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Most of the rumors/scuttlebutt regarding NL MVP seems to be pointing to Albert as the front-runner. AP certainly deserves it, and I hope he doesn't get shortchanged again. He should have won in 2006 over Ryan Howard, and there were a couple of years that Bonds won earlier in the decade that I thought Albert should have won as well. If he played on the East Coast, he'd have about four MVPs by now.

The Brewers are about to get eliminated too. We need to win the Central next year, so there will be actual representation of our division. This was supposedly one of the toughest divisions all year, but then the Cubs and Brewers just went down with a whimper once the post-season started.

The Cubs are terrible. Swept out of the playoffs two years in a row. I am confident a that STL could have three staight from LA. I can't wait until next year. We are going to dominate.

The Cards have agreed to a one year deal with Dave Duncan to bring him back in 2009.

I think we'd all agree that this is good news for the 2009 pitching staff.

No way Frankie is worth $75M for 5 years. If the Cards want to drive his price up, fine, but I don't want to sign him at that rate.

The only reason I can see STL getting into the K-Rod mix is to drive the price up and keep him in the American league. I am personally not impressed by his stuff and Eric G. is a prime example of why you don't shell out major coin for a closer.

Well gentlemen, the Brewers and the Cubs not representing the NL central very well. I had a suspicion that a Joe Torre coached team might pick off the Cubs, but I thought that the Brewers could beat the Phillies. I think that losing Ben Sheets took a mental toll on the team. Oh well, I guess STL will have to show them how to seal the deal next year.

Obviously, Mozeliak read our Fan Poll, where 75% voted for Lohse as the FA we'd most like to see return. Izturis and Looper each got 12% of the vote......

The Lohse contract is apparently 4 years for $41 Million, and is backloaded. Lohse's salary will only be $7.2 Million for 2009, which should help with the flexibility to add payroll for next year.

The Cards and Kyle Lohse have agreed to a four year deal that will keep him in St Louis through 2012.

Terms not yet available, although reportedly, the contract will be worth between $11-$12 million a year.

Superheat, you had good info on this one.

I hope Dewitt does that. I also saw that Mo pretty much said they would honor Kennedy's trade request, even if they had to eat salary. So that would be more dollars on the 2009 payroll.

If there is a deal for Ramirez in the works, and we spend the $20+million excess on a LHP (Fuentes) and another starter......we'll be in good shape. Long way to go for that, but I'm glad to see them not wasting any time getting Lohse signed, and maybe Lopez is right behind him.

The new word is 4 years and $48 million for Lohse. That was about 2 years longer and about $3 million/year more than I thought we should give him. That leaves about $20 mill/year to sign an LHRP and another starter. That is cutting it a little close IMO. Maybe Dewitt is going to open the purse strings a little and give Moz the ability to get some quality FAs and not "FAs with potential".

Superheat - wherever you are getting your info.....I hope you are right. I'd much prefer Lohse to Looper....although Braden has been the consumate pro and pitched pretty well. He's just inconsistent.

Signing Lohse would be a good start to the off-season, and a major step toward establishing the rotation for 2009.

You're right....nice winning streak to end the season.....

Word on the street has Lohse being scratched from todays start to meet with team doctors so that his contract extension can be signed tomorrow! I think that Lohse worked this deal himself and told Boras to sit back and watch. I am very pleased that Moz went after Lohse and not Looper due to price.

Moz is coming out of the gate swinging. Now we just need to get the other pieces of the puzzle and wait for April.

If anyone is counting we won six in a row to finish the season.

It was a pretty good game to be out....saw some runs, some decent pitching by Wellemeyer and 3 HRs by Glaus, Lopez and AP. Glaus' HR was a shot! just line drived it to left.

Of course, the bullpen had to make it interesting in the 9th, but that is par for the course.

I said to myself last nite of the fan comments, "Ten must be losing his mind at this great game". I mean that in a good way, Ten. I am sure you were super thrilled on being there. I was getting a little nervous there in the 9, but was glad how the game turned out.

Glaus should be able to get that 100 RBI season. I hope Albert gets that 100 run season. I think he is still a few points shy of Chipper. But I can't think of a better player that deserves the batting crown, other than Albert. Chipper is a player with class, from what I can see. Anyway, speaking of the MVP race, I fell that Albert deserves it. But for some reason, I think he's getting the shaft again. But the same person who game him the shaft a few seasons ago for the MVP honors. What does Howard have, 1,000 strikeouts this season and a .230 average? To me, its no contest.

Glaus 2-run HR last night gave him 98 RBIs. It'd be nice to see him get a couple more today to get to 100. That'd give us 3 players over 100 this year.

That is good to hear about Hanley, Superheat.......he would be a great addition.

I am thinking that they view Lopez as a 2B and not a SS for 2009, because last night they started Felipe at 2b and Miles at SS. I can understand playing Lopez at 2B when Izturis is playing, but it makes no sense to play Miles at SS if they think Lopez will be the SS next year.

I think Lopez will be the 2B, and Miles will maybe return as the utility guy.

Hopefully, Kennedy's trade request gets granted.

That was supposed to read: You know he can't talk about trades with one game left, but he wanted to. Sorry, I worked a twelve hour day and I am watching Va Tech let Nebraska back into this game. Mizzou had better play four quarters of hardball next week.

