37-year old righty reliever Ryan Franklin just keeps things rolling at the end of games for the Cardinals. He has pitched in 48 games (0 starts) for the Cardinals this year and he is 6-2 with 22 saves, a 3.61 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. Franklin is once again pounding the strike zone as he has only walked 7 batters in 52 1/3 innings this year. Franklin isn’t a classic closer as he only has 32 whiffs in 52 1/3 innings but by throwing strikes he keeps his defense on it’s toes and that’s a good thing.

Righty starting pitcher Jake Westbrook is making a good first impression for the Cardinals. He has started 3 games for the Cardinals and he is 1-0 with a 3.32 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. He has whiffed 19 batters while walking only 2 in his first 19 innings as he is pounding the strike zone with his impressive sinking fastball. The Cardinals have a good defense behind Wesbtrook so look for him to continue to have success pounding the strike zone.

23-year old lefty starting pitcher Jaime Garcia would get my vote for the Rookie of the Year Award in the N.L. if the season ended today. Garcia has started 19 games this season for the Cardinals and he is 9-4 with a 2.21 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. He has only given up 97 hits in 110 innings pitched this season but he has been far from perfect as he has walked 43 batters this year. Garcia has really stepped up for the Cardinals this year as he gives them a third big time starting pitcher behind Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. The Cardinals need him to keep up the good work as they are in a dogfight in the N.L. Central with the Cincinnati Reds.

The Cardinals are sending C Yadier Molina, 1B Albert Pujols, OF Matt Holliday and starting pitchers Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter to the All-Star Game. Molina was elected by the fans (which shows how great the fan support in St. Louis is) to start in the All-Star Game. Molina has played in 73 games for the Cardinals this season and he is 56 of 245 (.229 avg, .611 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 3 homers, 31 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Don’t believe the experts who are saying that Omar Infante is the least deserving All-Star as that dishonor falls to Molina who isn’t hitting a lick this season. It will be Molina’s 2nd All-Star appearance of his career to date. Albert Pujols will be the starting 1B for the N.L. It will be his 9th appearance in the big game. Pujols has played in 81 games for the Cardinals this season and he is 91 of 298 (.305 avg, .981 OPS) with 48 runs scored, 20 homers, 60 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Outfielder Matt Holliday has been picked as a reserve for the All-Star team. He has played in 80 games for the Cardinals this season and he is 90 of 302 (.298 avg, .867 OPS) with 45 runs scored, 11 homers, 39 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. I was a little surprised that Holliday made the team. It will be his fourth All-Star appearance of his career. Chris Carpenter will be on the pitching staff for the N.L. He has started 18 games for the Cardinals this season and he is 9-2 with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. This will be Carpenter’s 3rd All-Star Game. 28-year old righty starting pitcher Adam Wainwright has also made the N.L. pitching staff. He has started 18 games for the Cardinals this season and he is 12-5 with a 2.24 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. Wainwright has only allowed 96 hits in 128 1/3 innings this season while whiffing 123 batters showing what kind of stuff he has. Wainwright will be making his first All-Star appearance. The Cardinals players could be a huge factor into whether or not the N.L. has home field advantage in the World Series.

28-year old righty starting pitcher Adam Wainwright has been dominating so far this season for the Cardinals. He has started 16 games this season for the Cardinals and he is 10-5 with a 2.47 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. Wainwright has only allowed 86 hits in 113 innings this season while whiffing 107 batters showing just how dominant he has been. He is a workhorse to helping out the whole pitching staff as he has 3 complete games and a shutout this season. Wainwright came to the Cardinals from the Braves a few years ago in a trade involving J.D. Drew. Count that trade as a huge win for the Cardinals. Wainwright has now pitched in 165 games (102 starts) in his six years with the Cardinals and he is 56-29 with 3 saves, a 3.07 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP.