Adron Chambers and Shane Robinson are battling hard for spots on the St. Louis Cardinals roster this Spring Training.

Up until now, Robinson is leading that charge, putting up much better offensive numbers and playing solid defense.  Chambers had been his normal self, showing great speed in the field and on the base paths.

It was his speed that allowed Chambers to show off a flashy defensive play Friday as the Cardinals played the Astros.  Chambers chased a fly ball into the left field corner, eventually sliding and producing a stellar grab on the warning track.  Courtesy of MLB.com, here’s the video:

Adron brought a part of his game Friday that most had not seen real well until now, however.  His 3-for-3 performance was capped off by a three-run home run in the sixth inning.  Again, courtesy of MLB.com:

Chambers has long been intriguing to the makeup of the roster due to his speed and athletic ability.  If he can start to find his stroke at the plate, he may just find himself in St. Louis instead of Memphis.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball
Follow him on Twitter here.

The six-hour, 19-inning marathon that took place on Sunday was just another kink in the chain that is the 2012 St. Louis Cardinals’ season. The Cardinals’ heart of the order, the one so dominant when they are all hitting well, was a combined 2 for 22.Matt Holliday was 0 for 7, Carlos Beltran 2 for 7 and David Freese 0 for 8.   A game that saw Jaime Garcia dominate in his return from an arm injury, looking like the Garcia of 2010, was marred by poor offense and some strange decision-making.

St. Louis had chance after chance to end the game with a W. The biggest opportunity came in the 17th. Skip Schumaker‘s single to center, the one that Andrew McCutchen bobbled, turned out to be the deciding moment of the game. Had Schumaker seen McCutchen fumble the ball and advanced to 2nd as Cutch threw to 3rd, Jon Jay”s base hit likely would’ve been the game-winning hit.

But, instead of a wild and entertaining 17-inning win, Cardinal fans find themselves talking about a heartbreaking 19-inning loss. Instead of being tied for the second Wild Card spot, St. Louis remains two games back of Pittsburgh.

Manager Mike Matheny is right when he said earlier this week that the team is struggling to get the one timely hit that can get the Cardinals a victory. The Cardinals’ offense may be the best in the league statistically, but it also one of the streakiest in baseball. Take the 8-2 win over San Francisco on August 6th, for example. Two days later, the Cardinals were embarrassed by the Giants in a 15-0 loss.

The Cards have had a string of rough losses as of late. The blown save by closer Jason Motte on Thursday and struggling offense on Friday led to two very frustrating one-run losses. St. Louis is 13-21 in one-run games in 2012. By comparison, Cincinnati is 20-17, while Pittsburgh is 25-20. With Sunday’s extra inning loss, the Cardinals’ record in such games fell to 3-9. The Pirates are now 4-0 in extras, while the Reds are 4-5.

Starting with tonight’s game against the Astros, the Redbirds will play 16 straight games before their next off day. Ten of them will be on the road – against the division-leading Reds, Pirates, and NL East-leading Nationals respectively. This stretch – particularly the games on the road – will likely determine whether the team will have what it takes to make the playoffs, or roll over and be watching from home once the regular season ends.

In order for the Cards to prove themselves, they must get everything clicking at once. That means that the heart of the order must get out of their respective slumps, the bullpen must right the ship, the offense must be consistent, and Motte needs to return to his old self. In addition, the team must win more one-run ballgames and win more in extras. It might be too much to ask at this point in the season. The Cards were able to find their way late last year, however, and have to do that if they want to play baseball in October.

Last year, St. Louis pulled off an improbable feat. The circumstances in 2012 are not near what they were a season ago, but some of that magic needs to rub off on this team. It’s not necessarily time to panic just yet, but time is running out. The good news is, the Cards have all the tools. All we can do now is just watch and wait.

