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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="en"> <title>Viva El Birdos - All Posts</title> <subtitle>A St. Louis Cardinals Fan Community</subtitle> <icon>https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50051/veb-fav.png</icon> <updated>2025-05-01T00:38:58-04:00</updated> <id>http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/rss/current/</id> <link type="text/html" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/" rel="alternate"/> <entry> <published>2025-05-01T00:38:58-04:00</published> <updated>2025-05-01T00:38:58-04:00</updated> <title>The Cardinals Double Dip On Winning On The Last Day of April 2025</title> <content type="html"> <figure> <img alt="St. Louis Cardinals v Cincinnati Reds - Game Two" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/L4vUToIx5VXbO6-_AZYBJvPrYl4=/0x0:7021x4681/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74058824/2212818710.0.jpg" /> <figcaption>Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images</figcaption> </figure> <p>St Louis wins the double header in Cincinnati and guarantees at least a series split with the Reds</p> <p id="pRk44L"><strong>Game 1</strong></p><p id="7TYfQl"><strong>Top 1</strong><br>Nootbaar ground out, Masyn Winn <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fvideo%2Fmasyn-winn-homers-2-on-a-fly-ball-to-left-field-sikzpk&amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vivaelbirdos.com%2F2025%2F5%2F1%2F24421413%2Fthe-cardinals-double-dip-on-winning-on-the-last-day-of-april-2025" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">home run</a>, Donovan line out to center field, and Arenado ground out<br><strong>Bottom 1</strong><br>Miles Mikolas only gives up a single to Elly De La Cruz, strikes out Matt McLain, with Friedl and Lux fly outs to start and end the bottom of the inning</p><p id="GM0GV9"><strong>Top 2</strong><br>Willson Contreras strike out, Alec Burleson fly out to center, a Nolan Gorman walk, and a Yohel Pozo ground out<br><strong>Bottom 2</strong><br>Miles Mikolas makes the entire side fly out to left field, and right field for Jake Fraley</p><p id="yVj5TE"><strong>Top 3</strong><br>Victor Scott II singled and stole his 10th base, Lars Nootbaar walked, Masyn Winn popped out, but then Brendan Donovan grounded out into a double play!<br><strong>Bottom 3</strong><br>Miles Mikolas struck out Jose Trevino, made Tyler Callihan fly out, and made TJ Friedl ground out, mixing in three ways to retire the side!</p><p id="OmyJPm"><strong>Top 4</strong><br>Other than Willson Contreras being hit by a pitch, this inning isn’t really worth mentioning<br><strong>Bottom 4</strong><br>Mikolas hit Elly De La Cruz with a pitch, which he reacted to by stealing a base, but that was it really, Miles was cruising</p><p id="QcOAXd"><strong>Top 5</strong><br>The Cardinals bats were quiet and ineffective<br><strong>Bottom 5</strong><br>Other than a Jose Trevino hit, Miles Mikolas had another good if not really good inning... who was expecting Mikolas to be so good today? I wasn’t</p><p id="7pepcC"><strong>Top 6</strong><br>Masyn Winn walked to start the inning. Today he was moved up to the second spot in the order... and it worked! However, this inning Donovan, Arenado, and Contreras came up empty<br><strong>Bottom 6</strong><br>Miles Mikolas avoided any damage even though Elly De La Cruz reached base and stole a base again, but with help of Kyle Leahy in relief, no damage was done! Mikolas would end up getting the win...</p><p id="Yg9kF0"><strong>Top 7</strong><br>The Cardinals were up 1-0 on the early Masyn Winn home run... Burleson struck out, Gorman walked again, Pozo singled, Victor Scott II walked, but then Lars Nootbaar lined into a double play! Stuck with a one run lead most of the game, this was the inning that Reds starter Brady Singer was relieved after only giving up 1 run. Today was his first loss of the season! Reds reliever Rogers was charged with the Yohel hit<br><strong>Bottom 7</strong><br>Kyle Leahy was able to cruise through the side and is perhaps, the staple of our bullpen, at least so far: 1.47 ERA, 3.12 xERA. Leahy has the magic as a Cardinal, slicing through the Reds lineup like they were salted butter left out on the counter, ending the inning by inducing a ground into double play. Jose Trevino was having a day until he met Leahy</p><p id="cKguc8"><strong>Top 8</strong><br>Scott Barlow replaced Taylor Rogers, Oliver Marmol was ejected for some reason <small>*i was at work </small>Masyn Winn began the inning by taking a walk, but then was thrown out stealing a base! Which was overturned ultimately, after an initial safe call. However, Donovan and Arenado were retired, going 0-9 between the two of them. They did not have a good day. This made the game very tense and suspenseful to follow at work on gameday. Only 1-0 going into...