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Defense, pitching and home games have been sources of irritation for the St. Louis Cardinals.But hitting homers can cover a multitude of sins, and St. Louis is currently in position for its sixth straight postseason berth because it continues to crush the ball over the wall.As the Cardinals start a three-game series Tuesday night with the New York Mets at Busch Stadium, theyll do so having belted a National League-high 173 homers, including 26 in their last 12 games.Only Baltimore (192) and Toronto (179) have drilled more homers than St. Louis, and both have the advantage of playing their home games in hitters parks.Its not the only way we can score runs, but its our main way, Cardinals first baseman Brandon Moss said. Weve got a lot of guys in the lineup that can do a lot of damage, and it puts some stress on pitchers. Its nice to have guys in the lineup who can change a game like that.Moss has done more than any St. Louis hitter to change games with the long ball, even though he missed nearly a month with a sprained ankle. In just 290 at-bats, Moss has cracked 23 homers, his latest on Sunday in a 9-0 win at Philadelphia.The Cardinals recorded four homers in that game, including their 14th pinch-hit blast of the year by Jeremy Hazelbaker in the eighth inning. That tied the all-time MLB record and capped a 6-3 road trip that gave St. Louis (66-57) a 1 1/2-game lead over Miami for the NLs second wild-card spot.However, the Cardinals play their next six games at home, where they are only 28-33 this year. That might provide a glimmer of hope for New York, which needs all the positives it can get at this point.At 62-62, the defending NL champs are 4 1/2 games behind St. Louis and need at least a series win, if not a sweep. They are coming off a series split in San Francisco, thanks to a 2-0 win on Sunday night.If youre going to win, your good players have to play good. We ride those guys, Mets manager Terry Collins said. Hopefully, this is the start of what we want to do.The series opener pits left-handers on the mound as the Cardinals trot out Jaime Garcia (10-8, 4.11 ERA) against Jonathon Niese (8-7, 5.30).Garcia has won his last three starts, although he was propped up by the offense in an 8-5 decision on Aug. 16 in Houston, allowing five runs in five-plus innings. His only outing against New York earlier this year resulted in a 3-1 loss on July 26 in the nightcap of a doubleheader.Niese has faced St. Louis three times this season while pitching for Pittsburgh, going 1-1 and allowing 13 runs off 24 hits in 16 innings. He absorbed a 13-5 defeat Wednesday night at Arizona in his first start with the Mets.In an appealing matchup Wednesday night, the Cardinals Carlos Martinez (11-7, 3.24 ERA) faces Jacob deGrom (7-6, 2.73). Adam Wainwright (9-7, 4.71) will pitch Thursday nights series finale for St. Louis against a starter to be determined, as Steven Matz will skip his turn after being diagnosed with a left shoulder strain on Monday. Vincent Lecavalier Lightning Jersey .C. -- When North Carolina freshman Ryan Switzer reported to training camp in August he was a little miffed to learn he was third on the depth chart at punt returner. Brayden Point Jersey . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. http://www.lightninghockeystore.us/Ondrej-Palat-Jersey/ . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. Tyler Johnson Jersey . The Barrie Colts defenceman, who impressed many with his play for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship, is the top-ranked skater in the February rankings. He has 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points in 45 games with the Colts this season. Mikhail Sergachev Lightning Jersey . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. "Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that.PHOENIX - The Los Angeles Clippers have acquired sharpshooting guard J.J. Redick and sent point guard Eric Bledsoe and small forward Caron Butler to the Phoenix Suns in a three-team trade. The deal, which also sends guard-forward Jared Dudley from the Suns to the Clippers, had been reported earlier but could not be officially announced by the teams until Wednesday under NBA rules. The Milwaukee Bucks obtained two second-round draft picks as part of the trade. Redick was acquired in a sign-and-trade deal with the Bucks. He was acquired by Milwaukee from Orlando in February and averaged 12.3 points per game in 28 games with the Bucks. He gives newly re-signed point guard Chris Paul a much-needed shooting option. Redick, who has played seven seasons in the NBA, has a career average of 9.4 points per game with the Magic and the Bucks. Milwaukee gets the 2015 or 2016 second-round pick from the Clippers with protection or the 2017 pick without protection. The Bucks get the 2014 second-round pick the Suns had obtained from Toronto. Bledsoe was Pauls backup with Los Angeles, averaging career highs of 8.5 points, 3 rebounds and 1.43 steeals last season.dddddddddddd In 12 starts, Bledsoe averaged 14.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.5 steals. He scored a career-best 27 points at Orlando on Feb. 6. Butler, a two-time NBA All-Star, is entering his 12th NBA season. He has a 15.5 point career average in 697 starts with Miami, the Los Angeles Lakers, Washington, Dallas and the Clippers. Dudley was one of the most popular Phoenix players. When the trade first was reported, he tweeted that he hated to leave Phoenix but if he had to go he was glad it was to the Clippers. New Suns general manager Ryan McDonough called Bledsoe and Butler "key parts of the Clippers team that set a franchise record for wins last season." "We are excited to add their athleticism, shooting and leadership to our organization," he said. Phoenix, with a new general manager and a new coach in Jeff Hornacek, are undergoing a major rebuilding job following the second-worst season in franchise history. The team drafted 7-foot-1 centre Alex Len as the fifth overall pick last month, then added 18-year-old guard Archie Goodwin with the 30th overall pick. ' ' '