Cards' expanding rosters on Saturday; Berkman returns

The Saint Louis Cardinals--as well as every other team in Major League Baseball, will be expanding their rosters on this coming up Saturday (September 1st)--and veteran slugger first-baseman Lance Berkman will be activated after another long wait on the disabled list.

Manager Mike Matheny said himself in an interview to expect a "couple pitchers and a few position players." Berkman finished up his rehab assignment on Thursday night in Triple-A Memphis after he singled in his first and only at-bat after he was taken out for a pinch-runner because of the wet and slick conditions in the rain.

He finished his entire rehab assignment batting a lowly 3-for-17 with three walks and three strikeouts. While he isn't on fire or even close--and coming off a long layoff from the sport--but his bat could still be much needed--especially if the way that Furcal was feeling comes true; then he is most certainly needed.

Top pitching prospect Shelby Miller is not on the team's 40 man roster. The Cardinals have kept quiet over the past couple of days about the prospects and whether or not Miller will be rewarded for his recent success as he is considered among the group of pitchers that most likely--nobody will be enough to trade him away kind of player.

Other players the Cardinals want to call up for the season's final month have to be on the club's 40-man roster to be eligible for consideration. There are currently 39 players on that roster, meaning the Cardinals have the flexibility to add someone else.

Furcal strains elbow; heading back to St. Louis tomorrow

St. Louis Cardinals starting shortstop man Rafael Furcal may have played his last game of the season according to how he felt following a few throws that he made in the bottom of the sixth inning during Thursday night's game.

In the aftermath of the defending champions' 8-to-1 loss in the opener of a four game series against the Washington Nationals, following back-to-back throws Furcal made from second base to home plate, Rafael strained his right elbow--which in this situation--may just be the worst of the situation considering he throw's with his right hand despite batting left-handed.

 

During press-conferences following the game on Thursday, Furcal was asked whether or not he was concerned that the injury might affect the rest of the season or if it could possibly make him miss the rest of the season. When asked that particular question, Furcal responded with:

Sort of, it's bad. My wish is nothing crazy. 

Furcal, who started the season as the Cardinals leadoff man at the plate, is hitting a decisively low .264 overall with five home runs and 49-RBIs. Following a pretty fast start to the season at the plate, he has been on a slide for quite some time now--and was moved back down to eighth in the batting order.

Matheny stated about the entire situation in the post-game press-conferences:

You can't really describe it as losing a piece right now until we get all the information. He's been a phenomenal part of this team. He's had a great season.

 This certainly isn't the news that Cardinal Nation is wanting to hear right about this time. Losing a player such as Furcal would hurt in the fact that it certainly dims down our depth for the infield--and may just provide another chance given to Tyler Greene--which may possibly be my most disliked Cardinal player of all-time (lol). In all seriousness, lets really all just hope that the results of his MRI's come back negative. We would truly be missing out on a big piece to this teams' puzzle.

Nationals scored early and often; beat Cards 8-1

The Washington Nationals started off fast and finished the same way on Thursday night when they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 8 to 1 in the first of four games inside the nations' capital this weekend.

Bryce Harper hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first-inning after the table was set up from Jayson Werth getting on base with a single off Cards' starter Jaime Garcia.

Jayson Werth also hit a home run of his own--making the score at the time of 4-to-0 in the fourth inning. Both Werth and Harper combined for four runs and five runs batted in on four hits in nine total at-bats.

Entering tonight's contest, the Cardinals had not scored a run in twenty-two straight innings--but finally broke that string of scoreless innings in the top of the eighth inning--and that lone run was scored upon an error from a hit off the bat of Jon Jay that scored Bryan Anderson.

Washington's starting pitcher--former St. Louis Cardinal world champion of 2006, Edwin Jackson, struck out a career-high ten Redbirds and dominated the Cards for eight innings as he gave up just one run on four hits--making his record 8-9 overall on the season. 

The Cardinals' matched Jackson up head for head with the likes of the struggling lefty, Jaime Garcia--and for the fourth time in his last six starts, he recieved the loss as he went just five and one-third innings--giving up six runs on nine hits, dropping his record to 3-6 overall on the season.

The Cardinals finished the game with just four hits--and the trio of Jon Jay, Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday all finished with no hits and two strikeouts each. 

With the fact that the Pittsburgh Pirates had the day off--they are now just a half game behind the Cardinals in the Wild Card race and as of this moment the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are a game out following the Nationals win, and are trailing 2-0 to Arizona in the top of the sixth. 

The Cardinals and Nationals will be back at it again tomorrow as it will be the second game of their current four game series in Washington. The defending champs will look to build on there now 71-60 record with Adam Wainwright on the mound.

Pre-Gamin' with RedBird Nation: [at Nationals] 6:05pm

Tonight marks the start of a four game series and the end to the St. Louis Cardinals' current ten-game road trip as they are hosted by the National League East's leading Washington Nationals.

The defending champions are 3-3 on the road trip that will come to an end on Sunday following these next four games. The Cardinals started it off right by beating the Cincinnati Reds two out of three games but then followed it up by losing two of three to the Pirates--which now has them just one game out in the race for the final Wild Card spot in the National League.

Washington enters tonight's contest with an overall record of 78-51 and has a five-game lead over the second-place Atlanta Braves in the National League East. The Nats will send former Cardinal and World Series champion Edwin Jackson to the mound against Jaime Garcia--in the return of Yadier Molina.

Here is a look at the lineup that manager Mike Matheny put together for his squad for tonight's contest:

1. Jon Jay (Centerfield)
2. Carlos Beltran (Right Field)
3. Matt Holliday (Left Field)
4. Allen Craig (First Base)
5. Yadier Molina (Catcher)
6. David Freese (Third Base)
7. Skip Schumaker (Second Base)
8. Rafael Furcal (Shortstop)
9. Jaime Garcia (Starting Pitcher)

BREAKING NEWS: Yadier Molina returning to the lineup

According to an inside source from around the Saint Louis Cardinals organization, the word has been spreading around the clubhouse that four-time Gold-Glove catching catcher Yadier Molina will be returning to the defending champions lineup and behind home plate in tonight's opening game of the Cardinals' four game series against the Washington Nationals.

