Cardinals lineup vs RHP Bronson Arroyo:
1. Schumaker 2B
2. DeRosa 3B
3. Pujols 1B
4. Holliday LF
5. Rasmus CF
6. Ludwick RF
7. LaRue C
8. Ryan SS
9. Smoltz P

Reds lineup:
1. Stubbs CF
2. Janish SS
3. Votto 1B
4. Phillips 2B
5. Rolen 3B
6. Bruce RF
7. Nix LF
8. Hanigan C
9. Arroyo P

Matthew Leach
MLB.com

Blog: Obviously, You're Not a Golfer
Twitter: @MatthewHLeach

Greetings from Cincinnati, where the long road trip is almost over. Most of the newsy stuff, I covered over at the main site, so head over there for updates on Troy Glaus (here, available), Brendan Ryan (could play Wednesday) and Yadier Molina (could play before the series is out).

* The St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame announced its first class of inductees on Tuesday, and unsurprisingly there are a few Cardinals. Stan Musial, Jack Buck, Whitey Herzog, Red Schoendienst, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson and Ozzie Smith are all in the first class, and Musial was the only unanimous selection from any sport. An "old-timers class" will also include Rogers Hornsby, Frankie Frisch and Joe Medwick. The hall also announced that its inaugural "Sports Performer of the Year" award will go to Albert Pujols for his 2008 MVP campaign.

* TLR said on Tuesday afternoon that he doesn't intend to back off his starting pitchers at all over the final few days. He feels they're all in good shape and in most cases they've been able to get an extra day here and there. He also revealed what was not a secret at all, that Pineiro will in fact go in Game 3. The only question is Game 4, with Carpenter and Wainwright already lined up for 1-2.

* Had a couple of firsts on Tuesday night: David Freese's first big-league homer (and it was smoked) and Matt Pagnozzi's first big league game. By the way, if you want to follow Pagnozzi on Twitter, he's at @MattPagnozzi. Other tweeting Cardinals include @BlakeHawksworth and @Todalion, though the latter (Todd Wellemeyer) doesn't appear to tweet anymore.

To honor the club's time on the road (I was fortunate enough to go home for 20 hours, which was nice), here's an on-the-road playlist...

Willie Nelson, "On the Road Again"
Black Crowes, "Wiser Time"
Bruce Springsteen, "Thunder Road"
U2, "Where the Streets Have No Name"
Metallica, "Wherever I May Roam"

-M.

The Cardinals are currently holding a playoffs-related meeting, so the clubhouse remains closed for a little while longer. In the meantime, here are the lineups:

Cardinals vs RHP Homer Bailey:
1. Schumaker 2B
2. Lugo SS
3. Pujols 1B
4. Holliday LF
5. Rasmus CF
6. Ludwick RF
7. DeRosa 3B
8. LaRue C
9. Pineiro P

Reds lineup:
1. Taveras CF
2. Janish SS
3. Votto 1B
4. Phillips 2B
5. Rolen 3B
6. Bruce RF
7. Balentien LF
8. Hernandez C
9. Bailey P

-M.

Matthew Leach
MLB.com

Blog: Obviously, You're Not a Golfer
Twitter: @MatthewHLeach

Brendan Ryan took a pitch off of his right index finger on a bunt attempt on Sunday, but there's every reason to think he'll be able to play on Tuesday night in Cincinnati.

The pitch from Jorge De La Rosa caught Ryan on the fingernail, and he had visible bruising at the spot of the impact. But he expressed little worry about the situation. Ryan has missed time recently due to discomfort in his left pinkie finger, but this appears to be a less serious situation.

"It just got me on the fingertip," Ryan said. "I didn't even have a choice. I was out before I even said anything."

Said manager Tony La Russa: "I think he'll be all right for Tuesday."

Matthew Leach
MLB.com

Blog: Obviously, You're Not a Golfer
Twitter: @MatthewHLeach

Odd looking lineup today against LHP Jorge De La Rosa. Explanations below:

1. Lugo, 2B
2. Ryan, SS
3. Pujols, 1B
4. Ludwick, LF
5. DeRosa, RF
6. Freese, 3B
7. LaRue, C
8. T.Greene, CF
9. Lohse, P

* Matt Holliday is sick and not in the lineup. A few guys have been dealing with illness in the clubhouse for a good while now, and it seems to have hit Holliday. He was in the clubhouse this morning, so it's not so severe that he stayed back at the hotel or anything. But TLR said last night that he was getting weaker as the game went on, and Holliday is not in today.

* Yadier Molina is still sore after taking a ball off his left knee last night. Tuesday is a possibility for Molina's return, but far from a certainty. That's obviously why LaRue is starting.

* De La Rosa has a huge left/right split, which explains a couple of the moves -- Lugo, for example. As for the outfield, this was the explanation. If Holliday had been well enough to play, he would have started in the outfield with DeRosa, and Ludwick in center. With Holliday a no-go, they needed another right-hander to play in the outfield, so they went with Greene. TLR said he simply didn't like the idea of starting either of the LHH center fielders against De La Rosa.

