Lance Berkman Injury: Cardinals 1B Placed On 15-Day DL With Calf Injury

On Thursday afternoon, St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak announced that first baseman Lance Berkman has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a calf injury. Berkman initially suffered the injury last week, then aggravated it on Wednesday.

Berkman, in giving futile chase to a pop foul Wednesday night, aggravated a calf strain he had suffered last week in Cincinnati. He was out four games with that injury before returning to play 1 1/2 games.

Berkman is hitting .348/.500/.522 this season.

Skip Schumaker, who has been rehabbing in triple-A, is expected to be activated by the Cardinals.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more coverage, check out Viva El Birdos and Red Reporter, SB Nation's Cardinals and Reds blogs, respectively. News and notes from around Major League Baseball can be found on Baseball Nation.

Cardinals Vs. Reds Final Score: Wainwright Struggles, Reds Win 6-3

The St. Louis Cardinals (9-3) could not keep their four-game win streak alive as they fell to the Cincinnati Reds (4-8) in a 6-3 loss.

Adam Wainwright (L, 0-3) pitched only five innings for the Cardinals and could not keep the ball in play as 2B Brandon Phillips and LF Ryan Ludwick both homered off Wainwright. The Cardinals' starter did manage to collect 5 strikeouts with only 1 walk, but the Reds forced him to leave with a 4-0 Reds' after throwing 88 pitches through the first five frames.

Meanwhile, SP Bronson Arroyo (W, 1-0) stymied the Cardinals hitters, holding them to 3 ER on 5 hits. LF Matt Holliday went 2 for 4 with a three-run home run, the lone extra base hit from the Cardinals lineup, and SS Rafael Furcal also added a pair of singles, going 2 for 4 himself.

The Cardinals will be back in action on Friday night as they take on the Pittsburgh Pirates at 6:05 p.m. CDT.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more coverage, check out SB Nation's Cardinals and Reds blogs, Viva El Birdos and Red Reporter. News and notes from around Major League Baseball can be found on Baseball Nation.

Jon Jay Injury: St. Louis Cardinals Outfielder Sprains Right Shoulder

The St. Louis Cardinals lost their starting center fielder on Thursday afternoon as CF Jon Jay left the game with an apparent shoulder injury. According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the injury will put Jay on the sidelines for the time being:

Jon Jay left game with a right shoulder sprain after running into wall. #cardinals are calling him "day to day" #stlcards

— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) April 19, 2012

Jay, the starting Cardinals center fielder for the second straight season, has hit 2 home runs to go with a .402 weighted on base percentage (wOBA) so far this season. In 2011, he hit 10 homers with a .333 wOBA through 503 plate appearances.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more coverage, check out SB Nation's Cardinals and Reds blogs, Viva El Birdos and Red Reporter. News and notes from around Major League Baseball can be found on Baseball Nation.

Reds Vs. Cardinals Preview: St. Louis Looks For Series Sweep

The St. Louis Cardinals (9-3) have held the Cincinnati Reds (4-8) to just two runs in the first two games of the series (both wins for the Cardinals), and now struggling starter Adam Wainwright will take the mound as St. Louis looks to sweep the three game set. Wainwright is making just his third MLB start since the 2010 season, and some combination of rust and poor execution has left him with an 0-2 record and an 11.42 ERA thus far in 2012. Meanwhile, the Reds turn to Bronson Arroyo, who is coming off a great performance against the Washington Nationals -- 7.1 innings, no earned runs, three hits -- but is still looking for his first win of the season.

Cards outfielder Matt Holliday has been awful at the plate so far in 2012, and Adam Berry of Cardinals.com offers some quotes from manager Mike Matheny regarding the situation:

Despite the low average, Matheny believes Holliday is hitting the ball as well as anybody on the team.

"That ball he hit to left field [for an out on Tuesday], I'll guarantee was one of the hardest balls hit in the Major Leagues this year. That ball was absolutely killed," Matheny said. "Sometimes the results just aren't a great indicator."

So what does the manager tell a player like Holliday when he's stuck amid this kind of stretch?

"You're going through a test right now," Matheny said, "so stick with it."

Lance Berkman is listed as day-to-day after re-aggravating a left calf injury and leaving Wednesday's contest in the fifth inning.

Here is what you need to find the game on Thursday afternoon:

Game Date & Time: Thursday, April 19, 12:45 p.m. CT

Starters: Bronson Arroyo (0-0, 2.63 ERA) vs. Adam Wainwright (0-2, 11.42 ERA)

Location: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri

TV: FOX Sports Midwest

Radio: AM 1120 KMOX (click here for full list of affiliates)

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more coverage, check out SB Nation's Cardinals and Reds blogs, Viva El Birdos and Red Reporter. News and notes from around Major League Baseball can be found on Baseball Nation.