<br><strong>Bottom 8</strong><br>A JoJo Romero relief appearance in 2025 has been no fun, usually. But today he found a bit of his old self and mixed together a fly out, strike out, and ground out to retire the Reds 8th inning chances. </p><p id="I27vdA"><strong>Top 9</strong><br>The epic Game 1 ninth inning started out with a hit by pitch to Contreras. Burleson joined Arenado and Donovan combining to go 0-13 between the three. They certainly have faith in Alec I guess we will see if he ever turns it around. It was looking like the Cardinals might flirt with extras, because Nolan Gorman flew out to Fraley in right field. However, Yohel Pozo decided that the game was over yet and hit a single. <br>This set the stage for big time heroics: Victor Scott II hit his <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fvideo%2Falexis-diaz-in-play-run-s-to-victor-scott-ii&amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vivaelbirdos.com%2F2025%2F5%2F1%2F24421413%2Fthe-cardinals-double-dip-on-winning-on-the-last-day-of-april-2025" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">2nd</a> home run of the year, Lars Nootbaar hit his <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fvideo%2Falexis-diaz-in-play-run-s-to-lars-nootbaar&amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vivaelbirdos.com%2F2025%2F5%2F1%2F24421413%2Fthe-cardinals-double-dip-on-winning-on-the-last-day-of-april-2025" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">5th</a> home run of the year, and Masyn Winn hit his 2nd home run of the day, which was his <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fvideo%2Falexis-diaz-in-play-run-s-to-masyn-winn&amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vivaelbirdos.com%2F2025%2F5%2F1%2F24421413%2Fthe-cardinals-double-dip-on-winning-on-the-last-day-of-april-2025" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">3rd</a> of the year! Back to back to back home runs in the 9th! <br>All the sudden it was 4-0 on the three run VSII shot, 5-0 on the Noot solo blast, and then things got serious when Winn hit his second home run of the day. Donovan tried to extend the scoring but then Nolan Arenado went 0 for 5.<br><strong>Bottom 9</strong><br>Matt Svanson was brought in to replace JoJo Romero with the big lead. The kid was able to get through the side while only allowing a walk to Lux.</p><p id="a6kXuY">The Cardinals won game 1 of the day, a make up game from the April 29 rainout, 6-0. They scored 6 runs on 7 hits, 4 of which were home runs. Cardinals pitching finally looked really good on the road! The road cursed felt like it was being lifted a bit. </p><p id="8MYK4k">Alexis Diaz is now rocking a 14.25 FIP on the season, and a 12 ERA. He ain’t closing games, he is blowing them up... but the Reds seem to think of him as their closer. Thank you Cincinnati! Looking at fangraphs pitch plotter, the umpires are still constricting the zone quite a bit, which seems to be a pattern this year.</p><p id="pM83cy"><strong>Game 2</strong></p><p id="HLQw2j">While game 1 today came off as a suspenseful movie with a big explosion at the end where the good guys win, Game 2 was just a drubbing where the Cardinals won the game 9-1. The fangraphs win expectancy graph is just basically flatlined after 3 innings.</p><p id="n4p8yo"><strong>Top 1</strong><br>The drubbings continued in Game 1 with a three run Willson Contreras <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fvideo%2Fwillson-contreras-homers-3-on-a-fly-ball-to-center-field-lars-nootbaar-sc&amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vivaelbirdos.com%2F2025%2F5%2F1%2F24421413%2Fthe-cardinals-double-dip-on-winning-on-the-last-day-of-april-2025" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">home run</a>! These 3 RBI were set up by a leadoff Lars Nootbaar walk and a Masyn Winn single on a line drive to right field. Winn has responded really well, today at least, to being moved up to the 2nd spot in the order. Lars Nootbaar is proving to be the perfect leadoff guy, by making the pitcher work from the very beginning of the game. Lars Nootbaar is seeing an average of 4.214 pitches per plate appearance, the highest in his five years with the Cardinals. This puts him within the top 30 or so hitters in MLB, as far as seeing a lot of pitches.<br><strong>Bottom 1</strong><br>Steven Matz allowed a single and a stolen base to Matt McLain, but otherwise cruised through the top of the Reds lineup. He has an ERA and FIP below 2 this season!</p><p id="OxmIKm"><strong>Top 2</strong><br>The Cardinals home run parade continued with Pedro Pages rocking the<a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fvideo%2Fchase-petty-in-play-run-s-to-pedro-pages&amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vivaelbirdos.com%2F2025%2F5%2F1%2F24421413%2Fthe-cardinals-double-dip-on-winning-on-the-last-day-of-april-2025" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"> 6th home run </a>of the day vs Cincinnati! It was 4-0 Cardinals. Jordan Walker was retired before Pedro, and Victor Scott II and Lars Nootbaar after.