Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

Adam Wainwright, the first pitcher to reach 10 wins this season, is now seeking to become the first to win 11 tonight, as he faces the Cubs in the second game of a four-game series. Wainwright hasn’t beaten the Cubs since 2010; he went 0-1 with a 6.14 ERA against Chicago last season and did not pitch against the Cubs earlier this season.

Before the game tonight, the Cardinals will officially introduce Draft pick-turned-signee Rob Kaminksy, who arrived in town today to take his physical and sign his contract. Kaminsky was selected with the No. 28 overall pick in this month’s Draft. The left-hander recently graduated from high school in New Jersey. You will be able to read more from/about him on cardinals.com this evening.

Down in Memphis, right-hander Michael Wacha will be returning to the mound for his first start since being demoted. The Cardinals gave him an extra two days of rest as they begin trying to find ways to control his workload. Also, Fernando Salas has reported to Memphis to begin his rehab assignment.

CARDINALS LINEUP:

1. Matt Carpenter (2B)
2. Carlos Beltran (RF)
3. Matt Holliday (LF)
4. Allen Craig (1B)
5. Yadier Molina (C)
6. David Freese (3B)
7. Jon Jay (CF)
8. Pete Kozma (SS)
9. Adam Wainwright (RHP)

(more…)

Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

Once again, the pregame story is rain. That seems to have been the case more often than not lately — and I’ve quit my part-time gig as a meteorologist, so I’m not going to begin to predict how this rain may affect tonight’s game. Just stayed tuned. And remember that if this game is played, it will be shown on ESPN and Fox Sports Midwest.

The Cardinals, on the heels of their first series loss since April, welcome the Cubs to town for a four-game series. It marks the first of three visits the Cubs will make to St. Louis. The Cubs come in with an 8-21 mark against NL Central teams, though they are sitting a percentage point above the Brewers in the bottom of the division.

Monday’s starter Travis Wood defeated the Cardinals back on May 7, when he allowed one run on five hits in 6 2/3 innings.

CARDINALS LINEUP:

1. Matt Carpenter (2B)
2. Carlos Beltran (RF)
3. Matt Holliday (LF)
4. Allen Craig (1B)
5. Yadier Molina (C)
6. David Freese (3B)
7. Jon Jay (CF)
8. Pete Kozma (SS)
9. Shelby Miller (RHP)

(more…)

By Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

The Cardinals have wasted no time entering into negotiations with members of their 2013 Draft class. As first reported by MLB.com on Wednesday, the club’s top three picks — LHP Marco Gonzales (No. 19), LHP Rob Kaminsky (No. 28) and SS Oscar Mercado (No. 57) — have agreed to signing bonuses already (click story link for more details on bonus figures). Those deals will be officially announced next week after each of the three completes a physical in St. Louis.

On Thursday, MLB.com learned that three later-round picks — SS Malik Collymore (10th round), RHP Steven Farinaro (11th round) and OF Ricardo Bautista (12th round) are nearing agreements that would earn them bonuses of more than $100,000. There is significance in that, as any player taken after the 10th round who sign for more than $100,000 has that difference added to the team’s pool of Draft funds. This will be the case with Farinaro and Bautista. The slot value assigned to the Cardinals’ 10th-round pick was $135,300. Collymore’s deal will pay him more than that.

The Cardinals have a total Draft pool of $6.9079 million this year. The organization is willing to exceed that by as much as five percent. That would result in a tax, but no loss of future Draft picks. Such strategy gives the Cardinals as much as an extra $345,395 to use.

The Cardinals were able to negotiate aggressively with these three high school draftees because the organization saved some of pool money by drafting several college players on the second day of the Draft (rounds 3-10). The Cardinals won’t have to allocate “slot” money to some of those second-day picks, and that freed up the money to lure high school players from college commitments.

Collymore, who resides in Ontario, Canada, had committed to play at the University of Missouri. Farinaro was set to attend UCLA. Bautista, who recently graduated from high school in Puerto Rico, was one of the youngest players available in the Draft. He won’t turn 18 until December.

