Persistance: A Cardinal Virtue

The road to the postseason has been an unforgettable one for the St. Louis Cardinals.  By Andrew Muckell

(AP Photo/Mel Evans)

     The St. Louis Cardinals have taken a zig-zagging path to the 2011 playoffs. Earlier in the season, the Cards found themselves atop the National League Central on July 4th, a game above the second place Milwaukee Brewers. Despite Pujols’ uncharacteristically poor offensive output before the All-Star Break, the team maintained a winning record with the help of outfielders Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman.
     On August 28th, the Brewers dominated the NL Central with a 10.5 game lead over the second place Cardinals. Following an 11-21 run since the All-Star Break that included a three game sweep by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tony La Russa, the Cardinals manager, started vocalizing doubt in his team. Sports analysts began covering stories about La Russa’s and Pujols’ possible moves in the offseason to other teams rather than the likelihood of a playoff berth. Baseball nation ruled the Red Birds entirely out in late August, unbelieving of their ability to overcome a 9.5 deficit in the NL wildcard race.
     September 28th changed everything.
     A spectacular record of twenty wins and eight losses to cap off the last four weeks of the 2011 season put St. Louis in the perfect position to gain some ground on the Atlanta Braves. Simultaneously, the Braves limped to the finish line with a 10-19, unable to lock down a playoff spot. The Cardinals’ victory on the season finale, coupled with the Braves’ extra-inning loss to the Philadelphia Phillies the same evening, placed the Cardinals in the postseason once-and-for-all.
     Today, the only thoughts in St. Louis are of pennants and the series against the Phillies. Despite helping eliminate Atlanta, The “Fightin’ Phils” are not going to play nice with the Cardinals in the first round. Philadelphia’s solid offense and shut-down pitching rotation stand as major obstacles, but right now St. Louis is just grateful to have a shot at the championship. In the flurry of fall baseball, the discussions of free agency and new management have been all but forgotten. Well, for now, at least.


Around the League

1. The Brew Crew and the Arizona Diamondbacks face off on October first in the first game of the National League Division Series. Yovani Gallardo pitched a splendid eight innings, giving up only one run, and with the combined five hits between Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun-including a two run home run- Milwaukee beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-1.

2. The Cincinnati Reds end the season four games under .500, despite going 4-3 in the last week of play. 1B Joey Votto and Reds look to make key changes in offseason, specifically in the rotation.

3. The Pittsburgh Pirates finish the season 24 games behind the first place Brewers. The Pirates must look at the successes of first half of the season and build around strengths. My suggestion for Pittsburgh: make Andrew McCutchen centerpiece for offense, invest in quality young starters and maybe spend big on one high-profile position player.

4. Though Extra Point Sports Magazine predicted earlier this year that the Chicago Cubs would top the division, things went south for the Cubbies. P Matt Garza’s mediocre performance, P Carlos Zambrano’s inconsistencies, and bad hitting in general plagued Chicago throughout the year.

5. The Houston Astros have two claims to fame in 2011: the team lost 106 games-the worst ever total in the team’s history-and their loss to the Cardinals on September 28th marked the completion of one of baseball’s greatest late-season comebacks.