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Carpenter set to begin rehab assignment on Sunday (AP)

Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter, sidelined since opening day in 2007 because of an elbow injury, will begin a rehab assignment on Sunday with hopes of joining the rotation in August. Carpenter, the 2005 NL Cy Young winner, will begin his rehab stint with Double-A Springfield. The team is hopeful he won't need the full month before joining the staff and anticipate him joining the rotation immediately,...

Cardinals Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

Center fielder Rick Ankiel hit his seventh homer out of 22 against a left-handed pitcher to tie the score in the seventh inning Friday. And then he kept running on what should have been a routine out in the eighth. When San Diego second baseman Edgar Gonzalez froze and didn't throw to Padres right-handed relief pitcher Heath Bell, who was covering the first-base bag, Ankiel was safe with a hit and the door was open for the Cardinals to score four runs to break the 7-7 deadlock.

"We caught a break there," said manager Tony La Russa. "Perfectly placed."

Catcher Yadier Molina fouled off a couple of Bell fastballs and then stroked an opposite-field two-run single in the eighth to put the Cardinals ahead.

"I think he's immune to the pressure," said La Russa of Molina.

Molina leads Cardinals to 11-7 victory over Padres (AP)

Yadier Molina lacks the gaudy offensive numbers of Albert Pujols, Troy Glaus and first-time All-Star Ryan Ludwick. In the clutch, however, there's nobody the St. Louis Cardinals would rather have at the plate. "I just think he's immune to pressure," manager Tony La Russa said after Molina's two-run single with the bases loaded broke an eighth-inning tie in an 11-7 victory over the San Diego Padres.

Cardinals activate LHP Flores, recall RHP Jimenez (PA SportsTicker)

The St. Louis Cardinals on Friday activated lefthander Randy Flores and recalled righthander Kelvin Jimenez from Class AAA Memphis.

Cardinals recall Flores, opt for 8-man bullpen (AP)

The Cardinals activated reliever Randy Flores from the 15-day disabled list on Friday, opting for an eight-man bullpen during a stretch of 18 consecutive games. "We want to have that extra pitcher rather than the extra player," manager Tony La Russa said. "I'd rather have one less move to make on the position player side." Right-hander Kelvin Jimenez also was recalled from Triple-A Memphis, while...

Peavy allows 4 solo homers in loss to St. Louis (AP)

Jake Peavy hopes he gave up four homers in a game for the last time. His manager is sure of it. Troy Glaus homered twice and Rick Ankiel and Joe Mather added solo shots of their own to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Padres 4-3 Thursday night. "I'm going to go on the record and say that'll never happen again in Jake's career," Padres manager Bud Black said.

Cardinals RHP Carpenter cleared to start rehab (PA SportsTicker)

St. Louis Cardinals righthander Chris Carpenter has been given the green light to begin an injury rehabilitation assignment , the team announced Thursday.

Pertinent post-All-Star break issues (Yahoo! Sports)

Questions for each team come to mind two at a time as the season enters its second half.

Rays, Cubs have big hopes for second half (AP)

Raise your hand if you had this in your preseason picks. Evan Longoria and the Tampa Bay Rays are sandwiched between the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees and leading the wild-card race in -- gasp! -- mid-July. The Chicago White Sox are on top in the AL Central, with the big-budget Detroit Tigers in third and Cleveland languishing in last.

Hall of an intro: New, old All-Stars take places (AP)

Alex Rodriguez cut across the diamond to third base, then warmly embraced Chipper Jones, Brooks Robinson, Mike Schmidt, George Brett and Wade Boggs. Now that's some hot corner. Baseball blended its past and present Tuesday, starting with Yogi Berra leading a red-carpet parade through midtown Manhattan.

Former Cardinals player, coach Ricketts dies (PA SportsTicker)

Former St. Louis Cardinals player, coach and minor league instructor Dave Ricketts, who had been suffering from renal cancer in recent years, passed away on Sunday. He was 73.

