Cardinals Fantasy Report

This week the Cardinals welcome in Houston for a three game series and travel to Florida for another three game set. Even though last week Ryan Ludwick was traded to the San Diego Padres, the Cardinals still have plenty of fantasy help to go around.

Albert Pujols might have his batting average below .300 for the first time since 2002 but it is no reason to sit him. He is still one of the best power producing fantasy options in baseball. Pujols has a .309 average, 49 home runs, 131 RBI in 213 games against Houston and Florida in his career. As always, he should be active in all fantasy formats. Matt Holliday continues to produce week in and week out. In July he is batted .289 with eight home runs, 24 RBI, and scored 15 runs. Look for Holliday to continue his hot hitting this week. He is an elite outfielder and should be active in all formats.

Colby Rasmus is starting to come around. In his last five games, he is batting .411 with one home run, three RBI, and scoring five runs. With the trade of Ludwick, Rasmus should not have to share time with anyone. In deep mixed leagues, he should be productive enough to be active this week. Jon Jay will benefit most from the Ludwick trade. Actually with the way he has been playing, it made the decision to trade Ludwick much easier. He hit .431 with two home runs, eight RBI, and scored 14 runs in July. With a .383 average, Jay should be active in NL only and a solid fantasy option in deep mixed leagues.

Adam Wainwright has a record of 15-6 with an ERA of 2.19 on the season. He is scheduled to pitch Saturday at Florida. Besides last Tuesday’s start against New York, Wainwright has been rolling along as an elite starting pitcher. His last start against Florida, he struck out eight, walked three, allowed two earned runs for the win. There is no question he should be active in all formats. Chris Carpenter has been impressive as of late with four straight quality starts. He has 128 strikeouts, 43 walks, 2.93 ERA, and 1.17 WHIP on the season. He is scheduled to pitch Wednesday against Houston. His last appearance against the Houston he had five strikeouts, walked three while allowing four earned runs over eight innings taking the loss. Carpenter is an elite starting pitcher and should be active in all formats.

Jaime Garcia is scheduled to pitch Tuesday against Houston. He is currently 9-4 with a 2.32 ERA. Garcia does not have over powering stuff but he continues to be a viable fantasy starting pitcher this season. He should be a favorable matchup this week. As always continue to monitor his productivity for signs of fatigue. Garcia should be active in most fantasy formats. Ryan Franklin has continued to be solid all season. He is currently 6-1 with a 2.95 ERA. Franklin does not strike out many hitters but still has not allowed an earned run since July 6^th. He has converted 18 of 19 save opportunities. Keep him active in all formats.

Fantasy Minor League Profile of the week:

Lance Lynn is the Minor League Profile of the week. He was selected in the supplemental 1^st round (No. 39 overall) of the June 2008 First-Year Player Draft. He’s currently pitching for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds in the Pacific Coast League. Lynn has been very inconsistent this season. He is giving up too many hits and opponents are hitting .266 against him. Baseball America had Lynn rated 3^rd best prospect going into the season. He is worth a look in deep keeper leagues but until he can be more consistent he will not be worth much.