Yesterday, I-70 Baseball took a look at the1985 St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals starting lineups. Today, we will take a look at their respective pitchers. Here are the starters and relievers from the National League Champions, the St. Louis Cardinals.

Starting Rotation

Most of the Cardinals 1985 starting rotation were returning from the 1984 season, and as such were largely a known quantity. The one exception was the lone lefty in the group, Dave LaPoint. LaPoint had come to the Cardinals in the blockbuster trade with the Milwaukee Brewers following the 1980 season. He had become a very dependable pitcher, both in long relief and finally in the rotation, always posting a winning record. With the addition of another left handed starter in John Tudor, LaPoint became a part of the five player deal that brought slugger Jack Clark to St. Louis. LaPoint would pitch well for the Giants in 1985, but suffer a severe case of lack of run support.

Even with only one change, the Cardinals had some questions about their rotation entering the 1985 season. Would Danny Cox take the next step after a somewhat inconsistent sophomore season ? Did Bob Forsch have enough left in the tank to contribute, and if not, who would be the fifth starter ? And what about this Tudor guy – will he be any good ?

Spring training did not provide many easy answers, although the one that was answered turned out to be significant late in the season. Bob Forsch was able to earn the fifth spot in the rotation, at least to begin the season. The rest took a while to sort out.

Joaquin Andujar (21-12, 3.40 ERA, 10 CG, 2 SHO, 269 2/3 IP)

One Tough Dominican

When the Cardinals acquired Joaquin Andujar from the Houston Astros, they knew they had gotten “One Tough Dominican”. After all, it was Andujar himself that made the proclamation. He backup up that bold claim when he returned to pitch Game 7 in the 1982 World Series after being knocked out in Game 3 by a wicked line drive off the bat of former Cardinal, Ted Simmons, and pitched well enough to win the game.

He had struggled in 1983, but had returned to form in 1984, winning 20 games and logging over 250 innings for the first time in his career. It was hoped that Andujar could repeat some of that magic in 1985.

From the first pitch of the season, Andujar was a force in the National League. By early June, he had run his record to 12-1, the best record since Elroy Face’s improbably 17-0 in 1959, but those were all in relief. Andujar was logging a huge number of innings.

That’s when some of the trouble started. He had been experiencing shoulder pain, but each time the concern was raised, he would go out and shut down the opposition with a stingy performance. As a result of his 15 wins, Andujar was invited to the All Star Game. San Diego’s Dick Williams, manager of the National League squad, did not name Andujar immediately as his starter, leaving open the possibility of the Padres newly acquired LaMarr Hoyt (12-4) starting instead of Andujar. The two would face each other just before the All Star Game break, with Hoyt getting the better of the two in an amazing pitching duel. Prior to the game, Andujar announced that he would not attend the All Star Game, leaving everybody scratching their heads. It was at this point that Andujar lost any chance he had at the Cy Young award for 1985.

Determined to get some of his reputation restored, Andujar pitched the best game of his 1985 season, an 11 inning win against those same San Diego Padres. He only allowed on run in 11 innings, but that win took it’s toll. From that point, Andujar would be less effective and his ERA would soar from 2.31 to 3.40 by the end of the season. August would be rough month, and September would be just brutal. Andujar would earn his 20th win against the Braves at the end of August, and it would take almost three weeks for him to win his 21st, against Pittsburgh.

Andujar’s late season fade would continue during both the NLCS and World Series. After being almost unhittable in 1982, he was anything but that in 1985. In two starts against the Dodgers, Andujar would post an 0-1 record with a 6.97 ERA. In one start and one relief appearance, Kansas City would rip him to a tune of a 9.00 ERA in just 4 innings of work.

That would be the end of Andujar’s career as a player in St. Louis as he would be traded following the World Series to the Oakland A’s.

John Tudor (21-8, 1.93 ERA, 14 CG, 10 SHO, 275 IP)

John Tudor

In a deal that went largely unnoticed by the national sports media, the Cardinals sent fan favorite, “Silent” George Hendrick to the Pittsburgh Pirates for left handed pitcher John Tudor. Manager Whitey Herzog and pitching coach Mike Roarke had been impressed by Tudor when he pitched in Boston. They noticed that he was not afraid to throw inside to right handed hitters, which was somewhat lost in Fenway Park but might be a huge advantage in the cavernous Busch Stadium.

Initially it did not appear that the trade was a good one. Tudor would be hit hard during spring training, but would earn the number two spot in the rotation on the hopes that he would figure it out. Eventually. In his first two starts, it appeared that he, like the pitcher he was replacing, would be the victim of no run support. In two games, Tudor would allow just three runs, but would walk away with an 0-1 record.

