Look at the key players for tonight's 2-1 win over the Cubs:

(1) Chris Carpenter was picked up prior to to the 2003 season and after shoulder surgery. He pitched 18.2 innings in the minors that year, meaning he was basically paid $300K to rehab. Nowadays when he gives up one run in nine innings we feel like he had an off night.

(2) John Rodriguez grew up in the Bronx and played in the Yankees system until this season. Last year he hit 294/382/542 at AAA, nice numbers even for a 26 year-old. This year he was hitting 286/355/610 overall at AAA, and of course he's been killing the ball the last month at Memphis after being dumped in June for a 30 year-old AA catcher. Tonight J-Rod (ugh, not another one) homered off Carlos Zambrano to go along with his homer off Ben Sheets a couple of days before, the Cardinals' only run off Zambrano in nine innings.

(3) Al Reyes was released by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays last season, evidently at his request since he couldn't get the call-up to the majors. The Cardinals signed him, sent him to Memphis and tried him out at the majors late in the year. Reyes has pitched in the minors every season of his pro career except 1995, when he was a Rule 5 pick. This year he's been one of best relievers in baseball. Reyes got one out in the 11th to pick up a cheap win.

(4) John Mabry has bounced around in his own right, and last year he too had to start the season at AAA. After returning to the majors, he blasted a 296/363/504 line in 2004, although in 2005 he's come back almost exactly to his more mundane career averages of 271/328/413. Of course he's best known for teaching the world that "Moneyball" isn't just about OBP. Tonight as a pinch hitter he hit a ball off a seam (or something) of the left field wall. Since Mabry was running out of the box, he was able to leg out a leadoff triple.

(5) Hector Luna is a two-time Rule 5 pick. He can't hit much, but he's an ath-u-lete, as Frank Broyles would say. He pinch ran for Mabry and scored the winning run.

(6) David Eckstein's life story has been beaten to death, but of particular relevance here is that the Angels let him go so they could sign a more aesthetically pleasing, if not more effective, shortstop. Eckstein laid down a walkoff squeeze. Well, it's Eckstein, so he ran to first.

Mike Mahoney, a long-time minor leaguer, and Abraham Nunez, a non-roster invitee back in February, also started tonight. Score this win for the scrap heap guys.