Articles

Do you like playing fantasy baseball? Do you like making money? Are you a fan of Sin City?

Thanks to FanDuel.com, you have a chance to enter a contest to win a free trip to Vegas, oh, and to pocket a grand prize of $200,000. All it will cost you is $10. Interested? If so, and why on earth wouldn’t a chance to seem some Vegas show girls, to put a $20 spot down on the craps table, or to walk away with enough money to buy that vacation home you always wanted?

$1 Million Daily Fantasy Baseball Championship on FanDuel

Each weekly winner will then be flown to Vegas, all expenses paid by FanDuel... read more

Daily baseball is all the rage in the fantasy sports world, so I will be covering the game a couple of times a week here at BaseballGuys.com. To that end, I’ve partnered with DraftDay.com to give all my wonderful followers, that’s you, the chance to play the game on a daily basis. On Tuesday and Thursday’s here at the site, every week, I’ll be giving you some insight into the mind of The Oracle as I will give you some of my best plays for the day – even if I’m willing to admit that daily games are a bit of a crap shoot given the difficulty in predicting how a handful of at-bats will work out... read more

BaseballGuys.com. has partnered with DraftDay.com to give all my wonderful followers, that’s you, the chance to play the game on a daily basis. On Tuesday and Thursday’s here at the site, every week, I’ll be giving you some insight into the mind of The Oracle as I will give you some of my best plays for the day – even if I’m willing to admit that daily games are a bit of a crap shoot given the difficulty in predicting how a handful of at-bats will work out.

To join a daily league remember to visit DraftDay.com by clicking on the link to their site... read more

This week I went a bit reliever crazy. It’s better to spend a small amount on a middle reliever who could take over as the closer than spend a huge amount on the guy a week or two later when he is officially named the closer. Therefore, I added an AL East closer in pretty much every league this week, trying to get a bit ahead of the curve. We’ll see if it plays out as I think it might, or if I will have to go middle reliever trolling in the coming weeks all over again.

TOUT WARS (15 team mixed): Raul Ibanez ($1) was added at the cost of Maicer Izturis... read more

Do you like playing fantasy baseball? Do you like making money? Are you a fan of Sin City?

Thanks to FanDuel.com, you have a chance to enter a contest to win a free trip to Vegas, oh, and to pocket a grand prize of $200,000. All it will cost you is $10. Interested? If so, and why on earth wouldn’t a chance to seem some Vegas show girls, to put a $20 spot down on the craps table, or to walk away with enough money to buy that vacation home you always wanted?

$1 Million Daily Fantasy Baseball Championship on FanDuel

Each weekly winner will then be flown to Vegas, all expenses paid by FanDuel... read more

BaseballGuys.com has partnered with DraftDay.com to give all my wonderful followers, that’s you, the chance to play the game on a daily basis. On Tuesday and Thursday’s every week, I’ll share some insight into a few of the better plays for the day – even if I’m willing to admit that daily games are a bit of a crap shoot given the difficulty in predicting how a handful of at-bats will work out.

To join a daily league remember to visit DraftDay.com by clicking on the link to their site.

One other source for those of you on Twitter... read more

Fantasy baseball is all about riding the wave. Sometimes we paddle out and just wait, and wait, and wait. Other times we start paddling and we time the wave wrong and it just rolls by. But when everything breaks right, when the wave meets the right timing, the result is one heck of a ride. Here are some folks who have hit the wave or missed it through the first quarter of the 2013 baseball season.

Gordon Beckham (hand) will start his rehab this weekend, he hopes, and he should be back by the end of the month. Does anyone care?

Tony Cingrani has a sore shoulder so his next start will be pushed back and potentially skipped... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

There’s not a whole lot to write about when things are going this good.  The Cardinals have won 10-of their last 12-games and I was lucky enough to be at the real dud in Wrigley, though that’s what my hypocritical rump gets for entering that dump in the first place, mere hours after blasting just that on these very pages.

But hey – free tickets are hard to turn down, I’m out of town working and hypocrisy is a writer’s best friend!  I make no apologies.

Even in the loss, I was able to watch Lance Lynn continue his dominance and set off another streak of incredible starting pitching... read more

BaseballGuys.com has partnered with DraftDay.com to give all my wonderful followers the chance to play the game on a daily basis. On Tuesday and Thursday’s here at the site, every week, I’ll be giving you some insight into the mind of The Oracle as I will give you some of my best plays for the day – even if I’m willing to admit that daily games are a bit of a crap shoot given the difficulty in predicting how a handful of at-bats will work out.

To join a daily league remember to visit DraftDay.com by clicking on the link to their site... read more

Another week, another series of injuries, another series of desperation moves on the waiver-wire. Well that’s not quite accurate, but the fact is that my fantasy baseball teams are struggling with injuries, just like many of yours. We’re all doing the best we can to piece together a competitive squad until health returns. Here are my moves in free agency Monday, May 13th.

TOUT WARS (15 team mixed): Let’s go through the DL’d guys first – Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Cameron Maybin, Joel Hanrahan, Zack Greinke. I released Eric Sogard and in his place picked up Maicer Izturis... read more

Fantasy baseball may never be the same. Thanks to FanDuel.com, you have a chance to enter a contest to win a free trip to Vegas, oh, and to pocket a grand prize of $200,000. All it will cost you is $10. Interested? If so, and why on earth wouldn’t a chance to seem some Vegas show girls, to put a $20 spot down on the craps table, or to walk away with enough money to put your kids through school not appeal to you?

$1 Million Daily Fantasy Baseball Championship on FanDuel

For the next 13 weeks a winner will be crowned in the $1 million Daily Fantasy Baseball Championship... read more

I’ve partnered with DraftDay.com to give all my wonderful followers, that’s you, the chance to play the game on a daily basis. I’ll be giving you some insight into the mind of The Oracle as I will give you some of my best plays for the day – even if I’m willing to admit that daily games are a bit of a crap shoot given the difficulty in predicting how a handful of at-bats will work out. With that, here are some of the better plays for Thursday.

To join a daily league remember to visit DraftDay.com by clicking on the link to their site... read more

Fantasy baseball revolves around two key things – hitting and pitching (a genius statement I know). Today I’ll break down some of the arms on the hill. Which underperformering arms should you be looking at? What will the Cubs and D’backs do in the 9th inning? I know, riveting ain’t it?

Yovani Gallardo is always up and down. It’s been more down than up though this season, and that is causing concern. He does have a win in three of four outings, and he’s walked two or fewer batters in six of seven outings. The K’s haven’t been there, just 26 in 42 innings, and his velocity is down 1... read more

Daily baseball is all the rage in the fantasy sports world, so I will be covering the game a couple of times a week here at BaseballGuys.com. To that end, I’ve partnered with DraftDay.com to give all my wonderful followers, that’s you, the chance to play the game on a daily basis. On Tuesday and Thursday’s here at the site, every week, I’ll be giving you some insight into the mind of The Oracle as I will give you some of my best plays for the day – even if I’m willing to admit that daily games are a bit of a crap shoot given the difficulty in predicting how a handful of at-bats will work out... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

St. Louis is fresh off of a 6-game winning streak and head Northeast for a 2-game set with our favorite punch line of the last 104-years, the Chicago Cubs, in that musty little “box that futility built”, also known as Wrigley Field.

Seriously, when does the charm of this place wear off?  It’s like people who still try to convince us that they actually enjoy Fast Eddie’s, instead of just admitting that they lie about it because legions of friends have been doing the same for years, and you somehow feel obligated to fake it – just to fit in... read more

I’ve been sick. So sick that I was in the hospital for three days. I’m feeling better now, but apparently my brain is still a bit scrambled. Just check out some of the crazy bids I placed this week in the free agent pool.

TOUT WARS (15 team mixed): As you know, I’ve been sick for a week now, so sick I was in the hopsital for three days. I’m blaming the residual there for my lack of bid on Dee Gordon. I need a middle infielder badly in this league so I should have been more aggressive with the speed demon from LA. Instead I went small money and added Ruben Tejada ($1) and Ryan Raburn ($1)... read more

May 3rd, 2013 | by Ray Flowers |

Every Friday at BaseballGuys.com, I relay to you how you can sign up for a daily fantasy baseball game courtesy of FanDuel.com. Today is no different. I’ll spend a bit of time detailing how you can win some cash, and then I’ll give away all my secrets by letting you know who should, or shouldn’t, be in your lineup. Oh, and finally, I’m also going to be in the league, so you will get a shot to take down the obnoxious Ray Flowers.

* NOTE: This information about who to play on Friday is clearly something those of you in standard roto leagues should be looking at as well... read more

Daily baseball is all the rage in the fantasy sports world, so I will be covering the game a couple of times a week here at BaseballGuys.com. To that end, I’ve partnered with DraftDay.com to give all my wonderful followers, that’s you, the chance to play the game on a daily basis. On Tuesday and Thursday’s here at the site, every week, I’ll be giving you some insight into the mind of The Oracle as I will give you some of my best plays for the day – even if I’m willing to admit that daily games are a bit of a crap shoot given the difficulty in predicting how a handful of at-bats will work out... read more

Every Friday at BaseballGuys.com, I relay to you how you can sign up for a daily fantasy baseball game courtesy of FanDuel.com. Today is no different. I’ll spend a bit of time detailing how you can win some cash, and then I’ll give away all my secrets by letting you know who should, or shouldn’t, be in your lineup. Oh, and finally, I’m also going to be in the league, so you will get a shot to take down the obnoxious Ray Flowers.

* NOTE: This information about who to play on Friday is clearly something those of you in standard roto leagues should be looking at as well... read more

Fantasy baseball is about adapting to change, whether it’s do to injury or performance. Keeping up with the Jones’, DraftDay.com has decided to change things up in their partnership with BaseballGuysby offering a new contest for you to enter in daily fantasy baseball.

*** After detailing the game I’ll list for you some of the best plays of the day at the bottom of the piece.

MLB Rapid Fire Game at DraftDay There are five 1-on-1 matchups for Friday’s MLB Games (this contest is obviously for Friday, not Thursday). If you’re able to go 3-for-5, come on you can do that, you will double your entry fee (the cost is just $1... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

The Cardinals just completed in Washington D.C., in 3-days, what voters haven’t been able to do in 100-years…a clean sweep.

Starting pitching continues to carry the team which, while great, cannot realistically be expected to maintain this pace with such lackluster offensive output.

A lineup that looks so formidable “on paper” is having trouble surpassing a field goal and a safety on a regular basis here lately.  That being said, my complaining about it, given the results, only enhances my resume for AM-radio on the afternoon dial, but it is concerning... read more

Daily baseball is all the rage in the fantasy sports world, so I will be covering the game a couple of times a week here at BaseballGuys.com. To that end, I’ve partnered with DraftDay.com to give all my wonderful followers, that’s you, the chance to play the game on a daily basis. On Tuesday and Thursday’s here at the site, every week, I’ll be giving you some insight into the mind of The Oracle as I will give you some of my best plays for the day – even if I’m willing to admit that daily games are a bit of a crap shoot given the difficulty in predicting how a handful of at-bats will work out... read more

Oh those injuries. They can be a killer in fantasy baseball. Unfortunately, they are a fact of life. Injuries will happen. You have to able to adapt and work around that. Truthfully, these 2-3 week fill-in’s you add to your club will go a long way to determining whether or not you are in contention in September. Choose wisely young padawan.

TOUT WARS (15 team mixed): Just so you know that you aren’t the only one dealing with injuries, here are the players on my club that are currently on the disabled list: Zack Greinke, Joel Hanrahan, Cameron Maybin, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

Sunday brought another painful loss and another hour of copay for Mitchell Boggs’ therapist.  It seems a bullpen issue arises with one Cardinal reliever per season and Boggs is the pitcher de jour in that department.

Aside from what has become the expected inconsistency of Jaime Garcia, though it’s early on, starting pitching has been borderline stellar, with the bullpen smelling like an ACTUAL bullpen.

Mitchell was lights out a season ago and settled into the 8th-inning role, holding lead after lead... read more

Fantasy baseball may never be the same. Thanks to FanDuel.com, you have a chance to enter a contest to win a free trip to Vegas, oh, and to pocket a grand prize of $200,000. All it will cost you is $10. Interested? If so, and why on earth wouldn’t a chance to seem some Vegas show girls, to put a $20 spot down on the craps table, or to walk away with enough money to put your kids through school not appeal to you?

$1 Million Daily Fantasy Baseball Championship on FanDuel

For the next 13 weeks a winner will be crowned in the $1 million Daily Fantasy Baseball Championship... read more

Daily baseball is all the rage in the fantasy sports world, so I will be covering the game a couple of times a week here at BaseballGuys.com. To that end, I’ve partnered with DraftDay.com to give all my wonderful followers, that’s you, the chance to play the game on a daily basis. On Tuesday and Thursday’s here at the site, every week, I’ll be giving you some insight into the mind of The Oracle as I will give you some of my best plays for the day – even if I’m willing to admit that daily games are a bit of a crap shoot given the difficulty in predicting how a handful of at-bats will work out... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

The Cardinals opened their season at Busch with a thud and bookended the week with yet another one, both the result of a quickly emerging bullpen problem.

With 4-wins in the middle of that shelf, it’s hard to be too upset with the result, but the bottom line is that those other 2-games were there for the taking and that always stings at least a little bit.

I’m not going to pretend that most teams don’t go through this a few times in a season and I have all the confidence that things will be juggled, or simply straighten themselves out... read more

It’s tax day. So after you fill out the forms, I know you didn’t get on it early since everyone loves to procrastinate so much, here is my report on the just completed week of free agency for the main fantasy baseball leagues I’m doing this season.

TOUT WARS (15 team mixed): With Derek Jeter taking forever to get back out on the field, I’ve been using Luis Cruz for two weeks. No more. In his stead I added Ruben Tejada for $1. He hit .300 the past week with two runs scored and two RBIs. Hey, it’s better than Cruz has done in two weeks (he is hitting ... read more

Fantasy baseball may never be the same. Thanks to FanDuel.com, you have a chance to enter a contest to win a free trip to Vegas, oh, and to pocket a grand prize of $200,000. All it will cost you is $10. Interested? If so, and why on earth wouldn’t a chance to seem some Vegas show girls, to put a $20 spot down on the craps table, or to walk away with enough money to put your kids through school not appeal to you?

