The St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs began the newest chapter in one of sport’s greatest rivalries on Tuesday. While the Cardinals entered the series with National League’s best record and riding a six-game win streak that ran completely over the Brewers, in series between these two clubs, anything can happen…and it actually did. The Cubs entered with an opposite record and place in the NL Central, yet when the series started everybody was on equal ground as usual between these two teams.

The series played out to show that equality as well, as the two clubs split the mid-week series, and played two intense games that took some timely baseball to work out and win. In the end, both games were won on the backs of each club’s closer-of-the moment, as well as some tight relief pitching, as well as by a grand total of one run in club’s favor. Yet the Cardinals survived their brush with their oldest rivals, and still sit with the best record in baseball. Here are three factors that made that possible:

1. Lynn’s Strange Start: Lance Lynn took the mound on Tuesday night riding more momentum than anybody else on the club. He was the winner of five straight contests, and was looking to win his NL-best sixth contest already. He also entered the start as a beneficiary of just over eight runs of support per game, a league-best level of assistance. After Allen Craig’s second inning home run, the Cardinals failed to score another run. The one run was the lowest amount of support he’d received since September 13^th last year, a 2-1 game that ended in his favor.

This time the game didn’t end on his side, as he dropped his first start since April 3^rd despite the fact he surrendered only two runs off four hits over seven innings. By not gaining the victory, he failed to match the longest winning streak by a Cardinals pitcher since Chris Carpenter in 2011.

2. Yadi giveth and taketh away: One of the oddest (or at least telling) turns of the Cardinal approach over the past few years is that Yadier Molina is among the most active base runners on the team. Despite his obvious lack of natural deftness, he has managed to steal at least eight bases in three of the last four seasons, including 12 a year ago. His trip to Chicago was a showing in both crapping and cashing out with gambles on the bases for him. In game one, in the midst of an eighth inning comeback, he followed a single up by stealing second with two outs. However, then after nearly being picked off on a long lead based on inducing a balk from the sometimes erratic Marmol, he took too far of a lead was cleanly picked off after the next pitch, ending the inning and the Cardinal hopes for the evening.

The next day, his footwork made the deciding difference. In a similar situation to the night before, Molina found himself back at second, but this time Jon Jay came through with a single into center field, where Molina turned the corner at third and scored the game’s final run. The gambling man continues to pay out…even if it’s just breaking even.

3. Who’s the Man(ess): Recently promoted righty Seth Maness has wasted no time in making an impact with the big club, and has done so under pressure each time out. He has produced game-saving, eighth inning double plays in both of his last two times on the mound, and has taken home the win in two of his first three appearances. He recorded the last five outs of Wednesday’s game, and has retired seven of the eight batters he’s faced. He has been a major factor in steadying the late game situations that sank the club repeatedly over the first month, and is doing a lot to make his first cup coffee up count.

As our look around the Cardinals’ system, from the roof to the basement continues, we’ll move onto catcher, where the club is in a familiar situation. In Yadier Molina, the direction of the team is set with perhaps the face of the entire organization, yet even in as secure of a situation has there is, there still have to be contingencies. So what is the scenario behind Yadi? And is the future potentially as certain as the immediate past and present has been? Here’s how the current situation for the Cardinals’ backstops is playing out.

St. Louis: The scene is set with the big league squad, and isn’t changing for a while. Molina is arguably the best catcher in baseball currently. Since inheriting the job from now manager Mike Matheny in 2005, he’s grown into the best defensive player in baseball, a winner of five consecutive Gold Gloves and two Platinum Gloves as well. His bat has also began to rise up the level of his prodigious defense as well, has he has hit .310 over the past three seasons. This balance helped him finish fourth in the National League MVP vote a year ago. At 31, he’s the cornerstone of the team, and is an unapproachable role as the team’s top catcher.

Although the opportunities behind Molina are sparse, Tony Cruz made a solid impact in his part-time work and is a fairly good athlete. He’s in a good position to hold the spot for a while, as he is low cost, young and has an ability to play other positions if needed.

