Rachel Crader is the editor of semoball.com. She graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism in May of 2009 before spending the summer covering the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

Highlights from Rachel's days in college include having a class down the hall from Chase Daniel and having NCAA wrestling champion Ben Askren hold the door open for her at Brady Commons, Mizzou's student center. She spent time covering Mizzou basketball, softball and baseball while working for the Columbia Missourian and is excited to return home to Southeast Missouri to cover local sports for semoball.com.

Rachel has covered three Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournaments for the Southeast Missourian and semoball.com, and she'll see you courtside again this year.

Cardinals head to Houston, Lohse on mound

Posted Monday, July 20, 2009, at 12:39 PM

It seems a little hard to believe, but the Cardinals will make their first appearance at Minute Maid Park this season on Monday night. The Astros are in fourth place in the National League Central, trailing St. Louis by four games. But if recent history holds true we can expect Houston to play better in the second half of the season.

The Cardinals, who lead the second place Cubs by two games, took two of three games against the struggling Arizona Diamondbacks this weekend. (By the way, if things continue to go as they have for the D-Backs, they might actually have to change their name to the Struggling Arizona Diamondbacks by the end of the season.) It's old news by now, but Joel Pineiro's Sunday afternoon performance deserves a mention here. He gave up one earned run in seven innings and knocked in both of the Cardinals' runs in a 2-1 victory.

My focus will once again be on the mound tonight. Kyle Lohse is expected to make his second start since returning from the disabled list. Lohse pitched a three-hit shutout against the Astros in St. Louis in his second start start of the season on April 12th, but his overall performance this season has been erratic. He gave up four runs in five innings against the Cubs in most recent start, and I think it goes without saying (typing?) that the Cardinals postseason hopes depend in no small part on Lohse pitching more like he did in April, when his ERA was 1.97, and less like has since. His ERA was over six in May, the last full month he spent on the mound.

We'll see if Lohse looks healthy and sharp tonight. What do you expect?

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I expect Lohse to begin a turnaround. Still, I wonder why the Cardinals wouldn't make the trade of Rasmus for Halliday? Rasmus looks great...but so did Ankiel when he first came up as an outfielder. If someone would have offered a player like Halliday for Ankiel back then, would we have taken it? That's not to say Rasmus will have the bumps that Ankiel has, because he's grown up as an outfielder. But Halliday has a long history of success; Rasmus is just starting out. (Kind of like Danny Harren was when we traded him for Mark Mulder, right?) Anyway, if the Jays would take Ankiel, Duncan, Thurston for Halliday...I'd be popping the champagne.

-- Posted by Legend on Mon, Jul 20, 2009, at 1:52 PM
The Jays are more likely to give up Halliday for free then to take on Ankiel, Duncan, and Thurston (unless they have openings on a Class AAAA minor league team that I have never heard about).

-- Posted by redhawk81 on Mon, Jul 20, 2009, at 3:49 PM
That's why I'd be popping the champagne! It won't happen.

-- Posted by Legend on Tue, Jul 21, 2009, at 8:41 AM

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