baseball sucks

June 15 and 16 might be the worst days of my life to date. Not really, but that's how I feel right now. 

June 15 and 16, 2018. I walked into Busch Stadium on Friday night, excited to watch some good baseball and confident in the Cardinals' ability to at least take the series against the Cubs.

Cardinals twitter had not yet gotten to me, and at that point in my life it was actually the sole reason for any annoyance. The team would be fine, everything would be fine. Ah, what it was like to be carefree and in love with baseball.

About 27 hours later, after attending what can only be technically known as baseball games, I have officially joined the dark side. Congratulations, Twitter, you've won.

I've always been the "it's not over until it's over" person, who will sit through hell because maybe the Cardinals can pull it off. Hahahaha, what a joke.

Anyway, to the point, here are the reasons that the small light of hope left in me through this season has been completely and utterly extinguished in one weekend.

Harrison Bader vs. Dexter Fowler

Is Harrison Bader missing? Was he kidnapped by a team that would actually start a good outfielder? Someone please let me know, because tonight he was no where to be found.

Bader started Friday's game, showed off his cannon of an arm and blatant speed a couple of times, was picked off, and was never seen again.

So, there has to be a reason that he was benched for the entire game, not even making an appearance to pinch hit, right?

Let's look at the numbers. Through the 2018 season, Bader is supporting a .256 batting average through 125 at bats, with his WAR standing at 1.6. His counterpart, Dexter Fowler, has only 65 more ABs, and his average is a staggering .170 (Disclaimer, Saturday's stats probably weren't factored into this. Not like it matters). Fowler's WAR is a NEGATIVE (-) 1.3.

I'm pretty sure I know enough about baseball to know that those numbers give plenty of reasons to play Bader over Fowler.

Not to mention the speed, and the honest to God hard work that the kid puts out every single day. If you've never seen him play in person, I highly suggest it. TV does not do him justice.

Bader runs hard, every single time. Obvious doubles are suddenly stretched close with his arm strength and hustle. You don't find that anymore.

Fowler is making 16 million dollars this year, and Bader's salary is just over 500,000. Those numbers, my friends, are the only ones that matter.

If Fowler was sent down to AAA to get right and work with a competent hitting coach who knows what he's doing, this wouldn't be a problem. But it is.

It's really fucking hard to care about a game when the owners of your team care more about the money and saving their players egos than winning a goddamn ball game.

Strike one.

Management

I just want someone to tell me why Michael Wacha stayed in the game as long as he did on Friday night.

From the very first inning, he was struggling. He got out of the inning unscathed, but just barely, and with a sizable dent in his pitch count.

That being said, someone should have gotten up to throw in the third inning, and it should have been with serious consideration that the lease was shortened.

NINE runs came off of Wacha. 9. Nueve. I honestly don't even know how one rationalizes sending him back out for the fifth inning, let alone making it through 4.

Moving on. With all of the former information regarding Fowler in mind, why in the HELL was he the first one out of the dugout when a pinch hitter was needed on Friday. My exact words I believe were, "Okay good, lets throw another player who can't hit out there!"

Yeah, he didn't get a hit. Shocker, I know. I'm pretty sure there were runners on base at that point too.

There's obviously more about Mike Matheny that's bad, but yeah. That's what I got for now.

Strike two.

No one cares anymore. 

Bottom of the ninth. 2 on, 1 out. Down by 3. Top of the order at the plate.

Two strikeouts end the game. Matt Carpenter, swinging at a ball at his shoulders, and Tommy Pham on the first pitch he swung at the entire at bat.

Can anyone hit anymore? Seriously though.

Those are the moments you LIVE for. I sucked at softball in high school, couldn't hit worth pretty much anything, but those moments against rivals bring out the best in you, and they did in me.

You need to care to take in the intensity, the moment, and do something that you know you can do.

I honestly can't tell if anyone besides Harrison Bader cares anymore, and he sat on the fucking bench during that entire game.

Strike three.

I'm going to bed. Hopefully the Cardinals do better tomorrow, but I won't be betting on it.