The Royals wrap up their California road trip this weekend with a three game series with Oakland.  With the Tigers getting their series with the red hot Rangers off to a humiliating start, this could be a great chance for the Royals to close the one game lead in the American League Central.  Here are the matchups by the numbers.

The A’s are coming off of a losing series against the Rangers.  They were out scored in that series by only a single run.  In 42 games, the A’s have scored 199 runs for an average of close to 5 runs a game.  Strangely enough, the number of runs scored against the A’s is an identical 199.  If the Royals can contain Oakland’s offense this weekend they are sure to like where they sit in the rankings come Monday morning.

Friday:

James Shields gets the start for the Royals.  Shields took the loss in his last game against the Yankees and a no decision against the White Sox.  Both were tough losses for the Royals as Shields only allowed 2 runs to New York and none at all to the Sox.  Shields has struck out close to a batter an inning and owns a 0.97 WHIP.  Look for Big Game James to keep the Oakland offense in check on Friday night.

The A’s will send Jarrod Parker to the hill on Friday to face Shields.  Parker has been pretty terrible thus far.  His only wins so far this year have only come when his team has provided great run support behind him such as his 10-6 win against the Angles.  His ERA is approaching 7 and has been allowing close to 2 base runners an inning.  If Parker turns this around on Friday it will be surprising.

Saturday:

Ervin Santana will start for the Royals.  Santana is coming off of a disappointing game against the Yankees giving up 8 hits, 2 of which were home runs.  The long ball can at times be Santana’s biggest weakness and as mentioned before, the A’s can hit.  Fortunately, the Coliseum is a pitcher friendly park and should help Santana keep in on the field.

Santana will face off against Tommy Milone.  Milone has been pretty hit or miss so far this year.  His ERA is a deceiving 3.71.  He has surrendered 13 earned runs in his last 5 starts, however in two of those starts he shut his opponents down completely.  The Royals hope they get the Tommy Milone that gives up an earned run per inning and not the Tommy Milone that gives up none at all.

Sunday:

Luis Mendoza gets the start on Sunday.  Mendoza has had a rough year so far.  Unlike Santana, his troubles extend past giving up home runs.  Mendoza has given up lots of hits as well as the occasional walk and he has yet to pitch past the 6^th inning.  The Royals are going to have to provide Mendoza with a lot of run support to keep this game in control.

Run support could be hard to come by though as A.J. Griffin will be starting for the A’s on Sunday.  Griffin posted a 3.06 ERA last year and has looked sharp so far.  His 3.48 ERA this year is somewhat bloated thanks to one horrendous start against the Red Sox where he gave up 7 runs in 4 innings.  The Royals will have to try to get to Griffin early for the finale of the series.

The year 1982 marked the first of three 1980′s appearances in the World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals. It also marks the one and only time that the Milwaukee Brewers reached the World Series.

With the two teams, now in the same league, prepared to face off for the National League Pennant, i70baseball brings you a look back to that series in 1982. A monumental series that took all seven games to decide a winner. A series that would see would see both teams win a game by a double digit margin as well as each team winning a game by two or fewer runs.

You can read more about Game One by clicking here.
You can read more about Game Two by clicking here.
You can read more about Game Three by clicking here.
You can read more about Game Four by clicking here.
You can read more about Game Five by clicking here.

Milwaukee had taken care of business at home and now traveled to St. Louis having to only win one game to upset the Cardinals and claim a world championship for the city. St. Louis found themselves taken by surprise with the upstart Brewers and suddenly had their backs against the wall, needing to win both games at home in order to advance.

Game Six: Tuesday, October 19, 1982
The weather would be one of the top stories of game six as the St. Louis area was tortured by storms throughout the day. Fans at Busch Stadium would be required to suffer through over two and a half hours of rain delays in order to see this game play through to completion. The game would be completed that night and the Cardinal faithful would not be disappointed.

