Friday night revealed a Cardinals-Dodgers series flavor.  Think of throwing two different steaks on a grill and seeing which one can stand the burning charcoal beneath longer.  Certain things were revealed and confirmed last night.   Great pitching, timely hitting, brilliant bullpen work and an ability to take advantage of mistakes.

Let’s go back and do a little pre series hype and set up.  the Cards are matched up with an even strength team that is full of talent, carries no give and will produce one of the most thrilling series in a long time.  After the Pirates, there is no drop off in opposition for the Cards, gunning for their 4th World Series trip in the last 10 years.  The Dodgers are built by expensive parts and assembled to win a title.  They aren’t put together by home grown talent.  For the crowd preaching that LA bought themselves a pennant chase, that theory carries weight but won’t matter much if they walk away from this series with a World Series ticket.  We can cry all night about a loss there, but all you have at the end of the day is what you gave inside the series and not why you lost it.   Big budget team or not, the Dodgers are deadly up and down the order.  The Cardinals are a team that has slowly raised their payroll to 116 million(100 million below LA’s numbers) but combines home grown talent with acquired skill.   This makes for a matchup between two of baseball’s most storied franchises.   With the two best jerseys in the NL and 18 World Series titles between them, the Cards and Dodgers will create a classy clash of titans.

Now let’s look at Game 1.  The Cards won 3-2 in 13 innings and a tone was set in the process.   A few things that I take away.  Carlos Beltran was the MAN last night and he will get his space later but first let’s look at a few things.

*Clayton Kershaw can be the Cy Young award winner and MLB’s golden child, but he is also a man that suffered two defeats to the Cards this season.   Run support or not, the brilliant lefthander was beaten twice by our club.   The bigger threat to us appeared last night and that is Zach Greinke, the righthanded arm brought in to take the Dodgers rotation from pretty good to excellent.  He kept the Cards off balance for 8 innings and his only blemish was a 3 pitch sequence of hitters that included a Joe Kelly hit, Matt Carpenter walk and Carlos Beltran 2 run double.  Greinke will pitch again in LA in this series and more than likely in Game 5 on Wednesday against Kelly.  He is a man I feared more than Kershaw coming into this series.

*Hats off to Joe Kelly, who pitched a gritty 6 innings and allowed 2 runs.   Kelly got into plenty of trouble but had some gas left in the tank when he left the game and did his usual stressful pitching.  I don’t think he clicks in fully until there are men on the basepaths and like Allen Craig, he is at his best in the biggest situation.   If he fields a ground ball hit by Yasiel Puig cleanly, there is a chance that he could have a shutout heading into the 7th inning.    Kelly got the game 1 assignment and did very well.  Limited the damage and shined in the right moments.

*Jon Jay looked horrible at the plate and in the field.   He left runners on base and took a bad route to a ball hit in the 11th inning that almost gave the Dodgers a go ahead run.  There are days where I think Jay is a fine centerfielder and a great bargain player and then there are days where I think he doesn’t need to play every day.

*Nobody swings harder than Juan Uribe.  I bet he is the guy who jams debit cards into ATM machines, rips apart wrapping paper and violently punches in his pin number at area stores.  He is a deadly bat that has a truly violent swing and is a big time playoff performer.  He is a guy I fear as much as the other big bats in the lineup.

*The Cards bullpen slamming the door on the Dodgers and showing their strength in numbers.  For 7 innings, few hits were allowed and peace was kept.  Trevor Rosenthal pitched two solid innings as well as unwanted man Lance Lynn, who earned the victory with a scoreless yet far from perfect 12th and 13th innings.

*Yasiel Puig is a fine young talent but he can be solved with good pitching.   All night Cardinal pitcher busted him inside and didn’t let him get his arms extended and do any real damage.  A deadly bat that blew up in August yet cooled down slightly in September, Puig is a diamond talent but a player still building his baseball IQ.   He can get careless and swing wild and be fooled by a decent breaking pitch.   While I heavily anticipate his matchup with fireballer Rosenthal, I want to see Adam Wainwright carve Puig up.

*Adrian Gonzalez being pulled in the 8th inning wad a dicey call from Don Mattingly.  Dee Gordon can fly for sure but taking out a lethal bat in a one run game with a good chance for extras hurt the Dodgers.  Mike Matheny easily raised the right hand and passed the dangerous Hanley Rameriz twice afterwards and this decision played a role.   Gonzo’s sweeter than velvet swing is a big threat to a baseball club built on young pitching talent who pound a lot of fastballs into the zone.   Gordon was forced at second on a Puig ground ball and LA was weakened going forward.  This was huge.

*The throw from Beltran to Yadi Molina at home plate did nail Mark Ellis and there was a small tag applied.   He was out and when Ellis ran into Molina, his elbow brushed off Yadi’s glove.  Either way, there wasn’t enough conclusive evidence to reverse the call(for you 2014 replay honks) and The ump decided contact and the ball beating the runner was enough to punch out the runner.  That was huge and Beltran calling off Jon Jay was another reason why the savvy veteran is so important to the Cards.

