The St. Louis Cardinals finished second in the National League in hitting last season, but they also had plenty of stretches when the lineup didn’t score more than two runs, even when the pitching staff threw a great game.
And that trend has already continued into 2013.
The San Francisco Giants scored just one unearned run Friday off of Cardinals starter Jake Westbrook, who threw a very solid 6.2 innings and pitched well enough to earn a win, but the Cardinals couldn’t score any runs off of Giants starter Barry Zitoand lost the game 1-0.
Yes, Zito is the same lefthanded pitcher who shut the Cardinals down in Game Five of the 2012 National League Championship Series, but the Cardinals have already shown signs of a team that will go through weeks when it struggles mightily to score a run, while other weeks it hits homers at an incredible rate.
In just the first four games of the season, the Cardinals scored 15 of their 17 runs in two games. They were held to two runs by Arizona Diamondbacks starter Ian Kennedy in the season opener, and then Zito and the Giants shut them out Friday.
This pattern is certain to cause frustration among fans who see starts such as Westbrook’s Friday outing wasted because the offense can’t score.
It’s also not a prototypical pattern of success. In fact, it was one of the biggest reasons the Giants beat the Cardinals in seven games in last year’s NLCS. No pitching staff is going to be able to carry an offense that scores one run in the final three games of that series.
The Cardinals actually scored 52 runs combined in their seven playoff wins last season, but they scored just five runs in their six losses.
And that one day hot, one day not syndrome carried into 2013. The Cardinals even showed inconsistency at the plate during the month of spring training games. They scored seven or more runs in nine of their 16 wins and scored three or fewer runs in 12 of their 15 losses.
Those numbers show the offense might be the most important factor for the Cardinals this season. Sure, the pitching staff has to pitch quality games more often than not, but the numbers say the Cardinals win-loss record is primarily defined by how well the offense hits.
When the Cardinals hit the ball well, they win. When they don’t, they lose.
That’s a pretty simple formula, but it’s also a scary one since the Cardinals have injury-prone hitters such as Carlos Beltran, Allen Craig and David Freese as important pieces of their lineup.
Beltran is playing through a fractured toe and has had trouble moving in the first week, Craig nearly injured his knee again by sliding into a wall in Arizona and Freese started the season on the disabled list with a back injury.
Those issues have surely played a part in the offense’s early struggles, and none of those figure to be major problems for the Cardinals throughout the season. Freese’s return by, hopefully, Monday’s home opener against the Cincinnati Reds will help, but the entire offense is going to have to be more consistent throughout the course of the season.
That means they’ll likely have to score more runs by playing small ball and moving a runner along the bases without getting a hit. Craig and Matt Holliday did a great job of manufacturing a run in the fourth inning of Tuesday’s 6-1 win over the Diamondbacks, which also happened to be the Cardinals only win of the season heading into play Saturday.
Centerfielder Jon Jay led off the inning with a double, Holliday then grounded out to second base to advance Jay to third and Craig followed with another groundout to score Jay.
The big homeruns and innings filled with bunches of runs might be fun to watch, just as a roller-coaster is fun to ride, but the steady, consistent innings that produce a run or two every day will more likely determine the Cardinals final record.
One of the men most responsible for the St. Louis Cardinals’ 2011 World Series championship is currently locked in a battle with the team to be paid more like the star he is becoming, but this isn’t the type of battle that should raise serious concerns.
David Freese is one of the most talented young position players the Cardinals have, and he has plenty of potential to grow into another St. Louis baseball superstar. So far, the team has gotten an incredible bargain with Freese, who has made just $1.7 million total in his four-year career and is currently the 16th highest-paid player on the team.
It’s time for Freese to start earning more money. In his four years with the club, Freese has hit .296 and his power numbers have increased exponentially each year. He finished with career highs in hits, homeruns, doubles, runs scored and RBIs in 2012. And don’t forget he has a career .345 postseason batting average and was the MVP of the 2011 National League Championship Series and World Series.
He could fairly easily make a case that he deserves more than the $3.75 million he is asking for this offseason. The Cardinals have countered with a $2.4-million offer. The case will go to arbitration sometime between Monday and Feb. 20 if the two sides can’t strike a deal.
