Will the Giants be the Cardinals Next Victim?

Cardinals take Game 3 of the NLCS and are one game away from the World Series

(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

By Katy Williams

The Cardinals were the last team to clinch a playoff spot in the National League this season. It was down to the wire, but they got it done. If the last two years are any indication, that’s exactly the way the Cardinals like it.

The reigning World Series champions are well on their way to making a deep run into the postseason once again this season, and the Giants are just the latest team to be standing in their path. If the first half of the series is any indication, the Giants are about to learn a lesson many teams before them have: in October, you can’t beat the Cardinals.

On paper, it makes no sense. How are the Cardinals, a team with slightly above average pitching, able to find victories series after series, postseason after postseason? Especially, since defense is usually the key to making deep postseason runs.  But in 2012, the story has been the Cardinals’ offense which goes against the conventional wisdom in playoff baseball.

All season, the Giants have not been led by their bats, but by their two pitching aces, Matt Cain and Madison Bumgartner. When the Giants lost strong hitter Melky Cabrera, their pitching became even more important. With the exception of Buster Posey and at times Pablo Sandoval, the Giants bats have been quiet.

But what proved to be a winning formula for the regular season has been fruitless against the Cardinals. In Game One at home Bumgartner was handed a loss, and three days later Cain was handed a loss in St. Louis in Game Three. The formula that worked so well for the Giants in the regular season has been betraying them now.

The Giants do have hope though. With Carlos Beltran going down at the beginning of Wednesday night’s game, one of the Cardinal’s loudest bats is now silent. However, the Cardinals did still win Game 3, erupting on offense for eight runs.

What does this mean for the Giants? The Cardinals may have lost one of their best hitters, but the rest of the lineup has proven they can produce. If the Giants want to move on to the World Series, they are going to have to start scoring runs. Because if there is anything the Cardinals have taught us, it is that offense does in fact win games.

The Nats Are Gone: Giants and Cards Duke it Out in NLCS

With the series tied up at 1-1, the NLCS heads to St. Louis

(AP Photo)

By Hannah McCaffrey

The St. Louis Cardinals won the NLDS 3-2 against the Washington Nationals.  The Cardinals did not have much time to celebrate their big win; the team was scheduled two days later to play Game 1 of the NLCS in San Francisco against the Giants.  The Cardinals won the first game of the series 6-4, but could not pull out a win in Game 2, losing 7-1 to the Giants.

In the first inning, Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday slid into Giants second baseman Marco Scutaro causing Scutaro to injure his hip resulting in leaving the game early.  Many Giants fans saw Holliday’s slide as an intentionally dirty play in an attempt to injure Scutaro.  However, Holliday’s slide seemed to be more of an accidental play rather than intentional.  Antonio Gonzalez of the Associated Press reported on Holliday’s statement about the slide after the game:

“In hindsight, I wish I would have started the slide a little earlier, but it happened so fast,” Holliday said. “I hope he’s OK, he’s a good guy. I was more interested in breaking up the double play.”

Another controversial play occurred in the eighth inning when Cardinals center fielder Jon Jay made a diving catch and fired the ball to first for a double play, which unfortunately resulted in a missed call by the umpire.  While the game certainly did not hinge on this play, a missed call by the umpire can be frustrating and change the game’s momentum significantly.

Giants pitcher Ryan Vogelsong pitched a great 7 innings making it tough for the Cardinals hitters.  However, Cardinals right fielder Carlos Beltran provided an offensive spark.  Beltran is arguably one of the most clutch playoff hitters of all time, hitting 2-3 in Game 2 with two doubles and one walk.

However, his teammates did not support Beltran’s offensive momentum, and Vogelsong seemed to get the best of the Cardinals.  Beltran is an offensive force to be reckoned with, but he cannot do the job alone; the rest of the Cardinals offense needs to wake up if they want to beat the Giants and win the NLDS.  Hopefully the next two games at home will give the Cardinals the momentum they need to succeed.

