August 5

Glavine on Bud: Cardinals lefthander Bud Smith has often been compared to fellow lefty Tom Glavine of the Atlanta Braves. The two faced off last Thursday at Busch Stadium with Smith taking a hard-luck loss, his first in the majors. When asked about Smith, Glavine told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "I haven't seen him until now. I've heard the comparisons of him to me. At this stage in his career, he's a little more of a full package than I was at that stage. He has a chance to be good, but I don't want to put a lot of pressure on the kid."

Blasts from the Past: Former catcher Mike DeFelice was traded from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to the Arizona Diamondbacks... Former Memphis SS Jason Woolf has signed with the Cleveland Indians organization. He was assigned to their Double-A Arkron club in the Eastern League... Former farmhand OF Lance Johnson was released by the Colorado Rockies organization... Last evening, fans of the Cardinals' former Double-A affiliate have the opportunity to own their very own Bill Valentine Bobblehead doll! That's right: the Arkansas Travelers gave away 1,000 bobbleheads of their eccentric and outspoken GM.

August 2

Mathews Promoted: As expected, the Cardinals have promoted reliever T.J. Mathews from Triple-A Memphis.

July 31

Cards Acquire Righthander: While there was a great exodus of minor leaguers from the Cardinals system this time last season, there will be one addition this time around. GM Walt Jocketty was ranked among the sellers as he dealt veteran lefthander Jason Christensen (acquired at this time last season for SS Jack Wilson) to the San Francisco Giants for 24-year-old righthander Kevin Joseph and either a player to be named later or cash. Joseph was the Giants' 6th round pick in the '97 draft and had an 0-1 record with a 7.56 ERA in 5 games at Triple-A Fresno. He had recently been promoted from Double-A Shreveport, where he was 2-1 with 1 save and a 2.43 ERA. He will likely be assigned to Memphis.

July 29

Drew Plays Well in Peoria: Cardinals outfielder J.D. Drew, who has been out for the past month with a broken hand after being hit by a pitch, was assigned to Peoria for a three-day medical rehabilitation stint. The reason he was sent to the Chiefs instead of Triple-A Memphis was because the Redbirds were playing on the West Coast and Peoria was at home this weekend. Plus it was closer to Chicago, where the Cardinals are playing a crucial four-game series against the NL Central leaders, the Cubs, and if Drew were needed, he would only be a two-hour car ride away.

Correction: On July 16, I erroneously reported that the Cardinals had signed former farmhand Jim Bullinger. While they did sign Jim Bullinger, he never played in the Cardinals system. It was actually his brother Kirk Bullinger who was with them and was traded with now-Cannons pitching coach Byran Eversgerd and another player to the Montreal Expos for RHP Ken Hill back in '94. Sorry about the confusion.

July 20

Williams Out For Season: The Potomac Cannons have lost Blake Williams to season- ending elbow surgery and it is unlikely he will pitch again until 2003.

Deal Brewing? The Potomac News reported in today's edition that a scout for the Cincinnati Reds queried the Cannons front office on the status of Blake Williams as the Cardinals and Reds may have a deal in the works involving one or more St. Louis prospects. Stay tuned.

July 16

Mitchell Page Promoted to St. Louis: Yesterday, the Cardinals announced the dismissal of their hitting coach, Mike Easler, and the promotion of minor league hitting coordinator Mitchell Page. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, it is expected that Easler would be reassigned within the organization, presumeably taking over Page's roving hitting instructor duties. But the former major leaguer isn't happy with his firing and would like to be released from his contract instead.

This Bud's For You, St. Louis...Again!: Memphis lefthander Robert "Bud" Smith has been recalled to St. Louis as veteran starter Andy Benes, who has struggled during the first-half, will be sent to the bullpen. In his second major league start against the Minnesota Twins on Monday, he allowed only four hits and two runs (two solo homers) in seven innings pitched.

Blasts from the Past: The Cardinals have signed former farmhand Jim Bullinger and assigned him to Triple-A Memphis. There he will join former teammate T.J. Mathews in the Redbirds 'pen. Another former farmhand, Scarborough Green, has been signed and sent to Double-A New Haven. He is taking the roster spot of Josh Pearce, who was sent up to Memphis to replace Bud Smith in the rotation.

