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Mid-Season Awards: National League

By Tyler Hissey | July 9, 2009 | Around the Majors

Earlier this week, I produced my mid-season awards for the American League. Now, for those who have been anxiously awaiting the next round, I present to you my picks for the National League.Most Valuable PlayerAlbert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals:We might need to rename the Most Valuable Player award the Albert Pujols. He's just that good.Pujols has continued to amaze for the Cardinals, consistently belting moon shots into the night while walking more than he strikes out. His .336/.462/.735 line and insane .477 Weighted On-Base Average (wOBA) would be impressive in a video game, and he's leading the circuit with 31 home runs, a 215 OPS+, 81 RBIs and 208 total bases. Machine, indeed.Since Pujols is one of the best defensive first baseman in the league as well, this truly is just a no-contest pick. In fact, when accounting for batting, fielding and positional factors, he has been worth an NL-leading...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Albert Pujols, Atlanta Braves, Colby Rasmus, Javier Vasquez, MLB, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Tim Lincecum

InsideSTL Thursday

By athooks | July 9, 2009 | Cardinals Diaspora

It's that day of the week. Please head over to InsideSTL.com for some star humping nonsense. I expect that post to be not so popular. LINK HERE...

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Thursday's Games of the Day

By Jonathan Etkowicz | July 9, 2009 | MLB Notebook

Twelve games are being played on Thursday. I'm trying a new format for Games of the Day. Instead of picking only some of the games, each game will be previewed. Two aces, Tim Lincecum and Felix Hernandez, pitch on Thursday. Roy Halladay may be taking the mound in Tampa Bay as a sort of trade audition. Tommy Hanson will get a test from the Rockies at Coors Field. Paul Konerko looks to continue his hot hitting against the Indians. The Cardinals and Brewers rap up an exciting July series. These games and more can be found below. Toronto at Tampa...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Alfredo Aceves, Andrew Miller, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Brad Penny, Carl Crawford, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Clayton Richard, Cleveland Indians, Cody Ross, Colorado Rockies, David Price, Felix Hernandez, Florida Marlins, Games of the Day, Houston Astros, John Lannan, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Luke Hochevar, Micah Owings, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, MLB, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Nyjer Morgan, Paul Konerko, Philadelphia Phillies, Rafael Furcal, Randy Wolf, Roy Halladay, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Tim Lincecum, Tommy Hanson, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals

Adam Wainwright enjoys facing Milwaukee

By Jonathan Etkowicz | July 8, 2009 | MLB Notebook

It seems Adam Wainwright thrives under the pressure of close division races, even if that race is being played out in July. He thrives even more when those division games are played against the division rival Milwaukee Brewers. Wainwright has held Milwaukee to only 2 runs in 3 starts and has a 2-1 record. He's pitched 23.1 innings with a 0.77 ERA and has a batting average against of .167. Wainwright has pitched brilliantly against Milwaukee this season making himself St. Louis' best option against the Brew Crew. He's certainly picked up the pace from 2008 when he went 1-1 against...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Adam Wainwright, Milwaukee Brewers, MLB, St. Louis Cardinals

Wave Taco All-Star Game Beach Bash

By athooks | July 8, 2009 | Cardinals Diaspora

A big F Yeah to Wilson again for hooking up 27 of our readers with All-Star Game Fan Fest tickets. That's sick of them to do and Cards Diaspora appreciates the love. As we continue to draw closer to the actual game, the festivities are ramping up. Please check back often each day for updates on all the happenings. Wave Taco- the downtown beach volleyball center and bar- is having a ASG bash this Sunday. Check out the flyer via loyal reader and avid spiker Lizzy D below... It's from 1 to 8 CST on Sunday and for more information go to Wave-Taco.com...

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: 2009 All-Star Game, All-Star Game 2009, All-Star Game Parties, St. Louis Cardinals

Wilson & The CD Have Fan Fest Tix... For Free!

By athooks | July 8, 2009 | Cardinals Diaspora

Finally. A corporate titan has realized the awesomeness of this freaking web-site and is throwing its weight behind some of our crap. The good men and women of Wilson Sporting Goods know that in this tough economy, it's tough for people to pony up $$$ to get involved with the MLB All-Star Game here in St. Louis... even though you'd like to. So that's why they're giving us 20 tickets to MLB Fan Fest to get you involved absolutely free. Check out the link above for more information about the event- but the bottom line is that these ducats are 30 bucks a pop and we've got 20 to give away today. All you need to do is e-mail athooks@gmail (OMG- did he really just give his real e-mail address out on the internet!) and I'll hook it up. First come- first serve. Wilson will have a greeters downtown...