$1 Million Daily Fantasy Baseball Championship on FanDuel

For the next 13 weeks a winner will be crowned in the $1 million Daily Fantasy Baseball Championship... read more

Daily baseball is all the rage in the fantasy sports world, so I will be covering the game a couple of times a week here at BaseballGuys.com. To that end, I’ve partnered with DraftDay.com to give all my wonderful followers, that’s you, the chance to play the game on a daily basis. On Tuesday and Thursday’s here at the site, every week, I’ll be giving you some insight into the mind of The Oracleas I will give you some of my best plays for the day – even if I’m willing to admit that daily games are a bit of a crap shoot given the difficulty in predicting how a handful of at-bats will work out... read more

A hypochondriacis someone who is obsessed by the idea that they have an illness of some kind when, most of the time, there is no actual condition to be concerned with. I bring that up because in the world of fantasy baseball it seems like there is an epidemic of hypochondria akin to the zombie apocalypse that is portrayed in the television show The Walking Dead. People are freaking out. I’m talking, losing their minds type of situations.

The world is ending. Life is meaningless. Resistance is futile.

In what follows are a sampling of the questions I’ve been receiving at the BaseballGuys’ Twitter account... read more

Daily baseball is all the rage in the fantasy sports world, so I will be covering the game a couple of times a week here at BaseballGuys.com. To that end, I’ve partnered with DraftDay.com to give all my wonderful followers, that’s you, the chance to play the game on a daily basis. On Tuesday and Thursday’s here at the site, I’ll also be giving you some insight into the mind of The Oracle as I will give you some of my best plays for the day – even if I’m willing to admit that daily games are a bit of a crap shoot given the difficulty in predicting how a handful of at-bats will work out... read more

I made an executive decision over the weekend when I was away drinking champagne and sitting in front of the fire with my friend in Carmel (she was decidedly better looking than the Peep that you see in main photo, and she is even sweeter than my sugary friend as well). I decided that every Monday I’d run through my seven main leagues that I’m doing this season and regale you with my personal FAAB decisions. Hopefully it won’t be as boring as it sounds and you’ll all be able to get something out of my personal decisions on many of the same players you will all be looking at each week... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

It’s nice to see St. Louis with some momentum heading into their own home opener, after providing the Diamondbacks and Giants with some positive openers of their own.

The good news is that the Cardinals lineup heated up in the last 2-outings against San Francisco and that they were very close to coming out of the gates at 5 – 1, with a couple of losses in the “should have won” column.

The bad news is that a few more of those runs from the weekend relocated to last October could’ve had last season ending on a much higher note and that “could’ve” and “should’ve” mean about as much as “hope” and "change”, and “close” only counts in horseshoes and nuclear bombs, which isn’t such a funny analogy these days... read more

Fantasy baseball may never be the same. Thanks to FanDuel.com, you have a chance to enter a contest to win a free trip to Vegas, oh, and to pocket a grand prize of $200,000. All it will cost you is $10. Interested? If so, and why on earth wouldn’t a chance to seem some Vegas show girls, to put a $20 spot down on the craps table, or to walk away with enough money to put your kids through school not appeal to you?

$1 million Daily Fantasy Baseball Championship on FanDuel

For the next 14 weeks a winner will be crowned in the $1 million Daily Fantasy Baseball Championship... read more

It’s already started, and no one is pleased about it. I’m not talking about the fact that Kim Kardashian is wearing tight skirts and sexy outfits despite being pregnant and really showing (am I the only one that thinks that is a hideous look?). I’m talking about 9th inning woes. Last year two-thirds of closers changed from Opening Day on, and the turnover is usually in the 40-50 percent range on a yearly basis. It’s why I always preach going for the skills/talent over the role. Eventually the skills win out, and more often than not you can roster skills for a lot less on draft day than roles... read more

(1) Talk about the 2013 fantasy baseball season, LABR, Tout, SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio.

(2) Carlos Gomez overdrafted in 2013?

(3) Players who very well could exceed their draft day cost:

C Jason Castro, 1B Brandon Belt, 2B Kelly Johnson, 3B Manny Machado, SS Stephen Drew, OF Michael Brantley, OF Chris Young, OF Justin Maxwell, OF Franklin Gutierrez SP James McDonald, SP Edinson Volquez, SP Vance Worley, RP Jake McGee, RP Mike Adams, RP Rhiner Cruz.

SEE THE VIDEO: Around the Horn: April 2, 2013

You know me, I’m a huge fan of rotisserie fantasy baseball over Head to Head. However, there’s another type of fantasy baseball game that really piques my interest and won’t cause me to start frothing out the mouth out of anger (grrrr H2H), and that is the daily fantasy baseball game. To that end, BaseballGuys.com has partnered with DraftDay.com for the 2013 Fantasy Baseball Season. What does that mean? Before we get to that, let me tell you a little bit about DraftDay.com and why you should be paying attention.

Did you do your draft in early March only to then learn that Chase Headley, Hanley Ramirez, Derek Jeter, David Freese and Ryan Madson wouldn’t be ready to start the season? Do you feel like you’re already hosed when it comes to the 2013 fantasy baseball season? That’s where DraftDay... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

The slowest five months or our lives are officially over.

First pitch…ah – drink it in.

You can have the kickoff, tipoff and faceoff, but I’ll take the first pitch.

You can wave a flag at a bunch of yahoo’s doing sustained, 190-MPH left turns or drop a ball between a couple of flopping Nancy’s and wait about 2-hours for it to POSSIBLY enter a net the size of a 3-car garage entrance, located at opposite ends of a ¾-mile long “pitch”…which the rest of us mortals simply refer to as a “field”... read more

Tout Wars is one of the two exclusive fantasy baseball events each year (the other is LABR which I participated in earlier in March). Thanks to the powers that be I was invited to New York to put together a squad in Tout Wars for the second straight year. Below, you will see how my team came together, and I’ll give some thoughts about the entire weekend, which by the way, was a total blast (gotta be the greatest group of folks anyone can work with).

15 team mixed league auction. 14 hitters (2 C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, MI, CI, 5 OFs, UT) nine pitchers (any mix of starters and relievers) $260 salary cap

* This league is using OBP in place of batting average... read more

Pete Kozma is the starting shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals.  If you love that, you'll love the new shirt designed by a friend of i70baseball.

You can order it by clicking here for just $15.  Order as many as you like and become a Kozmamaniac!

The St. Louis Cardinals, according to many sources, seem to be searching for starting pitching.

The one thing the team has made sure that everyone is well aware of is the depth of starting pitching in this organization.  If that is true, then why the search for another arm in the rotation?

According to Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post Dispatch, it appears the team feels the need for more innings in the rotation.  The loss of Chris Carpenter, the concern over Jaime Garcia, and the unknown of what kind of workload the young arms can carry has the team willing to add a known “inning eating” commodity... read more

The 2013 major league baseball season is about to begin, so now is a great time to touch on two topics that are in the news on a daily basis – injured players and those that might be guilty of PED use.

WORKING WITH THE INJURY BUG

Corey Hart. Curtis Granderson. Mark Teixeira. Chase Headley. Hanley Ramirez.

All those players have significant injury concerns that will cost them one, possibly two months of the season (maybe even more in the case of Tex). The general reaction is to run away from those players immediately and not even bother looking at them on draft day... read more

And the fantasy baseball drafts just keep on coming… Kay Adams and I hosted the Livin’ the Fantasy Draft for SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM87). The league consisted of myself, Kay, Kyle Elfrink, two producers (Drew Phelps and Phil Backert), and six listeners (one was unable to make it). That means we had a shallow 11 team, mixed league draft that we took part in. I had the #2 selection in the draft, and here is how my team turned out.

C: Carlos Santana (7th round), Victor Martinez (8) 1B: Kevin Youkilis (19), Kendrys Morales (24) 2B: Rickie Weeks (9), Martin Prado (6) 3B: Ryan Zimmerman (4), Manny Machado (21) SS: Jose Reyes (2) OF: Ryan Braun (1), B... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

Only a few weeks left and I feel as if every scribe across the city could write the same column they did at this juncture each of the last 3-seasons.

It seems like the beginning of most recent Cardinal campaigns begin with the proverbial “if” of injury and performance questions, as I suspect most MLB-camps do really.

“If” Jaime Garcia performs as consistently on the road as he has at home…

“If” Lance Lynn’s new physique can help build on his impressive stats from last season…

“If” Matt Carpenter can crack the starting lineup as a second baseman…

“If” David Freese, Carlos Beltran and Allen Craig stay healthy…

And, “if” I were a foot taller and a whole hell of a lot more charming and better looking, Jessica Biel may return my letters…instead of the FBI doing so, but I digress... read more

Albert Pujols will be in the Hall of Fame one day. He is one of the most consistently excellent hitters that that the game has ever seen (only Alex Rodriguez, with 13 ,has more consecutive seasons with 30 homers and 99 RBIs than Pujols who is at 12 and counting heading into the 2013 season). Pujols is third all-time in MVP Shares (6.90) behind only Barry Bonds (9.30) and Stan Musial (6.96) thanks to three MVP awards and 11-straight years in the top-10 in voting (he fell to 17th last season). Pujols is also 2nd in WAR – everyone’s favorite new measure even though less than one percent of people know how to figure it out – among active players according to BaseballReference... read more

Sometimes people miss the point. We’re all guilty of this (even the great Oracle isn’t always understanding of everything that is presented to him). In this piece I thought I would try to explain a few things that might be missed when people look at players and try to discern what is going on with their value.

There is no certainty in baseball. Yes Albert Pujols always hits 30 homers with 99 RBIs (has every year from 2001-12). Some day that run will end, just like it has for a guy like Mark Teixeira who went 30-100 each year from 2004-11 before injuries limited him to 24 homers and 84 RBIs last year in 123 games (he’s not likely to get there this season either due to his wrist injury)... read more

Spring Training 2013 was not supposed to be an exciting one for the St. Louis Cardinals.  A team that had made very few offseason moves was primarily set for the upcoming season.  Then, an injury to a veteran starter opened up a door.

Cardinals prospect Michael Wacha

The injury to Chris Carpenter might have opened up a door but the depth within the organization has kicked it wide open.  The arms in camp are plentiful and it will result in someone finding themselves in Memphis waiting for their time to arrive.

Thursday was the showcase of that talent at a very real level... read more

I just keep doing fantasy baseball drafts don’t I? Seems like every time I wake up I get my bowl of cereal, my Red Bull (sometimes there is vodka in it), answer a plethora of tweets and emails, and then I end up being in a draft of some kind. Which draft am I talking about in this article? It’s the SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio draft, populated by the genius minds of the network. How did my team turn out? Before I get to that, here are the rules.

12 team mixed league 5×5 scoring 14 hitters, nine pitchers six reserve rounds (also one DL spot)

Here’s the club... read more

[via workreimagined.aarp.org]

By Victoria Scanlan Stefanakos in Job SearchJanuary 11, 2013

The St. Louis Cardinals completed an agreement to keep first baseman Allen Craig in tow last week, but very well may have done much more than just that. The deal is a study in the obscure: both completely team and player friendly contract that helps both parties roughly equally. But to understand this, a grasp on the first base market, the financial position of the Cardinals and the club’s future forecast must be fully considered.

Understanding the first base market is essential to knowing how much of an exception the deal truly is. Craig, who will turn 29 in July, signed a 5-year extension that will carry through his 33rd birthday... read more

Trevor Rosenthal might have lost the battle for the final starting rotation spot, but the St. Louis Cardinals gained a great resource for their bullpen in 2013.

The Cardinals officially said last week that Rosenthal is out of the running for the fifth spot in the rotation and will start the season in the bullpen. And while that might be disappointing for a pitcher who had a goal of winning that battle, the move should work out best for both sides.

Rosenthal can throw more than 100 mph and often looked as unhittable as any pitcher in Major League Baseball last season out of the bullpen, and the Cardinals will give him the chance to do more of the same in 2013... read more

THE MENU: Portobello Mushroom with Roasted Sweet Potato Pomme Puree with Port Wine Reduction and Grilled Asparagus with Kale and Apple Salad

 Roasted Portobello Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2  tsp. liquid smoke
• 1/2 tsp salt free seasoning
• 1 tsp. Trader Joe’s African Smoke Seasoning
• 8 springs fresh thyme, plucked from stem
• 1/2 tsp. maldon salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 4 large Portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°... read more

The St. Louis Cardinals entered spring training with the fifth starter position in the rotation up for grabs.  It appears that the spotlight on that competition will shine bright over the next few days.

Trevor Rosenthal – photo from FoxSportsMidwest

As the spring air was pierced by the sounds of pitchers and catchers warming up and early batting practice taking place, the Cardinals settled in for a competition for the final spot in the rotation.  The guys gearing up for that competition were Lance Lynn, Shelby Miller, Trevor Rosenthal and Joe Kelly... read more

The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that shortstop Rafael Furcal would require Tommy John surgery, ending his season before it starts.

During the announcement, General Manager John Mozeliak seemed to throw his support behind young Pete Kozma as the immediate solution.  Fans took to Twitter to beg the team to make a trade and acquire someone immediately to fill the void.

Calm down, Cards fans.

Read more by clicking here

So you want to be one of those “smart” people in fantasy baseball that takes the hot shot rookie for the “upside” play early in the draft OK, maybe you aren’t that person, but let’s say you are more than willing to scoop up that prospect in the 15th round because of the “boring” options that are available. As I point out all the time, give me a team of Nick Swisher, Torii Hunter, Adam LaRoche and Michael Cuddyer and nine times out of 10 I will crush your team of Jurickson Profar, Domonic Brown, Dylan Bundy and Mike Olt. It’s just the way it is... read more

Fox Sports has traditionally been a strong supporter of the United States Military.  Their annual presentation of “This One’s For You”, a special broadcast that is sent around the world to military bases both in and out of combat zones, has become a staple of the Major League Baseball season.  They continued that support during the first week of February this year when they sent a group of Fox Sports Girls, current and former Major League Baseball players and Hall Of Famers Rollie Fingers and Wade Boggs to U.S. Army Garrison Grafenwoehr in Germany... read more

Phoenix Arizona.

Not many fantasy baseball leagues mean more than LABR in the world of fantasy sports. Started by John Hunt 20 years ago, it was the first exposure many of us had to fantasy baseball, at least the first chance to really dig into the mind of the experts in the field to find out why they did what they did on draft day (for more on the history of the event see Steve Gardner’s wonderful piece). I’m honored that I’ve been asked to be a part of the event.

Last year, despite drafting a team that was literally called the worst of all-time by everyone, I ended up being tied for first place in the last week of the season before eventually finishing in 2nd place to Steve Moyer... read more

Spring training is generally the time of the year to focus on prospects that might have a shot to help the club in the future, and the St. Louis Cardinals might have already found two position players who can step into the regular lineup and fill important needs.

And those players are shortstop Pete Kozma and outfielder Oscar Taveras.

Kozma  isn’t necessarily a prospect anymore after his 27-game stint with the Cardinals last September, but the team has thus far been reluctant to place much confidence in the 24-year-old shortstop.

