The St. Louis Cardinals are leading the National League Central division of baseball with a 1 ½ game lead. The golden number needed to clinch the division is currently 4. The Cards last won a World Series in 2011 and were National League Champions in 2013.The Cardinals are currently wrapping up a 3 game series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. In Tuesday’s game, the Cardinals fell to the Cubs 4-3. St. Louis scored all 3 of their runs in the 6th inning and Chicago scored 2 in the first, 1 in the fifth and 1 in the tenth inning. On a positive note, outfielder Matt Holliday became a 2-home run hitter for his ninth straight season. This game as a whole however was an obvious shift from Monday’s game, which the Cardinals dominated, winning 8-0. Pitcher Adam Wainwright extended his scoreless streak to 21 innings and this game solidified his second 20-win season.
The St. Louis team definitely has some things in their favor as they strive to advance into post-season play. The team’s roster is rich in depth led by Wainwright. Other notable pitchers include John Lackey and Shelby Miller. The Cardinals also have playoff experience. While teams are often young and hungry (as we all saw last year with the Seahawks playing in the Super Bowl), it’s challenging to beat the experience factor – teams know what they’ll face and know what they have to do to win. St. Louis is the only team in the league to have advanced to the playoffs in 4 straight years. The Cardinals are also leading in Defensive Runs Saved as a team. This is noteworthy and as the saying goes, “Offense sells tickets but defense wins games.” The Cards will conclude their 3 game series in Chicago on Wednesday night before continuing on the road to play against the Arizona Diamondbacks, concluding their regular season play Sunday afternoon.
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