Now, while all of this sounds as though Freese and the Cardinals can’t see eye-to-eye on his worth, this is more of just a typical baseball business deal. Nobody will have their feelings hurt too no matter how the case finally plays out. The Cardinals have already finalized similar deals with relievers Jason Motte, Mitchell Boggs, Edward Mujica and Marc Rzepczynski.
Even if the case goes to arbitration and the Cardinals win, Freese will be in line for a big-money contract within the next three years. He won’t be a free agent until 2016. By that point the Cardinals will know whether Freese is going to be a franchise cornerstone at third base or if he will succumb to his substantial injury history that has kept him from playing 100 or more games in all but one season.
However, the Cardinals would still be smart to lock Freese up with a long-term deal as soon as possible because player salaries will only continue to rise throughout Major League Baseball.
The Cardinals made a smart decision early in Albert Pujols’ career to sign him to a 10-year, $110-million contract in 2001, and that deal was considered a bargain by the time it expired at the end of the 2011 season. Pujols’ next contract was worth more than twice that amount when he signed a 10-year, $240-million deal last year with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Freese and the Cardinals would both be in better positions if they could work out a long-term deal sometime soon, but right now the organization has other pressing matters. Namely, Adam Wainwright’s contract.
Wainwright is scheduled to be a free agent at the end of the season, and his asking price will likely be astronomical if the Cardinals can’t sign him to a contract before he hits the open market.
The Cardinals did sign catcher Yadier Molina to a five-year, $75-million contract last offseason, so they will have a strong core group of position players for the next few years.
And that’s what makes Freese’s contract situation a tad bit irrelevant. The difference of little more than $1 million this year shouldn’t have much of an effect on future negotiations.
Freese will get paid what he is due at some point. How soon the Cardinals will be willing to make that commitment is what will be the most interesting part of this situation.
The St. Louis Cardinals went into the offseason with a very short shopping list. Solidify the bullpen, which they accomplished with the signing of Randy Choate, and upgrade the middle infield.
The rumors have flown and the team has been attached to just about any shortstop that was even rumored to be available. While rumors and pundits wondered what direction they would go, they have quietly stood their ground. Whether that is by choice or by force, the team has not been able to pull the trigger and the options have gotten slim.
The most active rumor was concerning Cleveland’s Asdrubal Cabrera. Now that Cleveland has completed a deal that sent Shin Soo Choo to Cincinnati, most expect them to keep the soon-to-be free agent for the time being. Cabrera offered a large upgrade offensively as well as an above average glove. Possibly the player that would have made the most impact for the team, Cabrera seems to be off the market and out of the question.
While very few rumors surfaced surrounding the young Dodger shortstop Dee Gordon, it seemed like a logical fit when the West Coast Yankees expressed interest in utility man Skip Schumaker. Alas, the Cardinals got a shortstop in return, but it was in the form of former fifth round draft pick Jake Lemmerman. The move provided St. Louis with a much needed addition in depth at the minor league level, but leaves them contemplating what to do at the major league level still.
Further rumors connected the Redbirds to the player that proved to be a thorn in their side in this year’s National League Championship Series, Marco Scutaro. Scutaro had the unique ability to provide an upgrade at either short or second base and could have added some veteran leadership to a club that continues to get even younger. Scutaro proved that his loyalty was to the team that brought him his first championship and signed on the dotted line to remain in San Francisco.
Possibly the largest rumor of them all had the Cards looking to bring Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus to the Gateway City. Andrus represented an increase in offensive productivity, he would be a step back on the defensive front. Texas has the youth to make such a move, but as the winter has gone on, they have seemed like they do not have faith that they are ready to make that move as of yet. News breaking of Josh Hamilton‘s new contract in Anaheim will have Texas looking to hold on to the offensive weapons they have. They are in the market for pitching, which the Cardinals have an abundance of, but the price may be too steep overall.