Finally, let’s talk about Carlos Beltran.   He was a one man wrecking crew last night.   He drove in two runners off Greinke in the 3rd inning, threw out the runner at home plate in extras and slapped a game winning base hit in the 13th off Dodgers closer Kenley Jensen to seal the victory.   He has 34 RBI in his career in the postseason(ranks 5th all time) and more HR in the playoffs than Babe Ruth.  He is a smooth moving ageless wonder who is proving to be vital this postseason.  He is perfect for the #2 hole and shines there.  I expect his bat to be beastly the rest of the month.   Let’s table his offseason contract situation for now and simply enjoy his performance.

Game 2 is today with Michael Wacha facing off against Kershaw at 3pm St. Louis time.   I expect the young righty to keep the Dodgers off balance with his accurate heater and changeup.  This will be another close game where a big blast could decide the game.   If the Cards can manage to steal the first two games before heading to LA, it’s as tough as reinforced steel.  Getting a game one pitching duel is good enough.   The series will happen quick.   By the end of next Saturday, a Game 7 will conclude.   Will it need 7 games?  I prescribed it that much as the first game kicked off last night and can still see it going that way.   For now, enjoy the hours off before the nerves kick in this afternoon.   For die hard fans, these are the days we spend all season sweating to witness.   We are seasoned for this moment and ready to analyze.

Who takes Game 2?  No idea.  The Cards proved in Game 1 they can make up for a lack of payroll with a handsomely groomed farm system full of MLB ready talent.  Who wins the series?  A family or a group of mercenaries?

Thanks for staying,

Dan L. Buffa

On Friday at Busch Stadium, Pittsburgh Pirates starter Gerrit Cole took the Cardinals to school for 6 innings.   Throwing 5 different pitches for strikes and having the ability to dial his fastball up to 99 mph, Cole kept our hitters off balance and could blow the heater past their bats.  The mid season addition to the Pirates staff and 1st round draft pick was pitching against the Cards for the first time and surely made an entrance.  Coupled with the collapse of the defense and Lance Lynn’s pitching ability, Cole flipped the momentum in the series over to the Pirates for the next two games.  After the Birds erupted for 9 runs in the first game, Cole shut them down and only allowed a solo home run to Yadi Molina.  That’s the narrative.  Here’s the question at the end of it.  Can the Cards adapt to Cole’s pitching or will they fall victim a second time?   Game 5 hangs on that question.

We all know Adam Wainwright will bring his A game and keep the game close for our lineup.   Waino is a veteran big game pitcher who can be hit early on but showed in September and last Thursday that the Pirates lineup doesn’t scare him that much.  However, if the bats can’t crack Cole, the evening could stretch into an uncomfortable affair.  The Pirates bullpen is just as willing as our young pen and their bats won’t make this game an easy out for the home team.  As much as Busch Stadium plays a part in the game, this game is decided by a ball and a bat and which jersey is more swift with those tools.   Waino will make it our game to lose but can we crack the safe of young gun Gerrit Cole?

Watching film will help but certain players need to step up and do what they do best.   The Cards hitters know how the man wants to attack them and have to be ready for that high octane fastball or his just as nasty changeup and slider.  The only difference in the lineup is Pete Kozma’s suddenly hot bat subbing in for Daniel Descalso at shortstop and in the 8 hole.

If I had to pick one man who could determine a breakout of this lineup tonight, it’s Matt Carpenter.  Since collecting his 199th hit against the Cubs on September 27th, the mesmerizing leadoff man has 1 hit since then and looks lost, adrift and out of rhythm at the plate.   This happened for a stretch in July as well.   Carpenter’s bat went cold and the offense went down right with his stick.   Where Carpenter goes, the rest of the lineup follows.  Simple leadoff man navigation.   I don’t care what he did during the regular season.   Doubles, hits, runs scored and all.   His only hit in this series is a scratch hit through the right side of the infield.   Carpenter is pulling his head out early at the plate and rolling over for weak grounders to second base or striking out on breaking pitches.   He isn’t working counts and not drawing walks.   It’s a bad time for the catalyst of your lineup to find a cold streak.   When he scores a run, the Cards are a great team.  When he doesn’t, the team is beatable.  Pitching does decide the fate of most games, but hitting is what wins you games.   At the core of this game, simplicity lurks.

Another person to remember is Molina.  He cranked a HR off Cole and was the only guy who took good swings against him in his at bats.   Expect him to be dangerous tonight.

For some reason, I expect one of the pitchers to get lit up tonight.   When a pitching duel is in the forecast, a romp is usually what arrives at the table.   Will the Pirates finally figure out Waino or will the Cards break through against Cole?  These are some of the great questions going into a winner take all game.   Which pitch decides the fate of a team’s entire season?   Which bullpen comes up big?   Each team has a deadly shutdown crew that has shown an ability to allow runs in this series?   Jason Grilli and Trevor Rosenthal have been great but Mark Melancon and Kevin Siegrist have been hit for key runs.

The hardest thing about tonight’s game is the evenness of the teams involved.   Each lineup has exploded in a game to win and used small ball to win a game.  Each pitcher has dominated the other lineup once in this series.  The hitters have shined and crashed to the ground.  Predicting sports is a field I have yet to break into and don’t really want to in the near future.   Let me just say this.  The lineup that executes tonight will be the team that moves on to the next round.   The pitchers carry the top billing in this game and the lineups have their work cut out for them.

