NL Central Small Talk (cards, pitching, coach, ball)

[case44]

Hi, everyone. I've decided to start up a new thread, thanks to the efforts of two other C-D'ers who previously have begun threads on the AL East and NL East. And I thought it would be a great idea to look around some other divisions, so this thread will be about all of the teams in the National League Central division. We can discuss any and all things National League Central, and give comments and observations regarding the players, games, and happenings from the Astros, Cardinals, Cubs, Pirates, Brewers, and Reds. It's your forum, fans. And since my favorite team (Houston) is in that division, why not discuss everything that's happening in the NL Central as we go through another baseball season??

So, here we go. The NL Central and all that it contains, plus news, views, and more. Let's hear from you right now. Let 'er rip!

[dxiweodwo]

well first, i have to start by sayin' the Cubs will win the division, even if Lance Berkman is a three-headed beast that hits anything that come nears the strike zone out of the park!!!! and Carlos Lee is a beast as well.......Astros have a suprisingly good offense this year

still though, the Cubs have the best all-around team in the NL central they lead the league as a team in OPS, Runs Scored, and in Batting average if i'm not mistaken, combine that with Carlos Zambrano and you have yourself a division title

[case44]

The Astros do have a very good offense this year and are running more, and if they get good starting pitching and the bullpen holds leads together, Houston will compete for the division title. They finish their series with the Cards tonight. It's a long season, so we'll see how everything comes through. So far, Milwaukee has been a disappointment, as they were expected to contend, but they are below .500 in the first two months. As good as their young players are, there is still a chance that they can play better ball soon, but this weekend, they'll have their work cut out for them when the Astros play in Milwaukee. And the Flubs are currently on top, but we'll find out if they can keep playing like a first-place team, and they've had everything go right so far. For the top three teams, it will come down to who pitches better in the days ahead.

[baggy]

To The Cubs fans:

You are 1 game ahead of my beloved Astros right now. Let's look a little closer at why. The Cubs are tied for playing the MOST home games for any team in baseball. Where The Astros are tied for the most ROAD games in all of baseball. At the same time, we had 3 starters who hit under .200 for over a month, a poor rotation headlined by a importer for an ace in Roy Oswalt and still are within grasp of 1st place.

The Cubs are favored to win, but shouldn't count our The Astros. Especially when The Cubs start playing a lot on the road while The Astros are raking up wins at Home.

Good Luck

[case44]

Originally Posted by baggy

To The Cubs fans:

You are 1 game ahead of my beloved Astros right now. Let's look a little closer at why. The Cubs are tied for playing the MOST home games for any team in baseball. Where The Astros are tied for the most ROAD games in all of baseball. At the same time, we had 3 starters who hit under .200 for over a month, a poor rotation headlined by a importer for an ace in Roy Oswalt and still are within grasp of 1st place.

The Cubs are favored to win, but shouldn't count our The Astros. Especially when The Cubs start playing a lot on the road while The Astros are raking up wins at Home.

Good Luck

If only the Astros had this offense three years ago....

Imagine if Clemens and Pettitte were still pitching for them.....

But they've got guys now who can show that they can actually get it done. Wandy Rodriguez has actually been real good at home, but subpar on the road. Oswalt has been inconsistent so far, but I have faith he'll get it together and pitch well when it matters. The key in all of this is Brandon Backe, and some Astro fans have forgotten his heroics in 2004 and 2005. If he pitches like he's capable of pitching, then Houston won't need to go after any free-agent help.

And, as I mentioned in another thread, the Cardinals are exceeding all expectations this year. I didn't expect them to do diddly, but there they are, right in the thick of things. What do you Cards fans think??

[ThatTNGuy]

Lifelong Cardinals fan here. Their success this year was certainly not predicted by many, but this kind of season is the most fun for a baseball fan. I'm enjoying every minute of it.

