St. Louis Cardinals: Can the Club be Caught?

Can the St. Louis Cardinals be caught? This seems to be the question asked by Bob Smizik in a column appearing this morning on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette website.

Smizik is a former sportswriter and columnist for the paper but still manages to write an online column regularly even in retirement. Smizik writes:

But it can be done. The Cardinals can be taken. It won’t be easy, but the astonishing string of injuries that had dogged them all season finally is taking a toll.

Since the All-Star Game, the Cardinals are last in the National League in runs. Their pitching remains excellent, first in the league, but that combination is not a recipe for success. In their past 13 games, including a win over San Diego Sunday, they are 7-6.

There is just over a month left in the season and while the St. Louis Cardinals have a small lead in the National League Central Division, there’s still plenty of baseball left to be played. As we saw from the fall of 2011, anything can happen. This is a St. Louis team that has faced adversity since losing Adam Wainwright for the season. Faced with other key plays out for lengthy amount of time, the Cardinals keep on keeping on. All they do is use their will and find a way to win.

The latest addition to the Cardinals came with the call-up of star prospect Stephen Piscotty. Better late than never! The Piscotty era was bound to happen sooner rather than later. I’m just bummed that he won’t be appearing in enough games to be considered for Rookie of the Year. He’ll likely lose his status for next year to be considered as a rookie.

When it comes to the Cardinals, this is a club that has drafted and traded smart. Yeah, I was not a fan of trading left-handed pitching prospect Rob Kaminsky to the Cleveland Indians but if that’s what general manager John Mozeliak thought had to be done if it means getting to the World Series again, I’ll support it. Does it mean I’m happy about losing a prospect? No.