The final hope may be a player they have expressed interest in already this offseason, Stephen Drew. Drew has drawn interest from multiple places. Most experts expect him to land back in Oakland but no movement has been made to that direction as of yet. Drew would be a risk investment as the Cardinals would hope that his offensive production could return to levels previously shown in his early career. He also poses a bit of a health risk which may not be that much better than what they currently have. There has been talk of Drew being willing to play second base, which makes him a bit more attractive in the long run.
The club has stood by the fact that it would wait to hear how current shortstop Rafael Furcal‘s injury was progressing before they would pursue any other options. What few reports have surfaced concerning Furcal have been positive.
If, in fact, this team wants to upgrade in the middle infield, it may be time to do it or miss out.
Drop by our friends at Pitchers Hit Eighth, C70 At The Bat, and Aaron Miles’ Fastball to vote in the Musial, Smith, and Gibson Regions of the tournament. The turn out to this point has been outstanding and we move forward today with the opening of the second round of the tournament. I-70 is the home of the Buck Region, and the bracket now looks like this:
Which brings us to your participation.
Voting for this round closes Wednesday night at 8 p.m. Central Time.
It’s time to get the Buck Bracket down to four teams and we need your vote in the following four games:
The top seed in the bracket, the 1942 Cardinals, posted a shut-out in their opening match-up. It is important to note that this is the most successful team in Cardinal history. With 106 wins (most in franchise history) and a decisive 4 games to 1 victory over the mighty Yankees. The 1942 team was the beginning of one of the few dynasties in Cardinals history, which would see the team play in four of five World Series and bring home three titles. A young rookie named Stan Musial had joined the team and pitcher Mort Cooper would bring home a Most Valuable Player Award for his performance.
The 1957 Cardinals were the loan “upset” in our opening round in the Buck Region, knocking off the 1947 team placed just ahead of them in the seeding. The team that year would finish in second place, watching the Milwaukee Braves represent the National League in the World Series. A winning record of 87-67 would not be enough for an offensive heavy edition of the Birds-on-the-bat as Stan Musial would once again lead the team in production.
Round 2 Game 1
(1) 1942 (92%, 11 Votes)
(9) 1957 (8%, 1 Votes)
Total Voters: 12
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The fifth seed in our bracket, the 2005 Cardinals, breezed into the next round, and rightfully so. A great team at a low-seed, the 2005 edition produced 100 wins before losing in heart-breaking fashion to the Houston Astros in the National League Championship Series. That series produced memorable moments for many Cardinal fans despite ending prior to reaching the pinnacle of the game. The team was so dominant that they would bring home a Cy Young Award for Chris Carpenter and a Most Valuable Player Award for Albert Pujols.
Our number four seed, however, is part of the dynasty that we discussed with our number one seed in the tournament. If the 1942 Cardinals started the dynasty, the 1943 Cardinals were the only stumbling block. They won 105 games, second most in franchise history and Stan Musial would bring home the Most Valuable Player Award. They were dominant from wire to wire, until they reached the World Series. The only team in the 1940′s run to not win a World Series, the team was very successful otherwise. The match-up of two great teams that couldn’t win the World Series promises to be one of the best in this bracket.
Round 2 Game 2
(5) 2005 (58%, 7 Votes)
(4) 1943 (42%, 5 Votes)
Total Voters: 12
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The dynasty of the 1940′s continues with our fourth seed, the 1944 Cardinals. Matching their previous year, the team would win 105 games and, this time, would not disappoint in the Fall Classic. The second World Championship of the decade would find it’s way home to St. Louis as Stan Musial continued to become a household name. The World Series would never leave St. Louis that year as the Cardinals would defeat the Browns four games to two.
The 2009 Cardinals were expected to be a force when they reached the playoffs after winning 91 games during the season. Unfortunately, when they arrived at the National League Division Series, the team seemed over matched and out of place. The Los Angeles Dodgers sent them home quickly and brought a disappointing end to another strong season under Tony LaRussa.
Round 2 Game 3
(3) 1944 (83%, 10 Votes)
(6) 2009 (17%, 2 Votes)
Total Voters: 12
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Our final game pits our number seven seed, 1935, against the number two seed. The 1935 group is yet another promising team that did not play in the World Series. With 96 wins, the team fell four games back of the league winner that year, the hated Chicago Cubs. This team would see Dizzy Dean finish second for the Most Valuable Player Award, three spots in front of teammate Joe Medwick.
