First, I haven't seen it, but my apologies if someone's already covered this on the site in recent days... With his double last night, Albert reached based for the 32nd consecutive game, which got me wondering: What's the all-time record streak for this category? We all know about DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak, but I've never heard who holds the record for consecutive games on base....

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For some reason I just can't shake my J-Rod fixation.  Earlier this year, I wrote a diary arguing for John Rodriguez to get a shot as our full-time left fielder.  Obviously that didn't happen - and I'm glad, given how well Young Duncan has performed.  So has J-Rod lost his best chance to stick around for a while in The Show?

Maybe not.  I think he might be on his way to becoming a great pinch-hitter, in the mold of Lenny Harris and Manny Mota.  

A few folks noted J-Rod's good pinch-hitting qualities in last night's game thread, after he doubled pinch-hitting for Suppan in the 8th inning. And twice in one week earlier this month, J-Rod pinch-hit in the ninth with the Cardinals down a run and facing a tough closer (Washington's Chad Cordero and Houston's Brad Lidge).  Both times, he hit solid singles after getting into 2-strike counts, setting the table for a later batter to get the go-ahead/game-winning hit (P-Wilson's homer in Washington, which would've been the game-winner had Izzy not later imploded, and Albert's broken-bat double against Lidge). LaRussa seems to like J-Rod in this role, and so far he's flourished in it. He has a great approach at the plate, and responds well to the pressure of hitting against a tough pitcher after coming off the bench cold.

Great pinch hitters like Mota, Harris, and Smokey Burgess hung around the big leagues for a long time (15+ years) b/c of their pinch-hitting ability.  Maybe our favorite Bronx Redbird can do the same.... it's not the same as starting, but it's also not a bad way to make a living and stay in the majors.

For a very thorough overview of the history of pinch-hitting (and some thoughts on its future), see this piece that Steve Treder wrote for the Hardball Times back in February.

In last night's game thread, reader bgh got a discussion going re: John Rodriguez/J-Rod with this comment: "Of course, isn't it fairly obvious at this point that Rodriguez needs to be penciled into the LF slot every day for the next month to see what exactly we have with him?"

I can't imagine anyone disagreeing with this (unless people would rather just promote John Gall instead).  I've made no secret on this site of my desire to see Rodriguez get a real shot at some extended, everyday playing time.  Bernie Miklasz is on board, too.  But perhaps a few doubters remain (including Tony LaRussa).  So I thought it would be worthwhile to lay out the comprehensive "Case for J-Rod" to be our everyday left-fielder (until he proves he can't handle it, anyway).

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On the Nationals SBNation blog, "Federal Baseball," they've taken note of the discussions here re: a Marquis/Brad Wilkerson swap:

http://www.federalbaseball.com/story/2005/11/15/132632/85

Nats bloggers are lukewarm on this deal (they want more in return for Wilkerson), but it seems the Nats organization is down on Wilkerson and want to deal him -- they think he strikes out too much. He does whiff quite a bit (154 Ks/season the last 4 years). We all like his OBP line, but does the K issue concern anyone, if the idea is to bat him #2 b/w Eck and Albert?

Anyway, here's the heart of Federal Baseball's assessment:

"As both Chris and the el Birdos blog point out, Wilkerson is more valuable straight-up. Even in a miserable season racked by injuries, fatigue, and something just short of guerilla warfare with Jose 'Four Bats' Guillen, Wilkerson posted a .351 on-base percentage. To use an established stathead modifier for something not star-quality, yet totally under-appreciated, that's 'tasty.' He is as versatile as he is solid defensively, and his true power potential is probably somewhere in between 'powerful' (2004) and 'mere modicum' (2005). Wilkerson's not better than second- or third-level in terms of star potential; he might make an all-star team one of these years based on a strong first half, but he'll never even enter the suburb of the discussion of elite players. Furthermore, his historical comps have aged rather poorly.... Nevertheless, Wilkerson's a valuable player; he could easily start in a contender's lineup.

"As for Marquis, he finished in strong fashion (remember when, faced with the prospect of demotion to long relief, he threw a 'surprise' shut-out at RFK around Labor Day?) and ended up with a 4.13 ERA, which isn't bad at all. Furthermore, Marquis is only 27, yet seemingly more mature than when he was pitching in my hometown of Richmond; word was that he struggled with, shall we say, the 'mental aspects of pitching.' Nevertheless, his strikeout rate bottomed out a bit past the old 4.5 per nine innings danger zone, and his Fielding Independent Pitching ERA of 4.83 was obviously rather steep. In addition, while RFK's power repression qualities will cut into this vulnerability somewhat, Marquis has shown some propensity to serve up homers---and remember that he'd be making anywhere from 40-60% of his starts on the road.

"Thus, as a question of pure 'value,' the Nationals would likely be making a bad trade. While Marquis would fill a hole in the rotation (perhaps exacerbated by Loaiza's likely departure), and while Wilkerson became rather notorious at RFK for his ability to strike out on near-command, Wilkerson's really the more valuable player. Given the two players' best seasons, Wilkerson would hold more value; given the two players' worst seasons, and Wilkerson's ability to get on-base would ensure that he still provided more value."

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One obstacle to making this trade happen is that the Nats are pretty distracted -- they're still w/out ownership or a lease for their new stadium, mostly b/c Selig and Co. are twiddling their thumbs; and GM Jim Bowden is busy interviewing for the Boston GM job. Meanwhile they're making head-scratching moves like signing Marlon Anderson to a 2-year, $1.85 million contract...

Howdy everyone -- I'm a life-long Cards fan who just discovered the world of Cards blogs a few months ago. I've really enjoyed this site, and I figured it was finally time to create an account and join in all the great conversations on VEB.

Anyway, I remember seeing a site poll midway through the season (June 30) asking readers which potential playoff matchup they feared the most. The Flubs topped the list, with the Marlins coming in second.  Then at the beginning of this month the same question was asked again, and the Astros (understandably) came out on top by a wide margin: http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/poll/1122895118_LZdCQiLu

What's interesting is that the Phillies weren't even an option in that 2nd poll -- and now just a few weeks later, here they are sitting atop the wild card standings. I remember that the Phils really seemed to have our number this year -- took 4 out of 6 from us, outscoring us by a total of 46-31. Granted, these two series were very early (early April and mid May), the bullpen was a mess back then, etc. Still, anyone else here as worried as I am about the possibility of seeing these guys again in October?

-DCRedbird