Good game tonight. The post game interview with Moz was better. He mentioned fixing the middle infield with a shortstop that can hit, run and play the field. When Horton said he liked Hanley Ramirez you could see Moz stiffen up. You know he can't say anything right now but he could not with one game left. I am thinking we are going to have a stud shortstop next year, gentlemen.

I agree with you guys. Seeing both Villone and Franklin in the same game makes me cringe. But on a good note, Villone did get his first and only batter out, which was a good thing. Oh, that doesn't mean I want to keep him either. I agree that Motte and Perez are better suited for the closer role than anyone.

Okay, my thought on last night....and I actually had the thought before Franklin gave up the HR: Last weekend....out of the race....two run lead in the ninth.......why are we giving the ball to Villone and Franklin???? Why isn't Perez and/or Motte closing games. That doesn't make sense to me.

Frankline is signed for 2009, so I'm sure he'll be back, but I'm with you Superheat.....I'm almost ready to see him gone.

I envy you Ten. I wish i were with ya. I hope you have a good time. Have a cold one for me.

As far as Frankie is concerned, I am not sure. He almost gave in. But, was glad that Troy pulled him thru with that sac fly.

How long is Ryan Franklin under contranct? He is damaged goods and needs to go before he infects Perez and Motte with his inept ways.

Hey Guys....I'm headed to Busch tomorrow night to take in the Cards and Reds. I've not been to the new Busch....so it'll be my first trip there.

Even though we're out of it and it is the next to last game.....I'm excited about seeing the new park.....if I can still refer to it as "new".

While I was a little disappointed at Adam's outing last nite, he did get the win, which was a good thing. The batting order, to me really didn't make much sense. Did it make sense to you g uys?

Anyway, I was half expecting Kyle on the bump. But noticed that Joel was there, I knew he wanted redemption for the loss after his twins were born. He pitched a masterful game, almost going into the 7 or 8 inning.

No game would be complete without stellar run support. The 7th proved to be the nail in the coffin as we went on to pile on 5, thanks in part to AP and Luddy.

We still have a climb to go to be in the race for the wild card. And with just a few games to go, it will be tough. But like the heading of this page says, WE BELIEVE!

If Lohse had any other agent than Scott Boras I think that it would be a no brainer for both sides. Lohse has done very well with Duncan and the Birds are going to be the best team in the National league pending offseason moves. I would like to think that Kyle enjoyed the support of the best fans in professional sports and would like to go to the playoffs. Or he can take the money and run and be a bum.

I agree with you on Lohse, Superheat, but I have my doubts that the Cards will sign him. I think Looper is much more likely because of lower $$$ and because he doesn't have Boras for an agent like Lohse does.

I think with Carp's uncertainty, they should spend the money on Lohse, let Looper walk, and then sign or trade for another Top 2 or 3 type starter. If they added a top starter to go with Wainwright, Lohse, Wellemeyer and Pineiro, I'd be okay with that going into 2009.

It's about flipping time!

The GROUP MESSAGE BOARDS ARE BACK!

That was a great game last nite. Ludwick just abusing the Big Unit's offering in the 1st, and 3 more thruout the game. I got a little worried when you know who made an appearance. But to my amazement, he actually got an out, and didn't walk a soul.

I agree with you Superheat, with last nites win, we are guaranteed at .500 season.

As far as Lohse is concerned, it's going to bite us in the back pocket, but we need his arm for 2009.

Loshe is going to be expensive but we need to sign him. Looper just does not have the stuff that can carry a pitching staff if need be and I personally do not like his pitching repertoire. Looper will be cheaper but Loshe has better stuff.

Good game tonight...Lohse was solid and Ludwick just hammered the 3 run HR off the Big Unit.

The win was # 81, which guarantees at least a .500 record for 2008.

I agree with you on the game last nite. I have some words, some of which I cannot repeat. And what a surprise that Villone walked another cat.

I, too was very impressed by Josh Kinney. If it is any indication that his work last nite and the 2006 WS run is any indication, he just could be the lift we need.

Brain-dead baseball tonight. Lopez getting picked off and then Glaus getting doubled off 2nd in the 8th, both killed rallies. Then Villone came in to give up his obligatory walk to the one batter he faced....geez.

I am impressed with what I've seen out of Josh Kinney...gives me hope he could help upgrade the 'pen next year. We know from the 2006 postseason that he has the bulldog mentality to get it done.....

You know, I just thought of something. I am sure you all heard the old addage, "Defense wins championships". Well, that may be true in many aspects, but here and in the 2006 World Series Run, it was pitching (which I guess could be a form of defense).

Since Carp may not be factored into the starting rotation because of health issues, I am sure we have all gone thru a stack of line up cards ourselves for the 2009 season. No problem. We'll just take the offseason one day at a time.

I like the way you think, Ten. I think CF2 did pose that sceneario, needing 6-7 starters. I do like your line up there. I think Mo pitches (no pun intended) the right angles, we might be able to land one of those cats. Only time will tell....

