St. Louis Cardinals Wiretap

Edgardo Alfonzo Could Be Dealt To St. Louis

Third baseman Edgardo Alfonzo and left-hander Jason Christiansen are the prominent Giants who passed through waivers and could be moved over the next eight days, and general manager Brian Sabean said he remains active in trade talks.

"We're still having conversations with teams," Sabean said.

While Sabean declined to talk about specific players, Alfonzo is among the veteran players with postseason experience who could help a contender. The Cardinals, who lost Scott Rolen to season-ending surgery, could be among the teams interested in Alfonzo.

The Giants owe Alfonzo $7 million next season, and unless they offer to absorb part of his contract, it's unlikely they would get much value in return. But shedding Alfonzo would allow them to play Pedro Feliz at third base every day next season and possibly free up some money to address their many other needs.

Right-hander Brett Tomko can't be traded because the Rangers put in a waiver claim. The two sides failed to work out a deal, so the Giants pulled Tomko back off the waiver wire.

Via Oakland Tribune

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Grudzielanek Hospitalized With Knee Infection

Second baseman Mark Grudzielanek was hospitalized overnight with a knee infection and will not travel with the Cardinals for the start of a four-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Grudzielanek had a previous injury to his left knee that became worse Saturday when he slid safely home on a squeeze play during the Cardinals' 4-2 win over the San Francisco Giants.

The knee swelled and Grudzielanek spent the night at Barnes-Jewish Hospital West in St. Louis County. He was discharged Sunday but was not at the game.

Via ESPN

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Rolen Is Done For Year

All-Star third baseman Scott Rolen will have surgery on his left shoulder and miss the rest of the season, the St. Louis Cardinals said Sunday.

Rolen, 30, has a torn labrum and was told he will need at least six months to rehabilitate it after surgery. He is expected to return sometime during spring training. Had he waited on surgery, he could have missed considerable time in 2006.

Cardinals team medical consultant Dr. George Paletta will perform the surgery with assistance from Cincinnati Reds medical supervisor Dr. Timothy Kremchek. A date has not been set, but the surgery is expected to take place this week.

Via ESPN

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Cards Activate Larry Walker From DL

The team activated outfielder Larry Walker from the 15-day disabled list Saturday.

Walker, hitting .271, batted second and played right field against the Giants. He was placed on the disabled list July 26 with a herniated disc in his neck. He needs one RBI to reach 1,300 in his career.

The Cardinals optioned catcher Mike Mahoney to Triple-A Memphis.

Via ESPN

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Cardinals Activate Yadier Molina

The Cardinals activated catcher Yadier Molina, out more than a month with a broken left hand, off the 15-day disabled list and had him in the lineup against the pitcher whose inside delivery caused the injury. Molina had been sidelined with a hairline fracture since July 7 after being hit by a pitch from the Diamdondbacks' Claudio Vargas. Vargas was the Arizona starter in the finale of a three-game series against the Cardinals.

Molina, 22, is in his first year as the starter after Mike Matheny left for a free-agent deal with the Giants. He was batting .254 with five homers and 30 RBI in 74 games and had been particularly strong defensively, throwing out 12 of 23 base stealers.

Manager Tony La Russa said he was eager to activate Molina, perhaps to help pitcher Jason Marquis end a prolonged slump. Marquis entered with a five-game losing streak and had won only one of his last 11 starts.

"They were really good together, and this is a tough lineup," La Russa said. "If Marquis wasn't pitching, I probably would have waited 'til tomorrow."

Via ESPN

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