BradV: Mr. Chatmeister, with the lack of a surplus of good left handed pitching this year out of the bullpen, do you see the team acquiring a big time lefty in the offseason, or will they allow some of our top lefty prospects to battle it out in spring training next year?

Joe Strauss: Flores is arbitration-eligible and Villone is a free agent. I can see a scenario in which the club makes a clean break and scour the free agent market. Jaime Garcia remains a possibility, but the front office may prefer to see him progress as a starter at Memphis. Fair to say, there will be much shuffling in the bullpen this winter given that Isringhausen and Springer also are free agents.

cardsfaninmass78: Dear Chatmeister [insert groveling praise alluding to a cataclysmic ocean disaster here]-

Any word on Wainwright's velocity? It has been an eerily absent item in the otherwise brilliant reports of his rehab outings in your great paper . Apparently his command is improving (for all pitches - even uncle charlie), but that might not much matter if his velocity is down.

Joe Strauss: Waino made a point to lower expectations about his velocity following Tuesday's throw, suggesting he will pitch "like Tom Glavine" when he is activated. That would suggest greater reliance on breaking and off-speed stuff while his velocity gradually increases. The good news is that Wainwright insists he is throwing without having to max out his effort.

roger from lake tahoe: joe, any chance the cards look at al reyes?

Joe Strauss: Tell me why.

Steve: Joe

I have to be honest that until recently I have never been a rider of the tsunami, but now that I’m in Milwaukee I’m riding the wave of JSL!!! I like it here, but I would really rather play for the world’s best baseball fans. What to you think my agent’s going to ask for my next contract at the end of the year?

cc

Joe Strauss: The JSL Tsunami reaches from shore to shore. I'm guessing you'll be seeking a market of $20 million per season, especially if the esteemed voting members of the Baseball Writers of American confer a NL Cy Young Award on you a year after recognizing you in the AL. Watching you stand next to Albert Pujols during the July 21-24 series at Busch, it struck JSL!!! that CC is the Shaq Daddy of Major League Baseball.

redbirdswin: What the heck is in the air at Busch that makes the Cards' bats invisible? That first game against Pittsburgh was PAINFUL to watch.

Looper was fantastic, but saw no reward for his efforts - so does he get rewarded in the offseason by re-upping with the Cards?

Joe Strauss: Interesting stuff. Looper shares an identical ERA with Kyle Lohse as we speak. He has pitched better the last three weeks. He is coming off a three-year, $13.5 million deal signed as a reliever. Yet Cardinal Nation remains fixated on Lohse, whose agent is more likely to shoot for the moon in negotiations. NO talks between the club and Looper's agents has taken place, though one of Loop's representatives is expected in town late this month.