Rodriguez	Carpenter
3.62 FIP	2.73 FIP

This just in: Chris Carpenter is pretty good. After missing roughly six weeks earlier in the season w/ a side injury, Carp has finally gotten his innings up to the number needed to qualify for the ERA title. He's currently tied for 2nd in the league in ERA and is third in FIP. He really seemed to have trouble locating his pitches in his last start against the Dodgers but his stuff was still so good that he was tough to hit. The last time he faced the Astros -- about 10 days ago -- he was strong for 8 innings but the Astros won it w/ 2 in the 9th off Ryan Franklin. Let's hope tonight won't be a repeat.

Wandy Rodriguez is a much better pitcher than I ever thought he'd be and, in fact, he's one of the most underrated pitchers in the big leagues. He's also left handed which has been a thorn in the Cards' side all year but w/ the additions of Holliday and DeRosa to our lineup, I think we're poised to do much better against lefties. For what it's worth, Wandy has substantial home/road splits for his career. Over 5 years, he has a 3.77 ERA at home and a 5.14 ERA away from the juice box. His OPS against on the road is more than 100 points higher than it is at home. He has, however, pitched well in 3 starts at new Busch Stadium.