-M.

Matthew Leach
MLB.com

Blog: Obviously, You're Not a Golfer
Twitter: @MatthewHLeach

Greetings from Denver. This is a truly wonderful city, and it's an absolutely gorgeous night. 64 degrees at first pitch, a few clouds... fantastic.

* Brendan Ryan is back in the lineup, and said that his sore left pinkie finger is in fact feeling better. He said it was explained to him that the club liked the idea of giving him two days off plus Thursday off day in order to recover.

* Colby Rasmus bats in the fifth spot tonight. TLR didn't give up a lot about the reasoning behind the decision, except to note that COL has a lot of RH relievers right now and this may make it a little more challenging to pitch the middle of the order.

* The skipper said he doesn't plan to begin resting Yadier Molina a lot more once the Cardinals clinch. He noted, instead, that he's already begun easing off Molina a little bit, giving him to recent days off. 2-out-of-3 looks like a pretty reasonable ratio to expect over the final three series, maybe a touch more, probably not less.

* A stat from STATS Inc that I received in my inbox today: "No team has scored first more often than the St. Louis Cardinals. They have scored the first run in an MLB-leading 90 games in 2009. Their opponents have paid for giving up the first run of the game, as the Cardinals are 69-21 when scoring first. Their .767 winning percentage in those games ranks second only to the .787 winning percentage of the Colorado Rockies, who are 59-16 when getting the first run."

Today's playlist:
Pearl Jam, "Unthought Known"
U2, "Until the End of the World"
Dramarama, "Until the Next Time"
Cure, "Untitled"
Garbage, "Untouchable"

(My iPod ended up on the U's today. Started playing. Good songs kept coming up. Didn't mess with it.)

-M.

Matthew Leach
MLB.com

Blog: Obviously, You're Not a Golfer
Twitter: @MatthewHLeach

One topic that always generates lots of questions at this time of year is postseason roster eligibility. So I asked assistant general manager John Abbamondi this week, and he gave me a rundown. Here's how it works.

* The pool for eligible players is as follows: the 25 players on a team's active roster on Aug. 31, and any players on the disabled list that day (the bereavement list is also covered, but in the Cardinals' case and most cases it's just the active roster and the DL).

For the Cardinals' that's 28 players: the 25 who were on the active roster that day, plus Troy Glaus, Todd Wellemeyer and Kyle Lohse. That happens to be everyone who was on the roster before today's callups from Triple-A.

One catch: those players must remain on the roster or DL continuously from Aug. 31 through the end of the regular season. That's rarely an issue, though. Hard to think of a scenario when that qualification would eliminate someone. But it's there.

* The only way that changes is if one of those players from the pool is physically unable to play in a postseason round. If that's the case, that player may be replaced with any player who was in the organization on Aug. 31.

* The old pitcher-player breakdown rule simply doesn't exist anymore. In past years, the pitcher-player ratio that you had on Aug. 31 had to be the same as you had in October. That no longer applies.

Hope this helps clarify some things.
-M.

Matthew Leach
MLB.com

Blog: Obviously, You're Not a Golfer
Twitter: @MatthewHLeach

Greetings from what could be clinch night at Minute Maid Park.

* Brendan Ryan was out again tonight. He's still dealing with stiffness and soreness in the pinkie finger on his left hand, a result of a slide about a week ago. Ryan feels he's playable, but TLR sees no reason to push him.

* Four callups arrived today: David Freese, Tyler Greene, Josh Kinney and Matt Pagnozzi. Don't expect any of them to see a great deal of playing time. TLR made it very clear that priority one, once the Cardinals clinch, is to get ready for the playoffs. So the callups' primary purpose will be to aid in that. The problem is that with two off days between now and next Sunday, there's not an overwhelming need to give rests to the regulars. So they'll get an at-bat/inning here and there, but the opportunities will be limited.

As for the guys who didn't get called up, TLR pointed to both 40-man roster considerations (neither Allen Craig nor Royce Ring is on the 40) as well as opportunity. He just didn't think either guy would get enough work to justify bringing them in.

Personally, I'd have liked to see them make an opportunity for Craig, who ideally will have a role on the 2010 team. But I don't make the decisions. Obviously.

* A day after he was removed as a precaution due to a "jammed" wrist, Albert Pujols was back in the lineup as expected.

* If the Cardinals somehow clinch the division tomorrow night, which is possible, the club has no special plans. If both St. Louis and Chicago win tonight, or if they both lose, the magic number will be one. The Cubs play tomorrow night in San Francisco, so in a case like that, a Cubs loss against the Giants would salt away the division.

However, TLR and a couple of players said there are no plans for a group outing or anything like that if the number is one.

"We're going to take a day off," the manager said, "and not worry about it. ... It happened to us [in Oakland] in '92. We clinched during an off day. it's not worth messing with guys' plans. It's better at the ballpark. We'd do it after the game Friday."

Today's playlist:
Electronic, "Idiot Country"
Radiohead, "My Iron Lung"
Aimee Mann, "You Could Make a Killing"
Buffalo Tom, "Rules"
Everclear, "The Twistinside"

-M.

