MLB FanHouse

So Who's the NL Central Favorite Now?

Pat Lackey — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:58:00 EST

Filed under: Chicago, Cubs, Brewers, Cardinals, NL Central, St. Louis, Milwaukee

It's hard to imagine a better way to kick off the mad dash to baseball's trade deadline than with the Brewers and Cubs pulling trades for big-name pitchers within two days of each other. Of course, those moves raise a pretty big question: who's the favorite to win the division now? Let's break it down.

Definitely not favorites: Pirates, Astros, and Reds. The Reds are young and exciting but at least a year away, the Pirates seem to be meandering down the right road but they're still way down the path in the wrong direction, and the Astros are a disaster area.

The Cardinals: This team perplexes me. By all accounts they shouldn't be very good, and yet they've still got the second best record in the NL and are ahead of the Brewers in the Wild Card standings. They probably won't join in the arms race with the Cubs and Brewers, but they get Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter back from the DL in pretty short fashion. Still, they're short on offense besides Albert Pujols and Ryan Ludwick, it's hard to know what to expect out of Carpenter after missing most of a season and a half, and Kyle Lohse is a prime candidate to turn into a pumpkin.
The Brewers: What makes them so interesting is how well they were playing before the Sabathia trade. Nine of Prince Fielder's 17 homers have come since June 1st. Manny Parra is 7-0 with a 2.65 ERA since May 20th. It's July and Ben Sheets' elbow and shoulder are still attached to his body. Really, they've got a lot of things rolling in their direction now that they've got CC Sabathia, who's on a roll of his own and may well dominate the National League.

The Cubs: If Jim Edmonds continues hitting like he has been of late, that means that every Cubs regular has an OPS+ of 98 or higher. There's not really a weak spot in the lineup. Their rotation has Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster (who's arguably been better than the Big Z this year), and now Rich Harden, who's a huge asset if he can stay healthy. And their bullpen has been lights out with Kerry Wood, Carlos Marmol, and company (Bob Howry excluded). They've tailed off a bit in the last month, but they're really freaking stacked.

The breakdown: I'd watch for the Cardinals to slowly fade out of the picture over the next month. They won't fall apart, but one day you'll check the standings and they'll be five back, then seven, then ten. They're just not equipped to keep up with the Cubs and Brewers. As for who the Cubs and Brewers, I think most people would be willing to bet at this point that they're both going to the playoffs and I agree with that. The Cubs look better on paper at the moment, but the Brewers have been the better team for the past month. The Brewers also got more in Sabathia than the Cubs did in Harden, because it's crazy to think Harden is going to make every start from here on out. I think this race goes down to the wire, but the Cubs pull it out in the end because they're a deeper team and they're starting with a four-game lead. The Brewers will have to settle for the Wild Card, but the playoffs are the playoffs, right?

So Who's the NL Central Favorite Now? originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On Deck: They Were Once Friends

Mullet — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 12:40:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Red Sox, Yankees, Blue Jays, Angels, Cubs, Cardinals, St. Louis, Toronto

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.

Chicago Cubs (52-35) at St. Louis Cardinals (49-39) - 3:55 PM ET

It's sad to see a friendship go south as apparently the one between Tony La Russa and Jim Edmonds has now that Edmonds is with the Cubs and La Russa is playing ultra-sensitive. But in reality, La Russa and Edmonds are mere players in the larger war that is Cubs vs. Cardinals, with first place on the line and growing ever so further away from the Cardinals. Today, Kyle Lohse is going to have to continue his 2008 magic (remember when nobody wanted Lohse? Yeah, well now he's 10-2) against Ted Lilly.

Boston Red Sox (52-37) at New York Yankees (45-42) - 3:55 PM ET

The Yankees held a team meeting after losing 7-0 to the Sox on Thursday. Afterward, Joe Girardi held the Yankees' feet to the fire in a team meeting. So what happens the next day? Sure, they lose again. Guess that whole team meeting thing didn't really work out. And they now have to answer to Hank Steinbrenner, who came out and said that the players have to "buck up".

Wait, that's it? No irrational statements or threats of death? Just a piece of intangible advice? Hank! It's like I don't even know you anymore.

Toronto Blue Jays (41-46) at L.A. Angels of Anaheim (52-34) - 9:05 PM ET

As the Blue Jays dangle one starter to acquire their third shortstop, another starter is about to hook up in a classic pitching duel. Roy Halladay pitched a shutout his last time out, and the man who leads all of baseball in innings pitched goes against John Lackey, who has an obscene ERA of 1.44 this season after going 5-0 in June. Lackey himself almost had a shutout on Sunday against Dodgers, going 8 and 2/3's of shutout ball.

