The early performance of 10 rookies, and how we need to adjust expectations based on what we have seen from them to date.

Veterans Troy Tulowitzki and Adrian Gonzalez are key components to their major league teams and fantasy owners. What is the outlook for the rest of the season?

A story of love and loss...

Jon Jay (OF, STL) and Matt Carpenter (1B/OF, STL) returned to the lineup Friday. STL optioned replacements Matt Adams (1B, STL) and Adron Chambers (OF, STL) to Triple-A. Jay missed six weeks with a right shoulder injury, while an oblique strain sidelined Carpenter for a month. Jay returns as the regular CF, while Carpenter returns to a utility role, though he started at 1B Friday, with Allen Craig (1B/OF, STL) as DH.

As we near the 2012 All-Star break, we take another look around the minors to see who is hot and who is not. One noteworthy development to keep an eye on is the continued impact of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Because the new CBA established more rigid bonuses and moved up the signing deadline from August 15 to July 13, we have already seen some of the top picks sign and start their professional careers.

Yasmani Grandal and Tyler Cloyd are off to great starts and a promotion could be on the horizon for both.

(*) HQ RADIO: Dr. HQ, Rick Wilton, talks about injuries across baseball, as well as specific players and their injury situations ...

Francisco Liriano (LHP, MIN) pitched another gem Wednesday night, going 6.2 innings, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, but he did not factor in the decision. Since being re-inserted into the rotation on May 30, Lirano has put together a sparking line: 30.1 IP, 2.67 ERA, 10.5 Dom, and 2.9 Cmd. In addition, all five starts were PQS-DOM ...

Who are the three most consistent batters in baseball right now?

This NL Weekend Series Matchups column will cover seven three-game interleague series hosted in National League parks and one NL-only series.

Matt Cain will face Brandon McCarthy in Sunday's finale of the SF-OAK series.