If teams thought the St Louis Cardinals would flop without Albert Pujols, they should think again.

The scheduler did this team no favors.  Opening Day in Miami, ushering in a new era in Florida and a new ballpark.  Then a 1300 mile flight to Milwaukee, the team’s biggest rival, for their home opener.  Finally a 300 mile drive to Cincinnati, the Cardinals’ OTHER big NL Central rival.  Seven games in 3 cities over a little more than a week.  Lots of teams would limp back home under .500.  Or worse.

With last night’s win the Cardinals will open at home over .500 no matter how the last two games in Cincinnati go. They have done it with solid pitching and torrid hitting.  St Louis currently leads the NL in hits, runs, doubles, home runs, average, OPS, and total bases.  After a horrible spring training Rafael Furcal reached base 11 times in his first 20 plate appearances.  Carlos Beltran, David Freese, Matt Holliday, and Yadier Molina all have 2 HR so far, and the Cardinals have blown out their opponent in 3 of their first 4 wins, scoring at least 7 runs in those games.   They have been equal opportunity assassins, bludgeoning both aces (Josh Johnson, Yovanni Gallardo) and back of the rotation guys (Randy Wolf, Homer Bailey).

The pitching has been good – 3.86 ERA, 0.886 WHIP, 34K against 4 walks and 2 HBP. Kyle Lohse set the tone with six no-hit innings in that opener near South Beach.  Jamie Garcia survived a 2-run first inning to work 6 effective innings, Lance Lynn shut down the Brewers while striking out 8, and Jake Westbrook had his own no-hitter for 4 2/3 innings in Cincinnati.  Heck, when the starter who had the worst line the first time through was Adam Wainwright you know the team’s going well.  And Wainwright, just back from Tommy John surgery, will continue to round back into form the first month of this season.

Some prognosticators predicted this Cardinal team would be at least as dangerous as last year’s World Champs.  If the first time through is any indication that was an accurate prediction.  With 27 of their first 28 games against NL Central opponents, St Louis can make a real statement in this year’s divisional race, putting some distance between themselves and the rest of the field.  Three wins in their first 4 intra-divisional games is the start of a major statement, and should rightly put a shudder through the rest of the division.

St Louis is on pace to win 130 games, which of course is unrealistic.  Or is it?

Mike Metzger is a freelance writer based in San Diego.  He blogs about the Padres.  Follow him on Twitter @metzgermg.

So far, the St. Louis Cardinals are making it look easy in 2012. And while no one would say anything in 2011 was easy—maybe when they put Game 7 of the World Series out of reach…maybe—the Cards are playing a lot like they did at the end of last season.

And that’s no small feat, for a couple of reasons. Mike Matheny and his revamped coaching staff may not have been tested with any chess match-type of games, but so far the rookie manager has not made any mistakes either. The Cards are 2-0 facing two different teams in their home openers and against their aces: The Miami Marlins threw Josh Johnson, and the Milwaukee Brewers sent out Yovanni Gallardo. The Redbirds handled them both, and without the benefit of having an ace on the mound either time.

There are a lot of similarities between this year’s squad and last year’s World Champs. The Cards have gotten two really solid starts from their rotation already. The team plays good defense, and the middle of the order is hitting the ball well. Even David Freese looks the same; every time he comes up with runners in scoring position and two outs, he gets a hit. It’s getting to be a shock when he does not. But the 2012 Cardinals are doing some things a little differently, too. They already have three stolen bases this season, and one was (gasp!) while the #3 hitter was up to bat. And for the second game of the season, Matheny trotted out the exact same lineup he used in the first game of the season. It’s almost as if he is just taunting Tony La Russa now…

But the first big test comes Saturday in Milwaukee. Adam Wainwright makes his regular season debut just 13 or so months after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Wainwright will probably be his old self, but his stats at the end of the game will not be the whole story. What really matters on that mound Saturday is how many pitches he’s able to throw before he tires. And then the next story will be how he feels on Sunday. The Cardinals have no idea when Chris Carpenter will be back; they need Wainwright to be the go-to guy indefinitely this season. And that may require him to throw fewer innings based on how he recovers after each start. In the meantime, it will be great to see him on the mound.