In early May, Tudor would turn heads with an eye-popping complete game, allowing just 1 run on 5 hits and striking out 5. For the first time in 1985, he had some run support and showed that he knew what to do with it. Unfortunately that was short lived, and he would go back to his tough luck losing ways, eventually running his record to 1-6.

This would all change on June 3 when Tudor made a minor correction to his pitching motion, and he had immediate success, beating Houston on another outpouring of run support, 9-5. That would earn him his second win of the season. He would follow that up with a brilliant 3 hit shutout against the Mets, in New York. This would not be the only time the lefty would beat the Mets by a score of 1-0 in their home ball park.

Tudor and his amazing changeup would continue baffling National League hitters for the remainder of the 1985 season. He would only lose one more game in 1985, a 3-0 shutout against the Dodgers in late July. Once again, lack of run support proved to be the difference.

Tudor would save his best for last. His 10 shutouts were the most since Bob Gibson’s legendary 1968 season, but it was the 4 shutouts in September when the division title was still up for grabs that earns makes Tudor’s season all the more unbelievable. Tudor’s greatest pitching performance would come in New York, against the eventual Cy Young winner, Dwight Gooden. The two pitchers were unbelievable. Neither pitcher would budge, but Gooden tired in the 9th, and that was the difference in the game. Cesar Cedeno would hit a solo home run against Jesse Orosco in the 10th, for the only run in the game. Tudor would strike out Darryl Strawberry, with the tying run on first base to end the game, and ultimately the Mets playoff chances.

Tudor would continue his mastery in both the NLCS and the World Series. He would take a hard luck loss in the first game of the NLCS, but would come back and earn a win in the now infamous “tarp” game in Game Four. Tudor would also throw two impressive games in the World Series, winning Game One and throwing a shutout in Game Four. He would be the unfortunate victim in Game Seven, but we will be talking more about that later in the week.

Danny Cox (18-9, 2.88 ERA, 10 CG, 4 SHO, 241 IP)
After an impressive start to his career in 1983, Danny Cox had become inconsistent in 1984, sometimes relying on his fastball a bit too much. Occasionally he had to be reminded that he had three other pitches, that honestly were much better than his heater. He had shown that he might be an inning eater on the mound, and it was hoped that he would take the next step in 1985. He did that, and more.

Never really going into a prolonged slump, Cox would throw a career game on May 31 against Cincinnati. He would take a perfect game into the 8th inning, against former Cardinal John Stuper. Cox would only give up two singles in that inning, before finishing strong and earning a shutout.

More important than that near-perfect game, as Joaquin Andujar faded late in the season, Cox became the other big game guy, eating up a ton of innings and giving his team a chance to win in nearly every start.

Cox would extend his reputation as a big game pitcher in the postseason. He would throw a gem and earn the win in NLCS Game Three, the first win against the Dodgers. He was also ready to go in case there was a Game Seven, but Jack Clark and Ozzie Smith put an end to things before we got that far. With Andujar’s continued struggles, Cox took over the number two spot in the rotation for the World Series, with Andujar moving down to number three. He would throw a gem in Game Two, keeping the Royals damage limited to just two runs. Ken Dayley would earn the victory in relief, but it was Cox throwing inning after inning of zeros that made that possible. And speaking of throwing zeros, the infamous Game Six blown call overshadowed another brilliant performance by Cox. What wasn’t known at the the time was that the big right hander was in considerable pain while he threw all of those innings. Big game pitcher, indeed.

Arm troubles and freak injuries would impact the rest of his career, but in 1985, Danny Cox was a big time pitcher.

Bob Forsch (9-6, 3.90 ERA, 3 CG, 1 SHO, 2 SV, 136 IP)

Bob Forsch

One of the questions entering spring training, the elder statesman of the pitching staff showed still had some game left in his right arm. He would start the season as the fifth starter, but would struggle early on. He would bounce between the bullpen and rotation until mid-June when he was permanently assigned as the right handed long reliever. With John Tudor, Danny Cox and Joaquin Andujar pitching well, Whitey Herzog went with a 4 man rotation for most of the summer. As Andujar started to fade in August, Forsch was put back into the rotation and he responded with some of his best pitching of the year. He would win five of his last six decisions, running his record on the season to 9-6. He would also throw a masterful 4 hit shutout against the Philadelphia Phillies in September when the team really needed a win.

In a bit of an unusual move, Herzog would keep Forsch in the rotation for both the NLCS and World Series. He would get one start in each, but not pitch particularly well in either. Maybe if Andujar had been more effective, Herzog might have gone with a three man rotation, but he wasn’t and Forsch was given the ball.