July 6

Cards Acquire Former Reliever: This evening, it was announced that the Cardinals had signed former Oakland Athletics reliever T.J. Mathews as a free agent and he will be assigned to Triple-A Memphis. As you may recall, Mathews was packaged with pitchers Blake Stein (now with Kansas City) and Eric Ludwick in the Mark McGwire trade back in '97. Memphis also gains a new catcher in minor league free agent Kevin Lidle, who was with Edmondton this season.

Schumacher Promoted and Other Transactions: Potomac catcher Shawn Schumacher has been bumped up to Double-A New Haven. He will be replaced on the Cannons' roster by Peoria backstop Roddy Friar... The Cardinals have also made some moves recently to bolster the defending Pacific Coast League champion Memphis Redbirds, who currently rest in last place in the PCL's Eastern Division. Former Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Brant Brown has been signed (in fact he went 3-for-4 in Friday night's 4-3 win over Oklahoma City) as well as Ryan Balfe. First baseman Larry Sutton was traded to the Minnesota Twins organization this past week for shortstop Hanley Frias.

Make that a Double: Cannons fans are bracing for another record-breaking season as outfielder John Gall is on pace to break the all-time minor league doubles record of 55 held by Scott Seabol. As of July 5, he has 36 two-baggers thus far.

Looking Over the Farm: Well, things haven't changed much around the Cardinals system in terms of wins and losses. Instead of four, now there are six clubs with losing records and all but Potomac are at or near the cellar in their respective league divisions.

Memphis - Since our last report, the Redbirds have fallen 9.5 games behind the East Division-leading New Orleans Zephyrs (Astros) for a total of 14.5 games out with a record of 41-47. Many batting averages have slipped over the past month. Outfielder William Ortega, who was hitting .309, has fallen to .259 in 48 games. Luis Saturra's struggles continue at the Triple-A level. The 23-year-old still hasn't been able to list his average above the Mendoza Line (.185 in 57 games) despite having been demoted to Double-A New Haven and showing improvements there that led the Cardinals to bring him back up. Outfielder Darrell Whitmore still leads Memphis with his .308 average in 78 games, followed by fellow outfielder Damon Mashore's .295 average in 48 games...  Catcher Keith McDonald (.271) leads the club with 8 home runs... Third baseman Lou Lucca now has the RBI lead with 41... Despite his promotion to St. Louis, Stubby Clapp still paces the Redbirds with 5 stolen bases.

New Haven - The Ravens' woes continue (30-54, last place in the Eastern League's Northern Division) as the team offense can't capitalize on their stellar pitching performances. They are now a staggering 17.5 games behind first-place New Britain (Twins).

You've got to feel for Josh Pearce, whose 5-8 record is no reflection of the way he has pitched through the first-half. He leads the staff in workload (115.1 IP) and is tied with Patrick Coogan with 96 strikeouts. Pearce was selected to the U.S. team in the Futures Game at Safeco Field in Seattle prior to the All-Star Game... Coogan (8-4) leads the club with 8 victories and is second in innings pitched (103.2) and strikeouts (70)... Reliever Jason Navarro (0-0) lowered his team-leading ERA since last month to 1.14 in 31.2 innings pitched (31 games)... Despite an 0-5 record, reliever Kevin Sheredy has a 2.21 ERA in 53 IP with 47 strikeouts... Righthander Cheyenne Janke, recently promoted from Class A Potomac, is 1-0 with a 1.85 ERA in three games, including one start.

The offense hasn't improved over the past month. First baseman Juan Munoz paces the club with .294 batting average in 59 games while shortstop T.J. Maier has jump-started his output from .247 up to .289 in 72 games. He leads the Ravens with 45 runs scored and is second with 20 doubles... First baseman Troy Farnsworth's average slipped to .225 but he still leads the team with 10 homers and 49 RBI... Speedster Esix Snead (.235) is the only Raven with double-digit stolen base totals as he continues to pace the Eastern League with 50 thefts.... Troy McNaughton (.258) leads New Haven with 21 doubles.

Potomac - The brightest spot in the Cardinals farm system is Northern Virginia, where the Cannons (41-44) are the closest team to breeching the .500 plateau. As of July 5, they held a 5-9 record in the Carolina League's second half but tied for second in the Northern Division, only 4.5 games behind Frederick (Orioles).