It was a rematch of game two in this series as the Brewers sent veteran Don Sutton to the mound to oppose the Cardinals’ rookie hurler John Stuper. Game two required a come from behind victory for the Cardinals as Stuper found himself in trouble quite often. The offense for St. Louis wanted to make sure that would not have to happen again.

It was the bottom of the second when the Cardinals offense, coupled with the Brewers defensive gaffs, would jump on the board. Dane Iorg would drive a two out double ahead of Willie McGee. McGee would reach base on an error by Brewers’ shortstop Robin Yount, allowing Iorg to score. A double from the bat of Tom Herr would follow, and the Cardinals jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead.

George Hendrick would lead off the bottom of the fourth inning with a base hit and advance to second on a rare balk by Don Sutton. Darrel Porter would then drive a pitch out of the park to right field and the Cardinals’ bats were providing some entertainment for the fans. Iorg would then triple down the right field line and score on Herr’s sacrifice bunt. The Cardinals were now ahead 5-0 and sending a statement to the Brewers.

The Cardinals would benefit, uncharacteristically, from the long ball in this game. Keith Hernandez would hit a home run in to the right field power alley after Lonnie Smith‘s leadoff single in the fifth, tacking on two more runs and putting the Cardinals ahead 7-0. Hernandez’s home run would also push Sutton out of the game.

Milwaukee reliever Jim Slaton would retire the final two hitters of the fifth inning and yield to Doc Medich in the sixth. Iorg would lead off that inning with a double, advancing to third on Medich’s wild pitch. McGee would step in and drive a base hit into right field, scoring Iorg. Herr would follow with a single of his own and both runners would advance to second and third on Medich’s second wild pitch of the inning. Medich would get Ozzie Smith to ground out to first without surrendering the run before walking David Green, who took over for Lonnie Smith in left field, to load the bases. Kent Oberkfell would hit a ground ball to Brewer first baseman Cecil Cooper, which would result in McGee being thrown out at home as Milwaukee looked to get out of the jam with two outs now. Hernandez would then drive a base hit into right field, scoring both Herr and Green and allowing Oberkfell to advance to third. With runners at the corners, Hendrick would single and advance to second on the unsuccessful attempt to throw out Hernandez advancing to third, scoring Oberkfell in the process. Jim Gantner‘s error at second base on Darrel Porter’s ground ball would allow two more runners, Hernandez and Hendrick, to score. Iorg would lineout to left to put an end to the disastrous, six run inning for the Brewers, the Cardinals now leading 13-0.

Stuper would go the distance for the Cardinals, surrendering a run scored to Gantner on a wild pitch in the ninth inning, otherwise scattering four hits and two walks over the nine inning, rain soaked affair.

The series was tied and a deciding game seven would be played at Bush Stadium the following day. The conclusion of the 1982 World Series would come in a dramatic final game.

Stay tuned as i70baseball brings you game recaps for all seven games of the 1982 World Series on game days of the 2011 National League Championship Series.

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.

The year 1982 marked the first of three 1980′s appearances in the World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals. It also marks the one and only time that the Milwaukee Brewers reached the World Series.

With the two teams, now in the same league, prepared to face off for the National League Pennant, i70baseball brings you a look back to that series in 1982. A monumental series that took all seven games to decide a winner. A series that would see would see both teams win a game by a double digit margin as well as each team winning a game by two or fewer runs.

You can read more about Game One by clicking here.
You can read more about Game Two by clicking here.
You can read more about Game Three by clicking here.
You can read more about Game Four by clicking here.

The Series had been tied as of the night before, but it appeared that the Brewers had all the momentum. A six run seventh inning gave the game four victory to the Brewers as they headed into the Sunday night game at County Stadium, looking to take a three games to two lead. The Cardinals, still the heavy favorites to win it all, would look to reestablish a lead in the quest for their ninth World Championship.