Pitchers duel or offensive rampage?  After Michael Wacha’s dazzling postseason debut on Monday allowed the Cards to reach Game 5, they seem to have the momentum but Gerrit Cole stopped that party once in this series.   Can he do it again or will the Cards break his serve?

I love this game and I can’t wait for tonight.  The blood pressure will rise, the hands will tremble and the words in our head will gather up quick.  May the players feet be swift, their bats plentiful and their nerves clean and ready to roll.   Game 5 at Busch Stadium will leave no prisoners.

What team welcomes The Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday and what team packs their bags for the winter?   You never can tell.

Thanks for staying,

Dan Buffa

Part of me wants to adopt Mike Matheny’s one game at a time mindset, but another part wants to think ahead and plan accordingly.  Today, the St. Louis Cardinals begin their launch for title #12 in 2013.  The battle starts with the Pittsburgh Pirates today at Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis.   The Red Sea will be dominating 7th and Clark and turn the stadium into a bowl of red flavored passion.   There is nothing like playoff baseball in St. Louis.  As a Cards fan, we have come to expect it yearly.   October isn’t the time to start thinking about next year’s club, wonder who will play the outfield or watch baseball players develop sad faces.  In this town, we plan on contending for the championship every year and that is a proud feeling.   Against the home team lies a team who hasn’t tasted playoff atmosphere in 21 years, or when I was 10 years old.  The Pirates are hungry and arrogantly spanked the Reds in a wildcard game on Tuesday.   They won’t go quietly into the night and neither will our Cardinals.  I expect this series to go 5 games but this is the postseason and you simply never can tell.   Let’s run down my list of thoughts on the series.

*Adam Wainwright taking on A.J. Burnett in game 1 is ideal for the Cards.  Waino has been aces at home this month and Burnett got rocked for 8.10 ERA in this park during 2013.  A.J. likes to throw that first pitch fastball and it’s the Cards mission to jump all over it before he can work in his deadly slider.   Get to him early and do it brutally.   Waino’s main problem is the first inning at home and if he gets out of that unscathed, good things will come.  He only gets better as the game goes along, so its important to stake Big 50 to an early lead.

*The bullpen advantage slides into the Cards direction.   Mark Melancon was getting torched in the last couple weeks of the season as the Pirates closer and Jason Grilli has only been back for a couple weeks.  Their bullpen is strong but the Cards pen has been the backbone of this team’s 2013 surge.   When the rotation got weary, the bullpen saved the team.   When the bats went quiet, the last two men out of the pen closed the door.   You can’t find a better threesome in a bullpen than Seth Maness, Kevin Siegrist and Trevor Rosenthal.  Each bullpen is made up of young power arms but the Cards have the advantage.

*The Pirates have a stacked lineup, with Marlon Byrd and Justin Morneau added in the final month.   They also have Starlin Marte back in the leadoff spot, something the Cards didn’t have to face in September.  Marte is a table setter, Andrew McCutchen is a finisher and there the Cards pests in Pedro Alvarez and Neil Walker.   Right when you think it’s okay to breathe, you have seasoned catcher Russell Martin, who cranked two HR on Tuesday and has torched the Cards all year.  While their pitching was their strength for the majority of the season, the Bucs bats improved mightily in the last two months and outhomered the Cards 18-5 in their season series.  These guys can bring it and hit it deep.  A test for the Cards.

*Game 3 in Pittsburgh looms as the biggest matchup of the series to me because you have the Cards road warrior and PNC specialist Joe Kelly taking on a lefthander  in Francisco Liriano who has shredded our lineup 3 times this season.   The Cards have to manage to win at least of the opening 2 games at Busch if not both because when they deal with Liriano their backs better not be against the wall.  The best defense against the lefty is throwing our best road guy on the hill and Kelly was 5-1 with a 2.09 ERA on the road this season, and won two games in Pittsburgh.  Each of those wins came as stoppers, where Kelly halted a losing streak or avoided a sweep.  Game 2 between Lance Lynn and Gerrit Cole is big but the game of the series rests in Game 3.

*Sure, the Cards don’t play well in PNC Park, struggled against the Pirates in the second half and their park will be rocking but this is October baseball ladies and gents and the stage experience belongs to our Cards.   The Reds were a better matchup because they weren’t good enough to make the playoffs and the Pirates exposed that nerve on Tuesday.  You don’t whine about who is standing in front of you.  You simply take them down.   Every time I hear, “Oh no, PNC” I remind those people the playoffs are a stage where our young players and key veterans don’t wilt.  We rise to the occasion like Spartans.

*The weakest link on the Cards side is their bench.   With Allen Craig out and Matt Adams playing every day, there is no big bang off the bench for our team.  I had hoped Brock Petersen would show some power in his September callup but he barely hit the ball out of the infield.   This is an area where John Mozelaik could have improved at the trade deadline but decided not to thinking neither of his core guys would get hurt.   Craig went down and the bench was truly exposed.  The only thing you can do is use your speedy defensive minded second baseman, Kolten Wong, in the starting lineup and put Matt Carpenter at third.   When the game reaches the 7th inning, you can pinch hit struggling yet historically clutch David Freese for Wong.  Then, you have a guy who can come through in the late innings.  If not, your lethal bat is Shane Robinson.   You can have your best defensive 2B in Wong, who also gives you speed, in for the first 6-7 innings and then insert Freese when you need that big hit late in the game.  It’s not conventional but with this bench you have to go outside the box.  Freese’s late inning heroics are late game knocks and this will give you a chance to best utilize him.

