photo from the stltoday.com: St Louis Cardinal catcher Yadier Molina congratulates Los Angeles Angels star Albert Pujols in Pujols’ last appearance in Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Sunday.

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s, with a record of 41-38, travel to St.Louis to play two games against the Cardinals. The Cardinals are 40-37 and are in third place in the NL Central. They trail the Chicago Cubs by two games in the race for first place in the division. They are 1/2 game behind the Milwaukee Brewers for second place.

The A’s will be facing a team that is always in the mix for a post-season berth. The Cardinals have a lineup with players that can send the ball out of the park. The key players for the Cardinals are first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, third baseman Matt Carpenter, outfielders Marcel Ozuna, Jose Martinez, Dexter Fowler, and Harrison Bader. The catching chores are shared by Yadier Molina and Matt Wieters.

The Cardinals obtained Goldschmidt from the Arizona Diamondbacks last winter. So far, Goldschmidt is hitting .260 and has 14 home runs and 31 RBIs. Carpenter is having an off-year hitting .218, but has hit 10 dingers. Left-fielder Marcel Ozuna is the big power man on the team. Ozuna, in his second year in St. Louis, has 20 homers and 62 RBIs so far.

The pitching matchups will see Chris Bassitt going for Oakland on Tuesday. Bassitt (4-3, 3.64 ERA) pitched well last week against Baltimore. The A’s are hoping the magic rubs off against the Cardinals. Jack Flaherty (4-4, 4.24 ERA) will be the Cardinals’ starter. On Wednesday, Tanner Anderson will be the A’s choice to pitch, and the Cardinals will counter with the veteran Adam Wainwright.

The Cardinals’ bullpen will feature Andrew Miller and Genesis Cabrera from the left side. Their righties are John Brebbia, Giovanny Gallegos, John Gant, Jordan Hicks, and Carlos Martinez. Martinez has been designated as the team’s closer.

Since the game is being played in a National League Park, the A’s will not be able to use the Designated Hitter. A’s right-fielder- Stephen Piscotty will be making his first trip back to St. Louis. Piscotty was traded to the A’s before the start of the 2018 season.

On paper, the teams appear to be evenly matched. The A’s are having problems dealing with the loss of Frankie Montas and Blake Treinen. Montas is gone for 80 games, and Treinen has been placed on the 10-day IL with a shoulder issue.

The A’s finish the six-game road trip with four with the LA Angels in Anaheim. The Cardinals will play the A’s again in Oakland on August 3rd and 4th.