Molina, who was involved in a collision on a play at the plate with the Pirates' Josh Harrison during Tuesday nights 9-to-0 loss, was diagnosed with strains to his upper back, left shoulder, and his neck and had missed the game yesterday in which the Pirates won five to zero.

The initial play at the plate that caused the injury to Yadi was one that was very-highly talked about from around the league but in the end to many, was a clean play at the plate--just a hard-nosed effort.

This is very good news for the Cardinals, considering Molina is having a career-season at plate with the bat in his hands--as well as having the best percentage of base-runners thrown out from a catcher, once again. It is starting to become blatantly obvious that their really isn't anybody more important to any ball club than Molina is to the Cardinals.

Making the move a little more interesting is the fact that the Cardinals will be facing former teammate Edwin Jackson tonight--and in Yadi's career against the starting pitcher, he is 7-for-8 (.875) with one home run and a walk as well. Tonight's game will deliver the first pitch at 6:05pm Central Time and will be televised on FOX Sports Midwest; as well as the MLB Network.

Cardinals, Nationals battle in possible playoff preview

The Saint Louis Cardinals will be looking to rebound from their previous series loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates and end this current ten-game road trip as they battle it out against the National League East's leading Washington Nationals for four games starting tonight in the nation's capital in what could be a possible playoff series preview.

The Nationals (78-51) are currently ahead of the Atlanta Braves by five games for the division title in the East while the Cardinals (71-59) are currently in the final wild card spot in the National League as both the Pittsburgh Pirates (1 GB) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (1.5 GB) are right on their tails.

Tonight's game will be the first of seven meetings between the two teams in the final month as this weekend they will play four in DC--and then meet again for three more in St. Louis at Busch Stadium on the final weekend of the regular season. Last season the two ball clubs met six times with the Nationals coming out on top in four of the six overall.

The defending world-champion Cardinals are 3-3 entering the final stop on there ten game road trip; and are in need of some much-needed wins. Every game from here on out will continue to build up to be bigger and bigger as the Wild Card spot could very well come down to the final day of the season--but the same could be said for the Nationals as well.

Washington hasn't made a postseason appearance since 1981 when they were formerly known as the Montreal Expos--and with still over thirty games remaining, while five games is a decent lead--we learned last season that no lead is safe, and the team that is trailing them for the division crown (the Braves), is the one team that knows all to well about that.

Here is a preview of this weekend's four game series between two of the best teams that the National League has to offer:

Game 1-Thursday, August 30th: 6:05pm Central Time: FOX Sports Midwest/MLB Network
(STL) Jaime Garcia (3-5, 4.15 ERA) against (WSH) Edwin Jackson (7-9, 3.72 ERA)

Game 2-Friday, August 31st: 6:05pm Central Time: FOX Sports Midwest
(STL) Adam Wainwright (13-10, 3.63 ERA) versus (WSH) Gio Gonzalez (16-7, 3.28 ERA)

Game 3-Saturday, September 1st: 3:05pm Central Time: FOX Regionally
(STL) Kyle Lohse (14-2, 2.64 ERA) versus (WSH) Jordan Zimmerman (9-8, 2.63 ERA)

Game 4-Sunday, September 2nd: 12:35pm Central Time: FOX Sports Midwest
(STL) Jake Westbrook (13-10, 3.94 ERA) versus (WSH) Stephen Strasburg (15-6, 3.05 ERA)

Are the 2012 Washington Nationals REALLY this good?

As the defending-champion Saint Louis Cardinals get set to open up a four game series against the Washington Nationals, the question everybody is really wanting to know is; are the National League East leaders' really this good?

Two words in my mind sum up the exact answer to that question; heck yes!

Despite the team being one of the youngest in the entire league, and not having much-to-any postseason experience under there belts, the Nationals are indeed a nitty unit that have just about as much potential as any other team in the majors.

As they enter tonight's series opener, Washington (78-51) currently holds a five game lead over the Atlanta Braves in the East division title race--and not only do they know how to win at home; they are importantly also one of the best teams in all of the Major League's on the road. They are currently twelve games over .500 in front of the home crowd (36-24), they are even better away from home, as they are fifteen games over the .500 mark (42-27).

Team manager Davey Johnson currently has the nattitude in order, as they are just a half game behind the Cincinnati Reds for the best record in all of baseball--which considering the fact that this franchise hasn't seen the postseason since they were the Montreal Expos' back in 1981, they are making everybody take notice--and sending a message that they will be around for a while.

As September is just days away, the Nationals are currently third overall in the league in runs scored/runs allowed differential as they are +96. The only two teams that are currently ahead of them in that category--last seasons' two World Series teams--the Cardinals (+113) and the Texas Rangers (+111).

On offense, they are led by guys such as Adam LaRoche, Ryan Zimmerman, Ian Desmond, and rookie sensation Bryce Harper (40). All three of LaRoche (78), Zimmerman (67) and Desmond (57) all have atleast 57 runs batted in--and also at least sixteen home runs.

Also, despite him missing a lot of time due to an ankle injury, Jayson Werth is also a major factor in this lineup when he is infact healthy. In just 51 games total in 2012, the Chatham, Illinois native is batting .301 at the plate with just three home runs and twenty-one RBIs. The rookie sensation that Harper has been, in 106 games played, he has hit fourteen home runs and an impressive 40 RBIs--including two home runs and three RBIs in last nights 8-to-4 victory over the Miami Marlins.

