First, the Cards returned Ben Jukich to the Reds.  For a Rule V guy, he didn't get a lot of looks in camp, only getting two innings in one game.  I'm slightly surprised that the Reds didn't work a trade for him, since to take him back they have to spend $25,000, and right now the Reds are pinching every penny they can.  Still, while it would have been nice to have him in Memphis as a potential backup, the Cards didn't look at him as a LOOGY type anyway, so there are probably other options.  Be interesting to see how Jukich does this year, though, especially if he makes it to Cincinnati.

Secondly and more importantly, there seemed to be an organizational shift in regards to Jaime Garcia.  Going into the spring, some of us wanted to see him as the fifth starter in St. Louis, but the injury issue seemed to be influencing those that make the decisions, inspiring the signing of Rich Hill.  Garcia was seen as an afterthought to Hill and Kyle McClellan going at it for that last slot.

As your bracket will likely attest to this morning, afterthoughts have their way of making their way to the foreground.  On Twitter yesterday, Derrick Goold reported that Tony La Russa had declared that Garcia would be a starter somewhere, or at least that the organization wasn't looking at him as a reliever.  As I said earlier this week, I expected him to take that long relief role that Adam Wainwright had a few years back.  That's not the case anymore.

Then, Rich Hill pitched yesterday and it was another ineffective outing.  Hill walked five in three innings and, for a guy that needed to work on his command to be successful, that's a step back.  So we wake up this morning to see in the paper a story that Garcia will be given a start Monday against the Astros.  As Darth Vader said, "The circle is now complete."  (Well, almost, but when you get a chance to toss Vader into a blog post, you have to take it.)

Tom from CardinalsGM mentioned on Twitter yesterday that it was the point where he started to take results seriously.  There is just over two weeks left.  A lot of the guys that never were going to make it have been weeded out and sent to minor league camp.  Starters are starting to go five, six, seven innings.  The regulars will be playing.  Things that happen from now on are going to have a huge impact on the decisions that are left to be made.

So if Garcia goes out and throws on Monday like he's been throwing the rest of the spring, that very well may put him in the lead in the fifth starter derby after being on the outside looking in for so long.  That's what spring is all about, right?  The unexpected making a run.  A young third baseman making it so that you can't leave him off the roster.  The hometown pitcher fighting his way onto the roster.  There is a reason spring training lasts this long!

Approval rating time!  Even though I didn't plan it this way, so far every day has been one new person and one person we rated last year, and today is no different.

If we'd have rated Mark McGwire last year, it would have been as the disgraced and retired icon.  You'd have to have factored in the uncertainty (well, at least proven uncertainty) of his steroid usage and how you felt about all of that.  It's a new year, however, and we aren't rating just the icon, but the hitting coach who has made his confession.  It was possibly the most interesting name on the approval ballot.

McGwire wound up higher than I thought, with 64 people giving him an average score of 73.2%.  There was an outlier of 5, but the next-lowest was 20, while his high was one 100.  A lot in the 70-80 range, it looks like.

On the other hand, we have Yadier Molina.  A lot of Molina love last year, as he piled up the second-highest rating at 93.4%.  Not a lot has changed with Yadi, and this year he drops just a bit to 92.0%.  That'll put him behind Carp this year as well (likely) behind Albert.

Cards play a split-squad schedule today.  The noon game features St. Louis playing against their complex partners, the Marlins.  Not sure who is going in that game, though it should be Chris Carpenter, I'd expect.  The game is also supposed to be on FSN, so if you are in the viewing area, you get a lunchtime treat.

Most of us would have probably rather they televised the other game, however.  This evening, 5 PM start, the Cards go over to Washington and face Stephen Strasburg again.  Not only that, but McClellan tries to hold off Garcia for that fifth slot with a strong start.  Should be a lot of interesting things out of that one!

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Garcia struck out seven batters in three innings, allowing no runs and just one hit and a walk.  Of  course, you adjust that for competition, since the Nationals aren't known for a dominating offense and some of those that Garcia faced won't be in the big leagues to start the season, if ever, but seven out of nine is a pretty good ratio in any league.

