The St. Louis Cardinals are scorching hot. The team is addicted to winning, and they are annihilating anybody that gets in their way. On any given night, they can beat you with
their pitching, hitting, or defense. Take your pick. It doesn’t matter to them what you choose…they don’t care. The Cards are in the business of winning, and business is good.
The Birds took over sole possession of the best record in the National League with their 5-1 win over Milwaukee on Wednesday afternoon. During the three-game sweep of the Brewers, the Cardinals displayed phenomenal starting pitching, clutch hitting, and solid defense in the process of lowering their magic number to 12.
As the playoffs approach; here’s what’s on my mind:
-I take Albert Pujols for granted. I know he is the best baseball player on the planet…I know that I am lucky to watch him play everyday…I know that this Cardinals team would not be where they are without his monstrous first-half…yet I still feel like he is underappreciated. I get so concerned by everything else that is going on with the team that I forget to admire the skills of the guy smack dab in the middle of it all. Then, Pujols crushes three bombs in two nights, and you can not help but notice his greatness.
-Matt Holliday smoked a two-run blast off of future Hall-of-Famer Trevor Hoffman in the top of the ninth inning to give the Cards a 4-3 lead Tuesday night, and he didn’t crack a smile until the post-game interview. I wonder what choreographed masterpiece Prince Fielder and the 17 games-back Milwaukee Brewers would have put together for such an occasion.
-Waino and Carp are awesome. If I had to choose between the two at this point, I would give the Cy Young to Carp. After his one-hitter Tuesday night, Carp has 11 wins
in his last 13 starts. He’s 16-3 with an ML-best 2.16 ERA. Carp has three losses. THREE!!!
-I am not worried about Ryan Franklin…yet. He has struggled a little bit lately, but claims that it is due to fatigue. The Cards did the smart thing by giving him a few days off to rest his arm. If Franklin comes back from the time off and continues to struggle…then I will worry.
-I hope that the Cardinals will find a spot for Troy Glaus on the post-season roster. His defense has been better than I expected, and I think his bat could help off the bench. Also, with DeRosa’s list of health problems, you never know if you’ll need him to play more regularly.
Extra Innings:
-Congrats to my brother Pat and his wife Anh on the birth of their first son, Luke! Luke is a Cardinals fan in Texas.
Pete Eichholz plays sportswriter on Thursday nights; you can read him here on Fridays.