- The Cardinals got a stellar performance from Joel Piniero on Tuesday against the New York Mets. Piniero pitched a complete game shutout for a 3-0 victory and helped his own cause by going 2 for 4 with a run scored. Very nice work.

- The Cards have made some interesting gaffes this season, but what happened last night at CitiField may have been one of the ugliest displays ever. Albert Pujols came up with the bases loaded and one out. Chris Duncan was on 1st base but was lifted for pinch runner Joe Thurston. Pujols promptly singled to score two, but Thurston was not able to make third so it was runners at 1st and 2nd. Thurston apparently strayed a little too far off of 2nd, and Mets’ starter Livan Hernandez wheeled around and picked him off. Then, before the next pitch could be thrown, Pujols broke early for 2nd and Hernandez threw him out there. It was a hideous end to what was shaping up to be a big inning, but the lead held up.


- Once Kyle Lohse comes off the DL and proves healthy, I think the team needs to seriously consider demoting Todd Wellemeyer to the bullpen (at least). Wellemeyer just has not been good this season. He made a lot of people eat crow last year, but this year he’s been batting practice. He has lost velocity, his pitches are up, and he can rarely get through 6 innings, thus taxing the bullpen every time he pitches. Never a good mix. The question then becomes: who will be the fifth starter? Brad Thompson has filled in ably, but he may not be the long-term answer for this season. Looks like GM John Mozeliak may have two needs to fill in the next five weeks: a starter, and…


- …an impact bat which, despite the recent return of the offense, should still be a priority if this team will make a run at the division title. Khalil Greene had a great first weekend back. Ryan Ludwick is starting to find his stroke a bit. Chris Duncan and Rick Ankiel don’t look quite as lost. But this team is giving indications that it might be streaky at the plate; will another bad streak follow this recent good streak?


- Hey, don’t look now, but we’re a week away from July and your St. Louis Cardinals are on top of the NL Central by two games and are eight games over .500. And, of course, Albert Pujols is out of his mind right now. In 71 games (the team has played 72, but that’s still nine games from the halfway point of the season) Pujols is hitting .328 with 26 home runs and 70 RBI.


- Can we stop all the talk about the Cards going after, of all things, an outfielder in a trade? Matt Holliday, Adam Dunn, and Magglio Ordonez…really? If the Cardinals are going to acquire a player that will almost certainly require them to part with some high-level prospects, is it unreasonable to request that they get someone who actually has better offensive numbers than the guy he’d replace?

- This has been a great week at my house. Monday night we went to the Season Ticket holder appreciation dinner. This little shin-dig included free food, free beer, and tours of the clubhouse and dugout. It was an awesome night. Then I came home from work Tuesday to find a UPS envelope on the front porch. It contained our ticket strips for the All Star Game. Up next, I head up to Chicago for the Cubs vs. White Sox at US Cellular Field. I will of course be wearing a White Sox shirt and a Cardinals hat. White Sox fans love Cardinals fans…and I’m not just saying that because my girlfriend is originally from the South Side. But I hold no ill will to the Sox; there’s no rivalry there, and they’re geographically close. Plus, mutual hatred for the Cubs can form an awfully tight bond…

Chris Reed is a freelance writer from Belleville, IL who also blogs on the Cardinals at http://bird-brained.mlblogs.com. He’s pinch hitting on Wednesdays for the month of June.