Unless you’ve been living off the grid you are aware of the collective bargaining trouble that has been suffered by the NBA, and to a lesser extent the NFL. Major League Baseball’s agreement with the Major League Baseball Players Association expires December 11th, 2011. I was going to wait until later in the fall to write this article, but I saw a blog post by Ken Rosenthal at FoxSports.com that seems to indicate if I wait any longer it will be a moot point. A quick end to potential labor trouble is always good. Especially for a sport that has come a long way from it’s 1994 Strike, but still feels some lingering effects. You will still find people who refuse to give MLB any of their attention because of it. What I want to do for the duration of this article is highlight some of the issues that are being discussed in these negotiations. Then opine on what we as Royals fans should want to happen to give our team the best chance win. Do not confuse that with the best chance to make money.

Luxury Tax: The Luxury Tax does not extend beyond this CBA. The Luxury Tax will be extended, but it also have to me negotiated which means there might be some changes. You can debate whether Dayton Moore spends the money he does get wisely. But you can’t debate that the Luxury Tax has not helped the small market teams in MLB. I don’t think MLB’s revenue distribution system is as good as the NFL’s. However, neither side seems to be willing to push the issue in that direction so I’ll be happy with the status quo of the current Luxury Tax.

Moving a Team to the American League: Right now there are 16 teams in the National League, and 14 in the American League. Moving an NL team to the AL does make some sense in that you’d have more balance among the leagues and divisions. Reportedly a condition of approving Jim Crane as the new owner of the Astros is that the Astros would move the AL West. If I’m an Astros fan I hate this. That means the number of times my team starts at 9pm on their west coast road swing just doubled. An interesting thing about the schedule is that there would be at least one interleague series being played at all times. You can only pair up 14 teams into 7 series, not 15. This move would not take place until 2013.

As a Royals fan I’m indifferent to this. Yes, the 2011 Astros would make the Royals schedule easier. However, this Astros team is only 6 years removed from a World Series appearance.

Expanded Playoffs: Tied to moving the Astros to the AL is an expanded Wild Card. This is designed to put more emphasis on winning the division. The three division winners would be locked into the playoffs as they are now. Under the new format there would be two Wild Card teams in each league. There would be a one game Wild Card playoff and the winner would then move to the Division Series. Anything can happen in one game. If you plan on making a World Series run it’s best to win the division. Like the Astros move to the AL this would not happen until 2013.

As a Royals fan I think I like this. It would give the Royals more opportunity to get into the playoffs. However, I still prefer they win the division. I’m not sure I like it as a baseball fan in general. Hinging an entire season on game seems silly, but so does determining home field in the World Series by an exhibition game.

International Player Draft: There has been some discussion about this in the negotiations. It seems not to be a big deal for either side. If I were an owner I would be pushing for this. As a Royals fan I’m in huge favor of an International Draft. Right now signing international players is just like free agency which the Royals will never win. The Royals did sign Noel Arguelles. That’s just one battle. Don’t think the Royals will ever win that war. If an international draft were established so could a uniform process for teams to establish true identities and immigration status for the players involved.

Hard Slotting in the Amateur Draft: Currently MLB has “recommended” slot money for teams to follow in the Amateur Draft. However, not many teams follow the “recommendation”. Under the proposed “hard cap” teams would not negotiate with the draft picks. Teams would have no choice but to offer slot money. But unlike the NBA, NHL & NFL, an MLB draftee has several options including going to college to improve their draft stock, or sign with an Independent League and re-enter the draft a year later.

As a Royals fan I’m usually supportive of issues that will help level the playing field with larger market teams. However, in this case I do not think hard slotting would benefit the Royals. Michael Lewis’ book Moneyball popularized the term “market inefficiency”. The Royals found a “market inefficiency” in the draft by taking good players who fell to lower rounds because other teams were afraid of their contract demands. That’s how their farm system improved faster than others. The Royals aren’t afraid to spend money in the draft, and at last check the Royals have spent the most money on draft picks over the last several seasons. This is based on the theory that paying draft picks big money is less expensive than paying free agents big money. This is essentially “The Process”. A hard slotting system takes this market inefficiency away from the Royals. Wil Myers and John Lamb are not in the Royals system right now if there is hard slotting. I would bet Bubba Starling stays at Nebraska in such as system

Hard slotting would save the owners money on unproven players. The MLBPA doesn’t want to represent players not on the 40-Man Roster. I can’t see how this system does not get approved. A lot of how the Royals react will depend in the nuances that are negotiated in such a system.

