Ex-Cardinals Watch 6-1-09: Gerard Haran Signs Deal; Jose Garcia Hits D.L.; Coco Crisp Placed On Bereavement List; Jorge Sosa & Dmitri Young Plans

Dmitri Young (Nationals):
What will the Nats do with first baseman Dmitri Young if and when he is ready to return?
-- Kevin W., Ellicott City, Md.

That's a great question. I don't know how he fits in with the club. It appears the Nationals are not in a rush to bring him back. I think he would be a good player coming off the bench.
Nationals Official Site

Jorge Sosa (Nationals):
When Jorge Sosa returns to Triple-A Syracuse, will he become a reliever or a starter? I hope that he starts, because his best years have been as a starter. -- Breanna, G., Laurel, Md.

Sosa is pitching for Syracuse right now, and the Nationals see him as a reliever. In order for him to get innings, however, Sosa has been a starter for Syracuse. In his first two appearances, he has given up seven runs in 11 innings.
Nationals Official Site

Jamie Moyer (Phillies):
The Mayor of Philadelphia and Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan were among those who called Jamie Moyer over the past two days to congratulate the 46-year-old lefty on winning his 250th Major League game against the Nationals on Sunday in Philadelphia.
Phillies Official Site

Mike Lincoln (Reds):
In a nice show of fortitude, the Reds turned Baker's frown upside down with a 5-3 win over the Cardinals. It came courtesy of heavy lifting by five members of the bullpen, which dealt eight innings and allowed only two runs -- one earned. Mike Lincoln (1-0) pitched three innings and was followed by two innings from Daniel Herrera and one inning each by Nick Masset, Arthur Rhodes and Francisco Cordero, who made it 14-for-14 in save chances.
Reds Official Site

Coco Crisp (Royals):
Soria twitters, of course. Mark Teahen and Coco Crisp do too.
Royals Official Site

Center fielder Coco Crisp was placed on the bereavement list Monday by the Royals and he will miss the team's three-game series at Tampa Bay.
Royals Official Site

Xavier Nady (Yankees):
The Yankees received discouraging information from their Minor League complex in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, as both Jose Molina and Xavier Nady experienced setbacks in their respective rehabilitation assignments.
Yankees Official Site

Jose Garcia (Newark):
The Newark bears of the Atlantic League placed him on the disabled list.

Gerard Haran (Lancaster):
I can confirm that former Newark Bears catcher Gerard Haran has been brought in as Shorsher’s replacement.
Atlantic League Baseball

Albert Pujols: "I'll Be In The Lineup Tomorrow"

Albert Pujols insisted he was perfectly fine following Monday night's game against the Reds, but his manager was at least a little bit worried.

Obviously, You're Not A Golfer

DSL Mariners Beat Cardinals 10-4: Wader Perez, Grabiel Hernandez, & Oscar Taveras 1 RBI Each; Luis Pimentel Doubles; Jose Pasen Knocked Out Early

Individual Highlights:
Wader Perez 1-for-4 with one RBI, one run, one strikeout, and assisted in one double play.
Grabiel Hernandez 0-for-4 with one RBI and one fielding error.
Oscar Taveras 2-for-4 with one two-out RBI and two strikeouts.
Luis Pimentel 1-for-4 with one double, one strikeout, one fielding error, and assisted in one double play.
Jesus Montero 1-for-4 with one run and one strikeout.
Luis Perez 1-for-3 with one run, one strikeout, three errors, and allowed six stolen bases.

Rough Outing:
Rest Of The Team

Boxscore
Dominican Summer League Official Site Post Game

VSL Phillies Beat Cardinals 2-1 In 10 Innings: Alexander Castellano 1 RBI; Hildemaro Vargas Doubles; Javier Avendano Another Nice Start

Individual Highlights:
Hildemaro Vargas 1-for-2 with one double, one walk, two caught stealings, and assisted in one double play.
Alexander Castellano 1-for-4 with one RBI and two strikeouts.
Tharick Martines 1-for-3 with one walk and two strikeouts.
Omar Viloria 1-for-4 and threw out two runners.
Carlos Yegues 1-for-1 with one stolen base.
Javier Avendano Started, six innings, five hits, one earned run, three walks, one wild pitch, and three strikeouts. (g/f:9-4)
Hector Corpas Three innings, two hits, no runs, one walk, one hit by pitch, one wild pitch, and two strikeouts. (g/f:2-5)