On Twitter, Matthew Leach, Andrew from Pitchers Hit Eighth, and I discussed Garcia's role with the team.  Leach said that his preference was to have Garcia go down to Memphis, be the staff ace, and be ready in case anyone faltered or was injured.  Andrew was ready for him to take the fifth slot, something that I championed in the offseason.

I think I'd still like to see Garcia in the last slot in the rotation, but I can understand the concern that he won't be able to give enough innings that way.  I'm really expecting to see him go north with the team, but as the long man in the bullpen.  He won't get many innings behind Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, but the rest of the rotation could use a solid long reliever behind them, I think.  I know Tony La Russa has mentioned possibly using him as they did Wainwright, letting him be the bullpen guy before transitioning into a starter role.  And, hey, that's the way the Cardinals do it, right?  Always taking from the pen to fill the rotation?

Apparently Washington figured out something.  After 11 walks on Sunday, they didn't issue a single pass in yesterday's game.

Bill DeWitt is happy with the team and feels that it is deep enough to be successful.  He's got a point, since Memphis did win the PCL last year.  Of course, any injury to Albert Pujols would be a major blow, but there's no way to get enough depth to offset something like that.  There seems to be enough in the middle infield, especially since Brendan Ryan really does look like he'll be back for Opening Day, and the back end of the rotation and the bullpen should have some spare parts hanging around in Memphis.

What was most welcome to hear out of that article was the fact that the Cards are planning to spend quite a bit of money on the draft.  I think they've really learned their lesson from the Rick Porcello/Pete Kozma decision and they've seen what spending on a top player can get for them in Shelby Miller, whose stay in his first Cardinal camp has been much more extended than expected.  So root for some talented players to slip through on signability issues!

Let's take our next two in the Cardinal Approval Ratings, Matt Holliday and Cardinal broadcaster Al Hrbrosky.  Obviously, Holliday wasn't asked about in the prior year, as he was sitting in Oakland (even thought St. Louis had pursued him).  I was interested to see how fans would balance his production and his return against his big money contract and his holding out for the same.

The contract, etc. may have had an impact, but Holliday still comes in with an adequte 84.5%.  For a guy that has yet to establish a huge connection with the best fans in baseball, that's not too shabby and it will probably go up next year.  A couple of 100s for the guy, with a low of 50 out of the 67 voters.

Hrbrosky did get a rating last year, a low mark of 53.9%.  That was actually the worst rating anyone got back in 2009.  So, another year of Al in the booth, and how did people take to it?  Not well, it would appear.

Hrbrosky dropped to a 46.2% level this year.  It looks like there are a lot of people that mute the TV when they are watching FSN.  Out of the 64 that registered an opinion, there were at least three zeros and only one 100.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone.  I have to say, I am so glad that the Cards are off today.  I seriously hate those green jerseys and hats they break out for this day.  If you want a more reasonable way to get in the mood, check out Fungoes today!

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First off, the Olney report is probably accurate, because when you read it, all it says was that Philadelphia might have had some sort of internal conversation about this.  I completely believe that.  I figure a lot of teams talk about what they'd give for AP, especially now that he's in the latter part of his contract.  I doubt that it ever made it to the level of formal offer, though.

If you want a great rejection of this deal (from a Phillies fan, no less), look over at Crashburn Alley.  You can also check out Mike at Stan Musial's Stance.  To go along with what they've said, let me make just a couple more points.

One, the Cardinals are willing to commit crazy amounts of money to Albert Pujols and Albert Pujols only.  If, for some reason, Pujols was to walk, I don't think they'd spend 75% of that money on another player, which is probably what they'd have to do to keep Howard.  John Mozeliak would be much more likely to go for a team-wide upgrade, if possible, than to try to sink so much into one player.

Secondly, if the Cardinals were going to trade AP (and this also ties somewhat into number one), they'd more likely try to get 2-3 young, under team control top prospects from someone than a straight-up swap of first basemen.  The team would need the youth infusion and the way to manage payroll, since attendance would noticeably drop, I believe, with a Pujols trade.

The best thing about this rumor (and it's probably just the first in a long line) is that it gives both sides more momentum to get a deal done, if only to stop these crazy things.

