Adam Wainwright's potentially season-threatening injury is grabbing a lot of headlines today. Here's more on that and some other items of note coming out of the NL Central.
- The Brewers' deal with Mark Kotsay includes a few incentives, blogs Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Here's the breakdown: Kotsay's base salary if for $800K, and he can earn up to $450K in incentives. He'll earn $25K each if he reaches 125 and 150 plate appearances, $50K each for 175 and 200 PAs, $50K each for 40, 60, 80 and 100 games started, and $100K if he's on the roster on July 1.
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak remains pessimistic about Wainwright's injury after speaking to a team doctor, tweets Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Wainwright will get a second opinion on his ailing right elbow on Thursday, and the club will decide on a treatment plan from there, writes Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch.
- Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy is expected to miss four weeks after suffering a broken right pinky during blocking drills on Wednesday, according to a club press release. The injury will require surgery, but Brewers GM Doug Melvin said, "We feel OK for now," when asked whether he'd be pursuing another backstop, blogs McCalvy.
- Reds outfielder Jonny Gomes was apparently celebrating Wainwright's injury, writes Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News. Seeing as it's all in the name of competition, and the Reds' chance of winning the NL Central jumped significantly on account of Wainwright's injury, Gomes' reaction is not a big deal, writes Rob Neyer of SBNation.com. Gomes, however, said that his reaction was misconstrued and that he'd never celebrate another player's injury, blogs Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.
Only player that annoys me more than Gomes is Hunter Pence. Not a surprise he was caught being a dbag.
I’m pretty sure he just acknowledged Wainwright was out and now a division rival will have a much more difficult time winning. Did not read the part about him getting caught “being a d bag.” Although that would be a funny sight…
If you look up the actual article this was written in, it has Gomes singing about Waino being out…yep, that pretty much screams D-Bag
Imagine Gomes…
“K’s goes down by 10 for me this season!! woo!!” *has heart attack, drops dead*
talk about classy….
Hmm, I’d expect Wainwright to put one in Gomes’ ribs once he gets back.
When will this be? (wink)
seeing as its tommy john surgery, probably the start of 2012…
whatever cards pitcher faces him first is the most likely option, because its going to happen
I don’t think Cards want to make that mistake again, last brouhaha with the reds ended (sadly) a career. Cueto’s been sharpening his spikes…
… wow
Lay off the nitpicking of Reds comments and you wouldn’t get comments like that.
It’s pretty frickin’ sad in Cardinal country when you can’t sign probably the best player in the last 20+ years, lose a 20-win pitcher to Tommy John surgery, and then have your other “ace” talking about how he wouldn’t veto a trade. It doesn’t sound to me like too many people want to be in St. Louis.
Anyone really shocked that Gomes likes the idea that Wainwright might be down for the season? I’m certain Reds fans, Brewers fans, and even even Cubs fans are quietly cheering that Wainwright might be out for the season. With Wainwright, the Cards have an uphill battle to take the division but they’re certainly one of the three more likely teams to win. On the other hand, without Wainwright the division is pretty much a two-way race between the Reds and Brewers with the Cubs playing the role of darkhorse.
even without wainwright, i would still take STL over chicago. Can’t say the same about milwaukee and cincy though.
Don’t really understand all the fuss about Gomes hoping for the Cards to retaliate anyway and give him a free base with the way Gomes struggles to get on period.. Vividly recall he 15 for 20 K streaks from his days as a Ray and how he was GLADLY shown the door, one of the few they gladly dumped for non salary issues.
Why give someone a free base when they can’t get on the old fashioned way?
Gomes is a POWER HITTER and drives in runs. His last two years in Cincinnati have been pretty darn good for signing him next to nothing. His defense isn’t great, but he was a league leader in BA with RISP. So say what you want about him as a Tampa Bay Ray, he hasn’t done too bad in Cincinnati.
The cardinals will find a way. This drops them in the projected standings, but when have projections REALLY mattered.
some statements are so dumb i have to point them out. What message is being conveyed here?
Shouldn’t you be asking yourself the same thing? If his post was useless, what does that make yours for being nothing but crapping on him for it? In fact, I have seen you do nothing but that in any post thus far in thus thread. At this point I would take him over your attempts to be clever any day.
And you just did the same thing by insinuating that his aren’t “clever.” So really…what in the world does that make you in this regard? The pot calling the kettle “black.”
Well, projections actually matter quite a bit. Are they 100%? Of course not, but this looks to cost in the area of four wins per some analysis I’ve read.