Everyone else:

Pirates at Brewers 7:05 ET
Rangers at Orioles 7:05 ET
Mets at Phillies 7:05 ET
Athletics at White Sox 7:05 ET
Nationals at Reds 7:10 ET
Indians at Twins 7:10 ET
Astros at Braves 7:10 ET
Royals at Rays 7:10 ET
Marlins at Rockies 8:05 ET
Padres at Diamondbacks 8:10 ET
Dodgers at Giants 9:05 ET
Tigers at Mariners 10:10 ET

On Deck: They Were Once Friends originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sat, 05 Jul 2008 12:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Albert Pujols Hits His 300th Home Run

Mullet — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:45:00 EST

Filed under: Cubs, Cardinals, NL Central, MLB Fans, St. Louis, MLB Milestones

Albert Pujols, in a game that's still going on, has just hit his 300th career home run against Bobby Howry of the Chicago Cubs. Pujols had today and tomorrow to hit the home run to become the fifth fastest to that milestone, and he did it.

Here's the odd part about the home run that was just touched on in the broadcast: the home run went off the fair pole and on to the field, which at the time would have avoided a whole "will the fan who catches the ball give it back or try to extort a little money off of it" dilemma. But Cubs left fielder Reed Johnson took the ball and flipped it into the stands. So he basically gave a winning lottery ticket to a lucky fan! Not that it was a 756th or even a 500th, but still, that was Pujols' ball and Johnson threw it away.

But the fan who caught Johnson's toss was caught by a Cubs fan. And true to Cub fans, threw the ball back to the field. Crisis averted.

Albert Pujols Hits His 300th Home Run originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ignore Jim Edmonds at Your Own Risk

Mullet — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:02:00 EST

Filed under: Chicago, Cubs, Cardinals, NL Central, MLB Gossip, St. Louis

You might have noticed that tonight marked the first time since Jim Edmonds became a Cub that he played in St. Louis wearing blue and red. So Edmonds received the inevitable questions about coming back to St. Louis. What followed? War!

Miffed by Jim Edmonds' comments that he was happy to be with the Cubs and tired of talking about his past, La Russa said Friday he'd ignore the four-time All-Star in his first visit as a member of the team's biggest rival.

"I wouldn't clap or boo or anything," La Russa said before a three-game series matching the NL Central's top two teams. "He wants to put his Cardinal days behind him, so I think you've got to respect that, and just ignore him."

You're kidding me, right? Tony La Russa is getting huffy?

Edmonds said La Russa, his manager for the best eight seasons of his career, would do so at his peril. The two have always had a good relationship.

"If he ignores me, I'm going to punch him in the mouth," Edmonds joked. "I think he's trying to stir it up. He gets a little excited about this rivalry."

I think we have enough to promote "FanHouse Baseball Wrestlemania" here. Edmonds vs. La Russa can be the undercard to Chacon vs. Wade and Reyes vs. Hernandez. We need a women's match though ... ooh! Cynthia Rodriguez vs. Madonna! Quick, get Eric Bischoff on the phone.

"I was trying to fit in with Chicago and everybody kept asking me questions about trying to fit in," Edmonds said. "So if that was what it was, obviously that was taken out of context."

It was enough to get La Russa's blood pressure up. La Russa said he'd say hello to Edmonds when the two crossed paths and said the Cardinals should honor Edmonds after he retires, but certainly not now.

"Are we indebted to him? For what?" La Russa said. "Didn't he play in a bunch of postseasons? How many of the postseasons was he in before he got here? None.

"He got to a World Series, too, and he was paid for it. I mean, there isn't anything he gave us that we didn't give him back, is there?"

You have to seriously be kidding me. La Russa's starting to sound like Hulk Hogan when Paul Orndorff turned on him and Hogan was crying "I can't believe I broke bread with you, brother!!!" Tony, the world knows you're a genius. But I think we're taking ourselves a wee bit too seriously here. Chill.

Ignore Jim Edmonds at Your Own Risk originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mark Mulder Actually Pitched in a Major League Game Last Night

Pat Lackey — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:42:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, NL Central, MLB Injuries, St. Louis

At first glance, the line seems like a fairly innocuous one: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 K. It becomes more extraordinary with a glance to the left in the name column: Mark Mulder. After all of his setbacks this season, he's finally back in St. Louis and his first outing wasn't a complete disaster. Unsurprisingly, he sounds more relieved than anything:

"This whole process has been up and down, so now what's the point?" Mulder said. "I'm out there. ... That's what matters. Of course, I want to be starting. But right now, I could care less. It's just a relief to be out there again."

[...]