Game 3 of the series is currently underway. You can follow the action here: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore?gid=321017124 

Cards Tie up NLDS with Big Game 2 Win

Heading into Game 3, the Cardinals look to keep the ball rolling

By Hannah McCaffrey

The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Washington Nationals on Monday night 12-4, tying up the best-of-five NLDS series 1-1. 

  

Jordan Zimmermann was starting pitcher for the Nationals in Game 2 on Monday night.  With a 2.94 ERA, in the regular season, many would expect Zimmermann to be a tough matchup for the Cardinals.  However, Zimmermann struggled with the powerful Cardinals lineup.  He gave up five runs and seven hits in only three innings before he was taken out of the game.

The Nationals’ offense did not do a whole lot to help their game. Bryce Harper struggled, going 1 for 5 and striking out four times.

After the game reporter Dan Hellie asked Harper if he felt overanxious. 

“Do I look overanxious?” Harper responded.

(AP Photo/Ron Glover)

The Nationals came out flat, and the Cardinals took advantage of it right of the gate.  Cardinals’ right fielder Carlos Beltran hit two home runs and never allowed the Nationals back into the game.

The Cardinals’ defense was also on top of its game.  In the 6^th inning, Nationals’ second baseman Danny Espinosa hit a rocket into the outfield.  Cardinals center fielder Jon Jay made a diving catch, one some are calling the best defensive play of the series.

The Cardinals and Nationals meet again on Wednesday at 1:00 PM at Nationals Park for Game 3 of the series.

A clip of the full Bryce Harper interview can be seen here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/wp/2012/10/09/bryce-harper-do-i-look-overanxious/?tid=pm_sports_pop

Seeing Red

The Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals, both representing the NL Central, are looking to advance to the ALCS this October

By Greg Ackerman

The Red Legs and the Red Birds are both looking to move on to the National League Championship Series.

(AP Photo)

The NL Central is well represented this postseason, and there is a very good chance at least one NL Central team reaches the National League Championship Series. The defending World Series champs, the St. Louis Cardinals, are tied at one game apiece with the Washington Nationals. The Cincinnati Reds meanwhile, are leading the San Francisco Giants 2-1 in the best of five series, and have two more opportunities at home to close out the series.

On Friday, the Cardinals (88-74) visited the Atlanta Braves (94-68) in the first NL Wild Card single-elimination playoff game ever, which was added to the Major League Baseball postseason this year.   The winner would host the Nationals two days later.   The Cardinals had a tough task, facing Kris Medlen. The Braves won a Major League record 23 straight games when Medlen started, dating back to 2010.  

The Braves opened up the scoring in the bottom of the second inning, when David Ross hit a two-run home run off of Kyle Lohse. Ross was a surprise addition to the lineup, taking over for starting catcher Brian McCann, who missed the game due to injury. The Cardinals then scored six straight runs before the Braves answered back with a run in the bottom of the seventh. The Cardinals took a six to three lead into the bottom of the eighth inning. With men on first and second with one man out, Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons hit a popup into shallow left field that fell between Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma and left fielder Matt Holliday.   The Braves thought they had the tying run on first base, but the umpires called the infield fly rule, which enraged the Braves and their fans, and the game was delayed due to fans throwing trash onto the field.  

Jason Motte shut the door in the ninth, and the Cardinals won the game six to three and a National League Division Series berth.  

The Cardinals hosted the Nationals for Sunday’s NLDS Game 1. The Nationals scored one run off of Adam Wainwright in the top second inning, but the Cardinals struck back with two runs in the bottom of the second off Gio Gonzalez. The game remained 2-1 in favor of the Cardinals until the eighth inning, when pinch-hitter Tyler Moore got a two out, two-RBI single to give the Nationals a 3-2 lead. Tyler Clippard pitched the bottom of the eighth and Drew Storen pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth to give the Nationals a 1-0 series lead.  

