Albert Pujols takes home 3rd MVP

Albert Pujols takes home his third MVP award.

Long since established as one of baseball's great players, Pujols emerged as the game's dominant figure in 2009. On Tuesday, the Baseball Writers' Association of America once again recognized him as such, naming Pujols the National League Most Valuable Player in a unanimous decision.

Pujols received all 32 first-place votes, good for 448 ballot points. Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez garnered 15 second-place votes and 233 points. First baseman Ryan Howard of the Phillies was a close third with 217 points. He was followed by Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder and Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.

"It's an award you give to one person, but I believe if it wouldn't have been for the help my teammates have given me for the past year, I wouldn't be standing up here," Pujols said. "I always say, if I could split this award and give a piece to every single player that had an impact with this organization, I would do that."

It's the second straight year that Pujols has won the award, and the third time overall. He is the 10th player in history to win three MVPs, and the fifth to win it three times in the National League. He is the 12th player to win back-to-back MVP awards. The last was Barry Bonds, who won it four straight years from 2001-04.

"When you think about the year we had, to have it end in this fashion is really quite remarkable," general manager John Mozeliak said. "It's historic what he's achieved and we're very fortunate to be a part of that."

Every three-time MVP who is eligible for Hall of Fame enshrinement has been elected to the Hall. Alex Rodriguez and Bonds have not come up for election yet. Now Pujols makes 10, and he's building his Cooperstown case every year.

"There's three things that as a professional athlete you want," Pujols said. "You want to get to the big leagues, and I accomplished that. Winning a World Series ring, I got that. And then getting to the Hall of Fame. That's everybody's dream. Every athlete, they want to be up there in the Hall of Fame, mentioned with the greatest players to ever play this game."

The award puts Pujols on a level with a number of the game's greats, but in St. Louis, a third MVP has a special resonance. Stan Musial is the only other Cardinals player with three MVP awards, and with every year, Pujols inches a little closer to Musial's place as the greatest Cardinal ever.

Comiskey

Check out excerpts from Evaluating Baseball's Managers by Chris Jaffe over at Hardball Times.

The excerpt deals with Charles Comiskey

Tony LaRussa extends contract

ESPN reports that Tony La Russa will return to manage the St. Louis Cardinals during the next season.

Tony La Russa will return as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Saturday night, citing unnamed sources.

La Russa told the Post-Dispatch he had not discussed a contract with team chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. But he expects to have a decision soon.

"I'm coming to an understanding of what I'm doing and intend to get it settled one way or the other shortly," La Russa told the Post-Dispatch.

La Russa, who during the offseason lives in Alamo, Calif., east of Oakland, was scheduled to arrive in St. Louis for a Bruce Springsteen concert Sunday night.

La Russa is the Cardinals' winningest manager (1,232 games). He ranks third all-time with 2,552 managerial wins behind Connie Mack and John McGraw. He led the Cardinals to a World Series title in 2006.

The 65-year-old La Russa has been mulling his future since the NL Central champion Cardinals were swept in the division series by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Oct. 10. His two-year, $8.5 million contract expires at the end of the month.

A seperate report confirms McGwire's joining the staff.

Sources said Hal McRae, the team's hitting coach, has been fired. Mark McGwire, the former Cardinals slugger, is expected to replace him.

Mark McGwire to replace Hal McRae as hitting coach?

That seems to be the latest from FanHouse. McGwire has been rather private since his appearance before Congress a few years ago.

Mark McGwire will end his baseball exile and accept a position with the St. Louis Cardinals as their hitting coach, a Cardinals source confirmed to FanHouse's Ed Price Sunday afternoon. He'll replace Hal McRae, who's held the position for five years. The story initially appeared on Brian McRae's Twitter account, though it's since been deleted.

McGwire played 4 1/2 seasons with St. Louis, in which he hit 220 home runs and briefly set the single-season MLB record with his 70 homers in 1998. Of course, since then he's been surrounded by steroid rumors and has more or less dropped entirely off of the baseball radar after his Congressional testimony in 2005.

This news seems to make it pretty clear that Tony La Russa, who's been close with McGwire after managing him both in Oakland and St. Louis, should be back in 2010 as the Cardinals manager. There was initially some question about that, but a report by Joe Strauss Sunday morning pointed pretty strongly towards La Russa's return. It's hard to imagine any way McGwire accepts this job without La Russa in St. Louis.

I know I'm slacking...

Here goes some more recaps...

September 11, 2009
Atlanta 1, St. Louis 0
Losing pitcher - Joel Pineiro (14-10)

September 12, 2009
Atlanta 7, St. Louis 6
Losing pitcher - Ryan Franklin (2-3)

The Cards move on to a 84-59 record.

September 14, 2009
Florida 6, St. Louis 11
Winning pitcher - Blake Hawksworth (4-0)

September 15, 2009
Florida 2, St. Louis 1
Losing pitcher - Adam Wainwright (18-8)

September 16, 2009
Florida 5, St. Louis 2
Losing pitcher - Joel Pineiro (14-11)

The Cards move to 85-62 on the season.

September 18, 2009
Chi. Cubs 2, St. Louis 3
Winning pitcher - Ryan Franklin (3-3)

September 19, 2009
Chi. Cubs 1, St. Louis 2
Winning pitcher - Ryan Franklin (4-3)

September 20, 2009
Chi. Cubs 6, St. Louis 3
Losing pitcher - Mitchell Boggs (2-3)

The Cards finish the series against the Cubs for the year and move to 87-63 on the season.

September 21, 2009
St. Louis 7, Houston 3
Winning pitcher - Kyle Lohse (6-8)

September 22, 2009
St. Louis 11, Houston 2
Winning pitcher - Joel Pineiro (15-11)

September 23, 2009
St. Louis 0, Houston 3
Losing pitcher - John Smoltz (3-7)

The Cards finish the series 89-64 on the season.

September 25, 2009
St. Louis 1, Colorado 2
Losing pitcher - Trever Miller (4-1)

September 26, 2009
St. Louis 6, Colorado 3
Winning pitcher - Adam Wainwright (19-8)
SV - Ryan Franklin (38)

September 27, 2009
St. Louis 3, Colorado 4
Losing pitcher - Kyle Lohse (6-9)

The Cards finish the series at 90-66 on the season.

September 29, 2009
St. Louis 2, Cincinnati 7
Losing pitcher - Joel Pineiro (15-12)

September 30, 2009
St. Louis 1, Cincinnati 6
Losing pitcher - John Smoltz (3-8)

October 1, 2009
St. Louis 13, Cincinnati 0
Winning pitcher - Chris Carpenter (17-4)

The Cards move on to 91-68 on the season.

October 2, 2009
Milwaukee 12, St. Louis 6
Losing pitcher - Kyle McClellan (4-4)

October 3, 2009
Milwaukee 5, St. Louis 4
Losing pitcher - Kyle Lohse (6-10)

October 4, 2009
Milwaukee 9, St. Louis 7
Losing pitcher - Todd Wellemeyer (7-10)

The Cards finish the season with a 91-71 record. They won the NL Central and face the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight in the NLDS.

Cards vs. Brewers

September 7, 2009
St. Louis 3, Milwaukee 0
Winning pitcher - Chris Carpenter (16-3)

September 8, 2009
St. Louis 4, Milwaukee 3
Winning pitcher - Blake Hawksworth (3-0)
SV - Kyle McClellan (3)

September 9, 2009
St. Louis 5, Milwaukee 1
Winning pitcher - Adam Wainwright (18-7)

The Cards finished the series with a 84-57 record.

All the recaps in one post

Things will go quicker this way...

