As you've probably heard, Mark Grudzielanek hit for the cycle today. Yeah, three homers is more valuable, but the cycle's rarity makes it a neater event. Twenty years, fifty years and a hundred years from now broadcasters and newspapers (or their electronic successors) will note that "On this date in 2005 Mark Grudzielanek hit for the cycle against the Milwaukee Brewers." We could all use a little slice of immortality, and Grudzielanek just got his.

Chris Carpenter's effort shouldn't be overshadowed. While the Brewers lineup without Overbay is anemic, 12 strikeouts and no walks bodes well. The only negative is after throwing 100 pitches in the first seven frames, Carpenter pitched part of the 8th and ended up at 118. While I'm not a pitch count Nazi, that's a bit aggressive for a starter coming off an arm injury. I'm not saying it's reckless and I could wave my hands at it, but Jason Isringhausen's out and La Russa has a couple of guys down in the pen that he's not that comfortable with. We all remember the collective awfulness of the 2003 bullpen (Curveblog just invoked the accursed names of Yan, Springer, Fassero and Borbon), and one consequence was La Russa's compulsion to push Morris and Williams, a maneuever that ultimately backfired horribly. While the Cardinals have a lot more pitching depth than they had in 2003, milking every last out of the starters is too risky for the limited reward.

On a related note, Giants closer Armando Benitez is out for four months. RotoWorld is reporting that Fassero will get some save opportunities. The punchline is left as an exercise for the reader.