Weekly recap

I would have done this the other day if I hadn't been so darn busy this week.

Recapping in on Cardinal news and updates to commence NOW.

Chris Duncan and Anthony Reyes helped out tremendously during the series against the Kansas City Royals and trust me, we'll hear more from them this season.

With the Cardinals in need of a starter to replace Ponson, Reyes was a more obvious recall. In the case of Duncan, who had a strong spring training before tapering off at the end, Jocketty said, "(John) Gall had been here and (Skip) Schumaker had been here. We felt Chris deserved the opportunity."

Some news from the farm system. Speaking of the farm, Chris Duncan was sent back down to Memphis to make room for Sidney Ponson as he returns from the DL.

Jeff Gordon takes a look at possible trade moves.

9. Which outfielders will become available?
Jocketty could add a guy like Matt Lawton today for not much. Sexier targets would include Alfonso Soriano, Miguel Cabrera, Bobby Abreu, Brad Wilkerson, Torii Hunter, Aubrey Huff, Shannon Stewart, Raul Ibanez and Craig Wilson.

The Yankees will keep adding outfielders until they get it right, so other teams fall in behind Steinbrenner. The potential shopping list will grow or shrink as teams either remain in contention or fall by the wayside.

10. Will the Cards keep winning?
As long as this team wins series after series after series, Jocketty will be in no rush to make changes. He will operate from a position of strength this summer . . . unless the Cards fall into a prolonged slump.

Watching the next several weeks unfold will be interesting. All 10 of these factors will determine how the Cards' roster evolves as the postseason nears.

And, who knows, maybe Rick Ankiel will stage a miraculous comeback...

Adding Soriano to the lineup would be awesome! Who knows, maybe they would move him back to second base?!?

Monday Notes:
Mark Mulder took the start against Jamey Wright of the Giants. Mulder picked up the loss as the Cardinals went down 9-2 with no home runs. Hancock, Looper, and Johnson pitching in relief. Rolen and Edmonds were the only two players to score.

Tuesday Notes:
Albert Pujols hit his 23rd home run of the season against one of my favorite Cardinal pitchers Matt Morris, now with the Giants. This was his first home run at AT&T Park. The Cards won 8-5 and Marquis picked up the win. Isringhausen picked up his 15th save of the season. Spiezio scored on Juan's double in the third. In the 5th, Juan singled and drove in Spiezio and Rolen. Rolen singled in the 7th to score Pujols. So singled in the 8th to bring Marquis home.

Wednesday notes:
Chris Carpenter was scratched and Brad Thompson made an emergency start. This was Thompson's first MLB start but he started 20 games in the minor leagues. Adam wainwright had a huge game, picking up the win by pitching three innings of relief, and he helped the Cardinals by hitting his first ever MLB home run on the first pitch of his first-ever major league at bat. The Cards won 10-4. Rolen scored in the second when Molina grounded into a double play. Marquis, pinch hitting for Thompson, scored when Eckstein singled in the third. Wainwright homered in the 5th. In the 6th, Juan scored when Yadier singled, and Luna scored on So's sac fly. The seventh inning saw four runs. So homered in the 9th. Thompson, Johnson, Wainwright, Flores, and Looper all saw action on the mound.

Friday notes:
Jeff Suppan started the game against Clay Hensley of the Padres. Suppan was looking for his 100th career win but did not get it as the Cards lost 7-1. Pujols hit a single for an RBI but that was about all that he did last night. The Cardinals are now 31-17.

Saturday notes:
Sidney Ponson returned from the DL to start against Chan Ho Park of the Padres.

Milestone watch:
Albert Pujols needs 4 home runs to tie Ray Lankford for 3rd on the Cardinals all-time home runs list with 228.
Jim Edmonds needs 5 home runs to tie Mark McGwire for 5th on the Cardinals all-time home runs list with 220.
Jason Isringhausen needs 5 saves to tie Lee Smith's club record with 160.

Weekend Update

On Thursday, Pujols had the day off. Marquis picked up the win as the Cards beat the Mets 6-3. Jason Isringhausen got his 13th save. Nobody went yard for the Cardinals on Thursday.