*I don’t like Edward Mujica on the postseason roster but I understand it.   Mujica is a guy with a dead arm right now.  His splitter is flat and has been hammered and his straight heat isn’t doing much to fool hitters.   He is a big part of our 2013 surge, but at this point in the chase, YOU HAVE TO GO WITH THE PLAYERS WHO GIVE YOU THE BEST CHANCE TO WIN.  To me, Mujica isn’t as valuable right now as Sam Freeman or Tyler Lyons.  However, Matheny didn’t want to piss off his clubhouse by leaving a guy who had 37 saves on the bus, so there is that.   Let’s hope Chief has a little magic in store for the Red October.

*Mike Matheny and Clint Hurdle will have some interesting duels in this series.   A young manager who hands the reins of important games over to rookies against a man who also utilizes rookies but doesn’t shy away from experience either.   In my mind, two skippers who deserve Manager of the Year consideration.

*The biggest question is who starts Game 4 for the Cards?  In my opinion it should be Michael Wacha.   While Shelby Miller was great in September and pitched in last year’s playoffs, I firmly believe the matchup with the Pirates favors the kid in Wacha more.  He pitched 9 innings in a start and some relief work against the Pirates in September and the Bucs lineup had big problems with his changeup.   A lot of teams are going to find that over the top sledgehammer delivery of Wacha’s to be hard to contend with.   This is a tough spot for Matheny but you have to look at the numbers.  Miller was 0-4 against the Pirates in 2013.   Wacha was stellar against them, granted in a lot less innings.  Barring his bumpy start in Colorado, Wacha is a decent road pitcher and could be the equalizer in a pivotal Game 4 at PNC Park.  I saw the logic in starting Lance Lynn at home in Game 2 and would have approved of Miller there as well but you have to be smart when it comes to Game 4 in PNC.  Miller struggled there in 2013 and Wacha is an arm that the Pirates don’t know too well and couldn’t do much with when they did stand in against him.  That is being kept in secret probably due to Matheny and pitching coach Derek Lilliquist wanting to see how the first three games play out.  To me, my starter is picked out.  Start The Wacha.

The Cards are playing the bad guys in this series, trying to take down the league’s nation wide lovefest in the Pittsburgh Pirates.   Personally, anything that stops the saying “Bucktober” from gaining traction is good by me.   It’s the Rogues in Red’s job to sink the Pirates ship and if we can score this Game 1 win today, that is a big push towards securing a spot in the NLCS and possibly moving forward to the World Series.   However, I am desperately trying to stay in Matheny mode here and take it one game at a time.

Once again, ladies and gents, GO CARDS!  It’s time to chase history!

Thanks for staying,

Dan Buffa

Before playoff action begins and the nerves really start to glisten and fry on the pan, let’s take a look back at the things that got the Cardinals to the playoffs.   Sometimes people overlook the 162 struggle that pushes a team into the wonderfully historical range of championship contention.    No offense to the NFL or NHL but baseball is a slow grind and isn’t easy to follow because it is slower than most sports and involves so many variables and ever changing attributes.  You have to be stone cold crazy to truly love a baseball team because things get dramatic and the stress levels reach a new height.   While others beg for action as soon as possible, I am happy to sit back, relax and bide my time before the playoff battles commence.  So, without further delay, let’s look back at 10 things that propelled the Cards this year.  Coming to you in an order that doesn’t hold any favorites and starting with….

1.  The emergence of Matt Carpenter.   Out of nowhere, a good utility guy in 2012 turned into a league wide known commodity in 2013.   One year did a lot of things for Carp Jr. and he won’t soon be forgotten.   You don’t break a Stan Musial record for single season doubles(55) and hide from St. Louis fans.  Carpenter was unbelievable this year.   He led the league in doubles, hits(199), runs scored(126) and multi-hit games.   Carpenter hit .318 and reloaded the lineup into a credible threat all year long.   For the first time in years, the team had a legit leadoff man and second baseman inside one ballplayer.  Matt Carpenter was the ultimate bargain in 2013, providing the Cards with a smart crafty player who delivered in a number of ways.

2.  Edward Mujica rescuing the closer position.    Sure, Eddie burned out in September but please don’t forget what he did before that.   He recorded 37 saves in 43 chances without a bit of experience in the closer role.   He came to the team in the middle of 2012 as a setup guy and when Mitchell Boggs fumbled the closer spot early in April, Mujica was given the ball and surprised everybody who watched this team.   National media had no idea who he was and hitters had no idea how to put their bat on his nasty splitter.  He didn’t allow walks and threw strikes, and while it came back to haunt him in the final month, Mujica’s work was amazing for 4 1/2 months.   Without him closing games, the Cards don’t win the central and may not be in the playoffs.  As the fans have realized the hard way, if you have no closer, you have little chance to succeed.   Thanks Chief!