High Minors: At Memphis, the club currently has some veteran backstops stashed to provide depth, and most importantly, help groom the young arms reaching the brink of St. Louis. Rob Johnson and J.R. Towles are currently lining up behind the plate. While neither is much more than an extreme fallback option in case of an injury to Molina or Cruz, Johnson did perform well in the spring.

At Double-A Springfield, 26-year- old Audry Perez has been the part-time backstop for two years, splitting the duties three ways in 2011. While not a major prospect, in five seasons through the organization, he has hit .275.

Low Minors: Cody Stanley and Jesus Montero are the prime talents at the Class-A level, both at Palm Beach currently. A former pitcher, Montero the 21-year-old hit .308 at Low-A Batavia in 33 games a year ago. Of all the catchers in the system currently, he has among the best chances of breaking through into St. Louis. While he projects favorably, but needs to get healthy to starve off his teammate this season, Cody Stanley. The 24-year-old is hitting .250, with a home run and two triples, and while he isn’t a great threat to make an impact in St. Louis, he can be a solid player in the minors.

Steve Bean, the team’s second round pick a year ago, showed some potential as well. He split his first professional year at Johnson City and the GCL Cardinals at the Rookie level. After a slow start at Johnson City, he hit .320 in 50 plate appearances in the Gulf Coast League, and at only 19 years old, he has a decent amount promise to still deliver on. He’ll continue in the GCL when season play starts June 21.

Prognosis: In a lot of ways, it’s really Yadi and then everybody else. And while that would be the case regardless of the talent behind him, it’s a rather extreme difference. From veteran backups to young, but one-dimensional prospects, there’s not a clear player that is “next” in the organization right now. While Cruz is talented, he’s not displayed himself to be a candidate for much more of a role than he carries now, for any club. And while Montero and Bean are showing potential, they are some way off from being even among the better players in the system as whole. So for the time being, in Molina’s value is even greater than is seen daily, just due to how much taller he is than the pool he’s standing in.

I am not sure I have encountered a Major League Hall Of Famer that can work a crowd and a room better than Lou Brock.

Over All Star Weekend, I took the opportunity Sunday morning to attend FanFest at Bartle Hall in Kansas City.  The highlight of the schedule, for me, was question and answer sessions with two Hall Of Famers, Andre Dawson and Lou Brock.  The sessions were each 30 minutes long and open to anyone in attendance that wanted to come in and listen.

Dawson was one of my father’s favorite players and a Hall Of Famer that I can attest to having seen play myself.  ”The Hawk” was frank, answered many questions, and was straight forward and candid with his responses.  It was a legitimate look at baseball north of the border, on astroturf, and throughout baseball.  It was not until after Dawson spoke and Brock took center stage that I realized the stark differences.

Lou came into the room to the obvious chants of “Lou” that resounded like boos from the crowd.  He smiled and waved, took his seat and handled questions from the interviewer and then from the crowd.  One fan preceded his question by telling Brock that his son was named Lou after the great basestealer.  The fan’s young son, who was maybe twelve, was with him and Brock invited his namesake to come stand next to him while he answered the young man’s father’s question.  He talked with the young man like he was answering the question just for him, played him up to the crowd for another loud “Lou” response, and sent a family home with a memory they will never forget.

Lou told stories and gave technical advice on base running.  He explained how he got jumps off of pitchers and how he taught young ball players to square up quickly.

He was asked near the end of his interview to compare current Cardinal catcher Yadier Molina to someone from his era.

“Johnny Bench.  The way that Yadi has learned to hit the ball at this point in his career, Johnny Bench is a completely fair comparison.”

One fan asked about Lou’s first All Star Game, his thoughts and memories from that game.  Lou responded (paraphrased):

I arrived early because I did not want to be seen as “big time”.  The last thing I wanted was to arrive when Willie Mays was arriving, I was young and did not want to show disrespect.  The game started at 3:00 p.m., so I got to the stadium at about 9 a.m. that morning.  I was the only one in the clubhouse except the young man clubhouse attendant they had there.  I decided, being an All Star, that I could be a little “big time” and I beckoned the kid over and asked him if he would go get me a Coca-Cola.  The young man returned with my Coca-Cola and then introduced himself, “Hi, I’m Tom Seaver”.  He made me pay for that Coke for about 14 seasons.