Leadoff hitter Corvelli Crisp is turning into a one-man show. He continues to pace the Cannons with his .310 batting average in 85 games, 51 runs scored and 24 stolen bases. Now he is tied with Travis Bailey and Bo Hart with five home runs. As catcher Shawn Schumacher (38) was promoted to New Haven and Bo Hart (30) is out for the season, he also leads with 30 RBI as well... Since his promotion from Class A Peoria, fellow outfielder John Gall is batting .350 in 29 games with two homers and 17 RBI... Jamie Pogue is the team leader with 15 doubles.

Like fellow moundsman Josh Pearce at New Haven, Blake Williams' win-loss record (4-10) is no indication of his pitching ability at Potomac. As of July 5, his 2.45 ERA is second-best on the starting staff and his 90 strikeouts are tops. He has also logged almost as many innings (105) as staff leader Kevin Sprague (105.2)... Lefty Chris Narveson continues his impressive High A performance (4-1, 1.53 ERA in 8 starts) and has 39 K's with only 9 walks... Closer Scotty Layfield (1-1, 1.30 ERA) continues to lead the Cardinals organization with 25 saves in 35 games... Reliever Doug Kohl is clinging to an ERA under 2.00 (1.99) in 30 appearances, allowing only 7 runs in 31.2 innings pitched.

Peoria - Sometimes a player has to take a step backward to make strides forward. Such has been the case for first baseman Chris Duncan. A change of scenery from the Carolina League back to the Midwest circuit has benefitted the slugging first sacker, who is now batting .280 with 4 homers and 18 RBI in 27 games. He left Potomac batting only .179 in 49 games.

Program Note: Expect a new feature article or two next week as I will be traveling to see the Memphis Redbirds in action this weekend. I will also have the honor of being interviewed for a half-hour feature on the Cardinals minor league system to be broadcast on Fox Sports Midwest this Monday. It should be an interesting program (and not because I'm on it!)

June 2

Ortega & Layfield Receive Player of the Month Honors: The Cardinals organization recently named Memphis OF William Ortega as their Player of the Month and Potomac closer Scotty Layfield as their Pitcher of the Month for May.

Ankiel Headed to Extended Spring: The Cardinals have assigned LHP Rick Ankiel to Potomac's roster but sent him to their Extended Spring Training program in Jupiter, Fla., where he will continue working with minor league pitching coordinator Mark Riggins. When asked by The Potomac News, manager Joe Cunningham felt that Ankiel was placed on the Cannons' roster simply because they had an open spot. Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty stated that he would remain in Florida for an "indefinite period of time" and "may or may not pitch in the program" there. "Basically, it's just a break in the action," he explained, "to try and get him away from all the attention that's been put on him. That's all." ESPN reports that Ankiel may return with one of the Class A clubs by the end of June, about the time that the Cardinals' two short-season clubs begin playing. In starts at Triple-A Memphis, he worked only 4-1/3 innings, walking 17 batters and throwing 12 wild pitches. His ERA was an astronomical 20.77.

New Challenge Not Bothering Narveson: While Rick Ankiel has had his problems this season, the Cardinals' newest left-handed phenom hasn't let a higher level of competition affect his performance. Nineteen-year-old Chris Narveson, the Cardinals' second round pick in last year's draft, tossed a two-hit, five-inning shutout yesterday against the Lynchburg Hillcats in his Pfitzner Stadium debut. It was just his second start since being promoted to the Carolina League from Class A Peoria a few weeks ago. In all, he has given up only five hits and has held the opposition scoreless in 12-1/3 innings pitched thus far.

Looking Over The Farm: While there have been some outstanding individual performances, the Cardinals minor league clubs overall have been unable to capitalize on them so far this season. All four active clubs have winning percentages below .500.

Memphis -As of Wednesday, the defending Pacific Coast League champions are two games under .500 (25-27) and in third place in the four-club East Division, five games behind New Orleans (Astros). The team offense has improved somewhat since last month, collectively batting .253, tenth-best in the sixteen-team PCL. Veteran outfielder Darrell Whitmore leads the Redbirds at .327 with 3 HR and 17 RBI, followed by William Ortega's .309... Former major leaguer Shane Andrews leads the club with 8 HR and 28 RBI but is hitting only .220... Luis Garcia is batting .287 with 4 HR and 19 RBI... Catcher Keith McDonald (.285) has 5 HR with 24 RBI... Stu-bby! Stu-bby! Clapp (.282) has 22 RBI and 25 runs scored.