Trading Draft Picks: I haven’t seen this discussed in my research on the current CBA issues. It is probably not up for discussion. Currently MLB teams cannot use draft picks as compensation in a trade. I think having the ability to trade draft picks would help small market teams like the Royals as it opens up another avenue to get a high priced player that a small market team might not otherwise afford with money or prospects.

Major League Baseball often looks buffoonish when comparing it’s management to other leagues. However, on the subject of labor peace it appears Major League Baseball is leading the way. If this new CBA longer than three years is will mean MLB will have at least 20 years of no work stoppages. None of the other leagues can say that. Despite what some NFL Elitist would like you to believe baseball is relevant. Attendance was up for the 2011 season, and according to estimates Major League Baseball experienced record revenue in 2010. Surely the players and owners can find a away to split $7.2 Billion in revenue? The answer to that question appears to be: Yes! While it’s great that the league as a whole appears to be healthy, what I really want to know is can the Royals thrive during the new agreement.

Every year, the group known as the Baseball Bloggers Alliance places their ballots for various awards to be announced at the end of the season. This year, Bob Netherton and I will be placing the votes for the St. Louis Chapter of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance in the category of Manager Of The Year. The award is officially titled The Connie Mack Award, so named because of the winningest manager in baseball history.

For me, this year’s group of skippers came down to a few criteria. Who did more with less? Who found ways to win games that were not meant to be won? It was not about taking a team that was supposed to win and winning (Sorry Charlie Manuel). It was about taking a team that had been written off (even on a game-to-game basis – everyone should be beating the Astros right now) and doing something unexpected. So without further ado, here are my top three choices for the Manager of the Year.

3. Tony LaRussa (St. Louis Cardinals) – Believe it or not, this is not a hometown pick. I am not a LaRussa fan, and I make no qualms about saying so. The man overmanages at times, yet finds ways to win. He is the third most winningest manager of all time, and will probably pass up John McGraw in the next season, should he return. But this award is not about longevity. It is about this year.

LaRussa’s Cardinals did more than anyone would have predicted they could this year. Their march to the postseason really did not begin in earnest until September, as they found themselves 10.5 games out of the race (wild card and divisional) during the week of August 24. They lost an ace in Adam Wainwright before the season began. Superstars Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday both suffered injuries that landed them on the shelf throughout the season. Guys that few out of the Midwest had heard of named Jon Jay and Daniel Descalso led the team in games played. Yet this team prevailed, made a historic comeback, and found their way into the playoffs. Tony might make me nuts, but he must be doing something right.

2. Clint Hurdle (Pittsburgh Pirates) – The Pirates had been complacent in the cellar of the National League for 18 years entering the 2011 campaign. Most people probably could not name 3 players off of the Pirate’s roster. The definition of a young team – Hurdle had only two players on his roster over the age of 30 this year. Yes, you read that correctly. Thirty. This team was doomed from the start.

Then something remarkable happened. Hurdle’s club put together a 47-43 first half. On July 19, game number 95 on the season, the Pirates were up a half game on the Milwaukee Brewers, a season high seven games over .500, and shocking the baseball scene. It was not going to last, according to pretty much everyone, but the Pirates held out longer than anyone thought they would. Hurdle had a young team, but he brought out the best in them, and if the team can stick together for a few years instead of trading them away for aging veterans, they could surprise again next year.

