Want a peek at another pennant contender’s No. 5 starter competition? Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a snapshot of who’s giving it a go for the St. Louis Cardinals:

  • 2009 reliever Kyle McClellan (no career major-league starts)
  • Veteran Rich Hill (who has 77 1/3 innings and a 6.87 ERA the past two seasons)
  • 22-year-old rookie Lance Lynn (2.92 ERA in AA in 2009)
  • and 23-year-old Jaime Garcia (37 2/3 minor-league innings last year, following surgery).

And that’s with mystery factor Brad Penny as your No. 4 starter.

Add comparisons: Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin (1.92 ERA, 74 baserunners in 61 innings) is moving on from his own end-of-season disappointment, writes Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch. Franklin, however, turned 37 Friday and is more than 11 years older than Jonathan Broxton.