<br><strong>Bottom 2</strong><br>Matz gave up singles to Steer and Espinal, but then retired Lux, Wynns, and Dunn. Sounds like a weird lawyer firm.</p><p id="k5QeNO"><strong>Top 3</strong><br>Masyn Winn had himself a DAY and doubled to start the third inning. Then, Brendan Donovan knocked him in with an RBI single on a line drive to Friedl! 5-0 Cards! Then Willson Contreras singled, Alec Burleson struck out, Nolan Gorman walked yet again, and then Jordan Walker doubled on a sharp line drive to left field scoring Donovan and Contreras! 7-0. But it was not over!<br>Brent Suter replaced the newbie starting pitcher Chase Petty. Pedro Pages put the ball into play and it scored Gorman! 8-0 on the <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fvideo%2Fbrent-suter-in-play-run-s-to-pedro-pages&amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vivaelbirdos.com%2F2025%2F5%2F1%2F24421413%2Fthe-cardinals-double-dip-on-winning-on-the-last-day-of-april-2025" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">fielder’s choice</a>. The third was not over yet!<br>Victor Scott II <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fvideo%2Fvictor-scott-ii-singles-on-a-fly-ball-to-left-fielder-gavin-lux-jordan-wa&amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vivaelbirdos.com%2F2025%2F5%2F1%2F24421413%2Fthe-cardinals-double-dip-on-winning-on-the-last-day-of-april-2025" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">singled to left field</a> which scored Jordan Walker. 9-0 Cardinals! Nootbaar and Winn ended the inning but severe damage had already been done.<br><strong>Bottom 3</strong><br>Matz cruised through the side again with no problem although he allowed a single to Elly De La Cruz</p><p id="dQu7s6">The rest of the game was relatively uneventful save for an RBI single against Gordon Graceffo in the 6th inning which scored Elly De La Cruz after he singled earlier that inning. Graceffo relieved Matz in the 5th inning and he had no problem retiring the side. </p><p id="tMzBMj">Gordon actually pitched 5 innings of one run ball vs the Reds and finished out the game. What a day for the Cardinals! They climbed back to within 3 games of .500, doubled their road wins, and celebrated a day stacked with home runs, plus the success of Miles Mikolas, Steven Matz, Gordon Graceffo, and the bullpen on the pitching side. </p><p id="rQS39w">Notes</p><ul><li id="4BVxpe">I actually feel bad for Alec Burleson going 0-8 on a day where a lot of Cardinals hitters saw great success at the ballpark</li><li id="M6sWUz">Nolan Gorman actually played third base in Game 2 and showed off his arm a little bit</li><li id="2l9nSH">the Cardinals didn’t have to use the bullpen much today</li><li id="21Oc56">Masyn Winn 4-8 with 2 BB and 2 HR batting 2nd</li></ul><p id="4u3ldb">I’m wrapping this one up quickly because it’s getting late, I had to work a lot today, and the game is another AM time at 11:40. This one has been the finale pitcher’s duel of the series all along and I am sure both teams will bring it tomorrow after these first three games! It’s Liberatore at Abbott. Andrew Abbott so far has improved over a good season last year. And we all know the Matthew Liberatore success story so far in 2025. Should be a good game!</p><p id="xaXXOa"></p><p id="pqvFzk"></p> </content> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2025/5/1/24421413/the-cardinals-double-dip-on-winning-on-the-last-day-of-april-2025"/> <id>https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2025/5/1/24421413/the-cardinals-double-dip-on-winning-on-the-last-day-of-april-2025</id> <author> <name>George Bowles</name> </author> </entry> <entry> <published>2025-04-30T17:40:00-04:00</published> <updated>2025-04-30T17:40:00-04:00</updated> <title>St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds - A doubleheader game 2 thread for April 30, 2025</title> <content type="html"> <figure> <img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pPq0uKc59KgGHAtHKc9Ce8pLCEw=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828287/large_viva_el_birdos_minimal.34487.0.png" /> </figure> <p>game 31</p> <p id="wGjFEW">The <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">St. Louis Cardinals</a> take on the <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Cincinnati Reds</a> in game two of a doubleheader this evening at 5:40 pm CT. The game will be available on FanDuel Sports Midwest and on the radio on KMOX 1120 AM/104.1 FM.