DODGERS
July 27, 2009
Los Angeles 1, St. Louis 6
Winning pitcher - Chris Carpenter (9-3)
SV - Ryan Franklin (23)

July 28, 2009
Los Angeles 0, St. Louis 10
Winning pitcher - Adam Wainwright (12-6)

July 29, 2009
Los Angeles 2, St. Louis 3
Winning pitcher - Blake Hawksworth (1-0)

July 30, 2009
Los Angeles 5, St. Louis 3
Losing pitcher - Dennys Reyes (0-2)

The Cards take three games out of four, and finish the series with a 56-49 record.

ASTROS
July 31, 2009
Houston 3, St. Louis 4
Winning pitcher - Trever Miller (3-0)
SV - Ryan Franklin (24)

August 1, 2009
Houston 1, St. Louis 3
Winning pitcher - Chris Carpenter (10-3)

August 2, 2009
Houston 2, St. Louis 0
Losing pitcher - Adam Wainwright (12-7)

The Cards win two and move on to 58-50.

METS
August 4, 2009
St. Louis 12, N.Y. Mets 7
Winning pitcher - Kyle McClellan (3-2)

August 5, 2009
St. Louis 0, N.Y. Mets 9
Losing pitcher - Kyle Lohse (4-7)

The Cards split the series and move to 59-51.

PIRATES
August 7, 2009
St. Louis 6, Pittsburgh 4
Winning pitcher - Chris Carpenter (11-3)
SV - Ryan Franklin (25)

August 8, 2009
St. Louis 5, Pittsburgh 3
Winning pitcher - Adam Wainwright (13-7)
SV - Ryan Franklin (26)

August 9, 2009
St. Louis 7, Pittsburgh 3
Winning pitcher - Joel Pineiro (10-9)
SV - Kyle McClellan (2)

The Cards take 3 and move to 62-51 on the year.

REDS
August 10, 2009
Cincinnati 1, St. Louis 4
Winning pitcher - Kyle Lohse (5-7)
SV - Ryan Franklin (27)

August 11, 2009
Cincinnati 5, St. Louis 4
Losing pitcher - Mitchell Boggs (1-1)

August 12, 2009
Cincinnati 2, St. Louis 5
Winning pitcher - Chris Carpenter (12-3)
SV - Ryan Franklin (28)

The Cards move to 64-52 on the year.

PADRES
August 14, 2009
San Diego 2, St. Louis 9
Winning pitcher - Adam Wainwright (14-7)

August 15, 2009
San Diego 4, St. Louis 7
Winning pitcher - Joel Pineiro (11-9)
SV - Ryan Franklin (29)

August 16, 2009
San Diego 5, St. Louis 7
Winning pitcher - Trever Miller (4-0)

The Cards move to 67-52 on the season.

DODGERS
August 17, 2009
St. Louis 3, Los Angeles 2
Winning pitcher - Chris Carpenter (13-3)
SV - Ryan Franklin (30)

August 18, 2009
St. Louis 3, Los Angeles 7
Losing pitcher - Mitchell Boggs (1-2)

August 19, 2009
St. Louis 3, Los Angeles 2
Winning pitcher - Kyle McClellan (4-2)
SV - Ryan Franklin (31)

The Cards move to 69-53 on the year.

PADRES
August 20, 2009
St. Louis 5, San Diego 1
Winning pitcher - Joel Pineiro (12-9)

August 21, 2009
St. Louis 0, San Diego 4
Losing pitcher - Kyle Lohse (5-8)

August 23, 2009
St. Louis 5, San Diego 2
Winning pitcher - John Smoltz (3-5)
SV - Ryan Franklin (32)

The Cards move on to 72-54 on the season.

ASTROS
August 25, 2009
Houston 0, St. Louis 1
Winning pitcher - Adam Wainwright (15-7)
SV - Ryan Franklin (33)

August 26, 2009
Houston 2, St. Louis 3
Winning pitcher - Joel Pineiro (13-9)
SV - Ryan Franklin (34)

August 27, 2009
Houston 4, St. Louis 3
Losing pitcher - Kyle McClellan (4-3)

The Cards move to 74-55.

NATIONALS
August 28, 2009
Washington 2, St. Louis 3
Winning pitcher - Jason Motte (4-4)

August 29, 2009
Washington 4, St. Louis 9
Winning pitcher - Mitchell Boggs (2-2)

August 30, 2009
Washington 1, St. Louis 2
Winning pitcher - Adam Wainwright (16-7)
SV - Ryan Franklin (35)

The Cards move to 77-55.

BREWERS
September 1, 2009
Milwaukee 6, St. Louis 7
Winning pitcher - Joel Pineiro (14-9)
SV - Ryan Franklin (36)

September 2, 2009
Milwaukee 3, St. Louis 10
Winning pitcher - Chris Carpenter (15-3)

September 3, 2009
Milwaukee 4, St. Louis 3
Losing pitcher - John Smoltz (3-6)

The Cards move to 79-56.

PIRATES
September 4, 2009
St. Louis 14, Pittsburgh 7
Winning pitcher - Adam Wainwright (17-7)

September 5, 2009
St. Louis 2, Pittsburgh 1
Winning pitcher - Blake Hawksworth (2-0)
SV - Ryan Franklin (37)

September 6, 2009
St. Louis 5, Pittsburgh 6
Losing pitcher - Ryan Franklin (2-2)

The Cards finish the series with a season record of 81-57.

I know I'm slacking...

It's been a busy month and a half.

I'll get things up soon.

I promise.

Stark picks Pujols for MVP

Some highlights from Jayson Stark's column:

Is it too soon to mail Albert Pujols his National League MVP trophy right now?

Seriously. With all due respect to the fabulous work of Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval, Troy Tulowitzki, Chase Utley and many other upstanding NL citizens, what would have to happen in September for Pujols not to win another MVP award? Would he have to go 0-for-112? Hit into a double play every time up? Defect to Kyrgyzstan?

OK, maybe all of the above. And he'd still probably win this thing. So that concludes our discussion of the one major awards race with a clear-cut favorite as September looms. As for those other races?

Hoo boy. We'd have a better shot at predicting Michelle Wie's score in the Canadian Women's Open.[...]

If the season ended right now …: We'd still vote for Tim Lincecum. Barely. But boy is this tough, because Chris Carpenter now has more wins (14 to 12) and a lower ERA (2.16 to 2.43). On the other hand, Lincecum has the best opponent OPS in baseball (.559, to Carpenter's .582), more double-figure strikeout games (6-2), more quality starts (21-17) and 40 more innings pitched. He also has had more "dominating starts" -- six starts of seven innings or more with no runs allowed (to Carpenter's three) and nine starts with a game score of 75 or more (to Carpenter's three). "Lincecum has been ridiculous," one NL scout said. "He just keeps them in game after game where the score's 1-0 or 2-0. As great as Carpenter has been, Lincecum's stuff is like Wiffleball-in-the-back-yard filthy." So that's our vote. This week.

But …: Carpenter has nine wins in his past 10 starts (with a blown save in the 10th), so there's no indication he's planning to ever lose again. And not only could he win this thing with a ferocious September, this could turn into about a six-man scrum if Lincecum and Carpenter come back to the pack at all. Cliff Lee won't get enough NL starts to make it into the argument. But Dan Haren, Matt Cain, Adam Wainwright and Josh Johnson have all had Cy Young-ish years. Now it's up to September to determine whether that wins them any Cy Young trophies.[...]

Get away for the Hollidays: Much as he clearly loves St. Louis, Matt Holliday continues to give the Cardinals no indication he's amenable to signing any discounted deals to stick around beyond this year. And if the Cardinals have to pay him free-agent-market dollars to hang onto him, let's sound the alarm right here: They might be putting the franchise in economic peril.