Game Five: October 17, 1982
The night would be of historic value, even if the two teams were not aware of it at the time. While 1982 was the Milwaukee Brewers first appearance at the Fall Classic, it was not the first that Milwaukee’s County Stadium would see. The stadium had hosted series while being home to the Milwaukee Braves in 1957 and 1958 against the New York Yankees. On this night, the ball yard would host it’s final World Series game. In addition, Robin Yount, who had four hits in game one, would record four hits on this night as well, becomming the first player in history to record two, four hit games in a single World Series.

The Cardinals would send lanky hurler Bob Forsch to the mound to try to regain the upper hand. Forsch had a solid season, going 15-9 with a 3.48 earned run average. He threw six complete games, including two shut outs, and an impressive 233 innings. The Cardinals depended on him to anchor the rotation, and hopes were high with him on the mound, despite him being the pitcher of record in the 10-0 blowout loss in game one.

The Brewers countered with their game one winner, Mike Caldwell, a seventeen game winner on the season. A similar pitcher to Forsch, Caldwell had the same level of confidence from fans and teammates. The game was lined out to be a classic, and it would not take long to get things going.

It may very well have been the defense that set the tone for this game and it happened in the first inning. After Lonnie Smith would lead off the game with a base hit and promptly steal second base, he would be gunned down trying to steal third by Brewers catcher Ted Simmons with Keith Hernandez at the plate. Hernandez would stroke a single in that at bat, but the run had already been erased.

It was not just good defense that set the tone, however. After Forsch retired Paul Molitor on a flyball, Robin Yount and Cecil Cooper would each single. Forsch would then have Yount picked off of second base, but he threw the ball away and into centerfield. Both runners would advance and Yount would score on Ted Simmons ground out to first base. The score after the first was 1-0 in favor of the Brewers.

Cardinal leftfielder David Green would stroke a two-out triple in the top of the third, scoring on Keith Hernandez’s double in the following at bat and suddenly the score was tied. Milwaukee would not let it stay that way, however, as they would make Forsch pay for walking Paul Molitor with one out in their half of the third. A Robin Yount double would put runners at second and third and Milwaukee would score their second run the same way they scored their first, on a groundout to first base. The third inning came to a close with Milwaukee up 2-1.

Milwaukee would add on in the fifth inning when Cecil Cooper would lead off the frame with a two base hit down the left field line and moved to third on the efficient groundout to the right side by Jim Gantner. Molitor’s single would follow and drive in the run, and the Cardinals uphill battle would increase. The first five innings were complete and the Brewers were now up 3-1.

The seventh inning would continue the theme of the night. The Cardinals, utilizing a leadoff walk to Ozzie Smith, would plate a run in the top of the frame on a George Hendrick base hit to center and close the gap a little. However, the Brewers would once again answer quickly, this time off a solo home run into right field by Robin Yount. The seventh had come to a close, and the Brewers still led, now 4-2.

Bruce Sutter would take the mound in the bottom of the eighth and the Brewers would build a bit of a cushion. Sutter would surrender a one out single to Ben Oglivie and a two out walk to Dan Money, setting up the bottom of the order to do some damage. Charlie Moore, hitting eighth, would drive a single to right field, scoring Oglivie. Ninth place hitter Jim Gantner would follow with a single of his own to score Money and the Brewers would head to the ninth winning by a score of 6-2.

Caldwell would take the hill in the ninth, looking for the complete game and get himself into some trouble early on. A one out double to Green would lead to a run scored as Hernandez would make it back-to-back doubles. George Hendrick would follow with a single to center field, chasing Hernandez home and Caldwell from the game. Brewers closer Bob McClure would enter the game and surrender a single to catcher Darrel Porter. After McGee would strike out swinging for the second out, Whitey Herzog would enter Mike Ramsey to pinch run for Porter and send Gene Tenace to the plate to pinch hit for Kent Oberkfel for the second straight night. Tenace would not strike out like the night before, but his harmless fly ball to center field would bring and end to the game.

The teams would be set to return to St. Louis for the final two games of the World Series. The Brewers would simply need to take one of those games to claim the franchise’s first title. The Cardinals would need a sweep to extend their lead as the top franchise in the National League.

