Where the Cardinals Stand

Well, this year sure has been different. We all knew that Waino’s absence would make for a slightly different feel to this 2011 season, but almost a year ago who would have guessed that the Cardinals would be where they are today? From the bullpen to the lineup to the rotation, things are different than they have ever been before in St. Louis.

The Rotation: The Cardinals pitching staff suffered the biggest blow this off-season when Wainwright went down. But a new rotation, comprised of a few young faces, has carried this Cardinals team to where they are today. Rather than relying on its veteran hurlers for production, the 2011 rotation has been led by young guys like Kyle McClellan (6-1 this season), Kyle Lohse (6-2) and Jaime Garcia (5-0). In fact, the overall lack of results from Chris Carpenter (1-5) is perhaps the key defining trait of this season that makes it such an uncharacteristic one for the Redbirds. However, let’s not give Carp too much of a bad rep here, as he has pitched well this season. It just seems as though luck simply has not been on his side.

The Bullpen: I’ll make a generalization here by saying that in years past the Cardinals’ bullpen was one of the more reliable aspects of the team. However, this year, the relievers have been mostly shaky and unpredictable. Usually Franklin could be counted upon to close out games and Boggs was regarded as a solid reliever. But this year, La Russa and Duncan have removed Franklin from his closing duties due to his play earlier this season, there is a buzz about whether the Cards will be out on the market for a veteran closer, and Boggs was just sent down to Triple A to work on his stuff.

The Offense: The clear change in the offense this year involves The Machine. When calling the 2011 offense to mind, the first name that one usually thinks of these days is is not Albert Pujols’ (perhaps The Machine needs to be oiled). Instead, a former division rival, Lance Berkman, has been spearheading the Redbirds’ attack with a .350 average, 11 HR’s, and 36 RBI. At this point, even though he is the best player in baseball and he will surely bounce back soon, I’m glad that the Redbirds’ front office did not concede to Pujols’ off-season wishes. As of right now, he’s not worth what he was asking for.

Recently, the Cardinals have played a great week of baseball, and only last night did they stumble against the Padres, losing despite a superb complete-game performance by Chris Carpenter. The Cards got some help from the Phillies, who took 2 of 3 from the Reds including a historic 19-inning affair in which 2nd baseman Wilson Valdez got the win for the Phils. Now, Milwaukee is the closest team on the Cardinals trail, 2.5 games behind the Redbirds for first place in the Central.

Tonight, the Cardinals have a well-deserved off night as they prepare for a tough series in Colorado that starts tomorrow night.

Despite how they have gotten to where they are so far this season, the Redbirds are indeed in first place. This slightly new cast of characters is just plain winning games. Standing today at 30-21 atop the NL Central, the immediate future looks promising for St. Louis.