Cardinals lineup vs RHP Bud Norris:
1. Schumaker 2B
2. Rasmus CF
3. Pujols 1B
4. Holliday LF
5. Ludwick RF
6. DeRosa 3B
7. Molina C
8. Lugo SS
9. Smoltz P

Astros lineup:
1. Bourn CF
2. Tejada SS
3. Berkman 1B
4. Lee LF
5. Blum 3B
6. Pence RF
7. Matsui 2B
8. Towles C
9. Norris P

Matthew Leach
MLB.com

Blog: Obviously, You're Not a Golfer
Twitter: @MatthewHLeach

When you wait till the end of the night, it means even more tidbitty goodness. If you're reading this in the morning, well, I hope in the words of Walter Sobchak, you're "enjoying your coffee."

* Albert Pujols "jammed" his wrist on a tag play in the seventh inning on Tuesday night, which is why he was removed from the game. However, TLR and Pujols both played it down, and Pujols was in fine spirits in the clubhouse after the game.

TLR said "he's good to go." It will be surprising if Pujols is not in the lineup on Wednesday.

* Yadier Molina took a pitch off his right index finger while he was catching in the first, but obviously he stayed in the game and was fine.

* The rotation for this weekend in Colorado will be as follows: Carpenter on Friday, Wainwright on Saturday, Lohse on Sunday. That was pretty well figured, but TLR didn't confirm it until today. Pineiro said that he will go on Tuesday in the series opener in Cincinnati.

* The optimism level regarding Troy Glaus seems to be very low. John Mozeliak acknowledged this afternoon that Glaus' injury is not typically a quick-healing kind of deal, and said the club expects to have a better read this weekend on whether Glaus will play again this season.

* TLR was cagey as to why Brendan Ryan didn't start tonight, basically saying Ryan needed a day and this was the right day. He seemed to indicate that he preferred Lugo offensively against Yorman Bazardo, but honestly he just didn't give much up -- despite several questions. "Manager's decision," as Jimy Williams was so fond of saying.

Even so, PLEASE don't go all conspiracy-theory on this one. I expect to see Ryan back in there tomorrow.

* The skipper also said that after a couple of missed executions by Ryan Ludwick in recent days, he wanted to give Ludwick a mental break -- and that that mental break might even last through Wednesday.

* I was supposed to participate in this, but, well, I'll be honest -- I flaked. So I at least want to pass a link along to the most recent project by the United Cardinal Bloggers. It's their Top 7 Prospects project. These folks all do some cool stuff, so give it a look.

* If you want to read about news from earlier in the day/night, please do. My Wagner Mateo story can be found here, and the call-ups can be found here.

And, finally, a playlist:

"After Midnight," Eric Clapton
"In the Midnight Hour," Wilson Pickett
"Living After Midnight," The Donnas (yes, I prefer their cover)
"Midnight Rambler," Rolling Stones
"Prove It All Night," Bruce Springsteen

-M.

The Cardinals just confirmed that they will have four call-ups from Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday. Pitcher Josh Kinney and infielders Tyler Greene and David Freese will be recalled from Memphis, while catcher Matt Pagnozzi will have his contract purchased from Memphis.

-M.

Here are today's lineups as I chase down more information on the Wagner Mateo situation.

Cardinals vs RHP Yorman Bazardo:
1. Schumaker 2B
2. Rasmus CF
3. Pujols 1B
4. Holliday LF
5. Ankiel RF
6. DeRosa 3B
7. Molina C
8. Lugo SS
9. Pineiro P

Astros lineup:
1. Bourn CF
2. Tejada SS
3. Berkman 1B
4. Lee LF
5. Blum 3B
6. Pence RF
7. Keppinger 2B
8. Towles C
9. Bazardo P

-M.

Matthew Leach
MLB.com

Blog: Obviously, You're Not a Golfer
Twitter: @MatthewHLeach

It's definitely still summer down here in Houston. Warm and muggy today, and the roof is closed at Minute Maid Park.

* Skip Schumaker started in center field against LHP Wandy Rodriguez, with Brendan Ryan and Julio Lugo as the double-play combination. That's because Rick Ankiel and Colby Rasmus were a combined 0-for-16 against Rodriguez, while Schumaker entered the night with three hits off of him.

* Troy Glaus is not on the trip as he continues to try to return from a strained left oblique.

* TLR had this to say regarding the firing of Cecil Cooper: "Look at the games we've played. He's always had his club ready to play us tough. ... There wasn't anything he did in the games against us that made me think he wasn't on top of it."

* Joel Pineiro said that in his last start, he was striding too far in the first inning, and he corrected it, leading to his success in the rest of the game.

No playlist tonight, this thing is already too late getting posted.

-M.

Lineup vs LHP Wandy Rodriguez:
1. Lugo 2B
2. Ryan SS
3. Pujols 1B
4. Holliday LF
5. Ludwick RF
6. DeRosa 3B
7. LaRue C
8. Schumaker CF
9. Lohse P

Astros lineup:
1. Bourn CF
2. Tejada SS
3. Berkman 1B
4. Lee LF
5. Blum 3B
6. Pence RF
7. Matsui 2B
8. Quintero C
9. Rodriguez P

-M.