The dean of the staff would catch a second win after the 1985 season and turn in two more solid season, nearly all as a starter. His biggest contribution in this period would come in the 1987 NLCS when he plunked the notorious Jeffery Leonard. That woke up the Cardinals and they turned the series around, eventually winning in seven games.

Kurt Kepshire (10-9, 4.75 ERA, 153 1/3 IP)

Two words describe the season Kurt Kepshire had in 1985. Jeckyll and Hyde. You never knew from one game to the next, which Kepshire you would get. One of them might only last an inning, putting a terrible strain on the bullpen. The other might take a shutout into the 8th inning.

To appreciate how frustrating this was, you just need to look at the game against the Phillies on August 10. Kepshire gives up a home run to Von Hayes in the first inning, which is not necessarily the makings of a bad outing. When the Cardinals score 4 runs the next inning, the young right hander responds with two walks and an RBI single. Herzog immediately removes Kepshire in favor of Rick Horton. Horton goes on to throw a gem, finishing the game with 8 innings of relief. The Cardinals offense would explode and make this a laugher, to every but Kepshire and Herzog. He would follow that poor performance up with a brilliant 8 inning game against Pittsburgh, only to have an early exit in his next start. He would take the next game into the eighth inning with another win, but leave after 1 inning the next game. After two bad starts on September 9 and 14, Kepshire would be moved to the bullpen for the remainder of the season, and only used in a mop-up capacity. He would also be left off the post-season roster, in favor of another bat to supplement an ailing Jack Clark.

Bullpen

While the starting rotation sorted itself out rather quickly, the bullpen was the exact opposite. In a move that surprised everybody in Cardinals Nation, Bruce Sutter signed a big free agent contract with the Atlanta Braves. While he maintained early on that it was his best chance to return to post season, everybody knew that it was the size and length of the contract that lured him out of St. Louis and down to Dixie.

While that move proved to be disastrous for Sutter, it left a huge hole in the bullpen that needed to be filled. For the last three years, the starting rotation has been just the opening act for the Bruce Sutter show. Now, Herzog and Roarke found themselves in need of a closer. And quickly. Or a Plan B.

Jeff Lahti (5-2, 1.84 ERA, 19 SV, 68 1/3 IP)

The hard throwing and fidgety Jeff Lahti was the first choice as a closer. The problem for the Cardinals was that he had been experiencing severe neck and back troubles throughout spring training, and that bled over into the start of the regular season. As a result, Herzog would go with a “Bullpen by Committee”, using a combination of Lahti, when healthy, and left hander Ken Dayley. It was hoped that Neil Allen would be a part of that, but his troubles continued until he was finally sent to the Yankees for a player to be named later, which turned out to be just some cash to offset the bulk of his huge contract that the Cardinals ate in the deal.

As for Lahti, he was absolutely brilliant in a Ryan Franklin way. He would post a 5-2 record with 19 saves. It was his low ERA, under 2 runs per game, that made people take notice. The problem was that he was wasn’t striking out a lot of batters, and a pitch to contact type hurler could be a scary thing in the postseason, when the opposition gets to see you night after night. All of this would sort itself out in late August, but that is the story of another hurler.

Lahti would pitch two scoreless innings in the NCLS, earning a win in Game Three. He would not fare so well in the World Series as Kansas City would light him up. He would develop arm troubles after this and would only throw 2 1/3 more innings as a major leaguer.

Ken Dayley (4-4, 2.76 ERA, 11 SV, 65 1/3 IP)

Ken Dayley had been one of the best gambles in Cardinals history. Originally a starter in the Atlanta system, and an unimpressive one at that, the Cardinals picked up the quirky left hander midway through the 1984 season. The Cardinals put him in the bullpen, and that’s when the career of Ken Dayley took off. He had absolutely electric stuff. His fastball was overpowering, and his curve was as good as anybody in the game. Left handed hitters feared him, and righties weren’t exactly thrilled to face him either.

For most of 1985, Dayley and Lahti would alternate as closers, with the other being the setup man. Dayley’s vast repertoire of pitches allowed him to be used for longer outings, not quite long relief, but a three inning save was not out of the question.

If Dayley was good in the regular season, he was super-human in postseason. He would appear in 9 games, for a total of 12 innings. He would not surrender a single run in either series.

Dayley would undergo Tommy John surgery after the 1986 season. He would come back even stronger than before, and in an amazing 7 months. His fastball had more life and his curve had even more bite. He would continue to pitch well for the Cardinals for the rest of the decade, and would nearly duplicate his postseason domination again in 1987.