The crowd, of course, was eating out of Brock’s hands by this point and Brock went on to share personal stories of his friend, mentor, roommate and father figure, Buck O’Neil.  The stories showed a personal side to a relationship that started between a scout and player.  They showed an emotion that I was unaware of.  The demonstrated a bond that was stronger than most knew.  It was touching, funny and engaging.

Another fan marveled at Brock’s base stealing ability and remembered a game that he was in attendance for that Lou Brock stole home.  He asked Lou if he could recall how many times he achieved the feat of stealing home in his career.  Lou’s response did not disappoint.

Once.  I stole home exactly one time in my career.  The lineup that we had was full of guys that were paid to drive in runs.  Once I stole a base and put myself into scoring position, they would yell out at me “STAY THERE”.  While it was a joke sometimes, the one hard fast rule I was given was not to steal home so the guys behind me could continue to drive in runs.

Finally, Brock was asked about pitchers he once faced and what he thought of all of them.  The key to the question was the wording which contained “who did you see the ball well against.”  Brock, deliberate in his delivery, dropped a few names and then gave us a great quote:

“I saw the ball out of Koufax’s hand very well.  Never hit it, though.”

Listening to a player of Brock’s caliber talk about life and baseball made 30 minutes seem like mere seconds.  It was the highlight of a very full Sunday for me and an opportunity I suggest no one ever pass up on.  FanFest gave us all the opportunity to make a personal connection with larger than life figures, and it’s an opportunity I will never forget.

Amid the confusion emanating from a lineup card snafu, catcher Yadier Molina‘s dramatic, game-tying two-run homer in the ninth inning Monday night was somewhat lost in the shuffle. But Molina wasn’t overlooked Tuesday as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Miami Marlins 5-2

Homering for the third game in succession, Molina put the finishing touches on a five-run first inning keyed by two Miami errors by smacking a 3-2 pitch from Carlos Zambrano for a three-run homer.

As the Cardinals extended their winning streak to a season-high five games, their strongest All-Star candidates all had leading roles.

Besides Molina, shortstop Rafael Furcal, in line for his first fans’ election as an All-Star, turned in a remarkable defensive play to take the Cardinals out of a tough spot in the sixth. Furcal snagged left fielder Logan Morrison‘s bad-hop, high-hop smash to his left and dashed to the bag to start an inning-ending double play to help right-hander Kyle Lohse to his seventh victory.

And right fielder Carlos Beltran, a sure All-Star starter, knocked in the Cardinals’ first run of the game with a single in the first inning.

Lohse (7-2) has had four straight starts of at least seven innings.

Molina, showing he is the best all-round catcher in the National League, is just two homers off his season high of 14, achieved last year. “I don’t think about that,” he said. “I think about winning games.”

Manager Mike Matheny said Molina’s offense added to his defense make him “the best in the game” at his position. Matheny said pitchers have so much trust in Molina that “you go into the meetings and some of the guys are snoozing because they know Yadi’s going to take care of them.” Lohse said, “A lot of people are paying attention to what he’s done at the plate. But I don’t remember the last time I shook him off.”

Items of note
–RHP Chris Carpenter, whose throwing session was canceled on Monday when his shoulder felt weak, said he felt stronger on Tuesday. He said that after a couple days of rest he could be cleared to resume throwing again. But he also said he still expected to consult with doctors when the club returns to St. Louis after Wednesday’s game.

–RF Carlos Beltran, who leads the National League in homers with 20, said he had not yet been approached about participating in the Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game and didn’t know if he would accept such an invitation. Chances are that Beltran would accept, though, because he spent seven seasons playing with the Kansas City Royals, hosts of this year’s All-Star Game.