Matthew Leach
MLB.com

Blog: Obviously, You're Not a Golfer
Twitter: @MatthewHLeach

Overcast but pleasant night at Busch Stadium tonight, and it should be a fun ballgame. Your faithful correspondent is wearing a garnet golf shirt tonight, and if you think that's a coincidence, you don't know me very well. Very, very nice win for the Seminoles last night.

But you're here for baseball, so let's get on with it. Not a very newsy afternoon, but there are a few things to pass on:

* Ryan Franklin is potentially available tonight, but they'd prefer not to use him.

TLR's comment: "I think probably he should be [out], but he only threw eight or 10 pitches yesterday. I think there's a chance, depending on how he warms up, that if it was absolutely necessary and perfect [then he could pitch]. Probably, with two days' work, he should not pitch. But he really had a short outing."

* Kyle McClellan sounds like he's a touch less available than Franklin. He pitched two full (and difficult) innings on Friday, and TLR said at the time that he preferred to give McClellan two days after that.

"I just think we have other guys," the skipper said when asked about McClellan. "Boggs, Motte, Hawksworth, they all need to pitch and it would be great to give McClellan two days. Now, again, winning this game is important. And if everything lines up and McClellan is the guy who should pitch, or Franklin [then they could pitch]."

* Mark DeRosa was bumped up to the No. 2 spot in the batting order. TLR said it was not to get DeRosa going, but rather to split up the left-handed hitters in the order. Still, it's standard operating procedure for La Russa to move a slumping hitter UP in the lineup, rather than down -- especially into the spot in front of Pujols.

* Troy Glaus remains unavailable and the optimism level sounds low. However, the plan is for Glaus to come on the upcoming road trip.

"I haven't gotten any clearances that he's available," TLR said. "Running out of time."

He added, in response to a later question about Glaus, "He hasn't been shut down yet."

And if you've seen or read "High Fidelity," then you know what to make of that "yet." It sounds like it's going to be tough for Glaus to get into a game this year.

Today's playlist is all Pearl Jam in honor of their new album, which was released today.

"State of Love and Trust"
"Rearviewmirror" (possibly the greatest driving song ever, by anyone)
"Present Tense"
"Given to Fly" (my single favorite PJ song)
"Save You"

-M.

Matthew Leach
MLB.com

Blog: Obviously You're Not a Golfer
Twitter: @MatthewHLeach

Evidently there are no hard feelings. Perhaps that's the power of baseball.

St. Louis native and Cardinals fan Jack Dorsey visited Busch Stadium on Friday night as a local-boy-made-good. Dorsey is one of the co-founders of Twitter -- and that means that for a while, he was not a favorite person of manager Tony La Russa.

The skipper sued Twitter earlier this year over a fake La Russa page that appeared on the site. However, the matter has since been resolved, and La Russa and Dorsey -- who tweets under the name @jack -- shared a handshake and brief conversation on the field.

Dorsey, who had several friends and family members in attendance with him, admitted to being nervous both about throwing out a first pitch and meeting La Russa -- and wasn't sure which was the greater concern.

"If [La Russa] comes out of the meeting with a bad feeling," Dorsey said, it would make him even more nervous about the pitch.

But nothing of the sort happened -- and in fact Dorsey did a decent job with his pitch. It sailed a bit wide, but didn't hit the ground or the backstop.

Soon after meeting La Russa, he tweeted:

"Tony La Russa just told me not to throw it into the dirt. And said he's going to take me out to dinner in the bay area. Holding him to it."

La Russa said earlier in the afternoon that he would be pleased to meet Dorsey.

"Recently, well after we settled it, some of their people visited ARF and were really impressed with it," La Russa said, referring to his Animal Rescue Foundation in the Bay Area. "I don't think he was one of the ones who made the visit, but yeah, I'm looking forward to meeting him."

It was a busy day for Dorsey, who spoke at Webster University and gave numerous interviews before coming to the ballpark.

Matthew Leach
MLB.com

Blog: Obviously, You're Not a Golfer
Twitter: @MatthewHLeach

It's a very busy night for tidbits, so fortunately I have some new music as I write. The new Pearl Jam album is streaming online now, and you can go check it out yourself. On top of that, I picked up the new Living Colour album this afternoon.

Anyway, on with, you know, the baseball...

* Kyle Lohse threw a bullpen session today and is expected to pitch sometime in the Houston series. It would almost certainly be Monday or Tuesday. If they wait until Wednesday, someone else would need to be slotted in to take the Tuesday start, since a fifth starter will be required them.

* ESPN.com reported today that Wagner Mateo "is having vision problems that may affect his contract status" with the Cardinals. I spoke with John Mozeliak today, and while he didn't go into much detail regarding Mateo, he acknowledged that there is a medical concern with Mateo.

"There are some things medically that we're looking at," Mozeliak said. "We're hopeful that in the next few weeks we can have everything settled."

