http://www.yardbarker.com/content/team/26 Recent articles about the St. Louis Cardinals en-us When the Milwaukee Brewers acquired CC Sabathia in a 5-player trade with the Cleveland Indians, they were a team that would challenge the Cubs and Cardinals for the NL Central division crown. That is what everyone was visioning until the Cubs came back with an answer. Rich Harden, the ace from Oakland A's, was traded to the Cubs in a 6-Player deal. The Chicago Cubs may still have the advantage over the Brewers and Cardinals. With the addition these aces, the Brewers and Cubs are clearly going to be neck and neck throughout the rest of the season. The X-factor of this contention is who's relief pitching squad will step it up and win games. Right now the cubs have a stronger squad, but the brewers may have something up their sleeves. The second half of the season will be very dramatic with this NL Central race and the story of the Tampa Bay Rays shocking season. In the NL Central, I believe that it will only be the Cubs and Brewers fighting for the division crown. I think the Cardinals are not good enough and and just do not have the confidence that they can beat the Cubs and Brewers. I want to see the Cubs go into the playoffs winning the NL Central and the Brewers out of the Wild Card. They are both very talented teams with a lot of offensive power. When they play each other in the regular season and maybe in the playoffs, it is must see baseball. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:29:11 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287783 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287783 The Tampa Bay Rays hold on to the top spot in our last power rankings before the All-Star break, followed by the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs, but watch out for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who jumped 7 spots to No. 4, the highest they have been all season. The New York Yankees, on the other hand, drop 6 spots to No. 14. See where your favorite team ranks. To come up with the rankings, using only their statistical performance to date this season, each team is simulated against every other team 100 times. – 50 at home and 50 at the opposing ballpark so that all five pitchers in the current rotation start ten times at each location. After substituting CC Sabathia into the Milwaukee Brewers' rotation, they move up four spots to No. 10, while the Indians take a corresponding hit, dropping five spots to No. 24. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:37:07 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287760 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287760 Matched up against the Phillies' Cole Hamels, it seemed Joel Pineiro would be searching for a way to end his pitching drought some other night, but with a little help from the Cards' leading home run hitter and an All-Star, he got just enough help. The bullpen was surprising as well. And the most amazing part: Hamels, with the exception of the two earned runs, probably pitched better than anyone else in the game, on either side. (photo by Barbara Moore) Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:14:49 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287753 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287753 That took a long time. A day after the Brewers pulled off the "please get us in the playoffs, it's been 25 years, and we want to pee our pants" trade for CC Sabathia, the Chicago Cubs sat on their heels did nothing for 24 hours, and then completed their own mega-trade, landing Athletics' pitcher Rich Harden. In unrelated news, the NBA's Western Conference wants their story-lines back. What's next? The Cardinals bringing Roger Clemens out of retirement? The Pirates signing Barry Bonds to get them over the .500 mark? We haven't even hit the All Star break, yet the two biggest names to switch jerseys have probably already been etched in leather. Sabathia. Harden. Cubs. Brewers. If nothing else, this ought to be fun. READ THE REST HERE: Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:38:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287702 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287702 The NL Central just got stronger. The Cardinals don't know whether to wait for their rehabbing pitchers or start talking deals. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:48:22 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287667 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287667 This week, Mark Mulder will give all of Cardinal Nation a preview of what it might be like for many of the rehabbing hurlers on the comeback trail. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:59:17 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287479 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287479 By now, we all know that this is the last All-Star game at "Historic Yankee Stadium", the Tampa Bay Rays have no starters and Jason Varitek is somehow going to be part of the festivities. All of those are stories that we're going to hear ad nauseam, but there is going to be one name that we're likely going to get sick of hearing by this time next week...Josh Hamilton. But it wasn't that long ago that a DIFFERENT Texas Ranger was making all the headlines. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:40:40 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287385 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287385 Tidbits regarding the St. Louis Cardinals and their affiliates. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:48:19 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287365 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287365 Really? "Brewers Punch Ticket for October by Adding Sabathia" I love headlines like this. Makes me feel like they shouldn't even play the second half of the season. After all, we are talking about THE Milwaukee Brewers here - not exactly a sterling case study in baseball success. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:20:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287213 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287213 If you're looking for an entertaining blend of action, suspense, and intrigue, you don't have to wait for The Dark Knight. This summer's blockbuster rivalry is not Batman and the Joker--it's the Cubs and the Cardinals. In true Independence Day fashion, the teams sparred this weekend with fireworks on and off the field. Tony La Russa ripped longtime Cardinal and current Cub Jim Edmonds, the Cubbies took two out of three in the series and the teams remain neck-and-neck in the Central Division race. With nine sequels coming up in the final months of the summer (six at Wrigley and three at Busch Stadium), it's only a matter of time before Hollywood realizes the box office potential of this thrilling matchup. To save some time, I've already assembled the cast. Ladies and gentlemen of the Academy, for your consideration, I proudly present the stars of this summer's hottest new action movie: Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:37:24 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287046 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287046 If you're looking for an entertaining blend of action, suspense, and intrigue, you don't have to wait for The Dark Knight. This summer's blockbuster rivalry is not Batman and the Joker--it's the Cubs and the Cardinals. In true Independence Day fashion, the teams sparred this weekend with fireworks on and off the field. Tony La Russa ripped longtime Cardinal and current Cub Jim Edmonds, the Cubbies took two out of three in the series and the teams remain neck-and-neck in the Central Division race. With nine sequels coming up in the final months of the summer (six at Wrigley and three at Busch Stadium), it's only a matter of time before Hollywood realizes the box office potential of this thrilling matchup. To save some time, I've already assembled the cast. Ladies and gentlemen of the Academy, for your consideration, I proudly present the stars of this summer's hottest new action movie: Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:37:13 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287045 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287045 Mark Mulder is starting against the Phillies on Wednesday. The $14 million bust that has recorded exactly four outs this season will be going up against the most dangerous lineup in the National League. They have the most homeruns in the NL against left handed pitching and they play in a bandbox of [...] Mon, 07 Jul 2008 19:14:19 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287012 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287012 An off-day for the Cards, but a lot to think about with the Brewers successfully dealing for CC Sabathia. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:50:44 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286732 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286732 Yesterday, Major League Baseball announced its rosters for the 2008 All-Star Game to be played on July 15 at Yankee Stadium. Now, we take a look at the National League roster, to see who doesn't deserve to go and who got shafted. We don't have quite as many problems with the NL Roster as we did with the AL roster; that likely has something - if not everything - to do with the fact that the Yankees and Red Sox aren't in the NL. But the biggest question is, where are all the New York Mets?!?!?....... Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:44:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286719 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286719 UPDATE!: Lidge singing confimed by MLB.com> According to Rob Ellis of 610 WIP, the Phillies are holding a press conference at 1 this afternoon. Ellis says the press conference is reportedly to announce the signing of closer Brad Lidge to a contract extension. Lidge has earned this extension by pitching "lights out" once again this year. This [...] Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:16:45 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286582 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286582