"The worst thing they could do is re-sign him," one American League exec said. "If you start thinking about their long-term payroll, what's the biggest payroll a city like St. Louis could absorb? Let's say it's $100 million. Now you have to give Holliday $15-16 million a year. Then you have to give Albert [Pujols] $25-30 million, and probably $30 million. So now you're paying two guys $45-50 million? That's a lot of money in that market.

"In 2010, it might not matter. In 2011, it might not matter. But when you get to 2014 and you've got half your payroll wrapped up in two 34-year-old guys, that's not a good place to be. … Those are the kinds of contracts you can't get out of."

Tying up Holliday at market dollars, and then re-signing Pujols, would almost assure the Cardinals of not being able to keep Chris Carpenter and/or Adam Wainwright when their next big paydays roll around. While it seemed so logical, at the time they traded for Holliday, to forecast that they'd swoop in and sign him, it's not so logical when you start punching in all those dollar signs.

Redbird Roundup

How do the Cards do it? Beats me...

Piece by piece, the Cardinals have built an enduring, winning team nucleus around Albert Pujols.

Adam Wainwright developed into a front-line starting pitcher to ride shotgun with Chris Carpenter. Yadier Molina blossomed into an All-Star catcher who handles pitchers, shuts down the running game and adds some offense.

Brendan Ryan is becoming a spectacular everyday defensive shortstop with a lively bat. Leadoff hitter Skip Schumaker is making a seamless transition to second base.

Rookie Colby Rasmus is breaking in as a strong defensive center fielder with huge offensive potential. Kyle McClellan has become a durable and reliable set-up man in the bullpen.

All these players, groomed within this organization, are pieces the team can build upon. Cardinal Nation takes strong player development for granted -– given this team’s perennial contention -- but building such a winning nucleus is difficult.[...]

The key, Tony La Russa believes, is to break in young players a few at a time and surround them with veterans playing the right way.

Mike Matheny helped groom Molina. Jason Isringhausen schooled Wainwright as a reliever and Chris Carpenter showed him the way as a starter.

Position players like Ryan, Schumaker and Rasmus can follow the lead of Albert Pujols, the sport’s best player.

It is too early to say that David Freese, Jaime Garcia, Tyler Greene or P.J. Walters will make the nucleus some day, but they have already benefited from their opportunity to play with this group.

CUBS...completely useless by September.

The Chicago Cubs are going, going . . . gone?

The Small Bears have lost six of their last seven games. This swoon coincided with a Cardinals surge, so suddenly the North Siders are four games off the National League Central pace.

Ace Cub pitchers Ted Lilly and Carlos Zambrano are on the disabled list. So is outfielder Reed Johnson.

Third baseman Aramis Ramirez, this team’s offensive catalyst, is trying to play through a chronic shoulder injury. There is no end to this team’s misery.

The team seems cursed, again, as Chicago Tribune columnist Rick Morrissey wrote:

“Chances are, if Ramirez has to dive for a grounder when he returns, he not only will reinjure his dislocated shoulder but break a leg in the process. That’s the theme of this season, isn’t it? Not necessarily that the Cubs have been done in by injuries, though you certainly could make that argument, but that bad things just happen to this club. If it’s not one thing, it’s the other, unless it’s both. A Ramirez injury become a Carlos Zambrano meltdown. A Milton Bradley meltdown becomes a Geovany Soto slump. If Ryan Dempster isn’t hurt, then Ted Lilly is.”

I didn't watch their game last night til late in the game but believe me, I heard about the Victorino beer incident. If that's not a lack of class by Cubs fans, then I don't know what is.

Chris Carpenter keeps throwing...

In improving his record to 12-3, Carpenter went seven innings, allowed two runs and struck out 10. In making a spectacular comeback from two seasons of arm miseries, Carpenter can't be ruled out of the National League Cy Young race. The same is true of teammate Adam Wainwright, who has 13 wins and a 2.73 ERA.

This isn't about one golden arm. Here's your stat of the day: Since July 1, the Cardinals are 20-3 in games started by Carpenter, Wainwright and Joel Piñeiro.

They're forming the most formidable top three in a St. Louis rotation since 1985. In a summer of speed and defense, John Tudor, Joaquin Andujar and Danny Cox combined for 60 wins, 16 shutouts and 34 complete games.

It's impossible to compare eras and statistics. Complete games and shutouts have given way to the late-inning toggling of matchup relievers, so the '09 Cardinals can't measure up to the '85 starters in iron-man numbers. Starting pitchers aren't built for durability. They aren't asked to go the distance.

But there is some common ground on that mound.

The 1985 Cardinals won 63 percent of the games started by Tudor, Andujar and Cox. And in 2009, the Cardinals have won 63 percent of the games started by Carpenter, Wainwright and Piñeiro.

And there's a relative match in ERAs. In Tudor (1.93), Cox (2.88) and Andujar (3.40) the '85 Cardinals had frontline starters ranked No. 2, No. 8 and No. 19 in the league in ERA. In Carpenter (2.29), Wainwright (2.73) and Piñeiro (3.22) the 2009 Cardinals have top-level starters ranked No. 2, No. 6 and No. 13 in league ERA.

NL GM: Cards to win World Series

I'm in complete agreement on this one.

Ken Rosenthal:

One Man's Bold Vision
An NL general manager made two surprising predictions Tuesday. He said that the Rockies would win the NL West and that the Cardinals would win the World Series.

The Rockies, the GM said, were not great in any one area, but very good in virtually every one. The Dodgers, meanwhile, are short on starting pitching and unlikely to make a significant addition to their rotation.

The Cardinals?

Their offense has been bolstered by the additions of Matt Holiday, Mark DeRosa and Julio Lugo, and their top three starting pitchers — Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright and Joel Pineiro — are as impressive as any in the league.

"I love (the Giants' Matt) Cain and (Tim) Lincecum," the GM said, "but are they really better than Carpenter and Wainwright?"

Cards vs. Phillies

Welcome to the Matt Holliday is a Cardinal era! Albert finally has a bat to protect him other than Ryan Ludwick!

July 24, 2009
St. Louis 8, Philadelphia 1
Winning pitcher - Joel Pineiro (9-9)
HR: Julio Lugo (2)

Matt Holliday had a fantastic debut with the Cardinals, going 4-5 with a run and RBI.

July 25, 2009
St. Louis 6, Philadelphia 14
Losing pitcher - Jason Motte (3-4)
HR: Ryan Ludwick (17), Rick Ankiel (7)

July 26, 2009
St. Louis 2, Philadelphia 9
Losing pitcher - Todd Wellemeyer (7-9)
HR: Mark DeRosa (17)

The Cards finish the series with a 53-48 record.

Cards trade for Matt Holliday

Making another trade, the Cardinals traded three minor leagues for 2007 NL Batting Champion and three-time All Star Matt Holliday.

The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that they have acquired three-time All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday and cash considerations from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for minor leaguers Brett Wallace, Shane Peterson and Clayton Mortensen.

"We are extremely excited to have acquired Matt Holliday," said Cardinals' Vice President/General Manager John Mozeliak. "Matt is an impact player who gives us an instant added threat in the middle of our lineup. These types of opportunities are rare. The price to complete this deal was steep, but our organization feels that it should greatly improve our chances to compete for a postseason berth. I want to thank both ownership and our scouting and player development staffs for enabling us to be in position to bring a player with the credentials of Matt Holliday to the St. Louis Cardinals."

