The Cardinal Nation blog

Traded outfielder Ryan Ludwick had been one of St. Louis’ top two offensive leaders since his 2007 arrival.

What is the best way for the St. Louis Cardinals to manage their number three starter, rookie Jaime Garcia?

New St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Mike MacDougal is the 23rd reliever to win in his first game with the team.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina is amazingly proficient at picking off opposing baserunners.

At Busch Stadium, Adam Wainwright has posted among the most impressive results of any pitcher in St. Louis Cardinals history.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina has resumed driving in runs.

The Cardinals need another dependable starter. They may have one in their bullpen.

Has Adam Wainwright supplanted Chris Carpenter as the St. Louis Cardinals’ ace – on paper, at least?

The two big bats in the St. Louis Cardinals lineup have been driving in runs with two outs in 2010.

Injured St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Ryan Ludwick is the team’s career leader in SLG and OPS in Denver.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright was the team’s top pitcher – and hitter – on Sunday.

What Albert Pujols is swinging at, where and resulting contact rate leads to a lower slugging percentage in 2010.

St. Louis Cardinals starters have gone five innings or less in four consecutive games.

Picking out one of St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday’s hot hitting stats.

Batting first, St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Skip Schumaker has been getting on base regularly.

Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter and Jaime Garcia are among MLB’s top pitchers this season.

On Wednesday night, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright failed in his attempt for a fourth straight one or no run outing of seven innings or more.

Adam Wainwright registered the 97th two-or-less hit complete game for the St. Louis Cardinals since 1952.

No team has more seven or more inning starts with no or one run allowed this season than the St. Louis Cardinals.

Albert Pujols had his fourth three-home run game on Sunday. Mark McGwire had just three as a St. Louis Cardinal.

Ho hum. Albert Pujols drove in multiple runs in Thursday’s game – again.

St. Louis Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia already has three no-decision shutout outings this season.

Adam Wainwright pitched a great game for the St. Louis Cardinals against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night, but great wasn’t great enough.

David Freese is delivering considerably better offensive production from the third base position than the St. Louis Cardinals received in 2009.

Streaky St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Ryan Ludwick had a rough day on Sunday, striking out four times.

Brad Penny is now one of a select group of St. Louis Cardinals pitchers with a grand slam. Bob Gibson, who watched Penny’s shot Friday night, has two.

A handful of factoids relating to St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jaime Garcia.

On Tuesday, outfielder Ryan Ludwick collected his ninth final-at bat winning hit in the last three-plus years for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Three St. Louis Cardinals hitters have at least 24 RBI through the team’s first 39 games and are on pace for 100 RBI seasons.

Two of three St. Louis Cardinals starters working on quality start streaks saw them end over the weekend.

Streaky Ryan Ludwick is in the midst of one of his hottest runs as a St. Louis Cardinal.

St. Louis Cardinals rookie Jaime Garcia’s 2010 start invokes memories of another left-hander from Mexico who made his MLB debut 30 years ago, Fernando Valenzuela.

The St. Louis Cardinals Adam Wainwright has 25 quality starts in his last 26 outings, including all seven in 2010.

The Pirates and Cardinals right fielders this weekend traveled long roads before achieving major league success.

Yadier Molina found himself in the middle of most of the pivotal plays in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 4-3 series-opening win in Pittsburgh on Friday night.

History is on the side of Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals Friday night in Pittsburgh.

Nick Stavinoha is only one short of tying for the most pinch-hit home runs in a season by a Cardinal since Tony La Russa became manager in 1996.

Of course it is early, but Jaime Garcia’s 2010 start matches that of a couple of Hall of Famers, including one named “Lefty.”

Kyle Lohse deserved a win on Saturday after tossing seven innings of one-run ball for the St. Louis Cardinals, but instead took a no-decision.

The Cardinal Nation Blog will again be highlighted on KSDK Channel 5, the Sunday home of the St. Louis Cardinals. This time, the focus is on David Freese’s six RBI on Thursday.

On Thursday, St. Louis’ Colby Rasmus did something only four other Cardinals in team history had accomplished in a single game.

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman David Freese drove in six runs against the Atlanta Braves Thursday afternoon. We tell you how unique that is.

Two St. Louis Cardinals hurlers have current runs of four starts of seven innings or more and two or fewer earned runs. The last time it was done even once to start a season was in 1973.

Three St. Louis Cardinals starters are working on pitching streaks of six innings or more while allowing two or fewer runs.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Felipe Lopez took the mound with a sore elbow, not disclosing pre-existing discomfort until afterward. Was he tough or careless?

Chris Carpenter added his name to an exclusive list on Thursday night with his second consecutive ten-strikeout game for the St. Louis Cardinals.

The St. Louis Cardinals’ run of seven consecutive starts of seven innings or more allowing two or fewer runs ended Tuesday night in Arizona. The team record may be 12, set in 1944.

The St. Louis Cardinals are working on run of seven consecutive starts of seven innings or more allowing two or fewer runs.

With his complete game on Sunday, St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright extended the team’s streak of seven or more innings pitched while allowing two or fewer earned runs to six games, longest since 1986.

The St. Louis Cardinals are working on run of five consecutive starts of seven innings allowing two or fewer runs.

Felipe Lopez and Chris Carpenter powered the Cardinals to a comeback win over the Mets Friday. Each man’s feat was notable in the context of team history.