Now to the on-the-field stuff.  I was able to catch portions of the Cardinals' win over Houston on Saturday, thanks to it being on KSDK.  It was hard to get a real good judge on things, since I was running in and out of the room and the wind looked like it was blowing quite strongly.  However, it was good to see Pujols get a couple of hits, Rich Hill do OK (though I did find Rick Horton's comment about him not repeating his delivery interesting) and Ryan Ludwick go yard.  Looking forward to watching a bit more this weekend.

Sunday was remarkable, of course, because of who was starting against St. Louis.  Stephen Strasburg drew raves from Tony La Russa, so you have to figure he was pretty darn good.  The Cards got a couple of singles off of him, but that was it.  Thankfully, the rest of the Washington squad was, shall we say, a little more...erratic.  I don't care what the conditions, 11 walks seems a bit excessive.

Shelby Miller got into the game as well, a little less hyped than the other first-round pick.  Still, that's two scoreless innings for Miller, though he's had to work out of trouble both times.  I can't imagine him starting at AA, but I wouldn't be surprised if his positive impression this spring would help him jump there with a good start at A ball.

The Cards have put together a little run and have started to look more like a real team again.  (Of course, the record has to look better than the Nationals' 0-10.)  They take on the Mets again today, so we'll see if they can keep the wins coming.

There was a really interesting article about Colby Rasmus in the Post-Dispatch.  The physical aspects of last season were fairly well documented and his overcoming of that was one reason I expected a big season from him this year.  However, to add in the family turmoil as well as the clubhouse that, for some reason, isn't quite welcoming for the rooks, and it's surprising he did as well as he did last year.

Even with the relative youth of some of that clubhouse, you have to figure it's dominated by La Russa and Pujols.  And while I don't think they go out of their way to harass first-year players or anything of that nature, and I'm sure they are willing to help when asked, you know that kind of atmosphere has to be pretty intimidating.  The expectations are high for anyone that wears Cardinal red, and if you aren't sure you can make them, it could cause some tension.

Rasmus makes a point to say that he thinks it has made him stronger and thankfully he and his dad are reconciled.  He may not be completely comfortable in a veteran clubhouse yet, but he's getting there.  Which is why, if you still haven't drafted yet, you just might want Colby Jack for your fantasy baseball team.

I promised I'd start releasing the Cardinal Approval Ratings today, so let's get the first couple out of the way.

Chris Carpenter wasn't on last year's ballot, but it's not surprising that Cardinal Nation is right fond of the guy.  67 ballots were turned in and everyone registered an opinion on the ace of the staff.  Carp registered at 93.6%, a unsurprising but strong showing.  A quick glance shows more than ten 100s and a low score of 75.

Bill DeWitt was on last year's ballot, because you always have to get a feel for what people think of ownership.  Before the '09 season, DeWitt rated a 80.2% mark.  So, after a season where he opened up to get Matt Holliday and others plus allowed John Mozeliak to sign Shelby Miller, where does he rank with the 64 people that expressed an opinion?  83.0%.  A couple of 100s for him and a low of 60 when you toss out the strange (in my mind, at least) outlier of 25.

We'll do a couple more tomorrow, so come back for them!

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Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday were both scratched from yesterday's game against the Nationals.  Pujols's back still isn't quite right and Holliday has a strained rib cage muscle.  A team that looks strong offensively drops quickly into mediocre without those guys.

Now, it's not time to start sounding alarms and looking for the nearest bridge, of course.  If they are still out a week before the season starts, then I think you get worried.  Still, it's a cause for concern.  Both of those guys need to be ready to answer the bell, so that the Cards don't wind up slipping behind early.

The game itself provided some good talking points as well.  First among them was the start of Brad Penny.  After his first outing, there were a few questions about just what the Cardinals had gotten themselves into.  Those were eased yesterday with four scoreless and effective innings.  I still think Penny is in line to have a big year for the squad and seeing results like yesterday's help reinforce that in my mind.

Allen Craig made his presence known as well.  If he's going to make this team, which is still a possibility, he's going to have to hit his way there.  Hitting a home run in his first spring at-bat probably didn't hurt at all.  Craig also wound up with a RBI double later in the game and with AP and Holliday out for a bit, he looks to get quite a few at-bats this week.