Holliday, 29, owns a career .315 batting average with 139 home runs and 537 RBI in five-plus seasons with the Colorado Rockies (2004-08) and Oakland Athletics (2009). He was batting .286 with 11 homers and 54 RBI for the A's this season and was 16-for-41 (.390) with six doubles, three home runs, 11 RBI and 12 runs scored in his last 10 games. He is batting .337 (29-86) over his last 22 games.

The Stillwater, Okla. native batted .300 or better in four of his first five seasons, with the lone exception being his rookie season of 2004 when he batted .290. A three-time (2006-08) N.L. All-Star and Silver Slugger award winner, Holliday enjoyed an MVP-caliber season in 2007 while helping the Rockies to their first-ever World Series appearance.

The right-handed hitting Holliday enjoyed career bests in batting (.340), hits (216), doubles (50), RBI (137) and extra-base hits (92) in 2007, leading the N.L. in each category. He finished a close runner-up to the Phillies' Jimmy Rollins for league MVP honors that year and was named the MVP of the N.L. Championship Series after the Rockies got by Arizona.

Entering 2009, Holliday had hit .300 or better and finished among the top seven in batting in the N.L. in each of his last four seasons, joining Albert Pujols as the only players who can make that claim. His .315 batting average since 2004 ranks 6th-best among active players in all of baseball (Suzuki - .335, Pujols - .334, Mauer - .322, V. Guerrero - .321, Helton - .316). Holliday is one of seven players since 2005 with at least 100 home runs and 50 stolen bases (Sizemore-CLE, Soriano-CHI, Wright-NY, Beltran-NY, Hunter-LAA and A. Rodriguez-NYY).

Holliday is wearing #15, which is considered blasphemy despite Jim Edmonds playing for the Cubs during the 2008 season.

The Cardinals also made some other roster moves.

They traded Chris Duncan and a player to be named later to the Boston Red Sox for Julio Lugo.

The St. Louis Cardinals announced this afternoon that they have acquired infielder Julio Lugo and cash considerations from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for outfielder Chris Duncan and a player-to-be-named-later or cash considerations.

"We felt that Julio could help our club by improving our middle infield depth," said Cardinals' Vice President/General Manager John Mozeliak. "He gives us another right-handed bat and provides Tony with additional flexibility. We're optimistic that he will respond positively to a fresh start here in St. Louis."

Lugo, 33, was batting .284 with a homer and 8 RBI in 37 games for the Red Sox this season, including a .333 average against left-handed pitching. Lugo made his last appearance on July 6 before being designated for assignment by the Red Sox last week.[...]

Duncan, 28, was optioned to Memphis (AAA) after last night's game. He was batting .227 with 5 home runs and 32 RBI for the Cardinals this season.

"Chris Duncan was drafted and developed by this organization, and in addition to being a talented player we all recognize him as a high-quality individual," said Mozeliak. "He was an important part of our World Championship club in 2006. I know I speak for our entire organization when I say that we are grateful to Chris for what he has given to the Cardinals and our fans."

I feel for Chris Duncan but he's been struggling this season.

Perhaps the saddest piece of transactional moves is this. Jess Todd was sent to Cleveland to complete the DeRosa deal.

Todd was 4-2 with 24 saves and a 2.20 ERA (49.0 IP / 12 ER) for Memphis. A 2nd-round selection (82nd overall) of the Cardinals in the 2007 draft, Todd appeared in one game for St. Louis this season. The 5'11", 210-pound right-hander out of the University of Arkansas allowed two runs on three hits while walking two and fanning two in 1.2 innings in his Major League debut on June 5 vs. Colorado. Todd was the Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2008.

The trade deadline is Friday afternoon so we shall see what else happens this week.

Cards vs. Nationals

Making up the rain delay

July 23, 2009
St. Louis 4, Washington 1
Winning pitcher - Adam Wainwright (11-6)
HR: Rick Ankiel (6)

The Cards finish the makeup with a 52-46 record.

Cards vs. Astros

Back to the Juice Box...

July 20, 2009
St. Louis 2, Houston 3
Losing pitcher - Kyle Lohse (4-6)

July 21, 2009
St. Louis 6, Houston 11
Losing pitcher - Todd Wellemeyer (7-8)
HR: Mark DeRosa 2 (14, 15), Ryan Ludwick (16)

July 22, 2009
St. Louis 3, Houston 4
Losing pitcher - Ryan Franklin (2-1)
HR: Mark DeRosa (16)

The Cards finish the series with a 51-46 record.

Cards vs. D-Backs

July 17, 2009
Arizona 1, St. Louis 6
Winning pitcher - Chris Carpenter (8-3)
HR: Albert Pujols 2 (33, 34), Nick Stavinoha (2)

July 18, 2009
Arizona 4, St. Louis 2
Losing pitcher - Adam Wainwright (10-6)

July 19, 2009
Arizona 1, St. Louis 2
Winning pitcher - Joel Pineiro (8-9)
SV - Ryan Franklin (22)

The Cards finish the series with a 51-43 record on the season.

Cards vs. Cubs

The final series going into the All-Star Break.

July 10, 2009
St. Louis 8, Chi. Cubs 3
Winning pitcher - Chris Carpenter (7-3)
HR: Albert Pujols (32)

July 11, 2009
St. Louis 2, Chi. Cubs 5
Losing pitcher - Brad Thompson (2-6)

July 12, 2009
St. Louis 3, Chi. Cubs 7
Losing pitcher - Kyle Lohse (4-5)

July 12, 2009
St. Louis 4, Chi. Cubs 2
Winning pitcher - Adam Wainwright (10-5)
SV - Ryan Franklin (21)
HR: Ryan Ludwick 2 (14, 15)

The Cards went into the break with a 49-42 record.

Cards vs. Brewers

I know, I'm a bit backed up on this.

July 7, 2009
St. Louis 5, Milwaukee 0
Winning pitcher - Adam Wainwright (9-5)
HR: Colby Rasmus (11), Ryan Ludwick (12)

July 8, 2009
St. Louis 4, Milwaukee 5
Losing pitcher - Jason Motte (3-3)

July 9, 2009
St. Louis 5, Milwaukee 1
Winning pitcher - Joel Pineiro (7-9)
HR: Ryan Ludwick (13)

The Cards move on to 47-40 on the season.

Cards aiming for Roy Halladay

Who would not want a rotation with Chris Carpenter, Roy Halladay, Adam Wainwright, and Kyle Lohse?!?

MLB Trade Rumors:

The Cardinals are prepared to offer talent for Roy Halladay, but they're not going to disassemble their entire system to acquire the Jays ace, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Excerpts from Joe's article on Halladay:

Halladay, who enjoys full no-trade protection, has made clear to Blue Jays general manager J.P Ricciardi that he would accept a trade only to a contender. He also enjoys a strong friendship with Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter, his Blue Jays teammate before Carpenter signed here in December 2002.

Halladay stopped short of specifically commenting on the Cardinals as his next potential destination, but acknowledged knowing Carpenter's thoughts.

"Everybody raves about it here," Halladay said about four hours before Tuesday night's start. "I know how he feels and how much he loves it. That's from conversations we've had in the past. We haven't really discussed it recently."

Carpenter has publicly lobbied for the Cardinals to pursue the 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner. Cards general manager John Mozeliak acknowledged last week his intention to approach Ricciardi with the organization's interest. As one Cardinals source suggested this week, "We may be able to give up an arm or a leg. But we're not going to sacrifice the whole body" in a trade.

Pressed on St. Louis as a potential destination, Halladay said, "I just hate to say. I really do. It's not because I don't want to go to a certain place. Out of respect to Toronto, I'd just as soon not put the cart before the horse. It's just kind of a tough situation."

