Knuckle Curve » ryan ludwick

Dodgers Take First Game Versus Cardinals

Stephen Kersey — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 03:58:15 +0000

The Los Angeles Dodgers limped to the end of the 2009 baseball regular season. However, in their first game of the postseason, the Dodgers looked like the team that dominated the National League for much of the season.

After Ryan Ludwick hit a single to put the St. Louis Cardinals up 1-0, the Dodgers got a two-run blast from Matt Kemp — and never trailed again. Los Angeles ended up winning the ballgame 5-3.

Chris Carpenter, who is likely to win the 2009 NL Cy Young Award, didn’t fair well. In five innings, he gave up nine hits, four walks and four earned runs. Randy Wolf, the starter for the Dodgers, wasn’t much better. In 3.2 innings, he gave up six hits, five walks and two earned runs.

Game 2 of this series is Thursday. In an intruiging pitching matchup, Adam Wainwright takes on Clayton Kershaw. Wainwright had one of the best seasons in all of baseball and Kershaw is regarded as one of the best pitching prospects in recent history.

Matt Kemp was the hero for the Dodgers (Image: Zuma Press)

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Baseball Players Most Likely to be Traded

Stephen Kersey — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 05:21:47 +0000

The baseball winter meeting is underway and that means a lot of baseball news is sure to generated in the next week. Which players are most likely to be traded during the winter meetings?

1. Jermaine Dye, Chicago White Sox
The White Sox seem to be dangling Dye to any team that will listen. One rumor that has grown legs suggests that the White Sox are considering trading Dye to the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Homer Baily.

2. Jeremy Hermida, Florida Marlins
The Marlins have already made a lot of moves to help save money in forthcoming years. Moving Jeremy Hermida would do just that. And better yet, the Marlins could get a lot in return for Hermida.

3. Miguel Tejada, Houston Astros
The Astros need to dump salary in order to go after free agents. One way to dump salary would be to find a taker for Miguel Tejada. Although he’s coming off of a so-so campaign, a lot of teams could use a shortstop.

4. Gerald Laird, Taylor Teagarden, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Texas Rangers
The Rangers have a ton of catching prospects. Considering that they have a lot of holes on their roster, look for them to trade at least one of the catching prospects. The best bet has the Rangers trading a catcher for pitching help.

5. Ryan Ludwick, St. Louis Cardinals
Coming off of a career season, a lot of teams are interested in Ryan Ludwick. The Cardinals also seem willing to move him for the right pieces. Those two aspects combine to make Ludwick a hot name at the winter meetings.

Photo credit: Newscom

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Rumors about Baseball Free Agents 2008

Stephen Kersey — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 05:21:19 +0000

Mark Teixeira
It sounds like the Los Angeles Angels are going to do whatever it takes to keep Mark Teixeira. The first baseman who they traded for in the middle of the 2008 season is a player the team would hate to see let go. Others thought to be interested include the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles.

CC Sabathia
The 2007 American League Cy Young Award winner pitched great for the Milwaukee Brewers after they aquired him in a midseason trade. The Brewers want to keep him and are reportedly willing to give him $20 million per year for the next five years. However, it is also being reported that Sabathia is being wooed by Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees.

Ryan Ludwick
In 2008, Ryan Ludwick had a breakout season. He got named to the National League All-Star team and was simply a force in the middle of the St. Louis Cardinals lineup. The Cardinals appear ready to bring Ludwick back into the fold, however the Atlanta Braves are believed to be making a push for his services.

Derek Lowe
Almost every team in baseball could use a veteran starting pitcher who could also become a closer if need be. With that in mind, there’s no wonder that Derek Lowe is getting a lot of attention already in free agency. The Los Angeles Dodgers are believed to want him back but both the New York Yankees and the New York Mets are believed to be quite interested.

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Carlos Beltran Amazing Catch – Video

Stephen Kersey — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:01:50 +0000

Check out this video of Carlos Beltran making an amazing catch. Beltran robbed a homer by Ryan Ludwick by leaping over the center field wall and pulling the ball back into play. This play will no doubt go down as one of the best plays of the year in 2008.

Check out the Carlos Beltran video here:

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Albert Pujols Injury Update – Pujols Strained Calf

Stephen Kersey — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 06:26:16 +0000

Albert Pujols suffered a calf injury while running out a ground ball in the seventh inning. Pujols, who is having another great season for the St. Louis Cardinals, had hit a two-run homer earlier in the game.

After the contest, which the Cardinals topped the Cincinnati Reds 7-2, Pujols was diagnosed with a strain calf. Further tests will be performed to determine how long Pujols will be out. Initial reports indicate that St. Louis fears that Pujols will miss a significant amount of games.

Pujols is currently hitting .347 and has 16 homers and 42 RBIs. It’d be a shame if the 28-year-old slugger were to miss a lot of action because he was on pace to have one of the best seasons of his career.

When Pujols is out, the Cardinals will rely on Ryan Ludwick to keep swinging the bat well. The 29-year-old Ludwick has 15 homers, 50 RBIs and is hitting .318.

The Cardinals weren’t expected to have a good season but at 39-27, St. Louis definitely has a chance to make the postseason. That is, obviously, if Pujols can return in a reasonable amount of time.

Photo: Newscom

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