Todd Worrell (3-0, 2.91 ERA, 5 SV, 21 2/3 IP)

The experiment with the “Bullpen by Committee” would all come to an end on August 28. Three days before the postseason roster eligibility deadline, Dal Maxvill gambled and called up a young hard throwing right hander named Todd Worrell. He had been looking for another bullpen arm, and had tried Pat Perry, Joe Boever, and there was even talk of Doug Bair coming back (in a Jeff Suppan kind of way). Shortly before his callup, Worrell had been moved from the starting rotation to the bullpen, and he became a totally different pitcher. His control improved, and he started striking out batters at a frightening pace.

That would continue for the rest of the 1985 season, but with the big club. In just 17 appearances, Worrell would earn 5 saves to go with a nice 3-0 record. He wasn’t striking out major leaguers at the same rate as he did in AAA, but that would come soon enough. More than anything else, it gave Herzog a strikeout type of closer and it allowed him to move Ken Dayley into the setup role. And the two were brilliant together. If the starters could get to the sixth inning with a lead, the game was over. And for the times they didn’t, Herzog still had Jeff Lahti, Bill Campbell and Rick Horton to get it there. And they often did just that.

As the bullpen settled in, a pattern started to develop – one that would play itself out in the postseason as well. A good start would get Dayley and Worrell in the end, and a poor start would get Lahti, Campbell and Horton. The problem was that between Danny Cox and John Tudor, there just weren’t that many bad starts in September (and the postseason for that matter).

Worrell would not accumulate enough innings to qualify for Rookie of the Year consideration. That would go to the other super-sub of 1985, Vince Coleman. Worrell would earn those honors with an outstanding full-season performance in 1986.

The big right hander’s biggest moment in postseason would come in Game Five of the NLCS, the now famous “Go Crazy Folks” game. He would combine with Ken Dayley to throw five shutout innings, eventually giving way to Jeff Lahti who would take the win, thanks to Ozzie Smith’s miraculous home run. Worrell was also the pitcher victimized in the infamous blown call in Game Six of the World Series.

Worrell would continue to dominate the National League until developing arm troubles in 1990. He would rehab in the Cardinals farm system, losing two years before returning as a setup man. He would move on to Los Angles where after a few mediocre seasons, he would return to his previous form, leading the league in saves with 44 in 1996. He would pitch one more year with the Dodgers, retiring after the 1997 season.

Bill Campbell (5-3, 3.50 ERA, 4 SV, 64 1/3 IP)

Bill Campbell was the wily veteran in the bullpen and defined the term, journeyman. Soup was a dependable arm out of the bullpen and frequently led the league in appearances. He had logged an incredible number of innings the previous two seasons. The right hander came to the Cardinals as part of a defensive trade when the Cardinals acquired shortstop Ivan DeJesus from the Phillies, in case they were not able to resign Ozzie Smith. Just before the home opener, Smith signed a long term contract, making DeJesus a utility role player for the Cardinals. As it turned out, Campbell was best part of the trade.

As he had done before with the Cubs and Phillies, Campbell became one of the go-to arms out of the bullpen, appearing in nearly the same number of games as Jeff Lahti.

Like Ken Dayley, Campbell was untouched in the NLCS, sporting a cool era of 0.00. He was nearly as good in the World Series, until getting hit hard in relief of John Tudor in Game Seven.

Rick Horton (3-2 2.91 ERA, 1 SV, 89 2/3 IP)

Rick Horton was the unsung hero of the bullpen in 1985. He didn’t have the flash of Ken Dayley, the quirkiness of Lahti or the electric stuff of Todd Worrell. But he methodically went about his business and excelled in each role he was asked to perform. To begin the season, he was the long reliever, which meant a lot of appearances in Kepshire and Forsch starts. He continued to rack up lots of quality innings. When Kurt Kepshire was eventually removed from the starting rotation in September, Horton would take his place. That seems somehow fitting as it was Horton relieving him most of the season.

Next Up

Now that we have looked at the two teams lineups and pitching staffs, it is time to look more into a few of the individual performances.

Bob Netherton covers Cardinals history for i70baseball.com and writes at Throatwarbler’s Blog. You may follow Bob on Twitter here or on Facebook here.

This past week I was fortunate enough to attend a new event at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals hosted an event known as “Social Media Night”, inviting bloggers, internet writers, Twitter followers, Facebook fans, and even guys like me to come down and rub elbows with team officials, beat writers, and each other.

Bill Ivie and Derrick Goold

It has been a long time since I attended a game with so much anticipation. Driving to St. Louis, I kept fans of the site updated on my progress as we came closer to the stadium and the event. My Twitter account was bombarded with well wishes, invitations to meet up during the event, and some jealousy from those who could not make it.