Here is a quick update on the first 13 players drafted by the Cardinals last week:

• 1st round: LHP Marco Gonzales (agreed to $1.85 million bonus; deal not yet official)
• 1st round: LHP Rob Kaminsky (agreed to $1.7853 million bonus; deal not yet official)
• 2nd round: SS Oscar Mercado (agreed to $1.5 million bonus; deal not yet official)
• 3rd round: RHP Mike Mayers
• 4th round: 2B Mason Katz
• 5th round: LHP Ian McKinney (signed)
• 6th round: LHP Jimmy Reed (signed)
• 7th round: SS Chris Rivera (signed)
• 8th round: RHP Andrew Pierce (signed)
• 9th round: RHP Nick Petree (signed)
• 10th round: SS Malik Collymore (agreed to terms; deal not yet official)
• 11th round: RHP Steven Farinaro (agreed to terms; deal not yet official)
• 12th round: OF Ricardo Bautista (agreed to terms; deal no yet official)

For a full list of drafted players and their status, click here.

Follow me on Twitter: @LangoschMLB

Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

The weather forecast heading into today was not at all promising, though for the time being the tarp is off the field and the groundscrew is preparing as if there is going to be a game. The Cardinals are monitoring the forecast and if it’s a situation where the window of clear skies will be short, there is always the option of sending Joe Kelly to the mound to start. The last thing the Cardinals want to do is start Adam Wainwright and then see the skies open and the game delayed or possibly postponed.

Not much else in the way of news this morning. Tyler Lyons and Michael Wacha just finished throwing bullpen sessions, side by side. The fact that they both threw today means each remains a candidate to start on Sunday. The organization has not yet announced who is staying in the rotation upon Jake Westbrook’s return and who is headed out.

A day after having his 20-game hitting streak snapped, David Freese is out of the lineup. He is not out due to any sort of injury issue.

CARDINALS LINEUP:

1. Matt Carpenter (2B)
2. Carlos Beltran (RF)
3. Matt Holliday (LF)
4. Allen Craig (1B)
5. Yadier Molina (C)
6. Jon Jay (CF)
7. Daniel Descalso (3B)
8. Pete Kozma (SS)
9. Adam Wainwright (RHP)

(more…)

Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

In case you missed it earlier today, the Cardinals have come to terms with their top three Draft picks — Marco Gonzales, Rob Kaminsky and Oscar Mercado (story here). You’ll be able to read more about each of the three next week when they come to Busch Stadium for a physical and to be formally introduced.

As for today, the Cardinals are back to their “normal” lineup, which includes Allen Craig — who expected to be sore today after his head snapped back into the right-field wall when he tumbled while making a catch last night. He obviously wasn’t too hurt, as he followed that fall with a single and three-run homer.

The Cardinals enter tonight 20 games over .500 and with an MLB-best 23 road wins. The Cardinals have another five games remaining on this nine-game road swing.

CARDINALS LINEUP:

1. Matt Carpenter (2B)
2. Carlos Beltran (RF)
3. Matt Holliday (LF)
4. Allen Craig (1B)
5. Yadier Molina (C)
6. David Freese (3B)
7. Jon Jay (CF)
8. Pete Kozma (SS)
9. Shelby Miller (RHP)

(more…)

Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

The Cardinals have reached agreements with each of their top three Draft picks –left-handers Marco Gonzales and Rob Kaminsky, as well as shortstop Oscar Mercado  – MLB.com has learned.

All three will be traveling to St. Louis next week to undergo a physical. The Cardinal will make the signings official after each player passes his physical.

Gonzales, taken with the No. 19, has agreed to a signing bonus of $1.85 million, slightly below the slot value ($2.0558) assigned to that pick. Kaminsky, the 28^th selection in the First-Year Player Draft, is set to sign at slot for $1.7853 million.

The Cardinals lured Oscar Mercado away from his college commitment to Florida State University  by giving him a higher-than-slot signing bonus of $1.5 million. The value assigned to the 57^th overall pick had been $971,400.

Those signing bonuses total $5.1353 million, leaving the Cardinals with $1.7726 million remaining in their pool of slot money. All players signed from the first 10 rounds count against that pool, as well as any players drafted after the 10^th round who sign for more than $100,000.

Follow me on Twitter: @LangoschMLB

Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

The Cardinals open a three-game series tonight at Citi Field, where the tarp is coming off the field as I type. Looks like there’s a chance for scattered storms throughout the rest of the day, though it’s the Thursday forecast that is most concerning. If weather does become a concern tonight, I’ll provide updates on Twitter.

