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Zach Gifford
Jul 17, 20183 min read
Mike Shildt already sent a message
When I watched the St. Louis Cardinals press conference to introduce interim manager Mike Shildt, a consistent theme stood out to me: the...
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Zach Gifford
Jun 28, 20184 min read
The 10.5: The Mike Mayers is striking everyone out edition
Mike Mayers is striking out everyone. Well, not exactly everyone. But we don’t really know how he's doing it. Mayers has never had much...
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Zach Gifford
Jun 25, 20184 min read
Yadier Molina has never been better
Earlier this season, former Viva El Birdos writer Andy Schrag discussed how the timeliness of production shapes our perception of that...
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Zach Gifford
Jun 20, 20181 min read
Birds on the Black Podcast w/ Joe Schwarz ( The Athletic STL )
Joe Schwarz of The Athletic joins me to talk St. Louis Cardinals baseball. With Greg Holland is back off the DL, Joe and I discuss...
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Zach Gifford
Jun 19, 20187 min read
Where do the Cardinals go from here?
On Monday night, the Cardinals managed to climb back into a game that started out with Miles Mikolas handing the Phillies a four run...
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Zach Gifford
Jun 13, 20184 min read
José Martínez is a professional hitter
In what has largely been a disappointing season for the St. Louis Cardinals offense, José Martínez has stood out. His wRC+, a catch-all...
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Zach Gifford
Jun 7, 20184 min read
What has gone wrong for Tommy Pham?
*Stats and data included are current through June 5th.* On May 22nd, Stephen Loftus of Fangraphs wrote about how Tommy Pham was...
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Zach Gifford
Jun 5, 20183 min read
Enemy spotlight: Marlins have Jordan Hicks Lite in Taylor Guerrero
Jordan Hicks has been a polarizing arm for the St. Louis Cardinals. He owns the highest fastball velocity in MLB. It has a peculiarly low...
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Zach Gifford
Jun 4, 20184 min read
Yairo Munoz is taking his cuts
After a strong spring earned him a place on the opening day roster, Yairo Muñoz looked lost to start the 2018 season. His poor start was...
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Zach Gifford
May 26, 20184 min read
Miles Mikolas is breaking baseballs
Since sweeping the rival Cubs on May 6th, the St. Louis Cardinals have dropped ten of their last sixteen. They haven’t won a single...
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Zach Gifford
May 24, 20184 min read
Enemy Spotlight: Francisco Cervelli and the Pirates find their OPS in the air
Over the last year and a half, I’ve written exclusively about the St. Louis Cardinals for a variety of sites. I’ve tweeted about players...
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Zach Gifford
May 21, 20185 min read
Marcell Ozuna has changed, again
Writing about Marcell Ozuna has become a sort of an annual early-summer tradition. Back in 2016 on May 20th, Craig Edwards wondered if...
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Zach Gifford
May 14, 20184 min read
Questions linger around the Cardinals rotation
On Sunday afternoon, Adam Wainwright took the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals for the first time in about a month. He proceeded to...
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Zach Gifford
May 10, 20185 min read
Evaluating Carson Kelly as a receiver
When Carson Kelly was called up to the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, it was presumed that baseball’s second-best catching prospect would...
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Zach Gifford
May 1, 20184 min read
Are the Houston Astros hacking pitcher spin rates?
Three weeks ago, Travis Sawchik of Fangraphs wrote that the Houston Astros “may have another ace.” The potential ace in question, of...
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tarabwellman
Apr 23, 20181 min read
UCB Weekend Periscope Party
What do you get when three of the Birds on the Black team members are in the same place at the same time? ...this. Live out UCB Weekend...
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Zach Gifford
Apr 19, 20182 min read
Paul DeJong needs a readjustment
On Tuesday night, the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the rival Cubs 5-3. In the process, Paul DeJong went 1-5 with a home run and four...
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Zach Gifford
Apr 11, 20184 min read
Matt Carpenter has a patience problem
Tuesday night, with the Cardinals nearing a 4-7 record after a night of sloppy play, Matt Carpenter tucked a two-run, walk-off homer down...
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Zach Gifford
Apr 4, 20183 min read
A concerning trend for the Cardinals pitching staff
In the third inning on Tuesday night, Marcell Ozuna hit a monstrous, record-setting blast to put the St. Louis Cardinals up 4-0 in their...
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Zach Gifford
Mar 30, 20183 min read
Matt Bowman's arm is falling off
When Mike Matheny was faced with his first bullpen decision of 2018, he opted for the familiar right arm of Matt Bowman for the 135th...
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