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     Who's the leading hitter in the MLB for July?  It's our very own

David Freese! His .463 avg leads the league. Andrew McCutheon follows with the only other .400+ average at .437.  Freese brings in an impressive 1.168 OPS for the last 30 days. The only other Cardinal in the top 25 is Matt Holliday, who finished the month at 10th on the list with .360 mark.

   Who's the best pitcher in July...would you believe Jordan Zimmerman (Wash)? His 4-0 record, 0.97 ERA and WHIP average of 0.84 are a well-rounded collection of sharp numbers. Other pitchers may lead in one category or the other but Zimmerman brings the best ERA to the table.

   The Cardinal bats are really an enigma. Often it seems that they're shut down for much of a series yet, they lead the NL in hits, runs, and batting average. The power seems to have been drained from the Birds Bats..... they are 6th in the NL in HR. Clearly Beltran has slumped, Frese has been on fire, Holliday has the steady numbers but again we focus on the top of the order. The Birds need the #1-2 batters to get on base.  Jay struggled for much of the month, Schumacher has been in-out of lineup, Furcal seems streaky.

    Here's one that stunned me...Matt Carpenter is 6th in the MLB in OPS for the year! His OPS of .836 is deceptive since he only has 4 HR for the season.

    The complete implosion of the Milwauke bullpen may quickly take the Brewers from championship thoughts to "sellers". FranRod and Axford have fallen on their faces as closers for Milwaukee this year. Last year Axford  was 41 of 43 in save opportunities.  It's a far cry from this year's debacle. He's 17 of 24 for 2012 in the save opportunity bin. Flip-flopping closer-8th innings roles and back again hasn't worked. FranRod is 3 of 9 in the save department. Milwaukee has fired their bullpen coach....come on ....he isn't the one walking batters to extend innings. NYM dumped FranRod at the right time. From the Brew Crew perspective, his work last year was a key component of the 2011 division title.

TALKING TRADES ...... 

    The deal was far from an earth-shaker for the Cards. Acquiring Edward Mujica as a set up man for a top round draft choice(Zach Cox) who's floudering in the minors, seems like a nice upside. Obviously, the Cards are looking for a 7th inning pitcher to set up Boggs & Motte. The 4.38 ERA of Mujica doesn't raise my hopes too far. I anticipate a sparkling first couple weeks and then a spinning downward for this veteran pitcher. Cox, a 3B, was a weak fielder, hitting .254 and probably never going to push David Frese aside. I'm not so sure that this trade was consummated just to satisfy the StL fan base, who always want to be shown that you're TRYING to win. Is Mujica that much better than our current corp of relievers ? Will he be the Dotel of 2011 ? Time will tell. He's been ineffective when in "pressure" spots of a game most of his career. I hope that the large crowds at Busch don't cause him problems.

         Looks like the Phils are "moving on" this year...their deal surrendering Hunter Pence takes away the "spark" of the Phils. From the Giants point of view...I love the deal for Pence. SF has a strong bullpen and pitching staff but needed more pop (especially since Sandoval went on DL).  Pence is a very strong player. He brings RBI ability, some HR pop, strong OF(career: .290, 131 HR). Trading Tommy Joseph to the Phils, a hot catching prospect, is a case of trading from surplus. Big-hitter, Buster Posey is currently behind the plate while top-prospect Hector Sanchez is moving his way through the system. Philly procures Nate Schierholtz who has flashed real skill at times but has been unable to permanently become the RF for the Giants. Maybe this opportunity will be what he needs to emerge as MLB star. For Pence, its Ground Hog Day again....he's traded to a contender from a pretender as he was 2 years ago when Houston sent him to Philly.

    In another Philly "dump", the Phils dealt veteran All-Star CF, Shane Victorino to the Dodgers for Josh Lindblom and Minor League pitcher Ethan Martin on Tuesday. This one is a no-brainer(LA wins big)-- Lindblom has struggled for the last month after an outstanding April & May. Victorino brings a speedy, talented CF to the top of the order. With a 9.5mil price tag and free agency looming at the end of the season, the Dodgers may resign Victorino (31 years of age) to help bolster their offense which has really been anemic. Ironically, Victorino was originally signed by LA but was lost through Rule 5 draft-- not once but TWICE! By adding Hanley Ramirez and Victorino, the Dodgers have upgraded their offense, speed and athleticism.

      Pittsburgh really addressed their needs for the playoff drive. Travis Snyder, obtained from Toronto, has immediate & long term potential. However, he has yet to "put it together" for an entire year. Gabby Sanchez is the right-handed hitter off the bench for the Bucs. Pittsburgh did have to part with Brad Lincoln (to Toronto for Snyder), who was having a terrific season. But...to fill Lincoln's void, the Bucs turned around and filled his spot with Chad Qualls from the Yanks. Sending Casey McGehee to the Bronx Bombers for Qualls made sense for the pin-stripers. McGehee can jump in at 3B (A-Rod hurting) or 1B (Tex has a bad wrist). However, if I was in his shoes...I wouldn't buy a house or any other long-term investment in New York! Meanwhile, the Pirates landed Wandy Rodriguez earlier so they've been aggressive in trying to reach the post-season.

   Walt Jocketty surprised most everyone! Cincy has been enjoying a tremendous season from their bullpen in 2012. Unable to land a lead-off batter, Walt reached out and grabbed Jonathan Broxton to supplement his pen. Broxton, a proven closer, will add depth to a bullpen that is called upon nightly (so it seems). With Aroldis Chapman in his 1st year of closing, Broxton also provides flexibility in the use of Chapman. Look for Chapman to get an extra "day off" occasionally to keep his dynamite arm fresh for the stretch. Walt is playing for this year (and why not!). He has a roster with some real seasoned vets who may be running on their last legs (e.g. Scott Rolen,

   Texas grabbed Ryan Dempster from the Cubbies at a bargain   basement rate. Two minor leagues (one in Class A) brought Dempster, who wielded his non-trade clause with a heavy clout in these negotiations. Dempster replaces Colby Lewis in the rotation and fills the void of a couple struggling pitchers coming off the DL.

Winners of 2012 deadline trades: PItt, Cincy, Texas

Your thoughts?  If you want weekly reminders of the Flash, let me know at   bryan@prepcasts.com

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