–RHP Kyle Lohse has beaten the Miami Marlins twice in two meetings at the new stadium in Miami. The Cardinals opened this season there with a one-game series. Lohse took a no-hitter into the seventh inning that night and scored a 4-1 victory. “People forget he led the team in wins and ERA last year,” said manager Mike Matheny. “People kind of overlook him a little bit, which is understandable because we’ve had some big-name pitchers who have had big years.”

–3B David Freese, riding a six-game hitting streak, got a scheduled day off. Freese will be back in the lineup on Wednesday night.

–LF Matt Holliday, who had hit .556 (20-for-36) over his last nine games, went hitless but drew two walks and also reached base on a Miami error. Holliday has a good chance of being named an All-Star reserve for the National League.

–SS Rafael Furcal, contributing his strong offensive play after a recent 2-for-39 nosedive, reached base on a single and a walk and scored the Cardinals’ first run. He also made the game’s best defensive play, a double play to end the sixth inning, after fielding Miami LF Logan Morrison’s angry, high-hop smash to his left. “He’s been playing at Gold Glove caliber,” said manager Mike Matheny. “It looked like he just threw his glove in the air, anticipating a high hop.” Said Furcal, “I didn’t have time to get in front of it … that ball was hit so hard.”

BY THE NUMBERS: 8 — Consecutive wins by the Cardinals over the Marlins in the last two seasons, including seven straight in Miami.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “Anytime you give up a ball hit that hard, you aren’t expecting anybody to catch it.” — RHP Kyle Lohse on a stellar double play turned by SS Rafael Furcal to end the sixth inning.

MEDICAL WATCH:

–LHP Jaime Garcia (left shoulder strain) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to June 6. After further examination, it was determined that he has tearing in his rotator cuff. He won’t throw until at least late July and is out until at least mid-August.

–1B Lance Berkman (torn meniscus in right knee) went on the 15-day disabled list May 20. He had arthroscopic surgery May 25, and no ACL damage was found. He might be able to resume baseball activity in late June

The second part of the I-70 Series for 2011 will take place in St. Louis this weekend. The story of two franchises that are both ultimately headed towards winning ways at the same time for the first time in years can be told in many different ways. Series breakdowns and predictions will be made. Here at I-70 Baseball, we plan to weigh the teams against each other in a whole new way.

Thirteen active players on each of the two rosters share a jersey number. As we take a look at the thirteen players for each team, we will decide which player holds an advantage over the other and ultimately come out with our prediction for the winning team based off this obviously scientific formula.