1. Kirk Gibson (Arizona Diamondbacks) – Last year, the Diamondbacks lost 97 games, finishing 27 games back of the eventual World Champion San Francisco Giants. Gibson, that of postseason fame himself, took over the reins of the team at roughly the halfway mark of that largely forgettable season. This season, Gibson brought in the A-Team for his coaching staff. Don Baylor, Alan Trammell, Matt Williams and Charles Nagy, among others, are all roaming the halls and dugout steps of Chase Field. Former coaches and managers in their own right, All-Stars whose playing days are not all that distant, now all together in one dugout. Every time you looked into that dugout, you wondered how Gibson got all those guys in one place.

This year, on the backs of a strong pitching staff led by starter Ian Kennedy and reliever J.J. Putz, the Diamondbacks shocked the National League West, running away from the division and finishing 8 games ahead of the Giants and the rest of the pack. Gibson made moves that other coaches would not make, used a regular lineup of players aged 23-30, and earned the respect of the rest of the National League in the process. Gibson might just be starting out his managerial career, but he is off to a good start.

Angela Weinhold covers the Cardinals as well as edits for i70baseball.com and writes at Cardinal Diamond Diaries. You may follow her on Twitter here or follow Cardinal Diamond Diaries here.

The NL Central has seen its share of weirdness throughout most of the 2011 season. The division leader has been a revolving door that the Cardinals, Reds, Brewers, and even the Pirates enjoyed a few turns through. But as the All Star Break shrinks in the rear view mirror, so does the number of contenders for what will likely be the only playoff spot to come out of this division.

The Brewers currently occupy first place, and the Cardinals are not far behind them. These two teams play each other nine more times this year; fortunately for the Cards, six of those meetings are in St. Louis. Playing in Milwaukee this season has roughly resembled walking into a minefield, which means the Cardinals must make the most of the Brewers’ visits to Busch Stadium. Those two series will be about as “must-win” as any regular season set.

And the two teams have remarkably similar schedules the rest of the way. They actually play all the same teams in the same number of series except for one; the Cards still have to play the Atlanta Braves, and the Brewers have one more series against the Astros than the Cards do.

The similarities don’t stop there, either. The Cardinals and Brewers are pretty even in most team stats. The Cardinals have the edge in a lot of offensive categories; the Brewers have a little better pitching overall. It probably comes as no surprise that the Cardinals have ground into way more double plays than the Brewers, but the fact that the Cards only have one more blown save is a little surprising. And the two teams have committed about the same number of errors, too.

If the teams are so even, then why is Milwaukee in front now? For starters, the Brewers are hot right now and the Cardinals are playing good—but not great—baseball. In the first half of the year, the opposite was true—and the standings were flip-flopped. But with less than a third of the season left, that seems like eons ago. Now every win is important and every loss has the potential to be disastrous. Falling five or six games out of first place at this point in the year could be the death knell, even for the Cardinals and that dynamite lineup.

For the Cardinals to keep pace and make a move to overtake the Brewers in the standings, they have to do the following:

1. Get the maximum out of the rotation. This does not mean every starter has to throw eight innings or 120 pitches every night. But these four and five inning outings have to disappear. The Cards have a stronger bullpen than before the trade deadline, but they will come apart quickly if overexposed. The five starters have to pitch efficiently, something that may be a little easier with Rafael Furcal manning shortstop.
2. Finish games. It hasn’t been pretty every time out, but the bullpen has certainly been better than it was in the first half of the season. That must continue. If the Cardinals win the division, it will be in spite of the numerous blown saves and ineffectiveness of pitchers who were so bad they were dumped by the team. If they lose the division, those shortcomings will catch a lot of the initial blame.
3. Beat the Brewers at Busch. It sounds oversimplified, but considering how good the Brewers are at home the Cardinals cannot afford to lose either of the remaining series against Milwaukee in St. Louis. Those are easily the six most important games of the stretch run in 2011.
4. Dominate the three weeks around Labor Day. Pirates, Brewers, Reds, Brewers, Braves, Pirates. Those are the Cardinals’ opponents August 25-September 14. Emotions will be high and position in the standings will be on the line every night. Winning most of those games would make a huge statement. So would losing most of them.
5. End on a high note. The Cardinals’ final three series of the regular season are against the Mets, Cubs, and Astros. All three teams could be showcasing a lot of youngsters to see what they have for next year. The Cards need to take it to them, especially with the Brewers finishing with six home games.