They've been getting a lot of production from unlikely sources. The pitching staff was highly questionable coming into the season, but a team of apparent misfits has come together and done quite well thus far. Players like Ryan Ludwick, who was pretty good but not spectacular last year, have given the Cards an unexpected boost in offensive output, although there is certainly room for improvement. It's actually pretty hard to pin down a single reason behind the success. Solid pitching (coached by Dave Duncan), solid defense, good young players, a lineup anchored by the amazing Mr. Pujols, etc. I can only hope the fun continues, and they'll hopefully get some help when Carpenter comes back later in the season. Having far surpassed my own personal expectations, anything from here on out is gravy. I hope they can contend for the division title to keep up the Cards' dominance of this decade.

Can't wait to get to a few games this year at Busch - there's nothing quite like an afternoon at the ballpark!

[Hungry For Cheese]

Cubs

/thread

[case44]

Originally Posted by ThatTNGuy

Lifelong Cardinals fan here. Their success this year was certainly not predicted by many, but this kind of season is the most fun for a baseball fan. I'm enjoying every minute of it.

They've been getting a lot of production from unlikely sources. The pitching staff was highly questionable coming into the season, but a team of apparent misfits has come together and done quite well thus far. Players like Ryan Ludwick, who was pretty good but not spectacular last year, have given the Cards an unexpected boost in offensive output, although there is certainly room for improvement. It's actually pretty hard to pin down a single reason behind the success. Solid pitching (coached by Dave Duncan), solid defense, good young players, a lineup anchored by the amazing Mr. Pujols, etc. I can only hope the fun continues, and they'll hopefully get some help when Carpenter comes back later in the season. Having far surpassed my own personal expectations, anything from here on out is gravy. I hope they can contend for the division title to keep up the Cards' dominance of this decade.

Can't wait to get to a few games this year at Busch - there's nothing quite like an afternoon at the ballpark!

Also, never underestimate the job Tony LaRussa is doing. He's still one of the game's top managers and always gets it done any way he can.

[dxiweodwo]

Originally Posted by ThatTNGuy

Lifelong Cardinals fan here. Their success this year was certainly not predicted by many, but this kind of season is the most fun for a baseball fan. I'm enjoying every minute of it.

They've been getting a lot of production from unlikely sources. The pitching staff was highly questionable coming into the season, but a team of apparent misfits has come together and done quite well thus far. Players like Ryan Ludwick, who was pretty good but not spectacular last year, have given the Cards an unexpected boost in offensive output, although there is certainly room for improvement. It's actually pretty hard to pin down a single reason behind the success. Solid pitching (coached by Dave Duncan), solid defense, good young players, a lineup anchored by the amazing Mr. Pujols, etc. I can only hope the fun continues, and they'll hopefully get some help when Carpenter comes back later in the season. Having far surpassed my own personal expectations, anything from here on out is gravy. I hope they can contend for the division title to keep up the Cards' dominance of this decade.

Can't wait to get to a few games this year at Busch - there's nothing quite like an afternoon at the ballpark!

yea, Ryan Ludwick came out of nowhere this year, i'm pleasantly surprised by him, finally some protection for Pujols, huh?

and i agree with case44 Tony Larussa is a great manager

[case44]

Originally Posted by ThatTNGuy

Lifelong Cardinals fan here. Their success this year was certainly not predicted by many, but this kind of season is the most fun for a baseball fan. I'm enjoying every minute of it.

They've been getting a lot of production from unlikely sources. The pitching staff was highly questionable coming into the season, but a team of apparent misfits has come together and done quite well thus far. Players like Ryan Ludwick, who was pretty good but not spectacular last year, have given the Cards an unexpected boost in offensive output, although there is certainly room for improvement. It's actually pretty hard to pin down a single reason behind the success. Solid pitching (coached by Dave Duncan), solid defense, good young players, a lineup anchored by the amazing Mr. Pujols, etc. I can only hope the fun continues, and they'll hopefully get some help when Carpenter comes back later in the season. Having far surpassed my own personal expectations, anything from here on out is gravy. I hope they can contend for the division title to keep up the Cards' dominance of this decade.

Can't wait to get to a few games this year at Busch - there's nothing quite like an afternoon at the ballpark!

This division is wide open, and any of about four teams have a real good shot at getting it.