I think they may try to sign one of them, probably Looper. If we do that, I'd still like to add a top flight guy.....like a Burnett or someone..or even Lackey or Lowe. Assuming we did that....we could go into 2009 with :

Wainwright
New Acquistion
Looper
Wellemeyer
Pineiro
Boggs/Garcia

That would give us 7 potential starters, even without considering Carp. I think CF2 said that we need 6 or 7, and I agree with him. Given our injuries the last couple of years....I'd like to go in with a solid rotation without Carp.....one that he could make a great rotation if he were healthy.

Ten, like you this one troubles me as well. While I am sure Carp likes the tasking, like you said, we need to sign key acquisitions in order to have a productive pitching staff.

To hinge all the efforts to the shoulders to one person seems a wee bit risky to me. I think they do need to sign Looper and Loshe for the 2009 season. And hopefully, with fancy work and no BS, they can land a free agent pitcher.

It would be nice to land CC, but are we willing to give him the $$$?

I'm not liking the talk I hear coming out of the Cards regarding Carpenter. Givne the pitching injuries we have had, I'm just very leery. I think the Cards must go out and get a couple of starting pitchers, one Top 2, and one as a 3 or 4 starter they can depend on......or resign Looper or Lohse as the 3-4 guy. I just don't think they can go into 2009 couting on Carp. As much as I love the guy, the Cards need to be prepared to have 6 or 7 starters ready for opening day.

I hope so....and I hope they are right now putting together a deal for Kennedy and they complete it before December...

If there were GM's watching, I am sure they did take notice.

There's a note from the Moderators that the Group Message Boards will be returning soon. I think that is great if it is true, because going to the main message board is cumbersome, and I think we'll keep more involvement if the Group Message Boards are right here on the Die-Hard site. Keep your fingers crossed that they'll follow through.

The only think I'll say about Kennedy is that I hope there were GMs paying attention today that need 2B for 2009. Anything that would up his trade value would be great.

I still want him to be moved.

Nice win today at Wrigley, though.....it's always nice to rough up Zambrano

Ok, Ten, Superheat, I am sure you are going to have similiar comments on this game. I wanted to throw mine out tere.

This game was by far, exciting. I think alot of the credit goes to the pitching staff, including (I can't believe I'm saying this) to Ron Villone for getting the last out.

But also to the small bat and the big heart of Adam Kennedy. He had a career day. 4-4, 5 RBIs, a double and a Grand Slam. I think he was s triple short for the cycle. I was impressed. I am not saying he doesn't deserve a second look, but after this game, he may have changed the minds of even his harshest critics.

I caught up to the game in the 4 inning. I had to do a double take. Did Adam really hit a granny and score two runs?!?!

I think one cat we need to unload. I'm sure you guys know which one I'm talking about.

I'm with you Superheat. Kennedy got a 2 out RBI double tonight....I hope somebody that needs a 2B next year was watching that.....I'd love to unload him.

Get milage out of the bums that we are paying and let the young guys play. If Albert was not in the MVP race I would say shut him down and get the Tommy John overwith. Play all of the guys we need to think about trading so they have some fresh exposure for the off season. Let's get ready for next season.

I'm with you Ten.

The Cubs magic # will be 2 if they beat the Brewers today.

I really hate that they will likely clinch against the Cards this weekend.

Released is good.

I think he needs to be released

I agree. I think he needs to go back down to the minors to work on his control or something.

If you all remember, during the 2006 Season, we were 83-79 and made the playoffs and, ultimately, the World Series. I am not sure that this is the case this year, but like you all, I am not giving up hope.

Why does Tony insist on bringing in Ron Villone every night? He's awful. Tonight he came in with the bases loaded....his first pitch was hit for a two run double, then he intentionally passed a guy to load them up again.......then promptly walked in another run.

Somebody stop him. Friends don't let friends use Ron Villone.

I just got finished looking at the first of the Cards-Reds series and I have to say is this: Something has got to be done about the BP. A 6 game slide, as Ten has said, is not good, especially at this part of the season.

brother, we know what you mean. i am still not giving up. we still have some sand left in the hourglass.

wow so this new format sucks.... but yeah it is a little disheartening to know that all we had to do was score two more runs, two consecutive nights in a row and then sweep the pirates (as opposed to getting swept) and were tied for the lead right now, but hey what ifs get us nowhere.

It's hard to believe that we are still only 4 1/2 out of the wild card, even though there are 3 teams to pass.

I just want to see us start winning some games and finish strong. We've had too good of a season overall to finish with a rash of bad losses and poor play.

I hear ya. We have the Reds in Cincy. Aside from that, I am not sure who else we got. Probably the Cubbies in Chicago.

I am sure by now you have taken a look at your fanmail. My leave date has been set. I can't wait. It's been too long since......well, you know. My kids have my leave planned down to the second. Sucks I am still going to be here for the Big Dance, but at least I will (hopefull) see the first puck drop. Go Blues!

That would be nice. I'd like to finish the season strong...and win some games the rest of the month.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it. It just irked my shorts in a knot.

I am hoping that we can rebound from the 5 game slide and hopefully get end the season on a high note.

redbird, I think that is one of the big disadvantages of the Group Message Boards being gone....on our message boards on our site, it was all Cardinal fans......for the most part.....on the Main message boards, it's hard telling who we'll get making comments

Hey Ten,

I just took a look at the Cardinal Message Board. I noticed something that is troubling to me.