Our namesake here at i70baseball, the 1985 Cardinals, may be the emotional pick and one of the best, non-championship teams in our bracket. A team built on speed, defense, and fundamentals, the 85 crew was lead by Willie McGee and his .353 batting average and two hurlers that would finish in the top five of the Cy Young voting – Joaquin Andujar (4) and John Tudor (2).
Round 2 Game 4
(2) 1985 (100%, 12 Votes)
(7) 1935 (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 12
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There you go, run and vote and share with all your friends. Visit the other sties above to cast your votes in their brackets and help us decide who the greatest Cardinal team of all time is.
A bit of a teaser from Nick at Pitchers Hit Eighth today: Also, stay tuned to the United Cardinal Bloggers website later today for a fun contest you can participate in along with the Tourney!
You can read the official press release from the club, by clicking here to read a PDF file.
Forsch is best remember in St. Louis for his place in the pitching rotation through the successful “Whiteyball” years. A Cardinal from 1974 until an August trade in 1988 sent him to the Houston Astros for Denny Walling, Forsch was a staple in the starting rotation.
I-70′s resident historical writer, Bob Netherton, had some thoughts on Forsch:
I was saddened to hear the news of Bob Forsch’s passing. He was always a fan favorite, and for good reason. We know all about the two no-hitters, but the fact that he was the only player that Herzog kept from the 70s team to last through all three NL Pennants says far more about him as a player and person than those two magnificent games. Forsch was a mirror of the team he played for, never seeking the spotlight, probably wasn’t the best at his position, but he gave it everything he had each time he was called on. From the rotation, to the bullpen, back to the rotation – whatever the team needed, Forsch was there.
Forsch was a stingy pitcher who walked few but also did not strike out many. A pitch to contact hurler in a spacious Busch Stadium, Forsch was also a work horse that threw over 200 innings seven times in his 16 year career. He would also post double digit wins in all but five of his seasons on the mound, winning 20 games for the one and only time in 1977.
A steady pitcher that anchored many rotations, Forsch was never regarded as the ace of the staff. In fact, he led the league in one category one time in his career with a 1.4 walks per nine innings in 1980. He was also regarded as a very good hitter and would retain two Silver Slugger awards, 1980 and 1987, for his commitment at the plate.
More from Netherton:
My favorite Forsch moment came in Game Three of the 1987 National League Championship Series. The Cardinals were being bullied around by Will Clark and Jeffrey Leonard. Forsch came into the game and immediately took control but hitting Leonard with a pitch. It put a runner in scoring position, but Forsch never let that runner cross the plate. It started one of the greatest comebacks in Cardinals postseason history. What a competitor.
Forsch would throw two no hitters in his time with the Cardinals. His first would come on April 16, 1978 against the Philadelphia Phillies, the second on September 26, 1983 against the Montreal Expos. As impressive as it was for Forsch to throw two no hitters in his career, it was a game that he did not pitch that would etch his name into Major League Baseball’s record books. Almost one year to the day after Bob threw his first no hitter, his brother Ken would throw a no hitter for the Houston Astros on April 7, 1979 against the Atlanta Braves. They are the only brothers to every throw no hitters in Major League Baseball history.
Most recently, Forsch has been serving as the pitching coach for the Rookie League affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, the Billings Mustangs.
Netherton’s final thought: Bob Forsch was one of my favorite players, and he will be missed.
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.
Editor’s Note: I feel compelled to include a few Tweets from around Cardinal Nation this morning:
I've always heard stories about Bob Forsch from his playing days. R.I.P. Sad news. #stlcards
I have not been the biggest supporter of Tony LaRussa in St. Louis on a regular basis. I have, however, been known to say “it is hard to argue with results”.
The man has hit his pitcher eighth (giving birth to one of the most must read sites on the ‘net), has converted an outfielder into a second baseman, and plays match-up baseball with his bullpen to a maddening level. He even seems to draw other managers into his mindset on the opposite side of the field, engaging in a chess match that involves numerous arms, double switches, and pinch hitters in single innings.
