allpark Village is targeted for the site of Busch Stadium, a multi-purpose stadium built in the 1960’s that was demolished after a new ballpark (also named Busch Stadium) opened on an adjacent block in 2006."
ging life to an otherwise dead downtown area.
"ST. LOUIS -- It seemed a bit odd when the
Cardinals, who
were having trouble finding playing time for the middle
infielders already on
their roster, called up two more middle infielders
on
Tuesday."
With Rick Ankiel nursing a lower abdominal strain and unable to go full tilt, manager Tony La Russa has no choice but to figure out how to best deal the vacancy sometimes created in center field when Skip Schumaker is not in the lineup. Matthew Leach addresses the situation based on what Cardinals' manager Tony La Russa has stated and according the personnel available to him.
Due to injuries to Mather and Barton, and an extra helping of middle infielders, Leach explains how covering center field, or the outfield in general, for that matter, might be accomplished.
According to Leach's take on La Russa, we may even see Brendan Ryan or Aaron Miles out there And the need to fill the outfield adequately may well take place today, when the Cardinals face a left-handed starter.
Skip Schumaker does not do all that well against left-handers, and La Russa doesn't seem to want to put Ludwick in center, and with Ankiel unable to go full speed without risking more injury, don't be surprised to see yet another variation on a starting lineup by the Redbird's skipper.
s the Cards are out of the Wild Card spot. The Brewers won 3-2 last night in extra innings. The Astros, who lost 5-3 to the Rockies last night, trail the Cardinals in fourth place by 2.0 games.Cardinals Affiliate Radar Display
Batavia Muckdogs (Low-A): Won 10-2 over the State College Spikes.
the Florida Marlins tonight at Busch Stadium. Adam Wainwright came out okay on his start (also in Arizona), but that 8-2 victory was the only bright spot as far as the bottom line goes in the last week's worth of games.
almost as far as Looper, going 1/3 less at 7.0 innings, giving up only one run, walking no Cardinals, and striking out four.
inning); Motte as closer. This scenario gives you all kinds of configuration possibilities with the rest of the "more experienced" crew. But regardless of how you would set things up if you were in charge, with the recent re-appearance of the new and improved Perez, plus the sonic entrance of Motte, you suddenly have a chance at refurbishing a bullpen that has had a down year.
Batavia Muckdogs (Low-A): Lost 13-4 to the Jamestown Jammers.
Read more...
On-deck: The Cardinals start a six-game home stand tomorrow night with the first of a three-game series versus the Florida Marlins. The Cards will play the Marlins Saturday and Sunday, then have an off-day before starting a three-game set with the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday.
Probables: (Friday night) FLA-Ricky Nolasco RHP (13-7, 3.65) vs. STL-Braden Looper RHP (12-11, 4.27)
Birds' Perch: The Birds' Perch has become precarious with the Houston Astros sneaking up from behind. The Cards are 10.0 games behind the NL Central Division leaders, the Chicago Cubs, while the Astros are one game behind the Cards. The Cards also trail the Wild Card/2nd place holders, the Milwaukee Brewers by 5.5 games.
Batavia Muckdogs (Low-A): Lost 7-2 to the Jamestown Jammers.
On-deck: The Cardinals wrap up a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field today. Game time is 2:40 p.m. CT.
Probables: STL-Kyle Lohse RHP (13-6, 3.89) vs. ARZ-Doug Davis LHP (6-8, 4.59)
Birds' Perch: Third place in the NL Central, 10.0 games behind the division-leading Cubs and 5.5 games behind the second place Brewers. The Cards lead the fourth place Astros by 2.0 games.
Wild Card: The Cardinals trail the NL Wild Card leader Brewers by 5.5 games and the Phillies by 1.0 game.
Mather out for '08: Joe Mather's season is over, due to a wrist injury that will require surgury.
Whatcha done for me lately? There have been seven Cardinals' round-trippers in the last two games, but these two Cards have one in each game for a total of two apiece.
photo by SD Dirk
Read more...Batavia Muckdogs (Low-A): Won 10-2 over the State College Spikes.
wing to call-up catcher Mark Johnson.