The weekend series with interstate rival Kansas City reunited the Cardinals with Reggie Sanders and Mark Grudzielanek.

On Friday, Chris Carpenter started against Mark Redman. The cards won 9-6 as Albert Pujols went yard for the 20th time this season. This home run moved him into sole posession of 4th place on the Cardinals all-time list. Chris Carpenter picked up his 4th win of the season while Adam Wainwright was rewarded with his first career save.

On Saturday, Anthony Reyes was called up to start as Brian Falkenborg was sent down to Memphis. Reyes got his second career win as the Cards won 4-2. Jason Isringhausen moved one step closer to tying the Lee Smith's club record as he got his 14th save of the season. The 8th inning saw a 3-run home run by Albert Pujols. Just about every reliever pitched for the Cardinals (Tyler Johnson, Braden Looper, Randy Flores, Josh Hancock, Jason Isringhausen). After the game, Reyes was sent back down to Memphis and prospect Chris Duncan was recalled.

Today, Jeff Suppan started the game and went 6 strong innings. It's the top of the ninth right now and he's been relieved by Randy Flores (7th) and Brad Thompson (8th-9th). The first run on the board was the 22nd home run this season for Albert Pujols. You would think that the Royals would have learned their lesson but nope, they wouldn't pitch around him until his thurd at bat when they intentionally walked him. They also pitched around him in the ninth inning as well. The fifth inning saw Chris Duncan, who started in the DH spot, hit his first home run of the season since being recalled. Two batters later, Hector Luna, starting at short for the first time this season, went yard for the third time this year. The Cardinals batted around in the 7th inning where they scored five runs. Bigbie scored on a sac bunt by So Taguchi. JRod grounded out, scoring Gary Bennett. Pujols IBB'd to load the bases for Jim Edmonds. Edmonds singled, scoring Hector Luna and Aaron Miles. In the ninth inning, the Cardinals have the bases loaded with So Taguchi at the plate and two outs. So just singled to bring home Albert Pujols. Barring a KC miracle, that's a winner! Pujols goes 1-3 with a home run, 3 runs, two walks, and an RBI.

Remind me to thank Dave Karaff for signing Albert Pujols!

Milestone watch:
Albert Pujols needs 5 home runs to tie Ray Lankford for 3rd all-time in club history with 228.
Jim Edmonds needs 5 home runs to tie Mark McGwire for 5th all-time in club history with 220.
Jeff Suppan needs 1 win for 100 career wins following the victory today.
Jason Isringhausen needs 6 saves to tie Lee Smith for 1st all-time in club history with 160.

This is kinda sad to read. It deals with the Wizard of Oz, Hall of Fame short stop Ozzie Smith.

While Smith, 51, may be comfortable in these surroundings, the same cannot be said about the surroundings of Busch Stadium and the Cardinals. He is finishing up a 10-year, $2 million personal services contract with the club that started upon his retirement in 1996, but most of the services have had little to do with anything on the field. His commitment has consisted mostly of being on hand for opening day festivities and before playoff and World Series games.

Smith said he hadn't felt he belonged with the Cardinals since his last year with them coincided with manager Tony La Russa's first year as manager.

"I think everybody knows that I didn't fit in," Smith said. "And when you don't fit in . . . that's one of the reasons why I kind of backed off (of doing on-field work with the Cardinals). I won't do anything as long as the current management is in place."

Smith wasn't specific if this meant La Russa or general manager Walt Jocketty or both.

Been busy...

Sorry for the lack of updates, folks. I've been busy with a summer job so let's catch up on the St. Louis Cardinals.

Here's an update on prospect Chris Duncan. Anthony Reyes is expected to start when the Cardinals play Kansas City. Sports Illustrated profiles the top moments in Pujols career. He's been on two covers this season.

Tuesday was not a pretty one for St. Louis after the off day on Monday. After a few impressive starts by Jeff Suppan, he was outpitched by Tom Glavine of the New York Mets. Soup went 6 and 2/3 innings, giving up four runs. Tyler Johnson, Brad Thompson, and Brian Falkenborg pitched in relief. Thompson gave up four runs, but only two earned. The Cards lost 8-3 with no home runs. A few RBI singles here and there but not enough.