"You know what? I'm back pitching," Mulder said. "That's enough. If I do that for the rest of the year, then that's OK. If there's more, that's OK. ... It's enough to be back."

In the same article, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch put his fastball at between 88 and 90 mph, which isn't great since it was a relief outing, but is more than it seemed like Mulder was going to be able to muster earlier this year. The Cardinals seem pretty content to use him as a reliever for now and given his ugly rehab stints, I'm sure they'll take things slowly, but everyone seems pretty happy just to have him in St. Louis for now. Given all he's been through, it's pretty easy to see why.

Mark Mulder Actually Pitched in a Major League Game Last Night originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On Deck: L.A. Showdown!!!

Mullet — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Chicago, Los Angeles, White Sox, Royals, Angels, Cubs, Cardinals, Dodgers, Anaheim, Kansas City, St. Louis

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.

L.A. Angels of Anaheim (48-33) at L.A. Dodgers of L.A. (38-42) - 4:10 PM ET

The final day of interleague play, or as ESPN has needlessly re-branded it: "AL/NL SHOWDOWN!" (like it's a western gunfight or something) will feature a good pitching matchup between John Lackey (5-1, 1.65) and Derek Lowe (5-7, 4.05). Of course, it can't be better than the one between Chad Billingsley and Jered Weaver last night, where Weaver combined with Jose Arredondo for eight innings of no-hit baseball, but lost. After coming back from an early season injury, Lackey really hasn't had a bad outing all season. So if anyone can continue the no-hit parade for the Dodgers, it's Lackey.

St. Louis Cardinals (46-36) at Kansas City Royals (37-44) - 2:10 PM ET

Nobody is more sad to see interleague AL/NL SHOWDOWN!!! end than the Kansas City Royals, who are 13-4 against the National League this year. Should you feel sorry for them? Absolutely not. The Royals had a shot to move to the National League in 1997 and declined. Thus, they remain in the A.L. to miss the playoffs some more and wonder what might have happened if they switched leagues.

Chicago Cubs (34-46) at Chicago White Sox (44-35) - 8:05 PM ET

At 35th and Shields, they'll be ballin' after dark for the final time in 2008, and Ozzie Guillen's White Sox will be hoping to sweep the Cubs at home after they were swept at Guillen's favorite park in all the land: Wrigley Field. Two home sweeps shouldn't be a big surprise ... the Sox are 26-11 at home, while the Cubs are 33-10 at home. And as it's the last interleague game of the year, it's also the last time you'll hear the phrase: "AL/NL SHOWDOWN!!!"

Everyone else:

Rockies at Tigers 1:05 ET
Reds at Indians 1:05 ET
Braves at Blue Jays 1:07 ET
Yankees at Mets 1:10 ET
Diamondbacks at Marlins 1:10 ET
Rays at Pirates 1:35 ET
Orioles at Nationals 1:35 ET
Red Sox at Astros 2:05 ET
Brewers at Twins 2:10 ET
Giants at Athletics 4:05 ET
Mariners at Padres 4:05 ET
Phillies at Rangers 6:05 ET

On Deck: L.A. Showdown!!! originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 29 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Albert Pujols Should Be Back Tonight

Pat Lackey — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:59:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, NL Central, St. Louis

In the two weeks Albert Pujols has been on the disabled list, the Cardinals have gone 6-6 and only lost a game on the Cubs in the NL Central standings. So even though things weren't nearly as bad as they could've been, I'm guessing they're more than a little happy to get their slugger back ASAP. Lucky for them, Pujols sounds like he's ready to play against the Tigers tonight:

"If I'm ready to play first base, I think I'm going to play first base," Pujols said, adjusting his stance of the day before. "If I feel the same way I feel today, I think I'm going to be playing (Thursday).

"Something crazy has to happen ... for me not to play."

It sounds like Pujols has no intention of DHing and that he's headed right back into the full swing of things. So he's playing with one elbow and a strained calf and he's probably still going to get right back into the swing of things and pick up where he left off with his .475 OBP and .631 SLG. He says that something crazy would have to happen to stop him from playing, but i bet he goes 3-for-5 even if he gets abducted by aliens this morning and is makes a Space Jam-esque return on a spaceship five minutes before game time.

Albert Pujols Should Be Back Tonight originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mark Mulder Scratched from Rehab Start

Pat Lackey — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:43:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, NL Central, MLB Injuries, St. Louis

Earlier today the news broke that the Cardinals were planning on having Mark Mulder start a game this weekend. As someone that's followed the Mulder story all year, I thought that was pretty odd. He's been having really weird arm problems and been getting hammered in his rehab starts. It seemed insane to me that the Cardinals wanted him to start a Major League game.

