Albert Pujols News

"First baseman Albert Pujols entered Thursday night still sitting on 300 career home runs, a place he reached on July 4 against the Chicago Cubs but had not budged from in 54 at-bats before the Cardinals' series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers. If others are concerned about his relative power outage, Pujols insists he does not share the angst. "Other people can worry about it. You can worry about it. But I don't worry about it," Pujols said. "When I worry about it is if I'm popping up every ball or striking out and not putting the ball in play. But I'm hitting the ball hard pretty much every time. If I do that and I go a month where I can't get the ball out of the park, that's not a ..."

"Although lefthanded rookie Jaime Garcia pitched creditably for five innings Sunday, especially after allowing a leadoff home run, the Cardinals are likely to make another roster change involving him before tonight’s start of a showdown four-game series here with the Milwaukee Brewers. After a harder-than-it-might-have-looked four-game sweep of the San Diego Padres on Sunday, manager Tony La Russa is concerned about having enough rested arms for the Brewers series. Since Garcia wouldn’t be able to pitch until at least Friday in New York — and he almost certainly will not make that start anyway — the Cardinals will look once again to Class AAA Memphis. The most likely pitcher to be ..."

"The St. Louis Cardinals looked beat, down five runs after two innings in sweltering heat. Then the pitchers started putting up zeroes, and Albert Pujols led an offensive surge.Pujols had three hits and four RBIs and Todd Wellemeyer and four relievers blanked the San Diego Padres the final seven innings in a 6-5 victory on Saturday."It was obviously 110 degrees out there and getting ourselves down five runs in the first two innings is pretty tough," Pujols said, exaggerating on a day when the temperature was 90 for the first pitch. "But we've got a lot of outs left, and I think after the second inning Todd really found himself out there.""

"Unless he falls off the dugout bench in the top of the first inning, Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols is almost sure to get an at-bat in this year's All-Star Game. This would be unlike last year, when manager Tony La Russa saved Pujols for a situation that never came. With the game to be played in an American League park, National League manager Clint Hurdle has installed Pujols as his designated hitter and will bat Pujols fourth, even though Pujols wasn't chosen to the NL team by either the fans or the players."

"Albert Pujols apparently stated his willingness to participate in this year's Home Run Derby several days too late. Major League Baseball already has cemented its NL squad with Florida Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla, Houston Astros first baseman Lance Berkman, Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun and Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley. Though the American League squad is not yet finalized, a commissioner's office source said the plan is to find four AL hitters."

"Seven-time All-Star Albert Pujols says nobody has asked him, but he's ready, willing and able to participate in next week's Home Run Derby at All-Star Game festivities at Yankee Stadium.Irritated by Major League Baseball's snub in the 2004 Derby following a strong showing in 2003, Pujols sounded as if he is past any bruised feelings or concern about doing damage to his swing. "It doesn't bother me at all," he said. Pujols said Tuesday he is honored and looking forward to participating in the midsummer classic in the current Yankee Stadium's last season. Playing long ball Monday would only add to the experience."

"As he launched his 300th career home run, Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols was concerned with where he put the ball -- just fair or hooking foul -- not with where it put him.When his eighth-inning bolt hit the net attached to the foul pole, Pujols became the fifth-youngest player in baseball history to reach 300 career home runs at 28-years, 170-days old, edging Hall of Famer Mel Ott by one day. Pujols? 18th home run of the season was the Cardinals? only run in Friday?s 2-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium."

"Tucked into his wallet, folded up so he could take it everywhere, Tennessee high schooler Jordan Henderson carried a magazine story about Albert Pujols and his faith. Discovered there only after he was killed in a car accident, that article forged the bond that's developed between his family and the first baseman."There are hills and valleys, you know, emotional hills and valleys," said Henderson's father, Ken Frizzell. "Albert always seems to know when a valley is about to happen, and he's there to reach out and lift us up again."Pujols hosted Ken, his wife Doris Frizzell and many of Henderson's teammates from Riverdale High in Murfreesboro, Tenn., on Monday at Busch Stadium. The ..."

"While Mark Mulder's status still is in limbo, Albert Pujols is ready to return today."I'm playing. ... And you can write that," Pujols said on Wednesday night. Pujols, who has been on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained left calf, wanted to take early batting practice in addition to his regular workout Wednesday. The first part was scrubbed when the Tigers took the field at Comerica Park mainly for catcher Pudge Rodriguez to throw batting practice to his son. But Pujols went through the rest of his workout and said that he not only would be playing, but also there will be no designated hitting slot for him, if he has his way, when he is eligible to come off the DL."