Rough Outing:
Jose Cortez 0-for-4 with one strikeout.
Hayrich Martina 0-for-3.
Francisco Guzman Loss (0-1), 0.1 innings, one hit, and one unearned run. (g/f:1-0)

Boxscore

Burlington Beat Quad Cities 4-0 In 6 Innings: Roberto Espinoza Doubles; Frederick Parejo Picks Other Hit; Miguiel Tapia K's 3 Over 1 Inning

Individual Highlights:
Brett Lilley 0-for-2 with one walk, one strikeout, and one throwing error.
Frederick Parejo 1-for-2.
Roberto Espinoza 1-for-2 with one double.
Guillermo Toribio 0-for-1 with one walk.

Rought Outing:
Rest Of The Team

Boxscore
Quad Cities River Bandits Official Site Post Game

Lakeland Beat Palm Beach 4-1: Paul Vasquez Solo HR; Scott Gorgen Nice Start; No Run Support & Bullpen Struggles

Individual Highlights:
Adron Chambers 1-for-4 and one outfield assist.
Paul Vasquez 1-for-4 with one home run, one RBI, one run, and one strikeout.
Jermaine Curtis 0-for-2 with one walk and one stolen base.
Francisco Rivera 1-for-1.
Scott Gorgen Strarted, Loss (1-4), seven innings, two hits, two earned runs, two walks, and nine strikeouts. (g/f:7-7)

Rough Outing:
Rest Of The Team

Boxscore

Corpus Christi Beat Springfield 9-4: Donovan Solano 3 Hits, 1 HR & 3 RBIs; Jim Rapoport 1 RBI; Pete Parise Pitches 2 Hitless & Scorelss Innings

Individual Highlights:
Donovan Solano 3-for-5 with one home run, three RBIs (one w/two-outs), and one run.
Daniel Descalso 0-for-3 with two walks, one strikeout, and one fielding error.
Tony Cruz 0-for-3 with one run and two walks.
Tyler Henley 1-for-2 with one hit by pitch and one stolen base.
Jim Rapoport 0-for-2 with one RBI and two walks.
Pete Parise Two Innings, no hits or runs, and one strikeout. (p-s:20-14)(g/f:3-2)

Rough Outing:
Mike Folli 0-for-1 with one strikeout.
Pete Kozma 0-for-5.
Curt Smith 0-for-2 with one strikeout.
Lance Lynn Started, Loss (4-1), four innings, eight hits, seven earned runs, one home run, three walks, and three strikeouts. 0-for-2 with one strikeout at the plate. (p-s:83-47)(g/f:4-5)
Marco Gonzalez Two innings, five hits, two earned runs, and one wild pitch. (p-s:38-28)(g/f:3-3)

Boxscore
Springfield Cardinals Official Site Post Game

Memphis Beat Iowa 6-2: Tyler Greene 3-Run HR; Brett Wallace 1 HR & 2 RBIs; Casey Rowlett 2 Hits & 1 RBI; Mitch Boggs Nice Start

Individual Highlights:
Tyler Greene 2-for-5 with one home run, three two-out RBIs, and one run.
Jon Jay 2-for-4 with one run and one stolen base.
Brett Wallace 3-for-4 with one home run, two RBIs, one run, ground into one double play, and assisted in one double play.
Jarrett Hoffpauir 1-for-3 with one run, one walk, one strikeout, and assisted in oen double play.
Mark Shorey 2-for-4 with one strikeout.
Casey Rowlett 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run.
Mitch Boggs Started, Win (1-1), six innings, nine hits, one earned run, two walks, and two strikeouts. 1-for-2 with one run and one sacrifice at the plate. (p-s:99-61)(g/f:7-7)
Jess Todd Save (10), 0.2 innings, no hits or runs, and one strikeout. (p-s:6-5)(g/f:1-0)(ir-s:2-0)

Rough Outing:
Bryan Anderson 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
Charlie Manning Two innings, two hits, one earned run, one walk, and two strikeouts. 0-for-1 at the plate. (p-s:28-18)(g/f:2-2)