Then there was Shelby Miller.  Cardinal fans have been waiting to get a glimpse of the first-round draft pick and they, along with his family, got their chance yesterday.  (At least the ones that were in Jupiter--it figures this game would be one with no TV or radio.)  Tony La Russa seems impressed, at least.  Dave Duncan is passing along good things.  With all of this, could it be that Miller won't spend much time at A ball this year, getting a promotion to Springfield mid-season or so?  It'll be interesting to keep an eye on that as the summer goes along.

I expected that he'd be sent out after this outing, but not only is he staying in camp for a while, there's a chance he'll get another outing before going down.  I expect that Miller has made quite an impression during this camp!

Cardinals take on the Marlins again today, with Kyle Lohse going.  Remember there are only two days left to express your opinion in the Cardinal Approval Ratings!

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Hero: Khalil Greene.  Albert Pujols got the big, game-winning, ninth-inning blast, but he might not have been in the position to do that if it weren't for Greene's pinch-hit home run.  I sometimes  think the announcers and commentators go too far in "being nice" to Khalil due to his anxiety and everything, but there's little doubt that they were correct in saying that was huge for him.  Nice to see the curtain call as well.

Goat: Colby Rasmus.  An 0-3 with at least one really rough AB.  In the eighth, with the Cards down one (and, as such, needing baserunners) he swings at the first pitch that was in on him and hits a little dribbler to the pitcher.  Greene cleared that up with the next swing, but it still wasn't good baseball.

Notes: Another strong outing by John Smoltz.  Like I said last week, the Nationals did have some offensive pop.  Smoltz looked a little shaky early but settled in.  Be interesting to see how he continues to gain strength in his next start....Blake Hawksworth had a rough outing, giving up back to back doubles to put the Cards in the hole.  At least he was able to limit the damage...Didn't you just know that AP was going deep?  Strangely, I was pretty sure Khalil was but wasn't as confident about Albert.  Maybe his "slump" is over.

Saturday (9-4 win)
Hero: Colby Rasmus.  Sure, Matt Holliday hit the first three-run bomb, but the game was still pretty close when Rasmus went yard.  Add to that the fact that it was off a lefty reliever and was a complete bomb, mix in another hit and a stolen base and you've got to go with the rookie.
Goat: Kyle McClellan.  Most everyone did their job on Saturday.  The offense was clicking, with numerous hitters having a multi-hit game.  Mitchell Boggs basically held the Nationals in check for a while, especially after getting his lead.  However, McClellan did his best to give it all back to Washington, getting only one out but allowing a run and putting two on before exiting the game.  He was better Sunday and perhaps has had a reminder of what he needs to do, but it's still just a little dicey when he comes into a game.
Notes: Nice to see the Cards hit multiple home runs in a game that weren't solo shots....Jason Motte came a tough situation and made good.  He pitched over an inning and only allowed one hit, one that actually stayed in the park.

Sunday (2-1 win)
Hero: Adam Wainwright.  The offense wasn't there and Wainwright did only go six, but he picked up his 16th win on his birthday with another stellar outing.  It's a shock to the system when Wainwright or Carpenter don't go seven or more, but it was enough yesterday as the bullpen did its job.  He kept those Cy Young chances alive, which is a big thing.
Goat: Matt Holliday.  When only Rasmus and Pujols have hits in the game, you are probably going to find your goat on the offensive side.  Holliday wasn't the only one with 0 hits, of course, but he did leave three men on.
Notes: The Cubs losing gave the team the 10-game cushion I mentioned on Friday.  Cubs do play this evening vs. Houston, so they could get it back into single digits....Back to back good games for Colby Rasmus.  He's become the heir apparent to Jim Edmonds, not just because he plays center at a Gold Glove level, but because he's about as streaky as anyone.

The Cards get the day off to reflect on an August that saw them go 20-6 and go from tied to up 10.  There may have been better months in Cardinal history, but it's tough to beat both of those facts.  A 20 win September (and early October) would have them finishing up with 97 wins.  While you'd think that back-to-back 20 win months would be touhg, look at the schedule.