The Cardinals are coming out of the gate with guns blazing, but it can’t last. Their stats will fall back down to near their averages. But this is so much like what happened in the 2011 season end and postseason. Imagine that: solid pitching, timely hitting, and good defense lead to wins. Still, the Cardinals have to be careful not to kick back and think they have things in the bag. That is one reason the stolen bases are so significant: they represent a bit of a culture shift. The Cards are exploring new—or, at the very least, expanded—ways to “get ‘em on, get ‘em over, get ‘em out” and there is nothing wrong with that.

Couple it with the “never say die” attitude of last year’s team and maybe the Cardinals will be as good as the team that won it all last year. Maybe they will even be better.

Royals resign Naturals INF Romak

SPRINGDALE, AR – Baseball America has reported that the Kansas City Royals have re-signed Naturals’ infielder Jamie Romak to a minor league contract for the 2012 season. Romak became a minor league free-agent following the season.

Romak, a 26-year old London, Ontario resident, spent the entire 2011 season with the Naturals and batted .251 with 23 home runs and 71 RBI’s in 123 games, splitting time at the first base and designated hitter spots. His 23 home runs ranked as the third-highest single-season home run total in franchise history, and his 29 home runs over two seasons ranks him tied for second with former Natural Clint Robinson for the Naturals’ all-time franchise mark.

Following the season Romak, along with his Naturals’ teammate Tim Smith, was a part of the Team Canada squad that upset Team USA and took home a gold medal in the 2011 Pan American Games.

Originally a fourth-round selection of the Atlanta Braves in the 2003 draft, Romak joined the Royals organization prior to the 2010 season when he became a free agent for the first time. He had spent the 2007-2009 seasons in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization after he was dealt by the Braves in a trade that also sent major league first baseman Adam LaRoche to Pittsburgh. In nine minor league seasons Romak owns a .247 batting average with 117 homers and 434 RBI’s in 780 games.

In other transaction news, the Washington Nationals re-signed former Naturals’ infielder Josh Johnson. A reserve infielder for Northwest Arkansas in 2009, Johnson spent the 2011 season with the Harrisburg Senators, the Nationals’ Double-A affiliate in the Eastern League, for whom he batted .244 with eight homers and 36 RBI’s in 128 games.

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.

Who is Jaime Garcia? Really…who is this guy?

I can tell you who he is…

Remember a couple years back when Joe Posnanski wrote a cover story in Sports Illustrated about Zack Greinke being baseballs best pitcher? Greinke was the front man in the worlds largest sports digest. We all remember the photo.

Weeks after that story broke through the press, Greinke slowly started to decline towards mediocrity. Well, to be a little fair, he declined closer to average human, athletic performance. He was no longer pitching like the super hero we made him out to be. He won the Cy Young at the end of the year just as the fire burnt out. The next season, with so much hype and publicity, he was known as the glorified ace on the worst team in the league- the next Maddux, a mastermind at his own craft.

Greinke finished the season last year with 10-14 record and a stingy ERA just above four. If the trend continues, he could finish his career known as nothing more than a one hit wonder in ancient record books of pine tar, maple bats, and bubble gum.

Back to Jaime Garcia. Who is this guy?

After capturing his fifth straight win against the Cubs on Thursday, Garcia made a mark in Major League Baseball. Not only does his team hold first place in the central, but he has also pitched virtually perfect all season long. It leads me to believe he is on his way to big achievements this year.

Jamie Garcia is on the verge of becoming the next great lead story in my mind. We are talking about placing him in a National League class of Roy Halladay, Tim Lincecum, and Josh Johnson. On the brink of big time public exposure as an official national introduction soon waits. Those three names are the three best pitchers in baseball and Garcia is close to being right there with them. I believe that he is a star, and he is going to be a star for some time. I cannot say what the definition of “some time” is, however. I said the same for Zack Greinke, and although the media still identifies him as a star, I don’t really see him that way anymore. He seemed to get a little start stuck and pompous after his move to Milwaukee, and starting the season on the disabled list slowed his momentum down incredibly. He’s not even the best pitcher in his division. Jaime is.

