What:   This One’s For You, a special telecast of St. Louis Cardinals baseball that aims to connect local troops serving overseas with home.

Troops will watch the game on American Forces Network. A live satellite link from Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan will allow FOX Sports Midwest to interview Fort Leonard Wood soldiers from the 463^rd Military Police Company and 988^th Military Police Company during the game. Troops’ family members will cheer on the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The telecast may also include taped video greetings from Missouri National Guard airmen and soldiers in Egypt, Qatar and Afghanistan.

Cardinals fans attending the game can bring signs of appreciation. Fans watching on TV can tweet their greeting to the troops to @FSMidwest with the hashtag #ThisOnesForYou; greetings will be shown on TV.

When:   Friday, May 25. The game begins at 7 p.m. CT/4:30 a.m. Afghanistan time.   FOX Sports Midwest’s pregame show starts at 6:30 p.m. CT.

Where:
-At Busch Stadium in St. Louis
-On TV on FOX Sports Midwest
-In Afghanistan; troops will be shown live via satellite and will watch on AFN

Other videos:
15-second preview of This One’s For You: http://youtu.be/0aoM_ANUyZQ
Highlights of 2011 This One’s For You: http://bit.ly/JvC4wD
Greetings from Missouri National Guard troops: http://on.fb.me/JMDxRk

This One’s For You is produced by FOX Sports Midwest in coordination with the Cardinals, American Forces Network, DVIDS (Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System), Fort Leonard Wood and the Missouri National Guard. This is the third straight year, and fifth overall, in which FOX Sports Midwest will present This One’s For You.

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Those two runs batted in are Beltran’s 25^th and 26^th of the month. That is most impressive, especially considering the right-fielder has been slowed by knee and foot ailments, which have limited him to 16 May starts and 21 games total.

With the help of researcher Tom Orf, we can put Beltran’s 26 RBI into Cardinals full-month May context.

The list that follows indicates 11 prior occurrences of more than 26 May RBI, led by none other than Stan Musial, who plated 40 in May 1954. Beltran’s current hitting coach, Mark McGwire, appears on the list the most times, three. The man’s whose offense Beltran was signed to help replace, Albert Pujols, was the most recent to exceed 26 in May, with 33 in 2006.

May RBI, St. Louis Cardinals, 1950-present

Reaching the top of this list isn’t entirely out of question for Beltran, as he still has seven games remaining to collect 14 additional RBI. That is an average of two per game, a pace not much greater than he is currently tracking.

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Not including Matt, with the severity of his injury still unclear, the club currently has six players on the disabled list. Four of them landed there within the last week. Two have been there all season long – Chris Carpenter and Scott Linebrink.

Skip Schumaker is the only Cardinal to have missed time on the DL this season to date without returning to the shelf. Two are on their second DL stints of the short season – Allen Craig and Berkman. Unluckily, as a result, each has played in just 13 games of the team’s 43.

In addition, Carlos Beltran has struggled through knee and foot ailments that caused him to miss time while avoiding the DL and Adam Wainwright has not fully returned to prior Tommy John surgery effectiveness. Yadier Molina basically played through a recent hand injury. Rafael Furcal has a checkered injury history, but to date, the shortstop has avoided being shelved.

St. Louis Cardinals disabled list as of May 23, 2012

Looking ahead to the end of the season, vote for which player’s injuries you think will have the biggest impact on the 2012 Cardinals. You may want to consider the ramifications of both the time lost by the player as well as the results of his replacement.

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Josh is the host of WGEM SportsCenter, the only sports talk show in the Quincy, Ill. area, on-air from 7:00–9:00 A.M. every morning. You can learn more at wgem.com and follow the show on Twitter at @wgemesc

Sister station WGEM 105.1 FM is a member of the Cardinals radio network. If you live in the Tri-State area, make sure you tune in all season long.

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Our focus was on the 2012 Cardinals, specifically some of the key injuries and new arrival Matt Adams. There was also some time for National League Tout Wars fantasy baseball talk.

For 2012, RotoWire’s Fantasy Sports Today show is back on Sirius / XM live, Monday through Friday from 10 A.M. – 1 P.M. CT. The call-in number is 888-XM-FANTASY and listener participation is encouraged.

Listen to audio: Brian Walton with Jeff Erickson and Chris Liss (12:53)

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It is bad enough to lose a game in walk-off fashion, but for it to occur as the result of a base-on-balls has to be the worst of the worst.

I asked researcher Tom Orf how often this has occurred, both for and against St. Louis. It is a fairly rare occurrence. Specifically, a game-ending free pass was issued by Cardinals pitching 21 times in the last 60 years. Almost half – 10 of the 21 – occurred in extra innings. At least three were rain-shortened games, which could be eliminated from consideration.

Among the 19 Cardinals pitchers to share this unfortunate event are current team television commentators Al Hrabosky and Ricky Horton. Larry Jackson walked in the game-winner twice in the span of just three weeks in 1958, though one was relatively harmless. Nelson Briles also did it two times, both in painful fashion, especially a wild pitch walk with a runner on third that ended a 1967 contest. It even happened to the greats. Bob Gibson did it once, early in his Hall of Fame career.