But he gets the job done.
Today I come to you to point out the seemingly obvious. To bring your attention to a genius at work. To show that, not only is he managing this game, he is establishing a way of managing this game that has never truly been seen. Much like the introduction of left-handed specialist relief pitchers and the closer, sometimes a truly different mind can bring you a fresh look at an age old problem.
Tony has exposed the League Championship Series schedule to his benefit in a whole new way. By carrying 12 pitchers and putting to use the travel days that occur, at most, three games apart, LaRussa has made it apparent that he will use every weapon in his arsenal to handle most any inning that the opposition will threaten.
The typical idea with a pitching staff is to shorten a game to six or seven innings. With two solid relief pitchers and a close-the-door closer, the starting pitcher simply needs to go six innings and turn the ball over to his capable bullpen. A starter that goes seven or eight innings then provides some rest for the bullpen and keeps the arms fresh.
However, given the layout of a league championship series, managers know that they can go to those two or three shutdown arms frequently and thus cut the requirement of the starting pitching down drastically. The schedule for these series goes two games – travel day – three games -travel day – two games, giving rest days to the players in regular fashion.
Enter Tony LaRussa.
A manager that loves to play the match-ups between hitters and pitchers suddenly realized that he did not need to have his starting pitcher go that long into a game for his bullpen to be able to shut down the remainder of the contest. People everywhere are quick to point out that no starter has gone six innings for the Cardinals in the NLCS. Very few are acknowledging that LaRussa may very well be utilizing the strong bullpen to take over early on and is not looking for much more than four innings out of his starters.
Requiring the starter to get into the fifth or sixth inning and realizing that he can play the lefty-lefty match-up or turn to a reliever with strong numbers against a strong hitter in a key situation and know that there is no concern to find someone to keep the game moving to the back-end of the bullpen is a commodity that LaRussa seems to both covet and exploit.
The starters are doing their job. The bullpen is doing their’s as well.
LaRussa seems to be making the right calls at the right times.
It’s hard to argue with results.
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.
Andrew Brown put together an impressive season for the Memphis Redbirds this year, being chosen as a Pacific Coast League All Star in the process.
Photo Courtesy of Erika Lynn
The corner outfielder would post a .284/.382/.501 slash line while driving in 73 runs and hitting 20 home runs. He had become a strong hitting prospect within the organization since his 18th round selection in the 2007 amateur draft.
Brown was also involved in a collision with Shane Robinson shortly after the season began in 2011. Both players have recovered since then, with Robinson taking the more severe injuries. You can read (and see) more about that in i70baseball’s early article found by clicking here.
Before the beginning of the 2011 National League Championship Series, the Cardinals made some roster adjustments. In one of those moves, Andrew Brown was placed on waivers and Lance Lynn was added to the 40-man roster.
According to MLB Trade Rumors, Brown has been claimed by the Colorado Rockies organization. Their report can be found by clicking here.
Brown joins former Cardinal outfielder Joe Mather in Colorado for the 2012 season.
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.
It was a series to remember for St. Louis fans. It was the series to forget for Brewers fans. It all began on October 12, 1982.
Game One: October 12, 1982 The Cardinals had finished the regular season with a 92-70 record and defeated the Atlanta Braves in the National League Championship Series for the right to play for the World Title. The Brewers would finish with a 95-67 record and dispose of the (then) California Angels to earn their first trip to the World Series.
For you stat-heads out there, researching this article revealed that the Brewers played 163 games that season. One of which, the contest on June 16, was a tie with the Baltimore Orioles. It is explained that the Brewers were tied with the Orioles at the end of nine innings when the game became rained out. Because the game had passed the fifth inning, the stats were allowed to count, and the teams were required to make up the entire game at a later date.
