Cardinals 2012 Roster: OF Erik Komatsu Claimed On Waivers By Twins

The Minnesota Twins have reportedly claimed OF Erik Komatsu from the St. Louis Cardinals, the official Cardinals Twitter account reports:

It's official: Outfielder Erik Komatsu has been claimed on waivers by the @Twins.

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 4, 2012

Komatsu initially came to the Cubs in the 2011 Rule 5 Draft, but after OF Allen Craig healed from his recent injury, the Cardinal elected to DFA Komatsu. The 24-year-old has displayed impressive patience in the minors, sporting a minor league on-base percentage of .398 over the course of 4 minor league seasons, and average nearly 20 steals per 500 plate appearances.

The official Twins Twitter account has indicated that Minnesota will place Komatsu on the team's 25-man roster.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more in-depth coverage of this series,check out SB Nation's Cardinals and Pirates blogs, Viva El Birdos and Bucs Dugout. News and notes from around Major League Baseball can be found on Baseball Nation.

Pirates Vs. Cardinals Final Score: Pittsburgh Avoids Sweep With 6-3 Win

The St. Louis Cardinals looked to be on track for a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates when they jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but Pirates starter Erik Bedard settled down and Pittsburgh ultimately prevailed, 6-3.

Related: The St. Louis Cardinals' Rapidly Changing Batting Lines

Jake Westbrook went 6-1/3 innings for St. Louis and allowed four runs on nine hits. Bedard didn't allow another run after the first inning and finished with 11 strikeouts in just five innings of work.

At the plate, David Freese and Allen Craig had multi-hit afternoons for St. Louis. Those two knocked home all three of the team's runs.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more in-depth coverage of this series,check out SB Nation's Cardinals and Pirates blogs, Viva El Birdos and Bucs Dugout. News and notes from around Major League Baseball can be found on Baseball Nation.

Pirates Vs. Cardinals: Lineups, Starters, TV Time And More

The St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates wrap up their three-game set on Thursday afternoon, and the Cards have a chance to pull off a series sweep. Jake Westrbook takes the mound for St. Louis, while the Pirates turn to lefty Erik Bedard. Here are the starting lineups for both teams, along with the TV and radio information to help you tune in on Thursday:

Pittsburgh Pirates Lineup

RF Jose Tabata

LF Alex Presley

CF Andrew McCutchen

2B Neil Walker

3B Pedro Alvarez

1B Garrett Jones

SS Clint Barmes

C Michael McKenry

P Erik Bedard

St. Louis Cardinals Lineup

SS Rafael Furcal

CF Jon Jay

LF Matt Holliday

3B David Freese

1B Allen Craig

RF Shane Robinson

2B Tyler Greene

C Tony Cruz

P Jake Westbrook

Game Date & Time: Thursday, May 3, 12:45 p.m. CT

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 in-depth coverage of this series,check out SB Nation's Cardinals and Pirates blogs, Viva El Birdos and Bucs Dugout. News and notes from around Major League Baseball can be found on Baseball Nation.

Pirates Vs. Cardinals Preview: St. Louis Looks For Series Sweep In Thursday Matinee

The St. Louis Cardinals have had terrific success against the Pittsburgh Pirates so far this season -- going 4-1 and outscoring the Pirates 31-14 in the aggregate -- and on Thursday afternoon they get the chance to sweep the three-game set with Jake Westbrook on the mound. The Cardinals' offense has been great in 2012, and ranks No. 2 in runs scored (135), No. 1 in batting average (.290), No. 1 in on-base percentage (.358) and No. 2 in slugging percentage (.462). Meanwhile, the Pirates are dead last in runs scored (68), 25th in batting average (.229), 29th in on-base percentage (.283) and 27th in slugging (.341).

Westrbook is off to a great start this year (3-1, 1.30 ERA) and has yet to give up more than two runs in any start, so the Cardinals have plenty of things working in their favor as they look to earn a sweep. Here some basic information to help you find the contest on Thursday afternoon:

Starters: Jake Westbrook (3-1, 1.30 ERA) vs. Erik Bedard (1-4, 2.48 ERA)

Game Date & Time: Thursday, May 3, 12:45 p.m. CT

Location: Busch Stadium

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 in-depth coverage of this series, check out SB Nation's Cardinals and Pirates blogs, Viva El Birdos and Bucs Dugout. News and notes from around Major League Baseball can be found on Baseball Nation.

