Brendan Ryan

Did you know that Saturday night at Safeco Field is Dustin Ackley Bat Night?

All kids 14 and under will receive a full-sized Dustin Ackley Louisville Slugger, complements of Jack Link's Beef Jerky. 

Seriously, I can't make this stuff up.

Don't believe me?

Seattle Mariners fans have been tormented over the past few years with incredibly disappointing seasons.  This is in part due to the unfairly high expectations that have been set by analysts.

Other factors include poor performance, inconsistent pitching, injuries, and bad management; but let's put those behind us and examine the successes of 2011.

The Cardinals sent offensively anemic shortstop Brendan Ryan to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, receiving fireballer Maikel Cleto in return.

Ryan became dispensable earlier this offseason when the Cardinals added shortstop Ryan Theriot.

When the Cardinals acquired Ryan Theriot from the Dodgers and proclaimed him their staring shortstop, the question arose of what to do with former starting shortstop Brendan Ryan.  

Billy Bob Thornton. Bob Knight. Nelly. Bill Clinton.

Recently another big name has been added to the above list. Apparently, Roy Oswalt is a Cardinals fan.

The Astros' ace has stated on numerous occasions that he'd favor a trade to the St. Louis Cardinals, and because Oswalt has a full no-trade clause, he holds all the cards.

So now it's up to St. Louis to make a move. With a farm system that has been depleted by several trades over the past few years, the Cardinals cannot afford to make a mistake here.

Strong Start By Carpenter

As Chris Carpenter breezed through the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup on Thursday night, all of Cardinal Nation gave a deep sigh of relief while they celebrated the 7-1 victory.  

It always hurts to see a batter struggling to hit at the plate. It is always annoying to see a batter swing at pitches they have no business swinging at. It is just as annoying for a hitter's average to drop 100 points in a season.

These are the hitters who just cannot catch a break this season. They've hit in the past, but suddenly cannot find the ball.

In Thursday's series finish against the Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Brendan Ryan was left out of the starting lineup, for good reason. The 28-year old has been an utter failure as the Cardinals' starting shortstop.

His batting average is .173, which would be a little disappointing by anyone's standards.

Ryan was not expected to win any batting titles, but the Cardinals were willing to barter with his bat in exchange for his stellar glove.

I, as did some others, pegged Ryan as my preseason pick for a Gold Glove. How wrong I was.

The St. Louis Cardinals lost their first series of the year this past weekend in San Francisco.

How concerning is this to the Cardinals?

Let's try not at all. Or maybe 0%. Either would work.

Fans are understandably on edge. After all, the teams offense seems to be under the impression that they only have two options when batting: strike out or hit a home run.

While this approach isn't exactly preferred by baseball people, it has propelled the Cardinals to a comfortable first-place lead after three weeks.

It was a pitchers duel in Cincinnati on Thursday as Bronson Arroyo and Brad Penny squared off against one another.

However, St. Louis' bullpen imploded in the late innings as the Reds defeated the Cardinals 2-1.

Jason Motte surrendered the death nail as Johnny Gomes blasted a walk off home run to stem the tide of the series and prevent a sweep.

Newly-acquired pitcher Brad Penny spoke of how tough the loss was and acknowledged the toughness of his adversary on the mound.