Turns out those plans are going to be on hold as Mulder was scratched from his last rehab start with AAA Memphis tonight and is listed as "day-to-day." There's no word on what that means, exactly, but if I had to bet I'd be laying money against Mulder making his start against Kansas City this weekend. If he can't make a rehab start, I don't see why he'd be making a big league one.

My gut feeling is that the Cardinals are simply stalling here. A player can't make an indefinite number of rehab starts and Mulder's time is up, but he's nowhere near ready for the bigs. In his last rehab start, he got pounded for 10 hits and six runs in less than four innings. I'm guessing this is all going to end in a DFA for Mulder, followed by a full-time AAA assignment. Without a major revelation, I doubt he's going to be seeing the mound in St. Louis anytime soon.

Mark Mulder Scratched from Rehab Start originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On Deck: Rats Lifting Weights in Chicago

Mullet — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, Chicago, Miami, Oakland, Red Sox, White Sox, Athletics, Marlins, Cubs, Cardinals, St. Louis

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.

Chicago White Sox (41-32) at Chicago Cubs (46-28) - 1:05 PM ET

Friday was the first time that both Chicago's baseball teams entered a series against each other in first place. The initial game did not disappoint, with Aramis Ramirez smacking two home runs, including the walk off extravaganza in the ninth to win the game for the Cubs. But the Cubs have more surprises for the White Sox. Before the game yesterday, Ozzie Guillen took another shot at Wrigley Field, saying that under the right field bleachers, there are "rats out there are lifting weights" while the assembled media laughed. Little does Guillen know that Lou Piniella is thinking about using a couple of those rats in key pinch hitting situations today. Then ... who will be laughing?

St. Louis Cardinals (43-32) at Boston Red Sox (46-30) - 3:55 PM ET

Daisuke Matsuzaka returns today for the Red Sox ... and not a moment too soon as his return from the disabled list comes one day after Curt Schilling announced he was done for the year, and just days after Bartolo Colon went on the disabled list from trying to swing like Babe Ruth. But it's not like they've missed Dice-K all that much ... the Sox were 14-7 without Matsuzaka on the roster, and Colon was 4-2 this season while helping fill in. Also, the Sox gained two games on Tampa while Dice-K was on the shelf. So as good as Tampa's been playing lately (and having just swept the Cubs I'd say they're doing all right), they're still looking up at Boston even through their injuries. Scary.

Florida Marlins (39-34) at Oakland Athletics (40-33) - 9:05 PM ET

During Friday night's extra inning Oakland win, the A's announcers were raving about the Marlins lineup ... especially middle infielders Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla (Uggla hit two dingers including a game tying shot off of Huston Street in the ninth). Here's the dirty little secret about the Marlins: although they lead the league in HR's and are seventh in RBI, they're also near the bottom of the league in batting average and on base percentage. An incredible 48% of their runs have come as a result of home runs. That's an incredible pace to keep up for a team who's hitters also lead baseball in strikeouts. If the home runs run dry, there will be trouble.

Everyone else:

Reds at Yankees 1:05 ET
Indians at Dodgers 3:55 ET
Astros at Rays 6:10 ET
Blue Jays at Pirates 7:05 ET
Orioles at Brewers 7:05 ET
Angels at Phillies 7:05 ET
Rangers at Nationals 7:10 ET
Giants at Royals 7:10 ET
Diamondbacks at Twins 7:10 ET
Mariners at Braves 7:10 ET
Mets at Rockies 8:05 ET
Tigers at Padres 10:10 ET

On Deck: Rats Lifting Weights in Chicago originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No Additional Surgery for Chris Carpenter

Pat Lackey — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 23:21:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, NL Central, MLB Injuries, St. Louis

With the wheels starting to fall off of the St. Louis Cardinals season (they just got swept by the Royals!), they're certainly a team that could use some good news. They've had a couple ugly weeks of injuries and setbacks, but they finally got something to smile about when the results of Chris Carpenter's exam with Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham came back. Carpenter himself relayed the news to the local media:

"All of my tests were fine; my ligament and my reconstruction looks good," Carpenter said Tuesday at Busch Stadium, cataloging what Dr. James Andrews told him the day before. "My elbow looks good, and everybody reacts differently at different times to this surgery.

That sounds to me like there's no need for additional surgery for the Cardinals' once and future ace and that the original target return date of around or just after the All-Star Break isn't changing. No one seems to be taking charge in the NL Wildcard race at the moment, and having Chris Carpenter around can't be a bad thing for the Redbirds.

