Although I do worry a bit about Perkins’ long-term deal. He’s signed for 3 more years for $10m. Still, I think I might give up Zack Cox for him.

Taveras: Worked really good counts his first two Pas. At the beginning of the season he would wait a pitch or two and then let it rip. I believe he worked both counts full (second PA may have been 2-2) and ended up making a loud out deep into the power alley in his first at bat. He was totally hosed by the ump in his third at bat. Worked a full count and took ball four, low and outside. I’ll give the umpire a little bit of a pass, because he called a very large zone all night-both ways. However, Oscar, somewhat justifiably stood and expressed his disgust at being rung up. Frisco brought in a lefty in the eighth to face Wong, Garcia and Taveras. On the first pitch he saw Taveras absolutely destroyed a 65 mph floater. Pulled down the right field line. The wall is only 330 ft down the line in Springfield, but there is a large (think two story) building beyond the fence and this particular HR took one bounce deep off the back of the building on out of the stadium. Looked as comfortable in center as I’ve seen him so far this year (around a dozen games). One diving catch at his shoetops was spectacular.

Wong: DH’d and struck out his first two PAs on pitches a foot out of the zone. Looked all kinds of out of whack. As noted previously, the ump had a huge zone, leading to both teams being pretty aggressive, but Wong looked particularly undisciplined the first two times up against a pretty good RHP. Worked a nice walk in his third at bat. Was caught stealing and honestly it wasn’t all that close. He is an excellent baserunner, but has only slightly better than average speed. Didn’t get a great jump. Looked like a totally different player that PA, however, and in his fourth and final PA in the eighth (against the lefty) worked a deep count and fisted a single (breaking his bat) to center. Great PA.

Rosenthal: Good, not great outing. Anything close to the zone was called a strike, and he took advantage better than Frisco’s pitchers. Threw a ton of high fastballs that Frisco hitters couldn’t catch up to. Sat 96-98 mph on the Springfield gun (ordinary disclaimer). Touched 99 and 100 a couple of times. Only threw one pitch under 95 mph in the first inning. Got into some trouble in the second, occasionally he will throw two or three pitches in a row that aren’t anywhere close and then just as quickly pull it together again. Walked a batter in the second (during one of his missing command stretches) and then Scruggs made a great diving play to his right, deflecting a hard hit ball to the second baseman, jumped back up to his feet and took the throw from J. Garcia to record the out. Stopped what looked like a big inning in its tracks. Several loud outs, and due to the called zone a ton of swings at pitches shoulder high, but with the exception of 3 or 4 call them 3-pitch sequences he did a good job of putting it where he wanted to. Threw far more fastballs than the last couple of times I saw him pitch.

Garcia: Someone noted in the last few days that they’d like to see Garcia moved up in the lineup. In spite of his home/road splits (look at the dramatic differences in his walk rate-he seems to be an entirely different kind of hitter on the road), he his second (right between Wong and Taveras). Three lefties at the top of the order. Chased a number of pitches (that in all honesty could have been called strikes-but normally wouldn’t have been) resulting in a couple of strikeouts as well. People quite rightly talk about his plate discipline alot, but he hasn’t exhibited that skill playing at home this year with any regularity.

Fornataro: Really nice, clean inning. Mixed his pitches well. The 5 or 6 fastballs he threw registered 98 on the stadium gun. Was a one-run game when he pitched in the 8th.

For

Adams, Cox, and Salas

What would need to be done to make this trade work? $$$$ to the cardinals? Prospects outside of our top 10 to Astros?