The next day, the Cardinals tied up the series with a 12-4 victory.   The Cardinals roughed up Washington starter Jordan Zimmermann and reliever Craig Stammen for seven runs in the first four innings. Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia left the game due to shoulder soreness after the second inning, but the Cardinals offense and bullpen were able to preserve the blowout victory.  

Game 3 is today at 12 PM in Washington D.C. The probable starters are Chris Carpenter for St. Louis and Edwin Jackson for Washington.  

The Reds took the first two games of their series in San Francisco, giving them three chances to clinch the series at home.   The Reds won Saturday’s game one 5-2, but used six pitchers in the process and lost Cy Young candidate Johnny Cueto due to injury after one out. Cueto’s status for the rest of the postseason is uncertain.  

The next day, the Reds won nine to nothing, thanks to a gem by Bronson Arroyo, who allowed one hit and zero runs in seven innings of work.  

Game three was yesterday, with the Reds having a chance to sweep. Homer Bailey had an excellent start in his first start since his no-hitter. Bailey allowed one hit and one run in seven innings of work. Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong matched Bailey’s excellent performance, allowing only one run in five innings.  

The game was tied after nine innings and went into extra innings. In the top of the tenth, Reds reliever Jonathan Broxton allowed two singles to Buster Posey and Hunter Pence to begin the inning, then struck out Brandon Belt and Xavier Nady. The next batter was Joaquin Arias. During his at bat, the Reds defense collapsed.  Reds catcher Ryan Hanigan allowed a passed ball, allowing the runners to advance to second and third, and Scott Rolen made a fielding error on an Arias ground ball, which allowed the winning run to score.  

Game four is today at 4 PM in Cincinnati.   The Reds have another chance to clinch a National League Championship Series berth. 

Did You Hear The News?

Pujols shows off his new jersey/AP Images

After winning the World Series title, the champs are going through a lot of changes.


By Thomas Rende


Albert Pujols left the St. Louis Cardinals. He had a contract offer from the Cardinals that was worth a reported $220 million over 10 years. The deal wasn't good enough. The extra $30 million that he received from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim was enough for him to jump. Disneyland is just that much better with the addition of the greatest baseball player in the league. The Cardinals didn't just stand by the sandbox and watch their castle get destroyed, they went to work.

The production that Pujols gave to the Cardinals in his 11 year tenure is undeniably great. He was a 3 time MVP, 2 time World Series champion, and 9 time all-star while with the Cardinals. Those numbers don't put into perspective the effect and the impact he had on the franchise and the city. It's time for them to move on and they’re ready to embrace a team that is welcoming back Adam Wainwright and a crop full of young arms that played part in the key run to the World Series last year. The question is, how do you cope with the loss of a player who has been a key cog in your lineup for more than a decade?

Last year was Pujols's worst offensive season of his career. His RBI's, OBP, WAR, Avg, and Slugging percentages were all career lows. With a season like this, most people would be surprised to see the Cardinals make the playoffs let alone win a World Series Championship. The hole left by Pujols was picked up largely by Lance Berkman. Berkman had a phenomenal year, hitting over 30 homeruns and compiling an OPS of .959 which was good for 6th in the MLB. The "Big Puma" had to man left field last year which wasn't easy for an oversized, lifelike "hamburglar" but this year he gets to man first base. The man replacing him in left field was THE most underrated signing of the off season.

Carlos Beltran played fantastic last year for both the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants. He had an OPS of over .900 and played solid defense. He is a quiet man who with age has learned the proper ways to mentor younger players. Mets players have raved about his ability to connect with everyone on the team, even troubled relief pitchers. This quality cannot be overlooked with the loss of Tony LaRussa.

The two guys mentioned above may be older but they should complement the young talent on this team very well. If they can provide similar production to last year they will be considered a bargain at a combined $25 million. That number seems familiar, doesn't it Albert?