OPENING DAY 2011 ! ! !

[StoopTroup]

GO CARDS ! ! !

Carpenter set to make sixth Opening Day start


JUPITER, Fla. -- If there's a surefire way to survive losing an ace starting pitcher for the season, it's this: have a second one at the ready.

There's no denying that the Cardinals will miss having Adam Wainwright in their starting rotation in 2011. But having Chris Carpenter to fall back on is a silver lining of the highest order. Carpenter will make his sixth Opening Day start, and his fifth as a Cardinal, when St. Louis kicks off the 2011 season against the Padres at Busch Stadium at 3:15 p.m. CT on Thursday.

He was an automatic choice after the club learned that Wainwright would require reconstructive elbow surgery. He was so automatic that there was never really an announcement. It was just known. A year ago, of course, Carpenter was the choice even when Wainwright was healthy and coming off of a similarly outstanding year.

MORE ON THIS (http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110329&content_id=17176566&vkey=news_stl&c_id=stl)

http://www.mlbsluggers.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/albertpujols.jpg

[OU_Sooners75]

Go RANGERS!!!!

This is great...opening day just means 7 more months til football!

[NMSooner'80]

http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=12892895&topic_id=14873332&c_id=tex


That's the "Must C" video of Neftali Feliz fanning Pay-Rod to end the ALCS. For those of us who grew up with the Rangers, this a gift that keeps on giving.

[OU_Sooners75]

I didn't necessarily grow up as a Ranger fan....but I have been one for the last 21 years...since I have been 14.

[StoopTroup]

STL 3

SDP 2

8th inning....

[Sooner74]

It is great know the Cards suck. Go Stros!

[Sooner74]

http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=12892895&topic_id=14873332&c_id=tex


That's the "Must C" video of Neftali Feliz fanning Pay-Rod to end the ALCS. For those of us who grew up with the Rangers, this a gift that keeps on giving.

The only better thing was attending the Rangers' only WS win.

[StoopTroup]

****ing padres

[C&CDean]

****ing padres

I think you meant to say "****ing Franklin."

[NMSooner'80]

http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/images/2011/04/03/Snzkt8tp.jpg

:D :D

[StoopTroup]

I think you meant to say "****ing Franklin."

We got even....

http://www.dailycomedy.com/images/jokes/b/StLouisCardinals.jpg

[yankee]

http://www.mlbsluggers.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/albertpujols.jpg

That ball is still floating in space above Houston to this very day.

[NMSooner'80]

I really wish we could get some AL baseball other than the usual Sunday games on TBS (and that's usually Yanks-Red Sox if they can help it) where I live. We can at least get two different teams' FSN feeds - Diamondbacks or Rockies. But on radio, it's either XM or the Dodgers (because of the PCL franchise, which I now hate because it's a Dodgers farm club again).

It is fun to watch the Rockies sometimes, because they are almost like watching a college team with aluminum bats. They were down 9-3 to St. Louis in the 9th last July, then scored six runs to tie it and won it with a three-run walk-off homer. I enjoy having a game not be "over" that late.

[NMSooner'80]

Good column on the Rangers' now 9-1 start:

Report of Rangers' demise an exaggeration

By Hal Bodley | MLB.com Columnist | Archive
04/11/11 3:38 PM ET Comments (5)


When the Rangers limped off the field on Nov. 1 after losing the World Series to San Francisco, my lingering thought was that it was nice while it lasted.

When they were unable to retain pitching sensation Cliff Lee and designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero, I was convinced it would be even more difficult to duplicate, or improve on, the greatest season in franchise history.

Winning the American League West seemed almost certain, but with the powerful Red Sox, Yankees and White Sox in the wings, getting back to the promised land seemed a reach.

Texas took the best record in the Major Leagues to Detroit on Monday and proceeded to blank the Tigers, 2-0.

Not only do the Rangers appear capable of returning to the World Series, this might be a better team. Even without Cliff Lee.

When Lee kept the Rangers and Yankees hanging before he shocked the free-agent world by taking less money to return to the Phillies, a pall fell over Arlington.

But rather than put their heads down, Rangers president Nolan Ryan and general manager whiz Jon Daniels took a deep breath, picked up the pieces and moved forward.

They used the money that had been budgeted for Lee to sign third baseman Adrian Beltre.

At first, this seemed like a mistake, because they already had third baseman Michael Young, the highest-paid player on the team, at $16.1 million. Young obviously wasn't pleased.

Plus, how could they make up for the loss of Lee who, after arriving from Seattle on July 9, helped the Rangers advance to their first World Series?

An unhappy Young asked for a trade, but that hasn't happened, and as the designated hitter replacing Guerrero, he's batting .293 in the 10 games.

Beltre, whose defense has been brilliant, started slowly at the plate, with just three hits in 28 at-bats before the second game of Saturday's doubleheader in Baltimore.

A two-run homer during a six-run rally as the Rangers won 13-0 in the second game and another homer in Sunday's 3-0 victory ended Beltre's struggles.

"Normally, I'm a slow starter," he told MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. "I don't like to play a game of catch-up [at the plate]. I'm feeling good right now and seeing the ball good ... I have been through this before."

The Rangers' offense, led by 2010 AL MVP Award winner Josh Hamilton, is the best in the AL. But it was the team's balance -- pitching, defense, speed and offense -- that propelled it in 2010.

Entering Monday, only the Yankees had hit more homers than the Rangers' 18. Hamilton is hitting .316, while Nelson Cruz has five homers and 10 RBIs.

With Lee gone, pitching is/was the big question mark.

During a lengthy interview during Spring Training with Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle, hitting coach for Rangers skipper Ron Washington last season, he bristled when I mentioned Texas might not be as good this year.

"One of the reasons I was reluctant to leave Wash and Texas was because they can be so good," said Hurdle. "That was a wonderful experience last year, seeing the youngsters mature. It was much like Colorado [Hurdle managed the Rockies when they played in the 2007 World Series]."

Hurdle also mentioned the young pitchers and oozed talking about their potential.

The offense has lived up to expectations, but the Rangers have been successful so far because of their pitching, especially at the back end of the rotation -- left-handers Matt Harrison and Derek Holland, and right-hander Alexi Ogando.

Through Sunday, Texas led the Majors with a team ERA of 2.48 and had the lowest WHIP at 1.05.

Holland, hampered by injuries last season, was the winner over Baltimore on Sunday, improving his record to 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA. Harrison is also 2-0, with a 1.29 ERA. Ogando is 2-0 and hasn't allowed a run in 13 innings while yielding just four hits.

Those three pitchers are 6-0 with a 1.15 ERA in six starts.

Holland and Harrison have more than filled the void created by the departure of lefty Lee.

"They're doing a great job," says Washington. "They have been able to get into some situations that were tough and pitch their way out of it. That is what pitching is all about. They are showing their growth and maturity."

Neftali Feliz, the AL Rookie of the Year Award winner in 2010, throws a 98 mph fastball and is showing how much he has matured from last year's postseason experience.

As the Rangers' closer, he's converted four saves in as many chances. In six games, he's not allowed a run.

It's only April, but the notion that this team cannot measure up to 2010's club is greatly exaggerated.

Hal Bodley is the senior correspondent for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.