You have Milwaukee nine times in that span, a team right at .500.  Three games with Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, which usually goes well for the Birds.  A tough stretch with back to back series with Atlanta and Florida, both of whom are contending for the wild card.  Three with Houston.  Three with Colorado, also working for the wild card.  Finally, another series with Cincy, who has bottomed out this year.

The Cards have 30 games left.  20-10 would be a pretty strong stretch with this schedule. 18-12 would be .600 ball, which since they've played at a .735 clip since acquiring Holliday, seems to be doable. St. Louis right now has the second best record in the National League, just a game and a half behind the Dodgers.  So we'll have to do some West Coast scoreboard watching this September.

Of course, the big off-the-field "news" this weekend was the rift between Dave Duncan and the front office.  Anyone who has been following the Cardinals knows that Dunc was ticked at the time of the Chris Duncan trade.  Which, as a father, there is going to be some of that anger there, especially if you think your child isn't being treated fairly. 

That said, if Joe Strauss is right in his article, the more immediate problem for Duncan would likely be the lack of impact he's allowed to have at the minor league levels.  I can see where he'd want to have input on the pitching philosophy at those levels, because those are the players he'll have to deal with if they make it to the bigs, and if they've already got that background, it helps a lot.  However, you don't necessarily want to remake the whole organization in the image of one man that may or may not be around a few years from now, at best.  VEB has a better breakdown of the whole situation.

I got to do a little minor league watching yesterday, taking the family down to Little Rock to see the Arkansas Travelers take on the Springfield Cardinals.  Now, if you actually want to do scouting, you don't take a 4 1/2 year old and a 2 year old.  Just a tip to the wise.  I did get to see some of the game, though.

Lance Lynn was the starting pitcher and I was interested to see how he'd do, but he moved through the first three innings without getting a hit.  He seemed to be getting a good number of swinging strikes and left with the lead.  Pete Kozma went yard, taking one just over the wall to get the baby birds on the board.

Eduardo Sanchez, the topic of promotion talk before the John Smoltz deal, came in to pitch the eighth with a one run lead and was not impressive.  He gave up a towering home run to tie the game and a well-struck double down the left-field line in the same inning.  He did get out of a first-and-third jam to keep it tied and looked better in the ninth, but the Cardinals gave it away in the 10th, hitting a batter with the bases loaded and no outs.  (Which was fine with me by that time, because I had been standing in line so the boy could run the bases since the top of the 9th.)

Troy Glaus looks to return to St. Louis this week, though he did tweak his ankle during Saturday night's game.  It's amazing to think that, just a couple of weeks before spring training, we were counting on Glaus to be a huge part of a successful Cardinal season.  Now he's been out all year and the Cards haven't missed a beat.  You'd think people on the internet didn't know what they were talking about at times.

Someone who does know what's he's talking about is Jason from It's About The Money.  One of the members of the continually-growing Baseball Bloggers Alliance (as you can see from my blogroll, and more on the BBA later in the year), he had a great experience during the Cards/Pads series, even though he's a Yankees blogger.

Another link for you to consider is this site's Top Athlete Tourney.  Eugene was writing the Cardinal blog Riding The Pine until getting involved at this general sports site.  Check it out and I know they'd love to have your input.

We'll take a look at the Milwaukee series tomorrow.  Today, enjoy being 10 up!

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Yet it almost turned out that way for him yesterday.  Though he left with a 3-2 lead, it seemed a struggle for the offense to even get that much.  So when Kyle McClellan gave up the tying run, things looked dark.  When he allowed the go-ahead run, it was time to put away the brooms.

Those two runs were the first charged to McClellan in August.  He's only allowed one of eight inherited runners to score in that time.  Yet, for some reason, I still don't have a world of confidence when he's on the hill.  I guess the 4.15 ERA for July probably has something to do with it.  I would have rather seen Blake Hawksworth get more than one inning, but on the whole, with Ryan Franklin out of the picture, it was probably the best move Tony LaRussa could have made.

On the upside, I'm going to give the Hero tag to Julio Lugo.  He had two hits and beat out one potential double-play ball.  Nice way to break out of an ofer slump.  Hopefully that'll trigger him and, in turn, some of the rest of the offense.