Alex Gordon, LF, KC Royals Gordon is the man set to dominate in 2011, by his own words. He has not exactly let the fans down at this point. A strong batting average, decent home run total, driving runs in at a career best pace and above average fielding have many Royals fans screaming for Gordon in the mid-summer classic.		Yadier Molina, C, St. Louis Cardinals Molina is one of the core members of this franchise. Known primarily for his gold glove caliber defense, Yadi has shown that he has an above .300 quality batting average and should be feared at the plate as well as behind it.
Decision This may be one of the hardest numbers to decide and the two teams have cornerstone players wearing the number 4. The idea here may be to go with the player with the best overall body of work and for that, Molina takes the number 4.
Mitch Maier, OF, KC Royals Maier is a backup outfielder that has seen very little playing time for the Kansas City Royals this season. A strong batting average based on a small sample size, Maier brings little to this argument.		Lance Berkman, OF, St. Louis Cardinals One of the most feared free agent signings in recent memory, Berkman has found a rebirth and youthfulness that many had written off for better times. Berkman has become a core part of the offense and continues to shine.
Decision No brainer on this one, a bench player up against a key component. Give number 12 to the Cardinals as well.
Matt Treanor, C, KC Royals Treanor was picked up late in the offseason to provide exactly what he has become – a defensive, veteran catcher who had a strong handle on the pitching staff. With a young staff, the Royals needed this type of guidance, and they received just that.		Jon Jay, OF, St. Louis Cardinals Jay was the reason the franchise felt Ryan Ludwick was expendable in 2010. By 2011, Jay was the reason the Cardinals signed Lance Berkman. A strong outfielder that plays well when not overexposed, Jon Jay is a key contributor when used properly.
Decision A battle between players that are not used everyday makes decisions hard. However, Jay has become a central part of both the Cardinals offense and defense. Number 15 is in the Cards.
Jeff Francis, SP, KC Royals Francis has many Royals fans wondering why he is in the rotation. He has surrendered a league worst 104 hits and boasts a 3-6 record.		Kyle Lohse, SP, St. Louis Cardinals For a team without its ace pitcher, Lohse has been one of the reasons the Cardinals find themselves still in contention on some level. A 7-3 record and a sub 3 earned run average will help any team.
Decision I was one of the biggest Lohse detractors the last few years but I will eat my crow, and award the Cardinals the number 26 in this contest.
Brayan Pena, C, KC Royals Pena has been, at times, a bright spot and, at others, a failure. All in all, he has handled the pitching staff well and posted a respectable offensive number for a catcher regarded for his defense.		Tyler Greene, IF, St. Louis Cardinals Greene has been one of those conundrums for the Cardinals. A player that has always performed will in the minors just can’t seem to get it together in the big leagues.
Decision The Royals get a runaway for the number 27. Greene shows no reason to be taking a roster spot as he is the same player as Ryan Theriot, without the bat.
Eric Hosmer, 1B, KC Royals Hosmer represents the future of the franchise for the Royals and has given fans and the team no reason to doubt the future isn’t bright. Hosmer has shown that he is level headed, strong willed, and shows flashes of excellence at the plate and in the field.		Jake Westbrook, SP, St. Louis Cardinals Westbrook was the center piece of the Ludwick deal last season and has had moments where he has proven why. Other times he has made fans wonder. Ups and downs abound despite the fact that he came to the team as a pitcher that was supposed to be consistent in his position.
Decision The Royals fans would kill me if I did not award number 35 to the Royals franchise. Hosmer has a bright future and Westbrook needs to perform at the level the Cardinals acquired him for.
Blake Wood, RP, KC Royals The middle relief pitcher has often been a bright spot for the Royals this season appearing in 23 games already this season. 24 strikeouts to 10 walks (1 intentional) has proven him a stingy pitcher with good stuff.		Mark Hamilton, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals Hamilton represents what the Cardinals minor league system is capable of. A player who is honestly “blocked” in the depth chart, he has serviced well as back up but found most of his time come in pinch hitting or work in lopsided games.
Decision The jury is still out on Hamilton who is not getting enough playing time to make an accurate decision on him. Wood, however is pitching well enough to bring the number 38 home to Kansas City.
Aaron Crow, RP, KC Royals Crow is yet another part of the youth movement of the Royals franchise. Much like Hosmer, Crow is proving why everyone is getting excited. The Royals are showing confidence in the young man and rightfully so, he will be closing games before long.		Trever Miller, RP, St. Louis Cardinals Miller has been another part of the conundrum for Cardinal fans. A pitcher that has dominated in the past suddenly cannot find his way in 2011. Miller is aging and it is starting to show.
Decision Another young arm brings home a number to the west side of the state as Aaron Crow takes the number 43 in our run down.
Luke Hochevar, SP, KC Royals Hochevar leads the Royals in starts and has not performed completely horribly in them, just mildly so. Still, he is eating innings and pitching well enough to keep the Royals happy with his performance, even if the fans are not.		Miguel Batista, RP, St. Louis Cardinals A Non-Roster Invitee, he has pitched horribly. He is known for poetry, fans pray for free agency.
Decision Did anyone think that Hochevar could win a comparison against another pitcher? Neither did I. Of course, calling Batista a pitcher at this point is a bit of a stretch. Number 44 goes to the Royals.
Louis Coleman, RP, KC Royals Another part of that strong middle relief corp for the Royals, Coleman has nailed down a few innings that he has been entrusted with, including the ninth inning a few times.		Kyle McClellan, SP, St. Louis Cardinals McClellan, much like Lohse, deserves a lot of the credit for what the pitching staff has done. Though he had a rough start coming off the disabled list, he has been more than adequate on the mound in his starts.
Decision Kyle McClellan has done nothing more than perform anywhere the team has asked him to, and done so at an above average level each time. Give the number 46 to the team under the arch.
Tim Collins, RP, KC Royals Collins, while not as great as Coleman or Crow, has shown that the youth movement in the bullpen is worth while. At time erratic, he has managed to stay on top of his game and help the team out of many jams.		Skip Schumaker, 2B, St. Louis Cardinals Skip has spent a good portion of the season on the disabled list. On top of which, it appears the franchise no longer looks at him as an every day option at second base. A solid teammate, he is playing out of his position and it has not gotten any better.
Decision Based largely on the inadequacies of Skip Schumaker, the number 55 is heading west to Kauffman Stadium with young Mr. Collins.
Greg Holland, RP, KC Royals The youth movement in the bullpen continues with Holland, who has seen limited time but has impressed with the time he has gotten.		Brian Tallet, RP, St. Louis Cardinals Another player that has seen limited time do to being injured, Tallet has done nothing to prove why he should be trusted in tight ball games.
Decision Two players with small sample sizes, but one has dominated in the short amount of time that he has had. Holland takes the number 56.
Felipe Paulino, SP, KC Royals Paulino has made appearances in four games so far this year, three of them starts, and has no record to show for any of it. He has pitched well and shown solid command, it will take time to determine what his future is in Kansas City.		Fernando Salas, RP, St. Louis Cardinals Salas has proven that the Cardinals have a youth movement of their own going on. The young man has inherited the closer role from Ryan Franklin and done so in stunning fashion.
Decision One of the brightest spots out of the Cardinals bullpen, Salas takes the number 59 back to the east side of the state.