Randy Flores had already been called up yesterday.
This may not be a complete list.
photo by Barbara Moore
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Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Lost 4-2 to the Oklahoma RedHawks.
Springfield Cardinals (AA): Lost 3-2 to the Arkansas Travelers.
Quad-Cities River Bandits (A): Lost 5-0 to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.
Batavia Muckdogs (Low-A): Won 13-0 over the State College Spikes.
Odd, how a single can overshadow eight home runs, but the sight of former Cardinal David Eckstein singling home what would be the game-winning run sort of sticks with you, especially if you where one of those who still wishes the Cardinals had never cut him loose in the first place.
It was Ecksteins' seventh inning single that brought home Jeff Salazar that broke a 6-6 tie. Stephen Drew would advance to third on the play and score during the next at-bat when Cardinals' reliever Russ Springer would throw a wild pitch, creating the final 8-6 score.
The Arizona Diamondbacks had made a deal to obtain Eckstein from the Toronto Blue Jays, where the shortstop who had been the Cardinals 2006 World Series MVP had been working out his defensive shortcomings in obscurity in Canada. Yet Eckstein had never lost one of his best attributes: to be hungrier than the "other guy" when it comes to playoff spots and big games. The St. Louis Cardinals got to see that quality yesterday afternoon, got to experience what other teams had when Crunch Time came a calling. Of course, last night, it was the Cards that got crunched.
One thing Eckstein was always a better than average hitter, especially when it counted, and not just against "beat upon" teams. Eckstein went 2-for-4 last night with two RBIs.
Not that the Cards made a bad deal for Eckstein's replacement, either, because Cesar Izturis has filled the shortstop position quite well, and not without some decent hitting of his own. But it makes one wonder why Eckstein couldn't have been moved to second place, where he played for the Diamondbacks last night, and where he'd played much of his earlier career. That he didn't have a shotgun arm probably accounted for most of his fielding errors, as those with actual playing experience can tell you, can put the pressure on you before the ground ball ever reaches you, for instance. But whatever the reason, at least some of Cardinal Nation is still a bit miffed about the Eckstein trade.
And to prove the Eckstein deal was never all that great to begin with, those who didn't much care for the diminutive shortstop, instead of hoping the Cards will play good, have to submit to hoping Eckstein has a bad game, to make themselves feel better, if only for an inning or two. Doesn't help the Cards, either way.
Joel Pineiro and a bevy of relievers couldn't hold a lead for the Cards, which also had quite a bit to do with yesterday's loss. Before Eckstein taught the Cardinals why you don't deal away your MVP just because he has a tough post-WS season in the field, the Cardinals had their chance to prove they could do without him, launching homer after homer, four in all, off the bats of Yadier Molina, Joe Mather, Albert Pujols, and Felipe Lopez. Five out of the Cards' six runs came as a result of home runs.
The home run derby in the desert wasn't limited to Redbirds, however, as the Diamondbacks' Adam Dunn, Chris Young, Stephen Drew, and Mark Reynolds all went long. And if that wasn't enough offense before the Eckstein touche, Drew went 5-for-5, hitting for the cycle with a spare double while scoring three Diamondbacks' runs personally.
The loss was the Cardinals fourth in a row, further dimming their hopes of an NL Wild Card spot, as they now trail both the Brewers and the Phillies, the WC-leading Brewers by 6.5 games.
At a time when the Cardinals are setting their September roster, it appears Joe Mather, who suffered what is believed to be a wrist strain, may be a write-off for the rest of this season, figuring that even under a best case scenario on his alleged injury, that he will miss at least a couple weeks anyhow.
The Cardinals play again at Chase Field in Arizona tonight, the second game of their three-game set with the Diamondbacks. Manager Tony La Russa sends Adam Wainwright (7-3) to the mound versus Yusmeiro Petit (3-3).
If Wainwright cannot cool the Diamondbacks' bats, all the Cardinals seem to have to hope for is to hit another pile of homers and hope that David Eckstein still isn't ticked about getting bumped off a team to which he contributed heavily in winning a World Series.
