It’s a so far, so good Spring Training for the Kansas City Royals. As of Wednesday, March 20, the Royals lead the Cactus League with a 18-6 record. There’s no major injuries. Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer are playing well. The team hasn’t done anything that makes you scratch your head, at least not yet. They even made a good decision moving Hochevar to the bullpen. In other words, it’s an abnormal Royals Spring training.

There’s some roster spots up for grabs, but they’re more set than the Royals let on. For instance, the “battle” between Bruce Chen and Luis Mendoza for the fifth starting spot. If you go by stats alone, Mendoza is clearly having a better spring, with a 0.82 ERA in three games with 11 innings pitched, giving up an earned run and no home runs. Meanwhile, Chen has a 7.90 ERA in four games with 13.2 innings pitched, giving up 12 earned runs and seven (seven!) homers. So Mendoza should get the fifth starting spot, right?

Royals manager Ned Yost says he’ll decide the starting rotation this Friday and I’m betting Chen will get the fifth starting spot and Mendoza will be a long reliever. Why? Remember, Spring Training stats are meaningless and with Chen’s 14 years in the Majors, he’ll get the benefit of the doubt. Mendoza has six years of Major League experience, but except for 2008 and 2012, he’s had limited playing time. If anything, Yost is a traditionalist and he’ll go with the longtime Royals starter Chen over Mendoza. I’d be surprised if Yost chooses Mendoza over Chen.

This isn’t a battle for a roster spot, but with David Lough having a great spring (a .500/.513/.711 line, with 19 hits, six doubles, a triple and five RBI over 20 games and 38 at-bats), He’s making an argument to have a shot at right field. But it’s likely Lough will go to AAA Omaha.

It doesn’t matter what Lough does, he’s not supplanting Jeff Francoeur in right field. Yes, over 22 games and 53 at-bats, Frenchy has a .208/.250/.396 line with 11 hits, three doubles, two triples, a home run and seven RBI. Remember when I said Spring Training stats are meaningless? They still are, even when some fans want them to apply to Francoeur.

Like Chen, Frenchy has several years of Major League experience over Lough, who debuted in the Majors last year. Francoeur provides “veteran leadership” managers like Yost want to see. Plus the Royals don’t want to have a $7.5MM a year player on the bench. Unless Francoeur suffers injury or the Royals trade him, Lough will be in Omaha. Or Yost might surprise us all and choose Lough over Jarrod Dyson as a fourth outfielder. But with Dyson’s experience and speed, it’s not likely the Royals choose Lough over Dyson. If Lough stays on fire in Omaha and Francoeur crashes and burns, Lough might get a long-term roster spot with the Royals this season.

In the battle for second base, I believe Chris Getz will start at second base and Johnny Giavotella will go to AAA Omaha. This spring, Getz has a .359/.419/.513 line and over 20 games and 39 at-bats, Getz has 14 hits, three doubles, a home run (yes, Getz hit a home run) and six RBI. Meanwhile, Giavotella has a .273/.289/.409 line over 20 games and 44 at-bats with 12 hits, three doubles, a home run and 11 RBI. Despite Getz’s higher line, they have similar offensive numbers.

But it all comes down to defense, and Getz still has the edge. Like Chen and Francoeur, Getz has more Major League experience than Giavotella and Yost will go with the “safe” bet. Now with Getz’s recent issues with injuries, there’s a good chance Giavotella will be with the team sometime this season. But his offense and defense will need to improve if he wants to stay at second.

Salvador Perez will be the starting catcher this season, but there’s competition between Brett Hays and George Kottaras for the backup catcher role. Both are veteran backup catchers and with similar spring offensive numbers (Hayes with a .241/.313/.483 line, seven hits, a double, two home runs and eight RBI, Kottaras with a .269/.424/.346 line, seven hits, two doubles, and three RBI), it’s honestly a coin flip between the two. Either player will be a good backup catcher and let’s hope Perez stays healthy so Hayes and Kottaras stay backup catchers.

Besides the starting rotation, Yost won’t make his final roster decisions until the end of Spring Training. Unlike previous years, there’s not a real bad choice for Yost to make. But whatever roster decisions the Royals make, everyone on the roster has to play to their potential for the Royals to have a good season.

