Cards acquire Matt Holliday from A's

The St. Louis Cardinals have acquired Matt Holliday from Oakland Athletics.

In return, the A's receive prospects Brett Wallace, Shane Peterson and Clayton Mortensen from the Cardinals.

Wallace, who was considered the Cardinals' top prospect, was drafted in the first round in 2008.

Before the trade, Holliday was hitting .286 with 11 home runs and 52 RBI in Oakland. However, he was starting the hit the ball really well. In his last 10 games in Oakland, Holliday had five multi-hit games collecting 16 hits during that span.

Now he goes to a lineup where he will bat behind Albert Pujols, the world's greatest hitter.

In his first game with the Cardinals, Holliday had four hits in five at bats in the Cards' 8-1 win over the Phillies.

Holliday provides protection for Pujols and helps boost the Cardinals lineup. The Cardinals are 17th in the majors in runs scored (428 runs) and 23rd in batting average (.254).

However, their pitching has been strong as they are fifth in ERA (3.75). Both Chris Carpenter (8-3, 2.26 ERA) and Adam Wainwright (11-6, 2.95 ERA) have sub-3.00 ERAs.

While only 2 1/2 games separate the top four teams in the N.L. Central, this move means the Cardinals should separate themselves from the pack.