TOWER GROVE • The only ball that Philadelphia Phillies masher Ryan Howard had a chance to put in play all night came in the ninth inning and he launched it some 400 feet to center field – where Jon Jay sped back to catch it.
That was a plus defensive play.
The Cardinals defense cannot help but stay out of the story, whether it’s the runs the Cardinals have cost themselves by not making plays or the fielders the Cardinals are planting at unexpected positions. Last week at Wrigley Field, acting manager Joe Pettini wrote Allen Craig in as the starting second baseman. Gold Glove-winning first baseman Albert Pujols saw the curious assignment and volunteered at that point to play third base, a position he played more than 80 times earlier in his career. According to manager Tony La Russa and Pujols, Pettini didn’t feel comfortable accepting Pujols’ offer, but Pujols said he has “the relationship” and the “trust” with La Russa to make the move without hesitation.
“We’ve got (David Freese) on the disabled list, (Skip Schumaker) on the disabled list, and you have to stay alive,” La Russa explained. “We’ve got the personalities in that clubhouse that are willing to do anything.”
Pujols’ move to third base allowed La Russa to shift Lance Berkman to first, Nick Punto to second base and Allen Craig to right. On paper, it appeared like the Cardinals did all this finagling only to improve at one position – Punto at second. By the end of the game, however, they had gotten something different: one of the best defensive games of the season.
So who had Berkman-Punto-Pujols-Theriot as the defensive exacta?
No? What would be the best defensive alignment for these Cardinals? Post your thoughts in the comment section below. Who’s on first? I Don’t Know has definitely taken over at third. My infield lineup would start with Punto, who so far looks like the best glove on the roster.
Before Monday’s 3-1 win, I did the regular audit of the Cardinals’ defense. It was not complimentary. The Cardinals started the month with six Runs Saved as a team this season, according to Baseball Info Solutions. At the start of play Monday, the Cardinals had dropped to minus-12 Runs Saved. That’s an 18-run turnaround in roughly two weeks of play, and it’s not difficult to think back through the games and unearth the misplays that led to the lost runs.
This morning, the Cardinals are a minus-9 as a team.
That means Monday’s two-run win included three runs saved by the gloves.
One of the plus plays that contributed to that total was Jay’s catch in deep, deep center to rob Howard of extra bases in the ninth. Another run-saving play came from Pujols, who graded out as a plus-1 third baseman according to BIS’s video-review compiling of plus/minus defensive stats. Pujols had five chances total, and while he bobbled a potential double play ball early in the game he also had a smothering dive of a grounder and a key double play start later.
It helped the Cardinals’ defensive scoring Monday that Jake Westbrook was on the mound and on his game. As mentioned in the gamer, Westbrook’s lone strikeout of the game came from the first batter of the game. Westbrook’s next 20 outs came from defensive plays, including a dozen groundouts.
“You always want to be the guy who goes out there, shuts it down and gets a win,” Westbrook said. “I’m never going to be a strikeout guy. I don’t have the ego for the strikeout guy. I’m not going to get bent out of shape if I have only one strikeout. I could have no strikeouts and I really wouldn’t care. … I’d much rather not put it in play if I could strike them (all) out, but when come to the plate my goal is not to strike them out. Early contact. Quick outs. Get deep in the game. … Trust my defense.”
Trust came up a lot in the post-game Monday night.
How much of their defense can the Cardinals trust has been a question that started in December and has carried through May. An updated look at the Cardinals’ defensive stats shows how some of the concerns are catching up with them this month (fielding +/- is listed first; RS is Runs Saved, when representative):
1B Albert Pujols
April 30 minus-3, minus-2 RS … May 15 minus-3, minus 2 RS
2B Nick Punto
April 30 plus-2 … May 15 even
3B Daniel Descalso
April 30 plus-1, plus-1 RS … May 15 plus-2, plus-2 RS
SS Ryan Theriot
April 30 minus-8/minus-6 RS … May 15 minus-10, minus-8 RS
LF Matt Holliday
April 30 plus-7, plus-4 RS … May 15 plus-6, plus-3 RS
CF Colby Rasmus
April 30 plus-5, plus-3 RS … May 15 plus-2, plus-1 RS
RF Lance Berkman
April 30 minus-4, minus-2 RS … May 15 minus-10, minus-6 RS
In the dugout during batting practice Monday, Berkman, wearing his first baseman’s glove, described how on the previous road trip he felt like there were several fly balls that were just out of his reach, just at his fingertips. The above defensive metrics support that sense. Fielders are given a plus by BIS for every play made outside of the prescribed zone and a minus for mishaps within that prescribed zone. In the past couple weeks Berkman has gone from a minus-4 on deep plays in right field to a minus-10. Those are the balls just out of reach.
There are no foolproof stats for defense. It remains, blessedly, a part of the game that is still best judged by the eyes and not the calculators. Even the plus/minus stat, which I’ve come to value as a measure, is ultimately based on what a person sees when a fielder makes a play. Fielding percentage is garbage, especially when it comes to individual players. Zone ratings/UZR is fun a stat and helpful, but it might as well be written in Cyrillic for everyday fans. As mentioned before, defense remains the undiscovered country for stats, but there are strides being made.
And we always have the bottom-line number when ranking defenses.
How many runs did an error cost the team?
The Philadelphia Phillies have struggled to score runs this season, putting three runs or fewer on the board in 21 of their 40 games. And, yet, they have the best record in the National League because of stalwart starting pitching and, yes, the defense behind those aces. The Phillies have allowed 132 runs total this season, but only six of them have been unearned. The Cardinals have allowed 178 total runs this season, but 23 of them have been unearned.
Here are the top 10 and bottom 10 in unearned runs allowed:
FEWEST
1. Philadelphia 6
2. Cleveland 9
Tampa Bay 9
Baltimore 9
5. Atlanta 10
6. LA Angels 11
LA Dodgers 11
Cincinnati 11
Kansas City 11
10. Chicago Cubs 12
NY Mets 12
MOST
30. Oakland 27
29. San Diego 24
28. Cardinals 23
27. Pittsburgh 21
Minnesota 21
25. Houston 20
Texas 20
Florida 20
22. Toronto 19
Arizona 19
And that, more than fielding percentage, is a telling measure of a defense.
Pujols said he doesn’t expect to be an everyday option at third base while Freese recovers from a broken hand. He suggested that in “an emergency” he would be back out there. Or, you know, against a lefthanded starter. Same difference. Tonight, against Phillies righty Roy Oswalt, Pujols is expected to be at first base, Descalso figures to start at third and order will be restored. But will it be the best defensive alignment that Cardinals have? That’s the question still posed to you.
Would you put Pujols back at third? La Russa said the option now always there because once a volunteer, always a volunteer. Clubhouse rules.
“Once you volunteer, man, it’s like the Army,” he said. “You’re a volunteer.”
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