Aside from the offense, the pitching that this unit has is the main reason they are indeed title contenders in my opinion--without a single doubt in my mind. The pitching staff that the Nationals have has allowed the least amount of runs in the league as they have allowed 463--which is eleven less runs than the second-least of 474 from the Tampa Bay Rays.

In both a five game or seven game series in the post-season, there staff is built very nice--especially with the youth that they have. Stephen Strasburg is the ace and when he is on, there isn't many teams that can get inside his head. Him and Gio Gonzalez have combined for 31 wins on the season--and if healthy, form one of the best duo's in all of baseball.

Gonzalez has won sixteen games, Strasburg has won fifteen, and Jordan Zimmerman--who is possibly one of the best number three's in the majors, has won nine--but holds an ERA of 2.63. Edwin Jackson, who is a former Cardinal, also has been impressive this season--and has helped make this pitching rotation one of the deepest in the league.

In 60 total appearances so far this season, Nationals' closer Tyler Clippard has 28 saves in 32 opportunities and has an impressive total of just eighteen earned-runs allowed in 59 1/3 innings of relief. While he may not be the best, he's still a young kid with a high cieling--and when the kid is on and hitting his spots, not many players can hit him.

Also, an impressive stat that doesn't mean much come September and October--but does say something about the team--they own better than a .500 record over every division in baseball--which includes interleague play. They are 34-23 against there own division, 19-8 against the Central, 15-12 out West--and they finished 10-8 in interleague play.

While many people still have doubts about this team whether it be because of the youth, experience, lack of post-season or offense--the guys in that locker room all believe they can be just as good as anybody--and when it comes down to baseball in October--confidence is a huge part of it. As every baseball fan knows--especially us Cards' fans, just make it to the post-season and then anything and everything is possible. This season's Washington Nationals are legit.

Alvarez stays hot; Bucs blast Cards to win season series

The only good news that the defending world-champion Saint Louis Cardinals got on Wednesday night was the fact that they are done pitching to Pedro Alvarez.

The third baseman--who hit two home runs during last night's nine to zero win--proceeded right a long again tonight of continuing his season-long dominance of the defending 2011 world champions. In the bottom half of the third inning, he blasted his twenty-sixth bomb of the season and drove in three runs as the Pirates once again shut out St. Louis for the second straight game.

Wandy Rodriguez was impressive tonight as he pitched six scoreless innings, giving up just three hits and three strikeouts--but three walks on the night as well. The win was his ninth of the season and put the Pirates at just one game behind the Cardinals for the National League's final Wild Card spot.

The Cardinals managed to muster out just five hits on the night--and even worse, they haven't scored in the last twenty-one innings altogether--which isn't what you can afford to do at this time of the season if you're even thinking about doing something in October. St. Louis got two hits each from both of the likes of Tony Cruz and David Freese and just one from Carlos Beltran.

Joe Kelly made his first start back since the team made Lance Lynn move back to the bullpen and making Kelly a starter once again. He picked up the loss on the night and made his record fall to 4-6 overall. He lasted just five innings as he have up all five of the Pirates' runs on the night on eight hits and three walks. He struck out three and gave up one home run.

Trevor Rosenthal was certainly a bright spot for the defending champs tonight--as he pitched three scoreless innings out of the bullpen and struck out three batters while giving up just one hit. He was the only bullpen member that was used in the lost--but he improved his overall season ERA 2.35.

Pittsburgh blasted out nine total hits--but besides Alvarez's three run home run in the bottom of the third, Greg Jones doubled in the first to right field that scored Travis Snider. Josh Harrison singled to center and scored Alvarez in the bottom of the fifth--which made Pedro finish the night off with two runs scored.

Following tonight's game, everybody that the Cardinals are battling for the post season against all gained a game on the defending champs. The Reds, Braves, Dodgers and the Pirates of course, gained a game in the standings. The Dodgers are now a game and a half behind and the Pirates are now just one game behind--and hold the tie breaker in which would make Pittsburgh the host if their were to be a one game playoff between the two.

The Cardinals are now 3-3 on their current ten game road trip that will come to an end on Sunday following a four game series in the nations' capital against the National League East's leading Nationals.

PreGamin' with RedBird Nation: (at Pirates) 6:05pm

There is nothing better in the entire sport of baseball than the feeling of being involved in the hunt for the playoffs--and tonight, when the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates battle it out for the last scheduled time in this 2012 season, their is quite a bit on the line for both teams.

The two National League Central opponents have both won seven games apiece and entering tonight's rubber match of their last three game series of the season, Saint Louis currently leads Pittsburgh by just two games in the race for the National League's final Wild Card spot.

Considering tonight will determine who wins the head-to-head battle for the season, if indeed their happens to be a one-game playoff between them, the winner of tonight's game would own home-field advantage--which isn't the best of news considering the team will be without four-time All-Star catcher Yadier Molina following his collision at the plate last night with Josh Harrison.

I'm certainly not going to call this an absolute must-win for the Cardinals tonight--as actually I feel it is for the Pirates--but it could go a long way in the end depending on how they respond from last night's 9-0 pounding that the defending champions. Joe Kelly will be going head-to-head on the mound against the Pirates' Wandy Rodriguez. Here is a quick look at the lineup for tonight's all-important game:

1. Jon Jay (CenterField)
2. Carlos Beltran (Right Field)
3. Matt Holliday (Left Field)
4. Allen Craig (First Base)
5. David Freese (Third Base)
6. Skip Schumaker (Second Base)
7. Tony Cruz (Catcher)
8. Rafael Furcal (Shortstop)
9. Joe Kelly (Starting Pitcher)

Chris Carpenter throws bullpen session; return soon?

As if the man hasn't proven himself as one of the toughest pitchers in the entire MLB already, Cardinals' ace Chris Carpenter is once again aiming for a possible return to the mound this season.

For the first time since mid-July when he underwent surgery on his shoulder for thoracic outlet syndrome, Carpenter threw 40 pitches in a private bullpen session on Tuesday--and the best news, he did it all pain free.