Attending with me was fan of the site Greg Dowler, BaseballDigest.com’s Matt Wilson and i70baseball.com’s Justin Hulsey. We settled into our table front and center to listen to the likes of John Mozeliak, Matthew Leach, Derrick Goold, and representatives from Skorch, an agency that helps companies with their social media presence.

My first opinion and comment here is to thank the St. Louis Cardinals for organizing this event. It was informative, fun, light-hearted, and entertaining. While there were some minor flaws, I think the organization is doing a great job reaching out to the fanbase and showing some appreciation to people who keep the team at the forefront of a lot of people’s minds. They have expressed an interest in making this an annual event and I fully believe that it will allow them to build on the success of this year’s event.

Bill Ivie and Matthew Leach

All that being said, after listening to the guest speakers and shaking a few hands, I had the opportunity to rub elbows with some people I admire and look up to. When the Cardinals formed the event, I am sure they expected a swarm of internet pundits to gather around the speakers they had lined up and embrace the opportunity to speak with some of the team’s executives. I am not saying I did not take the opportunity to meet Matthew Leach, Derrick Goold, and Terry Rodgers among others; we had some very good conversations and made some great contacts. In this instance, however, my mind was set to get face to face with the people I drove four hours to see.

You see, I spend most of my days reading the same sites you probably do. I bounce around the Cardinal “blogosphere” and read the various sites and voices every morning, placing my finger on the pulse of the fans and being entertained by some of the most creative people out there.

Daniel Shoptaw, the “godfather” of the United Cardinal Bloggers, worked very hard and very closely with the Cardinals and Fox Sports Midwest in order to achieve this gathering. Because of this, he and Nick (PitchersHitEighth.com) and Mike Metzger (StanMusialsStance.com) were invited as guests of Fox Sports. You can read Daniel’s account of his amazing day over at his site, C70 At The Bat.

While the majority of us sat and listened to John Mozeliak answer questions, Leach and Goold tell us how much Twitter has changed the game of journalism, and the other speakers, the UCB guys were still busy with Fox Sports. The real goal and focus of the event became apparent as a low murmur rolled through the seats during the event as Shoptaw, Nick, and Metzger emerged and arrived in the area set aside for the evening’s festivities. While everyone in attendance enjoyed listening to the speakers that the team had arranged for all of us, most of us were truly there to meet each other for the first time.

As the event came to a close, the opportunity I was waiting for had finally arrived. I shook hands and posed for pictures with the United Cardinal Bloggers. I talked baseball, New Media, and internet radio with Daniel Shoptaw, Justin Adams, and Tom Knuppel. I got the opportunity to meet Cadence, the new Diamond Diaries lady. I put faces with names and voices with words for the first time in years of reading their work. We shook hands, we took pictures, we settled in to watch a Cardinal victory and we began talking like old friends. I felt like I had known these people for years and immediately connected with them like we simply had not seen each other in a long time.

L-R Front row: Pip, Fungoes Second row: Joe, The McBrayer-Baseball Blog; Nick, Pitchers Hit Eighth; Justin, i70baseball; Daniel, C70 At The Bat; Bill, i70baseball; Tom, CardinalsGM Back row: Chris, Bird Brained; Mike, Stan Musial's Stance; Matt, Baseball Digest; Justin, Rising Redbirds (and others); Steve, Play A Hard Nine

Social Media, New Media, Email, Phone Calls, whatever medium had introduced us all, it was baseball that gave us a bond and baseball that held us all together.

A very heartfelt thanks to the St. Louis Cardinals for putting together an event that I hope to be a part of for years to come.

Special thanks to Matt Wilson from Baseball Digest for taking over for me the last couple weeks while I was on vacation.

With two weeks remaining in the season the Cardinals take to the road. They travel to Florida on Monday for a make-up game, then on to Pittsburgh and Chicago for a three games series each respectively. Here are some Cardinals that must be in your lineup till seasons end.

Albert Pujols batted .292 with four home runs and 10 RBI’s over the last 11 games. Even though the batting average may not be where we are used to seeing it, he is still doing enough to be active in all fantasy formats. On the season Pujols is batting .308 with 39 home runs and 107 RBI’s while scoring 104 runs. He has batted .340 with eight home runs and 19 RBI’s against this week’s opponents.

Matt Holliday is currently on an 11 game hitting streak. During this streak, he is batting .439 with two home runs, 11 RBI’s and scoring seven runs. He is having another solid second half which fantasy owners have grown to love and expect. Against this week opponents he is batting .366 with two home runs and 16 RBI’s. No reason to expect anything less from Holliday for the final two weeks. He should be active in all fantasy formats.