St. Louis Cardinals pitching, final play walk issued, 1952-current

On the other, positive, side of the ledger, during the last 60 years, the Cardinals have been the recipient of a free pass on the final play of the game just slightly more often – 22 times. One of those contests should probably be thrown out as it was the final play of a 7-0 rain-shortened win in 1985.

This play seems to be an increasingly-rare occurrence, happening just three times in favor of the Cards during the 16-year reign of Tony La Russa. The most recent such case was not all that recent. In fact, it was back when the current manager, Mike Matheny, was still an active player.

The catcher ended an April 2004 Cubs contest by drawing a bases-loaded walk against LaTroy Hawkins, which scored Albert Pujols. Hawkins, still active today, is now Pujols’ teammate with the Angels.

Since then, the Cardinals have suffered three walk-off walk losses, including Friday night. Matheny earned an assist, ordering an intentional base on balls prior to Salas’ unintentional walk to A.J. Ellis that ended it.

St. Louis Cardinals hitters, final play walk received, 1952-current

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Late Friday afternoon, I joined Ken Miller and Jim Brinson on KXnO FOX Sports Radio 1460 in Des Moines in another installment of this year’s series to discuss the St. Louis Cardinals, “Cardinal Talk.” Since the last time we spoke, the Cardinals have gone 2-5, including a 1-4 homestand.

Cardinals followers in central Iowa can again catch Cardinals radio broadcasts on KXnO as well as my segment each Friday afternoon throughout the season, either over the air or via streaming. My appearances are sponsored by WCI Pools and Spas,

Click here for audio: Brian Walton with Ken Miller and Jim Brinson (10:12)

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On at least five upcoming nights, St. Louis Cardinals 2011 World Series replica rings will be given in limited numbers of fans in Memphis, Springfield and now, Quad Cities. In addition, St. Louis is having another ring night themselves.

Next up is Triple-A Memphis. On Friday, July 6, the first 3,000 to arrive at AutoZone Park will receive a ring of their own. Busch Stadium attendees will also be given rings that same night.

Newly-announced on Wednesday is the promotion in Davenport. On two different Wednesdays in July, the 8^th and 22^nd, the first 2,000 Quad Cities River Bandits attendees each evening will leave with their own ring.

Earlier, Springfield announced they will have two additional World Series replica ring promotions this season. However, as of yet, the dates have not been disclosed. The Double-A club had two ring nights early in 2012.

Despite the earlier giveaways, interest level in these rings remains high. They are currently selling on ebay for prices approaching $100.

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One such occurrence was in the Cardinals system. On Friday night, Springfield manager Mike Shildt sent his struggling Double-A club onto the field at Northwest Arkansas in an attempt to break a nine-game road losing streak. It didn’t go well for the team or its skipper.

Following the ejection of the Cards’ first-year manager as the result of a balls-and-strikes argument with Texas League umpire Matt Benham, Shildt began to walk away. Then he chose to put an explanation point on the matter when he threw aside his protective helmet, worn when coaching third base.

Unfortunately, the airborne helmet hit the umpire in the head. The video tends to indicate that the result was unintended.

An embarrassed Shildt did not appeal his three-game suspension and began serving it immediately. In his first game away on Saturday night, the Cardinals broke their unenviable franchise-record road losing streak, which had grown to 10 games.

On Tuesday, Brett Lawrie of the Toronto Blue Jays had a comparable event set off by frustration over a pair of questionable calls in the ninth inning of his team’s loss to Tampa Bay.

After striking out on back-to-back pitches that appeared to be out of the strike zone, Toronto’s second-year third baseman reacted by screaming into the face of home-plate umpire Bill Miller. That was not surprising.

Lawrie didn’t stop there, though. When he slammed his helmet into the ground, it bounced up and hit Miller in the hip, which certainly will result in a suspension from Major League Baseball. The only question is how many games he will sit.

ESPN’s Keith Law, coincidentally a former Blue Jays employee, tweeted this reaction:

“The solution is not to suspend Brett Lawrie for ten or twenty games. The solution is to get the damn calls right.”

In an ideal world, that is of course the optimal solution. Here in the real world, however, that is entirely unrealistic. Improving umpiring quality is a worthy goal, but eliminating disagreements is impossible.

Frustration with umpiring is a long-standing part of the game, but so is the “hands-off” policy. No matter how “right” they might be, coaches and players, young and old, need to remain on the other side of that line at all times.

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In three years, including as recently as 2005, three of the team’s seven initial relievers of the season threw with their left hand. At first blush, 2012 continued the more regular pattern, with two lefties rostered at season’s start.

However, there is at least one significant difference. 2012 marks the only the third time in at least the last 16 years that neither left-hander had been with the Cardinals at the start of the previous season.

There is good news and bad when considering the two prior clubs with all new lefties, 2001 and 2009. While each went on to the make the post-season, both teams lost in the first round of the playoffs, the League Division Series.