Boxscore
Memphis Redbirds Official Site Post Game

Reds Beat Cardinals 5-3: Colby Rasmus Doubles & Solo HR; Albert Pujols Doubles & 1 RBI; Joe Thurston 3 Hits & 2 Doubles

Individual Highlights:
Colby Rasmus 3-for-4 with one double, one home run, one RBI, and two runs.
Albert Pujols 1-for-3 with one double, one RBI, one walk, and grounded into one double play.
Joe Thurston 3-for-3 with two doubles, one run, and one walk.
Trever Miller One inning, one hit, and no runs. (p-s:15-8)(g/f:0-2)
Dennys Reyes 0.1 innings, no hits or runs, and one strikeout. (p-s:8-5)(ir-s:2-0)
Chris Perez One inning, no hits or runs, one hit by pitch, one wild pitch, and two strikeouts. (p-s:12-10)(g/f:0-2)
Kyle McClellan One inning, no hits or runs, two walks, and one strikeout. (p-s:2-0)(g/f:2-0)

Rough Outing:
Rest Of The Team

Boxscore
Cardinals Official Site Post Game
STL Today Post Game
The Birdhouse Post Game

Could A Mark DeRosa Deal Be In The Cards?

St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak is looking for a third baseman. And in describing what he's looking for to reporters earlier today, he might as well have just said, "Mark DeRosa."

Castro Turf

Colby Rasmus Has Second Three-Hit Game For Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals rookie outfielder Colby Rasmus had seen his average dip to .229 after a recent slide. But, after not starting for two games, Rasmus returned to the lineup tonight and put together his second three-hit game of the season.

Cardinal Beat

Cardinals Alter Rotation, Joel Pineiro To Miss Turn

The reshuffling of the Cardinals' rotation continues, but it appears an end may be in sight.
Cardinals Official Site

Righthander Brad Thompson, who hasn’t pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals since May 17 when he worked three mop-up innings against Milwaukee, will make his first start of the season Tuesday night at Busch Stadium against the Cincinnati Reds.
Cardinal Beat

Joel Pineiro: Rotation Now Two Short

Monday Tidbits: Troy Glaus Update, & Lots More

Greetings on a warm night at Busch Stadium. Summer arrived in St. Louis today.
Obviously, You're Not A Golfer

Injured St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Troy Glaus was evaluated today in a conference call among the Cardinals’ training staff and Glaus’ physical therapist in Phoenix and general manager John Mozeliak said the news had been “encouraging,” relative to Glaus recapturing his strength after January shoulder surgery. Mozeliak said Glaus, who had made some progress this spring before being shut down, had been cleared to start throwing and then hitting sometime next week.
Cardinal Beat

Troy Glaus: Maybe 6-To-8 Weeks Away

Monday Lineup & Early Tidbits

More tidbits to follow, but first the two key ones:
Obviously, You're Not A Golfer

After spending 14 games on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Ryan Ludwick returned to the lineup in San Francisco and batted fourth behind first baseman Albert Pujols. Facing two lefthanded starters in the three games, Ludwick was only one for 11 overall with a sacrifice fly but Pujols, having his main protector back, was seven for 11 with two homers.
Cardinals Beat

Athletics Would Rather Have Brett Wallace

If the A's had it to do over again, they would not have drafted Jemile Weeks with their first-round pick last year. A's Director of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi admitted that today they would instead draft St. Louis Cardinals prospect Brett Wallace, a product of Sonoma's Justin-Siena High and a diehard A's fan growing up.

Of course, there may be four other teams who drafted ahead of the Giants last year who one day will regret not taking Buster Posey.

Contra Costa Times

Adam Wainwright's Regress

Adam Wainwright tossed in a subpar outing Sunday in San Francisco in the Cardinals’ 5-3 loss to the Giants. Wainwright, who had brought a string of three games in which he struck out at least seven batters, fanned only three and walked two batters of the team who walks least in the league.