Colby Rasmus hit his 23^rd home run Sunday against San Diego and has shown he has returned to early season form. This month he is batting .371 with four home runs and 10 RBI’s while scoring 14 runs. He remains a viable option for the final two weeks.

Adam Wainwright dominating stuff returned Sunday against San Diego. He recorded his 19^th win on the season. He struck out seven, walked three, and allowed one earned run through eight innings. Wainwright lowered his season ERA to 2.45. He is scheduled to pitch Friday against Chicago. His last outing against the Cubs on September 14^th, he took the loss while allowing five earned runs and striking out eight. Despite not being as dominate as he was earlier, Wainwright should be active in all formats until seasons end.

Chris Carpenter is scheduled to pitch Monday at Florida and Saturday at Chicago making him a two start pitcher this week. He allowed 11 earned runs in his last two starts and has lost three of last four. He has 15 wins and a 3.21 ERA this season. Since Carpenter is a two start pitcher for the week, he should be a must start option.

No other Cardinals are worth being active to give your fantasy team the help you need for the final two weeks. Best of luck and hope you had a successful fantasy baseball season.

Special thanks to Matt Wilson from Baseball Digest for taking over for me the last couple weeks while I was on vacation.

With two weeks remaining in the season the Royals take to the road and will travel to Detroit for a three game series and Cleveland for a four game series. Here are a few Royals which could be fantasy options for the week.

Zach Greinke is scheduled to pitch Monday against Detroit and Sunday against Cleveland making him a two start pitcher this week. Last year he had one of the best statistical seasons a pitcher could have. It was so good that it was almost unsustainable for any pitcher. Greinke obviously has not been the caliber of pitcher he was last year but he has been a quality fantasy option. His last four starts he is 1-1 with an ERA of 4.33 and 1.306 WHIP. He struck out 16 in those starts while walking 13. In five starts this season against the Indians and Tigers he has a record of 2-0 with an ERA of 3.36. Continue to roll with Greinke for the final two weeks.

Joakim Soria is the bright spot for the Royals this season. He has been one of the top closers. Soria has not given up a run since July 28, which is up to 20 scoreless innings. Soria has converted 39 of 41 save opportunities. On the season, he has a 1.62 ERA with 67 strikeouts through 61 innings. Hopefully the Royals will need his services over the final two weeks to give your team some saves.

Billy Butler is having his most productive month of the season while raising his batting average to .318. Over the last 10 games he is batting .378 with three home runs and knocking in eight RBI’s. Butler is not the typical power hitting first baseman or designated hitter but he is putting together a nice season. Keep in mind he is only 24 years old and could break out the power stroke within a couple years. Butler should be active in most fantasy formats. He should continue to hit well this week. This season against the Tigers and Indians he is batting .392 with one home run and 17 RBI’s through 27 games.

Alex Gordon is still not worth starting in any league. Over the last 11 games, he is batting .265 with one home run and three RBI’s. He is worth holding onto because of his upside. Gordon has enough talent to be among the possible breakout list of players who will turn 27 next season.

No other Royals are worth giving your fantasy team the help you need for the final two weeks. Best of luck and hope you had a successful fantasy baseball season.

Scott Yerbic is still out on vacation, but Matt Wilson has graciously stepped in again from BaseballDigest.com to bring you this week’s Fantasy Report.

The year is winding down. If you are wrapping up a playoff run, keep an active eye on your roster and finish strong. Here is a look at the Cardinals this week:

The Cards return home this week where they sport a 43-24 record. The Cubs come into town for the last time this season followed by the San Diego Padres.

Adam Wainwright will be a two-time starter this week. Wainwright is 11-2 at Busch this season with a 1.52 ERA. You are going to start the Cy Young candidate no matter where he pitches but you will want him going this week for sure, especially since he’s snapped the four game losing streak and vowed “to never lose again this year.”

The good news for the Cardinals offense is they are scheduled to face only one lefty starter this week in Cory Luebke. Luebke has had a solid year in the minors with good control. He did not fair so well in his debut against Colorado but did nicely against the Dodgers (6 IP, 7 K).

Who’s Hot and Who’s Not:

HOT:

Matt Holliday has gone 12-35 in his last 10 games with 3 HR and 10 RBI. He has received a bad rap at times this year, possibly due to his .263 AVG with runners in scoring position. Yet, Matt has already posted better power numbers than his previous two seasons.

Albert Pujols snapped out of a mini-slump and went 7-23 in Milwaukee and through three games in Atlanta with 2 HR and 6 RBI.