Read more | 3 Comments | Tags: All-Star Game 2009, MLB Fan Fest, St. Louis Cardinals, Wilson Sporting Goods

An Encouraging Win

By athooks | July 8, 2009 | Cardinals Diaspora

Baseball isn't brain surgery. When the best player on the planet hits third, the guy in the 2 spot will get plenty of pitches in the strike zone to hit, the guy batting clean-up will have runners on base more times than not. We've been yapping about having some production from those two spots all season long and finally (side: FINALLY) both spots got their shit together and created a win. A big win, actually. Remember, dating back to 2008, the Brewers have had the best record against the Cardinals than any other team in the NL and they also were in the lead for the NL Central title. So I'm not discounting this performance. At all. Perhaps this stretch can heat up Ludwick... but I'm more interested in the sudden power surge from one Colby Freaking Rasmus. (Who looks quite a bit like a young, less pussy-ish JD Drew...

Read more | 3 Comments | Tags: Brewers, Colby Rasmus, NL Central Title, Ryan Ludwick, St. Louis Cardinals

Wednesday's Games of the Day

By Jonathan Etkowicz | July 8, 2009 | MLB Notebook

Six of Wednesday's fifteen games are day games, making Wednesday a getaway day for those twelve teams. Wednesday doesn't feature the best pitching matchups, but does have some good games worth watching. Two All-Star Game bound ten-game winners are pitching on Wednesday. Ryan Sadowski looks to go 3-for-3 in his first three career starts. The Reds and Phillies continue an entertaining series. Oliver Perez returns to the Mets rotation and the NL Central and AL West showdowns continue. Pittsburgh at Houston: The Pirates-Astros series finishes with Charlie Morton and Wandy Rodriguez facing off. If Pittsburgh wins, they'll be only 2...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Aaron Hill, Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Brian Tallet, Chad Guadin, Charlie Morton, Chicago White Sox, Chris Young, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Curtis Granderson, David Hernandez, Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, Freddy Sanchez, Games of the Day, Hank Blalock, Homer Bailey, Houston Astros, Jeff Suppan, Jose Contreras, Jose Lopez, Kansas City Royals, Kendry Morales, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Magglio Ordonez, Max Scherzer, Milwaukee Brewers, MLB, New York Mets, Oakland Athletics, Oliver Perez, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Rodrigo Lopez, Ryan Sadowski, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Scott Kazmir, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Stephen Drew, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Tim Wakefield, Todd Wellemeyer, Toronto Blue Jays, Vernon Wells, Vicente Padilla, Vladimir Guerrero, Wandy Rodriguez, Zack Greinke

MLB Stock Market - Drama Edition

By Kurt Evans | July 6, 2009 | MVN Outsider

We sure have some fun things going on right now. The All Star Rosters have been announced -- did your favorite player get left off the list? Chances are, more than a few deserving names did. (I am intentionally not scoping out the full lists until after I've finished my piece on the Shoulda-Been All Stars: AL Edition.) On top of the All Star drama, we've got players angry at organizations, organizations angry at players, and teams finally sold after the longest Waiting for the Bill to be Paid period evar. (Yes, "evar.") Let's take a closer look... RisingThe Ire of Brewers Star Ryan BraunBraun, the young Brewers slugger, apparently feels that his team needs help if they want to reach the playoffs again. He's calling for GM Doug Melvin to fix the team, probably on the heels of losing 3 of 4 from the hapless Cubs. Here's an...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, MLB, MLB Outsider, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals

MLB Stock Market - Nut Hut Edition

By Kurt Evans | June 29, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Have you ever listened to one of those morning zoo nut-hut talk radio shows? I'm sure you have, and yet you managed to change the dial before slitting your wrists. Often times these extremely boring people will go to excrutiating lengths to have a compelling talk segment. Right about now they're probably talking about how we are now over the hump - the days are getting short again (but they were so long for a while there, ha-ha! Can you beileve how long the days were? Blah blah, I couldn't go to sleep some nights the sky was so bright! Haw!) - and how winter is already on its way. As much as I detest those jabrones, I can't help but think about the same sort of thing -- the year is flying by. We're coming upon the All Star Break -- aka the most boring week in sports...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, MLB Outsider, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers

Fantasy Baseball Impact: St. Louis Cardinals Acquire Mark DeRosa

By Brad Berreman | June 29, 2009 | MVN Outsider

On Saturday, the St. Louis Cardinals acquired IF/OF Mark DeRosa from the Cleveland Indians for pitcher Chris Perez and a player to be named later. DeRosa made his Cardinal debut on Sunday, and he went 0-for-3 with a walk as he batted cleanup behind 1B Albert Pujols and played left field. For the season through Sunday, DeRosa is hitting .267 with 13 home runs and 50 RBI in 281 at-bats. DeRosa has played all over the diamond this season, playing games at 3B and 1B as well as in the outfield. Cardinals' manager Tony LaRussa will certainly put that versatility to use, as he also played 2B and SS during his big league career. DeRosa could certainly benefit if he continues to hit behind Pujols. St. Louis has not gotten much production out of the #4 spot in the batting order this season, so he should get ample opportunity to occupy...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Cleveland Indians, Fantasy, Mark DeRosa, MLB, St. Louis Cardinals

MLB Great Debates: Which Playoff Contender Needs a Trade to Stay in the Race?