"Albert Pujols might not be playing first base Thursday when he's eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list after rehabilitating a strained left calf. He might not be playing at all or he might be the designated hitter. But if Pujols feels good today after a vigorous mid-day workout on Tuesday and if he withstands an upgraded workout, his normal one, before tonight's game, he probably will come off the DL."I don't know," Pujols said. "This is my first time running the bases today. Let's see how I recover. This is something I don't want to push. Every day's getting better. I'm making good progress and I don't want to go backwards." Pujols, who generally abhors being the ..."

"Initially projected to miss a minimum three weeks with a Grade I-II left calf strain, first baseman Albert Pujols is now expected to rejoin the team in Detroit and might be activated from the disabled list when first eligible Thursday. La Russa spoke with Pujols on Friday and was encouraged by the player?s improvement from an injury once believed capable of sidelining Pujols through the All-Star break."

"After the Cardinals' 7-2 win Tuesday, manager Tony La Russa appeared inconsolable. "There was a lot of good and one bad," La Russa said about the game. "It's hard to get past the bad." The Cardinals have since learned that Pujols suffered a Grade I-II strain. A Grade III (a complete tear) might have cost Pujols most, if not all, of this season. Although Pujols' absence terrifies the fan base, the Cardinals believe he'll likely miss much less time than ace Adam Wainwright, who suffered damage to the sheath surrounding the flexor tendon. Pujols sat at his locker Friday almost daring anyone to bet against his early return. "I remember (in 2006) with my rib cage they said I ..."

"The night after Albert Pujols experienced a "big pop" in his left calf, he was in so much pain he slept only an hour and winced when he moved. Less than a day later, he described himself as ? "excited." The injury wasn?t as bad as the restless night had forecast. "I?m excited it?s not (worse). I?m excited there will be a whole season when I?ll be back and I?ll contribute," said Pujols, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a moderate strain of his calf."

"Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols has been diagnosed as suffering from a moderate strain of the left calf and is expected to miss a minimum of three weeks, according to club sources.Pujols aggravated what had been rated a minor strain when breaking from the batter's box on a seventh-inning ground ball Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park."

"Steeled for the worst, the Cardinals at least partially exhaled Wednesday afternoon upon learning that first baseman Albert Pujols suffered no worse than a moderate strain of his left calf.Team medical supervisor Dr. George Paletta diagnosed a Grade I-II strain, suggesting severe stretching of the muscle but not the complete tear first feared.Pujols traveled to St. Louis on Wednesday morning for an MRI, the same procedure he declined when the problem flared in Washington last week."

"The outcome was a 7-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds, a decision for Mitchell Boggs in his debut as a major-league starting pitcher, and consternation over how an overachieving club retains momentum without enforcer Albert Pujols.The Cardinals' first baseman crumpled one step out of the batter's box during the seventh inning after aggravating a left calf strain that limited him to pinch-hit duty during last Thursday's split doubleheader in Washington. This time Pujols screamed out in pain and had to be helped from the field."

"Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols got fewer than half the votes that Houston's Lance Berkman received last week and fell into third place in fan balloting to name the starters for the July 15 All-Star Game.Berkman received a major-league-high 460,000 votes last week, to just over 200,000 for Pujols. Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee received 300,000 votes last week and moved into second place. Berkman (.372 avg., 18 HRs, 51 RBIs) has a total of 1.046 million votes to 771,000 for Lee (.284-13-39) and about 700,000 for Pujols (.347-15-40)."

"Wednesday morning Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols passed on a scheduled magnetic resonance imaging of his strained left calf.That night, Pujols was absent from a lineup that never took the field in what ended as a protracted rainout vs. the Washington Nationals.Thursday Pujols became manager Tony La Russa's first player off the bench when he pinch-hit for starting pitcher Todd Wellemeyer in the seventh inning of a 2-0 game. Pujols' answer was the first pinch-hit homer of his career, a bases-empty shot on reliever Joel Hanrahan's second pitch."

"Not so fast on those concerns about Albert Pujols' health.Out of the starting lineup because of a mild calf strain, Pujols was sent up to bat for starting pitcher Todd Wellemeyer in the seventh inning of today's first game against the Washington Nationals.Pujols responded with a towering home run into the left-field seats off reliever Joel Hanrahan that gave the Cardinals a 3-0 lead. The homer was Pujols' 15th of the season."

"Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols was held out of Wednesday's lineup against the Washington Nationals in what eventually was a postponed game and is expected to miss today's doubleheader due to a mild calf strain suffered early in Tuesday's 6-1 win."I could try playing but it probably wouldn't be the smart thing to do," Pujols said more than four hours after arriving at Nationals Park. "It's not too bad right now, but we don't want it to get worse.""

"Albert Pujols lost a lot of ground in the All-Star balloting during the Cardinals' just-completed home stand.In the past week, the Cardinals' slugging first baseman fell from 12,000 votes behind Houston's Lance Berkman to almost 100,000 votes behind in fan balloting to name the starters for the All-Star Game July 15 in New York.Berkman (17 HRs, 47 RBIs, .385 avg.), the National League's player of the month for May, has 585,369 votes to 489,394 for Pujols (14-39-.366)."

"Ian Snell will be the starting pitcher this afternoon when the Pirates play the third game of a four-game series at Busch Stadium against the Cardinals. That means a matchup against Albert Pujols, who has been a Pirates killer and, more important, a player who has been especially tough on Snell. "It seems like everybody else in the league can get him out but us," Snell said, then laughed. "And he owns me. But it is fun because you know if you can get him out you can get anybody in the league out."

"During batting practice, Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols drilled a home run that knocked the lights out of the "Big Mac Land" sign on left field's second deck. Pujols blasted the "A" in "MAC," though it wasn't apparent until the game had started and the lights for the letter were dark."

"Albert Pujols sat at his locker Saturday afternoon, alone with his headphones, his bat and his thoughts. The Cardinals first baseman acknowledged still being shaken by his one-handed line drive that struck San Diego Padres pitcher Chris Young in the face Wednesday night, sending Young to the disabled list with a broken nose and cheekbone. "I can't lie. It still bothers me. It's not like something you can just put out of your mind," said Pujols...Pujols said he spoke by phone with Young on Thursday. The two exchanged text messages, then Pujols phoned the pitcher and former All-Star teammate to voice his concern. "He's a great guy," Pujols said."

"Harsh as it might sound, Chris Young caught a break along with a fractured nose. Albert Pujols was slightly off-stride when he smashed a slider off the Padres pitcher's face Wednesday night. The St. Louis slugger's strength is staggering, but this swing was mostly just arms. When Young's pain has subsided and his stitches are gone and he begins to make his way back toward the mound, he should look at himself as lucky."

"Merely wanting to keep his at-bat alive Wednesday night on a nasty outside 0-2 slider, Albert Pujols had one-armed a line drive back at 6-foot-10 San Diego Padres righthander Chris Young. Pujols' immediate thought was that the shot would climb over Young. Instead, it smacked full force into the pitcher's nose. The gruesome aftermath traumatized Pujols, who admitted having little desire for the remaining innings of his team's 11-3 win. "It did bother me. And I think I have good reason for it to bother me," Pujols said afterward."

"This went beyond sportsmanship, the concern that Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols showed after his line drive back through the mound hit Chris Young in the face, felling the Padres' 6-foot-10 right-hander in a terrifying third-inning incident. Young had already hit the ground, blood streaming down his face, when Pujols arrived at first base and immediately whirled to see what his single had wrought. Slowly, he began walking toward the crowd of Padres around Young. First baseman Adrian Gonzalez wrapped an arm around Pujols' midsection and turned him away from the scene, both lowering their heads in apparent prayer."

"When Albert Pujols reached out and swatted Chris Young's slider in the third inning last night, Young was less than 60 feet away as the speeding liner approached him. The 6-foot-10 Padre had thrown a slider clocked at 82 mph, and Pujols, who is so strong that several Cardinals teammates won't high-five him, had applied the bat's barrel to it. "I saw Albert reach for the pitch, kind of flick it with his wrists, then I looked up and saw where it hit Young … and then I saw a lot of blood," plate umpire Jim Reynolds said. "That stuff's kind of overwhelming to me." After recounting the scene, Reynolds shook his head. "It's amazing it doesn't happen more often," he said. "These guys are ..."

"Albert Pujols describes his existence for much of this season as staying patient or "staying alive." Despite his heightened frustration and a lineup that has taken its time supporting him, Pujols has managed to stay remarkably productive. Monday's two home runs in an 8-2 beating of the San Diego Padres returned Pujols' power figures to the well-heeled neighborhood he had become accustomed to in seven previous seasons."