The Cardinals will have every opportunity to win the NL Central title this year. But the Brewers show no signs of folding, and the Reds or even the Pirates could nudge their way back into relevance. Even the Cubs are riding a six game winning streak. The Cards would do well to put together something similar. In fact, this would be a good time for a couple winning streaks like that. Stranger things have happened, and 2011 has already been strange enough.

Fasten your seatbelts, Cardinals’ fans. The Red Birds are 60 games from the finish line and are sure to be bumping fenders with anywhere from one to three division rivals as they race down the home stretch. The Cardinals find them self in a virtual three-way tie for first in the NL Central with the Reds not lagging far behind the leaders. It reminds me of the 3-horse race in the division back in 2008… only that year it was the Cardinals, Brewers, and Cubs vying for not only the division crown, but the wildcard as well. Unfortunately, this edition of the race reminds me of 2008 in another way – the Cardinals were historically bad holding leads late in games.

A quick history lesson for you: with 60 games to go in the 2008 season, the Cardinals were 2 games out first place in the central, and a game behind the Brewers for the top spot in the wild card race. Does anyone remember how the team finished?
- 11.5 games behind the Cubs for the division title
- 4 games behind the Brewers for the wild card spot… and for good measure…
- ½ game behind the Astros for 3rd place, a team who was 10 games behind the Cardinals with 60 games to go in the season.

In other words, yikes.

So what happened? The team carried a lead into the 8th inning that year 105 times… tops in all of baseball. But the Cardinals failed to seal the deal in 19 of those games, settling for a record of 86-76 when they could’ve been 105-57 (or perhaps more realistically, 95-67, which would’ve still be good enough to clinch a postseason berth).

And that brings us to today. As of now, the Cardinals have already lost 11 games in which they held the lead entering the 8th inning. What stings even more is that 4 times they held the lead with 2 outs in the 9th and failed to get the victory. Making just those four game wins instead of losses would have the Cardinals sitting in the drivers’ seat of the division at 58-44 and a 4 game lead on the Pirates (and just a game behind Atlanta for the wildcard as extra insurance).

Instead, the Cardinals are 54-48, tied with the Pirates, a ½ game ahead of the Brewers, and the Reds are still within shouting distance. But unlike 2008, the blame can’t solely be directed on the bullpen. This season, the defense has let the team down just as often.
The defense has already cost St. Louis three wins since the All-Star Break. Yes, really.

- July 15th in Cincinnati, a throwing error in the 7th by David Freese sets up a 2 run inning, the Cardinals lose by a run on a walk-off home run by Brandon Phillips.
- July 20th in New York, an 8th inning throwing error by Daniel Descalso sets up the tying run in an extra inning loss.
- July 24th in Pittsburgh, a 10th inning throwing set up the winning run.
More Examples:
- April 8th in San Francisco, Albert Pujols’ 12th inning error (the team’s 3rd of the game) sets up the winning run.
- April 9th in San Francisco, Colby Rasmus drops a fly ball that would’ve been the final out of the game, allowing the tying and winning runs to score.
- April 26th in Houston, a 9th inning passed ball and throwing error set up the tying and winning runs.
- May 1st in Atlanta, a dropped 9th inning pop-up (yes, I said pop-up) allows the eventual winning run to reach base and score.

As much as those losses hurt, they’re in the past. The errors and blown saves will continue to stack up just like they did in 2008. That’s unless GM John Mozeliak makes some improvements before the trade deadline. Three years ago, the Cardinals scooped up Mark DeRosa from the Indians in exchange for budding reliever, Chris Perez (ouch).