3. Adam Wainwright reminded us why he is one of the best in baseball.   It’s hard to find one thing that is wrong about this guy.   He is a great ambassador of the game, does work in the community, keeps things light in the dugout and also happens to really love barbecue.   He did rock a weird mustache in 2010 but that’s old news.   Wainwright rebounded from a healing process in 2012(up and down season) into a Cy Young pitcher in 2013.   When Chris Carpenter went down for good, Waino took control of this team.  He pitched 241 innings, struck out 35 and only intentionally walked TWO guys all year.   He has no time for handing free passes to hitters but he surely isn’t going to do it on purpose.  He threw 5 complete games and had 2 shutouts.  His 19-9 record was accompanied by a 2.94 ERA.  His numbers are Cy Young caliber even if he won’t win the award.   Waino returned to greatness and pitched brilliantly in September when the club needed him most.   After two rough humanizing starts against Cincinnati, Waino finished with 5 quality starts and went 4-0 to finish the season.  Aces can get knocked down.   It’s important for them to get up in time to right the ship.  He takes the mound Thursday in Game 1.

4. Yadi Molina had another MVP caliber season.   If Carpenter’s season was a surprise, Molina just did his thing again.   He worked a pitching staff that included more than 12 rookies and anchored the defensive position like a vault does inside a bank.   Molina threw out more baserunners than his usual load and put on another clinic at the plate.  In 136 games, he hit .319, collected 44 doubles, 161 hits, and knocked in 80 runners.  In 505 at bats, he only struck out 55 times, or basically what Chris Davis does in a month.   Molina hit .333 against lefties and .315 against righties.   With runners in scoring position, he hit .373.   Molina is so good we take it for granted but he is truly the most valuable player on the Cards and arguably in the majors.   Without him in the lineup in the second half of August, the Cards were a completely different team and not a good one.

5. Matt Holliday maintained his model of consistency.   A .268 hitter at the beginning of September, Holliday enjoyed a red hot final month to finish with a .300 batting average.   His 22 home runs and 94 RBI aren’t earth shattering, but proved that this guy gives you the best bang for your buck at his position.   Look around the league and tell me 5 players who have a higher WAR(wins above replacement) than Holliday.   His defense is adequate but his hustle is genuine.   How many high priced hitters jog down the first base line.  Well, Holliday sprints down the line.  He takes out second basemen on potential DP balls.  He runs around third like the catcher is a would be tackler in football.  He plays baseball with reckless abandon and doesn’t leave much to chance.  He also provides the numbers that we have come to expect.  2013 didn’t represent a total drop for Holliday.  He hit .300 for the first time since 2010, scored more runs than he did in 2012 and lowered his strikeout total from 132 in 2012 to 86 this season.   When the weather gets hot, Holliday’s bat heats up.   In his last 10 games, Holliday hit .514 and drove in 12 runners.   He barely struck out in September.   For a guy who is rarely called clutch, he delivers the timely hits at the necessary hour.   He is the consistency that many players can’t reach.  Matt Holliday, in a simple manner, gets it done.

6. Who led the Cards in RBI in 2013 yet barely played in the final month?  Allen Craig.  He drove in 97 runners and hit .315 with 160 hits and 71 runs scored in only 134 games.  His most efficient stat.  Hitting with runners in scoring position.   Craig collected 83 of his 97 RBI with runners in scoring position and hit .454.   Ridiculous and also a reason to be a bit sad about his absence in the playoffs.   Surely, the Cards got help in that position in the form of Matt Adams(more on him in a bit) but it’s still a rough picture without the best clutch hitter in baseball.   Allen Craig is silky smooth under pressure and will hopefully be able to contribute in some manner in the playoffs.

7. Matt Adams was the resourceful charger on this team.  When something was needed, Adam provided it.   When Matt Holliday went down in July, Matt Adams got a chance to play.   When the team needed a pinch hitter in the late innings, Adams hit well over .300 in the role.   In September when Craig went down with a bad foot injury, Adams more than answered the call.  He bashed baseballs for the entire month.  In 296 at bats, Adams hit 17 home runs and knocked in 51.   He was deadly in September, hitting .315 with 8 HR and 15 RBI and slugging .609.   When the team needed him most, Adams delivered.  Think about what the big guy can do with 550 at bats.   Ridiculous.   His first base skills also improved over the course of the season.  You could see his range widening with each start and that just comes down to hard work and sessions with Jose Oquendo.  Adams presented GM John Mozelaik with an opportunity to not have to overextend in talks with Carlos Beltran after the season.   He showed the Cards what he could do after teasing the team in 2012.  In his last 10 games, Big Country Fried Steak Biff Whiskey Adams hit .368.   He deserves a full time spot in 2014 but what is this guy going to do in the playoffs?

8.  The Cards bullpen.  It’s hard to give space to each individual member of this young arsenal but let me try.    Trevor Rosenthal, Kevin Siegrist, and Seth Maness were sensational and became key assets down the stretch.   Rosenthal went from setup man to closer in the final week, closing three highly important games against the Nationals fierce lineup.   Trevor turned up the heat and delivered an all around solid season, striking out 108 batters in only 75.1 innings.   He allowed 6 HR and hitters could only scrap a .223 BA against.  Rosenthal is a guy who can do a number of things and figures to be the closer in the playoffs and to start the 2014 season.  This season, he told us he was for real.   Siegrist is the lefthanded smoking gun that caught MLB’s attention.  Whenever the Cards played on FOX or ESPN, the commentators were gushing over this kid.   He came out of nowhere, typical Cards rookie style, and delivered a nearly perfect 2013 season.  In 39.2 innings, he allowed TWO runs to score.  That’s it.  Two runners.   He struck out 50 and walked 18.  He has nasty stuff that starts with a 99 mph fastball and ends with a killer changeup.  He could be a reliever or starter in 2014 but this month he will make hitters weary.  Seth Maness was the double play ball machine.   Out of nowhere in June, this kid came up and was able to enter an inning and induce a double play grounder more than 15 times.  It was automatic and precise.  He gave up a ton of hits but he was at his best coming into a burning building and putting out a team’s fire and taking away their hope with one pitch.  These three guys fantastic this season.