Cardinals Vs. Pirates Final Score: St. Louis Scores Early, Often In Victory

The St. Louis Cardinals scored four runs in the first inning, three runs in the second inning and five runs in the third inning en route to a 12-3 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium on Wednesday. The win moves St. Louis to 16-8 overall, while Pittsburgh falls to 10-14.

St. Louis didn't score after the fifth, but it didn't matter. Starter Lance Lynn and the St. Louis bullpen was apparently comfortable with the double-digit lead. Lynn struck out six and allowed three hits and two runs in 6.2 innings to earn the victory.

Cardinals' right fielder Carlos Beltran finished 4-for-5 with two home runs and seven RBI in the win. Left fielder Matt Holiday went 2-for-2 with two RBI and three walks for St. Louis.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more in-depth coverage of this series, visit Cardinals blog Viva El Birdos. News and notes from around Major League Baseball can be found on Baseball Nation.

Cardinals Vs. Pirates Preview: St. Louis Looks For Second Win Over Pittsburgh

One of the hallmarks of the St. Louis Cardinals franchise is their ability to plug holes with unsung homegrown and keep chugging along. There's maybe been no better example than the 2012 season of Lance Lynn, who entered the starting rotation as Chris Carpenter's replacement and has pitched his way to a 4-0 record and 1.33 ERA in four starts this season.

Lynn has been brutal on hitters this year, allowing only 16 hits in 27 innings and striking out 24 in a season that may begin to resemble the breakout 2011 of the Texas Rangers' Alexi Ogando. Lynn will have to deal with effects of being a full-time starting pitcher at some point down the line, but in the meantime he's healthy and energized enough to have been one of the most lethal starters in baseball.

He'll take the mound on Tuesday night looking for his second win of the season vs. the Pirates. Lynn faced them in PIttsburgh on April 20, scattering four hits over seven innings while allowing only a single earned run. He also struck out four batters and walked one. Opposing him will be A.J. Burnett, who has been excellent in two starts this season for Pittsburgh. One of those— his first— came against St. Louis on April 21, and it saw Burnett throw seven scoreless innings.

Game date/time: Wednesday, May 2, 7:15 p.m. CT

Location: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Mo.

TV: FSN Midwest

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more in-depth coverage of this series, visit Cardinals blog Viva El Birdos. News and notes from around Major League Baseball can be found on Baseball Nation.

Cardinals Vs. Pirates Lineups: Allen Craig Makes 2012 Debut For St. Louis

Fresh off a rehab stint in triple-A, Allen Craig is back with the St. Louis Cardinals and ready to play his first major league game of the 2012 season. Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright is going for his first win of the year. Here's the full St. Louis lineup for Tuesday's game against Pittsburgh:

1. Rafael Furcal (SS)
2. Jon Jay (CF)
3. Matt Holliday (LF)
4. Carlos Beltran (RF)
5. David Freese (3B)
6. Yadier Molina (C)
7. Allen Craig (1B)
8. Skip Schumaker (2B)
9. Adam Wainwright (P)

Related: Pirates Vs. Cardinals Preview: Adam Wainwright Looks For 1st Victory

And the Pirates' lineup:

Tonight's lineup: Presley 7, Tabata 9, McCutchen 8, Jones 3, Walker 4, Alvarez 5, Barmes 6, Barajas 2, Morton 1.First pitch 8:15 EDT.

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 1, 2012

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more in-depth coverage of this series, visit Cardinals blog Viva El Birdos. News and notes from around Major League Baseball can be found on Baseball Nation.

Allen Craig Injury: Cardinals DFA Erik Komatsu, Add Allen Craig To Roster

The St. Louis Cardinals have finally activated OF Allen Craig, who has been injured since the beginning of the season. Craig takes the place of OF Erik Komatsu, who has been designated for assignment:

#STLCards have designated Erik Komatsu for assignment in order to open a roster spot for Allen Craig, who is coming off DL.

— Jenifer Langosch (@LangoschMLB) May 1, 2012

The Cardinals will have 10 days to trade or release Komatsu, or they can try to pass him through waivers for a minor league assignment. Komatsu played in 15 games for the Cardinals, hitting .211/.286/.211 in just 21 plate appearances.

Craig is recovering from off-season surgery is will likely resume his role as a fourth outfielder for the Cards.

For more on the St. Louis Cardinals, head over to the Cards blog Viva El Birdos. Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more breaking news and updates concerning all matters St. Louis sports, and MLB Daily Dish for all your MLB rumors and news.

Pirates Vs. Cardinals Preview: Adam Wainwright Looks For 1st Victory

The St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates start a three-game series on Tuesday.