Reds Vs. Cardinals Final Score: St. Louis Tops Cincinnati 11-1

The St. Louis Cardinals moved to 9-3 overall on Wednesday night by defeating the Cincinnati Reds 11-1 at Busch Stadium. The Cards scored three in the first and two in the second to grab an early lead, and that was plenty of support for starter Jamie Garcia.

Related: Mat Latos: What's Wrong With The Cincinnati Reds' Ace Import?

Garcia improved to 2-0 on the season by pitching seven innings and allowing only one earned run on seven hits while striking out three.

St. Louis center fielder Carlos Beltran hit a two-run homer in the second inning. Tyler Greene also went deep for the Cards when he blasted a two-run homer in the eighth.

Garcia helped his own cause in the sixth by hitting a two-run triple.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more coverage, check out SB Nation's Cardinals and Reds blogs, Viva El Birdos and Red Reporter. News and notes from around Major League Baseball can be found on Baseball Nation.

Lance Berkman Injury: Matt Carpenter Replaces Berkman Mid-Game Vs. Reds

The St. Louis Cardinals could have another Lance Berkman injury problem on their hands: The slugger was removed from their Wednesday night game vs. the Cincinnati Reds in mid-inning, with Matt Carpenter coming in as a pinch hitter. Carpenter, the current rookie sensation, struck out against Mat Latos and came in to play first base in the sixth.

According to BJ Rains Berkman slowed down on his first-inning run following David Freese's double:

Carpenter pinch-hitting for Berkman, who appeared to slow up while scoring on the double from Freese in the first. Will check on reason why.

— B.J. Rains (@BJRains) April 19, 2012

Berkman's been dealing with a small tear in his calf since legging out a perhaps-inadvisable triple early in the season; he had just returned on Tuesday. Berkman played 145 games last year, his most since 2008, while hitting .301/.412/.547; in seven games so far, he's hitting .348 with two doubles, a triple, and six walks, for a .348/.500/.522 line.

Matt Carpenter, who will be the first line of defense at first base until Allen Craig comes back, has hit .409/.400/.818 in 22 at-bats; he hit the game-winning sacrifice fly Tuesday.

Reds Vs. Cardinals: St. Louis, Cincinnati Announce Lineups

The St. Louis Cardinals have won every series they have played this year, a streak they can extended by defeating the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night at Busch Stadium. The Cards defeated the Reds last night on a sacrifice fly by Matt Carpenter, and can win the three-game set with a victory tonight. St. Louis will send out 25-year old lefty Jamie Garcia to face Mat Latos, the Reds' prized 24-year old righty who they acquire from the San Diego Padres this offseason.

Related: Mat Latos: What's Wrong With The Cincinnati Reds' Ace Import?

Here is what the Cardinals' lineup will look like on Wednesday night:

Lineup vs. Reds: Furcal SS, Beltran RF, Holliday LF, Berkman 1B, Freese 3B, Molina C, Jay CF, Greene 2B, Garcia P

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) April 18, 2012

Here is the Reds' lineup:

#Reds lineup: Cozart 6, Stubbs 8, Votto 3, Phillips 4, Bruce 9, Rolen 5, Heisey 7, Mesoraco 2, Latos RHP.

— John Fay (@johnfayman) April 18, 2012

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more coverage, check out SB Nation's Cardinals and Reds blogs, Viva El Birdos and Red Reporter. News and notes from around Major League Baseball can be found on Baseball Nation.

Reds Vs. Cardinals Preview: St. Louis Eyes Fourth Straight Win

Embarking through their first season without Albert Pujols, the St. Louis Cardinals have been quite alright so far early in the 2012 season. On Wednesday, the Cards are looking for their fourth straight victory, and ninth win in 12 games, as they host the Cincinnati Reds.

The Cardinals are coming off an impressive 2-1 victory over the Reds on Tuesday that saw Matt Carpenter once again come up huge. The long-time minor league infielder has been spelling Lance Berkman at first base early in the season, hitting .409 with a team-leading 11 RBI in just nine games. On Tuesday, Carpenter hit a walk-off sacrifice fly in the tenth inning to give St. Louis the win.

Jaime Garcia is going for St. Louis against Cincinnati's Mat Latos, who was acquired before the season from San Diego to top the Reds' rotation. Latos has had mixed results this season, so you have to wonder if he'll have some trouble against the Cardinals' impressive offense.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more coverage, check out SB Nation's Cardinals and Reds blogs, Viva El Birdos and Red Reporter. News and notes from around Major League Baseball can be found on Baseball Nation.

Mat Latos: What's Wrong With The Cincinnati Reds' Ace Import?