"Tony La Russa told first baseman Albert Pujols he was going to try to score him a day off at some point on this eight-day trip, and now, even with the first baseman's legs "barking," the manager is having difficulty figuring out when would be best. Today's afternoon game would be ideal except, La Russa said, "against a lefthanded starter, not my favorite thing to do." Pujols had a noticeable limp Tuesday night because his left knee was bruised and swollen after his game-winning slide into home plate Monday night. Catcher Yorvit Torrealba's pads connected with Pujols' leg just below the knee."

"He made it through 21 games without stating the obvious. But two late-inning plate appearances in Tuesday's 12-inning, 9-8 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers proved too much. Albert Pujols admitted his patience is wearing thin."

"First baseman Albert Pujols compared Tuesday night's collision with Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Bill Hall to running fist-first into a wall, with the impact leaving his left hand swollen and his shoulder jarred. Even so, Pujols remained part of the Cardinals' Wednesday lineup against Carlos Villanueva. "It's a big series, man," Pujols said. "That's why I didn't come out (Tuesday) night. That's why I'm playing tonight. My wrist is still a little swollen but I can play, no problem.""

"Cardinals manager Tony La Russa employed a potential one-time-only lineup in Saturday’s series finale against the San Francisco Giants. It provided, among other things, Rico Washington his first major-league start and first baseman Albert Pujols his first day off this season."

"The season isn't two weeks old and the Cardinals publicly concede a desire for another bat to fortify their batting order beneath first baseman Albert Pujols."

"No longer willing to concede opposing pitchers a first strike, Pujols helped turn Friday’s game against the San Francisco Giants into an 8-2 reprimand with a third-inning double and a three-run, fifth-inning home run against well-compensated lefthander Barry Zito."

"Add another chapter to the longstanding rivalry between the Astros and St. Louis Cardinals. Astros pitcher Brandon Backe and Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols exchanged words on the field prior to Wednesday's game at Minute Maid Park and had to be separated by Astros manager Cecil Cooper."

"Albert Pujols is hitting .415, he has five home runs and he's slugging .830 this spring. This hardly is man bites dog material as Pujols does this sort of thing almost every spring and he's repeated it to a large degree in each of his previous seven big-league seasons."

"At the same time he acknowledges a sense of loss, Albert Pujols recognizes reality. The Cardinals are a different team from last season. It is on Pujols to help make it a change for the better."

"Cardinals manager Tony La Russa left open the possibility of instituting some "Pujols Rules" to preserve and protect slugger Albert Pujols' vexing right elbow."

"Albert Pujols' problematic right elbow feels fine now, and the Cardinals' irreplaceable slugger believes he can curb any soreness in his injured limb this spring, this season — and beyond. Ligament willing, of course."

"Albert Pujols expressed his outrage with some of the media over the performance-enhancement flap. He said here was nothing they could do to 'clean this up' and insisted they have 'ruined my image.'"

"Albert Pujols said the nagging injuries to his body have abated. He is less certain how he will recover from what he sees as damage to his reputation."

"Kingsley Smith, the KTVI (Channel 2) news director who devoted the bulk of a newscast to a false rumor that Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols would be named in the Mitchell report on performance-enhancing drugs, is leaving to run the news department of the Fox affiliate in Philadelphia."

"What's more important, getting a story out or getting a story right? That question surged to the forefront Thursday, when rumors that the Cardinals' Albert Pujols was on the list of those implicated in the Mitchell investigation of steroid use in baseball raced across the Internet and were picked up by broadcast outlets a few hours before the report was made public."

"After talking with Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds on Monday afternoon, manager Tony La Russa reviewed his lineup shortly before game time. Both injured players lobbied the manager 'to wait before scratching them,' La Russa said."

"Albert Pujols is one of five finalists for the Hank Aaron Award, which is given each season to the top offensive player in each league."

"Manager Tony La Russa will continue to play first baseman Albert Pujols as he attempts a seventh straight season with 100 RBIs, 30 home runs, a .300 average and 100 runs."

"Albert Pujols, who won the Players' Choice Marvin Miller Award last year for on-field and off-field contributions, has been nominated for the award again."

"Always one to find what he calls 'an edge,' manager Tony La Russa chose the heady play over the heart Sunday. La Russa finally found a day to get Albert Pujols a rest — and it just so happened to be Buddy Walk Day at the ballpark."

"Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols turned on the power during batting practice, receiving several ovations from the crowd about a half hour before game time. In successive rounds of batting practice, Pujols pounded pitch after pitch deep to left field at Miller Park."