Wednesday saw a very impressive start from Mark Mulder. Mulder went 8 and 1/3 innings for the win. Jason Isringhausen got the Cards out of a jam for his 12th save. Pujols scored on a Scott Rolen double in the sixth inning. Mark struck out five Mets and Izzy struck out one.

In the bottom of the third, the Cardinals currently lead 4-0. Scott Spiezio started instead of Albert Pujols.

Milestone watch:
Albert Pujols needs one home run for sole possession of fourth place as a Cardinal.
Jim Edmonds needs 5 home runs to tie Mark McGwire and Albert Pujols for 4th for Cardinal home runs.
Jeff Suppan needs two wins for his 100th career in.
Jason Isringhausen needs 8 saves to tie Lee Smith's club record of 160 (Jason has been a Cardinal since the start of 2002).

Recapping the weekend...

Sorry, I was very busy this past weekend and am just now catching up on things.

Whether or not he has a bad back, Pujols is hitting home runs like usual. Will it be a seaosn to remember for Albert?

Is Adam Wainwright the answer for a temporary problem? The thing with Adam is that he is actually a starter but has been pitching as a middle reliever due to the fact that the Cards have about seven starters on the 40-man roster. It was either go down to Memphis or pitch from the pen. He's still pitching on 3-5 days rests but for two innings maximum.

The Corner now belongs to centerfielder Jim Edmonds.

The Corner once belonged to Mark McGwire. Edmonds was deeded the space plus an adjacent locker in old Busch Stadium in 2002, his third year with the club. The neighborhood has since housed graybeards Tino Martinez, Reggie Sanders and Ray Lankford. Scott Rolen and Scott Spiezio now reside in his ZIP code.

If Edmonds is the Corner's unofficial mayor, the remainder of his term is uncertain. His perceived responsibilities with the club have changed as well.

Except for remarkably well-preserved outfielder So Taguchi, Edmonds is the oldest position player on the roster now that Sanders, Cal Eldred and Larry Walker have moved on. He also gained seniority within the clubhouse after Matt Morris' defection to the San Francisco Giants in December.

I want Jim Edmonds, when he does retire, to retire as a Cardinal but I also would prefer that he does so with at least 400 home runs. He had a slow start but he's hitting a lot better now.

The Cardinals got some very sad news recently as Ricardo Rincon will be out for the season.

This explains why Deivi Cruz is not in the organization anymore. I didn't think he was at all despite the 2006 Topps card. The Cardinals get a grade of "C" as we head to the 40th game of the season on Thursday.

Friday notes:
Mark Mulder picked up the win as the Cardinals won 5-3 against the Diamondbacks. Jason Isringhausen got his 11th save of the season. For the Cardinals, only Jim Edmonds went yard. Pujols did get an RBI in the first inning to help give the Cardinals the lead.

Saturday notes:
A few home runs and Jason Marquis got his fourth victory after a few bad outings as the Cards crushed the Diamondbacks 9-1. Scott Rolen homered in the first inning but not before Pujols hit a single to score John Rodriguez. The Rolen home run brought in Pujols and Edmonds. Pujols became the fastest ever to nineteen home runs in a season during the second inning. Three singles in the fourth by Pujols, Edmonds, and Rolen combined for four RBIs. There were 13 or so position players and Yadier Molina played first base! Tyler Johnson made his season debut pitching an inning of relief in the 9th. Falkenborg pitched one inning in the 8th.

Sunday Notes:
Sunday was not a pretty one. Chris Carpenter started but the Cards lost 7-6 to the D-backs. Three of the runs given up by St. Louis were unearned. Braden Looper and Adam Wainwright both gave up two runs each. Wainwright picked up the loss. Randy Flores, Josh Hancock, and Tyler Johnson all pitched in relief. No home runs out of the ballpark for St. Louis today though Pujols hit a sac fly to bring in Eckstein.