The Blue Jays coveted infielder Brett Wallace before the Cardinals took him in the first round of the 2007 amateur draft. Wallace currently is the Cardinals' top prospect. The Jays apparently expect major league-ready pitching in any package for Halladay, which poses a serious challenge to the Cardinals.

I blame Walt if this doesn't happen.

This is not a spam blog

Why was this Cardinals blog marked as a spam blog. Someone, please explain.

Cards vs. Reds

July 3, 2009
St. Louis 7, Cincinnati 4
Winning pitcher - Jason Motte (3-2)
SV - Ryan Franklin (20)
HR: Albert Pujols (31)

Yep, it's very clear. Albert Pujols is a beast.

July 4, 2009
St. Louis 2, Cincinnati 5
Losing pitcher - Brad Thompson (2-5)
HR: Colby Rasmus (9)

July 5, 2009
St. Louis 10, Cincinnati 1
Winning pitcher - Chris Carpenter (6-3)
HR: Colby Rasmus (10)

The Cards leave Cincy with a 45-39 record.

Cards vs. Giants

June 29, 2009

San Francisco 10, St. Louis 0
Losing pitcher - Brad Thompson (2-4)

June 30, 2009
San Francisco 6, St. Louis 3
Losing pitcher - Chris Carpenter (5-3)
HR: Albert Pujols (29, 30)

July 1, 2009
San Francisco 1, St. Louis 2
Winning pitcher - Ryan Franklin (2-0)
HR: Colby Rasmus (8)

July 2, 2009
San Francisco 2, St. Louis 5
Winning pitcher - Todd Wellemeyer (7-7)
SV - Ryan Franklin (19)

The Cards move on to 43-28.

Cards vs. Twins

June 26, 2009
Minnesota 3, St. Louis 1
Losing pitcher - Adam Wainwright (8-5)

June 27, 2009
Minnesota 3, St. Louis 5
Winning pitcher - Josh Kinney (1-0)
SV - Ryan Franklin (18)
HR: Albert Pujols (27, 28)

June 28, 2009
Minnesota 6, St. Louis 2
Losing pitcher - Joel Pineiro (6-9)

The Cards move on to 41-36 on the season.

Cards vs. Mets

June 22, 2009
St. Louis 4, N.Y. Mets 6
Losing pitcher - Todd Wellemeyer (6-7)
HR: Ryan Ludwick (11), Brendan Ryan (1)

June 23, 2009
St. Louis 3, N.Y. Mets 0
Winning pitcher - Joel Pineiro (6-8)

June 24, 2009
St. Louis 0, N.Y. Mets 11
Losing pitcher - Brad Thompson (2-3)

June 25, 2009
St. Louis 2, N.Y. Mets 3
Losing pitcher - Chris Carpenter (5-2)

The Cards move on to 40-34 on the season after the 4 game series.

Cards vs. Royals

June 19, 2009
St. Louis 10, Kansas City 5
Winning pitcher - Brad Thompson (2-2)
HR: Ryan Ludwick (10), Rick Ankiel (5), Khalil Greene (3)

June 20, 2009
St. Louis 7, Kansas City 1
Winning pitcher - Chris Carpenter (5-1)
SV - Ryan Franklin (17)
HR: Albert Pujols (24), Khalil Greene (4)

June 21, 2009
St. Louis 12, Kansas City 5
Winning pitcher - Adam Wainwright (8-4)
Albert Pujols (25, 26), Khalil Greene (5)

The Cards sweep the Royals and move on to 39-31 on the season.

All-Star happenings...

I know, I know. I've been busy. I'm slacking off. So sue me.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ALL-STARS AND ST. LOUIS CARDINALS HALL OF FAMERS SHOWCASED IN MLB ALL-STAR RED CARPET SHOW PRESENTED BY CHEVY
WHAT:
All 2009 Major League Baseball All-Stars as well as Legends from the Cardinals will make their way in Chevy Flex-Fuel vehicles through the streets of St. Louis on a red carpet made from 100 percent recycled fiber and produced using electricity produced by 100 percent renewable wind and solar energy.

During this event, which is free to the public, fans and spectators will have a unique opportunity to see their favorite MLB All-Stars up close as they make their way to the 80th Major League Baseball All-Star Game via a celebration along the streets leading to Busch Stadium.

WHO:
Scheduled to appear:
*All members of the 2009 American and National League All-Star Teams
*AL All-Star Team Manager Joe Maddon and NL All-Star Team Manager Charlie Manuel
*Cardinals Hall of Famers including: Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, Stan Musial, Red Schoendienst, Ozzie Smith and Bruce Sutter
*30 MLB and PEOPLE Magazine “All-Stars Among Us” winners

WHEN/WHERE:
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. CT

The parade will begin at Market and 4th Streets and continue down Market to 8th Street to Stan Musial Drive and Gate 3 of Busch Stadium.

MLB Network will telecast the All-Star Red Carpet Show presented by Chevy nationally at 3:00 pm CT.

Here's another one relating to the FanFest:

Cardinals Memorabilia, World Series Trophies and Historical Information on Display at Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest
The history and traditions of baseball will be on display for fans at Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest, July 10 – July 14 at America’s Center in downtown St. Louis. Fans can learn about the rich past of baseball in St. Louis as well as look forward to the future with present-day St. Louis baseball stars at exhibits including Hometown Heroes, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and the Negro Leagues.

The Hometown Heroes exhibit takes a comprehensive look at the history of baseball in St. Louis. The display will feature scale models of Sportsman’s Park, Busch Stadium (1966-2005) and the current Busch Stadium along with actual stadium seats from each ballpark. The Cardinals’ last three World Series trophies will be on display as well as memorabilia from former Cardinals All-Stars. The exhibit is centered around walls reflecting on the Club’s roots in the community and its promise for the future:

Timeline Wall – The winning tradition of the Cardinals in St. Louis, going all the way back to 1892 is covered in the extensive text and pictures that highlights the great history of baseball in the city, including the American League St. Louis Browns (1902-1953) and the Negro National League St. Louis Stars (1920-1940).

Champions Wall – Fans will be able to relive each of the ten World Series Championship titles won by the Cardinals.

Hall of Fame Wall – St. Louis Cardinals players who have achieved Hall of Fame status through their accomplishments with the team are featured here, as well as the many players who earned that status even though their time with the Cardinals was brief.

Hometown Heroes Wall – An outstanding ambassador for the city and the Cardinals both on and off the field, Stan Musial was voted as St. Louis’ Hometown Hero by fans.

Artist’s Wall – Missouri native and sculptor Harry Weber was selected to create a bronze maquette of Stan Musial. Fans have the chance to see the process of sculpting and learn more about the casting process by visiting this artist as he works on this project.

In Memory: Darryl Kile

It's been seven years since one of the darkest weeks of Cardinal history.

Darryl Kile (December 2, 1968 – June 22, 2002)) played his last game on June 18, 2002, the same day that Jack Buck died. Darryl tragically died seven years ago today in Chicago.

Joe Buck broke the news on Fox that day. And it was Joe Girardi who made the announcement at Wrigley:

"I thank you for your patience. We regret to inform you because of a tragedy in the Cardinal family, that the commissioner has cancelled the game today. Thank you.... Please be respectful. You will find out eventually what has happened, and I ask that you say a prayer for the St. Louis Cardinals' family."

Houston Astros: 1991-1997
Colorado Rockies: 1998-1999
St. Louis Cardinals: 2000-2002

Career record: 128-115 with 1,618 K's





The following was posted on CardNilly.com. It's so awesome yet sad at the same time. I always get chills whenever I think of DK and his short time on earth.