During the throwing sessions he threw yesterday, he threw 50 total of 120 feet away and is now currently on his road to recovery, again. While he is still some time from a return to the majors, at least he is making good progress.

Just take a few minutes and just imagine the potential, depth and talent that this teams pitching rotation as a whole has. Just the thought of him returning gives me goose bumps--and not to mention, probably fear to teams all around the league.

Carpenter is expected to have another bullpen session on Friday, August 31st (which by the way is my birthday, lol).

Despite the chances of Carp returning this season being still very slim, it is still a possibility. Nothing would be better for this team than getting back one of the best starting pitchers over the past decade--even if it were for the bullpen.

As the saying always goes..whatever happens, happens. In this current situation that we have at our hands right now, all we can do is one thing...HOPE.

Cardinals get good news on Molina following collision

Tuesday night was a night to put in the trash can for the defending world-champion Saint Louis Cardinals following both the collision at home-plate with Josh Harrison, and the nine-run loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates--but there was some good news involved in it at least.

Yadier was removed from tonight's game after injuring his back, neck and left shoulder in a nasty-looking collision at home plate with Josh Harrison.

Harrison was attempting to score from second base following a single by Jose Tabata in the bottom of the second inning when he pummelledly slammed into Molina. Harrison's left shoulder caught Molina high and the current and four-time All Star catcher fell over backward, holding onto the ball--and to say the least--impressively recording the out.

Yadier stayed and remained on the ground for several minutes before slowly getting to his feet and walking to the dugout. Tony Cruz, who has had some good games with the team this season.

The best news out of this terrible day in the great world of Cardinal Nation was that the Cardinals' are saying that Molina was diagnosed with upper back, left shoulder and neck strain and is day-to-day.

Despite the fact that Yadi is a major factor in all the success that the team has had over the span of the entire season, I honestly believe they should rest him at the very least a few times every week. Although reports are that he is currently day-to-day and that the injuries aren't very serious--he has been abused all season long.

Yadi is most certainly the best catcher in baseball--and to be honest, he may just be the best offensive hitting catcher this season as he is setting career-high numbers in just about every major category--and in retrospective and many folks along with myself, know and believe he is the best defensive catcher that the sport of baseball has seen in a long while--my whole life of twenty-two years old anyways.

So to all of my fellow folks that are all apart of Saint Louis RedBird Nation, all that matters is that Yadi is fine from the reports from reliable sources--and that the motorized engine that Yadier Molina is to this team is just day-to-day--following a collision that could have resulted in a lot worse situation.

Alvarez hits two bombs; Pirates beat the Cardinals

Josh Harrison provided the pop. Pedro Alvarez provided the power. The reeling Pittsburgh Pirates eagerly accepted both.

Alvarez homered twice and drove in four runs after Harrison barreled into St. Louis catcher Jadier Molina and the Pirates rolled to a 9-0 victory over the Cardinals on Tuesday night.

While Alvarez crushed his 24th and 25th home runs of the season, it was Harrison's violent collision at home plate with Molina in the second inning that sent the message the struggling Pirates aren't quite finished just yet.

Harrison broke from second on Jose Tabata's single to right with two outs and dashed for the plate. By the time he got there, Molina had the ball in his hands. The second baseman lowered his left shoulder and plowed into the catcher's head. Molina somehow held onto the ball to end the inning.

It also ended his night.

Molina got up slowly and went to the clubhouse with neck, back and shoulder injuries and was replaced by Tony Cruz. Watching Molina walk off the field was difficult, but Harrison insisted he had no choice. Molina, who complained of a headache afterward, doesn't believe the hit was malicious.

The play seemed to energize the Pirates, who snapped out of a weeklong funk and drew within two games of St. Louis for the NL's second wild-card spot. Having the streaky Alvarez heating up once again certainly helped. The third baseman hit a two-run homer in the third to give the Pirates a comfortable lead, added an RBI double in the fourth then hit a 469-foot blast to center in the sixth.

It was more than enough offense for James McDonald (12-6), who gave up two hits in seven efficient innings, walking one and striking out six to beat the Cardinals and Jake Westbrook (13-10) for the second time in the last two weeks.

Using his curveball to keep the surging Cardinals off balance, McDonald looked like the pitcher that was one of baseball's biggest surprises during the first half of the year, not the one that has stumbled at times over the last six weeks.

McDonald had little trouble against the Cardinals' surging lineup, surrendering only a two-out single to Molina in the second and a two-out double to Jon Jay in the sixth. Other than that he was flawless, allowing Pittsburgh's weary bullpen to get a needed break.

Playing with a cushion for once didn't hurt. The Pirates came in losers in six of their last seven since a dramatic 19-inning victory in St. Louis on Aug. 19, forced to play catch-up most nights while the starting pitching faltered.

This time, the Pirates jumped out early.

Garrett Jones hit a sacrifice fly to give Pittsburgh the lead and the Pirates continued to build. Alvarez hit a two-run shot to the notch in left-center to make it 3-0 in the third and got things started in the fifth with an RBI double to score Andrew McCutchen.

McKenry added a run-scoring single to make it 5-0. Westbrook exacted a little payback by drilling Harrison in the leg with a fastball, drawing a warning to both dugouts from home plate umpire Adrian Johnson.

Harrison took no offense at pitch, calling it ''a part of the game.'' He didn't stay at first for long anyway. Clint Barmes followed the plunking with a two-run single the Pirates were up 7-0.

That was more than enough for McDonald. The Cardinals failed to get a runner to third while McDonald was in the game while getting shut out for the second time this month and the seventh time this season.
Westbrook has been a key part of the Cardinals' rise during the second half, winning six of his previous seven decisions. He could do little right on a night the Pirates snapped out of their swoon in a big way.