One might put an asterisk by the name of Marc Rzepczynski in 2012, as “Scrabble” isn’t entirely new, having joined the team last July. His former partner, well-traveled J.C. Romero, was given his walking papers on Monday after just six weeks on the team. Romero was replaced by a right-hander, Eduardo Sanchez.

The only two years during which the two season-opening Cardinals lefties both had sub-3.00 ERAs was in 1996 and 2004. Steve Kline and Ray King were the relievers in the latter year, following Rick Honeycutt and Tony Fossas.

St. Louis Cardinals, season-opening left-handed relievers, 1996 to present

(Bolded names represent a returning pitcher for multiple opening days.)

Of course this list does not include the leagues of others who passed through the pen for short periods within a given season, such as Arthur Rhodes and Raul Valdes in 2011.

In the short-term, no clear left-handed pitching help is on the way for the 2012 club. There is quantity in Memphis, but Major League quality is an open question. Four left-handed relievers and one lefty starter compete at Triple-A, but none appear close to the bigs. The only one of the group already on the 40-man roster, Sam Freeman, has yet to make his Triple-A debut.

The others are starter Nick Additon and relievers Nick Greenwood, R.J. Swindle and Barret Browning. The latter two joined the organization as a minor league free agent and via the Triple-A phase of the 2011 Rule 5 Draft, respectively. (Remember, to see the entire Cardinals system on one page, check out the Roster Matrix, always up to date right here at The Cardinal Nation blog. )

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I thought the Cardinals did a good job in organizing and executing the pre-game festivities. Still, I have carried this nagging question about the timing of the event itself.

There is a reason the National Baseball Hall of Fame and other comparable career-honoring entities have a five-year waiting period before individuals can be considered for inclusion. That allows ample time for reflection and avoids the risk of emotional decisions that are later regretted. Of course, number retirement decisions are solely under team ownership control.

In an editorial this weekend, writer and friend Rob Rains reminded readers of the Ken Boyer case. The former team captain with the undistinguished and short managerial record passed away at the too-young age of 51 in 1982. The club moved swiftly to retire the Missouri native’s number 14, a decision that does not feel like it is standing the test of time.

In my view, that was the worst of both worlds, a quick move that was not clearly warranted, done after the individual had already passed away.

In La Russa’s case, there seems no doubt that his Cardinals legacy will remain strong. Perhaps holding the ceremony just one month into the next season following his retirement was considered a way to gain closure from a long, but sometimes complicated relationship.

La Russa’s on-field successes with St. Louis were many. Even so, there seemed no willingness on either side to continue the partnership in the front-office role that La Russa appears to be seeking for his post-managerial employment.

Other than a recent scare with shingles, La Russa seems healthy and strong. Yet he is now 67 years of age and says his managing days are done. Perhaps holding this celebration when it could be fully enjoyed by all was the right thing to do.

I was set to leave it at that… until I read and fully considered the ramifications of the close of Rains’ article.

The writer calls for a companion move to La Russa’s number retirement, specifically to:

“… put “Pujols 5” next to him in the not-too-distant future.”

I see and understand how and why some rail at the negative backlash directed toward Albert Pujols in recent months over his departure from St. Louis and his early struggles with the Angels. I find heaping portions of the criticism distasteful and uncalled for.

Further, there is no doubt that the Cardinals legacies of the manager and the man he calls “the best player I’ve ever managed” are forever intertwined.

On the other hand, even thinking about retiring Pujols’ number at this point – midway through his time as an active player – seems an over-reactionary swing in the opposite direction from the current negativism. It could be just as out-of-place as the Boyer decision we both seriously question, albeit for different reasons.

In his defense, Rob does not define “not-too-distant,” which puts this in a gray area. Still, I don’t agree, no matter how liberally one interprets the term. My view of the right time for such a discussion is five years after Pujols retires, same as his Hall of Fame qualification.

Assuming the first baseman fulfills his current contract, the date would be no sooner than following the 2026 season. Many, many years should still remain to look back and celebrate Pujols’ many accomplishments while wearing the Cardinals uniform. He would still be in his mid 40’s and only part-way through his Angels personal services contract.

In my book, a minimum of 15 years into the future is clearly “distant”, not “not-too-distant,” a very important differentiation. To help emphasize 15 years in Albert Pujols context, consider this. 15 years ago, Pujols was just 17 years of age, playing high school ball in the Kansas City area.

Over the next decade and a half, Pujols and the Cardinals will be in direct conflict, each trying to win the World Series. It certainly isn’t inconceivable to envision them meeting on the field over the ultimate prize at some point in the upcoming years.

In conclusion, there seemed good reasons for a rapid closure of the La Russa era, but there should be no comparable sense of urgency to make such move to honor Pujols.

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The future Hall of Famer had been left out of manager Fred Hutchinson’s lineup so he could achieve the milestone at home in the next series. However, with the Cubs up 3-1 in the sixth inning and a runner in scoring position, Hutch sent Musial up to pinch hit. “The Man” launched an RBI double off Moe Drabowsky to help power the Cards to a comeback 5-3 win.

