The cap on the regular season has been screwed tightly shut, and the Cardinals have a few days to wash off the filth that has collected over the last two weeks of shoddy play. It brings back memories of a few years ago when Cardinal Nation witnessed a 2006 team that limped into the playoffs, caught fire and eventually brought St. Louis a World Championship for the first time in 24 years. So there is a beaming ray of hope bouncing off the rusty finish to the 2009 season.
The Cards face the LA Dodgers in the first round of the playoffs, a foe they know well, and have handled sufficiently this season – winning five out of seven games in regular season play. The Redbirds would appear to have the edge, boasting a superior condensed rotation and revamped lineup, but as this fan base knows all to well… anything can happen in October. Here’s a breakdown of how the two teams stack up in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, set to begin on Wednesday October 7th.
CATCHER: Yadier Molina vs Russell Martin
Normally this matchup would be a gimme for the Dodgers, but Martin has had a terrible season
(.250-7-53) and with Yadi’s emerging bat, unparalleled defense and run-squashing throwing arm the Birds get the nod.
ADVANTAGE: Cardinals
1ST BASE: Albert Pujols vs James Loney
This one is a no-brainer. Loney has had a fine season with LA, compiling a .282 average, 13 homers and 90 RBI, but no one – repeat – no one stacks up to the game’s best player.
ADVANTAGE: Cardinals
2ND BASE: Skip Schumaker vs Orlando Hudson
Skip has been a rock at the top of the lineup for the second straight season and has adjusted extremely well to a difficult position swap, but the O-Dog is Gold Glove caliber at second. Even though the Cardinal outfield convert holds a 20-point lead in average, Hudson’s defense and superior power put him over the top.
ADVANTAGE: Dodgers
3RD BASE: Mark DeRosa vs Casey Blake
These two gritty veterans virtually mirror each other in power, defense and leadership, but DeRosa is still nursing an ailing wrist and has hit just .228 as a Cardinal, giving Blake and his .280 average the slight edge.
ADVANTAGE: Dodgers
SHORTSTOP: Brendan Ryan vs Rafael Furcal
Furcal has a leg up in the power department, but the aging shortstop has struggled most of the season with a .269 batting mark and erratic glove-work. Combine Ryan’s high average (.292) and insanely slick fielding with a complimentary hot bat in Julio Lugo and the Cards are slight favorites at the position.
ADVANTAGE: Cardinals
LEFT FIELD: Matt Holliday vs Manny Ramirez
Man-Ram is always a threat, but he is not the same player that propelled LA to the postseason in 2008. After returning from a 50-game banned substance suspension he struggled down the stretch, hitting just above .200 in the season’s final month, and hasn’t been the feared slugger of old since being hit by a pitch on the hand in July. Holliday, for his part, has virtually duplicated Ramirez’s 2008 numbers for the Cards this season (.353-13-55 in 63 games) and changed the entire dynamic of the lineup.
ADVANTAGE: Cardinals
CENTER FIELD: Colby Rasmus vs Matt Kemp
Rasmus enjoyed a streaky but solid rookie campaign, but Kemp is one of the game’s elite outfielders. He enjoyed a breakout season with a .297 average, 26 homers and 101 RBI, and, with his 34 steals, represents one of the best speed-power combos in the game.
ADVANTAGE: Dodgers
RIGHT FIELD: Ryan Ludwick vs Andre Ethier
Luddy had somewhat of a down season, partially due to injury and sporadic playing time, but was still a solid run producing threat in the heart of the lineup. Still, his 22 homers and 97 RBI don’t compare to Ethier’s 31 blasts and 106 runs driven in. The emerging Dodger right fielder has been cold lately (1 for his last 29), but his penchant for walk-off homers (5 – more than anyone in the game this season) makes him ever threatening.
ADVANTAGE: Dodgers
BENCH: Cardinals vs Dodgers
Neither team boasts a great bench, but LA’s group of Juan Pierre, Ronnie Belliard, Mark Loretta and Jim Thome contains more potential damage than the Cards’ conglomerate of Rick Ankiel, Julio Lugo, Joe Thurston and David Freese/Troy Glaus.
ADVANTAGE: Dodgers
STARTING PITCHER: Chris Carpenter vs Randy Wolf
Normally this would be a blowout in the Cardinals favor, as Carpenter is arguably the best pitcher in the National League, but Wolf happens to be a lefty, which definitely helps LA level the playing field. On one hand, Wolf’s season stats (11-7, 3.23 ERA) are admirable, but pale in comparison to Carp’s well known numbers. On the other, the Redbirds own the worst team average against left-handed pitching in the 
majors this season (.234). Carp’s potential dominance pitted against the team’s ineptitude verses southpaws almost makes for a coin flip, but Cardinal Nation knows better than to bet against their ace in a big game. We’ve all seen what he can do.
ADVANTAGE: Cardinals
BULLPEN: Cardinals vs Dodgers
In a close game the Dodgers will likely throw Guillermo Mota and the dangerous lefty combination of George Sherrill and Hong-Chih Kuo to neutralize Cardinal hitters from either side of the plate. The Birds would go with rookie stalwart Blake Hawksworth and the lefty duo of Trever Miller and Dennys Reyes to achieve the same affect. John Smoltz would be the wild card that would put St. Louis over the top, but his postseason role is yet to be determined. Both sides are equally effective.
ADVANTAGE: Push
CLOSER: Ryan Franklin vs Jonathan Broxton
Frankie was the most untouchable reliever in the game before his well-publicized September meltdown, but Cardinal Nation hopes he has righted the ship and is ready to dominate one again. Broxton has faced some hiccups of his own and has inferior numbers when compared to Franklin, but is more of a true closer with “shut-down stuff”. What it boils down to is who has gotten to who. Franklin was a perfect 3-for-3 in save opportunities against LA this season and allowed just one run (in a non-save opportunity) in 5.1 innings. Broxton, however, has saved two of three chances against the Birds this year and allowed two runs in the same amount of innings.
ADVANTAGE: Cardinals
MANAGER: Tony LaRussa vs Joe Torre
Both skippers boast Hall of Fame resumes, but one is a glorified babysitter that massages superstar egos, while the other is a possibly insane, shrewd strategist that loves to micromanage. Can you guess who is who? We’ll side with Tony since he seems to push all the right buttons in the postseason when the game is on the line.
ADVANTAGE: Cardinals
The final tally ends up at Cardinals 7 - Dodgers 5. Bring on LA.