NL Central

It is certainly a bit of a misnomer to use the term "underpaid" when discussing professional baseball players. With a new league minimum salary of $480,000, even the sixth outfielder and the lefty specialist make more annually than the President of the United States.

Cincinnati Reds fans are witnessing the greatness of Johnny Cueto for a second consecutive year.  The Dominican starter has firmly entrenched himself as the Reds' No. 1 starter, their true ace.  Cueto's numbers have been dazzling, and this season he's getting what he desperately needs for the Cy Young race: wins.

While the St. Louis Cardinals did make a move before Tuesday afternoon's non-waiver trade deadline, their NL Central opponents made a bigger splash.

Will the Cardinals be able to make it past the Pittsburgh Pirates or the Cincinnati Reds? Have those teams shown they mean business in 2012?

The Cincinnati Reds made a relatively small splash before today's MLB trade deadline by acquiring relief pitcher and Kansas City closer, Jonathan Broxton, according to Jerry Crasnick on

The Pittsburgh Pirates didn't land any of this year's most coveted trade chips, but they approached the July 31 deadline with a level head and the necessary poise.

Pittsburgh added four players either at, or prior, to this year's trade deadline. Check out NBC Sports' Matthew Pouliot's overview of the Pirates new acquisitions:

Neal Huntington was active at the trade deadline, making two key moves to update the Pirates' offense as this team chases its first playoff berth in 20 years. He was able to improve the Bucs both in 2012 and down the road without parting with any key assets (via ESPN).

Anyone want to see the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox battle this weekend at Wrigley Field? If you want to sit in the Budweiser Bleachers, this "marquee" game will set you back $280 for a pair.

Does anyone think a matchup between the Cubs, with a 20-40 record and last place in the NL Central, and the last place Red Sox in the East at 29-32 is a premium game that should be priced that way?

After another great outing from Adam Wainwright, the St. Louis Cardinals fall again after bullpen struggles and defensive miscues continue to plague the team.

Wainwright put together a big night going seven innings giving up only two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts. By any stretch, that's a great night. Not only was he pitching well, he got an early base hit and made a pair of key defensive plays.

One St. Louis Cardinal is rapidly making his way toward a rather exclusive club this season. Carlos Beltran is within hitting distance, no pun intended, of the 300-300-2000 club.

This status is reserved for players who have hit 300 home runs, stolen 300 bases and amassed 2,000 hits over their career. Lots of talk has floated about Beltran hitting 300-300, but the 2,000 hasn’t gotten much attention.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright will take the mound tonight in anticipation of his sixth win of 2012.

Wainwright, who is still getting back to form following Tommy John surgery in 2011, has seen more success in his last four outings than all season.

His sinker sinks again. His curve moves again. That wasn't the case earlier in the season.