However, Kozma hit ... read more

The fellas over over at KFFL.com have a fantasy baseball league nicknamed K-BAD, for Baseball Analysis Draft, and for the 5th straight year I’m honored to have been asked to participate (the proceeding link takes you to an analysis by every participant on the league). In Part III of this three part review I’ll break down how my squad turned out.

C: Yadier Molina (7th round), Jarrod Saltalamacchia (21) 1B: Kevin Youkilis (18), Mark Reynolds (23) 2B: Dustin Ackley (19) 3B: Miguel Cabrera (1), Martin Prado (6) SS: Hanley Ramirez (2), Starlin Castro (3) OF: Austin Jackson (4), Shin-Soo Choo (5), Nick Markakis (10), Mark Trumbo (11), Dexter Fowler (12), Ben Revere (13), Michael Brantley (25), Domonic Brown (26)

STARTING PITCHER: James Shields (8), Yovani Gallardo (9), Jon Lester (14), Dan Haren (15), Shaun Marcum (22), James McDonald (24), Francisco Liriano (28)

RELIEF PITCHER: Steve Cishek (16), Kenley Jansen (17), Bobby Parnell (20), David Robertson (27

For a review of my selections in rounds 1-14... read more

The peeps over over at KFFL.com have a fantasy baseball league nicknamed K-BAD, for Baseball Analysis Draft, and for the 5th straight year I’m honored to have been asked to participate (to see how others in the league constructed their clubs, click on the link above). In Part IIof this three part series I will review selections made in rounds 15-28.

For a review of selections in rounds 1-14.

Round 15: Ray Flowers, BaseballGuys.com Players: Dan Haren, SP I believe Haren will rebound in 2013. Here’s the reasons why.

Round 16: Ray Flowers, BaseballGuys... read more

For the fifth straight year I was invited to play in an expert’s league by the folks over at KFFL.com (you can click on the link to see how everyone else in the draft evaluated their own selections). Nicknamed K-BAD, for Baseball Analysis Draft, the league pits 11 of the top minds in the game against one flunky (that would be your truly). I thought I would give my analysis of the team I was able to roster in the 12-team, 5×5 mixed league with 28 rounds (I had the third overall pick in the draft which was completed just wrapped up as the month of February came to a conclusion)... read more

Normally in my Player Profile series I like to write about players who are being over drafted because of unwarranted hype, or I focus on players that can be hidden gems of production because people are underestimating their value. Today I’ll do something different. I’ll write up a player who has never thrown an official inning as a professional baseball player in North America…

WHO AM I? Hyun-Jin Ryu is a 25 year old left-handed hurler from Korea (he’ll be 26 on March 25th). The Dodgers believe that he’s a viable option for their starting rotation, and backing up their belief they shelled out a six year deal for $36 million to attain his services... read more

Major league baseball is rocking and rolling with Spring Training underway, so now is a good time to take a little trip around the league to hit on a few of the stories making the rounds.

Mike Carp has been dealt from the Mariners to the Red Sox for a Player to be Named Later or cashola. He’ll likely serve as depth behind Mike Napoli at first base in case big Mike’s hip issue flares up. As for Carp, he’s gone deep 18 times with 71 RBIs in 545 big league at-bats spread over four seasons. He’s got decent pop though he doesn’t hit too many fly balls (33 percent) so that will cap his potential upside there even if he’s given a lot of work... read more

Kris Medlen of the Braves had one of the greatest half seasons of pitching in recent memory. Medlen was so dominating in the second half of last season that if your tripled his second half ERA it would still be under 3.00 (it was 0.94). He also went 9-0 while holding batters to a .189 batting average against. Fueled by his stupendous second half run Medlen ended up outproducing the following hurlers in overall fantasy value in 2012 despite throwing only 138 innings: Jake Peavy, Mat Latos, Yovani Gallardo, Jordan Zimmerman, Cliff Lee, Adam Wainwright etc. So heading into 2013 what do we do with Medlen? How highly should you rank him? Is the sky falling because he has no shot to replicate last years effort? The answer lies somewhere in there... read more

Congrats to the team that worked so hard and for so long on what is sure to be a real downtown gem.  

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

Baseball…has…arrived.  Pitchers and catchers are reporting to St. Louis Cardinals Spring Training and all is right in the world once more.

Last week’s unfortunate announcement of Chris Carpenter’s unavailability for the season, and likely career, somewhat kicked things off early and the town has been abuzz since, mainly surrounding the starting rotation.

The good news is the availability and continued development of plenty of young pitching talent, which began last season, building invaluable experience and confidence at this level... read more

JUPITER — Baseball America is a full-service media company whose work is prestigious throughout the baseball community. Year after year they produce a Prospect Handbook, the most comprehensive review of up and coming players on the market. Their staff of veteran writers research and thoroughly scrutinize all 30 MLB organization's minor league systems, ultimately ranking the teams, 1-30, depending on their prospect talent.

With that being said, Baseball America has ranked the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system #1 for the 2013 season.

Prior to this year, the highest the Cardinal's have ranked was #5 in 1990... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

I’m almost 42-years old and have been lucky enough to see the likes of Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds, Yadier Molina, Willie McGee, Ozzie Smith and Lou Brock play baseball, having also gotten to attend the retirement ceremonies of the last two.

With all of that talent, and with apologies to Bob Gibson, who I never witnessed, I have NEVER seen a bigger warrior in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform than the likes of Chris Carpenter, whom we all just received the unfortunate news about.

That’s saying a lot in this city and where baseball is concerned, but I don’t even hiccup at it... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

You all smell that?  Move your coffee away…it’s not that.  Dig deeper…no, not that either – that’s River Des Peres – now concentrate.  What you smell is the onset of Spring Training, my friends, and a fine aroma it is.

Football has finally ended and the media can quit lying to themselves by accepting that 6-1/2 foot men can naturally run 4.2-second 40-yard dashes while carrying around 2%-body fat on a 300-pound frame, yet turn around and pen weekly (and “weakly”) performance enhancing columns about baseball... read more

Are you looking to be a Fantasy Baseball Champion in 2013 like the San Francisco Giants were major leauge champs last season? If so, you’ve come to the right place.

What can you look for in the 2013 Baseball Guys Fantasy Baseball Guide? Plenty. Here are some highlights of the topics that will be covered in great detail to help arm you with all the data you will need to dominate the competition in 2013.

PITCHERS Pitchers – What numbers should you be targeting when assembling your staff? Closers – How do you evaluate them? Which middle relievers should you target? Should you be concerned when young pitchers see major innings pitched increase?

HITTERS Hitters – What numbers should be your baseline for analyzing hitters?

ROOKIES Which rookies are likely to make a significant fantasy impact in 2013?

FANTASY GAMING Auctions – How to rules... read more

In 2011 I was the FSTA Champion even though I selected Carl Crawford in the first round (he appeared in just 130 games hitting .255 with 65 runs and 18 steals in his worst season of more than 100 games played.). In 2012 I had another first round selection fail to live up to expectations as Evan Longoria had an injury filled campaign. This time I finished in 11th out of 13 teams. Embarrassing. I’m back for blood in 2013. Here’s how the just completed draft went down in Las Vegas (I love vodka and Red Bullby the way… just thought I would share that).

13 teams, Mixed League, 5×5 14 hitters: C, C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, MI, CI, OF, OF, OF, OF, OF, UT Nine pitchers (any combination of SPs and Rps) Six bench spots

Here’s the team I selected out of the #6 hole (you can see the results of the entire draft at the RT Sports Link)... read more

The Giants won the World Championship, my thoughts can be found in Nirvana… Again, and Barry Zitowas a huge part of that run to greatness. After being left off the roster in the 2010 World Series, Zito proved his mettle by throwing two dominating games against the Cardinals in the NLCS (7.2 IP, 0 ER) and the Tigers in the World Series (5.2 IP, 1 ER). This came on the heels of a season in which he won 15 games for the G-men. Is he back to being someone to target in mixed leagues?

Barry Zito won 12 games in 2010-11. He was also limited to 53.2 innings in 2011, the only time since his rookie season that he has failed to throw 180 innings in a campaign... read more

The Giants won the World Championship, my thoughts can be found in Nirvana… Again, and Barry Zitowas a huge part of that run to greatness. After being left off the roster in the 2010 World Series, Zito proved his mettle by throwing two dominating games against the Cardinals in the NLCS (7.2 IP, 0 ER) and the Tigers in the World Series (5.2 IP, 1 ER). This came on the heels of a season in which he won 15 games for the G-men. Is he back to being someone to target in mixed leagues?

Barry Zito won 12 games in 2010-11. He was also limited to 53.2 innings in 2011, the only time since his rookie season that he has failed to throw 180 innings in a campaign... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

I never witnessed Stan “The Man” Musial actually playing baseball, and neither did a majority of “Cardinal Nation”.  The fact that we still held him in such reverence is a testimony to the man he was, as opposed to the player, and this is what I will remember, and miss.

The only evidence of his playing career that I was ever exposed to was through older relatives, bad video footage and the pages of many books, magazines and newspapers.  I didn’t experience a single base hit or hustling play in the outfield... read more

Stan Musial was the perfect fit for the city that became his home and the era in which he played.

That's not to say the Hall of Famer known as "The Man,'' who died Saturday at 92, could not have thrived in a different place and time. A career batting average of .331, with 3,630 hits — the second-most ever in the National League — and 475 home runs will play anywhere.

Musial even fares well in a modern-day statistic like wins above replacement (WAR), where his 123.4 mark ranks ninth all-time, a notch ahead of Ted Williams.

CONTINUE

No last name necessary.

A slew of batting titles. Corkscrew stance. Humble. A gentleman. All-around good guy.

Stan the Man.

Stanley Frank Musial, the St. Louis Cardinals star who was one of the greatest players in the history of baseball, died Saturday. He was 92.

"I never heard anybody say a bad word about him — ever," Willie Mays said in a statement released by the Hall of Fame.

The Cardinals announced Musial's death in a news release and said he died at his home in Ladue, a St... read more

We have released our latest magazine issue "The Best Stadiums of 2012". You can buy your own, $6.99 for a hard copy, and $2.99 for a digital copy! We rank the top 101 stadium experiences of 2012 based on our FANFARE criteria, and here is the list:

The Top 101 Stadium Experiences of 20121. Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis Colts2. Fenway Park, Boston Red Sox3. Compton Family Ice Arena, Notre Dame Fighting Irish4. Daytona International Speedway, Daytona 5005. Xcel Energy Center, Minnesota Wild6. Verizon Center, Washington Capitals7. CenturyLink Field, Seattle Sounders FC8. Bryant-Denny Stadium, Alabama Crimson Tide9... read more

Check out our review of Busch Stadium III! Read more at Stadium Journey!

When historic baseball franchises are mentioned, the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs are frequently the subject matter. Championships, longevity and in at least one case, infamy, carry the discussion forward. But there is a franchise based on the banks of the Mississippi River which has created a magical atmosphere, one that has brought great success and a fan experience that is unparalleled in Major League Baseball.

Founded in 1892, the St. Louis Cardinals franchise was the westernmost club in pro ball until the Dodgers and Giants moved from Brooklyn and New York at the end of the 1957 season... read more

I’ve resisted writing about the 2013 MLB Hall of Fame candidates up until this point. Before detailing why it is insane that no players were elected to the Hall of Fame this year, I thought I would simply cut and past some of my tweets from the BaseballGuys’ Twitter feedover the past few days.

So hypocritical – people are busted weekly in NFL for steroids, no one cares. Merriman made the Pro Bowl year he got popped.

We have the Mitchell Report and what else? There’s no way to know what someone did 15 years ago.

Everyone can think what they want, I just think it’s extremely cynical just to assume everyone who is good is guilty... read more

The San Francisco Giants, for the second time in three years, won the World Championship. Marco Scutaro was amazing throughout, and Barry Zito saved their bacon of excellence on the hill, but the spiritual leader of the Giants was no doubt Hunter Pence. After collecting more than 100 RBIs, in what has roundly called a “down” season, what should we expect from Mr. Pence?

It might surprise some people to note that Pence had 104 RBIs in 2012 (that includes a finishing kick of 45 in 59 games with the Giants despite hitting .219 in the city by the Bay)... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

It’s been a rather slow winter for the Cardinals so far, as needs and issues are minimal.  Skip Schumaker is gone and Kyle Lohse still hangs in the balance, though it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that his days here are numbered, as much as I hate typing it.  Beyond that, there hasn’t been too much to move this old pulse of mine.

That changed somewhat this weekend, but mostly on a personal level.  Lance Berkman, like Davy Crockett before him, has decided to end his career in Texas, and hopefully with better results... read more

Paul Maholm‘s name likely elicits, let’s see, a yawn? Before you lock that thought into your head as to what your reaction should be when the Braves’ lefties name as mentioned remember this:

Maholm had a better ERA than Homer Bailey, Chris Capuano, Mark Buehrle, Wandy Rodriguez, Jeff Samardzija, Josh Johnson, Adam Wainwright and Ian Kennedy in 2012.

Maholm had a better WHIP than Ryan Vogelsong, A.J. Burnett, Adam Wainwright, Josh Johnson, Ian Kennedy, Yovani Gallardo, Lance Lynn, Tommy Hanson and Tim Lincecum in 2012.

Maholm had more wins than Jordan Zimmerman, Chris Capuano, Roy Halladay, Edinson Volquez, Tim Lincecum, Edwin Jackson, Chad Billingsley and Jeff Samardzija... read more

Kyle Lohse knows how to pitch. That much should be obvious to anyone that has watched him toe the rubber the past few years. How has a hurler who was nothing more than a league average arm for 10 years, a full decade, suddenly become a borderline elite hurler?

A note before I start.

You remember the first time you saw either of Christopher Nolan’s classics Momento or Inception? Totally confused right? Stick with me for a second. It was only through a detailed reworking of the film in your mind, or watching the flick again, that you were able to get past having your mind blown so that you were able to return to the true greatness of the movies... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

The Skip Schumaker era in St. Louis appears to have come to an end and my reaction is that of being told that my payroll check was shorted about $1.17 and would be made up on the next one…eh, okay…thanks.

Don’t get me wrong, Skip is, by all accounts, a wonderful guy and a great teammate, also known as a fitness freak and a leader in the clubhouse.  Putting the personal things aside, however, he’s never, in my less than humble opinion, been much more than an average player who’d be relegated to 4th-outfielder status on most teams around this league... read more

By David Pollakdpollak@mercurynews.comPosted:   10/22/2012 10:38:47 PM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO -- Matt Holliday looked like a man whose 2012 World Series dream had just died. His facial muscles tightened, his words were crisp.

And the St. Louis Cardinals outfielder whose slide into Giants second baseman Marco Scutaro became a flash point for the National League Championship Series didn't appear to like being asked if being eliminated from the playoffs was harder to take because his team held a 3-1 lead in games at one point.