It’s been a bumpy and inconsistent ride for Luke Hochevar, the former 2006 No. 1 overall draft pick. Except for a few bullpen outings early in his career, Hochevar was a starter for the Royals since 2008. With the team’s upgrades to the starting rotation, Hochevar, Bruce Chen and Luis Mendoza were in competition for the fifth starting spot. But after two spring starts, the Royals made the decision to move Hochevar to the bullpen.

It wasn’t like Hochevar made a case for being the fifth starter. In two spring starts, Hochevar pitched eight innings and gave up six earned runs, six walks, two home runs and eight strikeouts with a 6.75 ERA. It’s only two starts, but it’s clear Hochevar’s spring struggles influenced the Royals to move him to the bullpen.

Royals Manager Ned Yost put a positive spin on the move, saying it gives Hochevar a chance to help the Royals win every day instead of every five days. But the last few years, Hochevar hasn’t given the Royals many chances to win every five days as a starter.

The Royals see Hochevar as a late-inning setup man, joining Kelvin Herrera, Tim Collins and Aaron Crow for closer Greg Holland. The team believes having Hochevar pitch one or two innings and getting acclimated to the bullpen during Spring Training will improve his consistency on the mound.

But will moving Hochevar to the bullpen make a difference? The frustrating thing about Hochevar’s meltdowns was they didn’t always happen after pitching a few innings. One start, he might melt down in the first inning. Another start, he might fall apart after three or four innings. Or in another start, he might pitch seven or eight masterful innings, getting the win. When Hochevar took the mound, you didn’t know which Hochevar would show up.

Hochevar has some advantages. He’s durable, and when he’s on, he’s almost unhittable. And having Hochevar face fewer batters and being “on call” to pitch every day might sharpen his mental focus and improve his consistency.

The team made the logical decision and moved Hochevar to the bullpen. The Royals weren’t going to release Hochevar and it’s unlikely he would go to AAA Omaha. And he doesn’t have much trade value, at least for now. The team has nothing to lose by doing this and it could be a move that resurrects his career. Or it could be Hochevar’s last gasp in a so far inconsistent, disappointing Major League career. For the good of the team and Hochevar, I hope this works out.

When the Colorado Rockies traded for starting Jeremy Guthrie last February, they expected him to be a reliable innings-eating pitcher with a deceptive fastball, a good slider and change up. The right-handed Guthrie was the Opening Day starter for the Baltimore Orioles the last three seasons and Guthrie was the Opening Day starter for the Rockies. By July 20, Guthrie’s 2012 season was a bust and the Rockies sent him to the Kansas City Royals for the disappointing lefty Jonathan Sanchez.

The 2012 season started out well with an Opening Day win against the Huston Astros. But the Rockies lost 13 of the 19 games Guthrie pitched in and he ended up with a 6.35 ERA, 4.5 K/9 and a 3.1 BB/9 over 90.2 innings. In late April and early May, Guthrie also missed 15 games with a right shoulder injury. By June 20, the Rockies sent the struggling Guthrie to the bullpen as their long reliever, going with a four-man rotation. Guthrie rejoined the rotation July 4, but the Rockies lost three of the last four games Guthrie started before being dealt to the Royals.

In his first three starts with the Royals, Guthrie looked like a right-handed version of Sanchez, giving up 14 earned runs over 16.1 innings, 12 strikeouts and five walks, being pegged as the losing pitcher in all three games.

But the last two starts reveal a different Jeremy Guthrie. In a combined 15 innings, Guthrie hasn’t given up a run, earned or unearned and thrown 14 strikeouts and given up just two walks. And the teams he pitched against were the Chicago White Sox and the Oakland A’s, both teams who are in the thick of the playoff hunt.

Since the trade, Guthrie has a 4.02 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and a 2.0 BB/9 over 31.3 innings. Meanwhile, Sanchez has a 9.53 ERA, 6.1 K/9 and a 7.4 BB/9 over 11.1 innings. So far, it looks like the Royals got the better end of the deal.

So why the turnaround? A big part of it is Guthrie’s change of scenery. When Guthrie pitched at Coors Field, he had a 7.84 ERA and a 5.1 K/9 over 12 games in 59.2 innings pitched. When he was away from Coors Field, Guthrie had a 3.75 ERA and a 5.3 K/9 over 12 games and 62.1 innings pitched. Guthrie also gave up 15 homers at Coors Field compared to nine homers in other ballparks. And did I mention Guthrie is a flyball pitcher? That’s not a good thing in the rarefied air of Coors Field.