While all of on this site are true St Louis Diehard Fans. It gets my goat (and I am sure it does to all of you guys and gals out there) when others disrespect our team. I know the Cards are out of it. I accept it. But I am still not going to give up.

To those who disrespect our team, you have been duly notfied: We are taking no prisoners next year.

I noticed that about Jimmy. I'd also figured that Scott (Spezio) seemed to have that 'tude with him as well.

I know. It will be tough. Even if we fall short, I will still cheer our boys on, even in defeat, to finish out the season. And when we start anew following spring, watch out NL Central.

I see him taking this game as water off a ducks back. Every loss or no decision is tough. The only thing he can do is dust himself off and get ready for the next game.

I like Felipe, and I have a feeling he'll be back. I have heard that he has a reputation for being an attitude problem at times, but I think it Tony sees that at all this year, he won't be back. The same thing has been said about several players in the past that came to STL and thrived.....such as Jim Edmonds. I'm confident Tony would make the right decision on that.

redbird, I like your never say die attitude, but with 3 teams to pass and 5 or 6 games to make up.....it's gonna be tough.

You're right about Adam....he just didn't have his curveball working. He hung more pitches last night than I think I've seen him do all year....but he'll be all right. Everyone has a game like that sometimes. I wonder if Adam has put too much pressure on himself to come back and carry the team......tough to do after being out for 2-3 months.

I was impressed with Felipe last nite. He has shown the Cardinals fans why he deserves to be on the team.

But I am also bummed out by the loss. This was Adam's worst outing since coming off the DL. But I am still remaining true that our guys can stil pull this one out. Even if we are far out of contention, I'm still not giving up.

Thanks for clearing that one up about Mulder.

I, myself, would like to see a Pryor-esque pitcher join the Cardinal rotation.

I agree with you on Lohse. He can continue to improve, even though there is but a few games left in the season. And he'll come bac kwith a vengence next season.

The Cards have a $12 or $13Million option on Mulder, which there is no way in heck they will not decline, making Mulder a FA.

I personally am ready to turn the page on Mulder and go a different direction. I don't get the feeling there is any interest in STL for bringing him back. He'll probably get a deal from someone that is heavily, heavily incentive laden.....kind of like Mark Prior this year.

I agree with your rotation, although my hope is they acquire a top 3 guy to go with Adam and Carp, and then fill the last two spots with Wellemeyer and Lohse.

I'm hoping that Lohse's inability (although it hasn't always been his fault) to add to his win total the last 6 weeks will keep his price down and maybe keep him in STL.

I see the rotation like this:

Carp (Opening Day Starter)
Welly
Adam
Kyle (hope he resigns)
Piniero

One thing I think we all agree on is that we need more lefties in the rotation, one dominated by righties.

Do you happen to know the status of Mulder? If he is ready to go at spring training like Carp, he can provide that lefty spot we have been lacking since we went down. If Mulder is healthy at spring training or soon after, he can probably resume his role in the rotation. That would puch Piniero back to the bullpen? Your thoughts?

You know, redbird, I bet you are right.....I forgot all about Lohse's suspension.

I agree with you on Carp, if he is healthy in the Spring, and we can go in with a rotation of Carp, Adam, hopefully a top tier acquisition, Wellemeyer and either Pineiro or a re-signed Lohse.....I'd put our rotation up against any in the league, but the key is adding a Top 3 type starter in the off-season.

I was unable to catch the game last nite because of computer maintenance, but I did catch the final score. Not good. As you said Ten, the WC may be beyond our reach now, but we can't give up yet. We still have some ball to play.

The only thing I can think of about Lohse is that he lost his appeal about that suspension crap and he was forced to sit out the game.

As far as TLR and Moleziak sitting Carp for the rest of the year, especially for Moleziak, BRAVO! He may be at a 100% in their eyes, but I don't think he is 100%. Not until the first "playball" next year. Then, I will welcome him with open arms on the mound. Being healthy, at any position in the game is important. And with Carp healthy next we, we stand a good chance of walking away in a better position than this year.

Brutal game last night, Pineiro was awful, and the bullpen wasn't much better, Randy Flores in particular.

The Cards said that Brad Thompson is starting Sunday......anyone know why Lohse isn't making that start, since he would be on normal rest? I know the WC is beyond a long shot at this point, but it seems to me we should go with our best in all cases as long as we are still in it. Don't know if Lohse has any issues that required an additional day or not.

Carpenter is going to be shut down for the season, which I see as a good thing. I posted on a blog a couple of weeks back, that I would rather not see him again this year if his shoulder is not 100%. Indications are that his shoulder is absolutely not 100%, so the Cards are doing the right thing by closing him down, and I applaud them for it. This team desperately needs a healthy Carpenter to start the season in 2009.

Hopefully with Adam on the mound tonight, we can rebound from that debacle last night and get a W.

Well, Ten, thank you for that update. I am sure all the die hards (Cards fans or otherwise) are happy or will be happy to hear that.

As far as the message boards that is a tough one. ONe one had, it is convient to have them under Cardinals message board thread, but i think we all would have to go thru a bunch of this and that. Having them on the Locker Talk seems to make sense, but then again, I say we put them on the Message Thread. It shouldn't be a prob.

