Let's Go Cardinals!!

It is officially September and the Cards are turning up the heat. They beat the Pirates 6-2 last night. Joel Pinero picked up another win last night, proving why he should remain in the starting rotation. A lot of Cardinal news here so here we go:
*Right Feilder Juan Encarnacion is done for the season. Due to an eye injury. He was standing in the on-deck circle when he was hit by a foul tip off the bat Aaron Miles on last Friday nights game. Encarnacion was hospitalized for a few days, he is now at home resting. The prognosis is unsure. All that is offically known is that he can not play baseball right now. For more on this story click here and here.
*Rick Ankiel is still HOTT! He continues to get great and timely hits. He also has been showing off his arm, runners might want to think twice about going for that extra ball if Ankiel is the recipient of the hit ball.
*Catcher Yadier Molina is heating up. He has been hiting a lot more, and picking up some more homeruns and RBI's.
*It appears that third baseman Scott Rolen is out for the season. He will be having shoulder surgery some time soon and his 2007 season is over. Recovery time is expected to be six weeks as he is having a "cleanout" rather than a major surgery. This should not affect his ability to play in the 2008 season. Lucky for the Cards, they have newcomer Russel Branyan (who hit a homerun last night in first game in a Cardinals uniform!!) Branyan comes to us from the Phillies.
*Miguel Cairo has also been added to the roster, and he is proving himself a valuable asset.
*September call ups!! Those returning to the fold are Skip Schumaker, Brad Thompson, Kelvin Jimenez, Andy Cavazos, and Kelly Stinett. Reliever Brian Falkenborg,and infielder Brian Barden also have been called up. Unfortunately, John Rodriguez (J-Rod) will not be called up as he had knee surgery (?) and is done for the season.
*Starting Pitcher Mark Mulder is back!!! He is making his first start tonight since the 2006 season. While I am excited about his return, I am unsure of how his debut will go. I am hopefull that he will be the Mark Mulder of old and provide us with another reliable pitcher.
*Mike Maroth is also back, he will be on the mound Thursday night. If he can get back in shape and Mulder has his old stide back, we will have a great rotation of Joel Pinero, Adam Wainwright, Braden Looper, Mike Maroth, and Mark Mulder. If Kip Wells can get his act together the Cards stand a decent chance of going to the playoffs.
*The Cardinals are 1 game out of first place in the Central Division.
*Should the Cardinals win tonight they will be 2 games over 500, something they have not done all season.
*Tonight's Game: Starting pitcher Mark Mulder returns to take on Pitsburgh Pirates Righty Tony Armas (2-5 w/ an ERA of 6.75) at Busch Stadium. Game time is 7:10 PM. However, it was raining earlier, so I expect a delay.
*Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals!!