This is a preview of the Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter, an e-mail newsletter about all things baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the field from the perspective of the informed outsider.
You can subscribe to the newsletter for one year for $79.95 using your PayPal account or major credit card.
--
The parallels between the two bird teams diverge on the mound. The Cardinals, thanks to a surprisingly effective bullpen, are 17th in MLB in FIP, while the Jays are 26th. The Cardinals emphasized missing bats in the bullpen and getting innings from the rotation this winter. Their starters are 13th in the league in innings pitched, while as expected, not being terribly effective: a 4.31 FIP that’s 23rd in the league. The Cardinals have been vulnerable to their opponents breaking games open in the middle innings, where they’ve allowed 89 runs, tied for the most in baseball. Their starters, the third time around, have allowed a .287/.358/.489 line, seventh-worst in baseball by OPS+. As ever, when you eat innings, you get the runs.
