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In a repeat performance of the 2009 NLDS, the Los Angeles Dodgers out-hit the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-game sweep at home. 

The very same factors that led to the September playoff pounding—an aggressive one-two in Andre Ethier and Manny Ramirez, and a lack of response in Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday—not only kept the Cardinals from West Coast redemption, but also kept them from keeping their lead of the NL Central. 

Pujols and Holliday hit one single each in the entire series.  Additionally unsettling for Cardinal fans, young hitters David Freese and Colby Rasmus, who earned the NL Player of the Week award last week, played very little.  Freese had a few unsuccessful pinch-hitting appearances; Rasmus did not play at all because of a strained calf. 

Fortunately for the Cards, the sweep is nothing detrimental. 

The Redbirds are one game behind the Cincinnati Reds, and the better part of the season is still in front of them.

The Cards do, however, have an important issue to deal with:

Where is Brad Penny?

Although he had a losing record before his injury, Penny was a promising pitcher for the Cardinals—certainly a lot better than the $9.2 million waste in Kyle Lohse. 

The timeline for Penny’s return has been just about as cohesive as the timeline for the repair and cleanup of the Gulf Coast oil spill. 

As soon as Penny returns, Cardinal fans can stop writing off every fourth game as a loss.

Jaime Garcia will start Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.  There, the Cardinals will look to shake off their losses to the Dodgers.  

Can the Cardinals come back from losing hard to a division-leading team on the road?  It’s hard to say, but a sweep of the pitching-weak Diamondbacks would certainly diminish the blow.

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Stephen Strasburg will make his MLB debut at 7:05 ET Tuesday in perhaps the most exciting Washington, D.C. event to take place since the Obama inauguration. 

Although it will not break any glass ceilings, Strasburg’s debut will mark the beginning of a potentially groundbreaking movement for the D.C. sports scene. 

Acknowledging the inflow of young talent into D.C. in Strasburg, Bryce Harper, and John Wall, one might suggest D.C., like New York, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles, could become one of the top U.S. sports cities in the not-too-terribly-distant future.

At this point, the Strasburg debut is most significant. 

Strasburg is young, talented, and ready. He is on a Major League roster, and has a sizable contract.

Harper and Wall, University of Kentucky’s one-year wonder and this year’s top NBA prospect, are still in the “maybe” column.

Yes, the Washington Nationals drafted Harper Monday and yes, the Washington Wizards had the first pick in the 2010 NBA draft, but, as most sports analysts would agree, coaches and franchises must be extremely cautious in putting a lot of stock in their prospects. 

That being said, the addition of Harper and Wall to Washington teams will improve the city’s sports landscape, regardless of where its young guns end up. 

To get an idea of how these new athletes will impact D.C., ask yourself this: Where was Cleveland before LeBron James? 

A complete mapping of the changes that will take place in D.C. is too detailed a subject to deal with for now. 

We just have to wait; if Strasburg pitches well Tuesday, and if Harper and Wall shine like the gems they are, we should be hearing a lot more about D.C. in the next decade.

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The MLB draft means more than just a replenishment of the many major league farm systems.

Like a political poster, the draft screams change and, more importantly, hope for a winning future.

MLB’s worst teams are giddy at the prospects of achieving this winning future; they look at their top draft picks as not only tickets out of last place, but also as keys to the pennant.

Some of these teams are in such dire need for improvement that they could use the help now sooner rather later.

So who will get to the majors first? Who has the potential to start helping right away?

Here is a list of baseball’s readiest prospects.

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The wait is over: Stephen Strasburg will make his MLB debut on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Said to be made from the rib of Nolan Ryan, the 21-year-old Washington Nationals right-hander is already the stuff of legend (or at least 2010 hype), even though his 100 mph fastball has yet to cross a major league plate.

So what should we expect?

Will Strasburg be lights-out, or will he go the way of David Clyde, the top pick in the 1973 draft who finished his short career with only 18 wins and a 4.63 ERA?

Here is a list of other past and present top pitching prospects and their major league accomplishments and failures.

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After Albert Pujols punished the Chicago Cubs with three home runs at Wrigley Field on Sunday, the Cardinal lineup took its aggression home in a 12-4 destruction of the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium on Monday. 

The strong performance at the plate was timely for the Cardinals, whose rookie right-hander, Jaime Garcia, pitched the worst home game of his career. 

And by that, I mean he struck out six batters and gave up only three runs in six innings, increasing his ERA to a mere 1.32, second in the MLB only to the Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenez, who already has 10 wins. 

If he can preserve his skills on the hill, Garcia may contend for Rookie of the Year honors at the end of the season.  His competition will most likely be Atlanta Braves’ Jason Heyward and teammate David Freese.

The Cards’ victory earned them a tie for first place in the NL Central with the Reds, who had had control of the division after two winning series against the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Houston Astros. 

If the Cardinals sweep the Reds, they will have a two-game command of their division when they host the pitching-weak Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. 

To earn the first place cushion they enjoyed early in the season, the Cardinals have to keep intact their prowess at the plate and their dominance on the mound. 

Rookie right-hander P.J. Walters will give his second start this year on Tuesday against the Reds’ Johnny Cueto.  In his last appearance, the 25-year-old Walters gave up only two runs to the NL West leading San Diego Padres. 

Although Cardinal pitching has been consistent in 2010, Cardinal hitting has been uncharacteristically streaky, at least at the heart of the lineup.  But Pujols’ resurgence has revived Cardinal fans’ big picture positivity. 

For now, Cardinal fans can rejoice in the comeback of their poster boy and the development of its lineup. A questionable Mark McGwire, a lukewarm Matt Holliday and an injured and underwhelming Kyle Lohse are subjects for another day.

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When a Cy Young Award candidate hangs a curveball and a sixth position hitter is there to see it, does it make a run? 

Well, not usually. But at PETCO Park Tuesday night, the San Diego Padres nabbed a win from one of baseball’s finest starters when Jerry Hairston Jr. turned a pitch by Adam Wainwright into a solo home run and a 1-0 win for the NL West Division leaders.

Using a deadly arsenal of pitches, Wainwright struck out 12 and gave up only four hits and one earned run in seven innings. Wainwright’s Excalibur—the sharply breaking curveball—caused the most damage.

But one curve failed to perform its ravenous duty, and that made all the difference.

Cardinal batters could not cover for Wainwright’s one mistake, as the Padres’ pitcher put on a show of his own.

Veteran right-hander Jon Garland earned his sixth win this season, giving up six hits and striking out seven in seven innings. 

Although Albert Pujols went 3-for-4 with three singles after a hitless series against the Los Angeles Angels, the Cardinals did nothing more than hit singles, stranding a handful of base runners and hitting into multiple double plays.

On Wednesday night, the Cardinals will rely on rookie Jaime Garcia, whose strong numbers (a 4-2 record and 1.28 ERA) may give the quiet Cardinal bats the confidence to get loud again.

Perhaps the most desired spectacle for Cardinal fans would be a home run by Pujols or Matt Holliday. The two sluggers have hit only one homer each this month, leaving their fans anxious for an offensive revival of their highly touted bats. 

The remaining two games in San Diego and a first series in Chicago later this week will give Cardinal fans an idea as to whether the backbone of their 2010 team will be its pitching or its hitting.

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