Jeff Gordon previews tonight's St. Louis Cardinals-Houston Astros game at Minute Maid Park (7:05 p.m., FSM):
THE STAKES: As the losses mount and the Reds pull away, the Cardinals are left with one near-term motivation: Cling to statistical life as long as possible to keep the final weeks of the season interesting.
Actually making the playoffs is a long shot at this point, but the Cards can still salvage a little pride by playing out this season like professionals.
PITCHING FOR THE CARDINALS: Chris Carpenter (14-4, 2.93 ERA): He is trying to bounce back from that sloppy 11-10 loss at Washington. He is 1-1 with a 3.52 ERA against the Astros this season.
Carpenter has done well against key Astros hitters Carlos Lee (.175, 11 strikeouts in 40 at bats), Hunter Pence (2 for 15, six strikeouts in 15 at bats) and Michael Bourn (3 for 15).
PITCHING FOR THE ASTROS: Wandy Rodriguez (10-12, 3.87 ERA): This lefty has been one of the stingiest pitchers in the majors during the last two months. He was 4-1 with a 2.38 ERA in July and he is 1-1 with a 1.62 ERA in August.
But against the Cards this season, he is just 1-2 with a 6.06 ERA. Matt Holliday has enjoyed facing him over his career, going 8 for 26 with a double, a triple, three homers and seven RBIs.
By contrast, Colby Rasmus is 0 for 9 against him. Brendan Ryan (.174), Felipe Lopez (.227), Albert Pujols (.237) and Yadier Molina (.235) have also fared poorly against him.
LINEUP INTRIGUE: The Cards jettisoned rookie infielder/outfielder Allen Craig to Memphis to keep reliever Mike MacDougal in the bullpen, leaving the team short from the right side of the bench. Randy Winn got the right field start against J.A. Happ in Craig's absence and went 1 for 3.
Third baseman Pedro Feliz, a .221 hitter in Houston this season, found himself in the No. 5 slot again for the Cards. He went 0 for 3, but he is still hitting .304 for his new team.
BULLPEN INTRIGUE: Mitchell Boggs relieved Jake Westbrook Monday and pitched a scoreless eighth inning, running his string of scoreless appearances to seven. He has solidified his standing while several other relievers have run into serious trouble.
Jason Motte is back from the disabled list (shoulder strain) and fresh off a rehab stint in the minors.
DOWN ON THE FARM: At least the Memphis Redbirds are in another playoff chase, giving the Cards prospects a chance to play in some more meaningful games.
Starting pitcher Lance Lynn (13-9, 4.64 ERA) stepped up Monday with a 3-1 victory over New Orleans. He stuck out 11 batters in six innings, moving into the Pacific Coast League lead in strikeouts. He also tied the immortal Larry Luebbers for the franchise record for victories in a season.
Lynn is 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA in six August starts. Over the long haul, the former University of Mississippi star is 24-13 during his two full minor league seasons.
This finish should move him up to the front burner for the Cards heading into the 2011 spring training. Lynn is a back-of-the-rotation innings eater, but the big league club currently has an opening for such a hurler.