If game one was to set the tone for the series, then Cardinal fans became concerned very quickly. Right hander Bob Forsch, who was 15-9 with a 3.48 earned run average, took the mound for the Cardinals in front of the home town crowd of 53,723 at 2:30 in the afternoon. As the Brewers stepped to the plate that first inning, Forsch would surrender a hit and a walk before first baseman Keith Hernandez would commit an error allowing Robin Yount to score the first run of the game. An infield hit by Gordon Thomas would drive in Cecil Cooper and the Brewers would have the only runs they would need to win this game.
When you are playing the game, however, you do not know just how many runs it will take to win and the Brewers were not going to settle for just two. In the top of the fourth inning, Brewers lead off hitter Paul Molitor would drive in Charlie Moore on a single that Molitor was thrown out trying to stretch into a double, making the score 3-0. It was later in the game, in the top of the fifth inning, when Ted Simmons would reach Bob Forsch for a fly ball into the left field seats. The bases were empty, but Milwaukee had opened a four run lead.
During this time in baseball history, home field advantage rotated every season. In even years, the National League had home field advantage. In addition to this rule, during those years when the National League had home field advantage, both teams were allowed to use the Designated Hitter in all seven games, regardless of the home stadium’s rules. This rule was changed in 1986 and the Designated Hitter is now only allowed to be used in American League parks and the All Star Game.
Robin Yount would bring an end to Forsch’s day in the sixth with two outs as he drove a double down the right field line scoring second baseman Jim Ganter and Molitor. The score was now 6-0 and the Cardinals turned to Jim Kaat to slow the bleeding. Kaat would pitch well, retiring four hitters and only surrendering one hit before turning the game over to Dave LaPoint. With two outs in the ninth inning, LaPoint would be reached for a run as Don Money would deliver a pinch hit single to score Ben Oglivie. LaPointe was then replaced by Jeff Lahti, who would surrender three straight hits: a single for Moore, a two-run triple to Gantner, and an RBI single for Molitor.
Brewers starter Mike Caldwell would be on his A game during the opening contest. Caldwell, who posted his second best record of his career in 1982 at 17-13, would throw a three-hit shutout that night for the Brewers. Of the three hits, two belonged to Darrel Porter. Porter would double in the second and reach second on Ken Oberkfell‘s base hit in the eighth inning, the only two times a Cardinal would end up in scoring position. Caldwell would finish the day having surrendered three hits and one walk while striking out three Cardinal batters.
Star(s) of the game: While Caldwell deserves mention for his performance from the mound, Molitor and Yount deserve recognition for their contributions. Molitor delivered with a 5-for-6 day at the plate, delivering five singles and driving in two runs. Yount was right behind him, going 4-for-6 with a double and driving in two runs.
The first game of the series belonged to the Brewers, 10-0.
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 St. Louis Cardinals are headed to the National League Championship Series after Chris Carpenter stymied the Philadelphia Phillies by hurling a three-hit shutout in Game 5 of the Division Series Friday night.
Try re-reading that lead sentence without smiling from ear to ear.
The Cards’ remarkable 2011 run culminated—yet again—with a do-or-die, back against the wall situation and the Redbirds never flinched. Set aside contracts and injuries and turtles and squirrels; these Cardinals can flat-out play. Everything else is icing on the cake.
It really is hard to believe this team has been able to do what they’ve done without Adam Wainwright and after essentially holding a closer clinic/tryout throughout most of the season. One of the oldest adages in baseball reads “Pitching wins championships.” But it doesn’t mandate how that is accomplished. Sometimes a team like the Phillies can stack up a stellar rotation and not make it out of the first round of the playoffs. And sometimes a team like the Cardinals can go with what they have, make in-season moves, and work guys into roles on the fly to make it all come together at the right time.
Normally, a one-run playoff win would sound like a typical Tony LaRussa substitution fest with match-ups being played to the hilt and a new pitcher coming in to face each batter that hit from a different side of the plate. But none of that was necessary Friday night; Carpenter was masterful, the defense was stellar, the offense scratched out a small ball run, and the bullpen got another night off. It was a typical St. Louis Cardinals ballgame historically, but pretty much atypical for this season. Great defense? Great starting pitching? Scoring the game’s only run on a triple and a double while the home run hitters take an 0-fer? Unheard of throughout most of 2011. But much changed as the season wore on, and this Cardinals team is not the same one that took the field back on Opening Day.