Yadier Molina becoming the face of the Cards' franchise

For the rest of the die-hard fans and members of the St. Louis Cardinals--no matter what really happens from here on out in this 2012 season, fans and experts need to give this organization (front office, team management, players) and fans a helluva lot of credit.

Just months from the time that Allen Craig caught the final out of the seventh-game seven-game dramatic World Series championship victory for the city of St. Louis and the Cardinals, it certainly has been one big roller coaster.

As if losing a manager like Tony La Russa, who, atleast to most, know was one of the all-time great managers, wasn't enough--they then lost probably the best player of the past decade in Albert Pujols--who for eleven seasons in a row--was an idol to Cardinal Nation and just baseball fans in general.

With all that said, this team hasn't had any let downs and have held their heads high the entire time--whether they are winning, losing, playing good, or playing bad--they all have done a great job to avoid the distractions and play some good St. Louis Cardinals baseball.

The absolute best part about the entire situations, the one guy that a lot of so called "experts" predicted and said would feel the heat the most--starting catcher Yadier Molina--is now putting the team on his own back and putting up career numbers while helping his team win.

As many already knew--or could tell at the very leart--Yadier was very close with Albert during their tenure as teammates right here in Saint Louis--but instead of being sad, mad, or upset about it--he's putting his emotions into his game with the bat in his hands--and the cannon of an arm that he has.

Through tonight's win against the Pirates, the thirty-year old from Puerto Rico currently owns the teams best batting average at .324--and along with that, with still over a month remaining to play, he has set career-highs from the plate in home runs with 17, stolen bases (11), and of course as was just mentioned, his batting average (.324).

Also, he is just five runs scored, fourteen hits, seven doubles, and four RBIs away from setting new career-highs in all of them categories as well--he certainly has been working a lot on his hitting with the bat in his hands.

Besides his presence at the plate though, his defense and his arm is by far the best attribute that he brings to the table. Out of all the stolen base attempts that he has had against him, he currently has the best numbers in all of baseball at throwing runners out as he has thrown out .462 percent.

Molina has always been a big fan favorite here in St. Louis since he made his debut in the 2004 season--but as he is getting older, the man is only getting better. In all honesty, he is a large part of why the team has stayed in contention for the division and currently in a wild card spot. Take him off our team, not only does our offense decrease--but so do the wins as well as our pitching rotation.

Yadier is doing it all this season and his numbers are showing it. Their is a reason why Molina is becoming the face of this St. Louis Cardinals franchise more and more each and every day.

Lohse and Holliday lead Cardinals to win over Pirates

The Saint Louis Cardinals traveled to Pittsburgh to begin a crucial three-game series tonight--and following big games from starting pitcher Kyle Lohse and outfield-slugger Matt Holliday, the defending world-champions defeated the Pirates 4-to-3 inside PNC Park in a game that included a thirty-three minute rain delay.

Both teams entered battling for the final Wild Card spot in the National League--and in a game that both teams were scoreless throughout the first eighteen outs (three innings), the Pirates got on the scoreboard first as they managed to score two runs in the bottom of the fourth-inning.

Pittsburgh, who has been one of the season's biggest suprises so far this season, scored the first two runs of the game in the bottom of the fourth when Andrew McCutchen had an RBI single that drove in Jose Tabata--followed up with an RBI sacrifice-fly that drove in Travis Snider off the bat of Jerry Harrison.

That two-run lead for Pittsburgh didn't last for very long though.

The defending world-champions tied the game up in the top of the fifth-inning with two runs of their own after Skip Schumaker hit an RBI double to left field that drove in Yadier Molina, followed by starting pitcher Kyle Lohse drove in Schumaker on a single to shallow center.

The top of the sixth-inning, the Cards' offense was back at it again. Matt Holliday homered on a deep bomb to right field--while Molina hit a sac-fly to right field that drove in Allen Craig--giving the Cardinals a 4-to-2 lead--which eventually proved to be the game-winning runs.

Despite pitching just five-innings of work tonight, Lohse managed to give up just two runs on five hits while striking out three but walking none. He improved his overall record to 14-2 overall on the season--and his earned-run average down to 2.64 for the year.

The bullpen did an excellent job tonight as well, as the unit combined to go four innings, giving up just one run on four hits. The unit tonight featured the arms of Lance Lynn, Fernando Salas, Mitchell Boggs, Marc Rzepcznski--and the man who closed it out for the thirty-first time after recording the final four outs--Jason Motte.

In his first bullpen appearance this season since swapping spots with Joe Kelly after yesterday's game--he gave up the only run the bullpen allowed--but he also looked pretty impressive. In relief, Lynn pitched 1 1/3 innings, giving up one run and just two total hits.

Lohse's counter-partner from tonight's game, AJ Burnett, recieved the lost to fall to 15-5 overall with an earned-run average at 3.67. He lasted 5 2/3 innings tonight as he allowed four runs--with one unearned--on seven hits--and following the Pirates bullpen coming in: Hughes, Grilli, and Watson all three combined to allow no runs in 3 1/3 innings of relief.

The Cards' recorded there league-leading 30th triple of the season when Jon Jay did it in the third-inning. Holliday's home run was his 28th of the season--and put him in the lead in RBIs in the National League with 90 altogether.

With tonight's much-needed win, the defending champions currently now lead the Pirates by three games, the Dodgers by 2.5 games in the Wild Card standings--and trail Cincinnati by five and a half (pending tonights results--Reds currently lead DBacks 3-to-2 in the sixth).

Game two of this three game series will begin tomorrow night with the first pitch once again scheduled at the same time as tonight--6:05pm Saint Louis time (Central Time). Tomorrow's pitching matchup will consist of the Cardinals' Jake Westbrook and the Pirates' James McDonald.