No Additional Surgery for Chris Carpenter originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 19 Jun 2008 23:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yadier Molina Is Concussed But Not Disabled

Matt Watson — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:25:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, NL Central, MLB Injuries, MLB Video, St. Louis

We told you yesterday about the collision that hospitalized Yadier Molina, but now you can see for yourself just how bad it was -- the "best" angle of his vicious faceplant starts right around the 58-second mark.

Although he was carted off on a stretcher and hospitalized overnight, he seems to have escaped without too much damage. Despite suffering a mild concussion, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Molina "is not likely" to be placed on the 15-day disabled list.

Of course, take that with a grain of salt: concussions can be a mysterious ailment, and it's nearly impossible to predict how someone will react to one. Even if Molina seems to be fine in the short-term, it's possible the cobwebs will creep up a few weeks down the line, much like how they did for Ryan Church.

(Tip of the hat to Babes Love Baseball for the video)

Yadier Molina Is Concussed But Not Disabled originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yadier Molina Leaves the Field on a Stretcher

Pat Lackey — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 19:44:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, NL Central, MLB Injuries, St. Louis

There's some scary news out of St. Louis this afternoon as Yadier Molina left the field on a stretcher, wearing a neck brace after a home plate collision with Eric Bruntlett in the ninth inning of the Phillies/Cardinals game this afternoon in St. Louis. There's not much word on his condition besides the Cardinals saying that he never lost consciousness and that he's been taken to the hospital and more news will be coming shortly.

There is one more incredible aspect to the play. After taking the brunt of the collision with Bruntlett, Molina actually held on to the ball. He left the field in a neck brace on a stretcher, but managed to hold on to the ball and make the tag, a play that eventually allowed the Cardinals to win 7-6 in seven innings.

This is just more bad news for the Cardinals, who have had a slew of injuries in recent weeks. With Albert Pujols and Adam Wainwright on the DL and Mark Mulder and Chris Carpenter suffering set-backs on their comeback trail, the last thing the Cards need is for Jason LaRue to be their starting catcher for any significant stretch of time. That might not happen since there's no word on the seriousness of Molina's injury, but it doesn't seem unreasonable to think that Molina could be on the DL for at least a short period of time.

Yadier Molina Leaves the Field on a Stretcher originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 15 Jun 2008 19:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bad News for Chris Carpenter

Pat Lackey — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 16:47:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, NL Central, MLB Injuries, St. Louis

This year hasn't brought much good news for the St. Louis Cardinals on the injury front. Mark Mulder's been seriously struggling with his rehab while Albert Pujols has a bum elbow and now he's on the DL with a strained calf. Now, Chris Carpenter has suffered a set-back while rehabbing his own bad elbow.

On Friday, Carpenter went to see the Cardinals' team doctor to have his pitching elbow (which he had Tommy John surgery on last year) checked out. The team hasn't made the results of the exam known, but it now appears that Carp has been scheduled for a second opinion with Dr. James Andrew in Birmingham tomorrow. The scuttlebutt is that there's a problem with the nerve in that elbow that may require additional surgery. Still, GM John Mozeliak is pretty positive:

"If this is something they determine does not need to be moved, then he likely can pitch through this," Mozeliak said. "If it does have to be moved, we estimate it as a two- to four-week setback for when he might be able to return."

I think Mozeliak's just trying to be positive here because the fact that Carp needs a second opinion is pretty bad news for the Cards. Their rotation has been barely hanging together this year without him, but now with Adam Wainwright on the DL and Todd Wellemeyer getting bombed in his last start, they could really use Carpenter. The Cards are still in contention, but things are getting ugly pretty quickly in St. Louis.

Bad News for Chris Carpenter originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 15 Jun 2008 16:47:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On Deck: Cream of the Crop

Mullet — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, Dallas, New York, Philadelphia, Red Sox, Rangers, Mets, Phillies, Reds, Cardinals, Cincinnati, St. Louis

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.

Philadelphia Phillies (41-29) at St. Louis Cardinals (41-29) - 2:15 PM ET

Sometimes the best matchup of the day is so obvious that it smacks you in the face. The Phils and Cards are that matchup. Sure, it helps when it's at the top of the scoreboard because it's the only N.L. game of the bunch. But with both teams being 41-29 (the Phillies are four games in first place yet the Cardinals are three and a half behind first if you can believe that), and with the series going the way it is (the Phillies winning 20-2 the first game while the Cardinals come back to win a pitcher's duel one day later), this is definitely the game of the day. It's the game of the day even if today's starter Brett Myers has stunk up the joint this season.

