St. Louis Cardinals: Don’t buy those postseason tickets, just yet

Fans are getting back on the Budweiser Bandwagon as excitement rises about the St. Louis Cardinals.  But don’t buy those postseason tickets just yet.

It wasn’t that long ago the St. Louis Cardinals were sitting at 47-46 and fourth in the NL Central standings.  They were looking up at the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and the Pittsburgh Pirates and eight games back.  In the Wild Card race, the Cardinals were south of….well it seemed like everyone.

The Cardinals were also a DL magnetic where key players such as Adam Wainwright, Michael Wacha, Alex Reyes, Carlos Martinez, and several others were spending significant time.  It was also not that long ago that Matt Carpenter had been mired in a 1.5 month hitting slump that saw his average lurking in the .150s.

The bullpen was a disaster, the defense was an error machine, and the base running embarrassing.  The season was considered over and trades of key players were being debated among fans and media.  Carpenter, Marcell Ozuna, Jose Martinez, CMart, and Kolten Wong were all to be traded before the deadline in July.

With the season over, the Cardinal bandwagon was rapidly shedding riders.  But then something happened.

The bandwagon is filling up again

Matt Carpenter started hitting, well, that’s an understatement: he started torching the ball at a MVP level.  Mike Matheny and John Mabry were fired, and Dexter Fowler broke his foot.

The bullpen was fixed and became the team strength.  The starting rotation has been solid with names such as Miles Mikolas, John Gant, and Austin Gomber.  The defense tightened up and the base running became…aggressive and smart.

And Harrison Bader.  ‘nough said.

Now, with the St. Louis Cardinals recent eight game winning streak and winning 15 of their last 20, the Budweiser Bandwagon is filling up again.  Fans, media, and your’s truly are trying to get back on board as this team closes the gap, not only in the Wild Card Race, but also in the NL Central race.

After taking three of four from the Washington Nationals, the Cards are five games behind the Cubs in the NL Central and only a game and a half behind the Phillies and the Brewers in the WC race.

I did advocate when the St. Louis Cardinals were at 47-46 and four to five games out of the WC, the season wasn’t quite over,  However, I didn’t really believe it.  Neither did most of you.  On our weekly Redbird Rants podcasts, most of the other contributors wrote off the Cards as well.

But here the Cards are, back in it.  But watch out…

Folks, don’t buy those postseason tickets, just yet.

At times the St. Louis Cardinals seem to be making this run with smoke and mirrors.  There is no true ace in the rotation.  Carlos Martinez is returning, however, it’s to the bullpen.  Michael Wacha’s return is still uncertain, and Alex Reyes is not coming back in ’18.

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Miles Mikolas is the closest pitcher the Cardinals have to an ace.  The others are a group of youngsters who haven’t been through a postseason race in September.  Although, they have risen to the occasion in the last 20 or so games, this is an unproven bunch.

Will Matt Carpenter continue this incredible run? Who knows.  We’ve never seen anything quite like this since the days of Albert Pujols.  The offense is being sparked by Carp.  But if he get’s hurt or goes into a late-season slump, this team’s offense will likely collapse.  I can’t see anyone else carrying this team, like Carp has during this streak.

The bullpen has been great.  Every move the St. Louis Cardinals’ front office has made with the BP, has worked.  Interim Manager Mike Schildt has managed the BP with skill of a Tony La Russa or a Whitey Herzog.  However, will this group of relievers continue to produce?  Cracks in this group have already shown up in the National series, although it hasn’t hurt the Cards yet.

I hope this surge continues, but I’m not convinced yet.  Don’t forget what happened Thursday night vs the Nationals…three errors.  The Cards showed signs of the pre-Schildt days.

Nevertheless, Mike Schildt and his coaching staff deserves credit.  John Mozeliak should be given credit for making the moves in the coaching staff and roster, to allow this team to be competitive.

Let’s continue to enjoy this run, however long it lasts.  Get on the Budweiser Bandwagon while there’s room, but don’t buy those postseason tickets yet.  Thanks for reading and….Go Cards.