Daily Dose: Cardinals Still Searching for Third Baseman

The most recent hot topic in Cardinal baseball has been the Cards' search for another bat to put in the lineup. Whether it be this year or next, GM John Mozeliak has "given up" on Troy Glaus returning, and is seeking an everyday third baseman.

The main names brought up for the hot corner have been Mark DeRosa, Garrett Atkins, Adrian Beltre, plus, Melvin Mora. That's where we'll start today's Daily Dose.

With DeRosa, Atkins, Beltre, and Mora as main targets, let's take a look at their (current) numbers:

DeRosa: .261 BA, 8 HR, 34 RBI

Atkins: .192 BA, 3 HR, 17 RBI

Beltre: .236 BA, 3 HR, 22 RBI

Mora: .269 BA, 2 HR, 15 RBI

Overall, the logical choice would be to acquire Mark DeRosa, especially with the Cleveland Indians looking to rebuild, as they sit lonely at the bottom of the AL Central.

Garrett Atkins has proven to be inconsistent, and has seen his stats drop from his career highs in 2006.

Adrian Beltre could be another possibility in a Cards uniform, but only if the Seattle Mariners could eat up some of that $13 million salary, keeping Bill DeWitt's cap space open.

Melvin Mora is a solid veteran, however, he too has seen his numbers drop as he's nearing the end of his career.

In other Cardinal news, Nick "Stavi" Stavinoha emerged as the hero, yet again, last night, driving in two runs on a drive to center that was apparently out of Reds CF Willy Taveras's range. Those two runs made the score 4-2, and were, potentially, the game-winning runs.

Brad Thompson made his first start of the season, and gave up two earned on five hits in five innings of work. Thompson, who had made three starts at Triple-A prior to Tuesday, could potentially take over Joel Pineiro's role if Pineiro is placed on the DL, with acute back spasms. The last time Thompson was a regular starter was 2007, when he went 8-6 with a 4.73 ERA.

Colby Rasmus went 1-for-4 with a double Tuesday night, giving him his tenth extra base hit since May 14. Of his last 12 hits, 10 of them have been for extra bases. Don't let Rasmus' .243 AVG fool you, his .428 SLG presence in the two spot has only benefited the Cardinals, and, more importantly, Albert Pujols.

Speaking of which, with slugger El Hombre behind Rasmus, the youngster should see more pitches to hit. Also, if Rasmus can continue to get on base, opposing pitchers will be forced to pitch to Pujols, which, no doubt, will benefit the Redbirds.

That's it for today's Daily Dose. The Daily Dose is a new daily column providing hot topics on the Cardinals.

Blake writes for his official St. Louis Cardinal blog at http://cardinalbeatblog.blogspot.com. You can email him at [e-mail]