MVN - Most Valuable Network

Chris Perez Shines In MLB Debut, As Cards Lose Again

Game # 44 Fri. May 16, 2008

Rays 3 Cardinals 1

With Jason Isringhausen “injured” and on the 15 day disabled list, the Cardinals purchased the contract of reliever Chris Perez from AAA Memphis. It was bittersweet for me, in that I hate to see Izzy struggle, but I am so excited to see Perez get a chance at the big league level, as I have follwed his career since he was drafted by the Cardinals out of the University of Miami. And he didn’t disappoint either. Perez was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dull loss to the Rays. Chris Duncan hit a home run for the Cardinals’ only offense of the night, but it was too little, too late. Here is my analysis of the game:

Performance of the Game: Chris Perez

What Went Wrong:

1. Pujols/Ankiel - The Rays held Albert and Rick to 0 for 8 on the night. They also held Schumaker 0 for 4 in the leadoff spot. You do those things, and chances are, you will beat the Cardinals.

2. Braden Looper - He wasn’t terrible, allowing 3 runs in 6 innings is technically a quality start. But Friday, it wasn’t good enough for a win. Looper falls to 5-3 on the season, with a 4.25 ERA.

What Went Right:

1.  Chris Perez - He tossed a hitless, scoreless inning Friday, with the only runner getting on base via an Albert Pujols error.  He even got clocked at 100 mph on the stadium clock, while on television they said that pitch was only 98.  But who cares, that is some serious heat!  And he ended the performance with a strikeout.  Good job, Chirs.  We aren’t quite saying “Izzy who?” yet, but keep up the good work.

2. LOB - We only left 6 men on base Friday! It was probably because so many guys were hitless, but it is still nice to see our LOB fall into single digits.

3. Troy Glaus - He was 2 for 4, raising his average to .271. He has come a long way since his early struggles. I love the energy and attitude that he brings to the team also. I think when he discovers his power stroke, we will all see great things.

4. Chris Duncan - Speaking of discovering your power stroke, Chris may be on the right track to discovering his. He belted his 4th home run of the season and was 2 for 4, but I still consider him a bench player on this year’s team. With Schumaker, Ankiel, and Ludwick to choose from, Duncan just isn’t as good of a choice at this point.

The loss puts the Cardinals at 24-20, in third place, and 3 games out of first. Tomorrow, we send “Waino” to the hill in game two of the series with the Rays.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 16th, 2008 at 11:15 pm and is filed under Chris Perez, 2008 Cardinals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.