Colby Rasmus exploded Thursday night going 4-4 with 2 HR and 4 RBI. He is playing everyday even though he still struggles against lefties (.255 AVG). He is hitting .407 for the month of September. For what it’s worth, the two teams Rasmus has struggled the most against this season are Chicago and San Diego. They are small sample sizes (25 AB) but in his short career he has only hit .185 (12-65) versus the Cubs. Perhaps they know how to pitch to him.

Kyle McClellan is having a career year as a late inning man this season. He has not surrendered a run in his last 8 appearances and if your league counts holds he has added value. While his strikeout rates are not phenomenal (7.27 K/9) he is posting his best K/BB ratio at a great rate of 2.89. Like any reliever, he is going to hit a bump in the road from time to time but he is also a solid guy who can contribute to your team.

NOT:

Jon Jay is hitting an empty .233 in the last 30 days. August 11th his average was .372. He now sits at .315. The only upside at this time is that his OBP still is in the .370′s, which translates to run scoring opportunities in front of Pujols and Holliday.

Pedro Feliz is abysmal hitting .222 with the Cardinals and has been pinch hit for late in games. Hopefully your third base situation does not stink so bad that you would have to consider Feliz.

Scott Yerbic is still out on vacation, but Matt Wilson has graciously stepped in again from BaseballDigest.com to bring you this week’s Fantasy Report.

The Royals had a tough week getting swept in Minnesota and only winning Saturday against the White Sox. Here is what to look for this week:

Billy Butler has been battling a bruised right hand for about two months. He aggravated that injury on a hard grounder hit by Dernard Span in the Minnesota series. He missed the game Wednesday and had an off day Thursday but was back in there against the White Sox over the weekend. He appears to be playing through it, so he should be fine going forward this week.

After a shellacking by the Twins this week, Ned Yost has decided to move Brian Bannister to the bullpen. Bruce Chen will retain his spot in the rotation.

Who’s Hot and Who’s Not:

Hot:

In his last 10 games Alex Gordon has hit .294 with 2 HR and 7 RBI. Patience may really start to pay off with Gordon even though it appears his 15 SB a year potential is now gone. He has progressed in cutting down his strikeouts as his career has continued. He is swinging at fewer pitches outside the zone and making better contact on those pitches he does swing at that are outside the zone. The indicators are that Gordon is still learning. He is now 26, which puts him in his prime for a possible breakout next season.

Technically, we should call Kila Ka’aihue almost hot. But when a guy’s season average sits at .211, it’s good to look at his last 10 to see that he has hit .290, scored 6 runs with a HR and 5 RBI. He is horrible hitting against lefties (.103) and continues to sit against them. Oakland will be throwing back-to-back left-handers but Yost has stated that he will start Ka’ aihue this next week. The rest of the week should be a lock for Kila to get some AB’s going against righties.

Kyle Davies has had two nice starts in a row while working 6 IP and giving up 1 ER in each start. He will look to continue that while facing Cleveland. He is a much better pitcher at home than on the road by more than a full run. In his two starts versus the Indians this season he’s thrown 12 IP with an ERA of 3.65. Davies struggle continues to be his control. He may be worth a flyer if you are in need of a spot starter as the Indians coming into town with a .246-team batting average.

Brayan Pena had a great week on the road and is hitting .412 in his last 10 raising his average from .195 to .252. His zone command has been great as he strikes out only 15% of the time (league average is 20%). Do not expect a lot of power, but he appears to be a bat that w ill not hurt your average going forward.

Not:

Mike Aviles has 12 hits in his last 51 at bats (.235) and is sharing time at 2B with Chris Getz. At this point, unless you are scrapping to find some speed, neither is worth owning as they are taking away the other’s contribution to your fantasy roster.

Wilson Betemit had a nice game Saturday in Chicago going 3-4. However, he has been stuck in a worse slump than Aviles going 12-61 (.196). He started out hot this season but has been a steady decline. If you rode him while he was hot, do not be afraid to cut bait (career .265 hitter) and look at someone who is swinging the stick better than him.

The Royals are committed to a long-term look at Sean O’Sullivan. I am not sure why, as he has not shown any real evidence of putting things together since pitching in A ball back in 2007. O’Sullivan is young (23) and it looks like the Royals want to make use of him at the Major League level while he is young. He may sharpen out to be a reliable #4 in his career, but you will want to stay away while he figures out how to pitch at this level.

Scott Yerbic is on vacation this week, so we reached out to our parent site, BaseballDigest.com, who kindly sent us a temporary fill in with Matt Wilson to bring you this week’s Fantasy Report.

