes him a quality grab in most leagues.

Placido Polanco (1) - He's a solid average hitter who qualifies at a ton of positions. Just don't count on a lot of power or RBI. He should score some runs, though.

Drop/Deal

Garrett Stephenson (8) - If you hadn't listened to me by now, you're in last place already ;).

Fernando Vina (1) - If he's not even getting on base, he won't help you at all.

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