--In their first 24 games, the Cardinals tallied six or more runs 11 times. In the next 13 games, they did it twice. On Sunday, manager Tony La Russa said, "We hit a lot of balls in the air. Not a lot of life up there."
--Although the Cardinals somehow are 7-5 in games started by opposing left-handers, they are batting only .227 against them, with left-handed-hitting rookie OF Colby Rasmus, for instance, at .080 (2-for-25) against left-handers with one run batted in. "Don't we still have a winning record against (left-handers)?" asked Tony La Russa. "I'll take the half-full (glass). You take the half-empty."
--The Cardinals have lost eight of their last nine meetings with the Brewers at Busch Stadium. In those games, the Cardinals have been limited to 19 runs.
--RHP Ryan Franklin, the Cardinals' closer, has been in only two games in the last 10 days. He said he expected to pitch Monday night against Milwaukee, no matter the score.
BY THE NUMBERS: 11 -- Rookies who have played for the Cardinals this season. OF Nick Stavinoha, brought up from Class AAA Memphis, was the latest.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "At the big-league level, 'almost good enough' is never good enough. Next time, I'll try to be good enough." -- RHP Adam Wainwright, after losing, 1-0, to Milwaukee, giving up only two hits in eight innings.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
