That was a pretty hard hit ball by Pujols but I think a lot of 2nd basemen at least keep the ball in the infield. Then, Matsui had plenty of time to throw Pujols out at 2nd on the next play. He looks overwhelmed offensively and defensively these days.
Matsui missed that pitch by a foot. For a guy with virtually no pop, he needs to be getting on base to be productive. He's a patient hitter who can occasionally work a count but the problem is that he doesn't have a good eye when he actually swings the bat. He's a wannabe contact hitter who simply can't get his eyes and bat to work together.
It seems to me that Pence needs to slow down his bat on some of his swings. It's OK to swing for the fences once in a while in the right counts but even when he chokes up just trying to make contact, he has these hyper spaz swings and ends up topping a lot of breaking balls. He needs to relax a little and stay back, esp. in 2 strike counts.
Bourn with the outfield assist gets Schumaker at home plate. He made a similarly beautiful play against Arizona but the home plate ump blew the call.
I imagine he also needs plenty of practice at playing the position and calling games. Towles got sent down largely because of not being able to handle catching duties. Cash is quite possibly the worst hitting non-pitcher in all of baseball. So far, his work behind the plate hasn't been anything special either but he apparently has a track record of being good in that area.
And Sullivan doesn't suck for the moment. He's still hitting .140, so the moment is fleeting at best.
St. Louis fans on another blog are cursing Ryan left and right. 3 unearned runs. Hey, we'll take all the help we can get.
Wow I checked the Ticker on ESPN and we were down 2-0. I turn to the game a minute later and it's 4-2 Astros 0.o. I at first was like no way.....
