All Things Considered, Cards in Great Position

Taking the NL Central offseason transactions and the loss of ace Adam Wainwright into account, I don’t think that many people knew exactly what to expect from the Cardinals in 2011. It was tougher than usual to make pre-season predictions with even the slightest bit of confidence, and to be completely honest, it would have been rather difficult for anything to really surprise me once opening day finally rolled around. While I maintained the expect-the-unexpected mentality, I also tried to avoid overanalyzing at the same time. Well if the first month of the action is any indication of how things will go the rest of the season, Cardinals fans are in store for a wild ride with many ups and downs along the way.

Although there is a long way to go, St. Louis has a lot to be excited about through the first 20 games. I mean, it’s pretty hard to complain when you’re at the top of the NL Central, isn’t it? I suppose you could dwell on the team’s weaknesses, but at the end of the day, the Cardinals are on pace to recapture the division title.

With that said, it’s really quite amazing that the Redbirds are in this position right now. After beginning the season in the basement with a 2-6 record, there were many questions in St. Louis. I wouldn’t say that fans were ready to panic, but there was obviously some concern as to whether this team could compete. Well as they say, winning cures everything. That proved to be true in this situation as the team has now won 9 of their last 12 games.

Albert Pujols, who got off to one of the worst starts of his career, has since picked things up, posting six homers and 16 RBIs. Colby Rasmus and David Freese have been pleasant surprises at the plate, and Matt Holliday seems to be smashing every pitch that is thrown his way (.447/.567/681). Even Lance Berkman is returning to his old form, exceeding just about everybody’s expectations.

Recently, pitching has been equally if not more impressive than hitting. Cards fans will always miss Wainwright throughout the year, but Jaime Garcia, Kyle Lohse, and Kyle McClellan have done their absolute best to ease the pain of Waino’s loss. This dominant trio has three wins a piece and the highest ERA of the group is 2.16. The scariest part of it all? If it weren’t for four blown saves by Ryan Franklin, this team would be 15-5, good for one of the best records in all of baseball.