And So Taguchi's play in left field was inept. The pride of Hyogo Prefecture couldn't get to a catchable ball that went for a two-run double by Carlos Delgado, and later dropped a routine fly hit straight at him by Jose Reyes.
The fielding was So poor, you wanted to demand that manager Tony La Russa insert Chris Duncan as a defensive replacement.
Certainly, there is no shame in losing to Glavine, a 291-game winner who is headed to Cooperstown. When he's on, Glavine still has the goods, the touch, to make any lineup look foolish. And any lineup that has Yadier Molina batting fifth — which was on La Russa's card Sunday — is even more vulnerable.
But let's be candid here: In the recent history of baseball, has any defending champion ever started an outfield as bad as the one sent into the first game by the Cardinals on Sunday? I wrote last month that my biggest concern for the team was the outfield.
An alignment of Taguchi in left, a recuperating Jim Edmonds in center and Preston Wilson in right is downright feeble. Taguchi hit .266 with 31 RBIs last season, Wilson struck out 121 times in 2006, and Edmonds still is playing himself into baseball shape after surgeries in the offseason to his shoulder and toe.
I've never been a big fan of Taguchi but he looked especially bad last night. His play on the Delgado "double" was a keystone cop routine. La Russa is showing a lot of faith in Wilson as well. Maybe it will pay off, but his swing has more holes in it than Blackburn, Lancashire.
I also wonder if Edmonds is ready to play baseball yet. He got almost no competitive swings down in Florida and it shows. I gotta think Schumacher should have gotten the start. Isn't it time to find out if he is really a big leaguer?
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