A deer, supposedly without a red nose, nearly ruined Christmas for David Freese, the St. Louis Cardinals and their fans.

Freese crashed into a tree Friday afternoon near St. Louis after he swerved to avoid a deer on the road. Folks in the St. Louis area know how prevalent deer are in the area, especially during this time of the year, and many probably know someone who has hit a deer or have hit one themselves.

Freese was uninjured in the crash, which gives the Cardinals another blessing to be thankful for in the days following Thanksgiving. Freese has been one of the stars of the Cardinals lineup the past two seasons, particularly in the playoffs.

Freese hit .297 with 10 homeruns and 55 RBIs in 97 games during the 2011 season as he battled back from a broken hand he suffered by a hit-by-pitch in May against the Atlanta Braves. He came back strong and was the Cardinals hero in the postseason, where he hit .390 with five homers and 21 RBIs, the last number being a postseason record.

In 2012, Freese hit .293 with 20 homeruns and 79 RBIs, and he played in 144 games, the first season he hadn’t been hampered by injuries.

Those numbers would figure to only increase as he grows into his role as the Cardinals’ everyday third baseman, but that all could’ve been quickly dismissed if the results of his car wreck hadn’t been so positive. Thankfully, the only thing hurt in the crash was his black 2011 Range Rover. Maybe that could give hime reason to ask for a few more dollars in his arbitration hearings this offseason. (Don’t overreact folks, it’s a joke.)

While Freese’s health is certainly the most important element of this situation, the crash could’ve had a significant impact on the Cardinals offseason and 2013 plans if Freese had been hurt. All of a sudden Matt Carpenter would’ve likely been in line to be the starting third baseman instead of trying out for the second base job in spring training.

That would’ve left the Cardinals extremely thing in the middle infield positions, which have been the primary concern so far this offseason. Rafael Furcal would have to be healthy, or Pete Kozma would have to continue his amazing play from late in the 2012 season. Skip Schumaker and Daniel Descalso would have to platoon for another season at second base.

That’s essentially the lineup the Cardinals used to get within one win of the World Series, but many people would like to see the Cardinals bring in a free agent or trade for a player who would be considered an upgrade over the team’s current middle infielders.

Regardless of how all that would’ve worked out, Freese is OK, and that’s the most important aspect of the entire situation. He has had previous car-related incidents, including a crash in January 2009 when he injured his feet as he slid off of a ice-covered road. He’s also had three alcohol-related incidents, the most recent in 2009, but alcohol had nothing to do with Friday’s crash, just a wandering deer.

Hopefully the next time Freese sees a deer it’s attached to a sleigh on top of his house.

The St. Louis Cardinals entered the 2012 season with a potent, yet aging, offense that was prone to injuries. That potential was realized as several key hitters hit the disabled list early in the season. However, the Cardinals pitching staff is still the biggest factor in the team’s success.

When the Cardinals jumped out to a 3.5-game lead in the NL Central through April, their team ERA was 2.66. In the following six weeks, the team has gone 18-24 heading into play Saturday. The team ERA was 4.43.

Plus, since the debacle of a series in New York that included Johan Santana’s no-hitter, the Cardinals have lost just two games when their pitching gave up less than six runs, including Friday’s nail-biter when Tyler Greene nearly tied the game with a Little League-style dash around the bases that ended in hime being thrown out at the plate.

So, what do all these numbers tell us? They say Cardinals fans should be much more concerned about the performance of the pitching staff than the lineup. Despite the myriad of injuries to position players, the Cardinals will still put up enough runs to contend more days than not. The key for a successful rest of the season is whether or not the pitching staff can keep the opposition’s score within reach.

And that’s been the problem.

Even without Chris Carpenter, the Cardinals starting rotation pitched great for the first month or so of the season. The staff even carried ace Adam Wainwright for much of April and the bullpen was solid. Then the wheels fell off. Kyle McClellan got hurt, and Fernando Salas, Mitchell Boggs and Marc Rzepczynski saw their ERA’s balloon to a combined 4.32. Closer Jason Motte also blew three saves.

The pitching has been better of late, however. The Cardinals have given up four runs or less in eight of their last 11 games heading into play Saturday. The team won six of those games.

Basically, the Cardinals will win more often than not when they get good pitching performances. When they don’t, the team enters slumps that threaten to take them out of playoff contention. That’s not surprising. It’s been an old baseball adage forever.

Just look at the Pittsburgh Pirates, who up until this last week were tied for the division lead with the Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates are hitting just .225 as a team, dead last in Major League Baseball. But they also have a 3.51 team ERA, fourth best in the league.

Unfortunately, the Cardinals could be in line for more problems after starting pitcher Jaime Garcia went down with shoulder trouble last week.

Hopefully new starter Joe Kelly can put together a few solid starts. His contributions, combined with an ever-improving Wainwright and continued stellar performances from Lance Lynn could be the most important aspect of the 2012 Cardinals team for the balance of the season.

Yes, offense is important, but the pitching staff will be what determines how far the Cardinals go in 2012.