After coming through with a go-ahead RBI single off the bench in Games 1 and 2, Allen Craig is expected to start as the Cardinals’ right-fielder as the series shifts to Arlington.  And with a pair of left-handers scheduled to start Games 3 and 4 for the Rangers, the addition of Craig’s stick into the Cardinals’ potent batting order couldn’t be better timed.

After nearly five years of raking his way through the Cardinals’ system—.885 OPS, .209 ISO in 2180 plate appearances—Craig made his big-league debut on April 8, 2010, and went on to appear in 44 games and post a .711 OPS in 114 at-bats.

Although Craig’s 2011 campaign was slightly marred by trips to the disabled list and serving as a bench player under Tony LaRussa, he was incredibly productive when in the lineup.  In 219 plate appearances, Craig slashed .315/.362/.555 and posted a .158 wRC+ while playing all three outfield positions as well as second base – he finished the season with a 9.9 UZR/150.

Craig’s increased success at the plate can largely be attributed to a noticeable improvement at hitting offspeed pitches.  Always regarded as a good fastball hitter, Craig struggled against all offspeed offerings in 2010 (-2.0 wSL, -0.9 wCB, and -1.7 wCH), but it was partially offset by a 3.0 wFB (total runs produced off of a fastball).

In 2011, however, Craig’s ability to hit offspeed pitches exponentially improved across the board: 1.3 wSL, 0.6 wCB, and 1.4 wCH.  And while one might have anticipated his success rate against fastballs to suffer as a result, he managed to improve that as well (4.3 wFB).

So should Craig have started in both the Game 1 and 2? In my opinion, yes.  But with Chris Carpenter and Jaime Garcia pitching against a free-swinging team in cold weather, I understand that defense is even more of a premium and Nick Punto is the Cardinals’ best defensive second baseman.

Even though it will probably kill TLR that he can’t weave a pitcher into the batting order, the use of the designated hitter will allow Berkman to serve as the team’s professional hitter for the next three games, which in turn plugs Craig into right field.

The Rangers’ Game 3 starter is Matt Harrison, who will be followed by fellow southpaw Derek Holland in Game 4 on Sunday.

This season, Craig absolutely mashed left-handed pitching — and even that might even be an understatement.  In 67 at-bats, he posted a 1.000 OPS in addition to a .343 ISO and 175 wRC+.  Therefore, the inclusion of DH has the potential to bolster the Cardinal offense.  And while he’s already been a hero once (technically twice) this postseason, Allen Craig will have the opportunity to make a monumental impact on this series.

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Today on The Baseball Show Clint Evans of Diamond Hoggers and I usher in Spring Training the best way we know how. Today we talked about the following:

• The beginning of Spring Training baseball games
• The Adam Wainwright injury
• Was Jonny Gomes really singing a song in The Karate Kid? Or celebrating not having to face Waino?
• What is Chris Carpenter’s value on the open market if the Cardinals fall out of the race?
• Was the Jose Bautista’s contract a poor move for the Blue Jays?
• Thoughts on Miguel Cabrera’s DUI
• Can Bryce Harper play at the big league level for the Washington Nationals this season?

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It’s been a while since I have posted anything here on The Sombrero.  The last couple of weeks have been really busy and perpetually stressful.  I just finished up an exam period that consisted of 12 total tests.  It’s break now, though, and I am back home where it is dumping on the mountain.  I just got word that 15 fresh fell today, which gets the hill over 2 feet of new in the last 48, and it is supposed to pick up when the sun goes down.  Griff, our homeboys the Meyers, and I are headed up in the morning, and it has the potential to be the best Day 1 of my life.  A lot has happened since the last time I posted, but the holidays are getting underway nicely already.  My dad is home from Australia and Grandma is coming down either Thursday or Friday.

As everyone rolled out of bed today, we checked our phones like we do every morning to make sure that nothing earth-shattering happened in the world of baseball overnight.  This morning was one of those rare ones when something like that actually did (Arlo gave me a little heads up on it last night to tell you the truth).  At least it was earth-shattering for the rest of the N.L. Central, because they discovered that the Milwaukee Brewers will have the best rotation in the division next season.  If you’re from Milwaukee, Christmas came a little early this year in the form of former Cy Young winner, Donald Zackary Greinke.

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Shortly after the bench-clearing brawl between the Reds and Cardinals, I received an email from a good friend and former teammate, asking about one of baseballs many, under-appreciated nuances.  Since it is a discussion that delves into the mentality surrounding the brawl, as well as a discussion about the overall makeup of professional baseball players, I felt that it would be appropriate to post it in it’s entirety on The Golden Sombrero.

Rosey,

So this is a few days after the Cards/Reds brawl, so I won’t even ask if you saw it, since I know you did.  But I was wondering if you knew anything about the shin-guard-tapping-as-a-sign-of-friendship thing that got pissed off Yadi?  I had never heard of that before and was wondering if you knew about it/encountered it anywhere.  I’m going to start looking for it…when I get the rare chance to see a game.

Keep on keepin’ on,

Ryan

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Ryan,

A batter tapping the catcher’s shin guards as he strolls up the plate is a subtle term of endearment within the game, much like when a first basemen chats it up or pats an opposing hitter on the butt after a base hit.  A similar type of courtesy can be observed when a catcher hands the batter his bat after running out a foul ball, when the batter picks up a catcher’s mask for him after an admirable foul ball attempt, and when a hitter picks up the ball at his feet after the catcher wears a foul tip.

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Apparently Yadier Molina didn’t appreciate Brandon Phillip’s comments from Monday, and he wasted no time displaying his discontent with the Reds’ second baseman.  Like any respectable baseball player would do, Molina confronted Phillips after he tried acting all “buddy-buddy” with him as he stepped up to the plate, in his first at-bat on Tuesday.  All hell broke loose, the benches cleared, and Jason LaRue is in some pain today.

The bigger story here is that Chris Carpenter finally got to throw down.  For those who have watched him pitch this season, Carp has been at the center of several confrontations and skirmishes, but nothing that had materialized into a bench clearing brawl.  Thus, it comes as no surprise that he was one of key players in Tuesday’s brawl- he’s been itching for this for the past 4 months.  Here’s some videos from the Reds/Cardinals fight from Tuesday:

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