9.  Joe Kelly and Michael Wacha restoring order to the rotation in August and September.  In his last 10 starts dating back to August 11th, Kelly was 7-2 with a 2.34 ERA.  He allowed a ton of baserunners, walked too many but had the ability to pitch out of jams and also pitch very well on the road.  His road warrior ability is a reason for him to be in the playoff rotation.   On the road in 2013, Kelly was 5-1 with a 2.07 ERA.  Wacha came up early in the season and impressed people but only during his second stint with the team did he truly open eyes.   After 4 sharp appearances out of the bullpen, Wacha was 2-1 in 5 starts and only allowed 6 earned runs in 31.1 innings.   His season ended in resounding fashion when he nearly no hit the Nationals, pitching 8.2 innings and showing dynamite control and command into the final batter.   Only a scrappy luck single took away a no hitter but when he walked off the mound for the Cards, we knew he belonged in this rotation for years to come.   Kelly and Wacha sealed the leak in the rotation.

10.  Mike Matheny’s work as a manager.   The second year skipper gets a lot of damage from his overextended loyalty to certain players(Mitchell Boggs in particular) but people often overlook what he has done in only 2 years.   Unlike the Dodgers, who had a 223 million payroll and no real competition in the West, Matheny and his club had to battle the two wild card team, PITT and CIN, for the entire 162 games.   This wasn’t like Freddy Gonzalez’s situation in Atlanta, where there wasn’t a threat after the All Star break to his team.  Matheny had to deal with injuries to several key players, including Chris Carpenter, Jason Motte, Rafael Furcal, Jaime Garcia and Allen Craig.   Matheny is a man that believe in his young players and set them loose in key spots.   He is a blunt speaker and a manager who rightfully preaches the importance of taking one game at a time.  When the team got knocked down in August after losing 4 of 5 to Pittsburgh, Matheny’s club didn’t wilt and die.   They fought back and a good portion of the credit goes to the man pulling the strings and making the moves.   For every bad situation with Boggs, there were 4 great moves made with other players.  He inserted Mujica into the closer role, didn’t hesitate in putting Matt Adams at first base, and handed the ball to Kelly and Wacha to save things.   When John Mozeliak didn’t make a move to help the team, Matheny used what he had to make it work.   He doesn’t always make great decisions but who does?   Tony La Russa is a hall of fame manager but he drove us as nuts as Matheny does.   Every manager makes moves that set off alarms but we aren’t in their shoes.  I think Matheny deserves consideration for manager of the year.

That’s it.  Play ball boys!  Let’s see how far this streaking team takes us into October.   2006’s team played bad in September and lit it up in the playoffs.   2011’s team played amazing baseball in September and continued in October.  You just never know and that is what makes this game great.   Personally, I think the Cards are a dangerous team with loads of depth.  Watch out everybody.  The Rogues in Red are coming through and remember, you must deal with them at Busch to get past them.   I will break down the Division Series round when I find out who the Cards play.  Until then, thanks for staying.

-DLB

PHOTO CREDIT-Getty Images

Let me just start by saying starting Jake Westbrook is a bad idea today.   It’s a “thanks for your services” giveaway from the Cards but it comes at a bad time.   In this day and age, I would think 9 million dollars for pitching half a season in 2013 would suffice but what do I know about sports politics.   The Cards control their fate today in the quest for home field advantage and Westbrook’s troubled right arm stands in the way.  Sitting at 96-35, one game ahead of the Braves and in the top spot in the NL ranks.   We aren’t just leading in run differential and RISP production.  Once again, the Cardinals sit atop the league with the best record.   Why give that away so Westbrook can feel better about his self esteem?   I would rather get ahead 6-0 first like the past 2 games this weekend over the Cubs and then insert Jake Westbrook.   He won’t be on the postseason roster, or at least he shouldn’t be.  If you have Carlos Martinez and Tyler Lyons in your pen, why do you need to give a highly important charitable spot to an aging vet with nothing to offer?   That question can fit into today’s dynamic.  Why give Westbrook a start against the Cubs(looking to spoil things in a different way) when a win could secure us home field advantage?  Westbrook has been horrible.  He doesn’t deserve anything from the Cards but a paycheck, and even that’s a stretch!

Let’s recap the last two days.   The Cards win the NL Central on Friday behind a solid outing from Lance Lynn and hits from Yadi Molina and Matt Holliday.   They win Saturday behind another fine start from Adam Wainwright and an early onslaught of key hits.   The Cards are playing great baseball.  This is the same Cubs team who gave the Pirates a stiff run for a win last weekend so don’t take them lightly.  One would expect the Cards from late July would have found a way to give away a win or two this week.   They have not and have the chance to finish the home stand in shut out fashion.   They swept a great Nationals team and can erase the Cubs today.   97 wins sounds pretty enough but its all the more tasty because of what it can secure.