Two starts into his Cincinnati Reds career and we're already asking the question: What's wrong with Mat Latos? The awkward answer to these questions, in the middle of April, is usually: Nothing much. They were asked about Matt Holliday, they're being asked about Albert Pujols now, and usually it ends up not mattering. The right question is a variant: What could be wrong with Mat Latos, whose peripherals are bad and his results worse?

1. Home field disadvantage. Latos began his career in the San Diego Padres' Petco Park, which falls only a little short of its reputation as an authentic recreation of the Deadball Era, sans racism. Latos wasn't especially outstanding at Petco—his career ERA there, in 31 starts, is 3.11, and at 0.8 per nine innings his home run rate isn't particularly low. It's unlikely that the park didn't help him at all, but it hasn't had an enormous impact on his numbers to date; his career road ERA is still 3.57.

What else could be to blame?

2. He could be hurt. His velocity is hardly changed from 2011, so if he is we don't know about it, yet.

3. It's probably nothing and Reds fans are worrying over nothing. Oh, and Cardinals fans are exalting over nothing. Latos—like Adam Wainwright, set to pitch for the Cardinals the next day—is probably just fine. He was unlucky enough to have two bad starts in a row right after they reset everybody's numbers for the season.

Reds Vs. Cardinals Final Score: Matt Carpenter Wins It For St. Louis In Extra Innings

Pinch hitter Matt Carpenter hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Tyler Greene in the 10th inning on Tuesday night to give the St. Louis Cardinals a 2-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. The victory improves the Cardinals to 8-3 overall, while the Reds drop to 4-7.

Starting pitcher Kyle Lohse was again brilliant for the Cardinals, going seven innings, allowint g no runs and striking out seven.

St. Louis scored its first run in the first inning on a solo home run on Carlos Beltran. The Reds got their lone run in the 8th inning when Zack Cozart singled to drive in Devin Mesoraco.

Reliever Jason Motte earned the victory for St. Louis.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more coverage, check out SB Nation's Cardinals and Brewers blogs, Viva El Birdos and Brew Crew Ball. News and notes from around Major League Baseball can be found on Baseball Nation.

David Freese Injury: Freese Back In St. Louis Cardinals' Lineup Tuesday Vs. Reds

The St. Louis Cardinals will get their World Series totem back on Tuesday: After an irritated finger left him unable to properly grip the usual baseball implements David Freese is in the lineup Tuesday vs. the Cincinnati Reds, according to Rick Hummel. Freese is perhaps the only third baseman on the team hotter than Matt Carpenter—in addition to his 2011 playoff heroics, Freese was hitting .404/.424/.688 over his first eight games of the season. He'll bat fifth, behind fellow returnee Lance Berkman.

Since the postseason began last October Freese has been on the run of a lifetime, hitting .400 across 95 at-bats with eight home runs after hitting .297 with 10 home runs in 333 regular season at-bats. It's left Cardinals fans wondering just what a healthy David Freese really looks like, and Tuesday he'll get four or five plate appearances closer to showing us.

For more up-to-the-minute St. Louis Cardinals overanalyzing and neuroses, visit Viva El Birdos, where you'll find like-minded Cardinals fans, if you also like worrying too much and talking about the St. Louis Blues' playoff run.

Lance Berkman Injury: Berkman Starting For Cardinals Vs. Reds Tuesday

Lance Berkman's injury was especially dramatic—he injured his calf legging out a triple—but it looks like it wasn't too serious: The St. Louis Cardinals' first baseman, who's appeared in five of their 10 games so far, will be back Tuesday vs. the Cincinnati Reds. Rick Hummel has the lineup; Berkman's batting fourth, behind Matt Holliday, for their 7:00 matchup against Johnny Cueto.

The Cardinals, thanks to rookie third baseman and batting glove conscientious objector Matt Carpenter's incredible start, haven't missed Berkman yet; they're 7-3, atop the National League Central. But with the Reds in town it's good to have the veterans back on their feet. Berkman was hitting .375/.565/.625 himself when the injury occured; he's got two doubles and the responsible triple already in his second year as the Cardinals' surprise offensive focal point.

If you're interested in chatting with Cardinals fans during the game, and thus overthinking Berkman's every jog, hop, and limp, visit SB Nation's St. Louis Cardinals blog, Viva El Birdos.

Carlos Beltran Injury: Beltran Due Back Tuesday Vs. Reds

Carlos Beltran is likely to come back Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds after the St. Louis Cardinals removed him from Sunday's game as a precautionary measure following a forearm injury.

David Freese Injury: Cardinals Third Baseman's Finger Leaves Him Day To Day

The St. Louis Cardinals might have lucked into the first ever not-very-serious David Freese injury.

St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds Jump-Kick Off With Rivalry Intact

The St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds will try not to perform Street Fighter moves on each other this week at Busch Stadium.