Despite some pretty solid pitching by Todd Wellemeyer, the Cardinals got shut out yesterday by the Astros at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Wandy Rodriguez picked up the win, now 8-6, while throwing less inning than Wellemeyer, who battled, down 1-0 for 7.0 innings, giving up that one run, walking no one, and striking out four.
With first place pretty much out of sight, the Wild Card is the next obtainable goal, and even that is beggining to slip away, both the Brewers and the Phillies ahead of the Cardinals. The Phils are only one game ahead, but are tough competitors. The Brewers, leaders for the Wild Card, are 6.5 games ahead, and there aren't a whole lot of games left before the Cardinals will have to depend on others to beat the Brewers for them. When that occurs, you know you're not of a playoff caliber, although teams of this status have made it before.
Momentum off the last win in St. Louis didn't carry over, either, and La Russa's getting tossing on ball-strike call arguing sure didn't fire anybody up. Point is, when Pujols and Ludwick struck in the sixth, you always have to go back to what properly taught youth league players are taught: With two strikes, if it's close enough to get called a strike, it's close enough to swing at. All the theories about how the great hitters know the strike zone so well doesn't hold a cup of water, because having such a high knowledge of such matters should also tell a hitter that you can't rely on a home plate umpire to make the right call in that situation. In other words, if you're so smart as to know the zone to a high degree, how comes you ain't so smart as ta know a poor ball-strike callin ump isn't someone y'all can rely on.
The only real wrap-up for the Astros series is to travel over to Arizona and take your shot at winning some games against the Diamondbacks. Doesn't matter how difficult that might be, not at this point. It's just the next chance at getting closer in the race.
According to the St. Louis Cardinals Official Web Site, you're probably going to see Randy Flores back on the roster today, with more Class AAA Redbirds on the way Tuesday as their season ends today. La Russa may not fill his roster with minor leaguers, however, he does have several that have already played on his big league team.
Joel Pineiro will get the start today, versus left-hander Randy Johnson. Game time is 3:10 p.m. CT.
On-deck: The Cards start the second half of a six-game road trip today in Arizona, playing the Diamondbacks at Chase Field at 3:10 p.m. CT.
Probables: STL-Joel Pineiro RHP (6-5, 4.83) vs. ARZ-Randy Johnson LHP (10-9, 4.02)
Birds' Perch: The Cardinals hold third place in the NL Central, 11.0 games out of first place behind the Cubs and 5.5 games behind the second place Brewers.
Batavia Muckdogs (Low-A): Won 5-3 over the Jamestown Jammers.
Quad-Cities River Bandits (A): Won 11-10 over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.
Springfield Cardinals (AA): Lost 5-3 to the Arkansas Travelers.
Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Lost 10-7 to the Oklahoma RedHawks.
On-deck: The Cards attempt to avoid a sweep today when they finish up the last of a three-game series with the Houston Astros. Today's game is at Minute Maid Park in Houston, at 1:05 p.m. CT.
Probables: STL-Todd Wellemeyer RHP (11-5, 3.87) vs. HOU-Wandy Rodriguez LHP (7-6, 3.94)
Birds' Perch: The Cards remain in third place in the NL Central, 11.0 games out of first place and 5.5 out of second place.
On-deck: The Cards play the second game of a three-game series at Minute Maid Park in Houston versus the Astros tonight at 6:05 p.m. CT.
Probables: STL-Braden Looper RHP (12-10, 3.94) vs. HOU-Brian Moehler RHP (9-5, 3.99).
Birds' Perch: The Cards currently hold third place in the NL Central, 11.0 games behind the first place Cubs and 4.5 games behind the second place (and Wild Card leading) Brewers.
Batavia Muckdogs (Low-A): Won 4-2 over the Williamsport Crosscutters.
Quad-Cities River Bandits (A): Lost 6-2 to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.
Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A): GAME #2 -- Lost 8-1 to the Vero Beach Devil Rays.
Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A): GAME #2 -- Lost 6-3 to the Vero Beach Devil Rays.