Totaling up the numbers sees the Royals take home seven numbers and the Cardinals only taking home six. The numbers here show the Royals winning the series.

And numbers don’t lie.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Follow him on Twitter here.

After the All Star Break, the Cardinals offense went on a tear, grabbing an eight-game winning streak, a feat the Cardinals had not accomplished since 2004, in the process. The club then followed up that party by being shut out in consecutive games for the first time since 1995.

THE SERIOUS QUESTION:

With all these ups and downs, slumps and streaks, just which Cardinal batters are consistently doing their part and pulling their weight?

TO MAKE IT MORE FUN:

Does size really matter?

This season was promoted to be a slugfest with Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday hitting back-to-back in the lineup. Both Pujols and Holliday are the stereotypical heavy hitter – big guys with massive arms (and big paychecks to boot.)

Then there are the not-so-much-power-hitter type batters. Aaron Miles is small, but has compiled an unexpectedly high batting average since joining the Cardinals two months ago. Brendan Ryan, the Cardinals shortstop who batted .292 last year, has been plagued by unforeseen slumps during the first half of the 2010 season. Brendan has seen his batting average plummet below the Mendoza line (.200) this season, and he was briefly batting below his weight (195 lbs) until Sunday’s game.

Batting your weight is a crucial minimum. Hitting below the Mendoza line is a hazard zone, labeling a player’s offensive production plain awful in Major League standards.

By figuring each player’s batting average based on their bodyweight, we get a look at “Points Per Pound”, or P3. The formula is simple: batting average (without the decimal) divided by weight in pounds.

So which Cardinals give the biggest bang for the hunk?

SETTING THE BAR:

Starting with the golden boys: Matt Holliday and Albert Pujols are surprisingly both hitting at exactly the same P3: 1.30. So the team comparisons began with that number.

Right from the start I was amazed to see a trend develop in this silly numerical adventure. Seven Cardinals batters are all hitting close to Holliday and Pujol’s P3 number of 1.30.

Ryan Ludwick at 1.25

Felipe Lopez gets a 1.31.

Colby Rasmus up a bit at 1.33.

Skip Schumaker hitting at 1.34.

David Freese (before being injured back in June) hit 1.35 P3.

