Good evening from Busch Stadium …

- I’ll probably disappoint Cardinals fans by saying this, but I can’t complain about the inclusion of only two Cardinals on  the NL All-Star team. Moreover, I never get outraged over these matters for a simple reason: the game is a spectacle, an entertainment show, and not a serious competion. Just the way the rosters are mapped out — with the stipulation that every team must be represented –wipes out the notion of putting the best teams together. If this is the kind of thing that gets you fired up, then vent on. But I just can’t be the angry man over All-Star exclusions. Sorry.  

- Catcher Yadier Molina warranted consideration, but he isn’t having a vintage defensive year based on his esteemed standards, throwing out 32.2 percent of base stealers, with four passed balls, and six errors. (Only one NL catcher has more errors). Yes, Molina does lead the NL in picking runners off. And I don’t know how much his reduced throw-out rate is based on STL pitchers not keeping runners close. But Molina’s caught-stealing rate is third in the NL (behind Milwaukee’s Jason Kendall, and the Mets’ Brian Schneider). Look, I think it was ludicrous for Molina to be denied the Gold Glove last season, and overall I believe he’s still the best overall defensive catcher in the NL. But he’s not having his best defensive season. (Molina’s Fielding Runs Above Replacement, or FRAR, is only slightly better than the three catchers named to the NL squad). And let’s not kid ourselves; the All-Star game is mostly about offense. And the three catchers selected — Chicago’s Geovany Soto, Atlanta’s Brian McCann and LA’s Russell Martin — are the three highest OPS guys among the league’s catchers. Offensively Molina is 8th among NL catchers in the offense rate stat of Value over Replacement (VORP).

- Pitcher Kyle Lohse certainly was in the mix for a spot on the NL staff, due to that shiny 10-2 won/loss record. But he’s 16th among NL starting pitchers in ERA, 18th among NL starting pitchers in Fielding Independent ERA (FIP) and 13th in the ranking for baserunners per nine innings. Lohse has been a huge plus for the Cardinals, and he’s having a terrific season, but it’s no crime to leave him off the NL squad. Just my opinion.

- Sure, Rick Ankiel leads NL centerfielders in homers and slugging percentage and he’s second to Pittsburgh’s Nate McLouth in OPS. It would have been a great story to have Roy Hobbs Jr. in the All-Star game. And the two Cubs who goted voted in by the fans (Fukudome and Soriano) don’t belong. But since when is the erratic voting an accurate reflection of actual performance? Also, the squad isn’t picked based on specific outfield positions. Or storylines. There’s no distinction between corner OFs or CFs, so the Ankiel/CF argument is moot. And Ankiel is 12th among league OFs in OPS. I’m happy for the Cardinal who did make it to the NL outfield, Ryan Ludwick.

Moving on …

- The Cardinals are batting .235 in six games against the Cubs this season. Cubs pitchers have a 3.17 ERA against St. Louis.

- Given all the Cubs on the NL All-Star team — seven — shouldn’t the North Siders be up by eight or nine games in the NL Central?

- Huge move by the Milwaukees, landing C.C. Sabathia from Cleveland for a shipment of prospects, including power-hitting shortstop prospect Matt LaPorta. (CORRECTION: LaPorta was drafted as a 1B, then moved to the OF). Sabathia won the AL’s Cy Young last season. Though he started slowly this year, he’s been mowing ‘em down again, with a 2.16 ERA in his last 14 starts, and that includes 120 Ks in his last 104 IP.  Sabathia has the third-best ERA in the majors since April 22. Can you imagine this big cat against going after all of these mediocre NL lineups? Sabathia’s ability to pile up the innings will give a break to an overtaxed Milwaukee pen. 

The downside? Sabathia can walk as a free agent after the season, so this is most likely a rental. But this is an example of the Brewers benefiting from a surplus of prospects. This won’t crash their farm system.  

- The Brewers got one past the Cubs, who were on the Sabathia hunt. Now how will Cubs GM Jim Hendry counter? The Chicago scribes tell me they think Hendry is after Oakland’s Rich Harden, but if he’s unavailable, the Cubs will make a play for Randy Wolf or Greg Maddux from San Diego.

- And the Cardinals? Well, Mark Mulder has been given the starting assignment for Wednesday’s game in Philadelphia.

- Sigh.

- More on that later.

- I realize many of you already are aware of this, but in case it escaped notice: Cardinals 3B Troy Glaus is hitless in 24 at-bats vs. the Cubs this season, with 10 Ks. That’s right: 0-24, 10 strikeouts. Hey, he does have a walk… Seriously. I don’t even know what to say about this. They’re pitching him tough, sure, but isn’t this a bit of a fluke? So who the hell is tormenting poor Glaus, anyway? 

- Well, Glaus is 0 for 6 against Lilly, 0-3 vs. Zambrano, 0-3 vs. Marmol, 0-3 vs. Marshall, 0-2 vs. Wood, 0-2  vs. Marquis, 0-2 vs. Lieber, 0-1 vs. Hill, 0-1 vs. Howry and 0-1 vs. Gallagher.  Hey, maybe Glaus is saving it for Wrigley Field. He’s 5 for 16 with a homer there in his career.

- The Cardinals often seem to be confounded by soft-tossing LH pitchers  Sunday, they were massaged into submission by Cubs LHP Sean Marshall, who allowed one run and six hits in 6 IP. Marshall threw 59 fastballs during the outing, and only seven hit 90 mph on the radar. Marshall finessed the Cardinals with 23 curveballs, all in the 71-76 mph range. The Cubs threw Ted Lilly and Marshall in the Saturday-Sunday games at Busch, and the Cardinals managed only three runs in 12 IP by those starters. The Cardinals will face three more lefty starters in Philadelphia, including Cole Hamels and Jamie Moyer.  And then it’s onto Pittsburgh; the Pirates always seem to have about 600 LHP lined up to go against the Cardinals. So the fellas had better find a way to solve these lefties.

- Actually, the Cardinals haven’t been too bad against the LH this season, batting .270 with a .353 onbase and .419 slugging, compared to .273 / .346 / .425 vs the RH.

- Mulder, starting in Philly … Wow. Is this baseball’s version of Custer’s Last Stand, or something? Yeah, the Phillies have some notable lefthanded hitters in their lineup, but LH pitchers don’t smother that bunch in Philly’s home yard. The Phillies have a .469 slugging percentage vs. LH at home this season, and only .404 vs. RH at home.

- Manager Tony La Russa has been trying to squeeze a second inning out of rookie reliever Chris Perez in some recent outings, but it ain’t working. Perez has been a one-inning guy in his pro career. In his first inning of work this season, he’s held hitters to a .190 batting average (12 for 63). But when Perez continues on, the hitters have gotten to him for 6 hits in 13 at-bats in his second inning of duty (.462).  

- In his last 4 starts, since the inflamed elbow bidness surfaced, Todd Wellemeyer has an 8.34 ERA, and has allowed 33 rakers to reach base in 18.1 IP. Not good.  

- The Brendan Ryan slump, updated…  3 for his last 33.

That’s all I got for now, and if those of you who don’t like the stats have made it this far, thanks for indulging me…

-B