Okay, I believe the moderators are making changes for the better based on feedback. I know they have changed several things, and I am very happy to see that the historical Group Blogs are all re-instated. On Wednesday, there were only about 5 posts out there, now all the old ones are back.

I'm willing to give them some time to make adjustments, but I am still lobbying the moderators to reinstate the Group Message Boards.

If they don't.....what does everyone want to do about Message Boards? Do we want to just put comments here in the Locker Talk section....or do we want to start Message Board Threads under the Cardinals in the main message Board area of FN?

I'd appreciate any input on this.....

No wonder. Like you said, TenRings, it would have made sense for the powers to be at FN to let us know about it before hand. So now we have to bust our bunions and open a jillion sites for our blogs. Can't find the logic in this one at all.

It'll take me a minute to find the fan comments tab once the game starts. Once I find it out, I will give you a holler.

Anoter option we have is to start using the MLB Message Board under Cardinals, and start threads there........but I'd prefer to have it all on the Die Hard site like it used to be, so that we don't have to go to multiple places to see the DieHard Blogs and Message Boards and Locker Talk comments....

Sigh......like you said, redbird1, why'd they go and fix something that wasn't broken?

Hey Redbird....on the Game logs, we found out yesterday that you can no longer add Fan Comments from the Boxscore screen....you have to actually go into the Fan Comments tab to add comments, but then you can't see the box score info while you are adding, like you could before. Hopefully, FN is going to tweak some of these changes a little bit.

I'll check out the comments thing you are referring to under my profile. I sent an email to the moderators to see if those Group Message Boards are going to be brought back. I wish they would have asked for input before making such huge changes. I know you can't please every user, but I've only seen about 2 positive comments about the changes, and a couple hundred negative ones.

Ok, here is what I found:

Under your profile, there is a box for your comments, much like the STL Die Hards blog. It is not as sofisticated as the old fanNation messageboards, but I say we all lobby for the old FanNation to return.

Hey Ten and to all of you Cardinals Fans. Two things:

1. I've updated my profile and continuing to do so.

2. I am scouring this new FanNation design to find the message boards. As soon as I find them, you will be the first to know.

Yea it was a little painful, Ten. I couldn't take in the game cuz the page wouldn't load right. Another reason why we need the old FanNation back. And I wasn't the only one that had problems.

I thoroughly enjoyed the group message boards as well. FanNation, do us all a favor, bring the old Nation back.

Tough loss tonight...brutal second inning, but it was nice to see Josh Kinney return. One of our World Series heros.........

I hear ya, redbird.......it was fine as it was. There's a couple of things I have seen that I liked, but MANY things I don't like.....and our Group Message Board info is gone.....and like I said, we had some good conversations going on there.....

What is Sam Tarnation happened? Why mess with a good thing? Bring back the old FanNation.

Hey Everyone. All the Group Message Board posts are gone......anyone know what is up with that....or is it just part of the new site update? I don't know why they did away with the Group Message Boards.....we had some pretty good conversations going in those.

For sure. We get this one and we inch closer to the WC and hopefully, first place in the division.

Lohse hasn't pitched well against the Cubs this year.....we need a big effort from him tonight.......

Superheat, Ten, you both brought up very valid points. If Fuentes lands in our laps, I sure as heck hope Mozeliak does something to keep this cat for a while and not have a blond moment in the process. If he won't call Fuentes' agent, I will.

I agree with you about the young guys in the 'pen, Superheat. The only thing I would add is that we need to add the shut down lefty to that pen that we haven't had this year. I don't think that person is in the organization......so it's up to Mozeliak to bring him in. I hope he has Fuente's agent on speed-dial

FINALLY! The bullpen gets the job done. Adam pitched one heck of a game. I thik he could have gotten the CG win. But hey, a win's a win. Since the Cubs lost and the Brewers got monkey stomped, we have gained some ground. There is 19 games or so to go and I am not giving up hope just yet.

Even if we don't make the post season using Perez and Motte often is in the best interest of the team. Letting those two go in with one or two run leads will go a long way to showing them that they can get the job done. Confidence is the hallmark of a closer and the more Perez and Motte have the better. With both of them throwing 94-99 MPH we could lock down the last two innings of just about every game we play in next year. Throw in McClellan and who ever we pick up in the off season to replace Izzy and Springer and we should be set in the pen.

Nice win today. The Padres helped us out as well.

Nice to see us close one out in the 9th tonight......

Izzy wins the Top Closer poll with 50% of the votes. Worrell and Sutter each got 25% with Lee Smith not gaining a single vote.

I must admit that I am surprised by the results....I personally would put Izzy 4th among the ones listed. He's always been solid (except for this year), but he was never the shut-down guy IMO, that Sutter, Smith and Worrell were.

I agree Superheat....it is horribly frustrating to see so many late leads get blown, but hopefully this will serve as a great learning experience for guys like Motte and Perez.

I was very glad to see Tony's comments, and if Mo makes a couple of key additions this offseason, we will be right there in 2009....

If Perez and Motte weren't rookies this would be hard to watch.
Tony has publicly stated what this team needs and that is good enough for me. The moves will be made in the off season to ensure that we are not scrapping to win the wild card next year. I am going to watch the young players on this team and look forward to next year.

For the time being: MIZ-ZOU!!!!!!!!!

