BASEBALL: St Louis Cardinals at NY Mets

The Mets earned a dramatic 8-7 victory last night in the first game of this series matching NL division leaders. Albert Pujols single-handedly led the charge for the Cardinals with 2 HR and 7 RBI. But it wasn't enough as Mets slugger Carlos Beltran hit a walk-off game-winning 2 run HR off Cards' closer Jason Isringhausen for the win. A certain Mets fan in Queens surely smiled as thoughts of his infamous "Generation K" poster didn't sting as much anymore.

I'm making tonight's rematch the one to watch. While the Cards need the win to fend off the surging Reds, what matters most about this game is the initial appearance of two players critical to playoff success. For the Mets, I'm interested in seeing new RF Shawn Green. The Mets acquired the former All-Star from the D-Backs yesterday in exchange for a minor league prospect. This appears to be a good deal as one of the Mets few weaknesses has been their corner outfielders. Green is no longer a star but can be a good role player for a winning team.

For the Cards, I'm interested in seeing how former stud pitcher Mark Mulder looks in his return from the disabled list. Mulder has been sidelined since June 21 with an injured left shoulder. Before the injury, however, the lefty had struggled all season with a 6-5 record and an awful 6.09 ERA. Since the Cardinals starting pitching is weak after ace Chris Carpenter, they need Mulder to re-establish himself as the stopper he was in Oakland.

My pick: St. Louis. I still don't think the Reds have enough to catch the Cards. I look for them to bend but not break. Master motivator Tony LaRussa will find a way to win another division. Whether the Cards can make noise in the playoffs with shaky pitching is another question.

Today we go back across the state of Florida to the Gulf Coast and give a cheer to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.