A.J.’s First Day With Cards Goes His Way vs. Cubs

July 27, 2014 @ admin → No Comments

Sunday smorgasbord: The Chicago Cubs won Saturday. At the gate, where a season-high crowd came to see them play the St. Louis Cardinals and drink beer (not necessarily in that order of importance). The Cardinals won the game 6-3. Which was important to them as they battle for a postseason berth. The Cubs have no such delusions, so a full house is good enough for them. For the Cubs, “winning” has a definition beyond what most people think of. For the Cubs. Which is why this season is a lost cause and another in a series of “wait till …”

Always room around here for a photo of a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader.

* Speaking of the Cubs defeat, former White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski made his Cardinals debut. He is batting .750 with one run batted in. Meaning the Cardinals are undefeated with him behind the plate. Further meaning at this rate the Cardinals will win the World Series and he will win the Most Valuable Player Award. You think 1-0 and 3-for-4 is too small a sample size?

* Speaking of unrealistic expectations, second baseman Javier Baez hit a home run for the Iowa Cubs in each game of a doubleheader against the Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Class AAA farm club). Never mind that Iowa lost both games. Oh, wait. Josh Vitters hit a homer for Iowa.

* Speaking of more unrealistic expecations, White Sox left-hander Chris Sale will win the American League Cy Young Award — provided that the rest of his starts this season are at least as good as his 12-strikeout, five-hit (all singles) performance (eight innings) in a 7-0 victory vs. host Minnesota. His 1.88 earned-run average leads all qualified pitchers in the big leagues. Sale might even be able to give up an earned run here or there and still win the Cy Young.

* Speaking of Sox pitchers (or in this case a former Sox pitcher), Jake Peavy is scheduled to be the starter for the San Francisco Giants against the Los Angeles Dodgers on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball.” Wondering whether that assignment was part of the negotiations in the trade that sent him Friday from Boston to San Francisco.

* Speaking of former Sox employees, onetime manager Tony La Russa — who goes into baseball’s Hall of Fame on Sunday with former Sox slugger Frank Thomas, former Cubs pitcher Greg Maddix, former Atlanta manager Bobby Cox and former Braves pitcher Tom Glavine and former Yankees catcher Joe Torre — suggested steroid players possibly could enter the Cooperstown shrine with an asterisk on their plaques. Wondering whether the same might apply to managers who wrote the names of performance-enhancing-drug users into the lineup. Managers such as Tony LaRussa.

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