Matchup Game # 86 vs. Cardinals

Fat Sidney	Taylor Buchholz
4 - 3, 5.60	5 - 6, 5.36

The NL Central Since June 19

Team	W	L	Pct	RS	RA	Pyth
Houston	6	9	.400	66	67	.492
Cincinnati	6	9	.400	71	87	.400
Milwaukee	8	7	.533	67	82	.400
Pittsburgh	3	12	.200	77	100	.372
Chicago	4	11	.267	57	85	.310
St. Louis	3	12	.200	67	117	.247

No excuses. The Cardinals are down; you have to kick their fucking teeth in. There is a power void in the NL Central right now, and the team that wins this four-game series will have a good shot at taking inhabitance in that.

The Redbirds are as likely as the Astros to score lately, but the Cardinals have been hemorrhaging runs, giving up double digit tallies in 5 of their last 15.

Even the anemic Astros offense should be able to take the St. Louis pitching staff to school right now. St. Louis is last in the majors in ERA over the last 30 days; LaRussa keeps making moves, but no-one's getting the job done.

Desperate moves like the Jeff Weaver pickup aren't gonna change their course, and the Houston batters can't let their own wimpy performances give the Cardinals staff any confidence at all.

Can't let them get turned around.