"It sucks either way," Holliday said Monday night after a 9-0 loss to a Giants team that knocked the defending World Series champions out of the postseason... read more

Now that the 2012 season is over, it’s time to review how my predictions went for each position in fantasy baseball. To that end, I will review my top-10 at each position and give a brief rundown on how each of the ten performed. I’ll also list which player was a “Hit” (someone who lived up to expectations) as well as a “Miss” (the player who simply failed to impress).

Note: All of these rankings are taken from the 2012 BASEBALLGUYS DRAFT GUIDE

For more on the Draft Guide you can click on the link.

For an update on what you missed in the Draft Guide, click on the link... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

I purposely took a day before writing this, as I don’t think what would’ve come out immediately Monday night would have been fit for print.  The Cardinals, as we all know, squandered a 3-1 series lead to an inferior team and blew their shot at a repeat appearance in The Fall Classic.  I’m not taking anything away from the Giants, though I do find a bulk of their “characters” nauseating, but the fact is that they were the lesser team…not that I’m bitter.

That said, as we all learned in ’06 and last season, the better team often isn’t the one who advances... read more

By Paul White - USA Today

Teams seldom get this far into October without contributions from players who weren't part of the plan when the season began.

And the final three teams in this postseason are examples of the available versions of that success formula.

The usual route to securing a playoff berth includes a key acquisition or two at or before the July 31 trading deadline. But entrusting key roles to kids right out of the farm system has paid dividends in recent years.

The St. Louis Cardinals — with Joe Kelly and Trevor Rosenthal turning the bullpen into a prime asset — are this year's finest example... read more

By Dan Moore on Oct 10, 3:38p

Rob Carr - Getty Images

Trevor Rosenthal throws extremely hard, as the Washington Nationals saw again on Wednesday.

Coming in in relief of Chris Carpenter, pushed past his limit to a sixth inning, on Wednesday, Trevor Rosenthal hit 100 miles per hour on a ball that Jayson Werthsomehow managed to foul off. That was the only time the St. Louis Cardinals' conspicuously hard thrower hit 100 in Game 3 against the Washington Nationals... read more

Chris Lee

Cardinals pitcher Trevor Rosenthal pitches in sixth inning action during Game 3 of the National League Division Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Washington Nationals on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012, at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. Photo by Chris Lee, clee@post-dispatch.com

WASHINGTON • While he has the striking stuff and muscular velocity of an October asset, rookie Trevor Rosenthal has yet to match the requisite facial hair sported by those hirsute postseason vets all around him in the Cardinals’ bullpen... read more

Drafted in the 21st round of the 2009 draft out of Cowley County Community College (Arkansas City, Kansas), Trevor Rosenthal is a product of the always-excellent Midwest scouting department of the St. Louis Cardinals.

A 6’2”, 190-pound right-hander, Rosenthal spent his age-19 and age-20 seasons pitching for a pair of the Cardinals’ rookie-level affiliates, going a combined 7-1 with a 3.53 ERA, 7.7 H/9, 9.2 K/9 and 2... read more

By Karen Crouse

SAN FRANCISCO — It’s a rainy day in late October and the home team, fresh from defeating the St. Louis Cardinals and their ace, Chris Carpenter, in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, is one victory from a World Series berth opposite the Detroit Tigers.

Beltran said he does not "need to erase anything,” about his 2006 strikeout.

Is it live, or a traumatized Mets fan’s flashback?

The similarities are striking between the Giants’ Game 7 against the Cardinals on Monday night at AT&T Park and the series decider that the Mets and Cardinals played at Shea Stadium in 2006... read more

SAN FRANCISCO -- These St. Louis Cardinals have been here before.

Not to Game 7 -- though they've famously been there, too -- but a maddening place where even the second-best offense in the National League can resemble a team from the dead ball era... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

Sometimes you just “feel it”.  You felt it when Carlos Beltran flailed at a disappearing pitch in the first inning and when Allen Craig stood still for one right down the middle the very next at-bat.  You felt it when Chris Carpenter couldn’t find the strike zone early and, when he did, his fielders were as tight as Barack Obama’s current campaign strategist.

For all of the memorable comebacks, some games are just over early and you know it.  Sunday night was one of those games.  I can have nothing but respect for this team, who are already where nobody thought they’d be and displayed enormous fortitude to be there... read more

By Derrick Goold

Several times in the past few seasons, as they alternated turns on the disabled list, Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter and his protégé Adam Wainwright have mentioned individually how they'd like to someday be pitching healthy and, in their words, "dominate" together.

This October is not exactly what they meant.

But it's as close as they've come.

"Maybe we're not 100 percent the animal we have been in the past, if I'm being honest," Wainwright said. "But at the same time we're both strong enough to pitch real, real well. We're both competitive enough to do more than enough to get the job done... read more

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The big curveball was back, and Barry Zito mixed in some well-placed fastballs, too.

It was just like the good old days.

Zito was at his best Friday night, pitching San Francisco back into the NL championship series with a 5-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals that narrowed its deficit to 3-2.

"All things considered, you know, there's definitely some playoff memories there, but they were in a different uniform," the soft-tossing lefty said after his first playoff win in six years sent the series back to San Francisco.

"This was probably the biggest one for me... read more

As often noted, pessimism is my nature, but the Cardinals may have just watched their best chance at a return to the World Series bounce off the corner of 2nd-base and result in 4-runs.  Sure, they still only have to win one of two and they’ve obviously displayed huge resiliency.  But they now have to do it IN San Francisco, and against Matt Cain and Ryan Vogelsong, who was so dominant in his first appearance against them in the series, not to mention the entire league.

The timing is also not looking good, as the offense has fallen into another one of their famous funks and that was with the shell of Barry Zito on the mound... read more

By Bernie Miklasz

Let’s warm it up a little in advance of NLCS Game 5:

The Cardinals don’t need any motivation going into Game 5. They have a chance to end the NL championship series. They have a chance to become the NL champs for the second consecutive year, for the third time in seven years, and for the fourth time in nine years. They have a chance to win the 19th NL pennant in franchise history.

However … from a practical standpoint, and a personal standpoint, it would be in the Cardinals’ best interests to end the Giants’ season tonight at Busch Stadium... read more

By Jeff Passan

ST. LOUIS – They don't miss Albert Pujols here.

He's at home right now, resting up after knee surgery 10 days ago, maybe watching the St. Louis Cardinals romp to another World Series, maybe not. He's still got friends on this team, in this city, people who care deeply about him and think about him all the time.

The Cardinals celebrate after winning Game 4 of the NLCS to take a 3-1 series lead. (AP)And they don't miss him, either.

Because without him, nothing has changed... read more

Jeff Haynes/Reuters - Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval enjoys a moment of quiet reflection after booting a seventh-inning grounder in Game 4 of the NLCS in St. Louis.

ST. LOUIS — There was a time when Tim Lincecum’s mere appearance on a mound brought a peaceful excitement to fans of the San Francisco Giants. He was an oddball, but he was their oddball. He threw baseballs by hitters and won games with such regularity it seemed to be a relationship that was just beginning, one that would prosper for years... read more

Matt Carpenter slides past the plate as he is safe as Giants catcher Hector Sanchez dropped the ball in the fifth inning.

CARDINALS 8, GIANTS 3

ST. LOUIS — Let’s play a game called Name That Year. Here’s the setup. Carlos Beltran limps down the dugout steps, having just delivered an update on his sore knee. It’s improving, Beltran says, and he can pinch-hit tonight, but probably not play the outfield... read more

Two games, 18 runs, 32 hits, and a takeout slide heard 'round the world, and we haven't even seen the best player of the NLCS yet.

The rest of the series hinges on what he does.

When Matt Cain takes the mound for the San Francisco Giants in Game 3 in St. Louis on Wednesday night, he'll bring with him San Francisco's best chance to seize control of this seven-game series... read more

In 2010, the San Francisco Giants pitched their way to a World Series title. In 2012, they may pitch their way to an early grave.

Madison Bumgarner extended the surprising streak of poor postseason outings from Giants starters Sunday night, giving up six runs on eight hits in just 3 2/3 innings in a 6-4 Game 1 NLCS loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Bumgarner was touched for four runs in 4 1/3 innings in Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Cincinnati Reds, his only other postseason start this year... read more

Just after midnight Saturday morning on a moonlit runway in Cincinnati, Tim Lincecum andPablo Sandoval stood hunched over Matt Cain's iPad on the Giants' team plane, shouting and shaking their heads in disbelief. After defeating the Reds in their division series on Thursday afternoon, San Francisco had been marooned for roughly 30 hours in the Buckeye State until the winner of the Cardinals-Nationals division series was sorted out -- and with it the site of Game 1 of the NLCS... read more

Now that the 2012 season is over, it’s time to review how my predictions went for each position in fantasy baseball. To that end, I will review my top-10 at each position and give a brief rundown on how each of the ten performed. I’ll also list which player was a “Hit” (someone who lived up to expectations) as well as a “Miss” (the player who simply failed to impress).

Note: All of these rankings are taken from the 2012 BASEBALLGUYS DRAFT GUIDE

For more on the Draft Guide you can click on the link.

For an update on what you missed in the Draft Guide, click on the link... read more

ST. LOUIS -- Tim Lincecum's days as a reliever are over. Manager Bruce Bochy named the two-time Cy Young Award winner his starter for Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Bochy also announced that Barry Zito would start Game 5, sending Game 1 starter Madison Bumgarner to the bullpen after two rough postseason starts. Lincecum has yet to get a start this season but has been brilliant out of the bullpen, giving up just three hits and striking out nine in 8 1/3 relief innings... read more

By Ken Rosenthal

I’ve already written one mea culpa for criticizing the Cardinals’ hiring of Mike Matheny, who had no previous managing experience. 

Here comes another.

Heck, maybe it’s time for me to just go all-in on the no-experience guys. Given the respective successes of Matheny and the White Sox’s Robin Ventura in their first seasons, it would be difficult to question the Red Sox if they took a chance on Brad Ausmus. I’d probably draw the line if the Rockies hired Jason Giambi. But really, what the heck do I know anymore?

Matheny, as the Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak anticipated, is growing month by month, series by series, day by day... read more

By Derrick Goold

ST. LOUIS • The severe thunderstorms that were expected all afternoon to impact this afternoon's Game 3 at Busch Stadium finally arrived just after the Cardinals found a way to extend their lead to 3-1.

Shane Robinson, who was part of a double switch in the seventh inning, grounded out with the bases loaded to drive home the Cardinals' third run of the game. That chased Giants starter Matt Cain from the game, but as the Giants made the pitching change the umpires used the break in play to call a weather delay.

Lightning split the sky a few minutes later... read more

POSTED BY TIM KAWAKAMI ON OCTOBER 16TH, 2012 AT 6:27 PM | CATEGORIZED AS BASEBALL, COLUMNS, GIANTS

ST. LOUIS–Marco Scutaro got ooohs and yelps from his teammates with his final swing of a surprise batting practice session, a line-drive home run to left field.

He did the typical Scutaro in response: He put his head down and walked out of the batting cage quietly. That’s why his teammates like this guy so much, by the way. And they do.

Then Scutaro went into the clubhouse for more treatment on his left hip and knee, and waded through a throng of reporters there to talk to him and only him, which was of some amusement for his teammates, too... read more

The worst team of all-time.

The worst ever drafted.

How could I possibly be considered an expert drafting this team?

I heard some variance of the above in emails, in tweets, on my show on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio. I heard it from everyone. E V E R Y O N E. I left money on the table (a mistake I owned up to in my review of the draft). I had a corner infielder – Derrek Lee – who didn’t take an at-bat all season. I had Placido Polanco have the worst season of his career. So how did the worst team ever drafted turn out? With three days left in the season the team was tied for first place…

Wilin Rosario, who drew a ton of heat for my $8 bid, blasted 28 long balls with 71 RBIs in a dominating season... read more

The game plan for the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS likely didn't involve Carlos Beltran providing the team's only offensive production.

Yet after two games against the San Francisco Giants, that's essentially how it's played out for the Cardinals. St. Louis lost Game 2 of the series, 7-1, on Monday night with only Beltran showing a pulse. He batted 2-for-3, accounting for nearly all of the team's offense. (Chris Carpenter drove in the Cards' lone run with an RBI double.) 

Beltran has been excellent thus far through the postseason, compiling a ... read more

Paul White, USA TODAY SportsShare

(Photo: Kelley L Cox, US Presswire)

• The Cardinals open Game 1 of the NLCS with a 6-4 win
• Carlos Beltran capped a four-run fourth with his 14th postseason home run
• The Giants answered with four runs in the bottom of the fourth

1:32AM EDT October 15. 2012 - SAN FRANCISCO – The St. Louis Cardinals' playoff Class of 2012 has a suggestion – let's get ahead in series for a change.

The Cardinals combined some of the heroes of their wild ride to the 2011 World Series championship with some newer contributors for a 6-4 victory over the Giants in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series... read more

• The Giants' Bruce Bochy is in his 18th season as a major-league manager after spending nine seasons as a backup catcher. Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle / SF

When last observed in the land of kayaks and moving masts, the Giants had reached the brink of humiliation - and it felt like elimination.

Anxious fans sat mostly in silence through a two-day festival of nothing. We know AT&T isn't a hitters' park, but that was ridiculous.

The Cincinnati Reds didn't seem to mind, laying waste to the countryside, but something came over the Giants upon their arrival at Great American Ball Park... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

This is simply the greatest, most resilient team of men I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing compete in a professional organized sport.  This isn’t hyperbole or empty campaign speak from a desperate incumbent, this is the truth.  I’ve been lucky to watch the “Whitey-ball” Cardinals of the 80’s, the Rams of the early millennium and the dominant “MV3” lineup of the mid 2000’s.

This hodgepodge of slap-hitters, solid defenders, rookies and veterans have more fortitude, camaraderie and downright sack about them than ANY of the aforementioned squads, taking nothing away from them... read more

Jim Joyce is a rebel. He cares not for what the strike zone is supposed to be, nor does he care for what the MLB tells him to enforce. He’s in charge here, so he makes the strike zone and he makes the rules.

I imagine Jim Joyce’s internal dialogue to be something along those lines.

Not that Matt Holliday is amused by any of it.

A walk-off home run by Jayson Werth sent the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals into a Game 5 elimination set for Friday night.

The winner faces the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS after their historic comebackfrom an 0-2 deficit against the Cincinnati Reds—the first National League team ever to do so in a five-game divisional series... read more

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Nationals signed Jayson Werth to show them how to win. His game-ending homer Thursday night extended their surprising season. 

Werth led off the bottom of the ninth inning by driving Lance Lynn's 13th pitch into the left-field stands to give the Nationals a 2-1 victory over the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals and force a Game 5 in their NL division series.