NOT PULLING THEIR WEIGHT:

From there, the numbers began to creep a bit. Yadier Molina, carrying a little more body weight and not hitting quite so well lately, had a P3 number of 1.03 which is very close to lighter weight and Mendoza-flirt Brendan Ryan’s 1.01 P3 number. Nick Stavinoha, currently working his way back on a rehab stint in Memphis, was hitting a 1.06 before his injury. Poor Nick was doomed in this mathematical endeavor by being the heaviest Cardinal on the team. And Jason LaRue was our bottom dweller at 0.94 P3 number because, honestly, he is just not hitting – plus he outweighs Brendan by a dime.

THE OVERACHIEVERS:

Barely beating the P3 gold standard were skinny boys Randy Winn and Tyler Greene at 1.41 and 1.44 respectively. Aaron Miles at 5’8” got a mathematical boost from his smaller build, but his current .321 batting average also upped his overall 1.78 P3 number. However Jon Jay is the shining star, by a landslide. Jay’s P3 number is 1.94, a 50% improvement over Holliday and Pujols’ gold standard.

For those of you who, like me, love to see the big picture:

Of course, the players’ weights listed on the team website may not be as current as the batting averages from July 26th on BaseballReference.com, but I doubt the scientific validity of my “Bang per Hunk” theory will ever be considered legitimate. Nevertheless, in a sport such as baseball that gives us statistics for just about every concept imaginable, sometimes the numbers are just fun to explore.

Could a player such as Albert Pujols with a steady career batting average increase it further by packing on the pounds? I guess the steroid era may have already proven that theory. But it does makes me wonder: Perhaps Brendan Ryan should eat more ice cream in his struggle to break past that pesky Mendoza line?

One more startling revelation: I would only have to bat .150 to get the same P3 number as Holliday and Pujols. Maybe I need an agent? Someone call Scott Boras- I will be working on my swing!

Erika Lynn writes about the Cardinals for i70baseball.com, BaseballDigest.com and at the Cardinal Diamond Diaries blog. You may follow her on Twitter at username @Erika4stlcards or follow Cardinal Diamond Diaries on Twitter here.

The All-Star game gives a chance for baseball’s best players to get together on one field and showcase their talent. This year, the Cardinals are sending five players to the All-Star game: Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, and Matt Holliday. All of these players have had very different first halves this year, ranging anywhere from completely dominant to slightly disappointing. Let’s take a look and see what we can find…

Albert Pujols: This will be Albert’s ninth appearance in the All-Star game in only ten seasons. So far this season he’s hitting a solid .305/.413/.567 (batting, on base, slugging), which is actually low for him when looking at his numbers spread out over his career. His average line for the first half is .325/.422/.617. I would in fact venture to say that these are the lowest his numbers have been at the midway point in the last five years. That’s on the surface. Digging in a little deeper, with runners on base, Albert is hitting .341/.482/.611. That looks significantly more like numbers we are used to seeing. Pull down another level – batting with runners in scoring position. Here we see a slash line of .356/.533/.630, and you can attach 26 hits in 73 at bats to those numbers, as well as tacking on 31 walks. This man really is a machine.

As far as the second half goes, things are actually looking up in terms of what we can hope to see for our MVP first baseman. His two best months over the course of his career are August and September, and overall he has averaged a line of .342/.432/.634 for the second half. Now, Albert has already declined to participate in the Home Run Derby, and after being the face of St. Louis during last year’s break, having his only responsibility being the actual playing in the game might be a welcome relief for him.

Yadier Molina: This is Yadi’s second appearance in six full seasons. He is having a rough year at the plate, however his line of .229/.309/.302 is deceiving, as Yadi has hit into some bad luck. Many have pointed out that he is making solid contact at the plate, but hitting it right at people. His June and July numbers do, however, show a rather prolonged slump. Like Albert, Yadi is coming up much better when batting with runners in scoring position, putting up a much more respectable .265/.370.426 line.

