Déjà vu

A new opening day… same old result! Opening Day is the only time that all 32 Major League teams and their fans think that they have a shot at the playoffs. So like always, I had it planned out in my head how the Birds were going to make their run into the playoffs. Solid starting pitching, the MVP of the league, and a young crop of arms in the pen to shut the door when the game is on the line. These 3 things working together on a daily basis would surely get the Cardinals to the 90-95 wins needed to make the playoffs.

The first few innings down, the Cards had a 2-0 lead, and the painful memories of 2008 started to fade. Solid starting pitching….check! Adam Wainwright had a very respectable outing striking out 7 and shutting out the Pirates for 5 innings before being pulled in the 6th with one out and two runners on.

It didn’t take long to see if Albert Pujols was going to return to MVP form. Albert “don’t call me da mang” Pujols terrorized Pirates pitching as he always does, hitting every strike he saw, going 3 for 4 with a walk. Every pitch that came his way that was in the strike zone was put in play. Pujols is definitely on track to continue the furious pace he has set his first 8 seasons as a Major Leaguer. MVP performance from our MVP….check!

That brings us to the new look bullpen. Trevor Miller, newly acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays, allowed the two runners left on by Wainwright to score with a two-out single by Nyjer Morgan. The game was 2-2, when the supporting cast kicked in. A solo homerun by All-Star Ryan Ludwick, and a sac fly by hometown boy David Freese scoring Joe Thurston put the Cardinals back on top 4-2. Bring in flame thrower Jason Motte to shut the door with the game on the line….no check!

Somewhere I have seen this act before! Cardinal Nation suffered through last season’s embarrassing 30+ blown saves, only to see nothing done to fix the problem in the off-season. I am onboard with the young arms (Motte and Chris Perez) to grow into their roles as 8th and 9th inning guys, however, for this team to contend in 2009, the Cardinals need a bonafide closer. Cardinal’s manager Tony LaRussa said that their number one priority this offseason was Brian Fuentes. Who knows whether or not the birds could have landed the left-handed closer , but no serious offer was made. This is what makes Monday afternoon so frustrating. Forty-five thousand fans got to brave the elements to cheer on their beloved Redbirds and those fans deserved a win. And what they got was more of the same that they got last year! I don’t want to jump off the JB Bridge just yet, I mean, it was only one game. I am not even ready to give up on Motte. He is after all, just a rookie. I am more intrigued by what he does in his next outing.

The Cards go for their first win of the season tonight when Kyle Lohse faces Ian Snell. It will be interesting to see what happens tonight if the Cardinals have a lead late in the game. If it’s my club, I go back to Motte to see how he responds. However, if I had to guess, LaRussa is going to go to the veteran, Ryan Franklin. Franklin had a very good spring and Motte did throw 26 pitches yesterday. Whatever happens, as long as they bring home a winner, it’s ok by me. GO CARDS!