Texas Rangers (34-35) at New York Mets (32-34) - 1:10 PM ET Doubleheader

Two games are always better than one, so this twinbill makes the cut. And it will be interesting to see how tired some of the Rangers will be after using the tarp as a slip n' slide during Saturday night's rainout. But the big question continues to be the day-to-day job status of Willie Randolph. If the Mets somehow get swept by the Rangers in today's DH, will Randolph even make the roadtrip to Anaheim and Colorado? As ridiculous as a day to day re-evaluation of someone's job seems, that's life in the big city.

Boston Red Sox (43-28) at Cincinnati Reds (33-37) - 1:15 PM ET

Other than the pitching duel between Josh Beckett and Homer Bailey, I want to see if any players demand that any home run balls that Ken Griffey Jr. may hit today be returned to Griffey for free. Most likely, nobody will care about these baseballs, but some are suggesting the guy who caught Griffey's 600th "do the right thing" and give the ball to Griffey, including Marlins outfielder Luis Gonzalez. Because heaven forbid anybody else besides players and owners make money off baseball. Tell you what: when a player listens to a fan who asks him to fore go extra millions to stay in the city he's been playing in instead of going to a new town as a free agent, then I'll expect fans to give away milestone home run balls to the players who hit them. Until then ...

Everyone else:

Dodgers at Tigers 1:05 ET
Padres at Indians 1:05 ET
Cubs at Blue Jays 1:07 ET
Pirates at Orioles 1:35 ET
Marlins at Rays 1:40 ET
Twins at Brewers 2:05 ET
Yankees at Astros 2:05 ET
Rockies at White Sox 2:05 ET
Athletics at Giants 4:05 ET
Royals at Diamondbacks 4:10 ET
Nationals at Mariners 4:10 ET
Braves at Angels 8:05 ET

On Deck: Cream of the Crop originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 15 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cardinals Draft Pick Mitch Harris Headed for War, Not the Minor Leagues

Josh Alper — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 09:35:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, NL Central, MLB Draft, St. Louis, The Word

If it were 40 years ago and you mentioned getting drafted, military service would be assumed. Now, even though we're at war, being drafted is a happy moment. For Mitch Harris, though, getting drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals has been followed by his assignment to active duty in the Navy.

Harris, a pitcher, went to the Naval Academy and was selected in the 13th round of last week's draft. The Navy denied his bid to go play ball and assigned him to report to active duty on Monday. Harris says he understands but still knows he's missing his only shot at a shot at the big leagues. He wanted to find a way to juggle his service as well as his baseball career.

"If I don't get that chance (to play baseball) right now, I'll never get it again. And to fulfill a goal of getting to the pros, it's sad that they would take it away from me. No one's willing to stick their neck out. It stinks ... it's upsetting."

Harris was given a free education in exchange for five years of active duty. I feel bad that he won't have a chance at pursuing the big leagues but his comments sound a lot like someone who's trying to have their cake and eat it too. War or not, Harris made this deal and the Navy lived up to their side of it, it's his turn to live up to his end.

You might recall a bit of a firestorm when another service academy athlete, Caleb Campbell, was drafted by the Detroit Lions in April. The Army will let him out of his active service, he'll do recruiting and reserve work instead, and were met with many complaints from people who thought he should serve out his commitment. They made the same call about two baseball players drafted last week. The Army has an alternative service option in place and it is implemented on a case-by-case basis.

The Navy used to have a similar program of early release. David Robinson, for example, served two years then became a reserve. They suspended the policy in 2007, however, and even under the old policy Harris wouldn't be free to start playing baseball immediately.

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This is a 2008 file photo of Travis Hafner of the Cleveland Indians baseball team. Hafner is traveling to Birmingham, Ala., Wednesday, June 18, 2008 to get a second opinion on his ailing right shoulder from renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Legendary Philadelphia Phillies pitcher and Baseball Hall of Fame member Robin Roberts throws the ceremonial first pitch to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of his major league debut before the start of a baseball game between the Phillies and Boston Red Sox, Wednesday, June 18, 2008, in Philadelphia. The Red Sox won 7-4. (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

Philadelphia Phillies' Kyle Kendrick starts his wind-up as he throws in the first inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Wednesday, June 18, 2008, in Philadelphia. The Red Sox won 7-4. (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

Boston Red Sox' Julio Lugo aims for first base after bare-handing a ground ball hit by Philadelphia Phillies' Eric Bruntlett in the seventh inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, June 18, 2008, in Philadelphia. The Red Sox won 7-4. (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

Philadelphia Phillies hall of fame pitcher Robin Roberts throws the first pitch before the start of the Phillies versus Boston Red Sox MLB interleague baseball game in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 18, 2008. Roberts had his Major League debut on June 18, 1948. REUTERS/Tim Shaffer (UNITED STATES)