Milestone watch:
Albert Pujols needs one home run for sole possession of fourth place as a Cardinal.
Jim Edmonds needs 5 home runs to tie Mark McGwire and Albert Pujols for 4th for Cardinal home runs.
Jeff Suppan needs two wins for his 100th career in.
Jason Isringhausen needs 9 saves to tie Lee Smith's club record of 160 (Jason has been a Cardinal since the start of 2002).

What's next
METS
Tuesday: Jeff Suppan vs. Tom Glavine, 8:10 pm
Wednesday: Mark Mulder vs. Steve Trachsel, 8:10 pm
Thursday: Jason Marquis vs. TBA, 1:10 pm

No Game Today

No game today so here's some reading to catch up on.

Rick Hummel's article: Yard Sticks: Will 2006 be bigger bang for Pujols?

In 1998:
Mark McGwire hit his 18th home run of the year in the 43rd game. He
finished 1998 with 70 home runs.

In 2001:
Barry Bonds hit his 18th home run of the year in the 42nd game. He finished
2001 with 73 home runs.

This season:
Albert Pujols hit his 18th home run in the teams's 35th game. Keeping up
the pace will be difficult, though.

Bob Lutz, a Cardinals fan from Kansas writes about his trouble in watching them play on ESPN.

Pujols goes yard...again!

Albert Pujols helped the Cards take a huge lead with his 18th home run in the first inning. The Cardinals ended up winning 7-4 on the day after Adam Wainwright got his first major league win. Pujols leads in home runs and RBIs. He just has to take care of his batting average to win the triple crown. Juan homered in the 3rd inning. Miles scored in 4th inning when J-Rod hit a sac fly. In the 5th, Bennett and Miles had RBIs.

In his first starts, Jeff Suppan had a 9.00 ERA. Now he has a 4.58 ERA with four straight victories. Jason Isringhausen converted his 12th save opportunity for his 10th save.

Currently, the Cardinals are 14-5 in games played at the new Busch Stadium. Will Cunnane, a right-handed pitcher, was signed to a minor league contract and is expected to start tonight with Memphis.

Ricardo Rincon may be out for the rest of the season.

Milestone watch:
Pujols is one home run away from 220.
Edmonds is 6 home runs away from 220.

Pujols goes yard!

So right as I get on here to blog for yesterday's recap and today's game, I received word that one Jose Alberto "Albert" Pujols hit yet another home run to take the lead. His 17th home run of the year means that Chris Carpenter gets a no decision. Currently, Adam Wainwright gets the win.

On May 8, 1966, Sportsman's Park/Busch Stadium hosted it's last game with a 10-5 loss to the San Francisco Giants.

Yesterday, Jason Marquis picked up the loss as the Cardinals went down 6-2. Marquis is now 3-4 on the season. The Cards had a late rally but it was not enough.

Larry Bigbie did start today in left field. Ricardo Rincon, however, needs to undergo surgery. Sidney Ponson, who was already scheduled to miss a start, has been placed on the DL. His roster spot has been replaced by Tyler Johnson of Memphis (AAA). Johnson is 0-0 with a 8.64 ERA. Now, why was A-Rey not called up?

Jeff Gordon responds to Joe Strauss's column with some questions of his own.

If the Cards win today, they would move to 21-13 on the season. A loss would move them to 20-14. At last check in the 8th inning, they were winning. It's now the ninth inning and Jason Isringhausen has been brought in for the save.

Pregame Rundown

Well, a new series with the Colorado Rockies begins tonight as Jason Marquis takes the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals. He will start against the Rockies' Jeff Francis. This is the first series of the season against an NL West opponent.

Marquis is 3-2 against the Rockies all-time in six starts and has a 4.50 ERA against them.

The home run chase to Mark McGwire's 220 is still on. Pujols is at 217 while Jim Edmonds lags behind a little bit at 214. Left-fielder Larry Bigbie returns to the Cardinals today while outfielder John Gall was sent back down to Memphis. Bigbue missed the first 32 games for the Cardinals and is expected to make his Cardinal debut tonight. While rehabbing in Memphis, Bigbie went .143(5-35) with no home runs or extra base hits.