The umpires stopped the game and presented the ball to Musial. After a pre-game ceremony the next day at Busch Stadium, Musial homered in the first inning. He ended that season with a .337 average.

The bat used by the left-handed hitter for his 3,000^th hit is part of the collection of the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian.

The pictured card is part of the Topps 1959 set.

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Late Friday afternoon, I joined Ken Miller and Jim Brinson on KXnO FOX Sports Radio 1460 in Des Moines in another installment of this year’s series to discuss the St. Louis Cardinals, “Cardinal Talk.” Of course, Friday marked the ceremony to retire Tony La Russa’s number 10.

Cardinals followers in central Iowa can again catch Cardinals radio broadcasts on KXnO as well as my segment each Friday afternoon throughout the season, either over the air or via streaming. My appearances are sponsored by WCI Pools and Spas,

Click here for audio: Brian Walton with Ken Miller and Jim Brinson (9:23)

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Our focus was on the prospects playing on the Cardinals four full-season clubs to start the 2012 season, with special attention on several of the top prospects playing at Double-A Springfield.

In addition to their weekday show from 1:00 to 3:00 P.M CDT, catch Rob’s writings at RobRains.com and B.J.’s daily beat coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals at FOXSportsMidwest.com.

Listen to audio: Brian Walton with Rob and B.J. Rains (16:14)

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The Hall of Famer is simply one of the best players to ever don a St. Louis Cardinals uniform as he did with the club from 1982 through 1996 and is doing again as a special instructor. In fact, back in 2007, we ranked “The Wizard” as the fifth-greatest Redbirds player of all time, after only Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and Rogers Hornsby. (Many more details about Smith’s career can be found in this article.)

As I wrote at the time, “Simply put, pound for pound, the Cardinals’ 150-pound shortstop was the best player of his era and under that criterion might have been the best to ever play the game.”

I had the opportunity to speak with Smith via phone on Tuesday afternoon. In the following interview, we touch on a number of topics. They include his return to active involvement with the Cardinals, his view of the 2012 major league club, young infield prospects in the system and specifically Tyler Greene, what his close friend Willie McGee has been up to, how PGA golf now stokes his competitive fires, his view of Whitey Herzog’s career recognition and his perspective on his frosty relationship with Tony La Russa.

Listen to audio: Ozzie Smith with Brian Walton (10:50)

The former Cardinals star has been seen regularly on national television as one of the stars of the Pepsi Max “Clubhouse in the Corn” commercials along with other Hall of Famers and current MLB stars. Smith has been participating in interviews to help draw attention to the second year of the Pepsi MAX Field of Dreams promotion.

We wrapped up the interview with me trying to get the now-57-year-old to disclose how his patented backflip was incorporated into the popular commercials. Ozzie remained a bit coy on that matter, however.

You can create an All-Star roster of your own with a salute to the living legends of the game, including Smith, of course. Now through June 30 at MLB.com/PepsiMAX, you can vote up to 25 times per day for your favorite players at each position, including starting pitchers and relievers.

Gibson, Musial and Bruce Sutter are among the 27 retired greats on this year’s NL ballot. There is separate AL voting available as well.

For each ballot cast, you will be entered to win the chance to play with the American and National League Pepsi MAX Field of Dreams Teams on your home turf next spring. The 2012 game will be held at Columbus, Ohio’s Huntington Park this coming Saturday, May 12.

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The real story of the game for me was the back-to-back home runs hit by Allen Craig and David Freese in the top of the seventh inning. That gave the Cardinals important breathing room after the Snakes had hung a six-spot on the board in the bottom of the sixth which pulled the home team to within one run.

They were the second back-to-back long balls for the Cardinals on the wild evening. In the third inning, it was Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday doing the honors.

According to researcher Tom Orf, Monday marked the first time since July 15, 2007 that the Cardinals hit back-to-back homers twice in a game. That time, it was Albert Pujols/Chris Duncan and Juan Encarnacion/Adam Kennedy doing the honors.

Leading off Monday’s game, Rafael Furcal also homered. It was the team’s first five-home run showing since that same July 15, 2007 outing, which was held in Philadelphia. The Cards hit six taters that night. Pujols launched two with Ryan Ludwick adding the other.

Monday’s five home runs are the most by a National League team in a game this season to date, but how does that compare over time? I asked Orf, and he answered!

Monday marked the 31^st time the Cardinals hit at least five home runs in a single contest. The team record is seven, coincidentally accomplished on the same May 7 date, back in 1940. It was tied by Tony La Russa’s first Cardinals club, on July 12, 1996. Four times, Cardinals hitters launched six homers in a game.

Here is a summary of the first 30 such games, sorted by number of home runs then date, with most recent on top.

Most home runs, game, St. Louis Cardinals team history

What makes Monday’s game stand out from the ones that preceded it was the fact that the five home runs originated from the bats of each of the first five hitters in Mike Matheny’s batting order – Furcal, Beltran, Holliday, Craig and Freese.