</p> </content> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2025/4/30/24420020/st-louis-cardinals-at-cincinnati-reds-a-doubleheader-game-2-thread-for-april-30-2025"/> <id>https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2025/4/30/24420020/st-louis-cardinals-at-cincinnati-reds-a-doubleheader-game-2-thread-for-april-30-2025</id> <author> <name>scooter</name> </author> </entry> <entry> <published>2025-04-30T17:03:09-04:00</published> <updated>2025-04-30T17:03:09-04:00</updated> <title>Game Preview 4/30: Cardinals vs. Reds (Game 2)</title> <content type="html"> <figure> <img alt="MLB: Game One-St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8ntEPjnc2sm6-QCuBnJumX7ikfg=/0x0:4730x3153/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74058370/usa_today_26053535.0.jpg" /> <figcaption>Katie Stratman-Imagn Images</figcaption> </figure> <p>Winning both games of a doubleheader would be quite cool.</p> <p id="6IujyS">If I may be so bold as to quote myself from the Game 1 preview, “Maybe the offense shows up today. And baseball has a funny way of reminding you how random it is, so maybe Mikolas actually pitches well today. Stranger things have happened.” The offense eventually showed up, taking advantage of what I’m guessing is a completely lost Alexis Diaz. Mikolas did pitch well. And kind of actually well, not he had a bad K/BB ratio and somehow perfectly timed all his baserunners. Baseball reminded us of how random it really is/</p><div class="c-float-right"><div id="0RqtXw"><div data-anthem-component="aside:12579325"></div></div></div><p id="Hvd3GD">Tonight the Cardinals are going to witness the MLB debut of a pretty good pitching prospect. This will go one of two ways I think. Either the Cardinals look completely helpless against this guy or they crush him. I suppose there is the possibility of something happening in between. But it sort of feels like a new pitcher is typically very overwhelmed and struggling or the Cardinals offense just has no idea what to do against the guy they have never seen before. Hopefully it’s the former.</p><p id="RjMQ1s"><strong>How to watch: </strong>Fanduel Sports Midwest Extra</p><p id="egCu8g"><strong>Where to listen: </strong>KMOX 1120AM/104.1 FM, WIJR 880 AM (spanish broadcast)</p><p id="4krf8d"><strong>First pitch: </strong>5:40 PM</p><p id="bKIIJD"><strong>Matchup:</strong></p><p id="vja85M">Steven Matz (1.80 ERA/2.23 FIP/3.92 xFIP) </p><p id="MawySD">vs. </p><p id="2UgR51">Chase Petty (AAA: 3.52 ERA/4.55 FIP/3.86 xFIP)</p><p id="46JkmI"><strong>Player to Watch</strong></p><p id="plvk7R">STL: Masyn Winn: Newly appointed #2 hitter, which is not really a move I agree with, but Winn decided to hit two homers in his first game as the most important member of the lineup. So who am I to argue? He really has the potential to have an all-timer kind of day with two homers and two walks already on the stat sheet.</p><p id="vl38Kv">CIN: Petty, who is mostly here so I can give a scouting report. He’s #46 by Fangraphs, #98 by Baseball America, and not on Baseball Prospectus’ list at all. So he’s not really on that can’t miss type of pitching prospect. BP had this to say: “Petty is a close-to-ready major-league rotation option for the Reds, but does seem to still be tinkering and tweaking the arsenal and pitch mix along the way. He may not have a clear plus option against major-league hitters—although the slider/cutter has a shot—but his combo of velocity and arsenal depth should make him at worst a useful backend starter.”</p><div id="Rz3bCU"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Catch Game 2 on <a href="https://twitter.com/FanDuelSN_MW?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FanDuelSN_MW</a> Extra! <a href="https://t.co/siHgigB712">pic.twitter.com/siHgigB712</a></p>— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1917678834809249953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2025</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><div id="6u5p5Z"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">More baseball from GABP this evening.<br><br>Powered by <a href="https://twitter.com/PNCBank?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PNCBank</a> <a href="https://t.co/HFQC2QEOfs">pic.twitter.com/HFQC2QEOfs</a></p>— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) <a href="https://twitter.com/Reds/status/1917666597621088420?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2025</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div> </content> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2025/4/30/24421249/game-preview-4-30-cardinals-vs-reds-game-2"/> <id>https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2025/4/30/24421249/game-preview-4-30-cardinals-vs-reds-game-2</id> <author> <name>Gabe Simonds</name> </author> </entry> <entry> <published>2025-04-30T12:06:39-04:00</published> <updated>2025-04-30T12:06:39-04:00</updated> <title>Game Preview 4/30: Cardinals vs. Reds (Game 1)</title> <content type="html"> <figure> <img alt="St. Louis Cardinals v Cincinnati Reds" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fdJL3rOpM3Y_wSTAvbynMlTJrBM=/0x0:5616x3744/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74057733/2212479574.0.jpg" /> <figcaption>Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images</figcaption> </figure> <p>Let’s try to win this one</p> <p id="bpMUJ1">Oh hey day baseball. The Cardinals play two games today, the first of which is during work hours, so I imagine most of you are not going to be able to watch it. That’s okay. The Cardinals appear to be bad on the road, so it’s not the worst thing to miss a road game. I’m just accepting they are bad on the road, even though the sample is bad, because it’ll be easier to see losses coming.