Left field and second have seen platoons all season long--expect that to continue for the time being

Top prospects:
1B: Chris Duncan (Likely to be a converted outfielder since Pujols will be at 1B for some time)
SS: Brenden Ryan
3B: Travis Hanson
CF: Skip Schumaker
LF: John Gall
P: Anthony Reyes
??: Rick Ankiel (If he has a good year once he comes back, expect him to start in the outfield!)

Our bullpen ranks first in ERA.

Recapping the past few games

Sorry, I finally finished unpacking yesterday and now have the chance to catch up with the Cardinals!

On Wednesday, Jason Marquis picked up the loss for the Cardinals. However, Hector Luna, Scott Spiezio, and Albert Pujols all went yard. It was not enough for St. Louis as they lossed 5-3.

Gordo shows that the Cardinals have depth. When Rolen was ill, Scott Spiezio showed why we picked him up in the offseason. Junior Spivey failed and we are now platooning Hector Luna and Aaron Miles at second. Rincon is injured and we are currently using Brian Falkenborg. What happened to Larry Bigbie? He's injured. In left, we are platooning So Taguchi, John Rodriguez, and John Gall. Chris Duncan could get another chance. Skip Schumaker didn't do enough hitting and was sent down. If a starter goes down, Wainwright could move out of the pen or we could call up A-Rey (Anthony Reyes).

JRod feels right at home.

Larry Bigbie might return to the lineup as early as this week. Did our platoon in left field just get bigger? Someone will get sent down when he comes back.

Perhaps, our greatest investment in years! The Cardinals traded Eli Marrero and J.D. Drew for Jason Marquis, Adam Wainwright, and Ray King.

Joe Strauss calls for a reworking of Chris Carpenter's contract.

"Baseball's best fans" apparently have figured out how to cope with increased fees for stadium parking and concessions at new Busch. It's time for ownership and general manager Walt Jocketty to determine how best to maintain a major portion of a marquee team's core.

Mark Mulder, Jeff Suppan, Jason Marquis and Sidney Ponson are all pending free agents. The foursome is guaranteed a combined base salary of $17.9 million this season, less than what the New York Yankees owe Mike Mussina. There are some among the agent world who believe, if healthy, the Cardinal Four could command $30 million-$33 million in next winter's marketplace.

During Jocketty's term as general manager, the club has re-signed only one of its own pitchers -- Woody Williams -- to a guaranteed multi-year contract after the pitcher filed for free agency. Matt Morris returned for an incentive-laden one-year deal after having shoulder surgery after the '04 season. If the Cardinals are to realize a "home team discount," it's best that business be done before the marketplace opens.[...]

Status of Cards starters:
Chris Carpenter:
Chris Carpenter was a pending free agent last April when he signed a two-year, $12 million guaranteed contract with an $8 million vesting option for 2008.

Mark Mulder, Marquis and Suppan:
To retain Mark Mulder, Jeff Suppan or Jason Marquis, it is believed the Cardinals will have to offer a minimum three-year deal. Mulder's agent is expected to use the $11 million annual average value of A.J. Burnett's contract as a starting point for his talks.

Sidney Ponson:
Sidney Ponson, signed to a one-year deal, is among the foursome that is guaranteed a combined base salary of $17.9 million this season. That's less than what the New York Yankees owe Mike Mussina.

Thursday notes:
Chris Carpenter picked up the start against Pettite and got the loss. The bullpen allowed 3 runs in 36.1 innings dating back to the 12-4 loss to Pittsburgh.

Friday notes:
Until this year, St. Louis lost 13 straight games on May 5th. Jeff Suppan picked up his 3rd straight win and Pujols went yard. The Cards won 7-2.

Saturday notes:
Mark Mulder picked up his 100th career win despite the Cards blowing a 7-0 lead! Jason Isringhausen picked up his 8th save of the season.

Sunday notes:
Sidney Ponson left the game after 3 innings or so with right elbow discomfort. Josh Hancock picked up the win as the Cardinals swept the Marlins over the weekend. The final score was 9-1.

What's up next for St. Louis
Rockies
May 8: Jason Marquis vs. Jeff Francis, 8:10 pm
May 9: Chris Carpenter vs. Josh Fogg, 8:10 pm
May 10: Jeff Suppan vs. Byung-Hyun Kim, 1:10 pm
May 11: Open

The autographs

Photos are being developed as I type!