The 2nd half of the season has found this Redbirds team to be dominant at home.   Far more shakier on the road than in their comfy confines of Busch Stadium, the Cards would be smart to make sure they play as many games under the Arch as possible.  We are 53-27 at home this season, as opposed to 43-38 at home.   We have a 3.13 ERA at home, as opposed to a 3.77 ERA away from home.   In the second half of the season, the Cards are 26-11 at home and most of the losses came in a dreadful 7 game home stand against the Dodgers and Cubs.   Look at how far we have come in 2 months.   In September, the Cards are 12-2 at Busch.   Teams don’t fare well here unless we turn into a deli and start giving games away like scraps of meat to the poor.   It’s is important for the Cards to not slow down today and maintain that cocky confident pace of play.

Do you want to play 4 of 7 at Pittsburgh or Atlanta?   I don’t think so.   Score as many games as you can where you thrive the most.   Plot out your safest trek during the biggest moments of the season.  Forget the regular season after today.  Every playoff team starts fresh in October.   This Thursday, all bets are off.  The Cards will have home field in their divisional series.  Let’s make sure we get it in the pennant as well before the AL home field takes over in the world series but may give the Cards an advantage if Allen Craig can swing a bat and run the bases.

Today’s game doesn’t look too important to the casual baseball fan but to the die hard it resembles air traffic control in a storm.  Navigate that plane into the right runway.  Set it up for success.  If I sound emotional right now, blame the sport.  Baseball brings out the romantic in me.  This is the greatest time of the year.  For the 10th time in the past 14 years, the Cards will be in the postseason.   For the first time since 2009, we own a division title.  Let’s not stop there.  Let’s win today, bring the Dodgers to Busch on Thursday and bring down the Cy Young Award winner in Clayton Kershaw for the third time this season.   I have a feeling about this Cardinals team.   One of those feelings that only comes around a few times per season.  We are playing great at the right time.  Too bad the playoffs don’t start until Thursday.  I recommend simulated games until then.   I am saying “we” so much because I consider myself a part of this team in some crazy way.  I am there, every game, every pitch, hanging on the result like an apple hangs from a twig before falling to the grass.

Let’s get greedy and win the finale and finish with 97 wins and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.   In other words let’s make Brian McCann lose his shit again!

Go CARDS!

Thanks for staying,

Dan Buffa

Allen Craig is out with Lisfranc, a tricky injury that happens when one or more bones in your foot are separated from the main bone, the tarsus.  It is also located right at the arch of your foot.   This is why the Cardinals and their medical staff were so secretive and privy with their timetable for Craig’s return.    Usually, the hacks at Busch get these injuries wrong but this time I can’t blame them too much.   This is a tricky injury that has spun around a few teams in its wake.   The Cards never gave any false hope or gave a direct timetable.  They tentative and hesitant to supply hope to a condition they were unsure of.  Craig’s foot showed no fracture and was put in a boot on September 4th.  Over three weeks later, his status didn’t improve so they did more tests and found out that Lisfranc will keep Craig out for at least the NLDS, which begins next Thursday.   What does this mean?

The Cards are without their RBI machine for a decent time frame.   Derrick Goold made a smart comment on The Fast Lane this week about the mere presence of Craig on the bench in the playoffs being a threat to other teams.   He could be there for the one swing the team needs late in the game and replace the guy, Matt Adams, who took his spot at first and hopefully be good in time for a World Series if it happens.   Now, you don’t know what to think.  Craig is out for the unknown future and the only difference is there is now a reason behind it.  Once again, the Cards medical staff made no promises to the public for the past three weeks.  The timetable for his return is more precise now.

X-rays don’t often locate the injury and treatment depends on the particular extent of the injury.   Less serious cases are 6 weeks.   More serious cases are 12 weeks.  Surgery may be needed.  It may not.   The Cards and John Mozelaik are taking a conservative approach and sitting him for the next 2 weeks in hope that the injury corrects itself with treatment and Craig is ready to go in some capacity for the NLCS, should the Cards make it that far.

Right now, it’s too hard to tell but this much is known.  Don’t blame the medical staff.  Plenty of teams have missed this kind of injury and even if they caught it, the down time may have been the same.  This isn’t a simple fracture or sprain or strain.  This is tricky.  Best case scenario is 2 more weeks.  Worse case is spring training.

Craig’s loss will be felt over the long term but seeing how much more improved Adams has been in his second extended playing time stint, I doubt this will be traumatic.    It only means players like David Freese, Matt Holliday and Carlos Beltran need to keep producing.  Pick up the slack.  Patch it up.  Move on.  The same thing this 2013 team has done since February.

Play on.  Clinch the division tonight.  Let Adam Wainwright pitch tomorrow because it would put him on regular turn for Game 1 of the NLDS and keep him in rhythm.  The Cards want the top home field spot in the playoffs as much as anybody.  We are playing very well at home right now.   Pitch Waino tomorrow, keep him on pace and don’t mess around with schedules.  Keep going with what got you here and don’t get fancy.  That’s all.