</p><div class="c-float-right"><div id="5gCVka"><div data-anthem-component="aside:12579325"></div></div></div><p id="sQa3xp">Today is not one of those games where I think anyone would expect a win. It’s a fairly lopsided pitching matchup. Singer’s been good enough this year that he would nicely fit into the other ace level pitchers the Cardinals randomly end up beating. So there is that. Maybe the offense shows up today. And baseball has a funny way of reminding you how random it is, so maybe Mikolas actually pitches well today. Stranger things have happened.</p><p id="RjMQ1s"><strong>How to watch: </strong>Fanduel Sports Midwest Extra</p><p id="egCu8g"><strong>Where to listen: </strong>KMOX 1120AM/104.1 FM, WIJR 880 AM (spanish broadcast)</p><p id="4krf8d"><strong>First pitch: </strong>11:40 PM</p><p id="bKIIJD"><strong>Matchup:</strong></p><p id="6165C2">STL: Miles Mikolas (5.70 ERA/3.08 FIP/5.04 xFIP)</p><p id="IvzIvl">vs.</p><p id="OgjGE3">MIL: Brady Singer (3.62 ERA/3.11 FIP/3.23 xFIP)</p><p id="bvZdtx"><strong>Player to Watch</strong></p><p id="HpICJl">STL - Nolan Gorman: No better time than the present for Gorman’s immense power potential to show up than in this series. He doesn’t need an easy park to hit a homer, and yet being at an easy to hit a homer park is an enticing place for a power hitter to play. So Gorman, how about today you start showing that home run power.</p><p id="1dIzxu">CIN - Gavin Lux: Okay, so I wrote the series preview about how insanely lucky Gavin Lux has been this year, and then he went out and went 3-4 with a double. Eventually, Lux will not have a near .500 BABIP, but for the next three games, that is no guarantee. He’s walking more - also striking out more - but he’s legit the same hitter he’s been for his career - he just has a .484 BABIP.</p><div id="Eb1bAA"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Playing two today! <a href="https://t.co/PZtOPAjPxV">pic.twitter.com/PZtOPAjPxV</a></p>— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1917585555761824055?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2025</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><div id="1Hyg5S"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">How 'bout we play two today?<br><br>Powered by <a href="https://twitter.com/PNCBank?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PNCBank</a> <a href="https://t.co/BxZDGczvwV">pic.twitter.com/BxZDGczvwV</a></p>— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) <a href="https://twitter.com/Reds/status/1917578519388754152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2025</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><p id="DI1LFb"></p><p id="yQZHOY"></p><p id="hpNQwk"></p><p id="YtoR2a"></p><p id="yYzvNB"></p> </content> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2025/4/30/24420561/game-preview-4-30-cardinals-vs-reds-game-1"/> <id>https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2025/4/30/24420561/game-preview-4-30-cardinals-vs-reds-game-1</id> <author> <name>Gabe Simonds</name> </author> </entry> <entry> <published>2025-04-30T11:40:00-04:00</published> <updated>2025-04-30T11:40:00-04:00</updated> <title>St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds - A doubleheader game thread for April 30, 2025</title> <content type="html"> <figure> <img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pPq0uKc59KgGHAtHKc9Ce8pLCEw=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828287/large_viva_el_birdos_minimal.34487.0.png" /> </figure> <p>game 30</p> <p id="wGjFEW">The <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">St. Louis Cardinals</a> take on the <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Cincinnati Reds</a> for game one of a doubleheader this morning at 11:40 am CT. The game will be available on FanDuel Sports Midwest and on the radio on KMOX 1120 AM/104.1 FM.</p> </content> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2025/4/30/24420736/st-louis-cardinals-at-cincinnati-reds-a-doubleheader-game-thread-for-april-30-2025"/> <id>https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2025/4/30/24420736/st-louis-cardinals-at-cincinnati-reds-a-doubleheader-game-thread-for-april-30-2025</id> <author> <name>scooter</name> </author> </entry> <entry> <published>2025-04-30T09:00:00-04:00</published> <updated>2025-04-30T09:00:00-04:00</updated> <title>The Path Ahead & April Impressions</title> <content type="html"> <figure> <img alt="St. Louis Cardinals v. Cincinnati Reds" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/o1YFCjXvf-4QzizoJr2xVgOHjiM=/0x0:2384x1589/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74057343/2212037244.0.jpg" /> <figcaption>Photo by Abdoul Sow/MLB Photos via Getty Images</figcaption> </figure> <p>One month into the season and there are even more questions than before</p> <p id="PqhwEO">So far this year, this is a team finding its identity after several seasons of upheaval and change. The Cardinals in 2022 watched the retirement of the old guard. In 2023, the team crashed and burned. 