Game Post

Albert Pujols has some back problems yesterday which places him as day-to-day. Scratch all that as it looks like he is in the lineup. Rolen did make the trip but is not going to start today. Yesterday was the first time that none of the MV3 started since June 12, 2002. Our relievers have only given up 3 runs in their last 34 innings pitched dating back to the dreadful 12-4 loss to Pittsburgh.

Jason Marquis (3-2, 5.04) makes the start for the Cardinals today. This is his sixth start of the season. In six games (five starts) against the Astros last season, Marquis was 4-0 and had a 3.22 ERA. When Marquis starts, the Cards are 3-2 this season.

Starters
Cardinals
Eckstein SS
Rodriguez LF
Pujols 1B
Edmonds CF
Encarnacion RF
Spiezio 3B
Bennett C
Luna 2B
Marquis P

Astros
Biggio 2B
Taveras CF
Berkman 1B
Ensberg 3B
Wilson LF
Lane RF
Ausmus C
Everett SS
Oswalt P

Tomorrow's game is on ESPN2! Thank G-d!

Cards get swept by Reds in 2

Well, the Cards lost two in a row to Cincinnati :( . Pujols did not even play today. I hope I am able to see him and Scott Rolen play in August.

Some game notes from Monday: Mulder goes for his 100th win. Albert Pujols finished April with a MLB record 14 home runs and tied a team record of 32 RBIs. Pujols broke the record of the amount of team games needed to hit 14 home runs with 24 games. The old record of 25 was set in 1923 by Cy Williams of the Phillies.

The Cards lost 6-1 on Monday. Mark Mulder keeps getting denied for his 100th career win. The only action for the Cardinals on Monday was a home run to left field by Juan Encarnacion. Juan has really been producing a lot lately for the Cardinals.

Mark Mulder gave up six runs in 5 innings. He did fan 5 players. Josh Hancock pitching 2 innings of relief, striking out three and giving up three hits. Randy Flores pitched the eighth inning striking out one and giving up one hit.

Tuesday Game Notes: Skip Schumaker was optioned down to Memphis (AAA) as the Cardinals purchased the contract of Brian Falkenborg.

On Tuesday, the Cards took a 2-2 tie game into the bottom of the ninth when Brian Falkenborg made his first appearance as a Cardinal and gave up a run and two hits in two thirds of an inning. In the first inning, Scott Spiezio doubled to right center. David Eckstein scored on the play and John Gall advanced to third. In the third, the Cards took a 2-0 lead when Juan Encarnacion hit his fourth home run of the season -- his second in as many days. Jim Edmonds and Albert Pujols did not start the game for the Cardinals as they had an off day. Edmonds did enter the game later on during a double switch. He pinch hit for Luna and Jason Marquis pinch hit for Sidney Ponson. This switch saw Scott Spiezio move to third base and Edmonds to first base. I was surprised to see Edmonds playing first base but he played 22 games there in the past. The next switch game when So Taguchi exited the game. Edmonds moved to center, John Rodriguez moved to left field and John Gall took over at first base.

Ponson pitched six strong innings, giving up two home runs back to back in the sixth to Dunn and Encarnacion. Looper pitched 2/3 of an inning. Randy Flores pitched an inning.

Oh well. I got seven autographs out of it and some very nice photos.

What's next for St. Louis (ALL TIMES EASTERN):
May 3 at Houston: Jason Marquis vs. Roy Oswalt, 8:05 p.m.
May 4 at Houston: Chris Carpenter vs. Andy Pettitte, 8:05 p.m.
May 5 at Florida: Jeff Suppan vs. Sergio Mitre, 7:35 p.m.
May 6 at Florida: Mark Mulder vs. Dontrelle Willis, 6:05 p.m.
May 7 at Florida: Sidney Ponson vs. Scott Olsen, 1:05 p.m.

Autographs

Got all these today:
Braden Looper
Adam Wainwright
Josh Hancock
Randy Flores
Brad Thompson
Jason Isringhausen
Aaron Miles

This is a new record for me at a major league game. I guess having no BP helps. While waiting for the players to sign, I chatted with some fans from Memphis or Nashville who drove up yesterday for the game. Nice folks.