Are you sayinig that it’s not a big deal that the Cardinals will have someone like Ian Snell or Lance Lynn in the rotation over Wainwright?
hey speaking of reds thugs, does anyone else think Wainwright should do steriods to get back from TJ surgery sooner? Last year Edinson Volquez had TJ surgery done around April and took steriods while serving his suspension WHILE ON THE DL which is an incredibly dumb rule by MLB but he came back that same season strong. If MLB is gonna be dumb enough to have such a dumb rule, might as well exploit it.
Sure, as you noted, it’s within the rules, so he’s more than able to load up on female fertility drugs to get back quicker. Only issue I see, since Wainwright is a great pitcher that has a shot at the HOF (if he continues to pitch like he has so far). Getting caught wouldn’t help with the voters.
HOF? he would have to keep up what he is doing for atleast 6 more years and still be productive for like another 3-4 to even sniff the HOF. If he has another 6 years of normal performance, their not gonna care he gets in the HOF i would imagine. All the other people (bonds, a-rod sort of, manny, etc) all saw performance drops after getting clean.
Hall of fame? He’s almost 30? GREAT pitcher but you aint no what your talking bout.
Volquez will be firing 97 all year. I agree, it’s a dumb rule, and the Volq took FULL advantage. Elbow must be fine, he was just named opening day starter…
It’s always been the system at fault, concerning steroids, not the player’s. It’s embarrassing. The sport took a hit because front office, commissionors, etc. were so greedy that they let one of the absolute greatest traditions in the WORLD get tainted. For god’s sake please put steroids to rest. I like the game too much.
So Wainwright should ruin his reputation to get back quicker? Why would he do that? He’s getting paid regardless and most guys these days recover quite well from the surgery with or without PEDs.
Carp and Molina will give the Reds the proper punishment for Gomes. he sucks anyway regardless if he if facing Waino or not not sure why he is celebrating.
I doubt Gomes would even be batting with Carp pitching. Gomes has significant splits against RHP, likely see Lewis batting against good right handers.
Great point. He sucks anyway so why would he care whether he’s facing waino or not.
What in the world are you talking about? Carpenter doesn’t even want to be on the team, and Molina was way worse than Gomes last year. Where was Yadier ranked with BA with RISP? How many runs did he drive in total last year?
Punishment? Giving a guy a free base isn’t punishment. It’s just stupidity, considering the idea is to win the ballgame.
If you’re gonna insult someone, at least spell their name correctly…..never seen PhillIps spelled with a U…..
Thats all you got? really? You cant find something else to comment on… were you proof reading my comments and making corrections cause you care or because you have nothing else to do at the moment? Do you have a girlfriend? Maybe a t.v. or video game? Are you hungry because you could go make a sandwich. You really would rather spend your time reading and correcting typos on blog boards? Thats cool though. If your going to respond to a comment cause I hit a nerve at least come up with something good.
I wonder if Jonny Gomes plays fantasy baseball. He probably drafts himself in the first. “Sleeper pick, baby!”
Am i missing something here? Is this really an attempt at humor? Is the joke, Jonny Gomes is not that good, so he shouldnt be a first round pick? So, in sarcasm, you say Jonny Gomes probably drafts himself in the first round, meaning that he is so ignorant to fantasy baseball that he thinks he’s a first round pick. So the joke is, summed up, HE IS REALLY IGNORANT AND BAD AT FANTASY BASEBALL? Then you go so far as to take that joke/thought and post it on a message board so others can read it and take enjoyment in this creative thought/joke you conjured up in your head. That is way too much for me to take in, my mind is spinning…
^Huh? Um, okay.
He reminds me of some kid in a fantasy league who just so happens to be a super-duper-huge Reds fan who relishes in injuries to other players on other teams. Then, when he’s called out on it and made to look like a jerk, he recoils and offers a “Blah blah blah competition” reasoning for his commentary. Meanwhile, just like that of some kid in a fantasy league, his opinion simply doesn’t matter to anyone — well, I take that back. His opinion will matter in his first at-bat when someone drills him in the back or arm with a heater.
Wait a minute….Jonny? Is that you? I look up and see you getting a little defensive whenever someone mentions him and/or the Reds in a negative way. Color me curious.
Again….with the beaning a player part. It doesn’t make sense and likely won’t happen. So why bring it up?
I’m with the other dude…Johnny makes a comment based on pure competitive nature and common sense and somehow he’s a “fantasy baseball player who drafts reds.” That is by far one of the dumbest comments I have heard this far when reading through this article.