Again, Orf delivered in the clutch with the answer to my question. It was only the second game in team history in which the top five hitters went deep.

The first was on April 14, 1955. It was just the second game of the season, a year which quickly became forgettable. Manager Eddie Stanky would be fired after just 36 games, to be replaced by Triple-A skipper Harry “The Hat” Walker.

In a painful twist and an indication of what was ahead, the Cubs launched six homers against Cardinals pitching in the very next contest. The 1955 Cards went on to lose more games than in any year since 1924. That cost Walker his job after the season, as well.

All was still hopeful during that April 14 contest, an 8-7 Cardinals win over the Braves in the home opener at the first Busch Stadium. The top five in the order, all of whom homered, were right fielder Wally Moon, centerfielder Bill Virdon, first baseman Stan Musial, left fielder Rip Repulski and second sacker Red Schoendienst.

In just his second game as a major leaguer, the number six hitter that day, Ken Boyer, just missed joining the others as he tripled in the game. Virdon’s long ball was the walkoff winner in the 11^th inning.

Perhaps there should be an asterisk next to the home run totals of the 1955 Cardinals. That season, the 21-foot high screen in front of the right field pavilion, a fixture at Sportsman’s Park since 1929, was removed. This was done to take advantage of the left-handed power hitters in the lineup.

While the Cards may have won the battle, they clearly lost the war. The club increased its home run total at Busch from 57 in 1954 to 84 in 1955, but as noted, the bottom line was not pretty. The 1955 Cardinals went 68-86 and finished 30 ½ games out of first place. As mentioned above, two managers lost their jobs and Frank “Trader” Lane was brought in as general manager following the season.

And that right field pavilion screen? It was returned to its place in 1956. In fact, the new one was four feet higher, at 25 feet.

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While the Muckdogs are perennially among the poorest-attended clubs in the league, their management organization, the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings, gave them a nice little pre-season boost in business here in 2012.

Seven Empire State Yankees Triple-A games were to be moved to Batavia this April, May and June, along with 37 more in Rochester. It is a part of a one-year nomadic existence for a club that is usually called the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. The home park of the temporarily re-branded team, PNC Field in Moosic, PA, is closed for renovation. That put the International League Yankees on the road for the entire 2012 season, even when they are “home” club.

As bad luck would have it, the first-ever Triple-A games to be held in Batavia have not gone off without a hitch. The initial game of the group was rained out, but that doesn’t compare to what happened with the contest originally scheduled for Sunday, May 6.

The game was Pettitted-out.

No, it has nothing to do with misdeeds, trials and Roger Clemens.

The parent New York Yankees apparently did not want their star left-hander Andy Pettitte – working his way back into shape after a year absence – to make his scheduled Sunday start in Batavia.

Being comfortable in his own skin and all, apparently Pettitte was in concurrence with a requested change in venue.

The Yankees asked that the Sunday game be moved to Frontier Field in Rochester, though the Saturday night contest in Batavia remained as scheduled. Along with the additional travel, another logistical problem existed in that the Red Wings already had a home game of their own scheduled on Sunday.

Being good sports, the Red Wings accommodated the Yankees. The way Rochester did it was to essentially move up its Sunday game by 24 hours. That created a double-header of two seven-inning contests on Saturday. This did not occur after the fact, as these shortened twin-bills are usually added after a rainout needs to be made up, but in this case, it was scheduled ahead of time.

The gyrations left the Red Wings’ stadium open on Sunday for Pettitte and his temporary Empire State teammates, but in Batavia, an empty ballpark sits, wondering what might have been.

One final Empire State Yankees game remains to be played in Batavia, a mid-week morning contest. On Tuesday, June 12^th at 11:05 a.m., the Yankees are to face Louisville, a Cincinnati Reds affiliate, at Dwyer Stadium.

Update: Pettitte pitched five innings on Sunday. According to an eyewitness, Batavia announcer Matthew Coller, many balls were hit hard against him. Pettitte allowed five runs, three earned, on eight hits and two walks. He fanned five. Attendance was estimated at 13,000, reports Sloane Martin, or about 13 Muckdogs home games-worth.

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Late Friday afternoon, I joined Ken Miller and Jim Brinson on KXnO FOX Sports Radio 1460 in Des Moines in another installment of this year’s series to discuss the St. Louis Cardinals, “Cardinal Talk.”

Cardinals followers in central Iowa can again catch Cardinals radio broadcasts on KXnO as well as my segment each Friday afternoon throughout the season, either over the air or via streaming. My appearances are sponsored by WCI Pools and Spas,

Click here for audio: Brian Walton with Ken Miller and Jim Brinson (8:09)

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The 17 strikeouts is just one off the Cardinals’ worst nine-inning showing ever in this category. On September 10, 1989, 18 Cardinals were fanned by Chicago Cubs pitching in a 4-1, nine-inning loss at Wrigley Field. (link to boxscore)

Researcher Tom Orf pulled the following table, which indicates the Cardinals had just two 16-strikeout nine-inning games prior to Thursday. It was their 30^th game of at least 14 strikeouts.

