You can’t blame the Cardinals for nepotism anymore as pitching coach Dave Duncan’s son (Chris) has been sent to AAA ball. Duncan has played in 47 games for the Cardinals this year and he was 32 for 127 (.252 avg, .742 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 4 homers and 16 RBIs. Duncan will be replaced on the Cardinals roster by 25-year old righty swinging Joe Mather. Mather has played in 3 games for the Cardinals so far this season and he is 2 for 10 (.200 avg, .400 OPS) with 1 RBI. Mather has also played in 38 games in AAA ball this season and he is 45 for 143 (.315 avg, 1.077 OPS) with 30 runs scored, 12 homers, 24 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Chris Duncan will be back at some point this season for the Cardinals….book it.

The Cardinals have signed 29-year old righty starter Kyle Lohse. Lohse pitched in 34 games (32 starts) last season for the Reds and Phillies. He was 9-12 last season with a 4.62 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. Lohse has pitched in 218 games (195 starts) in his major league career and he is 63-74 with a 4.82 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. With all of the injuries the Cardinals have suffered in the rotation the team was really needed and Kyle Lohse benefitted from that. Don’t expect miracles out of Lohse even with Dave Duncan coaching him.

The Cardinals have released infielder Scott Spiezio due to off field problems. Spiezio played in 81 games last season for the Cardinals and he was 60 for 223 (.269 avg, .740 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 4 homers and 31 RBIs. Spiezio has now played in 1,273 games in his major league career and he is 996 for 3,899 (.255 avg, .748 OPS) with 517 runs scored, 119 homers and 549 RBIs. Look for Josh Phelps to pick up the at bats that Spiezio would have gotten.

The Cardinals have signed 38-year old lefty reliever Ron Villone to a minor league contract. He pitched in 37 games (0 starts) last season for the Yankees and he was 0-0 with a 4.25 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. Villone has now pitched in 580 games (93 starts) in his major league career and he is 55-57 with 6 saves, a 4.76 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. This was a nice move by the Cardinals who could use some more help in the bullpen.

The St. Louis Cardinals better hope that Troy Glaus stays healthy as he’s the only impact player that the Cardinals brought in to help the offense. The Cardinals also brought in Cesar Izturis to take over as the starting shortstop. He’s a better defender than David Eckstein but he’s not as good of a hitter. Jason LaRue, Josh Phelps, D’Angelo Jimenez and Juan Gonzalez were brought in to fight for bench spots but none of them is expected to have a huge impact. Rehabbing righty starting pitcher Matt Clement was the only pitcher who could make an impact that was brought in by the Cardinals.

OFF SEASON GRADE FOR THE FRONT OFFICE: D-