contracts are given by the WICB for only Test players.The

SAN FRANCISCO -- St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Mike Leake will duel the guy the San Francisco Giants chose to replace him during the winter when he opposes Jeff Samardzija on Saturday night in a key matchup in the National League wild-card race.Leake was acquired by the Giants from the Cincinnati Reds at the trade deadline.San Francisco paid a hefty price -- outfielder Adam Duvall has turned into a 30-homer player -- but the defending champs were trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers atop the NL West at the time and thought they needed to do something.It didnt work. Leake went just 2-5 with a 4.07 ERA in nine starts and the Giants, who trailed LA by a half-game on the day of the trade, wound up eight back.Leake, a free agent at seasons end, wasnt invited back. He went to the Cardinals on a five-year, $80 million deal.The Giants then turned around and invested $10 million more in Samardzija on a five-year agreement.Neither high-priced acquisition has impressed, and thats one reason both teams find themselves battling for wild-card playoff spots rather than division titles.Samardzija has gone 11-10 with a 4.07 ERA in 29 starts for the Giants (79-68), who trail the Dodgers (83-64) by four game atop the West with 15 to play.Perhaps more important, the Giants have used two series-opening wins to open a three-game lead over the Cardinals (76-71) in the NL wild-card race.Leake, meanwhile, is 9-10 with a 4.60 ERA in 27 starts for the Cardinals, who have fallen two games behind the New York Mets (78-69) in the race for the second wild-card spot.We just have to play better, thats all there is to it, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. The standings are the standings, and we know what they are. You cant run from them. The standings say were right there, so just keep playing the game.The pitching head-to-head is critical to each pitcher because both seem to be getting worse as the games get more important.Samardzija is just 3-6 with a 5.09 ERA in his last 15 starts, with the Giants losing 10 of the 15 games.Leake has gone 2/3 with a 6.15 ERA in his last eight outings, with the Cardinals losing five of the eight.If Leake is out for revenge, he should be comforted in the surroundings. Hes 6-1 with a 3.07 ERA in nine outings (eight starts) at AT&T Park in San Francisco and 5-2 overall against the Giants with a 5.02 ERA in nine games (eight starts).He has not faced the Giants this season.Leake must hope for better support than Fridays Cardinals starter, Luke Weaver, who was pulled before the end of a six-run third inning during which a key error by catcher Yadier Molina made all the runs unearned.Thats what you want to do, Giants first baseman Brandon Belt said after the win, take advantage of mistakes.Samardzija pitched June 4 at St. Louis and was the losing pitcher in a 7-4 defeat. Four Cardinals -- Brandon Moss, Aledmys Diaz, Stephen Piscotty and Matt Adams -- homered off him in his five innings.The ex-Cub is 4-4 with a 4.61 ERA in 20 career games (nine starts) against the Cardinals. Hoby Milner Jersey . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. Stitched Rays Jerseys . All of the scoring came in the final 20:04. Lucic scored on a power play at 15:46 of the third period, when he tipped a shot over Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for a 3-1 lead. https://www.cheapraysonline.com/886i-matt-duffy-jersey-rays.html . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning. Daniel Robertson Jersey . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. Oliver Drake Rays Jersey . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning. Marlon Samuels, Darren Bravo and Carlos Brathwaite have declined central contracts offered by the WICB for the period 2016-17. The list of centrally-contracted players depleted to 12 after the WICB had increased it from 12 to 15 earlier this January, for the period 2015-16. Some of the other big names not retained from the previous batch of contracted players were Denesh Ramdin and Kemar Roach; Jerome Taylor was left out as he retired from Tests in July. Also left out were fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell and opening batsman Rajendra Chandrika. Roston Chase, Alzarri Joesph, Miguel Cummins and Jomel Warrican were the new faces in the list of contracted players, which was shortlisted based on performances between October 2015 and September this year. Central contracts are given by the WICB for only Test players.The WICB released the list a day before West Indies wrap up their final Test of 2016, against Pakistan in Sharjah. No reasons were cited by the WICB in the media release on why Samueels, Bravo and Braithwaite turned down the contracts or why Ramdin and the others were not retained.ddddddddddddSamuels has been struggling in the last year, managing just 470 runs since May 2015, with three half-centuries at an average of 18.80. But the big miss is bound to be Bravo, West Indies second-highest run-scorer in the current Test series against Pakistan. West Indies next Test series would be at home in April against Pakistan.The WICB had recently announced enhanced packages for women, starting October 1, and increased the number of players on the list from 11 to 15.Womens centrally-contracted players: Merissa Aguilleira, Shemaine Campbelle, Shamilia Connell, Britney Cooper, Shanel Daley, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Kycia Knight, Kyshona Knight, Hayley Mathews, Anisa Mohammed, Shaquana Quintyne, Shakera Selman, Tremayne Smartt, Stafanie Taylor ' ' '