SB Nation St. Louis - Cubs Vs. Cardinals: St. Louis Defeats Chicago 7-6 In Dramatic Fashion

Fantasy Baseball: Allen Craig Remains Important For Lance Berkman, Carlos Beltran Owners

2012-05-16T13:38:28Z

If your fantasy baseball team has revolved, this month, around Carlos Beltran or waited, last month, for Lance Berkman, it's hard to justify not owning Allen Craig, their versatile, hard-hitting caddy. Berkman, whose calf injury will be magnified, over the next few weeks, by the St. Louis Cardinals' desire to baby him in the early going, will likely form a de facto platoon with Craig for the rest of May, with the 27-year-old outfielder/first baseman taking a shot at most left-handed pitchers. Meanwhile Beltran has sat out each of the last two games with a sore knee--the same one that required the microfracture surgery that left him looking distinctly un-Beltran in 2010--and the Cardinals, with Craig on hand, are unlikely to be aggressive in allowing him to return.

In deep and/or NL-only leagues, even Matt Carpenter, Allen Craig's caddy, might be worth a look; he's a natural third baseman who's shown surprising power and will also benefit, if you're fast-enough on the lineup draw, from the Cardinals' long-standing desire to keep the fragile David Freese on two working ankles.

Carlos Beltran Injury: St. Louis Cardinals Sit Beltran For Second Day With Sore Knee

2012-05-16T13:30:16Z

The St. Louis Cardinals sat hot-hitting Carlos Beltran for a second consecutive game Tuesday afternoon against the Chicago Cubs, following Monday's revelation that the outfielder—currently leading the National League with 13 home runs—was dealing with a sore knee. That's where, you'll remember, he dealt with the knee injury that ended his New York Mets tenure and nearly finished off his career; the Cardinals have been justifiably cautious since, although Beltran pinch-hit on both days, drawing an intentional walk in Tuesday's walk-off victory vs. the Cubs.

Beltran's continued presence in the box scores suggests this particularly flare-up of his knee injury isn't too serious—although it could prove ill-advised if he does go on the 15-day disabled list, since it will prevent a more aggressive backdating of the injury—but with Allen Craig back on the 25-man roster it's unlikely the Cardinals will rush Beltran now that they can help it.

Other injury news: Jon Jay is on the disabled list, and Lance Berkman is missing time for reasons ostensibly unrelated to his bum calf.

Jon Jay Injury: St. Louis Cardinals Thin In Center With Jay On DL

2012-05-16T13:00:45Z

The St. Louis Cardinals placed Jon Jay on the disabled list Tuesday, and Jay's injury—it's a recurrence of the sprained shoulder he dealt with last month, after bouncing a little too hard off an outfield wall—shows just how thin the Cardinals' depth in center field has become since last year, where Jay was the backup himself for a scuffling Colby Rasmus. Shane Robinson made a hasty return to the 25-man roster in the ensuing roster move, while Skip Schumaker started that afternoon. And with Carlos Beltran's knee injury leaving him benched two games in a row, the Cardinals seem unlikely to risk putting him in center field any time soon.

That leaves Schumaker, who doesn't have the glove for center, and Robinson, who doesn't have the bat for it, as the Cardinals' platoon of desperation in the meantime. Erik Komatsu, their Rule 5 center fielder, was waived and has resurfaced getting regular playing time for the Minnesota Twins; down in the minor leagues, longtime near-prospect Adron Chambers, who tripled in a cup of coffee last season, has turned it around after a slow start at AAA Memphis and is currently hitting .318/.388/.403.

For the moment, the Cardinals seem content to start Robinson and Schumaker out there and hope they scrape along a few runs over replacement level. But if Jon Jay's shoulder injury becomes a more chronic concern, they'll have to deal with this position some other way.

More Cardinals news from SB Nation St. Louis:

Lance Berkman's injury apparently wasn't what kept him out of the Cardinals lineup Tuesday.
What will the Cardinals do with Lance Lynn when Chris Carpenter returns from injury?

Yadier Molina's Mohawk Is Real, Spectacular

2012-05-16T12:23:02Z

So: The St. Louis Cardinals' star catcher, Yadier Molina, is already delivering on his big five-year contract extension—he's hitting .301 with a truly startling .504 slugging percentage—and Tuesday he hit a walk-off single to sneak the Cardinals past the Hated Chicago Cubs by a score of 7-6. How could his afternoon get any better? Well, he could infuriate Cubs fans by trading his usual haircut for a broad, distinctly un-faux mohawk. Early returns on the Yadier Molina mohawk Twittersphere:

Yadier Molina has a mohawk now? I didn't know he could get any douchier...
— Joe West (@sjwest86) May 15, 2012

In this Cubs fan's defense, anybody with a visible neck tattoo is kind of asking for it. (Anyone with an invisible neck tattoo probably wears a lot of turtlenecks, which, depending on your opinion of Steve Jobs, might mean he's also asking for it.)