2024 brought a lackluster second place finish tied with the Chicago Cubs. The team struggled to find a hitting coach, the defense and fundamentals seemed out of phase, and questions surrounded Oliver Marmol and the abrupt firing of the insubordinate Mike Shildt, the second of two Mikes.</p><p id="Ytgnme">So far in 2025, with April nearing its completion, the Cardinals have been allowing 4.66 runs per game, while scoring 4.52 runs on average each game. Their run differential isn’t terrible, at -4. For the rest of the season, fangraphs projects that the Cardinals will reduce the runs scored against them, going forward. They do after all have much improved defense now, maybe the best defense in MLB. Who knows? It’s only almost May. </p><p id="B7GEYA">The caveat is, fangraphs doesn’t think the offense can keep scoring 4.52 runs per game. Currently, we are projected to finish with 77 wins. That’s not very good, and only good enough to finish above the Pirates, barely. Fourth place! I suppose that is entirely possible.</p><p id="qOHR3V">Why 4th place? Because the pitching just isn’t that good, and the offense isn’t actually elite. In fact it’s been hit and miss, cratering in enough games to bring the team below .500. And they are five games below .500 because the pitching has been failing to prevent runs even with good defense supporting them. </p><p id="IHIg5a">Also, the team is currently in 4th place. So there’s that. We don’t have a lot to go on telling us otherwise. What could turn this thing around?</p><ul><li id="M2vz9D">what if Nolan Arenado is indeed untradeable and puts up over 5 fWAR in 2025? that’s the kind of player that is a difference maker if he has some support surrounding him</li><li id="07EGZp">what if Masyn Winn is a top tier defensive shortstop, while hitting for league average? along with Arenado, this is a run preventing wall of defense on the left side of the diamond</li><li id="uIOmq6">what if Brendan Donovan gets MVP votes and puts up close to 8 fWAR? That is what he is pacing for. So, along with strong defense we have an elite hitter on the roster!</li><li id="U7jHBf">what if Lars Nootbaar maintains an on-base percentage around .400 all year from the leadoff spot? that should be an exciting offense! Noot will likely hit over 20 home runs too</li><li id="olPzbh">what if Ivan Herrera picks up where he left off and ignites the offense when he returns? having him in the lineup every day will only help bolster the offense</li><li id="nfoKTI">what if Willson Contreras’ start on offense has been a mirage and he turns it around and makes up for April the rest of the season?</li><li id="sjCCmt">what if Victor Scott II maintains league average offense while playing superb center field defense and steals 50 bases? he could do that! maybe</li></ul><p id="ne3Lns">You get the idea! Those are some very real points that could make the team finish above 4th place, if things break our way. Sure I could make outlandish claims about Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker figuring things out, but those were already 7 players that could be big difference makers and propel the season forward. </p><p id="RjIdBB">The main problem remains winning on the road, and that has to change its tune at some point. It’s a long season and there will be many plots and storylines and side quests.</p><p id="TKQX32">And let’s not forget Matthew Liberatore could lead the staff along with Sonny Gray and maybe the rotation won’t be too bad. Libby has been one of the best starters in MLB so far this year, 5 starts in. &amp; Maybe the bullpen won’t be nearly this bad the rest of the season. There is plenty of baseball left to be played.</p><p id="4h7lXL">The Cardinals play bright and early today, starting before the noon hour, making up for a weather delayed Tuesday night. Maybe the Cardinals will still notch their first series win on the road and win 3 in a row in another city. Maybe not. Or they could still split the series.</p><p id="o5SsW3">The fickle finger of fate has brought us the last day of April. I ask the Cardinals to go out of the month on a winning note. Which means hopefully they’ll win with Matz on the mound, because unless they break the bats out, I don’t think they will win miles away from home with Mikolas at “Great American Ballpark”. What a cheesy name. If Ohio is peak America, I am not too impressed, to be imperfectly honest.