Cards vs. Tigers

June 16, 2009
Detroit 2, St. Louis 11
Winning pitcher - Adam Wainwright (7-4)
HR: Albert Pujols (23), Chris Duncan (5)

June 17, 2009
Detroit 3, St. Louis 4
Winning pitcher - Todd Wellemeyer (6-6)
SV - Ryan Franklin (16)
HR: Yadier Molina (5)

June 18, 2009
Detroit 6, St. Louis 3
Losing pitcher - Joel Pineiro (5-8)

The Cards finish with a 36-31 record.

Cards vs. Indians

June 12, 2009
St. Louis 3, Cleveland 7
Losing pitcher - Joel Pineiro (5-7)
HR: Albert Pujols (20)

June 13, 2009
St. Louis 3, Cleveland 1
Winning pitcher - Brad Thompson (1-2)
SV - Ryan Franklin (15)
HR: Albert Pujols 2 (21, 22)

June 14, 2009
St. Louis 0, Cleveland 3
Losing pitcher - Chris Carpenter (4-1)

The Cards finish with a 34-30 record.

Cards vs. Marlins

June 9, 2009
St. Louis 3, Florida 4
Losing pitcher - Jason Motte (2-2)

June 10, 2009
St. Louis 13, Florida 4
Winning pitcher - Adam Wainwright (6-4)
HR: Colby Rasmus (7), Rick Ankiel (4)

June 11, 2009
St. Louis 6, Florida 5
Winning pitcher - Trever Miller (2-0)
SV - Ryan Franklin (14)
HR: Albert Pujols (19)

The Cards finish the series with a 33-28 record.

Cards vs. Rockies

June 5, 2009
Colorado 11, St. Louis 4
Losing pitcher - Adam Wainwright (5-4)
HR: Albert Pujols (18), Yadier Molina (4), Ryan Ludwick (9)

June 6, 2009
Colorado 10, St. Louis 1
Losing pitcher - Todd Wellemeyer (5-6)
HR: Rick Ankiel (3)

June 7, 2009
Colorado 7, St. Louis 2
Losing pitcher - Joel Pineiro (5-6)

June 8, 2009
Colorado 5, St. Louis 2
Losing pitcher - Brad Thompson (0-2)

The Cards get swept and finish the series with a 31-27 record.

Cards vs. Reds

June 1, 2009
Cincinnati 5, St. Louis 3
Losing pitcher - Todd Wellemeyer (5-5)
HR: Colby Rasmus (6)

June 2, 2009
Cincinnati 2, St. Louis 5
Winning pitcher - Jason Motte (2-1)
SV - Ryan Franklin (13)

June 3, 2009
Cincinnati 9, St. Louis 3
Losing pitcher - Kyle Lohse (4-4)

June 4, 2009
Cincinnati 1, St. Louis 3
Winning pitcher - Chris Carpenter (4-0)
HR: Albert Pujols (17)

The Cards leave with a 31-23 record.

In Memory: Jack Buck

It's time once again to remember the life of legendary broadcaster Jack Buck (August 21, 1924 – June 18, 2002)) died.

From Baseball Almanac, a list of Jack Buck quotations:
"After all of these years, I realize my energy comes from the people at the other end."

"Go crazy, folks! Go crazy!" - Game 5 1985 NLCS (Ozzie Smith hit a game winning home run)

"I don't think there is anyone in any sport who combined the supreme talent with a great personality. He is also is one of the most beautiful people who ever walked the face of the earth. I don't think there's anybody who compares to Stan Musial on both fronts."

"It's such a beautiful sport, with no politics involved, no color, no class. Only as a youngster can you play and as a pro can you win. The game has kept me young, involved and excited and for me to be up here with gems of baseball"

"It (George Steinbrenner's new yacht) was a beautiful thing to observe with all thirty oars working in unison."

"Kid (White Sox broadcaster John Rooney), you better slow down. You're going to wear 'em out in a week, and you've got to be out there for one-hundred sixty-two."

"That's a winner."

"The biggest kick I get is to communicate with those who are exiled from the game — in hospitals, homes, prisons — those who have seldom seen a game, who can't travel to a game, those who are blind."

"When Harry and I were doing the games together, we were as good as a team as there ever was. His style and mine were so different that it made for a balanced broadcast. The way we approached the job, with the interest and love both of us had for the game, made our work kind of special." - from Jack Buck - That's A Winner (1999)

Put Dave Duncan in the Hall of Fame

I agree with Rick Sutcliffe that St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan belongs in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan is a guy who most fans have heard of, but I'm not sure most fans really appreciate how good he has been over the years.

There's no question that Tony La Russa is a great manager and is no doubt ticketed for the Baseball Hall of Fame, but coaches should also earn consideration. Duncan, La Russa's former teammate and longtime pitching coach, most famously in Oakland and then St. Louis, would be the first guy on my ballot. He was never a pitcher himself, but catchers get to know pitchers as well as anyone, and Duncan was a catcher for years in the big leagues. Above all, he is a guy that gets it.

Just look at his results. Pitchers on Duncan's staffs have won four Cy Young awards: LaMarr Hoyt (1983), Bob Welch (1990) Dennis Eckersley (1992) and Chris Carpenter (2005). All his pitchers rave about him and his no-nonsense approach.

His staffs have consistently had among the lowest ERAs in the majors. Where does St. Louis rank in the majors right now? Sure enough, they are first overall with a 3.60 ERA.

Look at what he did with guys like Dave Stewart and Eckersley with the A's and, more recently, with guys like Carpenter and Jeff Suppan with the Cardinals. Before he got to them, they had varying degrees of success, but he helped all those guys -- and many more -- reach their full potential.

It's not just me either. Most people respect La Russa's opinion, and I bet if you asked Tony, he'd say Duncan deserves a spot in the Hall as well. It's time to give baseball coaches their due, and let's get Dave Duncan to Cooperstown.

Cards vs. Giants

May 29, 2009
St. Louis 2, San Francisco 4
Losing pitcher - Joel Pineiro (5-5)

May 30, 2009
St. Louis 6, San Francisco 2
Winning pitcher - Chris Carpenter (3-0)
HR: Albert Pujols (15, 16)

Carp has been red hot this season.

May 31, 2009
St. Louis 3, San Francisco 5
Losing pitcher - Adam Wainwright (5-3)

The Cards are 29-21 on the year.

Cards vs. Brewers

May 25, 2009
St. Louis 0, Milwaukee 1
Losing pitcher - Kyle McClellan (2-2)

May 26, 2009
St. Louis 8, Milwaukee 1
Winning pitcher - Adam Wainwright (5-2)
HR: Nick Stavinoha (1), Colby Rasmus (5), Adam Wainwright (1), Chris Duncan (4)

May 27, 2009
St. Louis 3, Milwaukee 2
Winning pitcher - Todd Wellemeyer (5-4)
SV - Ryan Franklin (12)

The Cards move on to a 28-19 record.

Cards vs. Royals

May 22, 2009
Kansas City 0, St. Louis 5
Winning pitcher - Todd Wellemeyer (4-4)
HR: Tyler Greene (2)

May 23, 2009
Kansas City 0, St. Louis 5
Winning pitcher - Kyle Lohse (4-3)
HR: Skip Schumaker (3)

May 24, 2009
Kansas City 3, St. Louis 2
Losing pitcher - Joel Pineiro (5-4)

The Cards move to 26-18 on the season.

Cards vs. Cubs

It's that time of year again. The Cards took on the Cubs.