Kauffman Stadium is more of a pitcher’s ballpark and with the Royals good defensive outfield, Guthrie can afford to be a flyball pitcher. Lately, the Royals offense is improving, so that gives Guthrie and the starting rotation better run support.

Another factor is Guthrie’s attitude when joining the Royals. Sanchez always acted like he didn’t want to be with the Royals and his performance showed it. But Guthrie says the Royals were one of the three teams he would like pitch for and so far he’s displaying a good attitude.

But two good starts doesn’t mean Guthrie will continue his good run. And Guthrie isn’t going to turn the Royals 2012 season around by himself. These are the Royals we’re talking about, and starting pitching is still the weak link of the team.

Guthrie will be a free agent at the end of the year. If he has a good rest of the season, he could command more than his current $8.2 million salary. Would the Royals be willing or able to sign him, or will Guthrie go somewhere else for a bigger paycheck? And the Royals may believe they have better and more affordable in-house options and let Guthrie walk.

For a trade that seemed to be a wash about a month ago, Jeremy Guthrie is becoming a pleasant surprise. And with yesterday’s news of former Royal outfielder Melky Cabrera being suspended for 50 games for testing positive for testosterone, the Sanchez/Cabrera trade doesn’t seem too bad, especially with getting Guthrie out of the deal.

This week, the St. Louis Cardinals began to show what they are capable of again, at least from a pitching standpoint. But they are still a long way from right.

The rotation of Adam Wainwright, Kyle Lohse, Lance Lynn, Jake Westbrook, and Joe Kelly collectively had an ERA just a shade over 2.00 this week, allowing nine earned runs over 40 innings. Lynn had the best start of his young career against the Chicago White Sox Wednesday, allowing no runs while striking out 12. But the rest of the starters looked good, too. Even Jake Westbrook—who has struggled mightily over the past four to six weeks—turned in a six-inning outing Thursday night where he allowed three runs and five hits and kept the Cardinals in the game before they pulled out the win. It may not be a Bob Gibson line, but it is pretty good for Westbrook considering what he has given the Cards recently.

The bullpen flashed a few bright spots this week as well. Jason Motte was three for three in save opportunities; he had a few earned runs tacked to his total but the saves are important there. Victor Marte, Sam Freeman, Fernado Salas and Eduardo Sanchez threw a total of 5 2/3 innings without allowing a run and only two batters managed to even get a hit off the quartet.

Now, of course, the trick is sustaining it and adding some consistency to the mix.

On the other side of the ball, the Cards’ offense continues to sputter. Since hanging 14 runs on the Houston Astros June 7, the Cardinals have managed to score more than two runs in a game only once: Thursday’s 5-3 win over the White Sox. That is abysmal output. And yes, guys are missing and the guys that are in the dugout are hurting too. But that excuse only carries so far. Everyone is hurting right now; every team is dealing with some injury or another.

And speaking of injuries, some of the forgotten brethren on the disabled list appear ready to re-join the big club soon. Matt Carpenter and Skip Schumaker are already on rehab assignments, and Chris Carpenter threw a couple of pitches off a mound. That’s huge news for the Cards, especially Schumaker’s and Carpenter’s.

The Cincinnati Reds have a four game lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cardinals as of Saturday morning. So nothing is out of reach for the Cards. The competition in the NL Central does figure to remain stiff for the remainder of the season, but at this point all the Cards really need is a healthy team and a shot at the postseason. And they will most definitely need the former to achieve the latter.

At this point, it does look like the Cardinals will end up getting some of their key guys back in the not-too-distant future. If the rest of the team has put themselves in a position to win more often than not, the return of the walking wounded is just that much sweeter. So it is big to see the rotation settling in and the bullpen settling down. Now if the lineup could only start scoring runs again…

Chris Reed also writes for InsideSTL Mondays and Bird Brained whenever he feels like it. Follow him on Twitter at @birdbrained.

SPRINGDALE, AR - The Naturals’ parent club, the Kansas City Royals announced a pair transactions on Wednesday morning affecting the Northwest Arkansas roster.  Outfielder Wil Myers has been promoted to Triple-A Omaha, and outfielder Nick Van Stratten has been transferred from Extended Spring Training to Northwest Arkansas.

Myers spent the early part of the 2012 season terrorizing Texas League pitching.  At the time of his promotion he ranked tops in the league in hitting at .343, extra base hits (25), and runs scored with (32) second in home runs (13), third in RBI (30), second in hits (46).