It’s the same crap over and over again. “Oh he just needs to shut up.” How about “No?” I don’t buy that crap. This is a competitive sport, and players are going to be competitive on and off the field. Sure, act like a professional, but it is a GAME. It’s meant for fun, being light-hearted, and being competitive. If you don’t like what they say, then beat them on the field and prove them wrong. Win the NL Central ake it to the frickin’ playoffs like The Reds did, and then comment how Johnny Gomes was a jerk during the season for saying the things he did.
dude you take everything WAY too personally
Jonny, is that you?
That is garbage reporting by Hal McCoy. He’s fishing for readers by instigating more rivalry between the cards and reds, it’s that simple. Gomes meant no harm or fowl, McCoy just wrote it in such a way
Gee, wonder if Mr. Carpenter will administer ye olde bowtie pitch to Mr. Gomes after this.
While you wonder about that, I’ll wonder where pujols will want to play after a dull 3rd place finish in the central…
Gomes is trash and his backtracking comments prove he’s also classless. Much like the rest of the Reds.
They are a fun, fiery, bunch. Much rather see the competitive edge than Griffey and Dunn trot through the season. They care about their season A LOT, and if I’m going to put in the time as a fan all summer I’m glad to see passion even if it’s perceived as classeless.
how long did it take you to respond to every hurtful comment to your beloved reds tonight?
How long did it take for you to respond to every post he has made regarding hurtful comments about his beloved Reds?
I agree about the 2nd part of your comment. Coming out and saying what a great guy wainwright is and what a great organization st louis is, and how he knows adam personally, and how he feels he shares a brotherhood with all mlb player is especially classless
And you really don’t think he was simply pandering to cover his tracks and avoid getting beaned? I mean, I don’t think he has to worry about being kicked in the face with cleats, but you never know.
Good lord, dude. The “kicking in the face with cleats” crap again? LaRue had like a billion concussions before that even happened. Were you even watching that game? Cueto was shoved over the backstop and pinned between the backstop, fence, and like 20 Cardinals players crushing him. This is common sense…you kick your way out. Sorry about LaRue and his face being in the way, but if I had like 20 guys pinning me and almost crushing me….I tend to think I would do the same exact thing. Not sure about you. Maybe you like a bunch of dudes piling on top of you.
Yes, he’s so classless and trash. Do you even watch baseball? The guy is a class act in the locker room with the guys, he’s great with the fans, and does a lot for the community even though he doesn’t make a whole lot in the Major Leagues. Some of you people just make comments for the hell of it, it seems.
McCoy is trying to pour gasoline on a rivalry in an attempt to create a national league Red Sox/Yankee replica. Obviously, on a much smaller level. But a little rivalry/passion/competition might not hurt the sport. It was more of the writer than gomes…
The rivalry will really get heated up when Carp puts one in Gomes’ earhole the first time he sees him…
Please shut up about the beaning crap. Thanks ahead of time.
Who cares if Gomes was singing about Wainwright? I’d be pumped too if a main competitor just lost one of their better players. Its Tommy John surgery. Fairly commonplace. It wasn’t like he was rejoicing in the end of his career. Ease up people, life’s too short to take everything so seriously.
Additionally, I highly doubt Hal McCoy was fishing for readers by taking something out of context. He’s already in the Hall of Fame, has been a beat writer for 30+ years and spends his retirement running a blog. I’m pretty sure his readership is pretty well established at this point, and probably didn’t want to draw negative attention to anything.
Couldn’t agree with you more, but this is what Cards fans come in and do when there’s ANY kind of news about the Reds. But, if you head over to any news about the Cards, you don’t see the same thing from Reds fans. Why? The proof is in the pudding — The Cards and their fans had a lackluster year last year. To make things worse, their ace goes down with Tommy John surgery, Pujols doesn’t want to sign with them, and now Carpenter is saying he wouldn’t veto a trade. I feel for Cards fans. Think of how many years The Reds had to deal with crap like that! We’ve been through the same crap. But, we didn’t go and talk crap to other teams because of jealousy. We recognized the problems and fixed them by firing Wayne Krivsky, hiring Walt Jocketty, getting rid of Dunn and Junior, working with our young talent, getting to the playoffs, and then extending ALL of of your talent that contributed greatly to that playoff season. I mean, talk all the crap you want to…The Reds are doing things the way they need to be done. Johnny Gomes was very productive last year and contributed greatly to the Reds winning. He’s a team leader on and off the field, is great with the fans, and great with the community. Call him “classless” all you want…but the logic, reasoning, and history behind him doesn’t equate to that.