NL Central

The emergency surgery to remove Matt Holliday's appendix certainly harms the heart of the St. Louis Cardinals lineup. But with the advent of laparoscopic procedures, the Cardinals have yet to put the All-Star slugger on the DL.  

His absence and the early-season struggles of Albert Pujols have left St. Louis hurting for runs early this season. But it could be worse.

Last week I wrote about my hope for the 2011 Cubs. For the first time in a long time, I look at the Cubs organization and see reasons to be optimistic about their short and long-term future.

I have never been a fan of platooning players in baseball. I always liked having a set lineup while giving the starter an occasional day of rest. Dusty Baker has a different idea when it comes to the Reds catching situation, and it has worked like a charm.

Apparently, Jim Edmonds didn't exactly have the time if his life after joining the Reds last season.

According to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon, in an interview with a St. Louis radio station, he opened up a bit about what he thought of the Reds organization and how he regrets coming to Cincinnati. He also throws a verbal jab at Brandon Phillips.

Few experiences can top Opening Day in Cincinnati, Ohio. The parade, sold-out stadium and increased number of media members are just a few things that cause the first baseball game of the year to sometimes take a backseat to the pageantry that surrounds it.

Not this time.

This hurts.

Born and raised in Madison, WI, I've been a Milwaukee Brewers fan my entire life. I remember my dad taking me to games at old County Stadium to see Robin Yount and Paul Molitor play, and it was so easy and "available" to stand outside after the game to fetch autographs from your favorite players or even to just see the team.

As a Chicago Cubs fan, there isn't much to be hopeful for after watching the North Siders drop their season opener, their home opener, and their opening series of the season all to the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates.

If the Milwaukee Brewers are the chief contenders for the Reds’ crown, all looks good in the Queen City. The Reds just finished sweeping the Brew Crew at Great American Ballpark with a 12-3 pasting, powered by 19 hits.

Catcher Ryan Hanigan led the way with a 4-for-4 outing with two home runs, three runs and four RBI. Brandon Phillips added three hits including a two-run homer.

Numerous guys on this Cincinnati Reds team are getting a lot of well deserved praise these days.

In the infield, you have MVP Joey Votto and gold glovers Scott Rolen and Brandon Phillips.

The outfield consists of potential up and coming stars such as Drew Stubbs and Jay Bruce.

In terms of pitching, we are all well aware of Aroldis Chapman, and other younger players such as Travis Wood and Mike Leake.

The Pittsburgh Pirates' failures in the recent past have hidden pockets of isolated strength. For instance, in 2006, Jason Bay was a true star, and Freddy Sanchez was the league-leading hitter, but the pitching was spotty (except for after the All-Star game, when the Bucs actually went 37-35 for a winning "half" season).