The next day was an off day for travel and we will bring you the game six recap on the same night of game six in the 2011 NLCS between the two teams.

Stay tuned as i70baseball brings you game recaps for all seven games of the 1982 World Series on game days of the 2011 National League Championship Series.

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.

The year 1982 marked the first of three 1980′s appearances in the World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals. It also marks the one and only time that the Milwaukee Brewers reached the World Series.

With the two teams, now in the same league, prepared to face off for the National League Pennant, i70baseball brings you a look back to that series in 1982. A monumental series that took all seven games to decide a winner. A series that would see would see both teams win a game by a double digit margin as well as each team winning a game by two or fewer runs.

You can read more about Game One by clicking here.
You can read more about Game Two by clicking here.
You can read more about Game Three by clicking here.

While the Cardinals were the favorites to win the series, they made a strong statement by taking the first game in Milwaukee for a victory. Young Willie McGee was showing why the Cardinals had such faith in him, the team was playing “Whiteyball” and generating runs, and the upstart “Harvey’s Wallbangers” Brewers were on the ropes having lost two of the first three. Getting back into this series in game four was going to be very important and the Brewers would need to focus on the task at hand.

Game Four: October 16, 1982
The visiting Cardinals would turn to rookie hurler Dave LaPoint to try to gain more of an upper hand against the Brewers. LaPoint pitched in 42 games in 1982 and started 21 of those. He finished the regular season with nine wins, three losses, a 3.42 earned run average, 81 strikeouts, 52 walks, and a 1.454 WHIP while ranking eighth in the Rookie Of The Year voting. LaPoint had started his career in Milwaukee and now had the opportunity to show them what they lost when they traded him away. Of course, they knew what they got: Rollie Fingers, Ted Simmons, and Pete Vuckovich.

The Brewers would rely on a pitcher that had struggled his way through the 1982 season, Moose Haas, to try and get them back into things. Haas was a contact pitcher that seldom walked hitters during that season, only 38 walks over 193 1/3 innings pitched, but tended to give up a few runs, as apparent by his 4.47 earned run average. It would be an uphill climb for Haas and the Brewers but anything can happen in baseball.

Anything started happening quickly in this game for the National League Champions. Between strikeouts of leadoff man Tom Herr and third place hitter Keith Hernandez, Kent Oberkfell would stroke a double down the first base line. A single from clean up hitter George Hendrick, and the Cardinals were out to an early lead.

The second inning would not help the Brewers out any at all. The Cardinals once again showed they small ball approach as, with one out, Willie McGee would stroke a base hit. He would then steal second on a play that the Brewers had anticipated but catcher Ted Simmons bobbled the pitch out. Ozzie Smith would walk and a wild pitch would allow both runners to move into scoring position. Tom Herr would lift a fly ball deep to the warning track in centerfield that Gorman Thomas would track down. Thomas, however, would fall after making the catch and a hustling Ozzie would score all the way from second base. Kent Oberkfell would then walk and steal second, finally scoring on a ground ball by Keith Hernandez that was booted by secondbaseman Jim Gantner. After two innings, the heavily favored Cardinals were already up by a score of four to nothing.

Things would calm down until the Brewers would finally get on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning. A lead off double from Don Money would be followed by a single from Charlie Moore, placing runners at the corners with no one out. Gantner would follow with a ball up the middle that would see Ozzie turn a defensive gem of a snag into a double play, yielding the run. It would be all the Brewers could muster that inning and the score would stand at four to one in favor of the Cardinals.

Brewers fans would feel the pressure of the uphill battle shortly thereafter as the Cardinals would get the run right back in the top of the sixth. Back-to-back doubles for Lonnie Smith and Dane Iorg would plate the Cardinals fifth run and chase Haas from the game.

