The casual observer might not pay attention to the immense success of The St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals 11 World Series Championships are second only to The New York Yankees 27 titles in Major League Baseball history. The Cardinals have numerous players in The Baseball Hall of Fame ranging from Rogers Hornsby to Bob Gibson. The present day Cardinals were expected to take a dip following the 2011 season. After The Cardinals won their second World Series Championship in six seasons, longtime manager Tony La Russa retired while first baseman Albert Pujols signed a 10-year, $264 million contract with The Los Angeles Angels. In their first season under new head coach Mike Matheny, The Cardinals made the playoffs and they were one win away from reaching The World Series as they fell to the eventual World Series Champion San Francisco Giants in The National League Championship Series. Once again The Cards have picked up right where they left off from as this season they are once again in first place in The National League Central.
St. Louis has won 7 out of their last 8 ballgames including a four-game sweep over The Milwaukee Brewers last weekend. The Cardinals also have a 13-7 record on the season versus The NL Central.
The success of The Cardinals begins with four-time All-Star catcher Yadier Molina. In ten seasons with The Cardinals, Molina has gone from being the younger brother of MLB catchers Benji and Jose, to being known for his defensive prowess. Now Molina’s bat is garnering attention as well. Molina’s .339 batting average is currently fourth in The National League which is following a 2012 campaign where he finished fourth in NL MVP voting. Molina knows how to call a game from behind the plate for his pitchers as The Cardinals 3.07 team earned run average currently leads The NL. Molina also helps out his pitching staff as he dares runners to steal bases on him which is evident by his 13 assists already on the season. Molina is so athletic behind the plate that I am waiting for him to throw a runner out at second base while break dancing.
Each Cardinals starting pitcher has an earned run average under 3.00. Starting pitcher Lance Lynn leads the club with 5 victories while starting pitcher Jake Westbrook’s 1.62 earned run average is tied for third in The National League.
The Cardinals lineup is extremely formidable as well. First baseman Allen Craig, and outfielders Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday all have over 20-plus runs batted in already while Beltran is leading the team with 8 home runs.
Matheny continues to push all the right buttons for this team. Matheny played for The Cardinals from 2000-2004 so he knows about the legacy of this organization and he is trying to keep the machine going. Matheny was a tough catcher and he never gave up. The Cardinals have that mindset as well which was evident in the team’s comeback in The National League Division Series last year against The Washington Nationals.
The Cardinals will begin a 10-game home stand tomorrow night against The Colorado Rockies before they end the month of May with a home-and-home series against in-state rival The Kansas City Royals. At some point you expect The Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds to both make a surge in The NL Central, but in the meantime just sit back and watch the magic that is The St. Louis Cardinals.
Source:Baseball-reference.com
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