It’s another gorgeous night at Busch Stadium. The scoreboard in the bullpen reads 80 degrees at 6:46 pm, and that’s about as nice as you can ask for in St. Louis in late July. Great stuff.

* For those who missed it, the non-waiver Trade Deadline passed without the Cardinals making another move. Of course, they’ve already made three since late June, so it’s not like they stood pat all along.

* Brendan Ryan did not stretch with the team today and he’s definitely out for several days. The club is still calling his injury a bruise, but it’s a nasty bruise and he’s got plenty of swelling. He’s quite certainly out for the weekend, and the New York series is no guarantee. However, they’re not placing him on the disabled list yet.

“It seems like the 3-5 days would be very optimistic,” John Mozeliak said this afternoon.

It’s hard to envision Ryan even coming off the bench for at least the immediate future.

“Lot of pain last night,” said manager Tony La Russa. “We’ll see how quickly the swelling is reduced. But he’s limited. He’s not going to play the weekend, and Monday, that’s four days there. so we’ll see.”

* Balancing that out, however, is the strong likelihood that Khalil Greene will be activated tomorrow. Greene talked at length with associate reporter B.J. Rains today, so look for a story about him tonight. But suffice to say it appears that Saturday is his day for activation. Greene was on the field working out with the Cards this afternoon.

“He feels great and he’s going to work out with us,” TLR said. “He’s in great spirits and he played very well in Memphis.”

* It’s likely that when Greene is activated, he’ll take the place of Mitchell Boggs. The right-hander will be sent out following his start tonight, regardless of how he pitches. That’s because the Cardinals don’t need a fifth starter again until Aug. 11, which is of course 11 days away.

So Boggs can be sent out, make a start at Memphis, and be recalled if he’s the choice the next time around.

“The reality,” La Russa said, “is we don’t need the fifth spot again for [11] days. I hope he pitches a shutout, but he probably is here today and gone tomorrow. He’ll be back later.”

* To make room for Boggs today, Nick Stavinoha was optioned to Triple-A Memphis. There’s a good chance Stavinoha will be back before rosters expand on Sept. 1, but for now he’s headed back down I-55.

“You work every day to try and get one opportunity and one chance to help the team out,” Stavinoha said, “so I’ll just go down and keep my sights set on the role I have and do my job down there and hopefully come back up and do it here.”

* The bullpen is definitely stretched tonight. Ryan Franklin could conceivably be available, but they’d much prefer not to use him. If he pitches tonight, he’s probably down for the rest of the weekend. Hawksworth remains off-limits for at least one more day, and maybe till Sunday. McClellan is likely not an option, either. Brad Thompson and Todd Wellemeyer are the “protection” tonight — i.e., the guys who would be available to soak up some innings if need be.

For tonight’s playlist, a nod to Houston:
King’s X, “It’s Love” (had no idea they were from Houston)
Beyonce, “Crazy In Love”
ZZ Top, “La Grange”
Robert Earl Keen, “Shades of Gray”
Lyle Lovett, “Nobody Knows Me”

-M.