The bottom of the seventh rolled around and Ben Oglivie would reach base for the Brewers with one out on a botched play by Dave LaPoint covering first base. Money would follow with a single and Moore would pop out to shortstop. With two outs and two on, Gantner would plug the gap in rightfield, scoring both runners and chasing LaPoint from the game. Doug Bair would walk Paul Molitor to load the bases before giving up a two run single to Robin Yount, placing Yount at first and Molitor now at third. With the Brewers suddenly within a run, Herzog would go to his bullpen again and call on Jim Kaat to face Cecil Cooper, who promptly singled in Molitor, tying the game. Kaat’s wild pitch to Simmons would move the runners to second and third and cause Herzog to bring in Jeff Lahti in the middle of the at-bat. Lahti would walk Simmons intentionally to once again load the bases before surrendering a two run single to Gordon Thomas in his second at bat of the inning. The Cardinals would finally get out of the inning after another intentional walk to Oglivie and a fly out by Money. The Brewers had taken the lead seven to five after seven innings of play.

The Cardinals would not threaten again on this day and a disastrous seventh inning would lead to a tie series. With one game left in Milwaukee, the series was knotted up at two games a piece and the excitement was building.

Stay tuned as i70baseball brings you game recaps for all seven games of the 1982 World Series on game days of the 2011 National League Championship Series.

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.

The year 1982 marked the first of three 1980′s appearances in the World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals. It also marks the one and only time that the Milwaukee Brewers reached the World Series.

With the two teams, now in the same league, prepared to face off for the National League Pennant, i70baseball brings you a look back to that series in 1982. A monumental series that took all seven games to decide a winner. A series that would see would see both teams win a game by a double digit margin as well as each team winning a game by two or fewer runs.

You can read more about Game One by clicking here.
You can read more about Game Two by clicking here.

The series was on it’s way to Milwaukee’s County Stadium for the middle three games. Tied up 1-1, the Cardinals and the Brewers had played a first game blowout in favor of the Brewers and a close game settled by a bases loaded walk for the Cardinals. The third game of this Series was played on Friday, October 15…

Game Three: October 15, 1982
This time the Cardinals would send Joaquin Andujar to the mound to face the Brewers on their home surface. The 29-year old pitcher had arrived in St. Louis the year before after being traded by the Houston Astros. He was dominant in 1982, winning 15 games over 10 losses, posting a 2.47 earned run average (his career best), and throwing five shut outs. He would post a 1.080 WHIP and a 2.74 strikeout-to-walk ratio as well that season. He was almost an identical pitcher whether home or away that season.

Milwaukee would counter with 18 game winner Pete Vuckovich. Vuckovich would only lose six games in 1982 while posting a 3.34 earned run average, 1.502 WHIP and 1.03 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Home cooking was Vuckovich’s speciality as he pitched much better in the friendly confines than he would on the road that season.

The two teams would lock themselves in for a pitchers duel with each hurler carrying shut out baseball into the fifth inning. In fact, each team had exactly one hit when the fifth inning rolled around and it was Andujar who had seen the most trouble but worked out of it by that frame. All that changed quickly when the middle frame got started.

After Darrel Porter lead off with a strikeout, Lonnie Smith would drive a double to left-center field and the Cardinals would have their first base runner in scoring position. Dane Iorg would reach base on an error by Brewers first baseman Cecil Cooper, putting runners at the corners for the Cardinals young outfielder Willie McGee. McGee would drive the first pitch he saw over the fence in right field to put the Cardinals up 3-0.

The homerun to McGee would be one of the few mistakes by either starter through six innings as the pitchers duel continued. It was Lonnie Smith once again in the seventh inning with one out that would stroke a triple off of Vuckovich and subsequently score on the play as the Brewers secondbaseman Jim Gantner would throw the ball way at third. A Dane Iorg fly ball out would bring McGee back to the plate, this time with the bases empty, to face Vuckovich again. A 1-0 pitch would again be driven over the wall in right and McGee would have his second home run and fourth run batted in of the game, putting the Cardinals up 5-0 after six and a half innings.