Reuters

Detroit Tigers' Marcus Thames reacts after striking out swinging against San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Barry Zito in the second inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, June 18, 2008. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Armando Galarraga throws against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, June 18, 2008. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Barry Zito sits in the dugout during the first inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers in San Francisco, Wednesday, June 18, 2008. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Detroit Tigers' Carlos Guillen hits a two-run double off San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Barry Zito in the second inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, June 18, 2008. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Boston Red Sox Mike Lowell (L) is congratulated by teammate Sean Casey after hitting a solo home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning of MLB interleague baseball game action in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania June 18, 2008. REUTERS/Tim Shaffer (UNITED STATES)

Reuters

Cardinals Draft Pick Mitch Harris Headed for War, Not the Minor Leagues originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 13 Jun 2008 09:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Albert Pujols Is Out for Three Weeks

Pat Lackey — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:46:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, NL Central, MLB Injuries, St. Louis

Even with all the press the Chicago Cubs are getting for their recent hot streak, they're only 2.5 games up on the St. Louis Cardinals. Given the Cards' patchwork rotation and lack of established hitters other than Albert Pujols, this is more than a little bit of a surprise. Unfortunately for them, they're going to be without Pujols for at least three weeks as he's been put on the DL with a calf strain.

It goes without saying, but this is really bad news for the Cardinals. Pujols and Ryan Ludwick were the only appreciably above average hitters for the Cards and Ludwick is someone that has to come back to Earth a bit sooner or later (right?!?). Without him anchoring the middle, their lineup looks very, very punchless.

Filling in for Pujols will likely be the recently demoted Chris Duncan. If Duncan can find his stroke he might keep the Cards above water while Pujols is out. The problem is that Duncan was powerless in St. Louis through May (.252/.356/.386 with only four homers), which caused him to get the embarrassing demotion to AAA at the age of 27. Leaning on him to step things up is pretty risky business for a team already counting on Ryan Ludwick continuing to hit like an All-Star.

Albert Pujols Is Out for Three Weeks originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Matt Clement Makes Minor League Start, First Game Appearance Since 2006

Josh Alper — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:50:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, NL Central, St. Louis

Cardinal fans shouldn't let go of their dreams of a pitching reclamation project making good just because Mark Mulder's comeback has hit another snag. Matt Clement is back on a mound after two years in the wilderness and all systems appear to be go.

Clement threw 73 pitches for the Palm Beach Cardinals yesterday, striking out five and walking none over six innings. Pitching in front of 707 people in A-ball is a long way from pitching in the major leagues but it's a big step forward for the former All-Star.

"I'm lucky. I don't want to get too emotional or caught up in it. It's one A-ball game, but there are people who said I wouldn't be able to do this again. I'm excited, but I'll be more excited when I'm in the big leagues."

I'm rooting for him. Baseball could always use more atrocious facial hair.

Clement's 2006 season with the Red Sox ended with shoulder surgery and he's been rehabbing ever since. His fastball topped out at 88 mph, much higher than he was throwing in March when his arm strength made his assignment to the disabled list a necessity.

Because he signed a major league deal with the team this offseason, Clement has 29 more days of a rehab assignment before the team needs to figure out what to do with him. Given Jason Isringhausen's questionable status, they'd probably love if he could close.

Matt Clement Makes Minor League Start, First Game Appearance Since 2006 originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bleacher Bums, Who Ya Got/Danceoff Edition: Fat Superman v. Male Hooters Employee

Will Brinson — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:35:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, NL Central, MLB Fans, MLB Video, St. Louis

Bleacher Bums is MLB FanHouse's look at those oh so fun fan adventures.

Joe Sports Fan has one of the most ... well, funny seems accurate, but I'm terrified enough that I don't want to lie and tell you I spent the entire time hysterically cackling. However, the following video, in which two fans, one dressed as Superman and another dressed like a Hooters employee (male), engage in a dance off.

The amazing thing is that this went down at a major league game, and Busch Stadium of all places. (Why I imagine St. Louis to be uber-conservative I have no idea.) Good times to be had by all, and if you wagered $100 on the Male Hooters Employee Dress-A-Like to win the dance off, well, you're buying the $8.50 bricks tonight, friend.