</p><p id="NWpRJO">And now, a poem from the digital ghost of Bukowski for those of you who are actually going to sit around and drink beer all day for both these games today. I will be working all day and night so I envy you, heartily!</p><p id="FcSiyh"><em>watching these cardinals is like watching a drunk try to find his keys in the gutter</em></p><p id="6Q8N2u"><em>they’ve been stumbling around for years now</em></p><p id="hjWeJk"><em>first the old boys left then everything went to hell in ‘23</em></p><p id="YRIN5I"><em>‘24 wasn’t much better tied with those damn cubs</em></p><p id="pcSLVp"><em>here we are end of april ‘25 and they’re still pissing away games</em></p><p id="AYMMSH"><em>4.66 runs given up 4.52 scored</em></p><p id="KGJqX2"><em>numbers numbers numbers</em></p><p id="Hn2HVF"><em>the stats guys say we’ll get better</em></p><p id="UziRUv"><em>sure</em></p><p id="MqlIpO"><em>and my landlord will stop asking for rent</em></p><p id="6mEwSz"><em>they say we’ve got the best defense in baseball</em></p><p id="uUjl8V"><em>doesn’t mean shit when you can’t win</em></p><p id="Aj6Zpw"><em>77 wins they predict</em></p><p id="idae2J"><em>fourth place</em></p><p id="0rFb3a"><em>like finishing fourth in a drinking contest</em></p><p id="y7K9pa"><em>nobody remembers fourth place</em></p><p id="kb2q3U"><em>got these hotshot kids though...</em></p><p id="dZyamu"><em>and aging arenado with his fancy glove work</em></p><p id="YJKEie"><em>...winn the new golden boy at short</em></p><p id="vlffDK"><em>donovan playing like he’s got something to prove</em></p><p id="z4w1MW"><em>nootbaar getting on base like he’s got a map to first</em></p><p id="3XLGJl"><em>herrera contreras scott</em></p><p id="rxkxVh"><em>all these names</em></p><p id="uI2UcQ"><em>just names until they prove something</em></p><p id="2O2Q4T"><em>the road games are killing us</em></p><p id="1djuIA"><em>like a bad hangover that won’t quit</em></p><p id="SYmW6q"><em>they’re out there right now in cincinnati</em></p><p id="1XnVis"><em>that sorry excuse for a ballpark</em></p><p id="DG976z"><em>“great american” my ass</em></p><p id="HocEFM"><em>nothing great about losing</em></p><p id="D6XnFC"><em>liberatore’s got some fire in his gut</em></p><p id="6fsOTI"><em>might save this rotation</em></p><p id="wbBIwR"><em>might not</em></p><p id="kFIRG7"><em>baseball’s funny that way</em></p><p id="vS0iGJ"><em>like life</em></p><p id="Za7LX6"><em>doesn’t care what you want or need</em></p><p id="kGVKdH"><em>just keeps throwing curveballs</em></p><p id="45b2VH"><em>matz is pitching today</em></p><p id="wLk4ci"><em>god help us</em></p><p id="cJgYb0"><em>mikolas too</em></p><p id="lcUtTe"><em>like choosing between lukewarm beer and a root beer float</em></p><p id="AzGHkF"><em>neither one’s gonna make you feel good</em></p><p id="WS3CdS"><em>but here i am</em></p><p id="1oSoYp"><em>watching anyway</em></p><p id="g3DiFu"><em>like a fool at the racetrack</em></p><p id="IcnUTz"><em>betting on the three-legged horse</em></p><p id="zKCkKf"><em>because sometimes</em></p><p id="6Rn4Xn"><em>just sometimes</em></p><h3 id="hFdd3e"><em>that’s the one that wins</em></h3> </content> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2025/4/30/24420764/the-path-ahead-april-impressions"/> <id>https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2025/4/30/24420764/the-path-ahead-april-impressions</id> <author> <name>George Bowles</name> </author> </entry> <entry> <published>2025-04-29T17:40:00-04:00</published> <updated>2025-04-29T17:40:00-04:00</updated> <title>St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds - A game thread for April 29, 2025</title> <content type="html"> <figure> <img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pPq0uKc59KgGHAtHKc9Ce8pLCEw=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828287/large_viva_el_birdos_minimal.34487.0.png" /> </figure> <p>game 30</p> <p id="wGjFEW">The <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">St. Louis Cardinals</a> take on the <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Cincinnati Reds</a> this evening at 5:40 pm CT. The game will be available on FanDuel Sports Midwest and on the radio on KMOX 1120 AM/104.1 FM.</p> </content> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2025/4/29/24420019/st-louis-cardinals-at-cincinnati-reds-a-game-thread-for-april-29-2025"/> <id>https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2025/4/29/24420019/st-louis-cardinals-at-cincinnati-reds-a-game-thread-for-april-29-2025</id> <author> <name>scooter</name> </author> </entry> <entry> <published>2025-04-29T09:00:00-04:00</published> <updated>2025-04-29T09:00:00-04:00</updated> <title>Failure to launch </title> <content type="html"> <figure> <img alt="MLB: Los Angeles Angels at St. Louis Cardinals" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tZepoLMfCa9iwKD9J1yiN-onP4E=/0x0:8256x5504/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74055473/usa_today_25825001.0.jpg" /> <figcaption>Jeff Curry-Imagn Images</figcaption> </figure> <p>Cardinals offense continues to struggle with too many balls on the ground.