I'll have an in-depth report later on this evening and photos will be scanned later on after they are developed. It's nice to see Juan hitting again!

Sunday recap

Here's a quick profile of Cardinals pitcher Jeff "Soup" Suppan.

Here's a health update on third baseman Scott Rolen. I'm hoping Scott is healthy enough to make the trip to Cincinnati and start at third base. In the mean time, utilityman Scott Spiezio has been starting the past five or six games.

Yesterday saw a better outing from Jeff Suppan. Juan Encarnacion went yard for the second time this season. The Cardinals won the game against the Nationals with a score of 9-2. St. Louis moves into a tie for first place with a 17-8 record.

The only times that Suppan gave up runs were in the top of the second and the top of the fourth. Both times, Ryan Zimmerman scored for the Nationals. For the Cardinals, Juan went yard in the second inning. In the fifth inning, John Rodriguez singled to left center. Aaron Miles scored and David Eckstein advanced on the throw. Jim Edmonds singled to center, bring home David Eckstein and John Rodriguez. Pujols advanced to third on the play. In the sixth inning, JRod singled again to center and brought home Miles and Juan. John Gall went to second. In the eighth inning, the Cardinals scored not one, not two, but three times! So Taguchi hit a sac fly to right field, scoring Aaron Miles. Jason Marquis, hitting for Adam Wainwright, advanced to third on the play. Afterwards, Jim Edmonds singled to center again. Marquis scored, and Albert Pujols advanced to third. Pujols scored when Scott Spiezio doubled to deep right, and Edmonds advanced to third.

Cardinal pitching combined gave up six hits, six strikeouts, three walks, and two runs.

Here is an update on Ballpark Village.

Baltimore-based Cordish Co., the developer of the mixed-use retail/entertainment and residential district, has leased space at the Bank of America Plaza to serve as its local office, which it expects to open in July with 15 employees. Blake Cordish, vice president of the company and son of its founder, David Cordish, will oversee the St. Louis project.

Cordish officials have been making the rounds to city officials and civic groups to discuss the company's intentions in recent weeks, but it is not yet releasing specific plans for the development.[...]

Cordish has confirmed that Ballpark Village will span six city blocks, have 360,000 square feet of retail and entertainment tenants, 1,200 residential units in three towers, 300,000 square feet of office space and 2,000 parking spaces.

The retail at Ballpark Village will face the streets on which it borders. The development will be designed to attract shoppers and visitors 365 days a year, with several entertainment venues, including an auditorium for performing arts.

Cordish is negotiating with the International Bowling Museum & Hall of Fame to buy its property for possible expansion of Ballpark Village. The bowling museum has owned the triangular-shaped parcel that spans seven-tenths of an acre since 1982. The three-story museum has nearly 50,000 square feet of space.

"We're happy staying where we are, but we're certainly interested in considering a proposal," said Gerald Baltz, executive director of the bowling museum. Baltz said Cordish representatives approached him in recent weeks to consider a buyout of the property. Cordish has not yet responded with an offer, but Baltz said one possibility is that the bowling museum could be relocated inside Ballpark Village. For the past five years, the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum has leased about 5,000 square feet of space in the bowling museum's facility.[...]

When Cordish Co. comes to town, national names follow. In each of the developer's multimillion-dollar projects located across the country, well-known names such as Borders, Barnes & Noble, ESPN Zone and Hard Rock Cafe are typically part of the mix.

That's a sweet sound to St. Louis city officials. Billions of dollars of development have poured into the city in the past four years, but most agree it's only the beginning of revitalizing the city.

One retailer that's on Cordish's preliminary design plans for Ballpark Village is Borders, which has located in several other Cordish developments, including Louisville, and Landover, Md. A Borders spokesperson would not confirm whether Cordish has been in talks with the bookseller.

For what it's worth, I've been to the Hall of Fame one time so far--in my last trip to Busch Stadium.

There's been a pitching change this week. The Reds will start Bronson Arroyo tonight instead of Dave Williams. Williams will now pitch on Tuesday.