The outfielder leaves Northwest Arkansas with 21 career home runs with the Naturals.  The 21 home runs tie him for the sixth most in Naturals history with Corey Smith, and current Kansas City Royal Mike Moustaksas.  Myers was originally selected by the Kansas City Royals in the third round of the 2009 draft.

Odorizzi, 22, leaves Northwest Arkansas with a 4-2 record and 3.32 ERA in seven starts.  He is second in the Texas League in strikeouts (47) and fourth in WHIP (0.97).  He has been most impressive over his last four starts, going 3-1 with a 1.98 ERA, allowing six earned runs in 27.1 innings for a 1.98 ERA while fanning 33.  Odorizzi has limited opposing hitters to a collective .191 batting average through his first seven assignments.  He was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers on December 19, 2010, along with Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar and Jeremy Jeffress in exchange for Zack Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt.  Odorizzi was the 32^nd overall pick of the Brewers in the 2008 First Year Player Draft and he also had a taste of big league spring training this year as a non-roster invitee.

Nick Van Stratten returns to Northwest Arkansas after starting the season in extended spring training, after suffering a spring injury.  Van Stratten spent parts of the last two seasons in Northwest Arkansas appearing in 68 games in 2011, and 86 games in 2010.  The outfielder’s best year in Double-A came in 2010 when he hit .262 with two home runs and 34 RBI for the Naturals.  Van Stratten was originally selected by the Kansas City Royals in the tenth round of the 2006 draft.

Van Stratten will wear number nine for the Naturals, and there is another number change to report as Ethan Hollingsworth will now wear number 36.  Following the transaction, the Naturals’ roster is at the Texas League limit of 25 active players.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale.  Visit our website, nwanaturals.com, for information on season tickets and ticket plans.

The Kansas City Royals have talent, but to they have what it takes mentally to win?

In watching the 2012 version of the Kansas City Royals, it is hard to deny that this is the most talented team they have put on the field in quite some time. This is not the same collections of “has-been’s” and “never-will-be’s” that Royals fans have become accustomed to seeing. But the fact of the matter is, the Royals are currently sitting with the second-worst record in the major leagues at 9-19. And it is hard to ignore idea that mental toughness is a big reason for the slow start.

Not just baseball, but all sports have seen supremely talented players who were not successful because they couldn’t hack it mentally. Whether that equates to a player buckling under pressure, a player’s lack of desire to properly prepare, or a combination of the two, there is no denying that the mental side of the game is absolutely critical to success. The two most recent demonstrations of a lack of mental toughness were put on display on Sunday agains the Yankees and Monday against the Red Sox by starting pitchers Luke Hochevar and Jonathan Sanchez. Both of these players have talent. And not just enough talent to be a big league player. These guys both have the talent to excel in the big leagues. They have each demonstrated that at different points in their careers.

Luke Hochevar was a #1 overall pick in 2006. In 2009 he threw an 80 pitch complete game against the Cincinnati Reds, and later in the season struck out 13 against the Texas Rangers. This is why the Royals continue to put up with his inconsistency and made him their Opening Day starter in 2011 and de facto “ace” going into 2012.

On Sunday, Hochevar made it only 2 1/3 innings into his start, giving up 7 earned runs on 7 hits. This was the 3rd time in 6 starts this season that Hochevar had put his team in a hole early in the ballgame that they had almost no chance of digging out of. His ERA for the season is now 9.00.

Jonathan Sanchez has averaged 9.3 SO per 9 innings over his 6+ year career. He also struck out 205 batters in 193 innings for the San Francisco Giants in 2010. This is why the Royals traded Melky Cabrera for him this past off-season.

In his start on Monday, Sanchez made it only 3 innings, giving up 6 earned runs on 6 hits while throwing only 35 of his 73 pitches for strikes. His ERA for the season is now 6.75.

There are other examples. Earlier in the season, over about a week period, Alex Gordon seemed to be coming up to bat on a nightly basis in key late-game situations. Each time he came up short-handed. While Gordon has begun to catch fire at the plate after an extremely slow start, his lack of success in these pressure situations is telling. This could be explained away by saying that since Gordon got off to such a slow start, he was lacking confidence in these situations which led to his inability to produce. Let’s hope this is true and now that he has snapped out of his funk that this pattern comes to a halt.