As he circled the bases, Werth raised his right index finger in a "No... read more

WASHINGTON -- Set aside the high-pressure task of postseason pitching that Chris Carpenterroutinely masters for the St. Louis Cardinals and think about this:

Even the take-it-for-granted act of breathing feels odd on occasion now that he's missing a rib and two neck muscles.

Taking the mound for only the fourth time in 2012 after complicated surgery to cure numbness on his right side, the 37-year-old Carpenter spoiled the return of postseason baseball to Washington by throwing scoreless ball into the sixth inning, and the defending champion Cardinals beat the Nationals 8-0 Wednesday to take a 2-1 lead in their NL division series... read more

Chris Carpenter pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings and even picked up two hits. (Alex Brandon / AP)

The Cardinals right-handed starter was pulled for fire-balling reliever Trevor Rosenthal with two outs in the sixth inning. Carpenter, who overcame major injuries to return late this season, allowed a single to Ian Desmond (who is 7 for 11 in the series) and a single to pinch hitter Steve Lombardozzi. 

That’s good news for the Nationals, who could muster little at all against Carpenter and have seen much of the Cardinals bullpen... read more

The folks over at KFFL.com have been gracious enough to invite me to participate in KFFL’s Baseball Analysis Draft (K-BAD) the last couple of years. When you see how my team performed no wonder they invited me. I’m apparently an easy mark.

Ryan Doumit was great (.275-18-75). Not so much Kurt Suzuki who burned me in pretty much every league (literally every one huh?). As they say, love hurts.

Miguel Cabrera was my rock. Triple Crown winner (.330-44-139).

Howie Kendrick didn’t match his 2011 effort but he was solid (.287-8-67-57-14).

Kevin Youkilis didn’t come close to living up to my expectations with his worst season (... read more

By Joe Strauss

Nuance, drama and debatable tactics had their run in Sunday afternoon’s shadows. The Cardinals dispensed with such baubles Monday, reverting instead to their true offensive nature in a reminder of what a feast-or-famine attack can do to even elite arms.

There was no eighth-inning turning point this time, no bullpen intrigue that tilted the more veteran manager’s direction.

In a game that history said the Cardinals had to have, the defending World Series champions pounded the Washington Nationals with an early-inning flurry that allowed them to sidestep suspense in a 12-4 win before 45,840... read more

By ALAN FERGUSON

(AP) -- The Washington Nationals hardly looked like postseason newcomers while grinding out a close win over the defending World Series champions.

The Nationals now seek to head home with a commanding lead in their NL division series, and Jordan Zimmermann will try to help by overcoming a rocky history against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 2 on Monday.

Making the franchise's second playoff appearance and first since 1981, Washington calmly rallied for a 3-2 victory Sunday... read more

I stand accountable. More times than not I’m right, but sometimes I make mistakes. When I do, I’m not afraid to admit it. I’d like to think that helps to set me out a bit in this industry. I try to be transparent and truthful. To that end, I thought I would spend a few days reviewing the results from my “experts leagues.” It wasn’t exactly pretty, I’ll be straight forward with that, but again I don’t believe in running and hiding. First up, the FSTA Experts League.

To review my team click on this link: Vegas, BaseballGuys FSTA Team

And if you want to see the results of the draft, click on the FSTA DRAFT link... read more

By R.B. FALLSTROM (AP Sports Writer) | The Associated Press – 13 hours ago

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Rookies in the postseason, the Washington Nationals played like poised veterans.

The Nationals escaped a bases-loaded jam in the seventh inning, Tyler Moore blooped a two-out, two-run single in the eighth and Washington beat the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 Sunday in an NL playoff opener.

They have just four players with postseason experience on the roster. But they have the lead.

''Not many people have probably watched too many Nationals games, but we have a great starting rotation and a great bullpen,'' said Ian Desmond, who singled for his third hit in the go-ahead rally... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

You knew we’d see a game like this.  We’ve seen too many of them this season to not expect it in the playoffs.  This vaunted lineup on paper simply goes comatose on the field, and against a pitcher who was doing all he could to hand you a HUGE Game-1 victory.

The strike zone was bigger than my ego, which made the walks that provided the lead in the first place even more of a testimony to how erratic Washington’s starter was.  You MUST jump on that guy.

Mike Matheny looked every bit the rookie manager he is, seemed to manage scared and went away from what got them there... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

Okay, NOW they’re in, and what a mess that was.  Neither the Atlanta Braves, nor the MLB umpiring crew looked like they even belonged in such a game.  And on the much disputed “infield fly” play, the Cardinals looked unworthy themselves.  Catch that ball and we’re not discussing this mess so much today.  We’ve seen that play too many times with this team and infield/outfield communication is one of the earliest things you’re taught in baseball.  Work it out already.

The continual late timeout calls early in the game with Kyle Lohse on the mound were a bit sketchy too, if you ask me... read more

Oct. 5 (Bloomberg) -- The Atlanta Braves have won 23 straight games that pitcher Kris Medlen has started, breaking a record shared by Whitey Ford and Carl Hubbell. If they don’t win one more, their season is over.

None of Medlen’s 30 career starts has been more important than his playoff debut today, when the Braves host the defending World Series-champion St. Louis Cardinals in a National League wild-card game in Atlanta... read more

The Cardinals have wrapped up a playoff spot. It's time to enjoy it.Today is game number one hundred and sixty-two, friends. The very last game of the season.

The Cards sewed up their postseason berth last night in typical 2012 Cardinals fashion, with a frustrating loss, but the Dodgers were obliging, and any final day drams can now be avoided. Not to say that's necessarily a good thing, mind you; I'm sure we all recall the brilliant, heart-stopping drams of last year's final day with a certain amount of fondness.

This year, though, the Last Day isn't quite so fraught... read more

While they didn't find out until well after losing their last game, the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals are officially headed back to the playoffs.

With both teams looking to pick up steam, the Cardinals wrap up the regular season against Homer Bailey and the NL Central champion Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night at Busch Stadium.

Though it could have clinched with a win, St. Louis (87-74), which fell 3-1 on Tuesday, locked up a playoff berth with the Los Angeles Dodgers' 4-3 loss to San Francisco later that night. The Cardinals will play at Atlanta on Friday in the new one-game playoff between wild-card teams... read more

The following bits of info were posted on the BaseballGuys Twitter account. See what you’re missing if you aren’t following along…

@MLB_PR: All-time doubles leader Tris Speaker had 445 through his age-32 season. Albert Pujols has 505.

@ESPNStatsInfo: Albert Pujols has 50 doubles this yr. He is the first player in MLB history to have 3 seasons of 30+ HR and 50+ doubles.

@MLB_PR: Robinson Cano and Rogers Hornsby are the only 2B ever to have consecutive seasons with 80+ extra base hits.

@GregJohnsMLB: Felix was Cy Young contender heading into Sept... read more

By David Webber (Correspondent) on October 1, 2012

Former Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter recently made a surprise return to the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals following a season-long stint on the DL. As October nears, Carpenter's return could prove vital to a Cardinals team looking to repeat as World Series champions.

Here are five reasons why Carpenter's return will ultimately benefit the Cardinals. 

1. He Provides Valuable Postseason Experience

Carpenter has been stellar in the playoffs throughout his career... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

You may not be “Kotter”, but “Welcome Back” Carlos Beltran (look it up youngen’s).  With a homerun from each side of the plate in the rubber game of the Washington Nationals series, this is HOPEFULLY Beltran’s return to early season form, and couldn’t be at a better time.

With one series left, a 3-game set with the Cincinnati Reds, the Cardinals sit 2-games up on the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second wildcard spot.  The Dodgers got to build momentum against the Colorado Rockies and now finish with the rival Giants... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

The Birds did what they needed to do in Chicago, winning 2-out of 3-games against the Cubs, who apparently still have a professional baseball team.  True, they left what should’ve been more than just an emotional victory for Chris Carpenter on the field on Friday, but at least they salvaged the series.

Carpenter was every bit the horse I expected him to be.  Was he dynamic and dominant – no, but he came back, pitched productively and gave the club a chance to win.  As I touched on before, his presence alone should help lift this squad and hold some people accountable... read more

Miguel Cabrera is hitting .333 with 41 homers and 130 RBIs. He leads the AL in batting average and RBIs, and is one homer behind Josh Hamilton for the AL HR lead. That’s right folks, he is on the cusp of the Triple Crown. Will he win the award over everyone’s darling, Mike Trout? If late season performance sways voters than he surely will. Since the start of August, here are each man’s numbers.

Cabrera: .360-16-45-35 with a 1.145 OPS Trout: .274-9-22-38 with a .811 OPS (Trout does have 15 SBs)

Thanks to Elias for this one. Chris Carpenter will be the first pitcher in the history of baseball to make his season debut after his teams 150th game played when that pitcher made 30 or more starts in the previous season... read more

Each week I’ll be answering questions that have been sent to me at the BaseballGuys’ Twitter account in my never ending attempt to replace myself by explaining to everyone how I evaluate players thereby making myself obsolete.

Would you start Chris Carpenter Friday or wait and see? – @lxvythrs

Chris Carpenter (thoracic outlet syndrome) last tossed a pitch of significance in October of 2011. That’s 11 months ago folks. I know that he is set to pitch Friday against the Cubs, but you have to be pretty desperate in my opinion to turn to Carpenter at this point of the fantasy season (obviously in H2H setups he might hold a bit more value as a streaming option depending on your league rules)... read more

By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com | 9/20/2012 1:00 AM ET

HOU@STL: Lynn shuts down Astros for 16th victory

ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals blasted their way into the history books on Wednesday night, while also pushing themselves closer to securing a return trip to the postseason.

Home runs by David Freese and Yadier Molina were more than sufficient to back starter Lance Lynn, whose resurgence in the rotation extended for at least another turn.

St. Louis assured itself of a series win with a 5-0 victory over the Astros in front of 39,062 at Busch Stadium... read more

By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com | 9/19/2012 1:34 AM ET

HOU@STL: Lohse fans five over seven scoreless innings

ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals returned to Busch Stadium on Tuesday with a Wild Card lead and an upcoming schedule appropriately characterized as favorable.

And by taking advantage of the latter, the Cards padded the former.

St. Louis sent the Astros to their 100th loss of the season with a 4-1 victory to open a stretch of nine consecutive games against the National League Central's two bottom clubs... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

It seems like it’s said every few weeks now, but this truly is the biggest stretch of games for the Cardinals and their playoff hopes.  With 9-games against the hapless likes of the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs, St. Louis couldn’t have a clearer road to the finish with a scarecrow, lion, tin-man and ugly little ankle-biting mutt at their side.

If they can’t win AT LEAST six games on this stretch, I’m not sure I want to watch them in the playoffs anyway.  The Astros are the biggest fraud perpetrated in Houston since NASA and “the moon landing” and the Cubs do what the Cubs have done for 100+ years…lose and suck... read more

There are only a couple of weeks left in the 2012 MLB regular season, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a whole host of numbers that are of interest as we head toward the playoffs.

.241: The league leading BABIP of Jered Weaver which is one point better than his teammate, Ervin Santana. While it’s not logical to think either man will replicate that number in 2013, it should be noted that Weaver has always been a pretty darn impressive in his ability to hold the hits at bay. Weaver has posted a BABIP under .280 each of the past three years, and last season that mark was a mere ... read more

I hate to say I told you so, oh who are we kidding I love nothing more than to tell you I told you so, but Henderson Alvarez has stunk this year. As I wrote back on April 2nd in his Player Profile: “Henderson Alvarez had “no chance” of being a top-75 SP in 2012…He also doesn’t miss enough bats putting him at the mercy of his defense and some random forces.”Amazingly for a guy who throws 93 mph with a wicked high 57.3 ground ball rate, Alvarez has still been just as bad as I suggested he would be five months ago. He’s gone 9-12 with a 4... read more

By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com | 9/14/2012 2:35 AM ET

STL@LAD: Lynn fans seven, allows one run in 15th win

LOS ANGELES -- At risk of being caught in the Wild Card race by a similarly sputtering team, the Cardinals, in a welcome development, overcame continued inefficiency on offense with just enough clutch hitting and a strong performance from rotation returner Lance Lynn.

The timely hitting that eluded the Cardinals during a series sweep in San Diego wasn't exactly bountiful on Thursday... read more

By Chelsea Janes / MLB.com | 09/11/12 10:45 PM ET

SAN DIEGO -- For many members of the Cardinals family, the 11th anniversary of attacks of September 11th was in the presence of those who have played a major role in the nation's military response to the tragedy: U.S. Navy SEALs.

Players Tony Cruz, Pete Kozma, and Shane Robinson were among the Cardinals contingent that made the trip to the U.S. Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado. The group was shown a video on the SEAL experience, got to watch some SEAL training from afar, and met some of the current SEALs... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

This is a funk, no doubt about that.  This is the exact opposite of last season.  Last year, you sensed something was “about” to happen.  As the famous September run took shape, there was energy about the team and an upswing in attitude and play.  Well, now there’s everything but that.

True, the injury bug and old age we’ve worried about from the get-go have taken their toll, but the lack of production and execution have been most glaring.  Mired in a stretch that has seen them lose 5-of-6 and 10-of-13, the Cardinals only find themselves miraculously still clinging to the 2nd Wildcard spot by the grace of the equally ho-hum play of the teams behind them... read more

(1) Aroldis Chapman dealing with shoulder fatigue.

(2) Lance Berkman’s season over, career too?

(3) Kyle Kendrick pitching like a star.

(4) Gio Gonzalez excellent in first season in Washington.

(5) Brandon Moss to make history?

(6) Cameron Maybin, Logan Forsythe hot for Padres.

(7) Wandy Rodriguez finally back on track.

TO SEE THE VIDEO: Around the Horn: September 11, 2012

By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com | 09/06/12 10:00 AM ET

ST. LOUIS -- Oscar Taveras has long turned heads in the Cardinals' organization, which has been enamored by his athleticism and raw hitting ability since Taveras signed as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in 2008.

This year, the outfielder gave fits to Texas League opponents. He earned league honors along the way, and was a highlight of the summer All-Star Futures Game.

Now, as Taveras tries to lead Double-A Springfield through a playoff run, he is being recognized in the rankings.

MLB... read more

By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com | 9/5/2012 1:12 AM ET

ST. LOUIS -- Putting a pair of rocky starts behind him, Jaime Garcia, back at Busch Stadium, offered a reminder of how critical a cog he can be in this rotation as the Cardinals make a late-season push toward October.

In the immediate, Tuesday's 5-1 victory over the Mets, which came in front of 34,108 fans, inched the Cards to within two games of the Braves, who are currently positioned as the top Wild Card team. It also solidified St. Louis' grasp on the second Wild Card spot.