Fungoes

Games Of The Day 6-1-09

MLB scheduled nine games for this evening. The most important one in terms of division races belongs to the Reds at the Cardinals. Cincinnati stands 2 1/2 games behind St. Louis for second place in the NL Central after a sweep by the Brewers. They send Edinson Volquez against Todd Wellemeyer. Volquez has me stymied. Opponents are hitting .185 against him. He given up a ton of walks, raising his OBA allowed to .324. Still, that’s not terrible. He’s allowed six home runs, but four came with the bases empty. Opponents are hitting .111 against him with runners in scoring position, 5 for 45 with two extra base hits. Why is his ERA 4.25?

Baseball Musings

Playing A Different Game: 2009 Strength Of Schedule

I've been looking around the web for measures of MLB strength of schedule and have found three results so far. One, Andy Dolphin's site, hasn't started updating for 2009. A second, ESPN.com, doesn't make their methodology obvious at all. The third, BPro, also doesn't explain its methodology, but at least it's easy to figure out how to use the adjustments.

Beyond The Boxscore

Fans Recognizing Yadier Molina's Work

Yadier Molina insists that on any given day, his only priority is helping his team to a win. He downplays talk of a potential first career All-Star berth.
Cardinals Official Site

Continuing his steamroll to the overall lead in votes received for the All-Star Game, St. Louis Cardinals Albert Pujols is one of two players to have received more than 1 million votes so far, according to the latest poll results released by Major League Baseball on Monday afternoon.
Cardinals Beat

The baseball purists who were bemoaning the possibility of suspended Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez being named to the National League All-Star team can breathe more easily today. Ramirez dropped from fourth to fifth in the fan voting for outfielders (three are elected) and is some 140,000 votes behind Chicago Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano, who is third in the latest balloting for the July 14 event at Busch Stadium.
Cardinal Beat

Four Changes In Palm Beach

Two players hit the disabled list of the A-Advanced Palm Beach Cardinals on Monday while two others were activated.
The Birdhouse

Relief pitchers Kristhiam Linares and Elvis Hernandez have been sent from the Springfield Cardinals to High-A Palm Beach.
Springfield News-Leader

Pete Porcello & Rick Kozma

Matt Baker has a really well written article up on Pete Kozma. To a lot of us, this probably seems like a dead horse, but remember that he’s writing for Springfield where Pete Kozma was recently called up. For the casual S-Cardinal fan, the 2007 draft was probably just another day in their work week.

Future Redbirds

Chineses Baseball Association To Work With China Youth Baseball League To Develop Talent

QSL Sports Limited, led by Chinese-born financier Kenny Huang Jian Hua, announced that it has formed a long-term binding partnership with the Chinese Baseball Association (CBA) to develop the China Youth Baseball League (CYBL) with the ultimate goal of increasing China's influence in the sport on the international stage.

The Biz Of Baseball

Charles Cutler, Lance Lynn Named Cardinals Player/Pitcher Of The Month For May 2009

On Monday, Charlie Cutler became the second Quad Cities River Bandit in two months to be honored by the St. Louis Cardinals as one of the organization's Minor League Players of the Month.
Quad Cities River Bandits Official Site

Charles Cutler: Cardinals' MiLB Player of The Month May
Lance Lynn: Cardinals' MiLB Pitcher Of The Month May

Deryk Hooker: One Step Forward, One Step Back

The Birdhouse

Memphis Redirds Review 6-1-09

In similar fashion to Saturday's results, the Redbirds split their second doubleheader of the year 1-1, losing the first game, suspended on May 3 due to rain, and winning the second in the final inning.

Memphis Redbirds Official Site

DG's 10@10: Future Shock (Or, How 2010 Infiltrated 2009)

This past spring training, one of the St. Louis Cardinals young players took stock of the organizational goal to build from within and his own place on the depth chart. He looked around the clubhouse, pointed out the contracts expiring and the prospects aspiring and concluded:

Birdland

That Wasn't In The Script

So the Cards take their two aces, throw them at a team with worse offensive production than they themselves have....and come out with a series loss?

C70 At The Bat

Baseball's Most Exciting Play

There are a lot of fun plays in baseball, but few are cooler than seeing a player scamper all the way around the bases before the opposing team can tag or throw him out. The inside-the-park home run: you rarely ever see one, but the rarity just adds to the appeal of seeing one.