May 19, 2009
Chi. Cubs 0, St. Louis 3
Winning pitcher - Joel Pineiro (5-3)
HR: Colby Rasmus (4)

May 20, 2009
Chi. Cubs 1, St. Louis 2
Winning pitcher - Chris Carpenter (2-0)
SV - Ryan Franklin (10)

May 21, 2009
Chi. Cubs 1, St. Louis 3
Winning pitcher - Adam Wainwright (4-2)
SV - Ryan Franklin (11)
HR: Albert Pujols (14), Brian Barden (4)

The Cards sweep the Cubs and move to 24-17 on the year.

Cards vs. Brewers

The game on May 15th was postponed to the following Monday due to weather.

May 16, 2009
Milwaukee 1, St. Louis 0
Losing pitcher - Adam Wainwright (3-2)

May 17, 2009
Milwaukee 8, St. Louis 2
Losing pitcher - Todd Wellemeyer (3-4)

May 18, 2009
Milwaukee 8, St. Louis 4
Losing pitcher - Kyle Lohse (3-3)
HR: Colby Rasmus (3), Skip Schumaker (2)

The Cards lose 3 and move to 21-17 on the season.

Cards vs. Pirates

May 12, 2009
St. Louis 1, Pittsburgh 7
Losing pitcher - Todd Wellemeyer (3-3)
HR: Albert Pujols (13)

May 13, 2009
St. Louis 2, Pittsburgh 5
Losing pitcher - Joel Pineiro (4-3)
HR: Skip Schumaker (1)

May 14, 2009
St. Louis 5, Pittsburgh 1
Winning pitcher - Trever Miller (1-0)
HR: Colby Rasmus (2)

The Cards leave the series with a 21-14 record.

Cards vs. Reds

May 8, 2009
St. Louis 4, Cincinnati 6
Losing pitcher - Joel Pineiro (4-2)
HR: Tyler Greene (1)

The home run by Greene was the first career home run.

May 9, 2009
St. Louis 3, Cincinnati 8
Losing pitcher - Kyle Lohse (3-2)
HR: Ryan Ludwick (8)

May 10, 2009
St. Louis 8, Cincinnati 7
Winning pitcher - Ryan Franklin (1-0)
SV - Chris Perez (1)

The Cards hold on to leave the series with a 20-12 record on the season. At the end of the night, St. Louis holds on to first place in the NL Central by 2 games.

Albert Pujols currently leads the NL in home runs (12) and runs batted in (33). His .330 batting average is good enough for 11th place.

Cards vs. Pirates

May 6, 2009
Pittsburgh 2, St. Louis 4
Winning pitcher - Kyle McClellan (2-1)
SV - Ryan Franklin (8)
HR: Albert Pujols (11)

May 7, 2009
Pittsburgh 2, St. Louis 5
Winning pitcher - Todd Wellemeyer (3-2)
SV - Ryan Franklin (9)
HR: Jason LaRue (1)

The Cards moved to 19-10 on the season.

Cards vs. Phillies

May 4, 2009
Philadelphia 6, St. Louis 1
Losing pitcher - Kyle Lohse (3-1)

May 5, 2009
Philadelphia 10, St. Louis 7
Losing pitcher - Adam Wainwright (3-1)
HR: Ryan Ludwick (7), Yadier Molina (3), Albert Pujols (10)

The Cards moved to 17-10 on the season.

Cards vs. Nationals

April 30, 2009
St. Louis 9, Washington 4
Winning pitcher - Chris Perez (1-1)
HR: Albert Pujols (8)

May 1, 2009
St. Louis 6, Washington 2
Winning pitcher - Todd Wellemeyer (2-2)
HR: Albert Pujols (9), Chris Duncan (3), Ryan Ludwick (6), Joe Thurston (1)

May 2, 2009
St. Louis 1, Washington 6
Losing pitcher - Joel Pineiro (4-1)

Sunday's game ended up being postponed due to the rain and the Cards remain on top the NL Central with a 17-8 record on the season. The Cards are tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in baseball.

Cards vs. Braves

April 27, 2009
St. Louis 3, Atlanta 2
Winning pitcher - Joel Pineiro (4-0)
SV - Ryan Franklin (6)

April 28, 2009
St. Louis 1, Atlanta 2
Losing pitcher - Kyle McClellan (1-1)

April 29, 2009
St. Louis 5, Atlanta 3
Winning pitcher - Adam Wainwright (3-0)
SV - Ryan Franklin (7)

The Cards moved to 15-7 on the season.

Cards vs. Cubs

April 24, 2009
Chi. Cubs 3, St. Louis 4
Winning pitcher - Kyle McClellan (1-0)
SV - Ryan Franklin (5)

April 25, 2009
Chi. Cubs 2, St. Louis 8
Winning pitcher - Mitchell Boggs (1-0)
HR: Albert Pujols (7)

The 7th home run for Pujols was a grand slam, giving him 1,002 RBIs for his career and makes Pujols the 23rd active player to get to the 1,000-RBI mark.

April 26, 2009
Chi. Cubs 10, St. Louis 3
Losing pitcher - Todd Wellemeyer (1-2)
HR: Yadier Molina (2), Rick Ankiel (2)

The Cards moved to 13-6 for the season.

Cards vs. Mets

April 21, 2009
N.Y. Mets 4, St. Louis 6
Winning pitcher - Jason Motte (1-1)
SV - Ryan Franklin (3)

April 22, 2009
N.Y. Mets 2, St. Louis 5
Winning pitcher - Joel Pineiro (3-0)
SV - Ryan Franklin (4)

April 23, 2009
N.Y. Mets 8, St. Louis 12
Winning pitcher - Kyle Lohse (3-0)
HR: Albert Pujols 2 (6), Rick Ankiel (1)

The Cards swept the Mets 3-0 and move to 11-5 this season.

Cards vs. Cubs

April 16, 2009
St. Louis 7, Chi. Cubs 4
Winning pitcher - Adam Wainwright (2-0)
SV - Ryan Franklin (2)
HR: Chris Duncan (2), Khalil Greene (1), Brian Barden (2)

April 17, 2009
St. Louis 7, Chi. Cubs 8
Losing pitcher - Chris Perez (0-1)
HR: Ryan Ludwick 2 (5), Brian Barden (3)

April 18, 2009
St. Louis 5, Chicago 7
Losing pitcher - Dennys Reyes (0-1)
HR: Khalil Greene (2)

The Cards lost 1 of 3 and move to 8-5 on the season.

Cards vs. D-Backs

April 13, 2009
St. Louis 2, Arizona 1
Winning pitcher - Todd Wellemeyer (1-1)
SV - Ryan Franklin (1)
HR: Albert Pujols (4), Brian Barden (1)

April 14, 2009
St. Louis 6, Arizona 9
Losing pitcher - Brad Thompson (0-1)

April 15, 2009
St. Louis 12, Arizona 7
Winning pitcher - Joel Pineiro (2-0)
HR: Ryan Ludwick (3)

St. Louis takes 2 out of 3 from Arizona to move to 7-3 on the year.

Cards vs. Astros

April 10, 2009
Houston 3, St. Louis 5
Winning pitcher - Joel Pineiro (1-0)
SV - Kyle McClellan (1)
HR: Ryan Ludwick (2)

April 11, 2009
Houston 2, St. Louis 11
Winning pitcher - Adam Wainwright (1-0)
HR: Albert Pujols 2 (3)

April 12, 2009
Houston 0, St. Louis 3
Winning pitcher - Kyle Lohse (2-0)

The Cards swept the Astros and moved to 5-2 on the season.

Cards vs. Pirates

First series of the year: I experienced opening day at Sedgwick's in Chicago. It's the main bar for Cardinal fans to hang out at and watch the ballgame.