The Redbirds pitching staff's ERA ballooned up to a collective 4.53 this past month (2.74 in April). Lefthander Bud Smith is third in the PCL with a 2.19 ERA in 11 starts and leads the Memphis staff with five victories and 56 strikeouts... Closer Jerry Spradlin (2-1 3.18 ERA) is fourth in the league with 9 saves... Since his return to Memphis, reliever Luther Hackman has a 1.98 ERA in eight appearances... Righthander Chad Hutchinson is third in the league with 32 walks.

New Haven - The Ravens (19-31) are currently nesting in the Eastern League's Northern Division cellar, 10 games behind New Britain (Twins). As a team, they are batting .235 near the bottom of the EL rankings (worst in the Cardinals organization). It's no surprise that OF Esix Snead leads the league with 28 stolen bases. He has also raised his batting average to .241 since last month... OF Luis Saturra, recently sent down from Triple-A, is hitting much better in Double-A at .275 with 4 RBI in 8 games... T.J. Maier (.247) has scored 25 runs to tie him with teammate Troy McNaughton (.257) and has 27 RBI, second on the team... 1B Troy Farnsworth is hitting exactly the same as he was on April 30 (.235) and leads the club with 5 HR and 30 RBI... Since being sent down from Memphis, OF Andy Bevins has struggled at .154 in seven games but has 2 HRs and 3 RBI.

The New Haven pitching staff is last in the Eastern League with a 4.23 ERA, a far cry from their league-leading 2.74 just a month ago. RHPs Josh Pearce and Patrick Coogan lead the staff with five victories apiece... Pearce's 3.41 ERA leads the starters and his 57 strikeouts are second in the EL. He is in a three-way tie for the league lead in innings pitched (71.1)... Coogan is second on the staff with 45 K's but has a 5.40 ERA... Three Raven relievers sport earned-run averages below 2.00: closer Jeremy Lambert (1.52), Kevin Sheredy (1.71) and lefty Jason Navarro (1.89). Lambert is third in the circuit with 11 saves and is tied for second with 22 games... Fellow reliever Mike Crudale is tied for first with 23 games pitched.

Potomac- The Cannons (24-27) are in third place in the four-club Northern Division of the Carolina League, five games behind Wilmington (Royals). They are coming off a four-game sweep of the visiting Lynchburg Hillcats.

OF Corvelli (Coco) Crisp's .333 BA is third-best in the Carolina League and his 59 hits lead the circuit. He is also tied for second with 14 stolen bases and 34 runs scored... In fact, the Potomac speedsters are second in the CL with 48 thefts... Bo Hart leads the league with 19 doubles and is second with 25 extra-base hits. He leads the Cannons with 25 RBI and is second behind Crisp with 10 stolen bases... Supersub Travis Bailey (.230) is in a three-way tie for the league triples lead with 4... OF Johnny Hernandez (.253), who had 23 stolen bases in 60 games at Johnson City two years ago, has only three so far in 50 games this season... 1B Chris Duncan's batting woes continue. He is still stuck below the Mendoza Line at .174 with 2 HR and 14 RBI... The same can be said for 3B Gabe Johnson, who is hitting .192 with 3 HR and 13 RBI.

The Cannons pitching staff boasts a 3.19 ERA, which ranks third in the Carolina League. Righthander Blake Williams (2-7) is ninth in the circuit with a 2.71 ERA in 10 starts, but he also leads it with seven losses. He is tied for fourth in innings pitched with 53... Reliever Cheyenne Janke (0-0) boasts a 1.55 ERA in nine relief appearances and two starts. Fellow bullpenmate Trevor Sansom (1-1) has a 1.73 ERA in 19 appearances... RHP Jimmy Journell (3-5) leads the staff with 50 strikeouts... Closer Scotty Layfield (0-1) leads the Cardinals organization with 15 saves through Wednesday and is tied for first in the league with 22 appearances... Starter Kevin Sprague (4-5) leads the Carolina League with 54.2 innings pitched.