CARDINALS LINEUP:

1. Matt Carpenter (2B)
2. Yadier Molina (C)
3. Matt Holliday (LF)
4. Allen Craig (RF)
5. Matt Adams (1B)
6. David Freese (3B)
7. Jon Jay (CF)
8. Pete Kozma (SS)
9. Michael Wacha (RHP)

METS LINEUP:

1. Jordany Valdespin (2B)
2. Omar Quintanilla (SS)
3. David Wright (3B)
4. Daniel Murphy (1B)
5. Lucas Duda (LF)
6. Marlon Byrd (RF)
7. John Buck (C)
8. Kirk Nieuwenhuis (CF)
9. Jeremy Hefner (RHP)

Follow me on Twitter: @LangoschMLB

Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

The Cardinals have waited all day to play, as it is, with an 8:05 local start time this evening. And the forecast suggests the wait could end up being even longer and later. The rain started in Cincinnati shortly at 4 ET and storms are forecast throughout the night. The Cardinals do return to Cincinnati twice more later in the season, so there will be sufficient opportunity to make up this game during one of the upcoming trips. However, with ESPN in town to televise the game tonight, there may also be a push to try and wait for a window of clear skies.

Stay tuned into Twitter for additional updates throughout the evening.

CARDINALS LINEUP:

1. Matt Carpenter (2B)
2. Carlos Beltran (RF)
3. Matt Holliday (LF)
4. Allen Craig (1B)
5. Yadier Molina (C)
6. David Freese (3B)
7. Daniel Descalso (SS)
8. Jon Jay (CF)
9. Lance Lynn (RHP)

(more…)

Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

The 40-round, three-day MLB Draft concluded on Saturday, ending with the Cardinals picking a player from the same school  — Gonzaga University — that produced their first pick. Hopefully you have kept up with coverage along the way, but here are a set of links to take you to all the Cardinals Draft coverage in case you missed anything:

• Here is a comprehensive list of the Cardinals’ 41 selections. Scouting reports are included with several of the players.
• Cardinals use their first-round picks to take a pair of lefties: Marco Gonzales and Robert Kaminsky
• Shortstop Oscar Mercado rounds out the team’s Day 1 selections.
• Notes and quotes about/from the organization’s Day 2 (rounds 3-10) picks.
• Cardinals begin their Day 3 selections by taking high schooler Steven Farinaro, who the organization hopes to lure away from a college commitment.
• An overview of the Cardinals’ Draft strategy and execution.

Two other items to keep in mind as you now track which players reach agreements with the organization…

• The deadline for players/teams to wrap up negotiations is 4 p.m. CT on July 12
• The Cardinals have been assigned a Draft pool of $6.9079 million, a total calculated by summing the slot values of each of their first 11 picks (10 rounds). The signing bonuses of those 11 picks will count against that pool. So, too, will anything in excess of $100,000 given to anyone taken after the 10th round. If the Cardinals spend more than their pool, they will incur a tax and, if the overage is extensive enough, will lose future Draft picks.

Follow me on Twitter: @LangoschMLB

Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

The Cardinals enter Saturday’s game with a season-best four-game cushion in the NL Central over both the Reds and the Pirates. They’ve also now taken five of seven games against the Reds this season.

After leaving last night’s game early due to what manager Mike Matheny described as a leg ”tweak,” Carlos Beltran returns and will bat second against Reds starter Mat Latos (5-0, 2.90 ERA). David Freese enters the day with a 17-game hitting streak (best active streak in the Majors) — and he’ll try to extend it while facing a pitcher he has had some success against. Freese is 4-for-13 against Latos. Jon Jay is 9-for-21 against him, while Matt Holliday has six hits in 20 at-bats.

CARDINALS LINEUP:

1. Matt Carpenter (2B)
2. Carlos Beltran (RF)
3. Matt Holliday (LF)
4. Allen Craig (1B)
5. Yadier Molina (C)
6. David Freese (3B)
7. Jon Jay (CF)
8. Pete Kozma (SS)
9. Tyler Lyons (LHP)

REDS LINEUP:

1. Shin-Soo Choo (CF)
2. Derrick Robinson (LF)
3. Joey Votto (1B)
4. Brandon Phillips (2B)
5. Jay Bruce (RF)
6. Todd Frazier (3B)
7. Devin Mesoraco (C)
8. Zack Cozart (SS)
9. Mat Latos (RHP)

Follow me on Twitter: @LangoschMLB