Strikeouts in a nine-inning game, St. Louis Cardinals hitters, history

Note the big bulge in the 1980s and 1990s of such games.

The Cardinals have nothing to be ashamed of or be worried about. Bedard’s career best game was even better – 15 strikeouts. Further, even after the bad day, the Cardinals still only rank fourth in the National League in strikeouts.

Even more importantly, the 2012 Cards are first in the NL in runs scored at 138, with only one club within 20 runs of their total. Further, their league-best batting average of .286 is 20 points higher than the second-place club.

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Two batters later, however, both Pittsburgh pitcher Erik Bedard and catcher Mike McKenry had to be stunned with Cardinals hurler Jake Westbrook took second base for a stolen base of his own.

It was the 34-year-old Westbrook’s first career steal. It wasn’t all that unusual as the pitcher has spent most of his 12 MLB seasons in the American League. Westbrook had only 117 career plate appearances prior to Thursday.

Westbrook logged the Cardinals first stolen base by a pitcher in over three seasons – since Joel Pineiro did it back on April 15, 2009.

With the help of researcher Tom Orf, we learn that since at least 1930, the Cardinals have a total of just 64 stolen bases by pitchers, with never more than one in a game.

Not surprisingly, arguably the best athlete to play the position for St. Louis is both the club’s single-season and career stolen base leader – Bob Gibson.

Gibby also has two of the top three seasons and three of the best eight. 1968 may have been known as the “Year of the Pitcher,” but the next season was Gibson’s “Year of the Stolen Base.” He logged five of his career 13 that year.

Stolen bases by a pitcher, St. Louis Cardinals, single season since 1930

Stolen bases by a pitcher, St. Louis Cardinals, career since 1930

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According to ESPN, a part of the necessary scheduling reconfiguration for next season and beyond may alter the annual “natural rivals” interleague series. The teams may still meet, but would not be assured of full home-and-home, six-game series. One set is more likely, rotating annually between the two locations.

Of course, this would affect the “I-70 Series” between the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals.

Let’s face it, meeting the Royals was exciting back in the 1980s. Since then, not so much. Taking nothing away from Kansas City’s young prospects today, but six games each season is at least three too many for my liking. This is reinforced by the fact that in part due to the uneven divisional alignment, the Cardinals often seemed to face the same group of other interleague opponents over and over as well.

From the aspect of won-loss records, the annual Royals series has been good for St. Louis overall, especially the games in Kansas City. The Cardinals lead the Royals 38-28 in all-time interleague play, including a 24-15 mark at Kauffman Stadium.

In St. Louis, the Cards hold a narrow edge, 14-13, with the Royals leading the series 8-7 at Busch Stadium III. The Cardinals won 2-of-3 in both locations in 2011. This season, the Royals will travel to St. Louis on June 17-19 and the two clubs will meet again in Kansas City just seven days later for a second weekend series.

This is but one part of what will be a major schedule change across MLB starting next season. With an uneven number of teams in each league, there will be at least one interleague each day all clubs are scheduled to play. In one scheduling scenario, that could mean at least 30 interleague games for each team starting in 2013.

Given the necessity of change, some additional variety in opponents would be welcome.

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Such was the case this past weekend when Martin, who is a reporter at WCJW in Rochester, NY and will be The Cardinal Nation’s Batavia correspondent this summer, took exception to sexist comments from Chicago Sun-Times columnist Joe Cowley shared on Twitter.

In a follow-on series of tweets, Cowley then directed additional inappropriate remarks at Martin before his account was deleted. She maintained her dignity throughout the episode and afterward while the Chicagoan clearly did not.

As if the job isn’t difficult enough already for women, we have reporter Julie Tristan from KSDK Channel 5 in St. Louis. Tristan offers Exhibit A of what the Cowleys of the world dream about.

Assigned to do a David Freese feature, Tristan completely abandoned any shred of professionalism, flirting with the St. Louis Cardinals star and directing a series of embarrassing comments toward him while on camera. She ended her segment by telling the player, “I love you.” (See a summary of Tristan’s remarks and full video here.)

Can you imagine the ramifications had a male reporter attempted such a stunt with a female athlete? How can these kinds of double-standards be allowed to exist in this day and age?

It is a shame that there are still Tristans out there masquerading as professionals, while providing fuel for sexists like Cowley. They make life more difficult for the Martins of the world who are trying to make a living as credible journalists.

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On the other hand, wouldn’t anyone have been happy to make a deal in March for the team to end April at 14-8 and with a three-game National League Central Division lead?

As the data below indicates, the offense and pitching have been equally impressive in the early going, with the last item, run differential, pulling it together.

There are some interesting parallels to 2011. The respective situations of Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter are more unclear this season than last, but the bottom line in terms of April wins from the co-aces each year is identical – zero.

Further, in both Aprils, the number five starter performed at an unexpectedly high level. Last year, Kyle McClellan was a perfect 4-0. This year, it is Lance Lynn (4-0, 1.33). Like McClellan in 2011, the unexpected current level of success by Lynn, Kyle Lohse (4-0, 1.62) and Jake Westbrook (3-1, 1.30) will not be sustained for the entire season.