Peoria - The Chiefs (21-31) are in fifth place in the Midwest League's eight-club Western Division, 15-1/2 games behind the Kane County Cougars (Marlins). First baseman John Gall leads the team with a .311 BA and 39 RBI and his 22 doubles are tops in the league. He is third in the circuit with 25 extra-base hits... Switch-hitting outfielder Christopher Morris (.239) is the top base stealer with 36 in 40 attempts and leads the Chiefs with 30 runs scored... Gall and shortstop Chase Voshell (.312) are the only Peoria players batting over .300... Outfielder Tim Lemon (.259) leads the Chiefs with 9 HR.

The Chiefs pitching staff is last in the Midwest League with a combined 4.53 ERA. Starter John Novinsky (5-4) leads the team with five victories and 49 strikeouts... Reliever Chet Medlock has the best earned-run average at 1.48 in 17 appearances... Aside from Medlock and fellow reliever Matt Vincent (3.45), the rest of the staff has ERAs over 4.00... Closer Santos Samora is third in the league with 10 saves.

Random Notes: OF Luis Saturra, who had been demoted to New Haven from Memphis after batting .173 in 32 games, has been sent back to Memphis... The Cardinals recently released Memphis RHP Kevin Crofton... Peoria reliever Matt Vincent has also been released... The Peoria Chiefs catching corps of Ryan Hamill, Roddy Friar and Matt Ortiz has collectively thrown out 47 percent of would-be thieves on the basepaths this season.

May 28

Dishington Released, Bevins Sent Down: New Haven OF Nate Dishington's comeback bid with the Cardinals organization ended when they released their former 2nd round pick ('93 draft) yesterday. While he had belted 7 HRs in 39 games with the Ravens this season, "Dish" had fanned 61 times and was hitting only .194. He will be replaced by Andy Bevins, who was struggling somewhat at Triple-A Memphis, hitting .253 with 7 HR and 20 RBI. The Cardinals also released catcher Guillermo Garcia from the New Haven roster, who was signed just a few weeks ago from the Mexican League. In only four games, he batted .188 with 1 HR.

Memphis - LHP Rick Ankiel's control struggles continue as he lasted only two-thirds of an inning at Nashville (Pirates) last Thursday, sending five wild pitches past catcher Keith McDonald before he was lifted... The Cardinals signed former Redbird RHP Rick Heiserman... Oft-injured SS Jason Woolf has been released... Troy McNaughton was promoted from Double-A New Haven.

New Haven - OF Andy Bevins was sent down from Triple-A Memphis... Potomac INF-OF Travis Bailey enjoyed a brief promotion from Class A Potomac before being sent back down.

Potomac - Highly-touted LHP Chris Narveson was promoted to the Cannons from Class A Peoria (click here for Oliver Bassett's feature on this promising young lefthander).

Peoria - C Shaun Boyd was promoted to the Chiefs from the Johnson City roster in extended spring training.

May 7

April's Best: The Cardinals recently named Peoria 1B John Gall and New Haven RHP Josh Pearce as the organization's Player and Pitcher of the Month respectively for the month of April. Gall batted .337 during the first month of the season with 17 RBI and Pearce had a 3-1 record with a 1.69 ERA.

Wilson Demoted: The Pittsburgh Pirates sent former Cardinals minor league shortstop Jack Wilson to Triple-A Nashville this weekend. It was his defense that manager Lloyd McClendon was most interested in regardless of his batting average. But a combination of eight errors in 19 games plus a .155 average seems to have forced the new skipper's hand. Wilson expects to be in the minors the rest of the season.

Random Notes: Potomac SS Gustavo Escobar was recently released by the organization. He had played in only four games and hit .375... The Cardinals also released RHP Dan Cather... RHP Luther Hackman, who played with Memphis last season, is on injury rehabilitation at New Haven, rebounding from off-season elbow surgery. Thus far he has worked two scoreless (and hitless) innings and struck out three.

The Spirit of St. Louis: Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly has many kinds words to say about legendary Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck, who may be leaving the booth after this season due to health reasons. Here's his recent article. (NOTE: Apparently Reilly is pushing Mr. Buck out of the broadcast booth a little bit prematurely. Since the article was published, the longtime Cardinals broadcaster has denied notions of retiring at the end of the season.)