Can the Cardinals continue to hang around in the playoff race without making a big splash? I actually believe they can and will. But I also think the Brewers are the favorites to come away with the division crown if St. Louis doesn’t do something.

Maybe it’s a big trade for a reliever. Perhaps it’s a move that shores up the defense.

Or maybe, they figure out ways to finish games.

The Cardinals are hard to understand. The National League Central is hard to understand and it’s frustrating..

Before the season began I predicted the Cardinals to have their worst season in the last decade. I couldn’t and still can’t see why they would win this division and how they could compete. I think their time is ticking away as far as the Tony LaRussa era goes. I think John Mozeliak is still trying to find his identity with this team and I feel he is trying to hold this team by a thin rope as it hovers over the end of a cliff.

The Cardinals in 2011, under a magnifying glass, appear as a squad that defines wins and losses on the individual player as opposed to a team effort. That means when Albert Pujols is off the Cardinals will lose. When Lance Berkman is off the Cardinals will lose. When Colby Rasmus, Matt Holliday, and Jaime Garcia are off, The Cardinals will lose. It means that there is an intensely strong reliability on the individual player on this team. It’s not necessarily a bad thing as it shows that the Cardinals, more so than most teams, have the type of players to change the pace of a game entirely.

But still after all this banter, and a thorough study how the statistics accumulate, it’s a trying time trying to figure how the Cardinals are playing .500 baseball with such acceptable performance.

Yes I know Pujols has started slow, batting below .250 and lacking his usual dominance. But the production of Matt Holliday and Colby Rasmus is outstanding so far, and Lance Berkman is playing in league of his own. The Cardinals are in second place at the current moment, but at the same time they don’t look like a second place team. The numbers prove that they are though which makes this strange. The pitching rotation AS A WHOLE is looking very solid. I’m simply confused. Is it the National League Central that’s horribly weak? We knew the Reds would be back to contend, but the Brewers are flat and the Cubs, Pirates, and Astros seem to be still stuck in their losing ways. Are the Cardinals going to be fighting for this division simply by default? While the numbers of the individual players look impressive, they are still finding ways to lose half of the time.

Right now it seems like a classic tale of an inconsistent team. Last night’s game against the Dodgers proves my point as Matt Kemp hit a walk off to give LA the win 2-1. This year you just never know what you will get with the Cards. Players will continuously become hot, leading the Majors in several different categories. Players like Jaime Garcia will shine and continue to mow down batters, but still the Cardinals will find a way to fall short. The individual efforts will at times shovel out a win, but there is something about this team that prevents them from breaking out into the spotlight. As confusing as it can be, us as baseball analysts can only point fingers to one area in this circumstance.

Pitching.

If the hitters are putting up the numbers then pitching is next in line for blame. We all know that baseball is a team game and its not determined by individuals but after looking at how productive the hitting and pitching has been. The problem now turns to Ryan Franklin and its time to make the change. Four blown saves in the first month of the season? Not a good indication of productive play.

You hate to place the blame on one man, but it’s easy to do in this case. While the Cardinals are currently 8-8, they should be dominating the division right now at 12-4 if you remove those blown saves. They realistically have out played their opponents in twelve out of the total sixteen games played and if that was truly their record we wouldn’t have this confusing discussion in the first place.

The Royals are 10-5 are in second place. They are playing team baseball and when they get beat, it’s because they were outplayed. When the Cards lose, it’s because they beat themselves. It’s a good problem to have because its something they can control. So I think it’s time to control it and remove the problem in Franklin. If you don’t’ perform in the MLB you don’t have a job. At Franklins expense, the Cardinals are not looking as pretty as they have worked to be. They numbers are there. They are doing what they have to do offensively and defensively to win this division. They are just BLOWING it.

So I have tried my hardest to avoid the Franklin problem, but after a forth early mishap, its time to lay the hammer down.