The bottom of the seventh would see the Brewers threaten after catcher Ted Simmons would drive a ball back up the middle and off of Andujar’s knee. The Cardinal ace would leave the game and the Cardinals would use both Jim Kaat and Doug Blair before turning the game over to Sutter and escaping the inning with no damage after the Brewers loaded the bases with two outs.

The Brewers would get on the board in the eighth inning off of Sutter. After Robin Yount drew a walk, Cecil Cooper would follow with his own home run to right field, a two run shot that would make the score 5-2.

Walks would once again hurt the Brewers in the ninth, however. After George Hendrick had reached on a rare catcher’s interference call and Dane Iorg would hit a ground rule double, Vuckovich would intentionally walk McGee to load the bases and pitch to Ozzie Smith. Sometimes when you have a pitcher issue an intentional walk, however, he struggles to find placement again and Vuckovich walkEd Smith to force in the sixth run for the Cardinals.

As Sutter took the mound to be the finishing touches on the game for the Cardinals, he would work himself into some trouble of his own. Brewers left fielder Ben Oglivie would reach base on an error by Cardinal first baseman Keith Hernandez. Gordon Thomas attempted to pull his team a bit closer but his ball that would have left the park in centerfield was brought back by Willie McGee and turned into a loud and long first out. A strikeout and fly ball later and Sutter would have a save, the Cardinals a 6-2 win, and the comfort of Milwaukee hotels as they looked forward to Game 4.

The Cardinals now lead the series two games to one. Important to note that Sutter got a save in a 6-2 ballgame due to his work in the seventh inning to escape a bases-loaded jam.

Stay tuned as i70baseball brings you game recaps for all seven games of the 1982 World Series on game days of the 2011 National League Championship Series.

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.

To borrow a phrase from Joe Biden, “This is a big [freakin’] deal.”

Often it’s said during the season that a series or even a single game or inning just might be the “point that we look back on” once the season is over. Inferred is that we look back on that game, inning, pitch, whatever, and point like Matlock at the exact thing that sparked the beginning of the end. “Dude. Remember that hanging 1-2 breaking ball in the bottom of the 4th at San Diego two months ago? That was it, right there. Season? Over.”

High Cheese, your honor. Gets ‘em every time.

There are two teams… the Royals and Cardinals.

Barely separated by a stretch of interstate 70.

Roughly two hundred and fifty miles apart, one team falls to the American League, the other to the National. Contrast is a better descriptor than comparison, but simply by relative location, a rivalry is created.

The Cardinals, or the Saint Louis Brown Stockings, were formed in 1882. One of America’s initial baseball franchises, history is the enamel of this ball club- a story to tell in every corner, every decade, and in every one of their ten championships. Despite the casual ups and downs, the organization through its lifetime, still remains above water (A total franchise record of 10130-9437).

The Royals, established in 1969, became a more modern version of Midwest baseball. The Athletics came beforehand, but the Royals created a name for themselves quickly. As time stumbles off the clock and season upon season concludes, the Royals, for the most part, have declined (A total franchise record (3230-3477).

Between the two teams it is the Cardinals who claim the series lead at 34 to 26. In respect to the Royals, this is a series they typically perform better in than others, which places more importance on the rivalry. We all remember 1985.

There are more appealing rivalries in sports, let alone baseball. This is just one that most baseball fans in the Midwest learn to appreciate. There has been animosity and a deep competitiveness that is bred into this match up. Although most of us would like to see more of it, the hard fact that it only comes once or twice a year raises the level of anticipation. For the Royals and Cardinals both, it is a series they mark on their calendars long before the start of each season. Historically, it is a revenue generating series for both teams. Any vacant seats can honestly be blamed on the lack of success in Kansas City.

If in some aspect, we found both of these teams leading their divisions by the point in time they face-off, it could easily garner national attention and spark further interest year by year. But there is always something that keeps the excitement close to home. For three to six games each season, the Cubs become a second hand rivalry to the Cardinals. The Royals become the enemy.