Garcia's continued progression, though, is what can have an impact well beyond the night... read more

By Brian StullPublished: September 03, 2012 @ 3:17pm

What began as a process to help determine his availability for 2013 has now become a realization that Chris Carpenter is likely return to the St. Louis Cardinals rotation this season.

“Is it realistic, I think it is,” answered General Manager John Mozeliak. “But rather than get out in front of that, let’s just see how he does tomorrow and if he can be back this year, I think it’s going to be a great shot in the arm for the club.”

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes if I can get back and be healthy and help this club, but I’m not going to do it if I can’t help them,” said Carpenter... read more

Published: September 03, 2012 @ 3:50pm

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Rookie Joe Kelly pitched 6 2-3 effective innings and also doubled, and the St. Louis Cardinals took advantage of a baserunning mistake to beat the New York Mets 5-4 Monday.

Andres Torres led off the Mets ninth with an apparent double, but was called out by first base umpire Dave Rackley on an appeal for missing first base.

Kelly (5-6) allowed five hits and two runs. He made his second start after a brief stint in the bullpen, and turned in his longest outing of the season.

Edward Mujica got the last out of the seventh, giving him 16 straight scoreless appearances since coming over from Miami at the trade deadline... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

Thud!  Yep, not only is that what a 9-0 drubbing to end a nice 6-1 stretch sounds like, but also the sound of the best, and toughest, catcher in either league having his clock cleaned in a collision at home plate.  Word has it that a Cardinals batboy actually had to go out between innings and retrieve Yadier Molina’s neck tattoos that were buried in the dirt.

Somewhere, Pete Rose, Bob Gibson and Ty Cobb are smiling at this display of hardnosed, old school competition.  “Baseball payback” was delivered later by a Jake Westbrook pitch to the upper leg of the offending Pirate and all is right in the baseball universe... read more

Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter (left) talks with Adam Wainwright during  the Aug. 16 game at Busch Stadium. (Photo by Chris Lee / clee@post-dispatch.com)

PITTSBURGH • Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, before he ran the steps at PNC Park in a late-afternoon workout, detoured to the Cardinals' bullpen Tuesday to watch one of his starting pitchers throw a brief bullpen session. The pitcher was Chris Carpenter.

In between treatments and then surgery for a nerve condition that affected his right shoulder, Carpenter has led the league in bullpen sessions thrown without ever pitching this year... read more

Jeff Gordon previews today’s game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates at 6:05 p.m. at  PNC Park in Pittsburgh (FSM).

THE STAKES: The Cardinals moved within six games of the National League Central lead by winning two of three games at Cincinnati. The Reds won’t be easily caught, though, so the Cardinals must also pay attention to the race for the wild card play-in game. At the moment they hold the second play-in game berth, 1½ games ahead of the Dodgers and two games up on the Pirates. This series in Pittsburgh gives the Cardinals a chance to push the Pirates further behind... read more

Each week I’ll be answering questions that have been sent to me at the BaseballGuys’ Twitter account in my never ending attempt to replace myself by explaining to everyone how I evaluate players thereby making myself obsolete.

Who wins: C.J. Wilson $11, Colby Rasmus $8, Matt Holliday $30, Arod $33, Kyle Seager $6 for Mike Trout $15? – @BradfordEra

I know what I would do here, but apparently my position on the matter is the exact opposite of what everyone else on Twitter seems to think.

Trout has been phenomenal. He’s currently hitting ... read more

Ante up folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

What we just witnessed was the most frustrating, and there have been MANY, loss of the season by far, and also a blatant example of why this team WILL miss the playoffs.  Pessimism is my nature and hell, it worked last year, so why not leap off the bridge already?  But I’m telling you, the Cardinals do not show the consistency or urgency necessary to close the gap and history is definitely not on their side if they’re planning on another closeout resembling last year’s.

The frustrations were many and ALL indicative of the season as a whole... read more

Steve Aaron

St. Louis Cardinals Triple-A first baseman Matt Adams undergoes right elbow surgery – MLB News

The St. Louis Cardinals were met with shocking news on Tuesday, August 14, of Triple-A first baseman Matt Adams’ season-ending surgery on his right elbow. Adams was expected to be part of the Cardinals’ line-up in September.

The surgery to remove bone spurs, nonetheless, proved decisive and led to the end of any chance that Adams would be part of the Major League team once again this year.

Cardinals which have recently witnessed some improvement – after weeks of unimpressive performance, will definitely benefit by the arrival of this young talent... read more

AP

PHILADELPHIA — Juan Pierre beat out a run-scoring infield single in the 11th inning, lifting the Philadelphia Phillies to an 8-7 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.

Jimmy Rollins reached against Barret Browning (0-2) on a fielder's choice. He advanced to second base on a grounder and then stole third.

Pierre hit one deep into the hole that shortstop Rafael Furcal made a great stab at and fired to first. Pierre just beat the throw to score Rollins and help the Phillies win two of three against the Cardinals.

Philadelphia's Erik Kratz hit a three-run homer off Mitchell Boggs in the eighth that tied the game 7-all... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

I usually save the hyperbole for afternoon blowhards on the AM-dial, but this 9-game home stand that kicks off tonight against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros is possibly the determining stretch of the Cardinals season. 

Anything less than 7-2, in my less than humble opinion, and now you start rolling the dice and hoping for lots of help from those ahead of you in the standings.  To expect a comeback worthy of last year is like expecting financial recovery in the current administration... read more

Today, I’ll give some advice on how you might choose to fill out your lineup for Friday or Saturday, and if you are interested in using that info to make a few bucks, DailyJoust can help you out.

HITTERS – FRIDAY

Carlos Beltran vs. Roy Halladay: Beltran is second in the NL with 27 homers. He’s also gone deep twice in four games and four times in 10 contests. The matchup might look like a tough one on paper, but Beltran has had a lot of success against the veteran Phillies’ ace going .326-2-10 in 43 at-bats.

Adam Jones vs. Luke Hochevar: Jones has hit ... read more

Today, I’ll give some advice on how you might choose to fill out your lineup for Friday or Saturday, and if you are interested in using that info to make a few bucks, DailyJoust can help you out.

HITTERS – FRIDAY

Carlos Beltran vs. Roy Halladay: Beltran is second in the NL with 27 homers. He’s also gone deep twice in four games and four times in 10 contests. The matchup might look like a tough one on paper, but Beltran has had a lot of success against the veteran Phillies’ ace going .326-2-10 in 43 at-bats.

Adam Jones vs. Luke Hochevar: Jones has hit ... read more

CBSSports.com wire reports

ST. LOUIS -- The San Francisco Giants have had a reputation as a team with good pitching and light hitting.

After Marco Scutaro's grand slam and career-high seven RBI helped the Giants paste the St. Louis Cardinals 15-0 Wednesday night, that may be changing.

The Giants have scored 56 runs on the first six games of their seven-game trip. San Francisco leads the NL with an average of 5.17 runs per game on the road.

"You see this lineup, and I don't see any reason why we can't continue doing that," said Scutaro, who had the most RBI in a game for the Giants since Jeff Kent had seven on May 1, 2001... read more

The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS — Buster Posey continued his second-half tear with a three-run homer, Barry Zito pitched 6 2-3 innings of two-run ball and the San Francisco Giants defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 Tuesday night.

Posey leads the major leagues with a .448 batting average and 30 RBIs since the All-Star break, including 12 in his last six games. Posey has an 11-game hitting streak, batting .431 (19 for 44) during the stretch

Joaquin Arias drove in the Giants' other run with an RBI double. Melky Cabrera also doubled for San Francisco, giving him a big league leading 152 hits... read more

By Alex Pavlovic 

ST. LOUIS -- Matt Cain has a commemorative samurai sword and a key to the city of San Francisco, but you can bet the ultracompetitive Giants right-hander would quickly swap those perfect-game gifts for a few more post-perfection wins.

Cain's slump continued Monday night in an 8-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, where he gave up five earned runs for the third time in his past seven starts. Since throwing a perfect game June 13, Cain is 2-3 with a 4.40 ERA, but he said he feels fine physically and mentally.

"I'm trying to do my job, and there are times where you make more pitches," Cain said... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

The Cardinals completed the sweep of Milwaukee and arrived at 10-games above .500 for the 1st-time this season.  However, the mood around town still seems to associate the team with underperformance, myself included.  This is because of the nature in which the losses have arrived.  The team leads the league in run differential but has struggled on many occasions to push that 1-needed run across in 3-2, 4-3, 1-0 contests.  Like Charlie Sheen, they seem to score in bunches.

Regardless of their less than impressive record in these 1-run contests, they still have put together a pretty good season, especially given injury and the loss of an every-season MVP-candidate... read more

CBSSports.com wire reports

DENVER -- Josh Rutledge isn't quite sure what to make of his eye-catching home run streak.

The rookie hit a home run in his fourth consecutive game and Tyler Colvin hit a tiebreaking double as part of a three-run seventh inning that lifted the Colorado Rockies past the St. Louis Cardinals 8-2 on Thursday night to avert a three-game sweep.

"I can't think of any time where I've hit a home run in four straight games before," Rutledge said. "That's a first.

"I'm just getting some good pitches to hit, and trying not to overswing and just let my hands work... read more

The Associated Press

DENVER — As a rule, Colorado Rockies reliever Matt Belisle gives up few home runs. He allowed five in 72 innings last year and one in his first 52 innings this season.

But Belisle has yielded home runs in his past two appearances, including a particularly costly one Wednesday night when the Rockies lost 9-6 to the St. Louis Cardinals. Belisle (3-3) gave up a three-run shot to Matt Holliday on the second pitch he threw that put the Cardinals ahead 6-5.

After a rain delay of 1 hour, 26 minutes at the end of the seventh, the Cardinals scored a run in the eighth when Matt Reynolds completed a walk with a wild pitch and added two more runs in the ninth off Carlos Torres to send the Rockies to their fifth straight loss and their seventh in a row at home... read more

The 2012 MLB Trade Deadline is upon us. At BaseballGuys.com there’s no way we could sit out the action which figures to be hot and heavy. We’ll be checking in throughout the day with some thoughts on all of the moves that you need to be made aware of as teams begin to set themselves up for the push for the playoffs.

RUMORS

JUSTIN UPTON/MATT GARZA: According to Buster Olney the D’backs are working on “something big,” and Olney mentions a trade between the Cubs and D’backs involving the two names listed.

HUNTER PENCE: It’s been reported by many sources that Pence is headed to the Giants... read more

9:20 p.m. CDT, July 29, 2012

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

Momentum…sputter – sputter.  Momentum…sputter – sputter.  This seems to be the aggravating theme of the 2012 St. Louis Cardinals.  A 7-3 stretch of 10-games looks great until you put it in the perspective that it started on a 6-1 run against the Cubs and Dodgers, with a chance to really make a statement over the weekend up in the championship-less confines of Wrigley Field.

Instead, the offense went catatonic once more and a few good pitching performances were again wasted.  In fact, the worst performance, Lance Lynn’s on Friday, would be the only series win... read more

With the MLB trade deadline looming just days away, the St. Louis Cardinalshave yet to make a move.

That doesn’t mean fans shouldn’t be expecting one though.

General manager John Mozeliak has always done a good job of keeping potential deals quiet until they happen. The team runs a tight ship when it comes to leaks.

With that being said, Mozeliak does drop hints on occasion.

While he has confirmed that the Cardinals will be buyers, just what they are after remains to be seen... read more

It’s Friday, and that means a couple of things. One, it’s about time to cut loose and have some fun (and don’t think I’m not going to this weekend given that I will be in The Vegas. That’s right, The Oracle in Vegas… only good things can happen given that setup, right?). Two, I’ll be giving some plays for Friday and Saturday that would seem to be in prime position to succeed.

CONTEST

At BaseballGuys.com we have partnered with DailyJoust.com to give our users an opportunity to compete in Daily Fantasy games this baseball season and they have a $250 MLB Baseball Freeroll Tournament Friday July 27th starting at 7pm EST which is FREE... read more

by Steve von Horn

St. Louis Cardinals veteran slugger Lance Berkman hasn't quite been himself since returning from knee surgery, and he knows it might be time for the team to move on and play youngster Allen Craig a bit more. Over the past week, Berkman has played less than usual and most of that has to do with his lack of performance at the plate. During the month of July, he owns a .182/.280/.273 triple-slash batting line and he has just four hits over 22 at-bats. The 36-year-old first baseman recently told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that anyone could "make the case that everybody but me deserves to play," and added that he would be okay if the team wants to move on:

"I think the development of young guys is fun to watch and I don't want to retard AC's (Allen Craig's) development in any way... read more

By R.B. Fallstrom The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS - Chad Billingsley strode to the mound feeling like a winner.

The Dodgers' right-hander was stuck on a five-start losing streak for a couple of extra weeks while sidelined with elbow inflammation, but he said there was no stewing before taming the St. Louis Cardinals for six innings in Monday's 5-3 victory.

"I don't even think about that," Billingsley said. "Your mindset is always getting ready for the next start, the next time you're out there."

Billingsley (5-9) didn't seem to mind the 101-degree heat and changed a soaked jersey once to cope... read more

Monday each week I take a look at the fantasy baseball game breaking down players who have produced noteworthy performances of late – not just positive outings mind you, but I’ll also delve into some of the players that have been sucking wind of late. Can you use this information to your benefit over at DailyJoust?

To get your daily fantasy baseball fix make sure you head over to DailyJoust.com to set your salary cap club.

GAINERS OF THE WEEK

Danny Espinosa (+13, $81K in DailyJoust Salary) With Ian Desmond looking like he could miss a month or more of playing time with his oblique issue, Steve Lombardozzi will handle second base duties full time with Espinosa moving over to shortstop for the Nats... read more

St. Louis Main Events would love for you to join our team for the Touch Technology Applications Conference & Expo held in St. Louis September 17th-18th at the Renaissance Hotel at the Airport.  This conference is the first of its kind, devoted to technology that brings together parents, professionals, and app developers in the same room to share feedback on how we can enhance the communication skills and education process through technology for children with special needs! For more information visit http://stlouismainevents.com/

By Andrew Simon / Special to MLB.com

The Cardinals are searching for more consistent success on offense. The Dodgers are searching for better results from Chad Billingsley.

Both teams are coming off sweeps when they face off in the first game of a four-game series at Busch Stadium on Monday.

The Cardinals had scored 29 runs in 10 games before erupting for a 12-run seventh inning against the Cubs on Saturday. That burst tied a franchise record for a single frame and was the largest by any team this season. It also left manager Mike Matheny to answer questions about whether his team's offense is "all or nothing... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

Lance Lynn got his 12th win on 5-K’, 7-runs and Jon Jay’s 4-hits, which are about 4-more than he needs per game to still be worth more than the useless Daddy’s boy he replaced a year ago.  Mike Matheny rolled out the “we’ll give you this one” lineup and they still won, in spite of that fact, sweeping those loathsome Cubs (J,K,L,M…see what I did there, cleverness personified).

