Sigh. If only Carp had come back as strong as Waino...

Wouldn't that have been nice? It makes you ready for 2009 to see them both in the rotation again, doesn't it?

Just imagine, though, where they might be if Wainwright had been healthy all year and they'd gotten even minimal contributions from Mulder and Clement.

I would've had Molina swing away for the same reasons you mentioned, plus, he is one of the fewer hitters these days that can actually hit to opposite field. In this case, a ground ball to the right side is what you want. For one, it advances the runner the same as a bunt, but with the added possibility of going through for a basehit, which gives you a chance to score Ludwick. So yes, in this case, the only people who should've been bunting would be pitchers. Then again, they bat eighth and may think that's only for the guy who bats after them.

Final analysis: Molina swings for the right side.

I didn't know about Garcia's injury. That's a darn shame, as he has shown some promise this year. At least he's still quite young.

Lots of what-ifs with Mulder and Clement C70, but surely enough to think about with Carpenter.

Could his arm strength have improved with another rehab start or two? Is the elbow really fully healed, or was the shoulder strain a function of severe overcompensating?

I was all on board for getting Carp back as soon as possible - but I'm a mere fan :).

The Cards will be depending on these arms for years to come - it's time to start taking some power away from TLR and Dunc determining when these guys come back (making a not-so-wild assumption here that it was their influence).