Starters going deep into games, backed by high levels of run support, meant less pressure applied to a relatively-inexperienced bullpen. Performance in close games remains an open question.

All is not perfect. The Cardinals are just 5-5 in their most recent 10 contests, though in all fairness, for most of that time, the offense was missing two of eight position player starters in Lance Berkman and since-returned Jon Jay. Further, in 2012 there has been greater exposure with starters out since top reserve Allen Craig has been unavailable as well. Skip Schumaker also missed considerable time.

The concerned point to the easier first-month schedule for St. Louis, primarily made up of NL Central opponents. That is a fair question, in my opinion.

May should offer a better cross-NL test for the Cardinals. After Pittsburgh and Houston, St. Louis will face Arizona, Atlanta (twice), San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Philadelphia. Of that group, only the Padres and Phillies have losing records. In contrast, the Cardinals are currently the only NL Central team with a winning slate.

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Late Friday afternoon, I joined Ken Miller and Joe Quinn on KXnO FOX Sports Radio 1460 in Des Moines in another installment of this year’s series to discuss the St. Louis Cardinals, “Cardinal Talk.”

Cardinals followers in central Iowa can again catch Cardinals radio broadcasts on KXnO as well as my segment each Friday afternoon throughout the season, either over the air or via streaming. My appearances are sponsored by WCI Pools and Spas,

Click here for audio: Brian Walton with Ken Miller and Joe Quinn (7:12)

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St. Louis will run their second ring promotion on Friday, July 6, as the Cardinals match up against the Miami Marlins.  All fans who attend the game will receive a wearable replica of the 2011 World Championship ring.

Springfield’s second promotion will be sooner, this coming Thursday, May 2. It is more limited, with only the first 2,000 fans through the gates receiving the collectible ring. Last time, fans lined up at Hammons Field starting over eight hours early.

In one measurement of the interest level in these rings, they are currently selling on ebay for up to $100.

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Those outside of the Cardinals-designated markets, however, must continue to rely on pay packages such as MLB Extra Innings or MLB.TV to catch their club on live video. Another vehicle to remember – one that is available on many cable and satellite systems – is MLB Network.

Despite it being owned by the sport about which it reports, MLB Network offers the best major league baseball coverage of any national broadcast entity, in my opinion. That includes selected live game telecasts. Though still blacked out in home markets, they provide another opportunity for displaced fans to view their favorite club in action.

MLB Network has announced its  live game schedule for May. The Cardinals will be presented in a primary or alternate telecast five times during the upcoming month, including one contest with MLBN broadcasters instead of team feeds. Two are road games with the other three originating from Busch Stadium.

May 11: vs. Atlanta
May 12: vs. Atlanta
May 19: at Dodgers
May 24: vs. Philadelphia (Bob Costas and Tom Verducci on the call)
May 28: at Atlanta

As always, check your local TV listings for games to be shown on your specific system.

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With the emergence of popular social media venues such as Facebook and Twitter, the player and fan can interact directly. The outcomes aren’t always pretty.

During the off-season, when St. Louis Cardinals closer Jason Motte created and publicized his Twitter presence, I winced. Every player has bad days, but there is no single position that matches the volatility of closing, with its immediate highs and lows.

It is one thing to interact with fans when there are no games, but even the best closers are going to blow saves. When the lows come, they will be fast, hard and painful.

At those points in time, interaction between the angry fan and the athlete would best be insulated. Twitter has no such buffer, however.

In all fairness, after Monday’s surprising loss in Chicago absorbed by Motte, the vast majority of fans that expressed opinions were supportive of him, sending tweets of encouragement. After all, the closer has built up considerable goodwill given his and his team’s 2011 finish.

Following the loss, Motte made a single, somewhat generic, tweet:

“Whatever it is…it’s not outside Gods control. He may not get you out but He’ll get you through. #blessed”

The best closers are known for being able to quickly erase the result of the previous game. Yet the dozens of fan comments throughout the day on Tuesday encouraging Motte prolonged the memory of Monday’s missed opportunity.

Of course, Motte could decide to just stay away from social media until the storm passes. But then why use it in the first place? To deploy only when times are good?

Another blown save or two in the next week and the current supportive climate would likely change. Then what?

Former Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin once had a Twitter account, too. He had regular conversations with the masses, but after some bumps in the road, the account was canceled. Fan discord wasn’t directly the explanation offered, but my suspicion was that it contributed.

Motte certainly isn’t the first to muff a save opportunity. Just the other day, Minnesota closer Matt Capps was repeatedly insulted by a “fan” on Twitter after blowing a save. Twins blogger “Jesse” wrote about it here, rightly pointing out the inappropriateness and cowardice of the “fan” in making the criticism personal while complimenting the player for his professionalism.

I certainly agree with that assessment, but I also have to wonder about creating the environment in the first place. How wise is it for athletes to be that accessible?