When he crossed the plate four times on opening day, Albert Pujols tied for the fourth-most such games in St. Louis Cardinals history.

Former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher John Smoltz accepts three broadcasting jobs.

St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa didn’t mince words when asked about the Ryan Howard-Albert Pujols trade rumor.

St. Louis Cardinals prospects stack up very differently when looking at potential contribution at the major league level this season.

Having last pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals in October, John Smoltz was in the news this weekend – on the political pages.

St. Louis Cardinals prospect Mark Hamilton may be just as blocked in the outfield as he is at his natural position, first base.

Reaction to MLB’s new weapons policy beyond St. Louis Cardinal Ryan Franklin’s widely-reported remarks.

A look at St. Louis Cardinals second base non-roster invitees over the last five seasons.

A series of short news items including a serious plea with a bit of self-promotion sprinkled in.

What might the St. Louis Cardinals have seen in the second base market next year had they not locked up Skip Schumaker for 2011?

Trying to make the St. Louis Cardinals rotation in 2010, Kyle McClellan’s results in his first two major league camps were dramatically different.

Wanting to set the record straight about his contract status, the Cardinals first baseman takes his story directly to the fans.

A look ahead to the top projected stories across the Cardinal Nation in 2010.

A look back at the top projected stories across the Cardinal Nation in 2009 from one year ago.

The addition of Mark DeRosa, then Matt Holliday defined the 2009 St. Louis Cardinals season.

The continued greatness of Albert Pujols was not taken for granted as he earned his third NL Most Valuable Player Award in 2009.

Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright led the St. Louis Cardinals pitching staff all season long but fell short in individual recognition.

For the ongoing services of outfielder Matt Holliday, the St. Louis Cardinals and agent Scott Boras carried out an intricate dance for months.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright tells those who value baserunners more than runs scored where they can stick their views.

The St. Louis Cardinals wouldn’t have to wait until their arbitration cases are settled to make their next move, but they may have good reasons for doing so.

Will Brad Penny become the 2010 St. Louis Cardinals’ version of 2009’s Joel Pineiro, the unsung hero?

A big question turned into a strength of the 2009 Cardinals as Ryan Franklin seized the closer’s job and solidified the bullpen.

If the Cardinals ever reach the point of considering the unthinkable, trading Albert Pujols, Mark Teixeira’s history provides an important lesson.

Why the conditions may be right for the St. Louis Cardinals to move to lock up Albert Pujols.

Now that the Cardinals have agreed to terms with outfielder Matt Holliday on a record-setting new contract, is the jury in on the big trade that brought him to St. Louis in the first place?

Eight different players had a piece of the St. Louis Cardinals’ starting third base job in 2009. None of them did much of anything with it.

Trying to return from disc replacement surgery in his neck proved to be too much for Chris Duncan, who was traded to Boston in late July for middle infielder Julio Lugo in a move that unearthed a number of issues.

No one could have predicted how the shortstop position would have evolved for the 2009 St. Louis Cardinals.

Erroneous news on a supposed new Matt Holliday offer from the St. Louis Cardinals is amplified all over cyberspace before being pulled.

Why might both Scott Boras and the St. Louis Cardinals consider a shorter-term contact for free agent Matt Holliday?

Is Mark DeRosa’s reported two year, $12 million deal with the San Francisco Giants out of line with the market? If not, why didn’t the St. Louis Cardinals jump in?

The 2009 St. Louis Cardinals’ centerfield featured a transition from the veteran to the kid along with some interesting twists.

The St. Louis Cardinals again added a future Hall of Fame pitcher nearing the end of his career but it didn’t end like in 1926.

The agent of former Cardinals outfielder Chris Duncan is making some interesting claims.

The MLB Players Association plays a powerful, but almost-invisible role in placement of top free agents.

There may be something for Matt Holliday to learn from this week’s Johnny Damon saga and a similar story from over two decades ago.

Can the St. Louis Cardinals learn anything from a dissection of the New York Yankees’ 2008 pursuit of Mark Teixeira?

The St. Louis Cardinals are getting to the point where they need to force Scott Boras to declare his hand regarding Matt Holliday.

A pair of former big bats from the Colorado Rockies are now free agents. The St. Louis Cardinals are thinking about at least one of them.

The St. Louis Cardinals are experiencing some extra spice in their Holliday cooking due to an unwanted touch of Bay while the GM puts the heat on the super agent.

Why is the Matt Holliday contract situation causing heightened emotions across Cardinal Nation?

Minnesota’s Joe Mauer missed the first month and won the AL MVP in a landslide while Chris Carpenter lost the NL Cy Young Award because he missed 30 games.

Using an MVP-like scoring system for the Cy Young Award keeps Tim Lincecum on top.

Would a hypothetical expansion of the 2009 National League Cy Young Award vote to five places have changed the winner?

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Colby Rasmus made an appearance in the 2009 National League Rookie of the Year voting.

A collection of recent St. Louis Cardinals-related links of interest with a little commentary sprinkled in.

Intended only as fun, this award has been created to honor the highest level of hitting futility by a St. Louis Cardinals pitcher in a season.

Looking at past good-hitting pitchers on the St. Louis Cardinals.

Creating a new award to recognize the best-hitting St. Louis Cardinals pitcher during the previous season.