GRAND CENTER — There were only eight games scheduled Monday around the majors, and not one had the look of must-see TV.

Once San Diego Padres righthander Jake Peavy was scratched from his start against the Cardinals, the day lacked a bona fide ace — though Tampa Bay’s James Shields would qualify if he had the Q-rating to match his ERA. Only two of the eight games featured two teams with winnings records pitted against…

TOWER GROVE — A day after watching on television as Cardinals closer Jason Isringhausen riddled the Houston Astros with sinister curveballs for his fourth save of the season — another in a line of what were no-sweat saves — I was in Houston and asked Isringhausen why so many curves?

“I think it was only five,” Isringhausen said. “Not that many. But now if it jinxes me, I know who to blame. If it’s going…

DOWNTOWN — The promotion of Cardinals righthander Mike Parisi to the major leagues inspires a buzz of palace intrigue — Is Anthony Reyes on his way out of the organization by way of Triple-A? Will Joel Pineiro’s back spasms allow him to make his start as scheduled Monday in Colorado? But Parisi’s imminent debut with the Cardinals has a historic ring all its own.

The 2004 Draft Class, finally, has arrived.

The Cardinals much-maligned College…

TOWER GROVE — What with two dugout-clearing donnybrooks this weekend and the ever-agitating Chicago Cubs coming to town this weekend with first place possibly up for grabs, this little island of three games against Cincinnati seemed so quaint, so tranquil.

Then Walt Jocketty used a most curious word.

Vendetta.

“Trust me,” he said at the press conference announcing his hiring as general manager of the Reds. “Me and (manager Dusty Baker) are very motivated. We’re…

TOWER GROVE – The PostCards inbin was overrun with spam and the Cyrillic alphabet – who knew four years of Russian would help me wade through questions for a baseball mailbag? спасибо Большое. One email that had the subject line: “Thanks Houston/We Have Liftoff!”

Thought for sure that was a love letter to Brandon Backe. But no.

It was a religious group’s mass email with a space travel pun. Houston? Liftoff? Getit? Dah. (Just wait until…

SOME AIRPORT — Not since Oliver Perez and the Great Bat Flip has a pitcher irked Albert Pujols in the way Brandon Backe must have before Wednesday night’s game at Minute Maid Park.

As mentioned in the paper and many other places, the simmering feud between Backe and Pujols pre-dates his slide through catcher J.R. Towles on Tuesday. It goes back to the 2004 NLCS and Backe’s grand debut and it spiked a year later when Pujols…

HOUSTON — While neither side apparently had much to say publicly after the game about Albert Pujols’ slide into home plate that upended catcher J. R. Towles in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s game, one person felt the need to address is privately.

Pujols called the Astros’ clubhouse after the game to talk with Towles about the play, the young catcher told a few other reporters and me this evening. Pujols at first declined to…

GRAND CENTER — Even with that strike out of Ryan Ludwick to end the seventh inning, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Wandy Rodriguez is throwing this kind of game at Minute Maid Park. He thrives at the place. Has his whole career, but especially last season.

The Astros went 11-4 in his 15 starts at home last season, and his 2.94 ERA put him in select company. The rankings in the National…

TOWER GROVE — A little more than a year ago, the Cardinals’ starting rotation was stringing together a ludicrously long streak of scoreless innings. The starters’ ERA for the month was less than 1.00, and dropping because of what one righthander was doing to the Minnesota Twins.

Opposite Johan Santana and facing a lineup that included MVP Justin Morneau and batting champ Joe Mauer, this Cardinal pitcher kept throwing up zeros. He held the Twins to…

FORT MYERS, Fla. — After Brad Thompson has had a particularly difficult inning or just returned from a disastrous at-bat, Aaron Miles will eye the righthander from down the bench. Thompson knows he’s watching, waiting … for the fume.

It just hasn’t been there this spring.

“OK, I like it,” Miles tells him. “I like it.”

Thompson admits he’s been known to be a bit hotheaded on the mound or in the dugout. His body…