After scoring 19-runs in the 7-games leading up to Saturday, the Cardinals exploded to match that output in the last two alone, also hitting 10-doubles in a 4-inning span from the 7th on Saturday to the 1st on Sunday... read more

ST. LOUIS -- They didn’t play like superheroes this weekend in St. Louis, so the Chicago Cubs elected to dress the part instead. 

In an activity set to promote bonding and camaraderie -- and certainly not to celebrate a weekend when they were outscored 23-1 -- Cubs players dressed up in their favorite super hero costumes for the bus ride to the airport and the flight from St. Louis to Pittsburgh. The Cubs were aware that their long-scheduled Superheroes Day didn’t fall on the best of weekends in the wake of the tragic shooting in Aurora, Colo., early Friday morning at a screening of the new Batman movie... read more

MILWAUKEE — Struggling on offense was one thing for the St. Louis Cardinals. Committing three errors in an inning was another twist in a recent rough patch for the reigning champions, and just showing the effort to get back into the game isn’t enough for manager Mike Matheny.

Adam Wainwright got off to a shaky start and his defense didn’t help, leading to a four-run first inning and a 4-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday.

For the second game in a row, the Cardinals gave Brewers closer Francisco Rodriguez trouble in the ninth, only to come up short... read more

By Jeremy Warnemuede / MLB.com

MILWAUKEE -- Carlos Beltran was back in the lineup for the Cardinals on Tuesday after manager Mike Matheny gave him a day off to rest following his participation in the All-Star Game and the three-game series in Cincinnati.

Matheny said Beltran was "in a better place" following the day off, so much so that he felt comfortable starting the 35-year-old in center field for just the third time this season and first time since June 17.

With left-hander Randy Wolf taking the mound for the Brewers, Matheny said it was a good time to put Beltran in center, opening up right field for Matt Carpenter... read more

By CHRIS JENKINS

AP Sports Writer

Allen Craig hit a bloop RBI single off Brewers closer John Axford to take the lead, and the St. Louis Cardinals rallied to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-2 on Monday night.

Milwaukee was leading 2-0 going into the ninth but Axford struggled with his control right away, eventually loading the bases with two outs and giving up a game-tying, two-run single to Matt Holliday.

Axford (2-6) then was lifted after giving up the single to Craig, which dropped softly into shallow left field... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

Well, all that shiny optimism I had going into the All-Star break was burst quicker than that “hope and change” a lot of you signed up for just 4-years ago.  Nothing would’ve been better than to hand Dusty Baker and his big mouth a series loss right out of the 2nd-half gates just as a little punch in the gut from ex-skipper, Tony La Russa, after Baker’s comments regarding his All-Star selections.

But it was not to be.  The bullpen continues to be a huge problem and this talented lineup is back to somehow not being able to rise to the occasion, time and time again... read more

By JOE KAY, AP Sports Writer

CINCINNATI (AP) — Scott Rolen hit a tiebreaking two-run single in the eighth inning Sunday night, sending the Cincinnati Reds to a 4-2 victory and three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Reds' sixth straight win matched their best surge of the season, moved them a season-high 12 games over .500, and jumped them a game ahead of Pittsburgh for the NL Central lead. St. Louis fell 4½ games back.

Rolen's two-out single off Mitchell Boggs snapped a 2-all tie and provided a satisfying moment for the 37-year-old third baseman, limited all season by a bad shoulder and back... read more

By Eric Ball

Freese was on fire for the entire postseason.

He was named the NLCS Most Valuable Player and had a 13-game postseason win streak at one point. It matched the all-time National League record.

But he saved his best for the World Series.

In Game 6, with his team down three games to two against the Texas Rangers, Freese stepped to the plate with two outs in the ninth representing the Cardinals final hope.

On a two-strike count he roped a two-run triple to send the game into extras where he would eventually hit the walk-off homer to send the series to a Game 7... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

Our beloved Cardinals will not return to action until Friday, with a chance to leapfrog Dusty Baker and his “whiny little B’s” from Cincinnati, but were well represented in tonight’s All-Star Game.  Carlos Beltran took a walk and scored, Rafael Furcal tripled in 1-of his 3-plate appearances and was flawless in the field, displaying more strength in his right arm than I had from 12-16 years old, if you catch my drift.

Matt Holliday would DH once and quickly capitalized on the opportunity by driving in his aforementioned teammate with a single... read more

(1) Mike Trout most valuable players since call up.

(2) R.A. Dickey #1 pitcher in fantasy baseball.

(3) Edwin Encarnacion living up to expectations.

(4) Melky Cabrera excelling for Giants.

(5) Jason Kipnis 20/30 threat.

(6) Ian Desmond the top SS in fantasy.

(7) Jake Peavy and Johan Santana putting injury woes behind them?

(8) Lance Lynn has been great, but bullpen in future?

(9) Fernando Rodney best RP in game?

TO SEE THE VIDEO: Around the Horn: July10, 2012

By R.B. FALLSTROM — AP Sports Writer

ST. LOUIS — Rafael Furcal capped a three-run ninth-inning rally with a two-run, bases-loaded single off Heath Bell that gave the St. Louis Cardinals a 5-4 victory over the Miami Marlins on Sunday.

Pinch hitter Austin Kearns put the Marlins up 4-2 with a three-run home run in the seventh.

The blown save was the sixth in 25 chances for Bell (2-5). The right-hander gave up a run while earning his 19th save in the series opener Friday.

Mitchell Boggs (2-1) struck out Donovan Solano with the bases loaded to end the ninth... read more

By Mark Newman / MLB.com

Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish and Cardinals third baseman David Freese are each headed to their first All-Star Game, thanks to a 2012 All-Star Game MLB.com Final Vote Sponsored by Firestone in which fans smashed online voting records and put a giant exclamation point on an unprecedented Major League Baseball balloting campaign.

The 83rd All-Star Game is scheduled to be played Tuesday in Kansas City, and Darvish and Freese have been added to the 34th and final spots on each roster. Darvish becomes the eighth Rangers player for the American League and Texas manager Ron Washington, and for Freese it reunites the 2011 World Series MVP with his former Cardinals manager, National League skipper Tony La Russa, who is coming out of retirement just for the Midsummer Classic... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

After dropping 2-out of 3-games to the suddenly very relevant Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cardinals got a much needed dose of the Colorado Rockies for what ailed them.  Pitching and offense seemed to get right again but I caution too much optimism after a 4-game set with the Rockies, who are about as formidable an opponent as France in wartime.

The Florida Marlins are next and are coming off a slight upswing of their own after acquiring Carlos Lee from the hapless Houston Astros and getting to beat up on Milwaukee for a few games... read more

By R.B. FALLSTROM 

The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS — Jeff Francis worked five solid innings before the Colorado bullpen took over and Tyler Colvin hit a three-run homer as the Rockies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Matt Holliday hit his 14th homer for the Cardinals. Carlos Beltran was 0 for 3 with a walk to end a nine-game RBI streak in which he drove in 15 runs.

Matt Belisle retired four in a row to end the eighth, the biggest out coming on Holliday's groundout with two runners on.

Rafael Betancourt worked out of trouble in the ninth for his 13th save in 17 chances... read more

Updated: July 3, 2012, 6:33 PM ET

ATLANTA -- Braves third baseman Chipper Jones on Tuesday was named to replace Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp on the NL All-Star roster.

Jones had been a candidate to be voted onto the team by fans in baseball's Final Vote campaign. Instead, Jones, 40, is replacing Kemp, who is on the disabled list with a hamstring injury but plans to participate in the All-Star home run derby.

Jones said he immediately thought about his children when he was told by general manager Frank Wren of the honor after batting practice on Tuesday... read more

The St. Louis Cardinals have made it to this point in the season without the services of ace Chris Carpenter, who has been sidelined with shoulder problems. Though the right-handed hurler has recently resumed a throwing program, the Cards might have to go through the rest of the year without him, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 

The Cardinals and co-ace Chris Carpenter on Monday discussed a second shutdown and possible season-ending surgery due to continued nerve-related shoulder problems that again arose following the pitcher's most recent side session... read more

Originally Published: July 3, 2012

Instead, in the news conference after his induction into the Hall of Fame in 1999, when he was asked who the next member of the Kansas City Royals to reach Cooperstown would be, Brett immediately mentioned a 22-year-old youngster who had played barely more than half a season in the majors... read more

By R.B. FALLSTROM 

The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS — Allen Craig homered for the second time in three days and All-Star Yadier Molina also connected as the Cardinals beat the Pirates 5-4 on Sunday.

Pittsburgh was trying to sweep a series of at least three games in St. Louis for the first time since 1997.

Jason Motte got the last four outs for his 17th save in 21 chances to end the Pirates' four-game winning streak. Motte was the last in a flurry of moves by rookie manager Mike Matheny that left three players seeing time at two positions... read more

Last night against the Miami Marlins the Cardinals came back to win a game in which they trailed in the eighth inning for the first time this season. They were 0-26 in those situations until Monday night.

However, the Redbirds' bullpen tried their best to punt the game to the Marlins in the seventh as Fernando Salas got just one out while allowing runners to reach second and third. Scatter-armed Eduardo Sanchez followed and walked three men in a row—the first intentionally with the other two coming Rick Ankiel-style... read more

CBSSports.com wire reports

MIAMI -- It took a few minutes, but the umpires' verdict was worth the wait for the Miami Marlins.

John Buck and pinch hitter Logan Morrison connected for consecutive home runs in the seventh inning, rallying the Marlins past St. Louis 5-3 Wednesday night and ending their eight-game losing streak against the Cardinals.

Buck tied it with one out when he homered off Fernando Salas. Morrison then sent a drive off Sam Freeman (0-1) that hit the top of the right-field fence, bounced off a nearby railing and dropped back into play.

"I thought it hit the back of the concrete and went out, I didn't even know it came back onto the field," Morrison said... read more

Over his last three outings coming in, St. Louis starter Kyle Lohse had received just four total runs of support.

Aided by a pair of Miami miscues, the Cardinals topped that mark in the opening frame on Tuesday.

Yadier Molina smacked a three-run homer as part of a five-run first inning, while Lohse tossed 7 1/3 strong innings as St. Louis won its season-high fifth straight game with a 5-2 triumph over the Marlins in the middle test of a three-game set.

Lohse (7-2) was charged with two runs on four hits and two walks for the Cardinals, who won their eighth straight game against the Marlins... read more

By Paul Friswold 

The St. Louis Cardinals and Cordish Companies have announced that they have a new tenant for the first phase of Ballpark Village: Anheuser-Busch has signed on the dotted line to be one of the anchors of the development. It's been a long time coming, but it's starting to feel like this thing could actually happen. Couldn't it?A-B intends to open a restaurant featuring "authentic German-inspired cuisine," which hopefully means lots of pig 'n' potato is on the menu. Of course the beer menu is mentioned in the press release, with a promised slate of more than 100 national and international beers on tap... read more

CBSSports.com wire reports

MIAMI -- Joe Kelly didn't expect to figure into Monday night's game when he came to the ballpark.

The 24-year old rookie pitcher, who is scheduled to start Wednesday for the St. Louis Cardinals, came up with an RBI as a pinch-hitter in the 10th inning of the Cardinals' 8-7 victory over the Miami Marlins.

"I was the most nervous I could be and I was like, `Man I might come up in a situation where I'll actually have to hit,"' Kelly said.

After Rafael Furcal's RBI double put the Cardinals up 7-6 in the top of the 10th, Kelly was called to hit for reliever Victor Marte with two outs and the bases loaded against Chad Gaudin (1-1)... read more

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NO LONGER RUNNING DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES.  THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ENTERED.  

A PRIZE IS BEING AWARDED BASED ON CURRENT NUMBERS.  

On Monday each week I take a look at the fantasy baseball game breaking down players who have produced noteworthy performances of late – not just positive outings mind you, but I’ll also delve into some of the players that have been sucking wind of late.

To get your daily fantasy baseball fix make sure you head over to DailyJoust.com to set your salary cap club. Can you use this information to your benefit over at DJ?

GAINERS OF THE WEEK

Matt Holliday (+21, $128,000 in DailyJoust Salary) And you were doubting him just a few weeks ago, admit it. Holliday is on fire over his last eight games as he’s produced 17 hits, two homers, 12 RBI and nine runs... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

Guess who’s back?  No, not the Cardinals, Jon Jay or the hitting stroke of Rafael Furcal and Matt Holliday.  After a week away from late-night keyboard pounding, your favorite writer has returned for “Fifty Shades” of baseball banter.  No, you won’t find whips and lacy undergarments on these pages, but jockstraps and bats are in abundance.  And if you all would bother to spread word of my (self-perceived) brilliance, perhaps I’d have more time to write instead of toiling away at the “real job” to pay the bills around here... read more

CBSSports.com wire reports

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- During an enjoyable three-game visit to Kansas City, patience was more than just a virtue for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Patience was also key in producing 41 hits, 30 runs and a three-game sweep of the shell-shocked Royals, who had won two out of three the previous weekend in St. Louis.

"Guys aren't chasing many pitches out of the [strike] zone," said manager Mike Matheny. "That's kind of what's going on here."

In heaping three days of abuse upon KC pitchers, the heavy-hitting Cardinals rapped out 17 hits and 11 runs on Friday and 16 hits and eight runs on Saturday before completing their first sweep in Kansas City since 2009 with an 11-8 victory on Sunday... read more

Berry good.

Quintin Berry, who has earned himself a starting job in left field (for now), hit a bases-loaded single up the middle to score RamonSantiago and lead the Tigers to a 2-1, 10-inning victory over the Cardinals.

It was Berry's first hit of the game. He went 0-for-4 prior.

The Tigers now sit at 34-35 and with four consecutive series victories, the longest such streak of 2012.

The inning started with Santiago's single to left field, then Jhonny Peralta's blooper into left-center with one out. Cardinals pitcher Victor Marte then hit Austin Jackson with a pitch to load the bases, setting up Berry's winning hit... read more

DETROIT (AP) — Jake Westbrook took advantage of some extra rest and pitched a little longer — all the way until the end for his first complete game in over two years.

Westbrook gave up only an unearned run in the St. Louis Cardinals' 3-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night. The right-hander's last two starts have been on five days' rest, and he's won them both.

"I guess the older I get, the better it is to get a little more rest," the 34-year-old Westbrook said.

read more

DETROIT (AP) — Justin Verlander had struck out only two hitters all night, but with the tying run suddenly on base after another Detroit miscue in the field, the right-hander let loose a bit.

"The mindset is: OK, turn the page," Verlander said. "Pick up my teammate."