* Brendan Ryan was back in the lineup today after missing some time due to a finger injury.

"He's playable," TLR said. "I don't know if he's got a little soreness left, probably, but a lot of guys have soreness here in September. So he's playable."

* Twitter founder Jack Dorsey (aka @jack) visited the park today and threw out a ceremonial first pitch. I'll have a little more on this shortly.

* Troy Glaus' status remains uncertain as he attempts to recuperate from a strained left oblique. TLR had this to say regarding Glaus:

"I think there's a big question mark next to him. But there's definitely not an X next to him."

He also said that it's possible that Glaus' situation might increase the chances of a David Freese promotion. Last week, TLR downplayed the likelihood of Freese being called up.

* Albert Pujols and Ryan Ludwick were both back in the lineup after being hit by pitches in the ninth inning on Sunday.

* TLR re-affirmed today that he expects to go with 14 hitters and 11 pitchers on the postseason roster.

Today's playlist is in honor of the new Living Colour album. And it's... some old Living Colour.

"Middle Man"
"Time's Up"
"Elvis is Dead"
"Auslander"
"Sacred Ground"

-M.

1. The earliest that the Cardinals can possibly clinch the division is Monday, Sept. 21, in Houston. The magic number is 8. On what day will they actually clinch?

2. Cy Young: Lincecum, Wainwright, Carpenter, other... Who ya got?

3. What is your biggest worry regarding the Cardinals as October approaches?

4. What National League team would provide the toughest test for the Cardinals in a playoff series?

5. What new or returning TV series are you most excited about? (The Office returns tonight! Woo!)

6. Fall starts this week. What's the best thing about fall?

7. What's the best novel you've read recently?

-M.

Cardinals lineup vs LHP Sean West:
1. Lugo 2B
2. Ryan SS
3. Pujols 1B
4. Holliday LF
5. Ludwick RF
6. DeRosa 3B
7. Molina C
8. Ankiel CF
9. Wainwright P

Marlins lineup:
1. Coghlan LF
2. Johnson 1B
3. Ramirez SS
4. Cantu 3B
5. Uggla 2B
6. Ross RF
7. Paulino C
8. Maybin CF
9. West P

Greetings on a beautiful Monday night. It's been an amazing summer, and that's continuing into late summer.

* Kyle Lohse's start this weekend, which was tentatively expected to be Friday, appears to be in some doubt. He's once again feeling some discomfort in his right forearm. An exact plan has not been determined yet, but it seems likely that Lohse will miss the Cubs series.

However, the flipside of that is that John Smoltz is progressing very well from his shoulder tendinitis and could be ready before his originally scheduled start on Sunday. So it's looking likely that Smoltz will be bumped up a day or two, with Carpenter and Wainwright getting the other two starts over the weekend.

* Troy Glaus suffered an injury to an oblique muscle over the weekend -- TLR didn't specify which one, and we weren't able to talk to Glaus after we were informed -- and is unavailable tonight.

* Jason LaRue got the start behind the plate in Yadier Molina's place. It's partly because TLR was looking for a day to give Molina a break and partly because the LaRue-Wellemeyer combination has worked before.

* Brendan Ryan likewise got a night off, but it's just a night off. TLR didn't explicitly say so, but I'd guess that part of the reason is that if you're going to play Lugo at SS behind anybody, it should be Wellemeyer. He's not a groundball guy at all.

Tonight's playlist is one I've had in the back pocket for a few days, following an outdoor screening last week of The Big Lebowski:
Bob Dylan, "The Man in Me"
Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, "Just Dropped In"
Gipsy Kings, "Hotel California"
CCR, "Lookin' Out My Back Door"
Townes Van Zandt, "Dead Flowers"

-M.

Cardinals right-hander John Smoltz has been scratched from his scheduled Monday start due to tendinitis in his right shoulder. He expects to take his next turn, on Sunday, Sept. 20 at home against the Cubs. Todd Wellemeyer will pitch in Smoltz's place on Monday.

Smoltz downplayed the issue, but was still appreciative of the chance to get the needed rest. He received a shot of anti-inflammatory medicine to ease the pain he was feeling, and will not throw a bullpen session between now and when he makes his next start.

"At this point, the easy thing to do is give me rest and I'll be ready," Smoltz said. "I'll be fine. I've pitched through all kinds of tendinitis before. But at this point, it gives me a nice opportunity to give me five days off and feel good about my next start. ... Certainly, like I've said many times before, if it was a playoff start, I'm sure I could have cranked it up. Any tendinitis, once you get heated, you're fine."

Manager Tony La Russa didn't hesitate to give Smoltz the break.

"He's got a little tendinitis in his shoulder, so we'll get him some treatment," manager Tony La Russa said. "He said he's had it before. We'll slip Wellemeyer in on Monday and plan on John for next weekend."

The Cardinals had several potential candidates for the spot, including Mitchell Boggs and Brad Thompson. Boggs acquitted himself well in recent starts but will remain in the bullpen. Wellemeyer scuffled in an earlier start against Florida this year, but La Russa pointed to two very good starts for the right-hander against the Marlins in 2008.