April 30

Looking over the Farm: Overall the Cardinals minor league clubs have struggled coming out of the starting gate this season, the only exception being Triple-A Memphis (13-11), who are just a game behind first-place Oklahoma (Rangers). The remaining five clubs have roughly the same record and are all under .500. For the two upper level affiliates, the pitching has flourished while the hitting has lagged behind; for the two full-season Class A clubs, both have been woefully lacking thus far.

Memphis - As of April 24, the Redbirds were ranked No. 3 on Baseball America's Triple-A Minor League Power Rankings. Yet the team offense is tied for last in the Pacific Coast League with Iowa (Cubs), batting only .235. The only everyday player batting over .300 is OF Kerry Robinson (.325), but he's been promoted to St. Louis. Among the starters are OFs Andy Bevins (.241), William Ortega (.224) and Luis Saturra (.147) and 3B Shane Andrews (.203).  The bright spots are OF Darrell Whitmore (.293) and 3B Lou Lucca (.275). The good news is their pitching staff is second in the PCL with a 2.74 ERA, led by LHP Bud Smith's 2-1 record and 1.87 ERA. He has 33 strikeouts in 34 innings pitched... RHP Alan Benes is 2-1 with a 2.05 ERA with 14 K's... RHP Dan Carlson leads the staff with 21 strikeouts... RHP Fred Rath has 3 wins with no losses and a 2.89 ERA in 18.2 innings' work.

New Haven - The Cardinals' newest affiliate has a 8-13 record and is in fourth place in the Eastern League's Northern Division, five games behind first-place Binghampton (Mets) and Norwich (Yankees). Like the Redbirds, the Ravens' pitching has been spectatcular (leading the EL with a 2.74 ERA as of Sunday) while their offense thus far has been anemic, hitting only .233. RHP Josh Pearce (3-1) leads the staff with the fifth-best earned run average in the league at 1.59 in five starts and he's second with 39 strikeouts... RHP Jeremy Lambert (2-1) sports a perfect 0.00 ERA in 10 relief appearances, having yielded only 5 runs and 7 hits... RHP David Daniels (1-1) has a 1.35 ERA in seven games of relief... Highly-touted RHP Nick Stocks is winless in four starts but has a 3.80 ERA and 12 K's in 17 IP.

New Haven power hitters OF Nate Dishington and 1B Troy Farnsworth have collectively struck out 54 times so far. Dishington (.221), who is making a comeback after his release from the Cardinals organization in '99 and not playing last season, leads the club with 4 HR and 12 RBI but has struck out 31 times. Farnsworth (.235), the Carolina League MVP last season at Potomac, has only one homer and 7 RBI and has fanned 23 times... OF Esix Snead leads the EL with 11 stolen bases but is batting only .215 with 18 strikeouts and eight walks.

Potomac - While Memphis and New Haven have strong pitching but struggling offenses, both have been problems for the Cannons thus far. As of Sunday, they are tied for last place in the Carolina League's Northern Division at 7-14, eight games behind first-place Wilmington (Royals). Switch-hitting OF Johnny Hernandez leads the club at .295. C Shawn Schumacher, back after missing most of last season with a broken leg as the result of a home plate collision at Peoria, is hitting. 290 and is tied with Bo Hart for the team RBI lead with 10. Hart's 10 extra-base hits are third-best in the league... OF Corvelli "Coco" Crisp is batting .287 with four stolen bases... OF-INF Travis Bailey is tied for the league lead with 3 triples... The Cardinals have decided to abandon their three-year "experiment" of converting former junior college SS Gabe Johnson into a catcher to take advantage of his strong throwing arm. This season he will play third base in the hopes of regaining his batting stroke, though so far he is batting only .157 with a team-high 32 strikeouts. He is tied for the team lead with 2 home runs... 1B Chris Duncan is struggling with a .121 BA.

Among the starting pitchers, RHP Blake Williams has the best ERA at 1.85 though his record is 1-3. RHP Doug Kahl sports the best overall ERA at 0.93 in 10 relief appearances... RHP Cheyenne Janke has a 1.29 ERA in five games of relief... RHP B.R. Cook (2-2) leads Potomac with 24 strikeouts in 5 starts... RHP Jimmy Journell (1-2) has struggled with a 5.21 ERA in 5 starts but has 14 K's in 19 innings pitched.