There is a difference in Jaime. Maybe it’s the fact that he plays on a winning team. Maybe it’s the overall team success that makes his talents shine a little brighter than that of Greinke. I think when Zack found stardom, there was a great story to tie to it. Not because he played for a playoff contender, but because he overcame the mental restraints that once took him out of the game-A Josh Hamilton type of story. It was good for him. It was good for the press, and any one else who enjoys a decent baseball tale.

But I think Garcia means business…meaning that he is here to shine and stay here for a while. The guy can flat out pitch the baseball and no one can get a decent bat on the ball. I’d like to see Pujols get his opportunity to face him. Even with confusing spring training numbers, he has truly performed when it matters most. It’s seems to me that he is a little more fiery and competitive than most pitchers he faces. He wants it more and in then end, he usually gets what he wanted. It rubs off on the team and you get a good idea that the offense knows they need to produce because the Garcia kid is going to pitch his butt off.

But in comparison to Greinke, the numbers from Zacks 2009 Cy Young season are similar to Garica numbers this year. No one could hit either of them. They pitched a good amount of innings and the ERA was microscopic. I think Garcia can handle the media pressure as he continues to get better. When he pitches the Cardinals do an amazing job of backing him up which in defense of Greinke, a perk he never had.

All in all, Jamie Garcia is on fire. He is 5-0 and pitching with dominance. Who is going to stop him? Who can stop him? He will obviously not go perfect throughout the season, but he is definitely picking up the slack for Chris Carpenter. After a few rough outings the Cardinals ace is showing signs of slowing down. Is this an indication that Garcia is next in line to be the ace? If you ask me I would say so, but next year with Wainwright coming back and Garcia right up there with him the Cardinals staff is golden. Kyle Loshe is throwing gem after gem this season and Kyle McClellan doesn’t look to shabby either. The Cardinals have the tools to pitch great and when they produce offensively; this team is a lot tougher than people give them credit for.

If Garcia continues his ace type effectiveness, watch out, we might have the NL CY Young award back in Saint Louis.

The Cardinals finished up a 4-2 home stand Wednesday, and travel to South Florida for a 3-game set with the Marlins. The Cardinals split two with Florida in May.

Current Snapshot:

St Louis: 60-48, 2nd place NL Central, 0.5 games behind Cincinnati. Am I the only one happy to see Houston leave town? Didn’t think so. After allowing Pittsburgh 2 runs in 3 games, they surrendered 31 runs to Houston. The team added Jake Westbrook, sent Ryan Ludwick to San Diego, lost David Freese for the year, and ceded right field to Jon Jay. It’s been an exhausting week.

Florida: 53-54, 4th place NL East, 8 games behind Atlanta. The Marlins boast some of the best young players in the league with Josh Johnson, Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, and Michael Stanton on the roster. That they sit a game under .500 is somewhat of a surprise. Florida is 5-5 over their last ten games, and followed taking two of three from San Diego in San Diego by getting swept at home by the Phillies.

Pitching Matchups

6 August: Jeff Suppan (1-4, 5.15 xFIP) vs Rickey Nolasco (12-7, 3.64 xFIP). Suppan got his first win of the season against Pittsburgh last Saturday, so he’s on a major roll right now. Jeff has started 8 career games in Florida, never losing as a Cardinal, never winning as a Brewer. His last win down there was 5 may 06. He has never faced Rickey Nolasco.

Dan Uggla (.267/.429/.600, 1 HR) and Mike Lamb (.158/.200/.211) are the only Marlins with more than 20 career PA’s against him (Hanley Ramirez has 19). I doubt Lamb will suit up against Suppan Friday.

Rickey Nolasco is a right-handed pitcher currently tied for fourth in the NL in wins and tenth in xFIP. By most advanced metrics this is his best season in the majors. Nolasco features a fastball averaging 91 MPH, which he throws about half the time. He complements that with a split-finger (85MPH, 12%), slider (85, 23%) and curveball (75, 16%). According to Fangraphs, his off-speed pitches are plus pitches.