Brian Burwell has a great article up about the group side sessions that go on with Cardinal starters.  I'm kinda surprised that more teams don't do something like that.  Maybe that's why the Cardinals always talk about "tipping pitches", because when so many eyes of your peers are on you, mistakes are easier to find.  It'll be interesting to see if that continues if there is a managerial or pitching coach change in the next few years.

After putting out a huge offer to Brian Fuentes last off-season, it looks like the Cardinals are going to appreciate their good fortune in not getting him by locking up Franklin to an extension.  It doesn't appear to be a bank-breaker, which is good, but since you had an option on him for 2010, why not wait and see what kind of season he has then?  I'm not too worried about more than the natural regression, but if he blows up next year, that 2011 year could be an albatross, though hopefully not an Albertross, keeping the team from signing Pujols.

It is a little interesting that the Cards are already looking to start solving next year's problems.  With so many free agents and moving pieces, they probably had to get a head start on it, though having a 9 game lead helps out in the fact they don't have to worry about it really being a distraction to the team.

Kyle Lohse is apparently doing much better and sounds like he'll be ready to come off the DL when the 15 days are up.  Sounds like the club is really going to scramble to get him and Todd Wellemeyer minor league starts.  I'm considering heading to the Arkansas Travelers game this Sunday when they play Springfield--wouldn't mind seeing either one of them there.

Cards open up with the Nationals tonight, as John Smoltz tries to keep the hype machine going against the NL's worst team.  While they may the worst team, that is more on the pitching side of things than anything else.  The team stands sixth in the NL in runs, eighth in home runs (just 4 shy of the Cardinals), and fifth in batting average.  So while the Cardinals are going to be favored in this game, it should tell us more about Smoltz when it is done.  Smoltz has already faced them once this year with disastrous results, so if the changes have paid off, we should really know.

The Cardinals face John Lannan.  None of the Cardinals have seen him much (Albert's 0-2 against him) but it's not completely a fresh slate. He's been a middle of the road starter this year with an ERA just over 4 and an ERA+ of 107.  Hopefully the Cards can get untracked against him, but it's no sure thing.

The Cubs host the Mets, which as beat up as the Mets are, may make for a good weekend on the North Side.  Then again, it is the Cubs.  We'll see if, come Monday, the Cards have a double-digit lead on the last day of the month. 

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Another outstanding game for Chris Carpenter.  I think there should be a macro where you could just click a button and the Carpenter superlatives come out, because he is that consistent and that good.  It really makes you think about how much the Cards have missed the last two years with him on the shelf.  If he's around, especially in '07, St. Louis has probably played in October.

However, with the general lack of offense due to a new face and one with a knuckleball to boot, I think you have to give the Hero tag to Rick Ankiel for the surprising but welcome two-run shot that gave the Cards the lead.  Many in Cardinal Nation, in contrast to the beginning of the year, see Rick as somewhat of the weak link now that the team has been upgraded.  It was good to see him come through and get the big hit when the team needed it.

Albert Pujols now sits just one home run away from 40 on the season.  While he's hit that mark in four of his eight seasons before 2009, he hasn't made that mark since 2006.  There seems a pretty solid chance he'll break his career high of 49 from that year.  Earlier in the year, there was talk of 60, which is out the window, but 50 would still be a wonderful campaign.

Last night's Goat goes to Mark DeRosa, who was 0-4.  Is he really just hitting .228 since arriving back in the National League?  Some of his hits have been of the long ball variety and have come at good times, so that's overshadowed the fact that he's struggled somewhat.  Then again, he was hitting .215 for the Cards through July, a much more palatable .267 in August.  However, he hit 7 HR in that earlier span, just one since the calendar has turned to this month.  Seems like we can have average or power but not both.  I think, with the way this team is constructed, hits are much more important.

The Cards now sit six games ahead of the Cubs, who blew a 1-0 lead in the ninth last night to the Padres.  The only bigger lead in baseball is that of the Yankees, who lead Boston by 7.  Obviously there are no guarantees with six weeks left, but you have to like the Redbirds' position.  Well, unless you root for the baby bears, that is.