Though the Royals are looking toward the future, there are a few guys to watch for this week on your fantasy radar.

After surgery on his rotator cuff, Jason Kendall will miss the remainder of the season. Brayan Pena and Lucas May (acquired in the Scott Posednik deal with the Dodgers) will share the catching duties but neither will hold much value down the stretch. Pena has the better eye of the two while May has flashed some pop in the minors this season (40 extra base hits). May has the better upside of the two offensively but his defense has been erratic.

Mitch Maier may benefit a bit from the Kendall injury. He will slide into the second spot in the lineup. Royals hitting coach, Kevin Seitzer explained that he fit the two-hole best of everyone on the team. Seitzer keeps a detailed situational hitting report, and Maier has an even better rating than Kendall at that spot in the lineup. The biggest impact will be in the Runs column and of course seeing some better pitches by batting in front of Billy Butler.

Butler is a must start in all formats. He has had struggles at Target Field and with the Twins starters he’ll face there this week, but with a career mark near .300 Butler is a solid start. He also has hit .429 in his last 7 games. The only question with Butler is where has the power gone? Many anticipated improvement from the 21 HR he hit a year ago. Instead, he has regressed. The 24 year-old has taken some nice strides at the plate striking out less and walking more. It may just be that Butler is a 15-20 HR guy for now with a possible breakout coming in the next couple years. With an average in the .300’s and the power potential, I’ll take it and so should you.

With the Royals visiting the Twins and White Sox this week, it would be hard to justify starting anyone in their rotation outside of Zach Greinke. Even Greinke has struggled against the Twins at Target Field this season posting two losses and a 7.20 ERA in his two starts there. His last start against the Twins he was shelled surrendering 6 runs in the first inning and 8 through four innings in a 19-1 shellacking. Last season, I would never try to talk you out of starting Greinke. This season, I’d at least think about it. There are lots of numbers I’m not liking here, but since I’ve pointed that out I’m sure he’ll respond by throwing a “no-no.”

There are guys who should stay on your radar in keeper leagues. Alex Gordon is hard to give up on. Mike Moustakas is the leading name on the list of Royals to like in 2010. He will compete for the 3B job next spring. He was awarded the George Brett Hitter of the Year honor this last week. His minor league line this season: .326 with 34 HR and 120 RBI between AA and AAA. He won’t get a call-up this September but if your league allows you to claim minor leaguers he’s one to keep in mind.

Scott Yerbic is on vacation this week, so we reached out to our parent site, BaseballDigest.com, who kindly sent us a temporary fill in with Matt Wilson to bring you this week’s Fantasy Report.

The Cardinals are still trying to cling on to hope of making the playoffs. Here’s a look at the fantasy matchups for this week:

Colby Rasmus finally returned to the field last week after a calf strain. He’s a concern for consistent playing time with LaRussa’s penchant to sit him against lefties and of course the soap opera between the two. However, LaRussa stated recently that Rasmus, “is the best fifth place hitter we’ve got.” With the Card facing three left-handers this week in Chris Narveson, Chris Capuano, and Mike Minor, you may want to sit Rasmus if you have a better option.

Jake Westbrook is the only guaranteed two-time starter this week but will not have it easy matching up against Yovanni Gallardo and Tom Hanson. If Kyle Lohse fares well at Milwaukee he could go again Sunday against Atlanta’s Tim Hudson, but I do not know why I’m really discussing Lohse because if you are starting him at this point, you’ve got major fantasy issues.

Even though Adam Wainwright has lost his last four outings, you have to continue to think that he will right his ship. He has had two starts at Turner Field with a 1.80 ERA.

Albert Pujols has a career .333 against Gallardo, .556 average off Capuano with 3 HR in 27 AB, .429 with 2 HR in 7 AB against Narveson, .200 against Jurrjens, .435 vs. Hudson and has not faced Minor or Hanson. You don’t need me to tell you to start Pujols but the Milwaukee trip (career .451 AVG at Miller Park) may help him snap out of a recent little funk (4 hits in his last 28 ABs).

Yadier Molina has hit .305 in his last 30 days bringing his average up a bit. He’s a Catcher that will not hurt you in the average column right now and has had a little pop at Miller Park (5 of his 40 career HR) and has hit .333 at Turner Field.

Matt Holliday has continued his consistency this year and has hit well in both ballparks on this road trip – .426 at Miller Park and .452 at Turner field.

It may be as early as Tuesday for the Cardinals to get reinforcements with Allen Craig and Tyler Greene getting added to the roster. With the Cardinals in a stretch of 20 games straight they may get playing time but neither packs enough punch to warrant a roster spot.