April 6, 2009
Pittsburgh 6, St. Louis 4
Losing pitcher - Jason Motte (0-1)
HR: Ryan Ludwick (1)

April 7, 2009
Pittsburgh 3, St. Louis 9
Winning pitcher - Kyle Lohse (1-0)
HR: Chris Duncan (1), Yadier Molina (1), Albert Pujols (1)

April 8, 2009
Pittsburgh 7, St. Louis 4
Losing pitcher - Todd Wellemeyer (0-1)

April 9, 2009
Pittsburgh 1, St. Louis 2
Winning pitcher - Chris Carpenter (1-0)
SV - Dennys Reyes (1)

The Cards finished the series 2-2.

I've been slacking...

Between Pesach, grad school, and the job search, I've been slacking with this blog and there's no excuse for that.

I'll recap things soon enough.

Cards Broadcasters on Harry Kalas

John Rooney, Bob Costas, and Mike Shannon remember Harry Kalas.

John Rooney:
"He was like Jack....He was like Jack in the way that they both just loved sports, really loved baseballs and gave so much back to people around them. He had one of the greatest voices ever, but he was an even nicer man.”

Mike Shannon:
"Great person, great baseball man. He knew how to call a game, but he would always, always really bring a smile to face of anybody he talked to. Mr. Kalas was one of the best.”

Bob Costas:
"He was a great announcer. You couldn’t convince someone in Philadelphia that there was anyone better to call a game than Harry Kalas. He was what baseball sounded like to you in Philadelphia.”

I feel for the Angels

I wasn't watching TV due to Pesach but I caught Outside the Lines this afternoon and immediately relived DK's death and Josh Hancock's death so as a Cardinal fan, I know what the Angels fans must be going through. It's not fun and it never is.

Here's comments from the Cardinals as to what they went through and what the Angels are going through.

The St. Louis Cardinals, who suffered through the deaths of pitcher Darryl Kile in June 2002 and pitcher Josh Hancock in April 2007, say no words, only time, will ease the anguish.

"It's going to be tough for them all year," Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols said. "Every time you take the field, it's going to be there. You really don't get a release until the offseason."

The Angels placed Adenhart's image and number on their outfield wall, preserved his locker at home and will set one up on the road, too.

"I remember looking at the faces of everyone the day we found out Josh died," said Oakland Athletics pitcher Russ Springer, Hancock's ex-teammate in St. Louis. "I saw that same look with the Angels. It was that zombie look. For some guys, that didn't go away for a long time.

"It was especially hard at home because Josh's locker was there. You go to the bullpen, his number is on the wall. Different things bring you back to that day."

Said Cardinals outfielder Chris Duncan, who was one of Hancock's closest friends, "Even today, when I drive on the freeway past the spot where Josh died, I think about it. It's something you never really get over."

Yet with nearly six months left in the season, the Angels have no choice.

"The season doesn't have to be over," Cardinals hitting coach Hal McRae said. "You're never going to forget, but after the first two weeks, you start to feel better. And if you win, everything starts to feel better."

2009 MLB Predictions

I don't claim to be a prophet but I just happen to make smart guesses. Anyway, here are my predictions for the 2009 Major League Baseball season.

National League
East: Philadelphia Phillies
Central: St. Louis Cardinals
West: Arizona Diamondbacks
Wild Card: Los Angeles Dodgers

NLCS: St. Louis Cardinals over Arizona Diamondbacks

Cy Young: Brandon Webb, Arizona Diamondbacks
MVP: Albert "El Hombre" Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
ROY: Cameron Maybin, Florida Marlins

American League
East: Tampa Bay Rays
Central: Minnesota Twins
West: Los Angeles Angels
Wild Card: Toronto Blue Jays

ALCS: Minnesota Twins over Toronto Blue Jays

Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays
MVP: Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins
ROY: David Price, Tampa Bay Rays

World Series: St. Louis Cardinals over Minnesota Twins

My day went well...

But then I read this:

Fresh from winning his second NL MVP award, Albert Pujols is eyeing the future. As in, will St. Louis still be the right fit for him?

The Cardinals star said the team's commitment to winning will dictate if he re-signs when his contract expires in two years.

It's not about the money all the time," the first baseman said Sunday in Jupiter, Fla. "It's about being in a place to win and being in a position to win.

"If the Cardinals are willing to do that and put a team [on the field] every year like they have, I'm going to try to work everything out to stay in this town. But if they're not bringing championship-caliber play every year, then it's time for me to go somewhere else that I can win."

Pujols arrived in camp Sunday and spent time in the batting cage. He's signed to a seven-year, $100 million deal, and hit .357 with 37 home runs and 116 RBIs last season.

The Cardinals won the World Series in 2006, but have missed the playoffs the last two years. They were 86-76 last season, fourth in the NL Central. Their biggest offseason moves were trading for shortstop Khalil Greene and signing reliever Trever Miller.

Pujols had surgery on his right elbow to fix a nerve problem in November and is unsure how it will react to the everyday workload of spring training.

Manager Tony La Russa said the Cardinals will be "very careful in the progression with his drills and swinging and off-field work."

Pujols is uncertain if he will play for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic because of the surgery and insurance issues. He was a member of the team in 2006.

"I've already done it once," he said. "I need to make sure everything goes the right way."

The Cardinals better get their act together because El Hombre is a Cardinal for life!

Cards release Adam Kennedy

Post Dispatch:

The Cardinals have abruptly reversed course, releasing second baseman Adam Kennedy and declaring an open competition for the position, the Post-Dispatch has learned.

The move, apparently made at the strong urging of manager Tony La Russa, represents a 180-degree shift from the position staked out by the club in December after failing to find a trade partner for the veteran second baseman.

The Cardinals assume Kennedy’s $4 million salary for the upcoming season; Kennedy becomes a free agent.

Monday’s move creates an open competition for the position, barring a trade or free agent signing. Brendan Ryan, Brian Barden, Tyler Greene, Joe Thurston, Jarrett Hoffpauir and Skip Schumaker are considered the front-runners should the club promote from within. Ryan leads the group with 377 major-league at-bats in parts of two seasons with the Cardinals.

It's been a month...

There is not much going on as far as the offseason is concerned.

We have three outfield positions and five guys are trying to get a starting spot on the roster for those three spots.

The St. Louis Cardinals' outfield is so crowded some players are surprised they're still around.

Rick Ankiel was a big draw at the team's Winter Warmup on Sunday with his autograph going for $60, twice as much as the going rate for manager Tony La Russa. But it's been an uncertain offseason for the former pitcher who hit 25 homers in his first year as the starting center fielder, seeing his name mentioned as trade bait for a starting pitcher.

"Are they rumors or are they not?" Ankiel said. "I mean, who knows? I heard I was getting traded, but you never know until something happens.

"You prepare to play and that's all you can do."

Skip Schumaker thought he'd be part of a blockbuster deal for former Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday, who ended up in Oakland.

"I thought I was gone, I'm not going to lie to you," Schumaker told reporters. "I thought that was a done deal, and from everything I heard and from pretty good sources I thought I was definitely out of here."

The uncertainty is a byproduct of the team's depth. Schumaker and Ryan Ludwick are both coming off breakout years, Ankiel was a force at times and power-hitting Chris Duncan appears ready to reclaim playing time coming off cervical surgery.

Plus, 2005 first-round pick Colby Rasmus apparently is ready to crack the major leagues. That makes it five players for three spots.

Thus, the rumors. Schumaker and Holliday worked out with former home run champion Mark McGwire in the offseason, and discussed the possibility they'd be trading places with Ludwick joining Schumaker in Colorado.

"He didn't think it was Oakland, he'd never heard that and I don't think anybody really did," Schumaker said. "He thought the same thing as me, that he was probably headed here and I was probably headed there."