Peoria - The Chiefs' 7-13 record has them in sixth place in the Midwest League's eight-team Western Division, eight games behind first-place Quad City (Twins). Their 1-8 home record is the worst start in franchise history. The team defense has already committed 30 errors (with team highs of 7 each by 3B Aneuris Diaz and SS Dan Firlit). While their offense is slightly better than Potomac's, their pitching is worse with a collective 4.80 ERA. Highly-touted LHP Chris Narveson (1-2), starting his first full pro season, leads the staff with 24 strikeouts and has a 2.49 ERA in 4 starts... RHP John Novinsky (2-1) is the only starter with a winning record so far and is second with 22 strikeouts in four starts... Despite a 5.87 ERA, RHP Josh Axelson (1-2) has 21 K's... ... RH reliever Santo Samora has allowed only eight runs in nine appearances... RHP Chet Medlock has a 0.79 ERA in eight relief appearances.

The Chiefs have a trio of .300 hitters in 1B John Gall (.354), 3B Aneuris Diaz (.333) and C Matt Ortiz (.333 in 7 games). Gall is tied for sixth in the Midwest League in batting and leads the club with 15 RBI... Switch-hitting OF Ken Morris (.270) is tied for second in the loop with 15 stolen bases in 17 attempts... OF Tim Lemon, back for a second stint at Peoria, is batting .230 with 1 HR and 11 RBI and is second on the team with 9 stolen bases... 2B-SS Brian Fatur (.242) leads the Chiefs with 3 HR and has driven in 12 runs... OF Albert Rodgers is batting a steady .273 with 1 HR and 9 RBI.

Surgery for Cards Righthander: RHP Chance Caple recently underwent "Tommy John surgery" on his pitching elbow and will be out the rest of the season. The prognosis looks good, however. Check out the Cannons Booster Club site here for a full report.

Random Notes: The Cannons Booster Club site mentions that former Cards farmhand Adam Benes, who was released this spring by the organization, now lives in Little Rock, Ark. and helps run a baseball academy there... Here's a good article from the Ventura County Star about former Cardinals farmhand and current Pittsburgh Pirates SS Jack Wilson. Thanks to reader Eileen Staniland for letting me know about it.

Blasts from the Past: Two players recently lost to waivers, 1B Chris Haas and LHP Justin Brunette, have struggled thus far in their new organizations. Haas is batting only .227 for the Cubs' AA West Tenn club (though he has belted 5 HR with 13 RBI in 19 games) and Brunette has a 11.17 ERA in 9.2 innings pitched for the New York Mets' AAA Norfolk club...  3B Jose Leon, who was traded to the Baltimore Orioles organization for 1B Will Clark last July, is third in the Eastern League with 17 RBI in 22 games and a .333 BA for Bowie (AA)... Two members of the 2000 Pacific Coast champion Memphis Redbirds are with Portland (AAA Padres): OF Ernie Young is hitting .308 with 3 HR and 7 RBI in 15 games and C Rick Wilkins .222 in 12 games... 2B Jeff Berblinger (really a Blast from the Past!) is batting .245 in 15 games for Omaha (AAA Royals).

April 9

It'll Be Hard to Send Pujols Down: During his first week in the majors, Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa has tried his hardest to find an excuse to send rookie Albert Pujols back to Triple-A Memphis, but Pujols has met every challenge thus far and shows that he belongs. With 1B Mark McGwire's surgically-repaired knee aching and OF Jim Edmonds suffering from a self-inflicted stubbed toe, LaRussa inserted Pujols in the cleanup spot at Arizona OF Bobby Bonilla is scheduled to come off the disabled list today in time for the Cards' home opener. It'll be interesting to see what move they make to make room on the 25-man roster for him. I don't think it'll be Pujols catching the next steamboat back to Memphis.

April 5

Not Again! Cards Lose Brunette: Well, it happened again. Because the Cardinals moved two non-roster players -- Albert Pujols and left-handed reliever Jeff Tabaka -- onto the 40-man roster to start the season, it meant outrighting two players back to the minors to make room. The first was first baseman Chris Haas, who was snatched up by the Chicago Cubs organization. Then they tried to sneak left-handed reliever Justin Brunette through outright waivers to assign him to Triple-A Memphis, but the Cards gambled and lost when the New York Mets claimed him.

