La Russa, who has coached the Cardinals for 14 years, says that he will make an decision soon.

“I know the organization needs an answer. I told them when I figure out whether there’s fire in there or not I’ll let them know. I’m not going to take forever,” said La Russa to the Associated Press.

The Cardinals easily won the NL Central with a record of 91-71. But they struggled at the finish of the regular season and their issues persisted into the postseason.

If La Russa returns to St. Louis for next season, the Cardinals will likely be favorites to win the division again. They have a strong pitching staff and with Albert Pujols in the middle of their lineup, the Cardinals can always put runs on the board.

Tony La Russa (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Will Tony La Russa Return?

While the reason for his surgery isn’t known, sources indicate that the surgery was likely in regards to bone spurs. Last offseason, Pujols had surgery on the same elbow to correct nerve irritation.

In 2009, Pujols had 47 homers, 135 RBIs, 124 runs, 16 steals, a batting average of .327 and an on-base percentage of .443. His 47 homers led the major leagues. For his efforts this year, Pujols will undoubtedly win the 2009 NL Most Valuable Player award.

Most of Pujols’ elbow issues are attributed to a partially torn elbow tendon. He could hypothetically try to get it repaired but the rehab could keep him out for many months.

Albert Pujols was great even though his elbow isn't 100% (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Albert Pujols Injury Update – Elbow Surgery

The Dodgers had many stars on the night. Manny Ramirez was 3-for-5 with two RBIs, while Andre Ethier was 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs. Starting pitcher Vicente Padilla pitched seven innings and gave up four hits and one walk while striking out four.

The Cardinals got two hits from Albert Pujols but that wasn’t enough. St. Louis not long ago was one of the hottest teams in Major League Baseball — but they limped to the finish of the regular season and then their poor play continued in the postseason.

The Dodgers advance to face the winner of the series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Colorado Rockies. Currently the Phillies and Rockies are tied 1-1.

Dodgers Sweep Cardinals (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Dodgers Win 5-1, Sweep Cardinals

With the Red Sox, Smoltz was 2-5 with an ERA of 8.33. With the Cardinals, it has been a totally different story. In four starts, he’s 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA. In 22 innings with St. Louis, he has 28 strikeouts and only one walk.

Smoltz’ next start was going to be on Monday against the Florida Marlins. Instead, his next start will likely be against the Chicago Cubs on September 20th.

The Cardinals can afford to play it safe with Smoltz, who said that he could pitch if it were a playoff game. St. Louis is 84-59 and leads the NL Central by 10.5 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs.

John Smoltz - St. Louis Cardinals (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

John Smoltz Forced to Miss Start

Albert Pujols - St. Louis Cardinals (Image: Zuma Press)

That the homer came off of Capps is significant. The last time Pujols faced Capps, the reliever was ejected for hitting Pujols in the ribs with a fastball. However, Pujols said that it wasn’t a matter of revenge.

Said Pujols: “Not revenge. What I’m trying to do there is get on base and try to help my team win a game.”

With the win, the Cardinals are now sitting at 81-56. They are all but guaranteed a spot in the 2009 baseball playoffs. And if Pujols, who is hitting .321 with 44 homers and 117 RBIs, keeps hitting the way he is the sky is the limit for St. Louis.

Post from: EveryJoe

Albert Pujols Wins Game with Pinch Hit Bomb

In his first three years with the Cardinals, Carpenter was very good. His best year came in 2005 when he won the NL Cy Young Award with a 21-5 record and an ERA of 2.83. But then after going 15-8 with a 3.09 ERA in 2006, Carpenter’s career was derailed.

In 2007, Carpenter pitched in the first game but then missed the rest of the season due to injury. Last season, Carpenter was only able to appear in four contests. After basically two lost seasons, Carpenter has been arguably better than ever this year. In 22 starts, he is 15-3 with a 2.28 ERA.

On Wednesday, Carpenter notched the win by going six innings and giving up three earned runs as the Cardinals beat the Brewers by a final count of 10-3. Overall, Carpenter is a perfect 10-0 since losing on June 30th to the San Francisco Giants.

Chris Carpenter - St. Louis Cardinals (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Chris Carpenter Wins 10th Straight

Soriano and his $136 million deal hasn’t been too productive this season for the Cubs. He is hitting .243 with 20 homers, 55 RBIs and 63 runs. The 33-year-old has now seen his home run total dip in four consecutive seasons.

With the Cubs 9 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central, Chicago may opt to keep Soriano out for the rest of the season so he can rest up for the 2010 campaign.

It sounds like Soriano doesn’t think he can play right now anyways.

Said Soriano: “I want to play, but it’s very tough. I don’t get a very good jump because I cannot put weight on my knee.”

Without Soriano, the Cubs were able to beat the New York Mets by a final count of 11-4 on Saturday.

Alfonso Soriano - Chicago Cubs (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Alfonso Soriano Undergoes MRI

On the season, Holliday is hitting .286 with 11 homers and 54 RBIs. He’s also sporting a .378 on-base percentage and 12 stolen bases. The 29-year-old slugger was traded to the A’s prior to the season after playing for the Colorado Rockies during the first five years of his MLB career.

While his numbers with the A’s were good, they weren’t close to his great numbers with the Rockies. In 2007, Holliday hit .340 with 36 homes, 137 RBIs and 120 runs.

Now that he’s with the Cardinals, Holliday will likely hit fourth in the lineup — right behind Albert Pujols. If he can get hot, he could help the Cardinals keep their lead in the NL Central. Currently, St. Louis has a 1.5 game lead in the division.

Matt Holliday - St. Louis Cardinals (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Matt Holliday Traded to the Cardinals

In the fourth inning, Pujols hit a solo shot to put the Cardinals up 1-0. The Cardinals doubled their lead to 2-0 when Pujols hit a homer in the sixth inning. Thanks to Chris Carpenter, that’s all St. Louis needed to score.

In eight innings, Carpenter carved up the D’Backs. He scattered seven hits and one walk while striking out seven and giving up no runs. The win advanced his record to 8-3. His ERA on the season is now 2.26.

Pujols’ numbers this year are just sick. He is batting .334 with 34 homers, 89 RBIs, 75 runs and ten stolen bases.

With the win, St. Louis improved to 50-42. The loss dropped the D’Backs to 38-52.

Albert Pujols (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Albert Pujols Leads Cardinals over D’Backs

The Indians acquired DeRosa in the offseason in a deal with the Chicago Cubs. The 34-year-old DeRosa was playing third base for Cleveland. On the season, he is hitting .267 with 13 homers, 50 RBIs and 47 runs.

The acquisition of DeRosa should help the Cardinals in their fight with the Milwaukee Bucks for the NL Central title. Currently, the two teams are tied atop the division.

For Cleveland, they are in a rebuilding mode. With the worst record in the AL, the Indians decided to trade DeRosa for a player who could possibly help for a number of years. The 23-year-old Perez has a 4.18 ERA and has racked up 30 strikeouts in 23.2 innings.

Mark DeRosa Traded to the Cardinals (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Mark DeRosa traded to the Cardinals