Cards/Phils Open Series

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The St. Louis Cardinals (52-46) play the Philadelphia Phillies (54-39).

Joel Pineiro (8-9, 3.09 ERA) gets the start vs. J.A Happ (7-0, 2.68).

The Phillies open the weekend series with the St. Louis Cardinals, who just acquired Matt Holliday. He will be in the lineup tonight, batting cleanup. It should be a very close series as both these teams lead their divisions.

There is a very confident feeling with J.A Happ on the mound. Happ has one career start against the Cardinals. He pitched 6.1 innings and allowed two earned runs on five hits and four walks.

Both pitchers, Happ and Joel Pineiro, do not tally many strikeouts, but have had very successful seasons by relying on their defense. In three career starts against the Phillies, Pineiro is 1-0 with a 2.33 ERA.

Baseball Notes

Brad Lidge threw a scoreless inning in Class A Clearwater. He did not allow a hit and walked one batter. Of the twelve pitches he threw, seven were strikes.

MLB Notebook provides an article on how Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto has been struggling with stress issues.

Joel Pineiro pitches a shutout against the New York Mets. He also chipped in with two hits of his own. The Mets have struggled with injuries, and last night Jose Reyes and an athletic trainer were an an automobile accident. Reyes and the trainer were okay after being rear-ended by a firetruck.

The last place Arizona Diamondbacks are unsure whether ace and former Cy Young winner Brandon Webb will return to pitch this season. Webb has missed time due to a right shoulder injury.

In other news on the injury front, Josh Hamilton will likely miss the All Star game. Hamilton is second among outfielders. For the Cleveland Indians, Grady Sizemore was activated from the disabled list. The Toronto Blue Jays expect Roy Halladay to return on Monday.

LSU and Texas are tied 1-1 in the College World Series. The tournament is best out of three.