Former Cardinals coach Ricketts dies at 73 (AP)

Longtime St. Louis Cardinals coach Dave Ricketts, who played on their 1967 World Series championship team, died early Sunday. He was 73. Ricketts' family informed the Cardinals, who were playing in Pittsburgh, of his death. He had been battling cancer and living in St. Louis. Ricketts was a reserve catcher, who played sparingly for the Cardinals in 1963, '65 and '67-69.

Miles' 5 RBIs lead Cardinals past Pirates 11-6 (AP)

The St. Louis Cardinals rediscovered their offense, and a worked-over Pittsburgh Pirates pitching staff will have trouble forgetting this weekend. Aaron Miles drove in five runs with a home run and a triple and the Cardinals held off a Pittsburgh comeback this time, beating the Pirates 11-6 Sunday. Miles got three hits and is batting .335 (64-for-191) in 46 games as a starter.

CF Ankiel sits for Cardinals (PA SportsTicker)

St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Rick Ankiel is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Michaels' homer rallies Pirates past Cardinals (AP)

The St. Louis Cardinals should know this by now: No late-inning lead is safe against the Pittsburgh Pirates, especially with Jason Michaels at bat. Not even a lead this big. Michaels hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning, the Pirates' third big homer in three innings, and Pittsburgh rallied from six runs down in the eighth to beat the St.

Tampa Bay turnaround highlights 'crazy' first half (AP)

Tampa Bay is on top, the Chicago Cubs keep winning and Major League Baseball might add instant replay before the summer's over. What in the name of Babe Ruth is going on with this grand ol' game? Conventions are getting shattered everywhere, just like those thin-handled maple bats. Indeed, it's been a wild first half for the national pastime: one no-hitter, three fired managers and Ken Griffey Jr.'s...

Lohse wins 11th as Cardinals beat Pirates 6-0 (AP)

Kyle Lohse is one of the NL's biggest surprise stories of the season, so his latest effective start wasn't exactly an unexpected development. This was: The St. Louis Cardinals put together one of their best offensive games in weeks, and it all began with a big inning that already looked to be over. Lohse limited the Pirates to six hits over seven shutout innings and Rick Ankiel and Ryan Ludwick...

Howard goes deep twice to lift Phillies (AP)

Ryan Howard knows two ways to take the focus off his anemic average. Go deep. Drive in runs. "I can't control what people look at," Howard said. Howard homered twice, drove in three runs and continued to inch his batting average toward a more respectable level, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 4-1 victory over the St.

Latest injury blow leaves Mulder"s future unclear (PA SportsTicker)

St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak has hinted that Mark Mulder's career with the team could be over after his latest injury setback.

Do the biggest deals bring big postseason success? (Yahoo! Sports)

At the risk of looking like I'm raining on the welcoming parades for CC Sabathia and Rich Harden along the...

Cardinals place LHP Mulder on disabled list (AP)

Cardinals left-hander Mark Mulder was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a shoulder strain, one day after he left his comeback start after facing only three batters. Mulder, coming back from two shoulder operations, complained of shoulder discomfort in his start against Philadelphia and threw only 16 pitches.

Howard's 25th homer in 8th lifts Phillies (AP)

Ryan Howard faced an 0-2 count in a tie game and was one unenviable pitch from adding to his league-high strikeout total. Instead, the slugging lefty's swing put himself into share of the home run lead. Howard homered leading off the eighth inning and Philadelphia's sputtering offense showed small signs of breaking loose in a 4-2 win over the St.

Cardinals' turn in NL Central chess match (SportingNews.com)

The Brewers acquired CC Sabathia, the Cubs countered with Rich Harden ... now it's the Cardinals' turn. But St. Louis might be relegated to waiting for injuries to heal.

ASG Memories, Rd. 1: Ted's party-Sweet Lou, Red-Parker's toss (Yahoo! Sports)

As next Tuesday's All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium approaches, we're moving through the Stew's Most Memorable...

Ankiel, Ludwick back Pineiro in Cardinals' win (AP)

Joel Pineiro snapped a long winless drought by making a key pitch every time he needed one. Pineiro and three relievers combined on a six-hitter, Rick Ankiel and Ryan Ludwick hit solo homers and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-0 on Tuesday night. Pineiro (3-4) allowed five hits and walked three in 6 1-3 innings for his first win since April 29.