Looper pitches great.....and Perez blows the save in the 9th.......stop me if you've heard this one before.

What is the count now? is that 31 blown saves?

From what I saw of Motte yesterday he has one secondary pitch, his forkball. He does not get enough rotation on his slider and it basically turns into a changeup. Once he has command of that forkball he will have a similar repertoire to Lee Smith. Not a bad guy to have your name mentioned with IMO.

I've followed Memphis this year, but I didn't realize Motte had 110Ks in like 67 innings. Why the heck wasn't he up here sooner??

Villone is terrible, came in.....wild pitched home a run and then walked Dunn.

Villone once again took the ball and did nothing. Motte has a howitzer on his shoulder. 99 MPH. That is something to look forward to. Between him and Perez we can ship Franklin and Villone to someone else.

That one hurt....Lohse threw a great game, and the bullpen just came in and stunk it up....except for Motte.

It's been nice to stay in the race this year when we weren't expected to.....but seriously....there's no way you can be a playoff team when the bullpen just blows game after game after game all year long.

That being said, the Cards also had many chances to add runs today, and didn't take advantage.

Adam looked good last night....really had the curveball going......nice to see a win.

I've heard talk of Carp being a reliever, but it's tough to imagine. He might be able to help, though.....it's worth a shot if they think he can't hold up to starting the rest of the year

Carpenter as a reliever? Duncan says it's a good possibility.

HUGE Comeback win tonight......great to see a big hit out of Glaus when we needed it....and great to see Perez slam the door on the Brewers!!!

Face plant.

THUD!

Big game tonights, boys...... we need both of these...... Here's hoping Wellemeyer brings his "A" game....

I saw that Minnesota acquired Eddie Guardado in a waiver deal with Texas. If he was on waivers, I wonder why the Cards didn't claim him? He'd have been a BIG upgrade over Villone for the stretch

The error by Lopez can be chalked up to not playing everyday with Albert. Should the play have been made? Yes.

Our pitchers still center too many pitches. Chipper is an animal but the rest of the Braves are doo doo and getting that many hits yesterday was bad pitching by the Cards.

I don't think the Pirates are going to help us. I think it is becoming imperative that we win both games against the Brewers this week.

The Game yesterday had some fundamental breakdowns that this team can't afford. The WP by McClellan in the 8th led to an extra run, then the ridiculous ground ball to 2nd that Lopez held onto led to 3 more runs. We can't afford this type of mistake if we are going to win the WC.

With some help from Pittsburg and good baseball Tues and Wed, we could be back in the driver seat for the wildcard!!!
Go Cards!!

No doubt....that was nice to see....

Albert has 32 RBIs in 34 games since the break. He's making his MVP push.....hope it continues.

. 18 runs and no homers, that is sweet.

Wow! It's good to have Adam back so we can get the offense going! LOL....

It's great to have Adam coming back tonight......we need to clean up this weekend against the Braves, with the Brewers coming in next. Here's hoping that Adam provides a huge spark.

LaRue is one heck of a back up catcher. He has done an outstanding job filling in for Yadi and, whether he is making big bucks or not, I hope he stays with the Cards.

I'd be okay with LaRue coming back, and Duncan seems to like him, which is always a critical issue for any Card catcher.

I think he knows because of his knees that he can no longer catch everyday, so I would think he'd be very interested in coming back to STL. He is making $850K this year, so I think a $100K bump or so would maybe get him to stay put.

I hope that Larue does not decide to go to greener pastures next year. I like him as a backup and he hits well for the little playing time he gets. That was the type of game we needed right before the Braves come to town.

I agree....and the way Todd has been pitching, I think we'll come out and take it to them tonight. The Brewers won, so we better.

Yeah, I couldn't believe Yadi leaving home uncovered on that throw from Mather.....VERY uncharacteristic. I wonder if he was still ticked at himself over the drop and just let his concentration wane.

Yadi making an error and a mental error in one inning was unfortunate. I think that the Birds are going to come out hitting on all cylinders tonight.

Missed opportunity last night. At home playing the Pirates, Looper gives you 7IP and 1 run, and we can't score against a guy with a 5.91 ERA. Very frustrating.

In spite of his ERA, though, Snell was on his game last night...

Yeah, we would have taken 3 of 4 from them last time if the bullpen hadn't had such a bad week.

I think that we will do fine against the Brewers this time around. We just need to keep Franklin away from Bill Hall late in the game.

Cardinals should do good against PIT and ATL, but against the Brewers, they might get sweeped or they might go 1-1.

Home series coming up against PIT and ATL.....gotta clean up in both those series before the Brewers come in for two.

Adam Wainwright had a great AA start on Saturday night, pitching 4 2/3 SO innings, striking out 7. Reports are that he looked fantastic. He'll throw a bullpen session on Tuesday before the Cards determine next steps.

Yeah, you're right.....we're fine. We picked up a game on MILW this weekend...and we took 2 of 3 from the Reds after 3 of 4 in Miami. Just keep winning series, boys.....and we'll be fine.

Rough first inning for Lohse. The Birds left two many men on base again. At least the Dodgers helped us out.