"Boggs was considered," La Russa said. "I think Todd was the better choice. He pitched well against them last year. It's a good assignment for him."

Smoltz has been a revelation since signing with the Cardinals as a free agent three weeks ago. He's 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA in four starts and has struck out 28 against one walk. But for one start it will be Wellemeyer, who has struggled this year but said he was encouraged following a bullpen session on Friday night.

"I feel like I'm actually behind the ball for the first time," Wellemeyer said. "It actually has something on it. So that's good. Unfortunately, it's taken me until September to figure this out."

Matthew Leach
MLB.com

Blog: Obviously, You're Not a Golfer
Twitter: @MatthewHLeach

It's time for some tidbits as I prepare to head home from Milwaukee. This is the best kind of road trip: one that only involves two nights away from home. Will be nice to have the off day before settling in for a nine-game homestand, starting on Friday.

Hopefully I'll have a Lucky Seven for you tomorrow, plus I'll be filing an off-day story that will go up on the site during the day. And for any Achievers in St. Louis, don't forget that tomorrow night, they'll be screening The Big Lebowski outdoors at Third Degree Glass Factory.

Anyway, on with the tidbits:

* Matt Holliday played down his bruised knee after Wednesday's game. Still, it can only help that the Cardinals are off on Thursday. See my story on it, with video, at this link.

* Colby Rasmus said he wasn't really feeling much better on Wednesday than on Tuesday, but he was back in the lineup.

"It don't seem like nothing that serious to me," he said. "I've played through worse."

* TLR also said that Ryan Ludwick had a bit of an issue on Tuesday night, dealing with some cramping in his legs. But he said Ludwick checked out fine upon arriving on Wednesday, so there was no hesitation to play him.

* Couldn't fit this in anywhere on Tuesday night, but John Smoltz said something interesting after the game that night.

"I've been told I'm going to start the rest of the year," he said.

This isn't exactly earth-shattering, as most of you could probably have figured it out. But TLR has yet to commit so firmly to it, so it was fairly noteworthy.

* During the scribes' morning chat with the skipper today, we got some more idea of what the callups will look like, once they take place. It sounds like David Freese will not be coming up, as the Cardinals are having a hard enough time getting the guys they have into games at third base. On the other hand, Tyler Greene sounds like he probably will be getting a call.

Beyond that, of course, they expect to call up a third catcher (presumably Matt Pagnozzi) and a left-handed reliever (presumably Royce Ring).

* One more thing off of Tuesday night's game: speaking of the play where he was visibly annoyed at Brendan Ryan's baserunning, TLR let Ryan off the hook. He said that at first, he had thought Ryan had gone without the sign from the dugout. But instead, he explained that what happened was a miscommunication between himself and Dave McKay, and Ryan was doing what McKay had indicated he should do.

Today's playlist comes straight from my iPod. The following sequence came up on shuffle, in this exact order. It was a fun drive to the park this morning.

Mike Doughty, "Sunken-Eyed Girl"
Nine Inch Nails, "1,000,000"
Public Enemy, "Welcome to the Terrordome"
Madonna, "Borderline"
White Rabbits, "Leave It at the Door"

And now, I'm off to catch my flight home.

-M.

Cardinals lineup vs. RHP Jeff Suppan:
1. Schumaker 2B
2. Rasmus CF
3. Pujols 1B
4. Holliday LF
5. Ludwick RF
6. DeRosa 3B
7. Molina C
8. Ryan SS
9. Wainwright P

Brewers lineup:
1. Lopez 2B
2. Counsell 3B
3. Braun LF
4. Fielder 1B
5. Hart RF
6. Gerut CF
7. Kendall C
8. Escobar SS
9. Suppan P

-M.

Matthew Leach
MLB.com

Blog: Obviously, You're Not a Golfer
Twitter: MatthewHLeach

Hello on another really nice evening in Milwaukee -- though I have to say, I'm not thrilled about the ever-decreasing daylight. Had a very nice run by the lake, two different Alterra stops at two different Alterra cafes, and then a very tasty lunch with the esteemed Joe Posnanski at Sobelman's before heading to the park.

Anyway, on with the tidbits, of which there are many.

* Mark DeRosa was back in the lineup today after missing three games due to back discomfort he first felt in Milwaukee. Also, John Mozeliak said this afternoon that the club has in fact had some very preliminary discussions with DeRosa's representation about keeping him beyond this year -- though he emphasized not to over-sell those discussions.

"In this specific case," Mozeliak said, "we do have some dialogue but I want to leave it at that."

* Also from this afternoon's conversation with the GM: Mozeliak said that the club does not currently plan to pursue a long-term deal with Ryan Ludwick this winter. Ludwick is under the team's control for the next two seasons, so they don't need to lock him up. They can instead go through the arbitration process, as they did last winter.

* One last thing from that session: Mozeliak said that it's likely the Cardinals will carry 14 position players and 11 pitchers on their playoff roster.

