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First up on the day, Craig went over the options the Cardinals will have when Jhonny Peralta returns. Tejada survived the last roster move when Pham was sent to Triple-A when he returned from the DL, but he probably won't survive Peralta's inevitable return. Once that happens, Diaz and Carpenter both should be afforded more time off, and Carpenter could begin playing first base semi-regularly, cutting into the playing time of Brandon Moss and Matt Adams.
Next I had an article on Randal Grichuk, noting some large gains he's made in both strike outs and walks. If the change is real, it's only a matter of time before he's hitting at above-average rates again, as his BABIP is well below league average at the moment.
The Jekyll and Hyde nature of the Cardinals' defense thus far was the subject of yesterday's Hunt and Peck. Also make sure to check out all the baseball related links contained within, including a piece on Lucas Duda's injury, and whether the Cardinals would make good trade partners with the Mets. There's also a piece on Yoenis Cespedes and Bartolo Colon.
Then Craig had an interview with former Cubs and Cardinals player/current ESPN broadcaster Rick Sutcliffe, who called the Cardinals-Cubs rivalry the best in the MLB. He thinks the Cubs have no real weaknesses, but that the Cardinals can still contend for the NL Central.
Ebo was up next with another Daily Farm Report. Sandy Alcantara had himself a great day, striking out 14 of the 27 hitters he faced, walking just one. Jonathon Rodriguez also had a good day, with a double and a homer. Carson Kelly went 3-4 bringing his average up to .300 on the year. Magneurius Sierra and Edmundo Sosa both had multi-hit games.
The Cardinals...they didn't do well yesterday. Check out the game thread for VEB's takes as they happened, and check out the recap by stlcardsfan4 for a post-game breakdown.
Today is Carlos Day, which would be great if it wasn't for the fact that it's also Arrieta day. The action will kick off at 12:45. Go Cardinals!