One Down 161 To Go

Nice start to the 2012 season for the reigning World Champion St. Louis Cardinals.  David Freese picked up where he left off in October. Freese goes 3 for 5 in the opener with two RBI’s.
I’m a bit wary of Rafael Furcal as a leadoff hitter.  Recent career numbers show that he’s not that good at getting on base, but he did provide a spark down the stretch last year and he did get three hits.  So long as Furcal plays solid defense at short, I can live with whatever offense he provides. Defense is a very big deal with me.  So is pitching.
Kyle Lohse was lights out last night. When he keeps the ball down and hits his spots, he’s outstanding. Getting hit by that pitch a couple years ago against Kansas City took a 15 month chunk out of his career. Once he recovered fully, he’s settled in nicely. On most staffs he’s a #2 starter.  He’s the #1 guy for some teams.
Good to see Jason Motte hitting the high 90’s on the radar gun right out of spring training. In past years, it’s taken a few weeks for his velocity to get up there.
I was surprised by how large the Marlin’s new ballpark is. It’s bigger than Busch Stadium II was before the fences were brought in. I wonder how that ballpark will actually play.  Don’t ask me what that thing in center field is. I don’t know either.  I can be convinced that the old football scoreboard from Monroe City is in there somewhere. It disappeared in the March, 2006 tornado and was never seen in these parts again.
I also noticed that first base umpire Angel Hernandez is in mid season form. Miami’s only run came as a result of a butchered call at first.  How this guy is still umpiring at any level above college intramurals baffles me.