Around the horn: Time to get off Adams' back; Shelby's struggles
By COREY NOLES
After the Pittsburgh Pirates slaughter of the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night, I couldn't decide which direction to go with my column. Instead of doing what I normally do, here are a few tidbits and thoughts on the last couple of days.
* I swore this morning that I wasn't going to write about the incident involving St. Louis Cardinal first baseman Matt Adams and the fan, but the more the farther it spread the more difficult it is to ignore.
Adams tapped the guy on the chest with a glove--calling it a "shove" is a stretch even Merriam Webster would take issue with. Adams is a big boy. I've stood next to him on countless occasions. I have absolutely zero doubt that had Adams decided to push this fella, we wouldn't need to be debating the semantics of the word shove.
It's not worthy of a punishment--or all of the coverage it has received. Case closed (in my opinion.)
* Shelby Miller leads MLB in home runs surrendered this morning.
In 2012, similar problems significantly delayed his arrival in the majors and left many questioning whether he was, in fact, all that the hype said he was.
Miller worked around those issues, putting on some needed weight and further developing his secondary pitch.
Friday night, the Pirates were seeing him well and getting good wood on him all night. That's not a good sign for someone who is typically a strikeout pitcher.
Hopefully by his next start he will have everything lined out. If that's not the case, well...
* I'm afraid the Cardinals may miss Joe Kelly in the bullpen. While he's looked great as a starter through spring training, the Cardinals are looking weak in the long relief department.
Without a "Kelly" in the bullpen who can eat up two or three innings in a pinch, the Cardinals will have an issue.
I know, small sample size, but sometimes problems do show their faces early. The Cardinals knew the bullpen could have some early hiccups or they wouldn't have gone after David Aardsma.
Even though Aardsma didn't work out, don't be shocked to see them reach out for some more help. Most likely t would come from Memphis, but anything is possible.
* It was good to see Matt Carpenter hitting the ball again Friday night.
After a mediocre spring training and a tough opening series, Carpenter looked to be seeing the ball well last night.
Even in the final game at Cincinnati it showed signs of improving. He had several hard hit balls that were hit right into the glove of a defender.
I have no concerns about Carpenter. I hear people concerned about whether he can match last year and while that might be a stretch, he's the kind of player who can force himself to have a good season.
He'll be fine.
--
Corey Noles is a Cardinals Writer and Columnist for The Daily Statesman. He is also a regular contributor to KSDK.com and Bleacher Report. Contact him at cnoles@dailystatesman.com or on Twitter @coreynoles.
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