</p> <p id="sdYUKd">The <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">St. Louis Cardinals</a> offense as a whole is much improved through the first month of the season compared to 2024’s awful performance. However, there is still one flaw persisting that could hold the group back as a whole in 2025: they are still struggling to create am effective launch angle to increase the output of their slugging. Accomplishing this would make them a more legitimate threat with staying power all season long. </p><p id="Tv9AQe">Credit where credit is due, the Cardinals still have the best team batting average, lead the league in doubles, are 4th in team on base percentage, and 8th in team OPS. Unfortunately, they're also in a free fall in rankings when it comes to home runs. The team is tied for 20th in baseball with the San Diego Mike Shildt’s. </p><p id="UIFxnS">Ivan Herrera’s last game was April 6th. It's been 22 days, and he still shares the team lead in home runs at 4. To me, that's unacceptable from an offense that features power bats like Nolan Gorman, Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado (to an extent), and Alec Burleson. Lars Nootbaar shares the team lead and has <em>some</em> power, but his true superpower is the on base percentage, so I give him a slight pass in this discussion as it's hard to ask him or Donovan to really do any more than they have at this point. </p><p id="dHtdh5">Then, there’s the biggest offensive disappointment of the season so far in Jordan Walker. xWOBA at .267, xSLUG at .335, his whiff% at 34.7 are all significant red flags in his offensive profile that have me a little more pessimistic on his long term future and whether or not he will be capable of reaching his ceiling, with the Cardinals at least. There’s still plenty of time for him to turn it around, but his shine has certainly faded some and, yes, this season is about finding out whether or not he can battle through it and come out better on the other side. But make no mistake this has not been an ideal start to the season the team or the fans were hoping for from Walker. </p><p id="EIcqk5">There are positives though. Walker’s bat measures at 77.7 MPH on his swing which puts him in the 99th percentile. He swings the bat harder than most players in baseball, he just has to hit the ball more consistently, and if he can do that <em>and </em>get the ball in the air? Then the Cardinals and Walker would really have something. </p><div class="c-float-right"><div id="2lBrRH"><div data-anthem-component="aside:12579325"></div></div></div><p id="DxAlZI">Speaking of launch angle, Walker’s launch angle sweet spot% is 26.6. That puts him in the 13th percentile in all of baseball. Not good. But it's not just Walker, Alec Burleson is quite literally the worst in baseball so far this year at 16.9% which puts him in the 1st percentile. Nolan Arenado is at 24.4% (6th percentile), Pedro Pages at 30.9% (33rd percentile), Masyn Winn 32.6% (41st percentile), Willson Contreras 35.1% (56th percentile). </p><p id="LhmJZE">The Cardinals have done a legitimately good job of generating offense from an aggressive base running strategy, whether that's hustle doubles, stealing bases, or taking extra bases on balls in play. Those are good fundamental areas in which the team foundationally is in a good place. But what this team truly lacks (so far) is real thump and presence in the middle of the order to make it a well-rounded offensive force that can win in different ways. Whether that comes from guys mentioned above, or if it has to come externally, it is an area of the modern game that is required to be successful. </p><p id="vMXytf">It’s hard to keep pace with any of the legitimate playoff offenses scoring 1-2 runs every three or four innings when the big boys of the league can hit multiple 2 or 3 run home runs in the same game on a fairly consistent basis and pull away from you when the game dictates it. This is an area I am hopeful the Cardinals will address and improve upon as the season continues. If they can’t this might be a longer retooling process than you or I had hoped for.</p><p id="pLLIyL">-Thanks for reading</p> </content> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/st-louis-cardinals-sabermetrics-analysis/2025/4/29/24419973/failire-to-launch-home-runs-and-lack-there-of"/> <id>https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/st-louis-cardinals-sabermetrics-analysis/2025/4/29/24419973/failire-to-launch-home-runs-and-lack-there-of</id> <author> <name>Jake_Wood28</name> </author> </entry></feed> If you would like to create a banner that links to this page (i.e. this validation result), do the following:
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