-Dan Buffa

@buffa82 on Twitter

While the parent club sprints towards a division title and potential deep playoff run, it’s fitting to take a look at what their future may look like.   As the 20 different rookies on this year’s team help propel the team towards their amazing season, what players make up the next fleet of talent to hit the St. Louis Cardinals?  Some of my selections are with the club already but haven’t fully blossomed yet and others are still waiting for their launch ticket from the minors.   Here are my seven promising future Cardinals.

1.  Oscar Taveras-Outfield-He will top nearly every United Cardinal Bloggers list because he is the biggest world renowned talent to hit the system in 10 years.   At least, that is the word being spread around the league.  Oscar has Pujols like ability and can play the outfield.   He is part of the reason the club may not have to concede in contract talks with Carlos Beltran.   Slowed by an ankle injury in 2013, Taveras was never able to truly show off the immense talent that consumes his profile.   All field power, speed, good arm and a very young age.  He will certainly play a huge role in the 2014 makeup of the parent club and is someone to watch.

2. Kolten Wong-Second baseman-The young second basemen is on the club as we speak, but fighting for starts and at bats with David Freese, who has been proclaimed by everyone as the September-October king of swing even though his bat isn’t backing up the reputation.   Wong is a technician at second base, turns double plays like there isn’t even a runner in sight and hit .300 in the minors.   He sprays the ball around and uses his speed.  I like this kid and think with more at bats, he can be a great starting second baseman.  He is a base stealing threat and smells third base every time he reaches base.   Wong just needs time and at bats.

3. Carlos Martinez-RHP-The righthander received three visits with the parent club this season and is finally getting a full fledged role in the bullpen.   A young arm with Pedro Martinez like explosiveness and starter ability, Martinez is benefiting from the failure of other current Cardinal pitchers and not wasting his chance.  That is the way young pitchers get a chance in baseball.  An older veteran goes down or another rookie fails and a slot opens.  When Edward Mujica faltered this week, Martinez saw a chance for more innings.  Seen all year as the raw hard throwing kid with can’t miss stuff but needing time to grow, Carlos is starting to thrive and gain confidence.  He closed down an important game in Cincinnati in early September and has played a key role in other late inning matchups.   Seen as a reliever this year more than a starter based on need, Martinez has impressed and will throw his name into the ring for postseason innings and a 2014 starter spot.

4. Stephen Piscotty-Outfield/Third Base-Drafted 36th overall from Stanford University in 2012, Piscotty is a righthanded hitting and batting outfield threat that is still a year or two away but intrigues nonetheless.  Splitting time at Palm Beach and Springfield this season, Piscotty hit 15 home runs and drove in 59 runs while hitting .295 with only 46 strikeouts in 471 plate appearances.   Piscotty can play third base as well as the corner outfield spots and offers outfield depth to the Cardinals in 2014 and 2015 and beyond.

5. Lee Stoppelman-LH relief pitcher-This 6 foot 2 inch lefthander made the jump from Class A to Class AAA inside one season.  The 23 year old is a strikeout artist working out of the bullpen into a possible closer future.   He strikes out 9 batters per 9 innings and doesn’t issue free passes.  All together in 2013, Stoppelman struck out 46 and only walked 7.   He is yet another bright light in a stock pile of pitching depth for the Cardinals.

6.  Greg Garcia-Shortstop-A position of increased need for the parent club, Garcia looms as the wildcard option behind Ryan Jackson and Pete Kozma for an internal fix at the position.  Garcia is your scrappy defensive minded player who can shine at the plate and on the bases in different ways.   He hit .271 at Memphis in 2013 and stole 14 bases in 16 attempts while smacking 4 triples in 424 at bats.   Similar to Kozma and Jackson but adding the ability to steal bases, Garcia is a fresh option that just needs a chance.  Drafted in the 7th round of the 2010 draft from the University of Hawaii, Garcia isnt’ exactly a spring chicken but sits at this spot on the list due to the need at the position.

7.  Tyler Lyons-LHP-We have seen the lefthander start games and come out of the pen, and the thing that intrigues me most about Lyons is his ability to adapt and improve.  Take a huge start at home against Cincinnati where he allowed 4 first inning runs but recovered to pitch 5 effective innings and keep his team in the game, which led to the Allen Craig three run game winning home run.  Lyons has pitched effectively as a long arm out of the pen in September, leaving him as a strong candidate for the postseason roster.  Think of him as the lefthanded Joe Kelly.  A pitcher without strikeout stuff but an effective changeup who can adapt to adversity and stay strong inside a big game.  After he was rocked in three straight starts, Lyons seemed to fall off the charts.   He worked on his pitches and made adjustments, and came back in the past month and earned his innings.   His role in 2014 is intriguing going forward.

The lists will look similar but it’s all in the reasons here.   Why does this particular player intrigue me and will he see time on the club in the near future?   These seven Cardinal prospects are all capable of being on this team by late 2014 or starting the 2015 season with the parent club.   You never know with prospects in any sport, but in baseball you have to earn you spot and play well to keep it.

Thanks for staying,

Dan Buffa

@buffa82 on twitter

For more looks at the Cardinals blooming prospects, check out http://www.unitedcardinalbloggers.com.