The St. Louis Cardinals must balance long-term interests and near-term contention leading up to the July 31 trade deadline. That's a challenging needle to thread, but the current realities in St. Louis are such that they must do so.

It's not likely that the St. Louis Cardinals explore trades for Luken baker, Thomas Saggese, JoJo Romero, Lars Nootbaar, or Brendan Donovan, but John Mozeliak should entertain offers for these five players.

BOTTOM LINE: The St. Louis Cardinals lead 1-0 in a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies. Colorado has a 12-38 record in home games and a 24-76 record overall. The Rockies have gone 9-14 in games when they hit two or more home runs.

The St. Louis Cardinals hit the road against the Colorado Rockies looking to stop a four-game road losing streak.

Despite recent inconsistencies, the Diamondbacks are showing signs of a potential playoff push. Ketel Marte returned from the restricted list but did not start in the Sunday game. A year ago, the Diamondbacks ripped off a hot streak in the second half that vaulted them back into contention.

The Snakes came alive once again on Saturday afternoon as the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the St. Louis Cardinals by a score of 10-1 at Chase Field.