The Cardinals are exceeding my expectations drastically! Once Pujols gets back to form they can be dangerous if they keep playing the way the do. Look for Mozeliak to make the cut on Franklin and if the numbers still play out, look for the Cardinals to jump into first place in the Central.

With a new closer of course.

The biggest story of June could be decisions facing the club regarding whether or not to call up any of their top prospects. Rookies called up in June or after do not qualify for “super two” status, thus delaying arbitration eligibility down the line. It will be an exciting month if one or more of the heralded prospects make their debut.

Besides that, the second half of the month will be entirely inter-league with series against the Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Cubs and Padres.

June Breakdown:

Total Games: 27

Home: 15

Road: 12

Vs teams with winning records in 2010: 14

Vs teams with losing records in 2010: 10

Vs teams in the AL Central: 4

Inter-league games: 12

Key Series:

June 2-5 vs. Minnesota – This is the only series against an AL Central opponent all month, but it will only be a key series if the Royals have a surprising start and are having dreams of contention.

June 17-19 @ St. Louis – After hosting the Cards in May, the Royals head across the state for the second part of the 2011 I-70 series.

Key To a Hot Start:

The first nine games of the month are home games, so the Royals will have to take full advantage of home cooking.

At the end of June:

If the Royals are above .500… The Royals will have beaten up on the National League, something that is not entirely out of the question.

If the Royals are .500… They will have significantly over-achieved.

If the Royals are below .500… No one will be surprised.

May will test the Cardinals in more than one way. The long, grueling month will only feature two off days for the club, challenging the pitching staff early on to keep things under control both in the bullpen and starting rotation. They will face off against some division foes as well as some highly favored teams from the West Coast. The team will also find themselves on the road more than they are home for the second straight month. Some key games will come in May and the Cardinals will find themselves challenged early this season.

May Breakdown:

Total Games: 29

Home: 13

Road: 16

Vs teams with winning records in 2010: 14

Vs teams with losing records in 2010: 15

Vs teams in the NL Central: 11

Key Series:

May 6-8 vs Milwaukee – The team in the Central division that everyone is talking about comes to town the first weekend in May and will pose a threat to the Cardinals. An improved rotation that should be healthy by the time this series happens will challenge the offense of the Cardinals and their ability to perform. The Brewers have drawn attention as potential contenders for 2011 and the Cardinals will get first hand knowledge as to why in this critical series for the team.

May 20-22 @ Kansas City – Of course this series is important, it is this site’s namesake. The I-70 series will be revisited as the Cardinals travel across the state to take on the Royals. Last season, the Cardinals struggled against teams with poor records and the Royals were no stranger to taking advantage of that. The “boys in blue” always give the Cardinals some headaches and the interstate rivalry promises to be heating up over the next few years as the Royals become contenders again. The Cardinals need to win games like these if they are to be competitive in 2011.

Key To a Hot Month:

The Cardinals need to stay the course through the month of May. Games against the Rockies and World Champion Giants will challenge them. Games against the Cubs, Astros and Royals have to become wins for this team to succeed. A two game set in the middle of the month against the Phillies and their monstrous pitching staff will have people saying “playoff preview” if the Cardinals are playing good baseball.

At the end of May:

If the Cardinals have 17+ wins… then they, in all honesty, have not performed as well as they need to. Seventeen wins would suggest series wins over the Marlins, Cubs, Astros, and Royals and a win in each series against the Brewers, Reds, Phillies, Padres, Rockies and Giants. The Cardinals simply must win the aforementioned series and take at least three of the later series. Anything less and everyone will simply state that the Cardinals cannot play against the other contenders of the league.

If the Cardinals are .500… fans will begin to worry. There are enough games in this month against bad ball clubs that this team simply has to post a winning record.

If the Cardinals are below .500… fans may revolt in droves and being to demand the trade of Albert Pujols. This team is built to win and in a month where they will play against teams that are expected to contend but not win and teams that are not expected to do either, they have to be able to walk away with their heads held high and in a winning situation.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Follow him on Twitter here.