Last October, St. Louis Cardinals fans watched one of the most magnificent displays of the other side of this. On the largest stage in the sport, David Freese, Lance Berkman, and other Cardinals players showed the world the importance of mental toughness. Until the Royals have a team full of players who are not afraid to prepare for the big situations, and not afraid of the spotlight, they will be nothing more than a talented team that won’t win anything.

It’s almost a week into the 2012 season for the Kansas City Royals. After taking two out of three from the Los Angeles Angels and one out of three from the Oakland A’s, the Royals are showing some promise, but there’s still a ways to go.

The anticipated weak link of the Royals, the starting rotation, is doing well. In two starts against the Angels and the A’s, Bruce Chen gave up two earned runs, seven hits and seven strikeouts over 11 innings. Luke Hochevar gave up five hits and two runs over six and a third innings in a 6-3 victory over the Angels. Jonathan Sanchez was effectively wild, giving up four hits, two runs and two wild pitches in six innings in a 7-3 victory over the Angels. Against Oakland, Luis Mendoza gave up a run and five hits in five and two thirds innings, pitching a solid game in a 1-0 loss to the A’s. Duffy pitched six scoreless innings of one hit ball and eight strikeouts in a rain shortened 3-0 win over the A’s.

Fans have to be pleasantly surprised with the performance of the starting rotation, who are keeping the Royals in games and not giving up a big inning. How they do over the course of the season remains to be seen, but so far, so good.

Except for a rough eighth inning when Aaron Crow and Greg Holland gave up five runs in the opener against the Angels, and Jonathan Broxton issuing two walks and hitting two A’s batters in the 12th inning in Wednesday’s 5-4 loss, the bullpen is doing well. Lefties Jose Mijares and Tim Collins have yet to give up a run. Everett Teaford hasn’t played yet, but when Manager Ned Yost remembers Teaford is on the team, I’m sure he will make an appearance.

The offense has been up and down, being shut out in two out of three losses. So far, Alex Gordon has a .091 batting average with a single and a home run, but he’s hit the ball hard and played solid defense, like throwing out Albert Pujols at home. Gordon is traditionally a slow starter and should be warming up soon.

Lorenzo Cain isn’t tearing it up offensively like he did in spring training, but like Gordon, his defense is good. Cain made a great catch in the second inning of Tuesday’s game, resulting in a double play. Unfortunately, Cain suffered a left groin strain during the play and had to leave the game. He’s listed as day to day, with Mitch Maier filling in.

Billy Butler and Eric Hosmer leads the team in RBIs and Jeff Francoeur leads the team in batting average at .375. It’s early, but they’re playing well. Humberto Quintero is catching most of the games and has done well defensively.

And Yuni Betancourt and Chris Getz are getting regular playing time at second base, which for most fans any playing time for the duo is too much playing time. But at least they’re contributing.

The Royals are 3-3 and that’s not bad, but they lost two out of thee games against the A’s, a series they should have won. Starting Friday, the Royals have a ten game home stand against the Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays. The Tigers and Jays are playing well and the Indians could win two out of three games if the Royals aren’t careful. These next ten games could determine how the season will go and if the Royals have a shot at the A.L. Central. But it’s also early in the season and there’s 156 more games to play.

The starting rotation needs to keep up their performances and the bullpen can’t afford to give up too many big innings. Mike Moustakas, Gordon and Cain have to get it going offensively. Unlike previous years, this .500 Royals team isn’t a early season mirage. They have a legitimate chance to play well this season, but they need to execute.

The 2011 season did not start the way Joakim Soria wanted it to.

Through April and May, he gave up 16 earned runs over 23 innings. He was 3-3 with 5 blown saves in 12 opportunities.

Nearly every Royals fan was calling for his removal from the closer role (or the entire team, in some cases). There was talk about trading him before his value went any lower, converting him to a starter, or possibly even demoting him.

Many said his career was over and that the Royals needed to start fresh with the younger, more exciting Aaron Crow.

Well, Ned Yost did end up giving Crow the closer role.

However, he made it clear that it wasn’t permanent and that he wanted Soria to work some things out as a middle reliever until he felt more comfortable on the mound.

He ended up pitching 5 scoreless innings in 3 games as a middle reliever, which was good enough for the Royals’ skipper.

Yost immediately gave Soria back the title as closer, which turned out to be one of his best decisions of the year.

Since that point, Soria only has 2 blown saves while giving up 11 earned runs in 35.1 innings. He has also had 41 strikeouts compared to 7 walks in that same time period.

