I'm only speculating, but maybe they see him as a potential closer to take overy Izzy's spot when he goes kaput in the next few months or year. I'd actually feel very confident with McLellan in that role after he gets some more experience.

Wellemeyer had two very good sliders last night. He would throw one that broke alot and was a bit slower and a sharper one that broke less and stayed in the strike zone. I did not know that Wellemeyer possessed a good slider. I thought he was basically a fastball-change guy. The slider he had last night was a very effective pitch.

do you get FSN MW by default on your cable/satellite? If not how close are you to Chicago and St Louis? Last year the cable company and satellites in the Peoria IL area decided to carry only the Chicago regional sports and dropped FSN MW. Many fans complained and called the companies, along with FSN and MLB, etc. Eventually they got the area deemed as what I guess can be called a "dual region" or something to that effect because they now have both FSN and Comcast Sports Net without blackouts. It sounds like you are in a similar situation.

There was an article this spring on TLR"s plan to watch Glaus and possibly give him a day off each series. Day game after a night game is always a good time.

I'd rather see Glaus work through the mini-slump especially with Ankiel protecting him.

I am hoping that this team is finaly turning the corner. Their franchise and their fans have suffered long enough and I think it would be great to see them have some success. They won't win the AL Central, but I think they can be a .500 team this year and the seeds are planted for a bright future.

I have that quote on my facebook wall. I don't care what anybody says, I love Dave Barry.

In that photo he looks like every stoner I went to school with.

And I think I will be one of the few who actually shows up.

(Hurry back, Dunc!)

I really hope this guy can find his hitting stroke again. He was really bad last year with the Royals. Hopefully he can channel in his early days with the Reds when it comes to hitting. He's still looks good on defense though.

Too many zero batting averages for my taste. Kennedy says he feels fine.... but LaRussa puts in Miles? Well, it's not my job on the line.

this medieval approach we have toward putting players' batting averages next to their names in the lineup? I'm not criticizing you, C4E. I imagine you pulled this straight from the p-d website or somewhere else. There was a lot made last night on the broadcast of Ankiel's good game, and rightfully so, but Pujols was 5-5 last night w/ 2 singles and 3 walks. His OBP right now is .667. That's what we ought to be including next to their names. Using BA is archaic -- again, C4E, not a criticism of you at all.

especially with wonderbrad on the mound.
i was wondering on the way to work who would be available out of the 'pen.

maybe we will see a brad-reyes tandem start.

I'm pretty sure we'll see Anthony's bullpen debut today ... I hope he shuts them down, but I'm worried about it ... but, I was worried about Adam too when they put him there a couple of years ago ...

a little curious? Specifically, he sat Izzy down in the bottom of the 8th when we took a 6-2 lead and got Reyes up -- the ideal spot for the last man to pitch. He threw a few warm-up tosses and we added a couple more runs and then LaRussa SAT REYES DOWN, and got Springer up. Springer, for now, needs to be used in higher leverage situations and Reyes, while we're still unsure how he'll do out of the pen, in lower leverage situations and yet, with a bigger lead -- 6 runs -- he went w/ the better reliever than he intended to use up 4. Very strange.

Last night's 9th inning was the ideal opportunity for Reyes' first bullpen appearance and now Springer is probably unavailable today. Bizarre.

he has control issues, so I preach patience and OBP.

With rain in the forcast, will the hitters be patient enough?

I had no idea this was publically available data. Thx for the link.