Verlander struck out Allen Craig with the bases full to end the seventh inning, and the Tigers breezed from there to a 6-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night. Detroit outfielder Quintin Berrydropped a flyball to keep the St... read more

By Paul Rados

The 2012 MLB regular season is well underway with over two months of baseball already in the books. It is still a long road to October, but paths are already starting to take shape and many surprises have already occurred along the way. The early portions of the season bring promise but at this point anything can still happen.

The highlight of the day will be when the St. Louis Cardinals visit the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park located in Detroit, Mich.

Lance Lynn (10-2, 2.42 ERA) will take the mound for the Cardinals facing off against the Tigers' Justin Verlander (6-4, 2... read more

CBSSports.com wire reportsJune 17, 2012

ST. LOUIS -- Yuniesky Betancourt started the game on the Kansas City bench. He ended it by getting the biggest hit of the day.

Betancourt was called upon in the first inning when Chris Getz sustained a leg injury. In the 15th, he hit a two-run homer with two outs to lift the Royals to a 5-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.

"I don't even know if I could [describe it]," Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. "We won, that's all I can say."

read  more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

The Cardinals obviously jumped on zero momentum attained after their big series win against the White Sox and quickly resorted to what has become form of late.  They crapped the bed against the Kansas City Royals and wasted another 2-solid starting pitching performances by Adam Wainwright and Kyle Lohse.

The offense was as dormant again as my desire to write a column about it.  That being said, and with this being the 10th-anniversary of the death of legendary Cardinals announcer, Jack Buck, I bring you a KMFP-oem of mine that ran in the Post-Dispatch that weekend in the memory of a great man and a great St... read more

For all the bravado 19-year-old baseball sensation Bryce Harper displays on the diamond, the young outfielder still at times relents to his childlike tendencies. In a hotel Wednesday night, following a 6-2 win over the Blue Jays, Harper called manager Davey Johnson into his room and asked him to check his closet for A’s pitcher Bartolo Colon.

“I saw him in there,” Harper reportedly said. “He’s eating a towel. He said he’s gonna bite my toes.”

Johnson, sensitive to his young star’s worries, dutifully opened the closet and assured Harper that it was the shape of his suitcase that he had mistaken for Colon... read more

In his first full year pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals, Lance Lynn has shown that he is the team's future ace.

He has pitched very consistently so far this year, and every time his turn rolls around in the rotation you can almost expect the Cards to come out with a win. 

When Lynn pitches, he also makes others around him play better. He gets great run support, as the Cardinals have scored four or more runs every time Lynn has pitched, except for one game in which the Cardinals scored one run. 

Having allowed three or more unearned runs just once in his 13 starts so far, Lynn has taken over the role of the Cardinals' ace and is currently a front-runner for the Cy Young award... read more

By C. Trent Rosecrans | Baseball Blogger

June 14, 2012 4:57 pm ET

Most discussions of Cardinals prospect Kolten Wong begin with his size. He's just 5-foot-9, but to him, that's not a disadvantage, it's an advantage.No, it's not an advantage because he has a smaller strike zone or lower center of gravity, it's because he's always been short and it's made him into the player he is today. The Cardinals' first-round pick last season is hitting .298/.371/.439 for Double-A Springfield, after recording a .335/.401/.510 season in low-Class A Quad Cities last season. The way Wong has been able to perform in his brief pro career has led some to believe that he could end the Cardinals' rotation door at second base as soon as next season... read more

BY DARYL VAN SCHOUWEN 

ST. LOUIS — Cardinals manager Mike Matheny was going on about White Sox swagger after the Sox took the first game of their three-game interleague series at Busch Stadium.

“You see a team with a lot of confidence, just the way they walk onto the field and the way they play the game,’’ Matheny said.

After the Cardinals evened the series with a 1-0 victory on Wednesday night, all the Sox could talk about was Cardinals right-hander Lance Lynn, who momentarily took the swag out of the Sox’ strut... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

Okay, fess up, who didn’t think that one would get away from the Cardinals like so many similar ones have here lately?  I could’ve swallowed charcoal and pooped a diamond myself, especially when Mark Rzxxxxyzzzxpdq came in again to face Adam Dunn, one night removed from Dunn hitting a ball to Sauget off of him.  The plus to that for Dunn was spraying on some Old Spice after the game and heading over to that neon-lit metropolis to retrieve said ball.

With defensive help from Daniel Descalso (Tyler who?) and Rafael Furcal, in turning a nifty double play, there would be no repeat of Tuesday night... read more

After another great outing from Adam Wainwright, the St. Louis Cardinals fall again after bullpen struggles and defensive miscues continue to plague the team.

Wainwright put together a big night going seven innings giving up only two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts. By any stretch, that's a great night. Not only was he pitching well, he got an early base hit and made a pair of key defensive plays.

It was clear early on that he was going to have to do it all.

The game fell apart only moments after Wainwright went to the bench... read more

By Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch

HOUSTON — A night that allowed the St. Louis Cardinals to unload a week’s worth of frustration on the defenseless Houston Astros bullpen ended with a jubilee of homers, a career first for MVP David Freese and one welcome flight home back to St. Louis.

But it all started modestly enough by a game-changing walk.

With the Cardinals already trailing in the game, No. 8 hitter Shane Robinson worked Houston starter J.A. Happ for a 12-pitch walk in the third inning. That spurred a three-run inning that gave the Cards the lead... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

Interleague play kicked off exactly how, unfortunately, I thought it would.  And things won’t potentially get any better with the White Sox looming for the next 3-games.  Sure, Kansas City follows and, like with Houston, it may be enough to ease the concerns of some folk, but I fear this season is now leaning toward being more back and forth than Obama’s rhetoric and my team confidence.

Sure, they tease us with 26-runs in a series against the lowly Astros, but look, you can take that 1-hot broad to the homecoming dance because your mothers work together and hers made her go, but let’s face it, by the time prom rolls around, you’ll be taking one of the trolls you were always meant to be... read more

by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

Jake Westbrook was happy to join a playoff contender when the St. Louis Cardinals acquired him from the Cleveland Indians two years ago.

The veteran right-hander would be happy to win a game at this point.

With the Cardinals back from a 10-game trip, the struggling Westbrook gets his first start against his former team Friday night when the Indians visit Busch Stadium.

From 2001-10, only CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee had more wins in an Indians uniform than Westbrook, and only Sabathia made more starts than the right-hander during that stretch... read more

HOUSTON -- Allen Craig and Daniel Descalsohomered to back Adam Wainwright, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Houston Astros 4-3 Wednesday night.

Descalso's homer came in a three-run first inning and Craig connected in the third to make it 4-1. Craig also had an RBI single in the first.

Wainwright (5-6) yielded seven hits and three runs with eight strikeouts in 5 2-3 innings to improve to 5-0 in six starts at Minute Maid Park... read more

Rams Club in the Edward Jones Dome

Please join us for a "Vegas-style" Casino Night and live auction hosted by Steve Savard and D'Marco Farr, the current Rams broadcasters, while supporting the Jack and J... read more

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

HOUSTON — Jaime Garcia wasn't ready to pitch Tuesday night. It didn't take long for the St. Louis Cardinals to figure that out.

Garcia was rocked for six runs in two innings in his shortest outing of the season, and the Cardinals found themselves in a hole too deep to escape in a 9-8 loss to the Houston Astros.

Fresh off extra rest after battling soreness in his left elbow, Garcia looked uncomfortable through a pair of innings that proved tumultuous enough to seal the loss and drop him to 0-5 in seven career starts against Houston.

"He's not right," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

Wow, a little saving grace I suppose.  Allen “never trust a man with 2-names” Craig comes to the rescue again and hopefully stops the bleeding.  Prior to that win, the Cardinals lost 5-in a row, dipped into third place in the division and fell to .500 on the year.  Through 54-games last year, they were 32-22 and thought to be rolling.  This is scary.

The weekend in New York could’ve been subtitled the same as my high school yearbook picture…”will they ever score”.  First, they’re one…er, no-hit by Johan Santana, followed by a knuckleball clinic by a guy named “Dickey” before finally managing to push a run across in the 8th-inningof Game-3 against Jonathon Niese, who I actually played golf with last fall, true story... read more

By Associated Press

NEW YORK — Mike Matheny tried all sorts of things to snap the Cardinals out of their hitting funk.

The St. Louis manager let his players show up late to the ballpark. He gave Yadier Molina a rare chance to bat cleanup. He encouraged star Carlos Beltran to swing away at a 3-0 pitch.

Not a whole lot worked, though. Not until Allen Craig provided what any struggling team will always take — a big home run.

Craig hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth inning and the Cardinals found a bit of absent pop, beating the New York Mets 5-4 Monday and stopping their season-worst losing streak at five... read more

From Our Press Services

Mets 6, Cardinals 1

NEW YORK -- Jonathon Niese struck out a career-high 10 in six scoreless innings and the New York Mets shut down the slumping St. Louis Cardinals for the third straight game, getting a homer and three RBIs from rookie Kirk Nieuwenhuis in a 6-1 victory Sunday night.

Andres Torres added a two-run triple and finished a homer shy of the cycle. Nieuwenhuis, batting leadoff, also had three hits.

Niese (4-2) became the latest New York pitcher to dominate the Cardinals, following Johan Santana's no-hitter in the series opener Friday night -- the first in Mets history -- and knuckleballer R... read more

That's actually the strongest looking Cardinal lineup I've seen in a while.

To look on the positive side of things, at least today’s game will be better (from the Cardinal perspective) than yesterday’s was.

The Cardinals ran out perhaps their most potent lineup combination, a lineup that sawCarlos Beltran make his first start in center field, only to see them become a part of history as Johan Santana threw the first no-hitter in the 50-year history of the New York Mets.

Read more

The Colorado Rockies designated Jamie Moyer for assignment on Wednesday, putting a halt on his run as the oldest winning pitcher in major league history. Instead of sending him to play with a minor league affiliate, the team has elected to place him as a greeter at a Denver Walmart store, where his skills might be best utilized.

“We believe that greeting strangers in the entrance of Walmart will be a healthy transition for Jamie,” said Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd. “Sometimes a person still wants to feel useful after they’ve completely ceased to be useful, and the greeter position at Walmart exists solely to placate such individuals... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

The end of May could not have come sooner.  Today the Cardinals will get their first day off in 20-games, bookended by 2-losses to the Atlanta Braves, even though St. Louis managed to score 7-runs in both of those losses.  Much like a man using a Loofah, this is completely unacceptable.

If indeed “April showers bring May flowers”, than there was nothing but cactus growing around these parts.  After a big April push and a 6-3 start to the month, the rest of May saw our Birds go 7-13 to end the frame and give them a 13-16 record during that span, dropping 1-1/2 games behind the Cincinnati Reds and into 2nd place in the Central Division... read more

By CHARLES ODUM | The Associated Press 

ATLANTA (AP) Freddie Freeman wasn't surprised his new glasses were a big hit. He just feared his swing might be rusty.

Freeman homered and drove in three runs in his return to the lineup to help the Atlanta Braves recover after blowing a five-run lead and beat the St. Louis Cardinals 10-7 on Wednesday night.

Freeman, who had missed four straight starts because of vision problems, was elated about receiving his new sports glasses before the game. He was so excited he rushed to the batting cage early Wednesday afternoon to test the glasses before taking off the shorts and polo shirt he wore to the stadium... read more

DAILY NEWS WIRE REPORTS

TWO BIG swings and one last 98-mph fastball left the Atlanta Braves with a giant sigh of relief.

Dan Uggla hit a three-run homer and Michael Bourn also went deep Tuesday night, leading the Braves to a 5-4 win over the visiting St. Louis Cardinals that snapped an eight-game losing streak - Atlanta's longest in more than 2 years.

"This is not an indication of what's going to happen the next day or the next week or the next month," Uggla said. "But it definitely snaps the feeling of, 'Aww, man, are we ever going to win again?' "

Bourn led off the bottom of the first with his fifth homer of the season, tying a career high... read more

June 2 Game To Be Covered By Away And Home Bloggers

For the fifth consecutive year, the United Cardinal Bloggers, one of the premier organized blogging communities in all of baseball, will be conducting one of their signature projects, the progressive game blog.  This year, the organization has selected the June 2 game against the Mets in New York for their focus.As is the case every year, each blogger is assigned a portion (usually an inning) of the game.  The blogger will not only describe the action but will use what happens in that portion as a jumping-off point for other ideas and topics... read more

By KATE HEDLIN | The Associated Press 

Short-handed offensively, the sinking Atlanta Braves certainly can't afford to be giving up a lot of runs because of a struggling rotation.

The Braves will try to avoid a ninth straight loss Tuesday night when they continue their series against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals.

Atlanta dropped its eighth straight Monday, falling 8-2 to St. Louis - extending its worst single-season skid since losing nine in a row April 21-29, 2010.

The Braves (26-24) have averaged 2.5 runs and hit .178 during their current funk, striking out 10 or more times in three straight games... read more

Ante up, folks; you’re now in The Card Room w/KMFP.

I am back and, hopefully, so are the Cardinals.  While the job that pays my bills and the holiday weekend took me off track, poor pitching, fundamentals and clutch hitting derailed our boys of summer.  My lapses in production can be fixed by the ever-increasing popularity of LockerDome and The Card Room network, combined with your loyal word of mouth.  Those of the Cardinals boil down to pitching.

Adam Wainwright and Lance Lynn have put them back on the winning track for now.  And, though it’s only 2-games, they were against teams we’ve had no success against thus far and a big step forward with Cincinnati recently on one of those “never lose” streaks they seemingly get on every season... read more

BY BERNIE MIKLASZ, Post-Dispatch Sports Columnist 

The careening Cardinals needed this one. They needed Adam Wainwright's mix-master pitching, Yadier Molina's grand slam and Carlos Beltran's sweet swing. They needed the platinum defense of shortstop Rafael Furcal, and the first big-boy homer of Matt Adams' career.

More than anything, the Cardinals needed a win. After nine innings of therapy and sunshine at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals had their 8-3 victory over Philadelphia and the anticipation of a happy flight to Atlanta.

"That's huge," manager Mike Matheny said.

As they reach Memorial Day, the Cardinals trail first-place Cincinnati by 1 1/2 games in the NL Central... read more

It’s Friday, and that means a couple of things. First, the weekend is nearly upon us (thank goodness). Second, it’s time to get your drink on. Third, it’s time to get ready for your weekend of fantasy baseball  with DailyJoust.com.

Today, I’ll give some advice on how you might choose to fill out your daily fantasy baseball lineup for Friday or Saturday.

HITTERS – FRIDAY

Phillies vs. Kyle Lohse: Look at the numbers some of the Phillies’ batters have put up against Lohse, they are pretty staggering – Juan Pierre (... read more