>>Cards Begin Second-Half Against Reds

(Cincinnati, OH)  --  The St. Louis Cardinals start the second-half of the season with a six-game road
trip beginning with a three-game series against the division rival Cincinnati
Reds on Friday.  Adam Wainwright and Mat Latos toe the rubber.  The Cards
finished the first half with a 46-and-40 record.  They sit a game-and-a-half
behind the Reds for second place and two-and-a-half-games behind the Pirates for
first place in the NL Central.   

>>Cubs Host D'Backs Tomorrow

(Chicago, IL)  --  The Chicago Cubs open up a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks tomorrow afternoon at Wrigley Field.  Paul Maholm [[ muh-HALL-um ]] will toe the rubber against Ian
Kennedy in the second-half opener.  The Northsiders ended the first half in
fifth place in the NL Central at 33-and-52.  They are just a half-game ahead of
Houston and 15 games back of Pittsburgh atop the division standings.


>>Cubs Sign First-Round Pick Almora

(Chicago, IL)  --  The Chicago Cubs signed outfielder Albert Almora on Wednesday.  The Cubs selected
Almora with the sixth overall pick in this year's draft.  The 18-year-old Almora
batted .603 with 13 doubles, five triples, six home runs and 34 RBI in 25 games
for Mater Academy last season.  Almora was named by Baseball America as the
second-best outfielder available in the draft, and the third-best high school
player in the class.

>>White Sox In KC

(Kansas City, MO) --  The Chicago White Sox kick off the second half of their season tomorrow
evening in the opener of a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals at
Kauffman Stadium.  Jose Quintana gets the nod opposite Bruce Chen in the
opener.  The Southsiders ended the first half in first place in the AL Central
at 47-and-38.  They are three games ahead of Cleveland.

>>John Deere Classic Tees Off This Morning

(Silvis, IL)  --  Steve Stricker returns to Illinois to try for his fourth consecutive title at the John
Deere Classic.  Stricker, the 13th-ranked player in the world, owns 12 PGA Tour
titles, and three of them have come at this event.  Last year, Stricker rolled
in a 25-foot birdie from off the 18th green to take the title.  Once again, the
2012 John Deere Classic falls the week before the British Open, the season's
third major.  Stricker is one of five former John Deere champions in the field
this week, while Ted Potter Jr. will tee it up fresh off his victory at the
Greenbrier Classic last weekend.