Yeah, he looked like Albert again swinging the bat last night. You're right, we could use one of Albert's torrid stretches

Hey TenRings, El Hombre finally got his wrists turned over on one. WOW, he smoked that ball. I hope this is going to start one of his two week tears where he goes for about a .480 BA and knocks about 7 dingers and drives in about 25 RBIs

Nice to see four shutout innings out of the 'pen last night.......very refreshing

That sucks about Carp. I hope that Thompson gives us about seven good innings tonight. El Hombre needs to take advantage of the sandlot in Cincy and get on a role.

Chris Carpenter's shoulder strain has landed him on the 15 day DL, retroactive to August 11th. The soonest he could pitch again would be August 26th against Milwaukee.

No doubt. Todd was an absolute gangster on the hill. If he could have helped himself a couple of times at the plate I think that they would have blown Florida out of the water tonight.

Wellemeyer was absolutely fantastic tonight....best game I've seen him pitch.....

I've wondered the same thing...he isn't driving the ball at all right now

Albert has no pop right now. The only thing that I can see is that he is not turning over on pitches. I wonder if that elbow is starting to bother him?

Brewers lose today! Gotta take advantage tonight....

Brewers are catching up to the Cubs, and the Cards are falling behind.

Apparently Thompson is making the start on Friday, and not Garcia. I looked it up and Thompson does have pretty decent career numbers against the Reds, so I'm sure that helped make the decision.

Nice job by Perez tonight to get out of the tough situation in the 8th......I thought we were gonna blow another save, but he came through. Nice win and a nice performance again from Looper.

I'm with you, Superheat. I'd like to see Garcia start again on Friday. TLR hasn't been using him in the bullpen much anyway.

I would like to see Garcia start. He has electric stuff if his command is good.

Yeah, I'm not worried about Wainwright.....I think he'll be ready and effective when the time comes.

Can anyone explain to me why Kyle gave Ramirez anything he could drive with 2 outs and 1st base open last night?? That one dumbfounded me.

Sounds like they are saying Carp will not start Friday against the Reds, that Thompson or Garcia will. If Carp is out for more than one turn, I think they have to consider putting Adam in the rotation and letting Perez close.

sorry that was supposed to be "rusty"

Wainright is supposed to look rustry. You know that the opposing teams have scouts in the stands and are waiting to take good info on his motion to the plate, movement on his pitches and pitch selection in various counts. Getting hit means he was around the zone and he wasn't walking people. Not a bad thing,

From what the stats say, Pineiro SUCKS.

Wainwright pitched 3 innings last night for Memphis, allowing 4 hits and 2 ER. He was on a 45 pitch limit. Adam said he missed his location on some pitches, which led to the runs, but came out of the game saying he felt fine. Good sign.

It's a step in the right direction. I like McClellan in the 8th with Perez or Wainwright in the 9th. Allows us to be more selective with Franklin and maybe pick our spots to use him where he can be comfortable and effective....one inning at a time.

Yahtzee! Perez and McClellan looked good and Joel calmed down Take out the errors and it might be a 4-1 game. I hope this is a hint of things to come from the bullpen.

No doubt, he should have kept that ball in his pocket after he double-clutched.

He had to make up for that error earlier

Correction, that was a 2 run shot, the Birds lead 3-2

Carp was bringing it last night. 95 MPH is pretty serious heat in 5th inning. I hope he heals and doesn't miss his next start. Joel P is looking shakey again vs the, Holysheit Yadi just jacked one, tie ball game.

Chris Carpenter is reportedly saying this morning that he is fine....and has accompanied the team to Miami. I think the fact that he wasn't sent back to St Louis for tests or an MRI is a good sign. Hopefully for Carp and for the Cards' season.....it is nothing serious.

Yeah, the 2 errors were killers, and obviously Kennedy's opened the floodgates. Such a shame....

Carp needs to be all right......or we've got serious problems.

Too many runners left in scoring position and errors. We let Chicago off the hook. I hope Carp is alright.

I know Barry could be an issue and I am more than happy with Rick, Skip, and Luddy. I think that the Cubs are overated and and not only do I want to take the Division from them I want to take the Series as well. How awsome would that be during a "rebuilding" year? Have you seen the Cubs Sept. schedule? Very few home games down the stretch. I like it.

Can't argue with your motivation, Superheat.....but I think one of the best things about this Cardinal team is it's unity and resiliency they show.....I'm afraid Barry would destroy that.

Barry Bonds stated emphatically that he is NOT retired. With Ankiel's issues he would provide an attitude in the club house for the stretch run. The pitchers would have to throw to Albert then. I know, I know, Barry is a p-r-ick and roid user but I can't help it. He is still the best left fielder of all time and I want a ring this year just to destroy the Cub's "Best Chance". I am a selfish ****!

Yep, Wellemeyer completely came through today.....as did Glaus. Couldn't agree more about Villone...he just hasn't been effective very often. It'd be huge to get 2 of 3 tomorrow.....hope we can keep the offense going against Dempster

Talk about breaking out of a slump! I did my soul good to watch Zambrano get lit up. Troy was an animal at the plate. I am still not a big fan of Ron Villone as his pitching was ineffective, again. Wellemeyer looked solid and I was very happy with Thompson's inning of work. When he lets it fly he is a better pitcher because of the extra movement he gets on his fastball.

He had two chances with men in scoring position today and he just got under a pitch that should have been on Waveland for a grand slam.

