Sports
Westplex Sports For July 19, 2010:
By Bob Hudson
Jul 19, 2010 - 2:18:00 PM

The Cardinals will try to remain undefeated in the second half of the season tonight as they start a four-game home set against the defending National League champion Phillies at Busch Stadium.  The Cards came out of the All-Star Break with a four-game sweep of the Dodgers, and have won their last five games overall.  Blake Hawksworth gets the nod in the 6:05 p.m. start.  He is 3-and-5 with a 4.72 ERA.  The Phils counter with Kyle Kendrick, who is 5-and-3.  The early start is so the game can be broadcast nationally on ESPN.  St. Louis is on top in the NL Central with a half-game lead over Cincinnati.  Philly comes to town in third place in the NL East, five-and-a-half games behind the Atlanta Braves.

And the the Cardinals are waiting for an update on pitcher Adam Otta-vino's shoulder. The prospect was to meet today with team physicians about his shoulder. The Cards announced last week that Ottavino would require surgery to repair a tear in his labrum. He met with the Mets team physician over the weekend, Ottavino wanted to get a second opinion. This year, the Cards former first-round pick is 5-and-3 with a 3.97 ERA in nine starts for Triple-A Memphis.

In related news, Kyle Lohse is scheduled to throw another bullpen session today as he recovers from forearm surgery. Lohse threw 50 pitches over the weekend and reported no setbacks. Also, Evan MacLane was optioned back to Memphis and reliever Fernando Salas will be recalled and join the big league club today.

The Cubs begin a three-game series against the Astros tonight at Wrigley Field.  Nine-and-three Carlos Silva goes for Chicago against 6-and-11 Wandy Rodriguez.  The Northsiders are coming off a four-game set against the Phillies, in which they took three games. But they’re nine-and-a-half games behind the division-leading Cards.  The Cubs will host the Redbirds for a three-game series starting Friday.

With training camp just nine days away, the Rams are in contract talks with top overall draft pick Sam Bradford.  The "Post-Dispatch" says negotiations started Saturday, but a final deal isn't likely to come quickly.  The Oklahoma product is expected to get somewhere between 45 and 50 million dollars in guaranteed money, which would be higher than last year's top pick, quarterback Matthew Stafford, who received just under 42 million in guaranteed money.  The Rams open up training camp on July 28th in Earth City.

Missouri's men's basketball team will play twice on ESPN's Big Monday broadcasts this coming season. The Tigers will host Kansas Sate on January 17th, then travel on February 7th to take on the Kansas Jayhawks. It's the first time since the 2003-04 campaign that Mizzou will play twice on the network's Monday broadcast. The K-State game will be a special 4:30 p.m. broadcast on Martin Luther King Day. The Kansas game will begin at 8 p.m.