PreGamin' with RedBird Nation: (at Pirates) 6:05pm-8/27

The Saint Louis Cardinals are coming off a series win in which they took two-of-three games against the first-place Cincinnati Reds over the weekend--and starting tonight, another huge series is the hand that has been dealt.

Entering the contest tonight, the defending champion Cardinals currently trail the Reds for the division lead by just six games--and own the final Wild Card spot at the moment with a game and a half lead over the Dodgers--and by two games over tonight's opponent, the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Here is a quick glimpse at the lineup that manager Mike Matheny decided to put together for tonight's series opener on the road against the Pirates' starting pitcher AJ Burnett--who by no means has been a slouch at all this season.

1. Jon Jay (Centerfield)
2. Matt Carpenter (Third BaseO
3. Matt Holliday (Left Field)
4. Allen Craig (First Base)
5. Carlos Beltran (Right Field)
6. Yadier Molina (Catcher)
7. Skip Schumaker (Second Base)
8. Rafael Furcal (Shortstop)
9. Kyle Lohse (Pitcher)

Tonight's game will be televised on FOX Sports Midwest and will deliever the first pitch at 6:05 pm Saint Louis time. If the defending champs are serious about making another serious run at a World Championship, these are the games they have got to win.

Cardinals-Pirates battle in pivitol three game series

The Saint Louis Cardinals (70-57) and Pittsburgh Pirates (68-59) open up a crucial three game series starting tonight in a series' matchup that has major implications for the National League's final Wild Card spot.

The defending champion St. Louis Cardinals are still in contention to catch the first-place Cincinnati Reds for the Central division crown--but holding off the Pirates, who are just two games behind the Cardinals for the Wild Card, is still a current concern that can't be taken lightly.

Pittsburgh will be looking to rebound following a disappointing home series against the Milwaukee Brewers, and have currently only won just one game in there previous six overall. As for the Cardinals, following the Reds series, they are currently 2-1 on this crucial ten-game road trip that will end at Washington at the end of next weekend.

Here is a quick glimpse of the probable starting pitchers for this series:

-Game 1: Saint Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates (6:05pm Central Time, FSN Midwest)

(STL) Kyle Lohse (13-2, 2.61 ERA) vs. (PIT) A.J. Burnett (15-4, 3.63 ERA)

-Game 2: Saint Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates (6:05pm Central Time, FSN Midwest)

(STL) Jake Westbrook (13-9, 3.67 ERA) vs. (PIT) James McDonald (11-6, 3.73 ERA)

-Game 3: Saint Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates (6:00pm Central Time, FSN Midwest/ESPN)

(STL) Joe Kelly (4-5, 3.26 ERA) vs. (PIT) Wandy Rodriguez (1-4, 4.86 ERA)

Cardinals beat Reds in series; Pirates up next

The Cincinnati Reds welcomed in our defending champion Saint Louis Cardinals in to town over this past weekend for a three game series--while holding a six game division lead--and the Birds left town gaining one game after taking two of the three games.

-Game 1-Cardinals 8, Cincinnati Reds 5  W-Joe Kelly (4-5)  L-Mat Latos (10-4)  S-Motte (30)
-Game 2-Cincinnati Reds 8, Cardinals 2  W-Mike Leake (6-8)  L-Jaime Garia (3-5)
-Game 3-Cardinals 8, Cincinnati Reds 2  W-Adam Wainwright (13-10)  L-Homer Bailey (10-9)  S-None

Following the series win over this past weekend, manager Mike Matheny and his Cardinals improved to just six games out of the Central division lead against the Reds--and extended there Wild Card lead over both the Los Angeles Dodgers (1.5 GB) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (2 GB).

Right around this time last season, the Cardinals were in a bit of a different situation than the current one--but with that being said, they still have work to do. Starting on Monday night, just after playing the Reds, they will be back on the road for a three game series against one of the teams that are chasing them--the Pittsburgh Pirates.

With just over a month left in the 2012 regular season, the defending champions have a lot more left to prove if they are going to make a statement about making the post-season once again. A lot of people have already counted out this team for winning the division--but with no disrespect towards Cincinnati, we all know how they have a past of flopping in the end--while our beloved Cardinals have a past of making big runs deep and late into the season.

Here is a preview of the upcoming series starting tonight against the third-place Pittsburgh Pirates on the road with the first pitch being delivered at 6:05 pm Central Time:

(Monday)-Game 1: Saint Louis at Pittsburgh (Kyle Lohse vs. AJ Burnett) 6:05 pm Central Time
(Tuesday)-Game 2: Saint Louis at Pittsburgh (Jake Westbrook vs. James McDonald) 6:05 pm Central Time
(Wednesday)-Game 3: Saint Louis at Pittsburgh (Joe Kelly vs. Wandy Rodriguez) 6:00 pm Central Time

Pre-Gamin' with RedBird Nation (at Reds) 3:05pm (8/25)

Less than twenty-four hours following the St. Louis Cardinals' much-needed 8-to-5 series opening win against the Cincinnati Reds last night at Great American Ball Park, the two teams will battle it out for the second time later on this afternoon as the defending champions look to get back to within five games of the National League Central division lead.

As it may come as a surprise to some around baseball, manager Mike Matheny has decided to give both David Freese and Yadier Molina the day off--with the likes of Matt Carpenter and Tony Cruz filling in the voids--as they will be going up against the Reds' starting pitcher Mike Leake.

Jaime Garcia, who is on the mound for the Cardinals today, will be making just his second start since he returned from the disabled-list on June 6th. In his first start back last week, Garcia recieved a no-decision in a 6-to-3 loss to the Pirates on August 19th in a game in which he pitched eight innings, giving up just two runs (0 earned) on five hits before the bullpen eventually gave it up in nineteen innings.