* Colby Rasmus sat out a second straight game tonight and is likely to be out again tomorrow. He's dealing with continuing soreness in his left heel, and in fact it has spread a bit. Previously, Rasmus was only feeling pain in the bottom of his foot. But he said Tuesday that he's now feeling something a little higher, "under [his] Achilles'" tendon.

Still, it doesn't sound like this is anything too severe. The expectation seems to be that he'll play Friday, after tomorrow's day game and the off day on Thursday. It's still being called a "day-to-day" situation.

* Ryan Franklin is unavailable again today, and likely tomorrow as well. But TLR emphasized that it's just rest, not an injury issue.

* Mitchell Boggs is listed as an available reliever, starting today. Kyle Lohse is available to pitch out of the pen tonight, but after this game he will not be out there anymore.

* The rotation for the weekend will be Joel Pineiro on Friday, Lohse on Saturday and Carpenter on Sunday, with Carpenter getting an extra day of rest due to the off day. The question will be Monday, where they can either keep Adam Wainwright on his fifth day or go with Smoltz on five days' rest followed by Wainwright on five days' rest on Tuesday.

The latter is much more likely. TLR has indicated that they're probably going to give the starters the extra day as much as possible down the stretch.

* After a couple of days of back and forth, it now is pretty much settled: the Cardinals will not call up any players from Triple-A Memphis until that team has been eliminated from the playoffs. Memphis begins a best-of-five series against Albuquerque on Wednesday, with Jaime Garcia starting. The series continues on Thursday in Albuquerque, followed by games Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Memphis. Obviously the last two games are on an if-necessary basis.

Tonight's playlist:
Muse, "Undisclosed Desires"
U2, "Zooropa"
The Shamen, "Move Any Mountain"
The Postal Service, "Nothing Better"
Soul Coughing, "Lazybones"

-M.

Cardinals lineup vs LHP Manny Parra:
1. Lugo 2B
2. Ryan SS
3. Pujols 1B
4. Holliday LF
5. Ludwick RF
6. DeRosa 3B
7. Molina C
8. Ankiel CF
9. Smoltz P

Brewers lineup
1. Patterson CF
2. Counsell 2B
3. Braun LF
4. Fielder 1B
5. McGehee 3B
6. Gerut RF
7. Hardy SS
8. Kendall C
9. Parra P

-M.

Hello on an absolutely spectacular day in Milwaukee -- as nice as I've ever seen in eight years of coming here.

* Ryan Franklin acknowledged that his command hasn't been as sharp lately as he'd like, but he's not overly concerned just yet. Still, he's going to get a couple of days off, and maybe the entire series.

* Mark DeRosa is likewise minimizing his back soreness. He said today that he's getting better, and that "if the situation was different, I would be playing." He took BP and infield today and should be in there any day now.

* Kyle Lohse will be available in the bullpen today and perhaps tomorrow, and then will start on Saturday. Mitchell Boggs will be bumped to the bullpen. It sounds as though John Smoltz will be staying in the rotation for the foreseeable future as well.

Today's playlist:
Weezer, "I Want You To"
Romeo Void, "A Girl in Trouble"
Hockey, "Too Fake"
Depeche Mode, "Everything Counts"
Happy Mondays, "Step On"

-M.

Lineup vs RHP Dave Bush:

1. Schumaker 2B
2. Ankiel CF
3. Pujols 1B
4. Holliday LF
5. Ludwick RF
6. Glaus 3B
7. Molina C
8. Ryan SS
9. Carpenter P

-M.

Trying to get Lucky Seven back into regular rotation. Slowly, surely building.

1. Who will finish with the best record in the National League?

2. How SHOULD John Smoltz be used in the postseason? How WILL he be used?

3. What one player not currently on the roster do you most hope gets a callup?

4. Which Cardinals will win major postseason awards? (MVP, Cy Young, Rookie, Manager)

5. Who wins the college football national title this year?

6. Who will win the men's US Open? Women?

7. What's your favorite seasonal coffee beverage? Mrs. Dude is big on the Pumpkin Spice, which debuted this week and is why I ask. I love the Peppermint Mocha. If you have a favorite that doesn't come from the Empire, that's great, would love to hear it.

-M.

Warning/reminder/etc to all: When I started this blog more than four years ago, I had something of a mission statement. I said then that my intent was to talk all things, including baseball. Largely baseball, but plenty of travel, music, college football, and other topics.

Over the past year or so, that's changed a bit. It's become much more baseball-based, which is fine. The job of covering a team is changing, and blogging is now a core part of it, rather than an ancillary addition.

With that said, I don't want the other aspects of this blog to die. And one thing I've done every year is a weekly college football top-10. So, it's back. If you don't like it, I'm sorry. Read below, where there's a new tidbits post. Check back later this afternoon, when I'll have a new Lucky Seven up. And, well, just skip the rest of this. There's no shortage of baseball on this blog or on StLCardinals.com, or on my Twitter feed (@MatthewHLeach)

So, on we go...

1. Florida. Just a terrifying team. Even without Tebow, they might be No. 1 just based on the strength of their defense. Hard for me to see them even getting much of a fight for most of the regular season.