Springfield Cardinals (AA): Lost 6-5 to the Tulsa Drillers.
Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Won 1-0 over the Oklahoma RedHawks.
Batavia Muckdogs (A): Won 11-7 over the Williamsport Crosscutters.
Quad-Cities River Bandits (Low-A): Won 1-0 over the Burlington Bees.
Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A): Lost 1-0 to the St. Lucie Mets.
Springfield Cardinals (AA): Lost 11-4 to the Tulsa Drillers.
Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Lost 8-3 to the Iowa Cubs.
On-deck: The Cards start a six-game road trip with a three-game series at Minute Maid Park in Houston, playing the Astros tonight at 7:05 p.m. CT.
Probables: STL-Kyle Lohse RHP (13-6, 3.96) vs HOU-Randy Wolf LHP (8-11. 4.86)
Birds' Perch: The Cardinals are in third place in the NL Central, 10.0 games behind the first place Cubs and 3.5 games behind the second place and Wild Cards leading Brewers.
On-deck: The Cards play tonight in St. Louis at Busch Stadium versus the Milwaukee Brewers at 7:15 p.m. CT.
Probables: Manny Parra LHP (10-6, 4.10) vs Adam Wainwright RHP (7-3, 3.04)
Birds' Perch: The Cardinals remain in third place in the NL Central, 10.0 games behind the Cubs in first, and 4.5 games behind the Brewers in second place.
LIVEcast blog tonight for Cards: A limited livecast will be open during tonight's ball game, but not attended at all times. The blog is left open so that viewers can leave remarks for later review, which will post at various intervals.
Gulf Coast League Cardinals: GAME #1 -- Lost 7-4 to the GCL Nationals.
Gulf Coast League Cardinals: GAME #2 -- Won 9-8 over the GCL Nationals.
Johnson City Cardinals (Rookie): Won 6-2 over the Bluefield Orioles.
Batavia Muckdogs (Low-A): Won 4-3 over the Williamsport Crosscutters.
Quad-Cities River Bandits (A): Lost 5-3 to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.
Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A): Lost 9-3 to the Brevard County Manatees.
Springfield Cardinals (AA): Won 6-5 over the Arkansas Travelers.
Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Lost 5-4 to the Omaha Royals.
Read more...
On-deck: The Cards start a two-game set tomorrow night with the Milwaukee Brewers. Game time is 7:15 p.m. CT at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
Probables: MIL-Ben Sheets RHP (11-7, 3.16) vs. STL-Todd Wellemeyer RHP (11-4, 3.79)
Birds' Perch: The Cards hold steady in third place, 8.0 games out of first place and 3.5 out of second place, behind the Cubs and the Brewers, respectively.
Whatcha done for me lately? Over the last 5 games, these are the Cards with the most hits:
4thebirds... will be back on the job tomorrow, Monday, August 25. We were called away on feature business over this weekend: northeast Indiana; Hebron, Valparaiso; and in Lynwood, Illinois.
Read more...Dominican Summer League Cardinals (DSL): Lost 6-4 to the DSL Mariners.
Johnson City Cardinals (Rookie): Lose 4-2 to the Princeton Devil Rays
Batavia Muckdogs (Low-A): Lost 4-2 to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.
Quad-Cities River Bandits (A): Won 5-3 over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.
Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A): GAME #1--Lost 6-2 to the St. Lucie Mets.
Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A): GAME #2--Won 6-0 over the St. Lucie Mets.
Springfield Cardinals (AA): Won 5-4 over the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Won 5-0 over the Omaha Royals.
On-deck: The Cards start a three-game weekend series home stand at Busch Stadium tomorrow versus the Atlanta Braves. Tomorrow night's game starts at 7:15 p.m. CT.
Probables: ATL-Charlie Morton RHP (3-7, 5.95) vs. STL-Adam Wainwright RHP (6-3, 3.14)
Birds' Perch: The Cards are currently in third place in the NL Central Division, 8.0 games behind the first place Cubs and 2.5 games behind the second place Brewers.