Even though the Royals are easy kids to pick on, they still grabbed the ring in 1985 from the Cardinals. If you are a Cardinal, you are informed about that series. Never to be forgotten, it was the day the Royals were Missouri (and the worlds) best team.

The Cardinals don’t take that matter lightly.

When Kansas City and Saint Louis extend the rivalry on Friday, much of the story will be the same. A steady, trust worthy veteran in Chris Carpenter will take the mound and he will face the former National League fill in, Jeff Francis.

It is more certain that Saint Louis has the advantage in this game. They have been playing better overall and they are bumping into the Royals at precisely the right time. Sure the crowds will be a little heavier than average games, but the Royals are currently lost in the cobwebs. Their identity has screeched off road into uncharted territory and they are looking to get back into the rhythm. Until then, I expect the Cardinals to go about business with the same game plan they have all season long. At the start of the season, Carpenter was the one pitcher you would undoubtedly put your money on. A proven track record of consistent success, he was the obvious substance of reliability. Shockingly enough, Carp has been overshadowed by all-star performances from other stems in the rotation courtesy of Garcia, Lohse, and McClellan. As a group, the 2011 Cardinals pitching staff is easily the best in baseball.

This is the last thing the Royals need, but are the Cardinals going to argue? NO.

The more the Royals decline, the staler this rivalry becomes. The Cardinals give their fair share of contribution to making this series exciting, but Kansas City needs to find anyway to win- anyway to get the stadium loud, on their feet, and passionate again. The past few years have seen a drop in attendance totals, especially on the west end at Kauffman. Hopefully with an influx of thrilling youth in KC and the combination of stable pitching and competitiveness in STL, we will soon see a rise in the series once more.

Although the Royals have found that usual losing trend, they still teeter on the pendulum of even baseball. If they can find a way to scrape off an I-70 series win, that could be all they need to jump start the season all over again. Ned Yost is familiar with a lot of players on the Cardinals roster due his time spent in Milwaukee. If he can somehow build a game plan around his past knowledge, and the offense can start scoring runs again, Kansas City can easily make this a weekend worthwhile.

The Cardinals have an ability to bounce back from tough loses a little better that the Royals so I have little concern if they happen to lose. The Royals need to win at least two of three. The Cardinals are trying to keep up with a Reds team that is clicking. There is plenty of reason why each team needs to perform. I think the Cardinals are the better squad this year, but in this series (as in any major rivalry), anything could happen.

The excellent website, Royals Treatment, provides I-70 Baseball with series previews this season for the Kansas City Royals games. With the Royals on a bit of a slide, they head into Cleveland to face off against the Indians in a three game set.

After trading wins & losses over a 4-game span last week, the Royals get another chance to take aim at the upstart, division-leading Cleveland Indians in a 3-game series at Jacob’s Field this week:

Tues. Apr. 26. 6:05 pm CT – Luke Hochevar (2-2, 5.12) v. Justin Masterson (4-0, 1.71)

Wed. Apr. 27. 6:05 pm CT - Jeff Francis (0-2, 4.06) v. Josh Tomlin (3-0, 2.33)

Thurs. Apr. 28. 6:05 pm CT – Kyle Davies (1-2, 6.23) v. Fausto Carmona (1-3, 5.76)

A hotly contested first series should provide for an equally entertaining second set between these two clubs.

The regular season will come to a close on September 28th this year, but that does not mean the month will be easy for a club that should find themselves in contention.

The Cardinals will face off against some tough division foes and some tough teams in general in September. The team will travel to Philadelphia for a four game series that may be a Divisional Series Preview. A home stand will see six games between the Cards and the Reds and Brewers in a battle for the division title. Relief may be in site the last week of the season, but teams like the Mets, Cubs and Astros always prove to be a strong foe, despite what the records show.

