Gateway to Baseball Heaven, 5/14/17

It was another winning week for the Redbirds and Daniel Shoptaw (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara Wellman (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) were glad to have more wins to discuss.  While the record may not really reflect it, the Cardinals stepped up in competition this weekend against the defending World Champs and acquitted themselves nicely.  Does that mean that this really is a good team and not just a team taking it out on soft competition?  How important are Tommy Pham and Magneuris Sierra to the recent resurgence?  More importantly, how long are they going to be with the team?  We saw a great start from Adam Wainwright on Sunday–turning the corner or a blip in a bad pattern?  All this and much, much more!

Note: We so, SO wanted to title this episode #ThatsCub but we couldn’t quite bring ourselves to do it.

GTBH 5/14/17: Not Getting Sick of the Winning

Meet Me At Musial: Episode 28

While the Cardinals returned to Busch and dropped the first in their set with the Chicago Cubs, that couldn’t erase all the warm feelings from a 6-0 road trip, the credit of which has been squarely put on speedsters Tommy Pham and Magneuris Sierra.  Their speed seems to have created an alternate timeline where the Cards are good and folks are excited about the team.  Whether the new one will last or we’ll revert to the old cranky folks we used to be still remains to be seen.

Daniel Shoptaw (C70 At The Bat, @C70), Allen Medlock (The Redbird Daily, @amedlock1), and Kyle Reis (The Redbird Daily, @kyler416) talk about all the excitement and intrigue that the promotions brought with them along with some of the other issues that the week contained.  Can Brett Cecil ever get anyone out?  How strange is it to wonder if Kolten Wong will ever have a day off?  Is Adam Wainwright just a five inning pitcher?  The guys then talk about what Derrick Goold refers to as “roster angst” and try to figure out what might happen as folks start returning from the disabled list.

In the minors report, the debate continues about how to say Luis Robert, but there’s no debate on the Cardinals’ interest.  This seems to be moving toward its endgame–with St. Louis be the last one standing?  The guys also talk about Daniel Poncedeleon’s scary injury, the week that was in the minors, and who to watch on the Springfield club.  Plenty of great conversation here for Cardinal fans!  Be sure to give us a review when you are done!

Meet Me At Musial Episode 28: The Speed Force

Gateway To Baseball Heaven, 5/7/17

This was a painful week for the Cardinals, less because of the results (4-2) than the outfielders that dropped like flies.  While that did let us get a look at Tommy Pham and Mags Sierra, how severe are these injuries?  Will Dexter Fowler return quickly or be the next to the DL?  And if so, who is left to come to St. Louis?

Daniel Shoptaw (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara Wellman (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) tackle that and other things about this week, such as the growth of both Kolten Wong and, surprisingly, Mike Matheny.  Is Wong finally developing into the every day second baseman?  Has Mike taken the next step in his managerial evolution?  Listen and find out!

GTBH 5/7/17: No Podcasters Were Injured During the Making of This Show

Meet Me At Musial: Episode 27

It’s another week of Cardinal baseball and it’s still tough to tell what we have in this team.  Or perhaps it’s more that we don’t like the answer we keep coming up with.  Daniel Shoptaw (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen Medlock (The Redbird Daily, @amedlock1) tackle a mixed few games for the Cards, who lost three of five and had yet another rainout to contend with.  Not only that, but they lose Stephen Piscotty and possibly Dexter Fowler.  What does that mean for the team?  Are we out of the woods since Fowler isn’t on the DL?  What does the future hold for Jhonny Peralta, who is beginning his rehab assignment?

All that plus Kyle Reis talks about the month of April in the minors and the guys tackle your Twitter questions, including those that pay homage to Star Wars Day!

Meet Me At Musial Episode 27: Muddling Along

Gateway to Baseball Heaven, 4/30/17

This week, Mother Nature got as many wins as the Cardinals did losses, which made for a stop-and-start schedule especially with an off-day mixed in.  Even though the Redbirds went 3-2 since last Sunday, Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) still see plenty to be concerned about.  For a team that was supposed to emphasize pitching and defense, there’s not been a huge increase from last year’s weak showing.  (In fact, some stats indicate the opposite.)  The bullpen–strength or ticking time bomb?  Can Adam Wainwright adapt?  All that plus discussing how bad it must be to be replaced by Pete Kozma!

Gateway to Baseball Heaven 4/30/17: One Month Down, Five To Go

Meet Me At Musial: Episode 26

Another great week of Cardinal baseball, at least in the results, has the Cards knocking on the door of first place and Daniel Shoptaw (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen Medlock (The Redbird Daily, @amedlock1) in a good mood.  Everything’s not perfect, of course, but the flaws in this team are easier to swallow when they are winning nine of 11.  Daniel and Allen look at the good and the bad at each facet of the team, from the strong starts of Mike Leake and Lance Lynn to what to expect out of Adam Wainwright going forward.  The bullpen doesn’t escape scrutiny, as the guys wonder about Kevin Siegrist and dissect just how Mike Matheny has been using the arms this week.

Offensively, the team seems to be clicking a little more, thanks in part to Dexter Fowler finding his footing and Jedd Gyorko claiming third base as his own.  What happens when Jhonny Peralta comes back?  Will Gyroko have the position the rest of the year?  The guys tackle those points as well as the Twitter questions provided by you, the listeners!

Meet Me at Musial Episode 26: Filling In the Hole

Gateway to Baseball Heaven, 4/23/17

This week’s show is much more upbeat than the last few, as the Cardinals won six of the seven games they played this week.  That doesn’t mean that all is hunky-dory, however, and Daniel Shoptaw (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara Wellman (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) look at some of the issues that are still out there.  When you win three games by 2-1 scores and two other games because of the offensive exploits of your pitchers, you might think that the offense still needs some work.  Seung-hwan Oh still is doing his best Jason Isringhausen.  How long can that keep going?  And what’s up with Carlos Martinez?  All that and more on this week’s show!

Gateway to Baseball Heaven 4/23/17: Filling In the Hole

Meet Me At Musial: Episode 25

A week after seeing the Cardinals win just one game, Daniel Shoptaw (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Allen Medlock (The Redbird Daily, @amedlock1) are a lot happier discussing St. Louis’s recent good fortune, winning four of their past five games.  That doesn’t mean everything’s under control, because you still have Kevin Siegrist and Seung-hwan Oh and a sputtering offense, but it’s much more fun approaching the future with some optimism rather than dealing with everything that’s gone wrong.  If only John Mozeliak had had his talk with Mike Matheny earlier….  All the week that was, plus Kyle Reis talking the minors (and, of course, Luis Robert) and your Twitter questions!

Meet Me At Musial Episode 25: That’s a Whole Lot Better

Gateway to Baseball Heaven, 4/16/17

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and analysis you need about the St. Louis Cardinals. Actually, this week there’s little analysis you need–the club is just really bad right now. The Cards won one single game this week (against Max Scherzer, so don’t tell us baseball doesn’t have a sense of humor) so Daniel and Tara go back and forth trying to figure out what to do say about a team that looks lackluster and listless in the early going. There’s not a lot of options for John Mozeliak and the ones that he does have may not have much of an impact, but that doesn’t stop us from talking about them.

All this plus a discussion about Adam Wainwright!

GTBH 4/16/17: It’s Either Laugh, Cry, or Rant