Let’s face it; no matter how much we sermonize, those who need the lessons the most will not heed them. The lunatic fringe will remain. The only question is at what frequency and intensity they will surface. So, why enable them?

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St. Louis is among the top three teams in the National League with its 11-6 record through 17 games. The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds have been scuffling along in Pacific Coast League action, winning just one-third of their initial contests at 6-12.

One area in which the two clubs share early success, however, is in limiting physical errors in the field. Each shares the lead for fewest miscues committed across its respective 16-team league.

In the NL, St. Louis has just nine errors as a team. That ties them with Philadelphia and Washington for the lowest total in the Senior Circuit. Shortstop Rafael Furcal is the only Cardinal with multiples and he has committed just two.

At the other end of the spectrum, two Western Division clubs, San Francisco and San Diego, each have made over twice as many errors as St. Louis, with 19 each. The Cardinals’ current opponent, Chicago, is next with 16 miscues in 17 games.

Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro is all alone at the top of this unenviable NL leaderboard with seven errors. The Giants have three players with four each, catcher Buster Posey, third baseman Pablo Sandoval and shortstop Brandon Crawford.

Down in Triple-A, Memphis is tied for the PCL lead for the fewest errors with 12, along with Nashville (Milwaukee) and Oklahoma City (Houston). They are spread very evenly over the Redbirds roster, with third baseman Zack Cox and shortstop Ryan Jackson being the only Memphians with as many as two miscues.

The big-league Giants shouldn’t be looking for fielding help from Triple-A, as the most error-prone club in the PCL is their Fresno affiliate, with 25 in 19 games. The Bees’ three middle infielders alone have committed 17 miscues among them.

Coming into 2012, one area of expected improvement in the St. Louis club was to be their defense. With a ground-ball oriented pitching philosophy and a staff to match, this seemed very important.

So far, so good. At least in terms of errors committed in the early going, significant progress is being shown. Remember that in 2011, only one NL club, Chicago, was charged with more miscues than St. Louis. Right now at least, no club has fewer than the Cardinals.

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Following is a look at what the two have done through April 22, as they have the lowest ERAs among the five starters.

Sure, the season is early, but with Lance Lynn needed in the rotation for Chris Carpenter, where might the Cardinals have been without the aforementioned veteran arms? Both are in the final year of their respective contracts.

St. Louis Cardinals, starting pitchers through 2012 game 16

The Cardinals starters aggregate ERA of 2.75 is third in the National League, after Washington and Philadelphia. Atlanta, with eight wins from starters, is second to St. Louis’ 10.

Several other observations:

While there is no doubt that Adam Wainwright has struggled, his teammates could help remove pressure with some offensive support. Lohse has excelled despite little run backing while Jaime Garcia has been the beneficiary of much support. Of course, as in the case of all of this data, it tends to balance out over time.

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Humber’s success came slowly. This is the 29-year-old’s ninth professional season. The right-hander was originally was taken by the New York Mets as the third overall pick of the 2004 draft from Rice University but has bounced around baseball since.

What really made me think was one of the many side stories told about Humber after his gem.

Like so many other pitchers, Humber is a Tommy John survivor. However, he serves as reminder that the procedure is not automatic. Humber is one of the minority that did not return to his prior level of performance afterward, as measured by fastball velocity.

Then considered a top 100 prospect across baseball, Humber’s career took a detour in July 2005 when he required the elbow ligament replacement surgery. He was still a minor leaguer at the time. That season, Humber began in the Florida State League and had moved up to Double-A at the time of the injury.

In the New York Times, Tyler Kepner recalls how the after-affects of the surgery altered Humber’s career trajectory.

“When Humber returned, he struggled to sustain his old velocity. He said last year that he tried too hard to manufacture it, and it was not until late in 2010 that the ball came out of his hand with ease,” Kepner wrote.

Also from that article: “Everybody talks about, when you get Tommy John surgery, you come back the same or better, and he’s one of those examples that, hey, you don’t always get that fastball velocity back,” Jim Duquette, the Mets’ GM when Humber was drafted, told Kepner. “It doesn’t always happen that way.”

Humber was sent to the Minnesota as part of the 2008 trade in which the Mets acquired Johan Santana. He moved on to Kansas City and Oakland before landing in the Windy City.

Now throwing in the low 90’s with movement on his offerings, Humber logged the very first complete game of his career on Saturday. And what a game it was!

By now, you probably know that I am thinking about Humber’s story in the context of Adam Wainwright’s current difficulties. I am not suggesting I know why Waino’s velocity is down or that it won’t return. (His four-seam averaged 89.50 MPH in his most recent start, according to data presented by Brooks Baseball.)

It is far too early to draw any conclusions or worry excessively.

It is good to know, as Humber has shown us, that there are multiple ways to get the job done. Still, one just has to hope this is a short-term diversion for Wainwright and not the start of a five-year journey.

Of course, every person is different plus Wainwright has the benefit of years of knowledge and sustained success upon which to draw, experiences that Humber lacked back in 2005.

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