September Breakdown:

Total Games: 26

Home: 15

Road: 11

Vs teams with winning records in 2010: 10

Vs teams with losing records in 2010: 16

Vs teams in the NL Central: 16

Key Series:

September 2-4 vs Cincinnati – the Reds roll into town as the defending Central Division champs and both teams will try to ensure the other is buried in the standings by the end of this one. A heated rivalry that is sure to spark interest in the months leading to Fall, the two divisional favorites will converge for their final three game set to see if one of them can claim supremacy.

September 5-7 vs Milwaukee – are the Reds not enough of a threat to you? Right as they leave town, Milwaukee will square off with the Redbirds for the final time in 2011. The most improved team in the division this off-season will look to leave their mark, and hope to have their pitching staff in tact, in this early September battle for the NL Central crown.

Key To a Hot September:

Again, the Cardinals have to win the games against the weaker opponents and prove that they are a superior team. In addition, with teams like the Reds, Brewers, and Phillies on the schedule, they also need to show their dominance of those franchises and prove that they belong in the post-season discussion.

At the end of September:

If the Cardinals have 16+ wins… they are probably doing just enough to prove that they deserve the division crown and to show they belong in the playoffs. They may need to perform just a little better than this to be considered playoff contenders, though.

If the Cardinals are above .500… they are not doing enough. This team, this late in the season, needs to put the final nail in the coffin of multiple opponents to get the job done.

If the Cardinals are below .500… the only hope is that it’s 2006 all over again and they can back their way into the playoffs. I don’t see it this season, however. The team, the competition, the division is not stacked up that way.

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.

May brings the grueling schedule of a Major League Baseball season to Kansas City. Off Days become few and far between and the Royals will play a stretch of thirteen games without a day off in the middle of the month. During the tough day-to-day schedule, the Royals will also come face to face with American League powerhouses the New York Yankees and two series against the Texas Rangers. The month provides some relief against the Indians and Orioles, but will still provide a challenge for the ball club.

May Breakdown:

Total Games: 28

Home: 16

Road: 12

Vs teams with winning records in 2010: 14

Vs teams with losing records in 2010: 14

Vs teams in the AL Central: 6

Key Series:

May 10-12 @ New York – The Royals will face off against the Bronx Bombers early on in May. The Yankees have concerns of their own, but it still doesn’t bring them to the level that the Royals are at in their rebuilding process. A series win here could inspire the young Royals to overachieve for a while. A sweep for the Yankees and the Royals may lose faith. Winning one may be the best they can hope for, but at the same time, it wouldn’t be a complete disappointment.

May 20-22 vs St. Louis – 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. The Royals seem to haunt the Cardinals no matter how good or bad either team is playing at the time they face off. That being said, the Royals can take advantage of a series in Kansas City against another tough team and really propel themselves based off a series win here.

Key To a Hot Month:

The Royals will look to get out to a hot start in the early part of the season and the key to that will be the teams they have to beat. With a combined eight games against the Orioles and Indians, they have to build their wins in those series. A few sweeps of teams they should beat will go a long way. If they cannot beat those teams, then series against the Yankees and Cardinals will start to look insurmountable.

At the end of May:

If the Royals have 13+ wins… then they are performing pretty well. It is sub .500 ball, but it involves winning the games they should and taking at least one game from the superior teams they will face. Looking for your team to have a losing month and considering it a success is never a good sign, but this team is not playing for 2011 and a record close to .500 is probably overachieving this early in the season.

If the Royals are .500… fans should be satisfied. The team will have won the series against the lower teams, possibly have swept one of those series, or possibly have won a series against a team expected to be in playoff contention. Either way, the team is overachieving just a little if they find themselves at .500.

If the Royals are above .500… fans should rejoice. This will signify a couple of series sweeps or a few series wins against playoff caliber teams. The side effect to a positive month or two is the required patience of Dayton Moore. The General Manager simply cannot find himself in a “win now” attitude and needs to stay the course. If the team finds themselves competitive, they should look internally at possibly bringing some of the future to Kansas City sooner rather than later.

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.