I could hear fans all over St. Louis today asking the friend that told them the player that was traded to the Cardinals today: “Wait…did you say Halladay or Holliday?” I spent the entire All-Star Break trying to convince everyone that the bat plugged a more important hole than the arm, and at a more affordable price. Mozeliak agreed, and today the Cardinals inked the slugger for the rest of the season. It cost the organization Brett Wallace, along with OF Shane Peterson and right-handed sinkerballer Clayton Mortenson. After Oakland pitched in to help pay [...]

So the All-Star game has come and gone, which had its moments and its letdowns. I will be posting some pictures up of the game in a while.
With the All-Star game in St. Louis, we really start to hear more of the national media acknowledging that The Machine is the best player in the world right now. As he goes into his 9th season, we are hearing less and less comparisons with current players, and more and more comparisons with the best in the Hall of Fame. This year he’s helped his cause, posting some fantastic numbers in just [...]

The Cards brought in solutions to try to plug some of the gaps created by the lack of production from the starters.  Those solutions, Khalil Greene’s resurrection and the acquisition of Mark DeRosa, have not panned out as both have found themselves on the DL.   However, the Cards are now 5-1 so far this month, after two months straight of sub-500 play (13-14 in May, 12-17 in June).  They have found themselves back in first place, and a lot of it has been the resurgence of some important bats in the lineup:  Ludwick and Rasmus. 
Ludwick has 7 hits and 6 [...]

10 Games until the All-Star Break rolls into town.  Most of the Cards won’t see the field until July 17th, after the ceremonies come through.  Molina, Pujols, La Russa look sure to see some action, and this Sunday Franklin may find his invitation in the mail as well.  However, the Redbirds can’t look forward to the ceremonies, or the time off, because the biggest games of the first half lurk right around the corner.
The Central has been a tough division through the first half, with 5 of the 6 teams within 3 games of the lead.  The Cardinals will play [...]

If there’s one thing the Cards’ infield has this year, it’s versatility.  Thurston, Brendan Ryan, and Barden (when he was up) can play 2B, SS, 3B.  DeRosa sticks with that trend, and though he was brought in as the 3B, he’s played every position at least 20 games except for catcher and center field.  However, I think we’ve seen in these last three games that he may not be that “spark” in the lineup that will transform the Cards from a good team to a playoff-bound team. 
In both the spots before and after Pujols, DeRosa has started going 1-9 with [...]