Nolasco has appeared in two games vs St Louis in Miami (one start). He’s not beaten the Cardinals at home; in fact, he’s never beaten the Cardinals, and the Marlins have only won one of the 5 games he’s appeared in (4 starts). His lone home start was almost exactly two years ago.

No Cardinal has 20 plate appearances against Nolasco. Matt Holliday and Felipe Lopez have hit two home runs off him. Holliday, in fact, is 7 for 11 all-time against Nolasco.

7 August: Adam Wainwright (15-6, 3.22 xFIP) vs Josh Johnson (10-4, 3.10 xFIP). Two of the best young pitchers in baseball, and two contenders for the 2010 NL Cy Young award, square off on Saturday. If this is not the Fox Game of the Week something is seriously wrong. What? Boston is playing the Yankees this weekend too? So much for that.

Wainwright was masterful in his 7 innings against Pittsburgh on Sunday and looks to keep that going. He’s started one game in Florida against the Marlins, winning last June 6th. In his career he’s 4-1 against Florida, and he won on 20 May this year 4-2. Only Hanley Ramirez has 20 PA versus Adam, and Wainwright has completely handcuffed him (.167/.260/.167). Uggla has the only HR on the roster off Wainwright, but has been similarly frustrated (.125/.167/.313).

The right-handed Johnson was roughed up in San Diego on Sunday, allowing a season high 5 earned runs, but the Padres are the only team to beat him since May (5-2 over that span). Johnson throws a fastball, slider, and changeup; his fastball averages 95 MPH and he throws it 60% of the time. All three pitches are above average, which makes sense given his success this season. Johnson has started 3 career games against St Louis, one in Miami. He’s 1-1, with a no decision in the home start although the Marlins won the game (9 June 09). Cardinals on the roster have hit .321/.346/.436 career off Johnson (82 PA). Albert Pujols has hit the only HR among the current Redbirds off Johnson.

He and Wainwright have hooked up once before, on 7 Sept 08. Wainwright won the game 3-1.

8 August: Jake Westbrook (0-0, 2.01 xFIP) vs Sean West (0-1, 4.84 xFIP). Westbrook made his first start as a Cardinal Monday against Houston, and would have gotten the win if the bullpen could have held the lead. In a relative oddity of the Interleague Era, Jake has never faced Florida. Of the current Marlins only Mike Lamb (1 for 7, walk) and Donnie Murphy (1 for 2) have any at bats against him.

Westbrook has five pitches but hardly ever throws his curveball. His fastball averages 92 MPH, his slider 80, his change-up 79, and his cutter 86. Of those his best pitch appears to be his slider, which makes sense given his ground ball/fly ball ratio (1.87 in 2010). He strikes out a tick over 5 hitters a game, making him a pitch-to-contact guy that Dave Duncan loves.

Sean West was recalled to the Marlins on 3 August, and lost his first start of the 2010 season Tuesday to Philadelphia. West started 20 games a year ago for Florida, posting an 8-6 record. He has not faced the Cardinals in South Florida, but he has beaten the Cardinals in his career, 2-1 on 15 September of last year. West features a fastball/slider/changeup and is a bit of a fly ball pitcher (0.70 GB/FB ratio). His fastball averages about 91 MPH.

No Cardinal has more than 3 PA’s against him, so it’s not really worth discussing those numbers.

Prognosis. The Cardinals have struggled on the road this season, while the Marlins have been exactly average at home. Florida will be favored on Friday, St Louis on Sunday. Saturday’s game will be epic and most likely become a battle of bullpens. St Louis has the ability to take 2 of these 3 games but it won’t be easy. Cincinnati is in Chicago this weekend, so it may take 2 of 3 to keep pace with the Reds.

UPDATE: The Cardinals shifted their rotation for this weekend. Adam Wainwright pitched Friday night, Jake Westrbook will pitch Saturday and Jeff Suppan shifts to Sunday.