Here is a quick glimpse at the lineup that manager Mike Matheny has put together for this afternoon's contest  which will deliver the first pitch at 3:05 pm Central Time televised nationally on FOX;

1. Jon Jay (Centerfield)
2. Matt Carpenter (Third Base)
3. Matt Holliday (Left Field)
4. Allen Craig (First Base)
5. Carlos Beltran (Right Field)
6. Skip Schumaker (Second Base)
7. Tony Cruz (Catcher)
8. Rafael Furcal (Shortstop)
9. Jaime Garcia (Pitcher)       

Joe Kelly back into rotation; Lance Lynn back to bullpen

Less than twenty-four hours following the St. Louis Cardinals much needed 8-to-5 win over the division-leading Cincinnati Reds on Friday night, team management made the decision to demote Lance Lynn to the bullpen while placing rookie pitcher Joe Kelly back into the starting rotation.

As the Cardinals are currently in a wild-card spot with the Atlanta Braves--as both the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Los Angeles Dodgers are chasing them for the final spots--the Cardinals are in need of a spark-plug, and many people around Cardinal Nation believe that this could be just that.

Following the news that came out last month that had the Cardinals' ace Chris Carpenter was going to be having season-ending shoulder surgery, the starting rotation took a big hit--or at least that is what most fans and so called "experts" seemed to believe.

In all reality though, while Carpenter isn't exactly a guy that you can just replace and not miss very much, this seasons' starting rotation has turned heads around the league all season--and they are looking to continue doing so from here on out as well.

Many fans may find the current swapping of the two pitchers as a pretty big suprise. Not myself, though. Although Lynn started out looking as a Cy Young award canidate, lately he has been on a slide--and in all honesty, it may have a lot to do with the work-load that he has been given thus far this season.

Lynn has already pitched a career-high in innings with 144 and 1/3, and as many already know, it is his first season ever as a starting pitcher at the major league level. In his twenty-five starts, he has an overall record of 13-5 but hasn't recieved a win since July 27th--which was against the lowly Cubbies. He won all of his first four starts this season--but in his last five starts, he has allowed seventeen runs and the team won just one of them starts.

Kelly on the other hand, who is also a rookie, and a former closer in college, has started twelve games but has also made two appearances out of the bullpen, and has made a name for himself around Cardinal Nation--as well as around the baseball world.

Following his first career start in which he got a no-decision against the Cleveland Indians after giving up just one run on seven hits, he pitched five innings and looked stellar before being taken out. He became only the third Cardinals' starting pitcher to allow three runs or less in each of his first ten starts--joining the likes of Matt Morris and the all-time great Bob Gibson.

The move from the vibe that I had gotten during last night's big win was that this move is a very good one--but only time will really tell the tale. Both are youngsters and both want to solitify there spot on the team, and these could possibly be the teams recipe to making it back into the playoffs.

Nobody is saying that this move will stick around and hold up for the rest of this season, but for the moment, you can only hope that both guys calm down and accept there roles--if they really are serious about making another run at back-to-back world championships.

Normally this type of situation with a pitcher that owns a record of 13-5 would be a disaster for any team at this point and time during the season--but honestly, this problem that the 2011 defending World-Champion Cardinals have could be nothing short of a blessing--but then again, only time will tell.

Make-or-Break road trip for the defending-champions

While the defending champion Saint Louis Cardinals enter this weekend's three game series at Great American Ball Park against the first-place leading Reds, manager Mike Matheny and this season's squad knows exactly how big these next ten games, and three series' exactly are.

In the next three series, the Cardinals will be traveling to Ohio to play three against the first-place Cincinnati Reds, following a three game road trip to Pittsburgh to play three against another Wild Card opponent, ending the road-stand with four in the nation's capital against the Washington Nationals--and by no means, are any of these series going to be easy--but to say the least, will be very exciting and entertaining.

The Cardinals currently beat the Reds tonight by a score of 8-to-5, and with the win, they picked up one game on them in the National League Central title race--putting them at just six ball games out. Pittsburgh also lost on the night--and with that, they now lead both the Pirates and Dodgers by two games in the Wild Card race for the final spot (Dodgers game is currently in progress).

With a 1-0 start to the ten-game road trip, the Cardinals' most certainly need to keep this going and continue gaining momentum. It was exactly one year ago that this squad started the games' greatest comeback of all-time---and if there is one thing they know how to do--it's play a strong nine-innings long of baseball.

Although it is late August at the moment, which all-in-all basically means we have about a full month of ball left to be played, this road-stand could most certainly be a make-or-break type of trip. If the team falls flat and finishes with just a couple wins--which translate into both the Reds and Pirates gaining games on them, that could spell doom to this current team--which in my opinion, isn't exactly a word the Cardinals have in there dictionary as of late.

If they can fight and continue winning and make this an impressive road trip, it could put all the momentum into the hands of this team--and if they can gain confidence and get hot at the right time--especially right around late September and early October, this team is defininetly a team that could win another championship.

While all-in-all it seems to be a long shot at the moment for this current team to go back-to-back as World Champions and be the first team to do it since the New York Yankees, this current ten game road trip could have a lot to say and do with the teams regular season and postseason fate. 

Right now, it is make or break time for the defending world champions.

Cardinals rally in the sixth; beat Reds 8-to-5 on Friday

In what started out as a slow and scary part for manager Mike Matheny and his defending world-champions in the first-inning; the team knew exactly what needed to be done in the opener of this three game series; as well as the start of a huge ten-game road trip that could determine the fate of the season--and that was a win.

Following two runs from the first-place Cincinnati Reds and one more in each of the first three innings of baseball, the Reds lead the game 4-to-1 and had starting pitcher Mat Latos cruising along--but as the Cardinals finished the game with an 8-to-5 win, you can tell it just wasn't enough.

Allen Craig started the six-inning, six-run rally when he homered deep to center field in a long bomb that drove in both Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday. Craig's deep bomb was his nineteenth on the season--and was his 68th overall RBI on the season.