The Hardball Times

Is Adam Wainwright's Hook An Illusion?

Watching Sunday’s St. Louis Cardinals road trip-ending loss to the San Francisco Giants seemed a flashback to early in the season – at least when considering the performance of Cards starter Adam Wainwright.

The Cardinal Nation

Troy Percival Update

Though nothing is definite, RHP Troy Percival may not be ready to retire.

Maddon said he met with the veteran closer, who plans to work with a chiropractor in California and improve the health of his throwing arm.

That's the first priority, Maddon said, and after that, Percival will ponder returning. When Percival was put on the disabled list, Maddon said he wouldn't have been surprised if the closer retired, and that still seems likely.

But it sounds as if Percival will see how his body responds before making a call. Percival, 39, was in uniform Sunday, hanging out in the dugout.

"I don't think he's counted himself out yet," LHP J.P. Howell said. "He's still working out. I think maybe we'll see how he is in a month or so. Maybe he can come back. … He's had this time off, he's saying, 'Maybe I can give this one more push here.' And I think he can."

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Little further down the Rays signed Gary Gaetti's son Joe, who was released earlier last week, and assigned him to Double-A Montgomery.

St. Petersburg Times

In Which The Teapot Dome Is A Baseball Stadium

I've been reading a fine (though occasionally scold-ish) history of the 1920s recently, which is convenient because this road trip strikes me as the Cardinals' return-to-normalcy moment after a hazy, bizarre May. For the first two weeks, the Cardinals couldn't hit; for the next week they couldn't be hit. But starting with the shutout loss that opened the Brewers series, and, for a change, featured two aces throwing up zeroes, the Cardinals have approached the league average OPS with the bats and, while still on an impossibly hot pitching streak, moved back from MVP closer territory.

Viva El Birdos

The Birdhouse's Minor League Player Of The Month: May 2009

Selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 14th round (425th overall) of the 2008 First Year Player Draft, Quad Cities’ catcher/DH, Charlie Cutler added three more hits on Sunday, improving his league-leading batting average to .386.

The Birdhouse

The Birdhouse's Minor League Pitcher Of The Month: May 2009

Lance Lynn posted a perfect 4-0 won-loss record for the Month of May to help keep the Springfield Cardinals on top of the Texas League North Division standings.

The Birdhouse

Chris Carpenter: Missed It By That Much

The Birdhouse

Yore: The Andres Galarraga Year

Interesting piece of channel 5 last night about the worst trades in Cardinals history, which was inspired by the whole Khalil Green mess.

The deal for Andres Galarraga from Montreal was named to be their all-time worst deal. While that was frustrating, I don't think it was a mistake.

View From The Cheap Seats

Pete Kozma Linked To Detroit Tigers' Rick Porcello

Springfield Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma projects as a major-league infielder. His glove, arm, bat, speed and mechanics are all solid.

But, for many St. Louis Cardinals fans, he'll always be seen for what he isn't: right-handed pitcher Rick Porcello.

Springfield News-Leader

Memphis Redbirds' Royce Ring Has Eye On The Prize

Redbirds reliever Royce Ring knows all about the ups and downs of a season.

After a strong start last year in the majors with Atlanta, a rough ending to the season left him with a bloated 8.46 ERA. Now, he hasn't allowed a run in his last 171/3 innings pitched, a span of 14 outings. In fact, he's allowed just one earned run all season and leads the team with a 0.46 ERA

Memphis Commercial Appeal

Nicaraguan National Championship 6-1-09

Boer-Managua split the Sunday doubleheader with Granada, losing game one 3-1 and winning game two 3-1: Post Game, La Prensa, and El Nuevo Diario

Former DSL Cardinals Edgard Montiel and Walter Santos along with top pitcher Alvaro Lopez are on the Boer roster.

Boer (10-6) takes on Masaya (6-10) for a four-game series starting Friday, June 5. Boer is in a three-way tie for first in the standings.

Amaury Cazana In The Triple-A Mexican League 6-1-09

Started in left field and batted 5th. 1-for-3 with one double, one run, and one walk.

Oaxaca beat Puebla 11-6
Oaxaca improves to 24-32 and 13 games out of first.