Stechshulte Returns: With Tabaka placed on the disabled list yesterday, the Cardinals recalled reliever Gene Stechshulte from Triple-A Memphis.

Ex-Cards in the Majors: Last evening, ESPN's Baseball Tonight featured some rising stars who made it onto the Opening Day rosters across the majors. Among them, of course, was Albert Pujols. But there was also scrappy shortstop Jack Wilson, whom the Cardinals traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for left-handed reliever Jason Christensen at the trading deadline last July. Wilson impressed new Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon in the Arizona Fall League and is now the Pirates' starting shortstop, skipping Triple-A. It's interesting to note that GM Walt Jocketty is now shopping for a Triple-A shortstop who could be called up to St. Louis if something happens to Edgar Renteria. Christensen meanwhile is starting the season on the disabled list.

Former Cards righthander Britt Reames, who was spectacular in the pinches during the postseason, won his first start with the Montreal Expos against the Cubs on Opening Day at Wrigley Field. Check out his sideburns this season ala "The Mad Hungarian," Al Hrabosky.

Tidbits from the Transactions: A few weeks ago, I was surprised to see that the Cardinals had signed their former No. 1 pick Brian Barber and brought him to minor league camp this spring. Since he signed back in the 1991 draft (the one that also netted Dmitri Young, Allen Watson, Eddie Williams and Basil Shabazz), I enjoyed tracking his progress through the organization and pulled for him because he was a little flaky and colorful. Unfortunately, he must not have showed them enough and was released.

April 2

Pujols, Hutchinson Ticketed for St. Louis: Third baseman Albert Pujols, entering just his second professional season, will be spending at least the first week of it with the parent St. Louis Cardinals. A hamstring injury to reserve outfielder Bobby Bonilla and the need for an additional right-handed bat has opened the way for the Pacific Coast League Championship Series MVP to show his stuff with the big club. Manager Tony LaRussa was admittedly reluctant to place Pujols on the 25-man roster, but the 21-year-old met every challenge thrown his way this spring, including some work in left and right field as well as shortstop. It will be interesting to see how he performs during the next week. Hopefully he will make it hard for the front office to send him back to Triple-A Memphis once Bonilla is healthy.

Hard-throwing righthander Chad Hutchinson will also make his major league debut soon after joining the Cardinals bullpen as a long reliever.

Cardinals Lose Haas, Release Adam Benes & Others: The Cardinals organization recently lost power-hitting first baseman Chris Haas to the Chicago Cubs organization. It happened when he was placed on outright waivers that would have sent him back to Triple-A. But instead of making it back to Memphis, he ended up eighty miles away when the Cubs claimed him and added him to their Double-A club roster at Jackson, Tenn. The Paducah, KY native had been selected by St. Louis as a supplemental pick after the first round of the 1995 draft and hit 93 home runs during his six-year career in the organization.

Adam Benes' career with the Cardinals ended with his release last week. The younger brother of Andy and Alan, Adam was drafted in the 20th round of the 1995 draft and pitched six years in the organization, the past three with their Double-A affiliate. It looked like he would start the season at Double-A New Haven before the Cardinals chose to release him... Other players recently released include RH reliever Corey Avrard, RHPs Otoniel Lanfranco, Chad Yates, Tristan Jerue, David Lindsey, Nathan Meza, John Lockhart and Josh Reese; OFs Justin Albertson and Joe Secada; and 3B Preston Harriman.

March 10

Tidbits from the Transactions: Former Arkansas RHP John Ambrose has signed with the New York Yankees organization... Former Memphis OF Dante Powell has signed with the San Francisco Giants.

March 1

Pujols and Duncan Home Run Stars in Intersquad Wins: Memphis third baseman Albert Pujols figured prominently in the Bob Gibson squad's 6-3 victory over the Stan Musial squad today in the first of two intersquad games at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, FL. The '00 Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year had a triple and belted a two-run home run off Memphis Redbirds pitching coach Dyar Miller in the victory. In the second game pitting the Lou Brock squad against the Red Schoendienst squad, Peoria first baseman Chris Duncan's two-run blast off minor league pitching coordinator Mark Riggins was all the Brocks needed in the 2-0 shutout of the Schoendiensts. Former Memphis reliever and current Potomac pitching coach Bryan Eversgerd had a five-hit shutout for the Brocks.