St. Louis Cardinals: A fresh taste of home cookin’

The faulty 2016 St. Louis Cardinals home record has been well documented, but even when we stray from home, it’s always nice to come back to the friendly confines of the gateway to the West.

With a dismal 33 wins in 74 tries at Busch Stadium this year, the St. Louis Cardinals’ odds can’t be in their favor. That is, unless one season’s numbers are replaced by what we all know as one of the best home records in all of baseball over the past decade. The St. Louis Cardinals know how to win at home and this next week is going to prove that.

Bold prediction time!  With the leadership of Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina, this next week’s final games, all seven at Busch Stadium, will propel the St. Louis Cardinals to their sixth straight venture into the National League playoffs.

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Wainwright and Molina were a part of the core that started the St. Louis Cardinals’ run in 2011, which ended in magical fashion with a World Series title that Cardinal Nation will never forget. The energy these two will bring to the ballpark will be unmatched by the 90-loss Cincinnati Reds or the sub-.500 Pittsburgh Pirates.

The prodigal son thought there were riches galore beyond the home fences. He took what was rightfully his and departed for foreign lands. It didn’t take long to learn how well things actually were back home. This principle will be applied to the St. Louis Cardinals the next seven days, as they see the shadow of the arch and 40,000 plus screaming red-clad fans.

The home white jerseys, along with the opportunity to play in the best postseason tournament in the major sports world, will be the fuel this team has lacked all season long.

It all begins tonight against Cincinnati and the Cardinals will send Jaime Garcia to the mound in a must-win situation. From the first pitch to the final out in the ninth, I’m predicting some serious movement on Garcia’s pitches, as he sets out to prove his role in the starting rotation (again).

Next: RIP Jose Fernandez

So let’s play ball! Not just for the next seven days but well into the month of October!