As the baseball season is winding down, the St. Louis Cardinals are still pushing strongly for a spot in the playoffs. After a magical run to the postseason last year in which the Cardinals were 10 ½ games out on August 25th and somehow managed to come back and win the World Series, it’s not hard to be optimistic at their current chances.
As a Cardinal fan watching games, it has been a frustrating season. The Cardinals were in first place in the National League Central division for the first few months of the season until the surging Cincinnati Reds took over first place and never looked back. With a powerful but inconsistent offense and pitching that has struggled during the season, the Cardinals have somehow managed to find themselves leading for the second Wild Card spot in the National League with the Atlanta Braves leading for the first spot.
During the offseason, it didn’t seem like a reality that the Cardinals could find themselves where they are right now. It was a huge hit to the Cardinals when Tony LaRussa retired after 16 years as the manager who brought two World Series championships, three National League pennants, and nine trips to the playoffs.
To add insult to injury, Albert Pujols, the face of the Cardinals franchise for 11 years who won three Most Valuable Player awards, turned down what would have been the largest contract in Cardinals’ history to sign with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
With the loss of the two key Cardinals of the era, the Cardinals chances of making the postseason this season seemed bleak nine months ago. Now, the Cardinals are currently holding on to a postseason berth.
The addition of Carlos Beltran combined with the steady pitching of Kyle Lohse and Jason Motte, the Cardinals have exceeded expectations. MVP candidate Yadier Molina, who signed a five-year extension with the Cardinals in the offseason, has had arguably the most consistent season offensively. Currently ranked within the top five in batting, Molina has also set career highs with 22 home runs and 75 RBIs with three games remaining in the season. Between Molina’s success this season at the plate and his defense that is considered by some as the best in all of baseball, I would have to say that he has been the most important piece of the team.
Kyle Lohse, in the final year of a four-year contract, has also been one of the bright spots on the team. He has carried the starting rotation with a career-high 16 wins and 2.86 ERA. He is also the only Cardinals pitcher that has pitched 200 or more innings to date.
Jason Motte has been one of the steadiest closers in baseball this season. In his first season as the Cardinals closer, Motte has been dominant out of the bullpen. He is currently tied for the National League lead in saves with Craig Kimbrel of the Atlanta Braves.
Will the Cardinals make the post season? Maybe, maybe not. Considering that there are three games left in the season and the Cardinals’ magic number to clinch the second Wild Card spot is currently at two, chances seem good that they will make it.
In this Cardinal fan’s opinion, the Cardinals are definitely deserving of the final Wild Card spot. If the Cardinals clinch the final Wild Card spot, there will be a one-game playoff with the Atlanta Braves on Friday, October 5th, in Atlanta. The winner of that game will go on to the National League Division series and play the Washington Nationals.