So the Cardinals—the team that was left for dead late in August before a ridiculous charge helped them overtake the Atlanta Braves and give them a Wild Card berth on the last day of the season—move on to face their NL Central nemesis Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS. Does it get any better than that?
Before this year, the last time the Brewers won a postseason series was the 1982 ALCS. And we all remember how that season turned out. So get ready to see Bruce Sutter strike out Gorman Thomas about 100 times between now and the end of this series, especially on the big screen at Busch Stadium. But this series is much more than a rematch of long ago postseason foes; this could be the biggest rivalry week for the Cardinals since the 2005 NLCS against the Astros, if not the infamous fight series in Cincinnati in 2010.
Does it matter that the Cardinals and Brewers split their season series 50/50? Probably not. Does it matter that the Cards swept the last series in Milwaukee after the Brewers were so unbeatable at home all year? Maybe in terms of showing that games can be won there, but again both teams were in very different places then. This series has the potential to be a classic or a bust; one thing it definitely will not be is uninteresting.
The Cards certainly have their work cut out for them, but that’s as familiar to this team as their opponent in the next series. They’re hot, they just beat arguably the best team in the National League, and they are not afraid of any opponent. Their never-say-die attitude has served them well, and should continue to do so in the NLCS. Once more, the Cardinals have pushed their way into more baseball than almost everyone gave them a chance to have. Bring on the Brew Crew.
This season has been anything but smooth for the Cardinals and their fanbase. An up and down, rollercoaster of a ride has seen fans start thinking towards 2012 and the team exploring options to trade some potential free agents, only to realize the Braves were falling apart and the team might be able to salvage something in 2011.
The season's hopes are on the shoulders of EJax
The playoffs, or the three games that represent the playoffs to this point, seem to have taken that idea to the next level. The Cardinals had Roy Halladay on the ropes and the fans were excited to see that their team was, in fact, worthy of being in the playoffs. A few innings later, however, the team would show a weakness to pull through and see the victory all the way through and ended up being blown out in the first game. The blowout seemed to confirm to most fans that the team was overmatched and that the Phillies truly were the powerhouse. The road was not going to get any easier, either, as Cliff Lee still had to pitch before they could leave Philadelphia.
Game two rolled around and the Cardinals worked hard against Lee, taking his pitch count high early on and scraping out a few runs. The bullpen, used in a match up environment despite an early exit by the starter, would pin down a solid victory. Fans were back on the bandwagon seeing that the team could hang tough, compete hard, gain a victory against a top of the line starter, and band together for a win. The series was shifting to St. Louis and the fans were clamoring about a potential National League Championship Series appearance.
Game three had the potential to be one of two things: a great performance for the team or an extreme statement by Philadelphia. It turned out to be a bit of both but ultimately, simply a let down for the Cardinals. Behind a strong start by Jaime Garcia, the Cardinals kept Cole Hamels on the ropes throughout the entire game. The problem this time around was lack of follow through. Why Hamels labored and constantly found himself in a threatening position, he did what any ace pitcher would do and worked his way out of it. The Cardinals failed to drive the point home with the youngest of the “Four Aces” on the mound and found themselves in trouble when Garcia left a pitch up and surrendered a pinch-hit, three run home run. Much like the season, the Cardinals would not let this go down without a fight, and scraped together a few runs of their own. As happened often in 2011, the team found themselves coming up just short.
This has been one of the most heartbreaking and exciting versions of the Cardinals to watch. If there is one thing this team has earned from the fans, it would be the support knowing that they just will not give up. On Wednesday evening, the team will take to the Busch Stadium field facing yet another elimination game. They hand the ball to Edwin Jackson and ask him to keep hope alive. They face a familiar foe in Roy Oswalt and will look to use that to their advantage.
Win or lose, they will go down with a fight. Fans deserve a team that leaves it all on the field. This team deserves fans that will get behind them and fight with them. This is the highs and lows of baseball. The fans may be rewarded with one more game in Philadelphia. The fans may be let down and left feeling like it was not enough.
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