Battle of Missouri

I've already indicated that I'm not a fan of interleague play.  It seems to me like exhibition games that shouldn't impact on the regular season.  And, as most Cardinal fans, I'm a little weary of facing the Royals six times a year.

I'm sure that the New York and Chicago intercity rivalries are still fresh and exciting after ten plus years of seeing each other six times.  Though I will say that I scanned both Loge13 and Depressed Fan on the network and didn't see much about the Yankee/Mets series from a month back.  Sure, it was talked about, but not in depth and with passion.  (Quick skim, though, so don't take my word for it.)  I don't know how much excitement still is in Reds/Indians.  But, at least for me, Cardinals/Royals is, well, eh.

Maybe it'd be different if the Royals were a powerhouse in the AL.  Maybe then we could get excited to see them come into Busch.  But as it stands now, it's just another series.  Sure, the Royals bring in Alex Gordon and Zach Greinke, but every team has a couple of players to watch.  This is what we messed up baseball for?

That said, it's still baseball, which is better than any off day (and Cardinals/Royals beats any football game or NBA finals any day of the week).  The Cardinals send out Joel Pineiro to take on Kansas City tonight.  He's done tolerably well against the Royals in the past, with no one of any sample size really dominating him. 

He's up against Kyle Davies.  Davies has only had three starts this year, but they were against some strong offensive teams in Cleveland, the Yankees, and Texas.  He has thrived, posting a 1.53 ERA during that stretch.   He will be basically a fresh slate for the Cardinals, as they've had a whopping four plate appearances against him.

Word is Yadier Molina is out of the hospital and doing well.  It also sounds like they hope to get him back in a couple of days, since they aren't making a roster move right now.


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