The off-the-field news was good for the Cardinals yesterday as well, as they came to terms with their first round draft pick Shelby Miller.  Miller, who automatically moves to being in the mix for the Cards' best prospect, signed for much less than rumor had suggested, coming in under $3 million.  Sounds like a win-win for everyone.

Speaking of draft picks, I think it was good for baseball that Stephen Strasburg signed with the Nationals last night.  Those fevered talks of $50 million were crazy, though the record level of $15 million isn't anything to sneeze at.  Getting a guy that talented to a team that bad is what the draft is supposed to be about.  So while he didn't get there the ideal way--many teams wouldn't have been able to even consider signing him--the end result is what you want to see.  This has nothing to do with the fact that I traded for him in my long-term keeper league earlier in the year in anticipation of his signing.

Could be a tough road for the Redbirds tonight.  Chad Billingsley returns to the mound after dealing with a hamstring injury.  The Cards have done all right against Billingsley in the past.  If Tony LaRussa's looking at the career numbers, there's a strong chance Khalil Greene will get a start somewhere in the lineup tonight.  Greene is hitting .583 with a home run in 12 ABs against the Dodger starter.  The Cardinals touched him up for six runs in less than six innings in the series in St. Louis back in July.

St. Louis counters with Mitchell Boggs.  I don't know about you, but I'm kinda disappointed LaRussa broke up Carpenter and Adam Wainwright.  It's been nice seeing them go on back to back days, though it's understandable that, with last week's off day, they'd want to keep Carp on his regular rest.  Boggs is an unknown to many of the Dodgers, though Manny Ramirez and Mark Loretta, the only two that have faced him, seem to have solved the puzzle.

It's another late night for the Birds.  Let's see if it's as rewarding.

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The Cardinals, playing a one game series in Washington to make up a rainout from early May, dodged the raindrops last night and sat through rain delays before giving up and taking the 4-1, six inning win.  At least Mother Nature doesn't have a line in the NL Central standings.

The Hero of the game has to be Adam Wainwright, getting credit for a complete game.  It was really big that he was able to come back after the first rain delay, making sure that his start wasn't wasted and that his bullpen wasn't taxed.

Another positive sight was Rick Ankiel smashing a home run.  There are least a few signs that maybe, just maybe, Ankiel is starting to come out of his season-long slump.  The last seven days have seen him put up a .286 average with a double and a home run.  Compare that to the seven before, where he hit .063.  Before this last "hot streak", his last extra base hit was June 28.  If his bat is returning for the stretch drive, that's a huge thing for the Cardinals.

Colby Rasmus gets the Goat tag for last night.  Zero for three with five left on is a tough night, especially out of the two hole.  At least the rain kept him from making it worse--he was at bat when the second rain delay was called.

This time of year, what happens off the field is sometimes more intriguing that the actual games.  Yesterday the rumor continued to persist that the Cards were close to trading Brett Wallace for Matt Holliday.  You know what I think of that.  Most everyone I have heard from was outraged by the idea.

Not so much Post-Dispatch columnist Brian Burwell, who advocates making the trade.  Burwell's contention is that Holliday makes the Cards almost a lock for the World Series.  I'm really not sure how you can figure that one out.  Holliday's not a top level hitter.  He's good, but he's not a person that can carry a team.  Burwell says don't worry about tomorrow, do it today.  Which is a darn good way to make sure that, when Albert Pujols's contract is up, the Cards are a middle division team that won't be able to resign him.

There's talk that the Cardinals want Oakland to pay Wallace's signing bonus.  (Is that repay to the Cards?  Surely he's already received it?)  There's also talk that this deal really isn't that close to happening, which makes me feel better.

Cards head to Philadelphia today.  Joel Pineiro goes for the 'Birds.  Pineiro hasn't faced the Phillies this year and hasn't faced them just a ton in his career.  They've held their own against the Cardinal hurler, though nobody has taken him yard.

J.A. Happ goes for the Phillies.  Happ has put together a very solid season for Philadelphia and, though he hasn't faced the Cardinals this year, he did pretty good against them in his one outing last year.  Could be another tough game for the Cardinals as they kick off this stretch against division leaders Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

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