Glaus has to get a hit against the Cubs sometime.....doesn't he??

Glaus has cooled off at the wrong time of the year and Franklin is KILLING this team. He has zero control over his pitches.

51 - I had the same thought initially about Lopez. I figured they were just tired of Ryan as the Utility guy, and were seeing Lopez fitting into that role. Knowing the frugality of the Cardinals though, my guess is that they are auditioning him for a starting middle infield role in 2009. He's only 28 and has had a big offensive year as recently as 2005. He fits the Cardinal profile of trying to find good, recycled production at low dollar amounts.

so we already have a situation in the middle infield where it's tough to get everyone playing time and i know Felipe Lopez is only 28 and had a couple really good years but do we really need him?

Player who must step it up this weekend: Troy Glaus. Glaus is 0-24 against the Cubs this year, with 10 Ks. Playing in Wrigley, the Cards need production from his bat against their biggest rival.....

Ludwick is going to be very expensive if we don't restructure his contract before the end of the season. Carp is an animal, and we still need a good lefty in the bullpen.

No worries, I don't think you are overly negative.....I share a lot of the same frustrations. It's good to get those thoughts out on this site as well......

Sorry if I seem very negative most of the time, but I have high expectations of our bull pen. As a former college relief pitcher I new that my job was to come in at a moments notice and be sharp and preserve a lead. Our staff makes too many mistakes early in the count and it is due to a lack of focus. They are forced to center pitches late in the count and no one in our bullpen can blow batters out of the box. Again, sorry for the negativity.

Mitchell Boggs and Randy Flores both got knocked around last night in the Memphis game.

I'm going to have to stop checking on the Redbirds.....it's getting depressing.

Kelvin JImenez blew a save for Memphis last night, giving up 3 runs in the 9th in the Redbirds 3-2 loss. Again, no bullpen help seems likely to come from Memphis.

The Cardinals have released RHP Matt Clement.

Stavinoha is garbage.

Cardinals finish off series with the Phillies tonight. It is 1-1.

Tough loss last night. Looper deserved better... I was surprised we didn't get to Blanton for more runs....I guess we'll just have to go get them today.....

Garcia was impressive last night out of the 'pen. I think Izzy getting through a save opp successfully is HUGE. It's only a single game, but it was an encouraging first step for the bullpen.

Jaime Garcia is back up and JImenez has been sent back to Memphis. My concern about Garcia in the bullpen is that he struggled at Memphis to get left handed hitters out....not what we need.

Random non-Cardinal thought: Manny and Jeff Kent should make for an interesting teammate dynamic.......

I'd like to see a solid performance out of Piniero tonight. His ERA is 8.04 over his last three starts. He is one of the people I think most needs to pick it up a notch for us to be successful the rest of the way.

Shocking news regarding Scott Rolen from the Blue Jays team site:

"On Wednesday, Rolen revealed that he's been troubled by an ailing left shoulder lately, hindering his performance at the plate. It's a familar situation for Rolen, who has undergone three operations on the shoulder in question over the past three years."

Aren't you glad this is Toronto's problem and not ours? Kudos again to Mo for getting Troy Glaus for this guy.

We're celebrating the return of Chris Carpenter today on the DieHard site...... I'm cautiously optimistic about his return tonight......but it will be GREAT just to see him out there again.

I can wait as long as possible.

The Cardinals have announced that Jason Isringhausen is returning to the closer role. I can't wait.......

Probably not. I also don't think they would even consider paying anyone $20Mil a year.

I agree, Manny would give Albert excellent protection but would the team want to put up with the Manny being Manny crap?

You know, I'm sure it will never happen, but I've had that thought before when the Sox have talked about moving Manny: that he would give Albert the best protection in the 4 slot that he has ever had.

It wouild probably take trading Schumaker, Duncan and Rasmus, but could you imagine the run production from this line up:MIles, Ludwick, Pujols, Manny Ramirez, Glaus, Ankiel, Molina, Pitcher, Ryan. If we could solidify our bullpen and then come off the cash to secure this guys bat, I could overlook Manny's defense. He would give us .330, 30hr, and 100 RBI and provide El Hombre with the best protection of his career. A lot of people don't like Manny, but he is the best hitter in baseball not named Albert Pujols.IMO.

Memphis mirroring St Louis: Chris Perez gave up 5 runs in the 9th inning last night in Memphis 8-7 loss. The Redbirds took a 6-1 lead into the ninth, and the bullpen gave up 7 runs in the 9th. Guess we can't look there for much help.

Anthony Reyes has been traded to Cleveland for a minor league reliever and cash.

The minor leaguer is Luis Perdomo, a AA pitcher who has put up very good numbers this year. He will join the Cards' AA Springfield club.

That was a big win, hanging in and winning after yet another blown save.

Nice to see Albert finally go yard again.....

Hopefully the Cardinals can put up a fight against the Mets tonight.

Totally agree. Troy might have given this group some attitude.

Biggest mistake of the off season: Not signingTroy Percival.

I hope the Brewers and the Cardinals pass up the Cubs.

Chris Carpenter will make his second rehab start Friday night, this time for Memphis at AAA.

Pedro Martinez will miss his start against the Cardinals on Friday, following the death of his father. Mike Pelfrey will make the start against Mitchell Boggs.