Here's a photo, courtesy Jeff Curry of US Presswire:

But if you'd like to learn the full story about Yadier Molina's mohawk, I'd suggest clicking that link for the latest episode of Legopiece Theater: Dugout Abbey, in which he's sent to kangaroo court—the Hon. Afro'd Judge Jon Jay, presiding.

Lance Berkman Injury: Berkman's Tuesday Scratch Not Calf-Related

2012-05-16T12:15:09Z

Lance Berkman was scratched Tuesday from the St. Louis Cardinals' lineup ahead of their 7-6 win over the Chicago Cubs, but it apparently had nothing to do with his lingering calf injury. Manager Mike Matheny told Jenifer Langosch afterward that it was more a matter of giving Berkman a day off against the left-handed Paul Maholm and getting both David Freese and Matt Carpenter into that afternoon game. Carpenter, Berkman's primary backup at first base back in April, ended up with a crucial home run—his third of the season—although Freese went 0-5.

Berkman is 3-9 with a double since returning from the calf injury in Sunday's loss to the Atlanta Braves. On the season he's hitting .344/.462/.500—or, less misleadingly, 11-32 with three doubles, a triple, and six walks in nine games. In 2011 he hit .301/.412/.547 in 145 games, setting an unlikely career high at 35 with an OPS+ of 164. He's likely to find himself in a de facto platoon with the right-handed Allen Craig so long as he's favoring his calf and the Cardinals can't find at-bats for Craig elsewhere.

Cubs Vs. Cardinals Final Score: St. Louis Delivers 7-6 Walkoff Win

2012-05-15T22:32:49Z

The St. Louis Cardinals went from disappointment to elation in the span of one inning during a dramatic 7-6 win over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday afternoon.

The Cardinals entered the ninth inning with a 6-5 lead on the Cubs, but Alfonso Soriano launched a solo home run off of Jason Motte to even the score. It was Soriano's first home run of the season. In the bottom half of the inning, the Cardinals regrouped and won the game on a two-out RBI single by catcher Yadier Molina.

The win snapped a four-game losing streak.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. Visit Viva El Birdos for more in-depth coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals. For more news and updates from around the MLB, drop by Baseball Nation with Rob Neyer, or dig deeper into the stats at Beyond the Box Score.

Lance Berkman Scratched From Lineup, Reason Not Known

2012-05-15T18:13:20Z

According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the St. Louis Cardinals 1B Lance Berkman was scratched from the lineup on Tuesday, but the reason has not been made clear just yet:

Lance Berkman is not in the lineup. Last-minute scratch apparently. Will get updated info. Freese starts at 3B. Carpenter to 1B. #stlcards
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) May 15, 2012

Berkman missed 20 games earlier in the season with a calf strain that led to a 15-day DL trip. Despite the injury, Berkman has hit an impressive .344/.462/.500 slash while still awaiting his first home run of the season.

In Berkman's place, second-year backup 1B Matt Carpenter gets the start against the Chicago Cubs.

For more news and updates from around the MLB, drop by Baseball Nation with Rob Neyer, or dig deeper into the stats at Beyond the Box Score. Also, check out Viva El Birdos for more in-depth coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Cubs Vs. Cardinals Lineups, Starters, TV Time And More

2012-05-15T15:33:34Z

The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals are back at it on Tuesday afternoon, and the lineups that Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse and Cubs counterpart Paul Maholm will face have been posted. Here is a look lineups and TV time for Tuesday's contest:

Cubs Lineup

1. David DeJesus RF
2. Tony Campana CF
3. Starlin Castro SS
4. Bryan LaHair 1B
5. Alfonso Soriano LF
6. Ian Stewart 3B
7. Welington Castillo C
8. Darwin Barney 2B
9. Paul Maholm P

Cardinals Lineup

1. Rafael Furcal SS
2. Skip Schumaker CF
3. Matt Holliday LF
4. Allen Craig RF
5. Lance Berkman 1B
6. Yadier Molina C
7. Matt Carpenter 3B
8. Tyler Greene 2B
9. Kyle Lohse P

Game Date & Time: Tuesday, May 15, 12:45 p.m.

Location: Busch Stadium

TV: FS-Midwest