For his career, Yadi doesn’t do a lot of up and down as the season goes on. There is the slightest increase from his first to second half numbers, so slight it’s hardly worth mentioning. Month by month, nothing much changes, with exception to starting slowly in April, then staying on an even keel from May through the end of the season. I expect that some of those hits that have been finding gloves will eventually start finding holes again, and we will see a more consistent hitter to go along with Yadi’s Gold Glove defense in the second half.

Adam Wainwright: This is Adam’s first appearance in five full seasons (four as a starter). Literally every statistic you look at will tell you that this is his best year yet, and last year he was third for the Cy Young award! His ERA of 2.24 is third in the NL, he has four complete games, is second in innings pitched, first in strikeouts, and is giving up fewer hits and walks than in years past. That’s impressive!

Are you ready for the best news? Things get better for Adam in the second half! His ERA goes down, his walk rate goes down, and his strikeouts go up. That’s including the fact that his best first half ever is padding the first half numbers tremendously! This is the first one that really surprised me, because I was not prepared to think that his first half numbers would get any better in the second half. It is going to be an absolute dog fight for the Cy Young this season, and it would be a mistake to think that Adam’s name will not be near the top of the list.

Chris Carpenter: This is Chris’ third appearance in thirteen full seasons. What a deceptive sentence. It is very difficult to look at his career statistics and not cringe, thinking ‘What if?’ It is not easy even trying to compare his career statistics, since he was a very different pitcher in his years with Toronto. What I will say is that in his healthy years in St. Louis, this is a slightly abnormal year. His home run rate is very obviously up (1.1 HR per 9 innings), as are his ERA (3.16) and walks (2.7 per 9). Another number that is elevated is his strikeout rate. This is the highest his strikeout rate has been since his Cy Young winning 2005 season, but the similarities between the two seasons start and end there.

Make no mistake – Chris Carpenter is still having a good year. However, due to his sporadic history, I am struggling to come up with a solid comparison on first and second half statistics. Looking at things year by year did not help either, as his second half in 2009 was better, but his first half in both 2005 and 2006 was the stronger half. For Chris, the safest thing to say might be that as long as he stays healthy, things should look at least as good in the second half as they were in the first.

Matt Holliday: This is Matt’s fourth appearance in seven seasons. A lot has been made of his ‘slow’ start this season. Whether Matt is feeling pressure due to the fact that he signed a record contract with the Cardinals over the winter, he has hit into some bad luck, of he is just having a bad year, it is probably one of the most talked about ‘issues’ of the first half for the team. Truth be told, Matt’s .326 batting average on balls in play is the lowest this year than it has been at any other point in his career. If that corrects itself, his .298/.374/.493 line will move more towards the mean as well.

Do not live under the assumption that Matt Holliday is a second half player, because the splits do not agree with that. It looks more like Matt gets consistently better throughout the months of April through July. He has been getting better this season, while his numbers are still under the ‘normal’ range for Matt by far. Look for things to keep improving as the year goes on, due to the weather continuing to warm up and his continuing to become more comfortable in the grass of Busch.

If I had to make the call, I would say that between the pitchers and hitters listed here, it is more important for the hitters to step up in the second half. It would be ridiculous to ask too much more of either Wainwright or Carpenter to do more than they already have been doing this season. They have both gone out and very rarely left the game without giving the team a strong chance to win. Thinking about how many games the Cardinals have been shut out of this year by pitchers that are getting ripped to shreds by the rest of the league (Looking at you Bud Norris. You started this.), my head starts to hurt. Your ace pitchers should not lose games with 1-0 scores.

I mentioned this on Baseball Digest on Tuesday, but the team has been hit with the injury bug. Combine this with the fact that our hitters have failed to all figure out how to hit at the same time, and things should eventually get better. It will depend on how the bats respond to the heat to see if the Cardinals push for the NL Central crown this year.

Angela Weinhold covers the Cardinals for i70baseball.com, BaseballDigest.com and writes at Cardinal Diamond Diaries. You may follow her on Twitter here or follow Cardinal Diamond Diaries here.