2. Texas. I'm still with the pollsters here. Deep, talented, great QB, what's not to like? Perhaps some issues on the D-line but I believe they'll get it sorted out.

3. USC. Confident they'll reload on defense. Still, I think they could get a legitimate fight from Cal in the Pac-10. (Not as sold on Oregon as a lot of people are)

4. Alabama. Development of some serious young studs at the offensive skill positions should make up for the loss of a lot of starters. And that defense will be seriously stout.

5. Ohio State. Are you a Terrelle Pryor believer? I am.

6. Oklahoma. I am less sold on them than a lot of people seem to be. Very real concerns on offensive line, and if Gresham is out for a while, that's a problem. Still very good of course.

7. LSU. So. Much. Talent. In search of a QB. If they find one, they'll be a terror.

8. Oklahoma State. We'll find out very quickly what they have. If they can't stop Georgia's offense, then their defense likely isn't good enough to contend at the level they're hoping.

9. VaTech. Same as it ever was. Defense, defense, defense.

10. Cal. My favorite sleeper this year.

Right on the doorstep: Georgia, Penn State, Mississippi.

Other teams to watch: Illinois, Georgia Tech, Pitt, Kansas

Game of the week: Rather than the obvious, VaTech-Alabama, I'm going to go with an earlier game: OkState and Georgia. I'm very high on Georgia this year. I think they're getting sold short with what could be a very good team. If they go into Stillwater and win, they're clearly a top-10 team right away, and after that, the schedule is quite favorable as SEC schedules go.

Other interesting games: NC State-South Carolina (is NCSU any kind of contender?), Mizzou-Illinois (I like the Illini quite a bit in this one), Boise State-Oregon (picking Boise here).

And the weekly FSU thought: I like their chances early in the season against a UM team with two new coordinators. It takes a while to put in a whole new offense, and UM will really miss Eric Moncur. I've got the Noles in a close one, and an unusually high-scoring one, something like 30-24.

-M.

Not a lot of tidbits today as the club prepares to head out on a weeklong road trip.

* Todd Wellemeyer was activated from the disabled list, bringing the active roster up to 27 players. Kyle Lohse should be activated on Sunday, the first day he is eligible. Story from B.J. Rains is live on the site at this link.

* Brad Thompson's suspension has been reduced to two games, and he began serving it on Thursday. That still isn't sitting very well with him or the club, but that's what they've got.

* TLR said today that he does not expect any more callups until Memphis' season is over. There had been some thought that a third catcher or a LH reliever might come up before the Triple-A team finishes up, but it sounds as though that won't be the case.

Today's playlist:
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, "Around the Bend"
Teddybears, "Cobrastyle"
Garbage, "When I Grow Up"
Crystal Method, "Dirty Thirty"
Bad Lieutenant, "Sink Or Swim"

-M.

Matthew Leach
MLB.com

Blog: Obviously, You're Not a Golfer
Twitter: MatthewHLeach

Lots and lots of tidbits tonight, which also meant plenty of stories for the main site, which is why the tidbits are so late tonight. But here they are on a spectacular, darn-near-perfect night at Busch Stadium.

* Kyle Lohse threw two simulated innings today to Rick Ankiel and Troy Glaus, and his stuff was pretty decent. His command was a bit rusty, but that's to be expected for a guy who's been on the DL. He hopes to be activated on the day he's eligible, which is this Sunday, Sept. 7. Check out B.J. Rains' story on it at this link. They're expecting to add Lohse as a reliever at first, then work him back into the rotation, but they'll take their time with that due to the off days.

* Ryan Franklin and Trever Miller agreed to new contracts on Tuesday. Franklin's is a two-year deal for 2010 and 2011, replacing his 2010 club option. Miller's is actually a two-year deal that replaces his 2009 contract, essentially guaranteeing him all the money he could have made with incentives this year and paying him $2 million next year. In essence, it's the deal he agreed to the deal he WOULD have had if he hadn't failed his physical over the winter -- with one exception.

The change is that Miller now gets a vesting option for 2011. Full details on the deals will be up in my story at this link very shortly.

* Troy Glaus was activated from the DL today. He'll be mostly a pinch-hitter for the time being. Other reinforcements will come along before too long, but perhaps not until Memphis' season is finished. The Triple-A club is in a pennant race. My Glaus story can be found at this link.

* Todd Wellemeyer had a very rough outing at Triple-A last night -- four runs in 2/3-inning, and only 10 of his 27 pitches went for strikes. He remains on track to make another rehab assignment tomorrow night, but suffice it to say that game didn't hasten his return to a prominent place on the big club.

* John Mozeliak acknowledged that the club may well have some interest in bringing John Smoltz back as a starter next year.

* Mark DeRosa has been cleared to return to the lineup. However, his 2-for-20 mark against Braden Looper means that Joe Thurston got the start tonight instead.

Tonight's playlist is all Living Colour, in honor of tonight's opening night of their fall tour.

"Desperate People"
"Pride"
"Type"
"Postman"
"Back in Black" (Yes, they covered it. Yes, it's AWESOME)

-M.