These numbers might seem completely inaccurate to most Royals fans because it feels like he has been much worse over the past three and a half months.

The main reason for this is because his two blown saves since the 1^st of June were the two most heartbreaking losses for the Royals in that span.

The first of the two came on July 30^th against the Indians. The Royals gave Soria the ball with a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the 9^th. He gave up a sacrifice fly to tie the game and a walk-off 3-run bomb by Matt LaPorta to end it.

Then came the Tampa Bay Rays game on August 10^th. No Royals fan will forget this one, so there isn’t a need to go into great detail. Crow and Soria gave up 5 runs in the bottom of the 9^th to lose 8-7. It was the epitome of a heartbreaker for the Royals and their fans.

Other than those two games, Soria has been almost lights out. It’s hard for fans to see it, but he is back to his old self.

Wanting a trade or a role change for Soria needs to come to a stop. His first two months of this year were horrendous to say the least, but he has definitely regained his form.

Other than perhaps Greg Holland, Soria has been the most consistent pitcher for the Royals this year.

He is still the leader of the Royals’ bullpen and should continue to be as they make their push in the next couple of years.

A good closer is tough to come by, and the Royals have one in Soria.

It’d be a shame to mess that up as they get closer to becoming a real contender.

After a rough start to the season, an ace has re-emerged in the St. Louis Cardinals’ rotation: Chris Carpenter.

Remember when we were all worried about Carpenter? He didn’t log his first victory until the sixth week of the season; his second, June 23. His ERA pushed toward five. His outings lasted under seven innings as much as they lasted over. Questions about Carpenter’s health and durability started popping up, though his desire and resolve should never be in doubt.

But as the summer weather heated up, so did Carp’s pitching. In June he went 2-2 with a 3.00 ERA. So far in July, he is 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA. His strikeouts are down a little—Carpenter only has 17 this month with likely one July start remaining, compared to 29 in June and 32 in May—but his durability is at its peak: he has thrown less than eight innings only three times over his nine starts since June 1. He has been the stopper the Cards need.

And Carpenter’s return to form could not have come at a better time. The Cardinals have seen Kyle Lohse, Kyle McClellan and Jake Westbrook all struggle off and on. Lohse and McClellan have both regressed since torrid starts. Westbrook, aside from a couple flashes of effectiveness, has yet to really get it going at all this season. And while Jaime Garcia absolutely dominates at Busch Stadium, he still struggles in road starts.

But Carpenter just chugs along, most recently at the expense of the NL Central. His three wins this month have come against the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates. After dropping two of three to the New York Mets this week, the Cardinals kicked off the important series against the—hard as it is to believe—first-place Bucs Friday night with a 6-4 win. Carpenter was not brilliant, but he toughed through the victory, giving up four earned runs on 10 hits through eight innings to pull the Cardinals even with the Pirates in the standings. Set the team up for their second win in a row? Check. Start off a series with the team immediately ahead of the Cards in the Central on the right foot? Check. Pitch deep into the game, preserving the bullpen? Check. Classic Carpenter.

Before this season started, speculation on Carp’s possible availability at the trade deadline—pending the Cardinals’ status in the standings by the end of July, of course—was not without merit. His option for 2011 is an expensive one. He turned 36 years old in April. And the Cards had a lot of early questions with Albert Pujols not signing, Adam Wainwright being lost for the season, and Lance Berkman being an unknown commodity starting in a position he had not played in years. But neither the team nor Pujols seem deterred by his walk year, the Cards are playing well in spite of Wainwright’s absence, and Berkman has been a revelation. Consequently, the Cardinals are again knocking on the door of first place in the division and it’s hard to imagine them being anything but buyers at the deadline. Likewise, it’s hard to imagine them continuing to be competitive without Carpenter taking the ball every five days.

His contract situation beyond this year is still uncertain, but Carpenter is proving he still has a lot left. The risk of injury is always present. Age will eventually catch up to him. But Carpenter knows knows what he means to this team and will never give an inch as long as he’s physically able. Perhaps the Cards re-negotiate to keep him wearing the Birds on the Bat a little longer. Perhaps this is his final year with the Cardinals. Either way, Carpenter has again assumed the role of ace pitcher on a team that sorely needed one.

Chris Reed also writes for InsideSTL Mondays and Bird Brained whenever he feels like it. Follow him on Twitter at @birdbrained.