Just three pitches later, Yadier Molina hit his career-high seventeenth home run of the season--having the Cardinals' hit back-to-back bombs to put them ahead for good eventually as it gave them a 6-to-5 lead. Later on in the inning, Rafael Furcal had an RBI single that drove in David Freese--following a sacrifice fly from Matt Carpenter to drive in Schumaker--which ended the games' scoring on the night at 8-to-5 Cardinals.

The Reds got RBIs' from Brandon Phillips (65), Todd Fraizer (59), Scott Rolen (31) and Ryan Hanigan (17). The Reds left thirteen runners on base while the Cardinals left just seven on for the game.

Lance Lynn had one of his shortest outing of this season--but the bullpen did an amazing job to help lead the Cardinals to victory. Lynn lasted just two-innings as he gave up four runs on six hits--but got a no-decision as Joe Kelly relieved him out of the bullpen--leading him to receive the win to improve to (4-5). The bullpen pitched seven innings on the night, giving up just one run on six-hits--and leading to closer Jason Motte picking up his 30th save on the season.

As for the Reds, Mat Latos pitched five innings in a game in which recieved the loss--as he gave up seven runs on nine hits and inflated his overall ERA to 3.84 on the season. Simon and LeCure came in from the Reds' bullpen on the night--as they gave up one run on five hits.

The win brings the Cardinals to within six games of the National League Central division lead; and with the Pittsburgh Pirates losing again tonight, they gained a game on them with results pending on the Los Angeles Dodgers final results. Tomorrow, the two teams will battle it out for game two of this pivotal three game series at 3:05 pm Central Time on FOX, which will be regionally televised depending on where you live.

Cardinals, Reds battle start pivotal series tonight (8/24)

The Saint Louis Cardinals and the entire baseball world remembers what happened last season that led to the franchises' eleventh world title in an all-dramatic seven game series against the red-hot Texas Rangers--and even though the teams' top-slugger from that title team, Albert Pujols, who isn't there anymore, the 2012 team seems to be just as focused and determined this time around--and with a much-needed win tonight, would send a serious message out to the first-place Reds and to the entire MLB as well.

Exactly one year ago to this date; Tony La Russa, Albert Pujols, and the defending world-champion Cardinals begun there quest for there eleventh world title in franchise history--as they trailed the wild-card leading Atlanta Braves by a total of ten-and-a-half games--and had very little hope.

Now, entering tonight's game at the Great-American Ball Park; we will see the 2012 team in basically the same situation and position--except with a little less ground to make up this time around. Although the team owns a current lead for a Wild Card spot at the moment, they are exactly seven games behind the opposing-division-rival Reds by seven games.

Here is a look at the lineup that manager Mike Matheny has decided to put together for the first-of-three games in this all but huge three game series for the current defending champions.

1. Jon Jay (CenterField)
2. Carlos Beltran (Right Field)
3. Matt Holliday (Left Field)
4. Allen Craig (First Base)
5. Yadier Molina (Catcher)
6. David Freese (Thrird Base)
7. Skip Schumaker (Second Base)
8. Rafael Furcal (ShortStop)
9. Lance Lynn (Pitcher)

Friday night's pitching matchup between the second-place Cardinals and the Central-leading Cincinnati Reds in the first of this weekend's three game series.

(STL) Lance Lynn (13-5, 3.73 Earned-Run Average) vs. (CIN) Mat Latos (10-3, 3.56 Earned-Run Average)

Cardinals Update Following the Trading Deadline

Following the July 31st Major League Baseball trading deadline that just recently passed in this interesting 2012 regular season; the Cardinals have been on-and-off as they are battling for both the National League Central division title--as well as the National League Wild Card.

Since the deadline has passed up when the world champions defeated the Colorado Rockies by a score of 11-to-1, the team has managed to win twelve games in their previous twenty. Following tonight's 7-to-0 win in the series opener against the Houston Astros at Busch Stadium; the Cardinals trail the Pirates by just one game for the Wild Card spot; and by still a mere eight games--which while it seems like a lot right now--just remember what the team did last season when they captured their eleventh world championship in franchise history.

As the deadline passed this season, the team didn't do much--but what they did add has seemed to help us out so far as we are approaching late August. The team made deals such as the following acquastitions that seen the team acquire Brian Fuentes from the Restricted Free Agent list--as well as a return from Jaime Garcia--who continues to make this teams' starting pitching rotation even more deeper than it was--especially with the likes of Lance Lynn making noise early, Joe Kelly helping out the bullpen, Wainwright returning to his old form, Kyle Lohse continuing arguably his best season yet--and pretty good innings from Jake Westbrook.

While the bullpen kept causing a lot of choas with some under-achieving performances throughout the season, the unit has managed to total an ERA of 3.67 overall--as well as a batting-average for the opponents' of .254. Since Fuentes came and joined the team, he has an ERA of 9.00 as he has pitched just five innings in six appearances--and while it seems pretty bad, he has made some big outs and has allowed just one home run and five runs--but has also walked just five batters and struck out six.

Lance Lynn had started out cruising this season--and while it seems to feel that the innings are catching up to him--he leads the team with thirteen wins and has a team-leading 143 strikeouts. Also, impressively, he has twelve wins on the season, and has an earned-run average of 2.61.

The offense has been scorching at times so far--but some more consistentsy would be huge coming down the stretch. Carlos Beltran leads the team in bombs with 28 long ones; while Matt Holliday has hit 23 and Allen Craig with eighteen.

Yadier Molina has had by far the best number of his career so far without a question. Molina has a team-leading batting average of .323 following tonight's three hit performance in the win--he also has hit a career-high in home runs with sixteen--which also he is still the best overall catcher in the game--defensively without a question.

The Cardinals still have a lot of work to do--but at this moment and time--they don't need help from many other teams' in either race as long as the team continues to win games at the end of the next month and a half--but remember, if there is one team that can make this thing happen--it's most definently the St. Louis Cardinals.