By Staff Report | June 26, 2009 | MVN Outsider

MLB Outsider's Jaymes Langrehr and Kurt Evans debate the issue: Which contending team most needs to make a deal before the July 31 trade deadline in order to stay in the race? Jaymes Langrehr argues that the Brewers desperately need starting pitching:As we get closer to the trade deadline, a good number of teams are developing clear needs that need to be addressed if they're going to stay in playoff contention. Some teams will be able to cope with their weaknesses and still make the playoffs due to their other strengths. Other clubs will need to make a move if they have any chance at contending in the second half.The Milwaukee Brewers are a prime example. Heading into this season, they knew that their pitching wouldn't be as good as it was down the stretch last season. Given the strength of their offense, however, they figured to be in okay...Read more

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: MLB

MLB Top 10: Rox Still Hot

By Jaymes Langrehr | June 22, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Sure, the Colorado Rockies may not be on an insanely long winning streak at the moment (they're back to a merely above-average 5-game streak), but they're still playing the best baseball outside of Los Angeles or Boston at this point. For that reason, they hang on to the #1 spot in this week's Top 10 list. But who takes the #2 spot? With quite a few teams piecing together winning streaks lately, there are plenty of contenders -- there are seven teams who have won at least three games in a row, so there's no shortage of teams playing well, unlike in previous weeks.1. Colorado Rockies (36-33)Sure, it may not be an 11-game win streak, but after dropping a game to the Rays to snap the streak, Colorado has won five straight. For those of you keeping track at home, that's 16 wins in their past 17 games, and it's...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, MLB Outsider, MLB Top 10, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays

MLB Outsider - Who?

By Kurt Evans | June 22, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Everybody's heard of Alex Rodriguez. We all know who Johan Santana is. Lord knows we've all seen the towering homeruns of Albert Pujols. But as fascinating as those players are -- and it's usually a lot of fun to see somebody turn into a star and have a long, successful career -- there are a number of players in the '09 season who have put up heroic numbers... and yet most of us wouldn't be able to spot them in a crowd or even recognize their name in a discussion. Here's a short list of this year's surprises...The HittersPablo Sandoval - 22-years-old, the Giants rookie is batting .338 and is presently on pace to hit 50 doubles, 5 triples, 20 homeruns, and drive in 82 RBI. I'm sure that Giant fans everywhere know his name and are buying his poster, but outside of San Fran he's probably about as recognizable as...Read more

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins, Minnesota Twins, MLB, MLB Outsider, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays

MLB Stock Market - When I'm Wrong, I'm Really, Really Wrong Edition

By Kurt Evans | June 21, 2009 | MVN Outsider

What's that on Ryan Howard's shirt? ...never mind. Maybe I don't want to know.Usually I start these with some pithy remark about how fast the season is moving, or how things are unfolding as most people would expect, or I just make fun of the Yankees. But not this time, my friends. Oh no, this time we're going to get straight to the Stock Market portion of this article. Except...This will mark the first of surely many times in which I admit my mistakes. You know how some people will flat out deny being wrong, as if their words aren't recorded and saved forever on the internets? I am not one of those people. And I'll say right now that I was wrong. More on that in the Falling section.RisingThe Bile in Ryan Howard's StomachRyan Howard wants you to know he does not have the swine flu. He is not...Read more

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MLB Outsider - In Appreciation of Tony LaRussa

By Kurt Evans | June 10, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Tony LaRussa should manage the Yankees. If they had a dating website for teams and managers, LaRussa would be a 100% match with the greatest organization in the history of baseball. Consider the following:Tony LaRussa is loved or hated, just like the Yankees. If he's the manager of your team you've got bragging rights, because as much as the Cub Fan in me hates to say it, he's a baseball icon. And if he's the manager of the team your team is playing, then you hate him. His genius is overrated, you say. His best teams have been built on the drug-enhanced backs of cheaters, you will argue. He has a terrible record in the playoffs, you will (falsely) note. Not to mention the fact that he's an arrogant, cocky, annoying douchebag. It's love or hate and very rarely will you find a fan who is indifferent to LaRussa. Just like...Read more

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MVN: Most Valuable Network