Wild Card: The Cardinals are 2.5 games out of the NL Wild Card spot, behind the Brewers.
Whatcha done for me lately? These Cards got hits in last night's rout of the Pirates.
Dominican Summer League Cardinals (DSL): Won Game #1, 2-1 over the DSL Athletics (Team #2).
Dominican Summer League Cardinals (DSL): Lost Game #2, 4-2, to the DSL Athletics (Team #2).
Johnson City Cardinals (Rookie): Lost 7-6 to the Bluefield Orioles.
Springfield Cardinals (AA): Lost 6-5 to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Lost 7-6 to the Omaha Royals.
Read more...
Due to connectivity issues with our local ISP, 4thebirds has was unable to run the LIVEcast of yesterday's Cardinals/Pirates game.
As well, there are other problems this ISP has caused, and we will have to make up for their inability to keep us "on the air."
We will take this weekend to retool the damage Frontier has caused our business, and will continue to blog the Cardinals as much as we can, as often as we can, in the interim, and should be back to our regular schedule by next week.
We may have posts over this weekend as the Cardinals take on the Atlanta Braves in a weekend homestand, but cannot promise so at this time.
Thank you for your patience.
Frontier Communications has no explanation for the problem, and as yet, has offered only continued billing instead of a make-good.
On-deck: The Cards play the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Game time: 7:15 CT.
Probables: PIT-Jason Davis RHP (1-2, 1.80) vs. STL-Todd Wellemeyer RHP (10-4, 3.79)
Birds' Perch: The Cards remain in third placed in the NL Central, 8.5 behind the first place Cubs and 2.5 behind the second place Brewers.
Wild Card: The Cards are currently 2.5 games behind the Wild Card leader, Brewers.
Izzy done: Chances are, reliever Jason Isringhausen is finished for the 2008 season with tendenitis.
Carp continues to mend: Former ace Chris Carpenter will be handled with care by the Cardinals, who are rehabbing him on-site. "Carp" is now throwing, but not yet pitching off a mound.
Waino ready: Rehabbing pitcher Adam Wainwright has proclaimed himself ready to face big league hitters, but admits he doesn't know what role the Cardinals wish him to pitch in. Wainwright has stated he will accept a role as reliever or starter, whichever the club needs him to do more.
Wallace adds an A: Brett Wallace has been promoted from Class A Quad-Cities River Bandits to Class AA Springfield Cardinals.
Johnson City Cardinals (Rookie): Won 8-1 over the Bluefield Orioles.
Quad-Cities River Bandits (A): Lost 5-1 to the Burlington Bees.
Springfield Cardinals (AA): Lost 8-4 to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Lost 4-3 to the Albuquerque Isotopes.
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Dominican Summer League Cardinals (DSL): Won, shutting out the DSL Phillies 1-0.
Johnson City Cardinals (Rookie): Won 4-2 over the Bluefield Orioles.
Quad-Cities River Bandits (A): Lost 1-0 to the Burlington Bees.
Springfield Cardinals (AA): Won 5-2 over the Chorpus Christi Hooks.
Memphis Redbirds (AAA): Won 6-5 over the Albuquerque Isotopes.
On-deck: The Cards are off today. They will start a seven-game homestand tomorrow that will feature day's off after each set. Tomorrow night the Pittsburgh Pirates come to town for a 7:15 p.m. CT game. It will be the first of a two-game set before a day off on Thursday.
Probables: PIT-Ian Snell RHP (4-10, 5.91) vs. STL-Braden Looper RHP (11-9, 4.07)
Birds' Perch: The Cards currently hold third place in the NL Central, 7.5 games behind the division-leading Cubs. The Brewers are in second place, 5.5 games behind the Cubs.
Wild Card: The Milwaukee Brewers are currently the NL's leader for the Wild Card, the St. Louis Cardinals two games behind them.
Competition on tap: The Cubs are idle today, but the Brewers play tonight in Houston.
Barton activated: Brian Barton has been activated, the Cardinals finding room for him on the roster when Chris Carpenter was placed on the DL.
Read more...
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