St. Louis stands 6 ½ games above Houston in the division going into their four game series at Minute Maid Park this weekend. Next weekend they host the Astros for a three games, and the two series could easily determine the NL Central division championship. The Cardinals expanded their September roster to include 1B-L Ivan Cruz, IF-S Wilson Delgado, RHP Matt Duff, RHP Gabe Molina, RHP Jason Simontacchi and OF-R So Taguchi.

Cruz, a 34-year-old AAAA first baseman, knocked around AAA for the last 10 years aside from spending 2001 in Japan, demonstrating good power skills with decent plate discipline. If he had more position flexibility, he probably would have landed a major league bench job by now. While at AAA Memphis in the Pacific Coast League this season, Cruz hit .280 with a .349 OBP and .566 SLG on 129 H, 27 2B, and 35 HR with a 49:96 BB:K in 461 AB. He'll provide the Cardinals with a good left-handed pinch-hitter with power this month and can cover first if St. Louis wants to rest Tino Martinez at any point.

The 27-year-old Wilson Delgado's already established himself as a AAAA infielder with seven years spent mostly in AAA. He has neither speed nor power to compliment his poor plate discipline, which leaves him as a player teams can send in as a pinch-hitter for an out from either side of the plate before remaining in the game as an infielder.

Duff's bounced around the minors and the independent leagues, surprisingly never sticking for very long in one place despite solid skills. At AA New Haven in the Eastern League this season, Duff compiled a 91:21 K:BB with 38 H and 3 HR allowed in 65 IP for a 1.38 ERA, prompting the Cardinals to promote him directly to the majors at the beginning of August. He suffered some control problems and the team sent him down to AAA Memphis to clear a roster spot in the middle of the month. I'd expect him to perform better this month, providing St. Louis with another valuable relief option to prevent the playoff-bound members of the pen from tiring. Duff probably should return to AAA for the first half of next season, though provided his control difficulties are temporary, he should be ready to contribute as a quality reliever in a major league bullpen by the end of 2003.

As predicted, Molina returned briefly to the minors at the end of August when the Cardinals activated Garrett Stephenson from the disabled list. I expect St. Louis to use Molina in low impact situations rather than exert their more valuable relievers this month. If Molina performs well this September, he should have a solid opportunity to win a bullpen job out of Spring Training in 2003.

Stephenson made two unimpressive starts after returning from the DL, but the Cardinals have decided to go with a rotation of Matt Morris, Woody Williams, Chuck Finley, Andy Benes, and Jason Simontacchi for the remainder of the year provided all stay healthy, so Stephenson and Jamey Wright will be relegated to the pen. Given Benes' effectiveness over the last month, they've likely made the correct decision. Wright certainly didn't belong in the rotation over the others. Both Morris and Williams seem to be settling in after their injuries and should be strong for the rest of the season, though the Cardinals may go to the bullpen earlier in their starts.

St. Louis chose to demote Simontacchi at the end of August in order to make room for Woody Williams' return from the DL. Provided Morris, Williams, Finley, and Benes are healthy for the playoffs, they won't need Simontacchi on the postseason roster. However due to the widespread health problems that plagued most of the rotation, I think the Cardinals may find themselves wishing that Simontacchi was playoff-eligible.

The Cardinals also chose to demote Kevin Joseph and Nerio Rodriguez when acquiring Jeff Fassero and Wright respectively. Joseph wasn't ready for the majors when St. Louis promoted him, so he likely won't be recalled. Rodriguez might be handy to have around, but the club evidently doesn't think he's worth having around as a reliever as they outrighted him to clear space on the 40-man. In addition to the Rodriguez transaction, the Cardinals also designated Keith McDonald for assignment to open a second spot on the 40-man, as they preferred to call-up Cruz.

Taguchi's call-up earlier in the season only lasted six days before he was demoted when Jim Edmonds returned from the DL. He never mastered AAA, hitting .247 with a .286 OBP and .352 SLG on 75 H, 17 2B, and 5 HR with a 13:44 BB:K and 6/9 SB% during his 304 AB with Memphis. St. Louis will use him sparingly as a defensive replacement this month.

Although none of their call-ups are outstanding, the ability to expand their roster has been particularly valuable to the Cardinals this year as several of their regulars are day-to-day with various injuries. Jason Isringhausen experienced shoulder problems at the end of August, causing him to need a cortisone shot and sidelining him for two weeks. He now appears healthy, but St. Louis will exercise caution with him for the remainder of the regular season.

Albert Pujols remains day-to-day with both a strained groin and shoulder. As a result, he's only been playing part-time. In addition to the patellar tendinitis that has limited J.D. Drew's play since late June, he's now strained his left quadriceps, meaning he'll play even less over the next few weeks. However, I would expect Drew at least to pinch-hit every couple days as long as the division remains on the line. Jim Edmonds has also complained of several minor injuries and general tiredness for the last month, leaving no one in the heart of their offense fully healthy. Luckily Tino Martinez has picked it up in the second half, though he was troubled by a biceps strain in early September. At least Scott Rolen is currently healthy and productive after straining his shoulder in late August. Edgar Renteria's playing regularly but not running at full speed due to a pulled quadriceps.

If the Cardinals were fully healthy, I wouldn't question their ability to hold onto first place in the division, but at times over the last week it's seemed as though their roster was held together with athletic tape. A strong showing this weekend should finish off the Astros, otherwise they'll have to fight it out until the last days of the season, giving them no time to recuperate before the postseason and leaving them very vulnerable in the playoffs.