Bleacher Bums, Who Ya Got/Danceoff Edition: Fat Superman v. Male Hooters Employee originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mark Mulder Is Not Going to Be Back Any Time Soon

Pat Lackey — Thu, 29 May 2008 20:52:00 EST

Filed under: Cardinals, NL Central, MLB Injuries, St. Louis

Mark Mulder's been rehabbing his shoulder for almost two years now and on the original schedule, he was supposed to be back with the Cardinals by now. Instead, the Cards ended his rehab assignment early and now he and his doctors have been trying to figure out what's wrong with his shoulder. I'll let Mulder's own words explain it:

"When your arm doesn't rotate up - mine rotates down," Mulder said. "It doesn't rotate up the way it should be. There is no way to get on top of the ball and get any downward angle on the ball. Could I go out and pitch? Yeah. I don't have the command because (of) when your release point is different. Could I go out and throw strikes? Yeah. But they aren't going to be very good pitches.

"We're trying to figure out why my arm doesn't want to rotate up like that."

That sounds really, really bad. Pitching is already an unnatural motion and for Mulder to have his arm so twisted by surgery that he can't even muster the proper motion is a really ominous sign. He actually just got his second cortisone shot in the shoulder this week and said he'd rather change his whole approach to pitching before he has another surgery. I think the Cards can probably stop waiting on his comeback this year

Mark Mulder Is Not Going to Be Back Any Time Soon originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 29 May 2008 20:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On Deck: The Clayton Rules

Mullet — Sun, 25 May 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, Los Angeles, Oakland, Orioles, Red Sox, Rays, Athletics, Cardinals, Dodgers, MLB Video, St. Louis, Tampa Bay

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.

St. Louis Cardinals (30-21) at Los Angeles Dodgers (25-23) - 4:10 PM ET

Yeah, so I gave this matchup top billing for the second day in a row, which exposes a severe lack of imagination on my part. For that, I apologize. But really, you should watch this game if you want to check out Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw making his major league debut. Kershaw is such a prized prospect for the Dodgers, that they put out a decree to keep him under 25 innings a month at AA Jacksonville to prepare him for a pennant run in L.A. And he's been great down on the farm so far, putting up a 2.34 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP while averaging over a strikeout an inning. And in his 42 and 1/3 innings of work in AA, he has given up a grand total of zero home runs. For a Dodger rotation which has been slogging along lately (Derek Lowe has one quality start since April 12th, and Brad Penny's last quality start was April 26th), this team could use Kershaw to become the next big thing.

Boston Red Sox (31-21) at Oakland Athletics (26-24) - 4:05 PM ET

The current big thing in Boston is, of course, Jon Lester. When last we saw Lester, he was toeing the rubber at Fenway Park pitching the first no-hitter of the season against Kansas City. Today he goes against Oakland with hopes of becoming the next Johnny Vander Meer (Vander Meer, for the uninitiated, is the only pitcher to pitch no-hitters in consecutive starts.) Good luck with that, Mr. Lester. But in the likely case that it doesn't happen, you could always come back here and check out the culmination of Lester's gem.

P.S. Justin Duchscherer's 6 and 1/3's innings of no -hit ball against the Red Sox last night got us wondering so we checked it: Twice has a team thrown a no-hitter, and then had a no-hitter spun against them within a span of five days ... and both times it happened in consecutive days. Gaylord Perry of the Giants and Ray Washburn of the Cardinals each threw a no-hitter against the other on September 17th and 18th, 1968. One season later, Jim Maloney of the Reds threw a no-hitter against Houston on April 30th. The next day, Houston's Don Wilson turned the trick on the Reds. It was the second no-hitter each for Maloney and Wilson.

There, now go win a bet in a bar and tell 'em FanHouse sent you. (But if the guy you bet is so drunk that he beats the snot out of you for taking his beer money, we aren't going to admit we know you.)

Baltimore Orioles (24-24) at Tampa Bay Rays (29-20) - 1:40 PM ET

Daniel Cabrera has seemingly found his way this season, and he's a big reason why the Orioles are still playing .500 ball. Forgive my obsession with the quality start today, but every outing Cabrera has had since April 12th has fit the definition of "quality". More importantly, his walk rate is down to 3.21 BB/9 ... which would easily be the lowest of his career. Cabrera is going to have to play stopper for the birds as his last start on May 20th against the Yankees was their last win. And he'll have to cool off a Rays team that put up 11 runs last night which included two dingers by Evan Longoria.

Everyone Else:

Rangers at Indians 1:05 ET
Twins at Tigers 1:05 ET
Mariners at Yankees 1:05 ET
Royals at Blue Jays 1:07 ET
Giants at Marlins 1:10 ET
Diamondbacks at Braves 1:35 ET
Cubs at Pirates 1:35 ET
Brewers at Nationals 1:35 ET
Phillies at Astros 2:05 ET
Mets at Rockies 3:05 ET
Reds at Padres 4:05 ET
Angels at White Sox 8:05 ET

On Deck: The Clayton Rules originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 25 May 2008 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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