The last week has been a whirlwind for Cardinals prospect Matt Adams. May the 19th started out just like any other day for the 6' 3", 230-lb, slugging first baseman. AAA Memphis was in Las Vegas to take on the 51's (yes, that's actually the team's name). Fat Matt, as he has been affectionately dubbed by this blog, was penciled in to his usual position at first base. The 23 year old, hitting .340 with 9 home runs and 27 RBI while with Memphis, was a fearsome presence in the middle of the order.
Unfortunately, his path to St. Louis remained blocked, even with the recent departure of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Lance Berkman, Allen Craig (a Hometown Discount favorite) and Matt Carpenter have been red hot for the big league club. Finding at-bats for those three alone has been difficult enough, much less a rookies without an at-bat in the Bigs to his name.
However, the last 24 hours changed that, quickly. A recurring hamstring injury forced the A-Craig Hammer to the 15-day DL Saturday morning, continuing the Cardinals disturbing trend of injuries. Currently the Cardinals have six players on the DL in Chris Carpenter, Allen Craig, Kyle McClellan, Jon Jay, Scott Linebrink and Lance Berkman (we'll get to him in a sec).
At 9:00 CT, both Lance Berkman and Matt Adams took their positions at 1B, one against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the other against the Las Vegas 51's. The first inning failed to produce anything eventful, as both men failed to reach base in their at-bats. Then came the second inning of the game in Los Angeles, an inning which could prove to be the most pivotal inning in the Cardinals' 2012 season. Justin Sellers grounded a routine ball to shortstop Rafael Furcal who threw the ball over to first base. Unfortunately, Furcal's throw veered a little off-line, forcing Lance Berkman to lunge for the ball. As Big Puma lunged his right knee visibly buckled. Lance's face immediately contorted in pain as he hopped around and final collapsed to the ground, eerily reminiscent of No. 5's wrist injury last year. With significant help, Berkman was able to limp gingerly off the field. However, it didn't take a medical expert to know that his was serious, very serious.
Back in Las Vegas, Matt Adams was mashing like his usual self, ripping a fourth inning double down the line in right. Fat Matt would score later in the inning and went back into the clubhouse. Unbeknownst to him, he wouldn't be going back out onto the field. The Memphis Redbirds had received a call from St. Louis GM John Mozeliak. Adams was to be taken out of the game immediately and hop on a short flight to Los Angeles to join the big league club.
So, here we are. The Cardinals have placed three first basement on the DL in the last week. The job is Adam's. He follows in huge, Pujols-sized, footsteps. Is he up to the task? I sure hope so. Best of luck, Mr. Adams.
Unfortunately, his path to St. Louis remained blocked, even with the recent departure of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Lance Berkman, Allen Craig (a Hometown Discount favorite) and Matt Carpenter have been red hot for the big league club. Finding at-bats for those three alone has been difficult enough, much less a rookies without an at-bat in the Bigs to his name.
However, the last 24 hours changed that, quickly. A recurring hamstring injury forced the A-Craig Hammer to the 15-day DL Saturday morning, continuing the Cardinals disturbing trend of injuries. Currently the Cardinals have six players on the DL in Chris Carpenter, Allen Craig, Kyle McClellan, Jon Jay, Scott Linebrink and Lance Berkman (we'll get to him in a sec).
At 9:00 CT, both Lance Berkman and Matt Adams took their positions at 1B, one against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the other against the Las Vegas 51's. The first inning failed to produce anything eventful, as both men failed to reach base in their at-bats. Then came the second inning of the game in Los Angeles, an inning which could prove to be the most pivotal inning in the Cardinals' 2012 season. Justin Sellers grounded a routine ball to shortstop Rafael Furcal who threw the ball over to first base. Unfortunately, Furcal's throw veered a little off-line, forcing Lance Berkman to lunge for the ball. As Big Puma lunged his right knee visibly buckled. Lance's face immediately contorted in pain as he hopped around and final collapsed to the ground, eerily reminiscent of No. 5's wrist injury last year. With significant help, Berkman was able to limp gingerly off the field. However, it didn't take a medical expert to know that his was serious, very serious.
Back in Las Vegas, Matt Adams was mashing like his usual self, ripping a fourth inning double down the line in right. Fat Matt would score later in the inning and went back into the clubhouse. Unbeknownst to him, he wouldn't be going back out onto the field. The Memphis Redbirds had received a call from St. Louis GM John Mozeliak. Adams was to be taken out of the game immediately and hop on a short flight to Los Angeles to join the big league club.
So, here we are. The Cardinals have placed three first basement on the DL in the last week. The job is Adam's. He follows in huge, Pujols-sized, footsteps. Is he up to the task? I sure hope so. Best of luck, Mr. Adams.
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