Do you remember this home run? I do.
By Jake McCormick
Unlike the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals, this 2009 team isn’t moving towards October with the momentum of a freshman girl’s hangover from mixing Blue UV vodka, pink lemonade, and a few shots of Sauza tequila. Instead, the Cardinals are vying for home field advantage, and are gaining confidence and strength faster than the main boss at the end of Bioshock. And unlike the end to that game, the Cardinals won’t be an easy out when it comes to finishing the job.
It’s safe to say that St. Louis has surprised nearly everyone this year, including me partially. That’s only because I refuse to believe the Cubs will meet anyone’s expectations year in and year out, and lo and behold, my winning streak stands at six seasons. The 2006 World Series team is Michael Jackson since 1990; they were only covered because it was obligatory even though they sucked, and it became increasingly difficult to watch until their finale, when everyone tuned it. The 2009 Cardinals are Jackson’s old self; they look good without constant facelifts, and just by watching them play you can tell something special is brewing.
In honor of the home stretch to October, I’m going to focus this column on a few key statistics and occurrences that have St. Louis sitting pretty in the NL Central and race for the World Series.
.386 BA, .444 OBP, 10 HR, 37 RBI
Those are Matt Holliday’s statistics since becoming the vice president to POTUS Albert Pujols on July 24. But like the Bush Administration, the vice president is doing most of the damage/work and leads the team in all four categories since that date. Just for reference purposes, Pujols’ has a .299 BA, .346 OBP, 7 HR, and 20 RBI in that span. And unlike the previous administration, the Cardinals’ VP is causing a bump in approval ratings, or offensive production if you want me to stop using political references. Earlier in the year, the Cardinal offense consisted of Pujols, and then eight other guys who might be on or off depending on the day of the week.
26-9 since Holliday trade
There’s a reason I’m calling the Holliday trade the best of the year, and it’s called the Cardinals’ win-loss record since his arrival. Cliff Lee is doing his best CC Sabathia impersonation, but he only goes out every fifth day. Holliday, along with other midseason Red Bird converts Julio Lugo and Mark DeRosa, has stabilized a rookie-heavy lineup with experienced veterans on a day-to-day basis. On top of that, DeRosa and Holliday have good reputations in the clubhouse, which will help the team push through any rough spots they encounter over the next month.
31-4
That’s St. Louis’ record since July 1 with Pavarotti, Domingo, and the other guy on the mound. This includes 11 straight wins with Joel Pineiro starting, and Chris Carpenter’s 10-0 record with a 2.17 ERA in his last 12 outings. Pitching can carry a team through the playoffs, and the Cardinals have the most consistent 1-2-3 punch in the National League. You know what you’re getting every three out of five games, which is more than enough to win a playoff series. On top of that, John Smoltz is 1-1 with a 2.65 ERA in three starts for St. Louis, and is considered one of the best playoff pitchers of all time. Dave Duncan deserves some sort of Pitching Coach of the Year Award, but until then I’ll continue giving him the same clichéd props for turning Gandalf the Grey’s into Gandalf the White’s.
$6.5 million, including incentives through 2011
$2 million through 2010, with $2 million option for 2011
Those are the new deals signed this week by the 36-year-old dual dragons in the Cardinal bullpen, Ryan Franklin and Trever Miller, respectively. Franklin has put up amazing numbers as a closer this year, with 36 saves in 38 opportunities and a 1.37 ERA. Likewise, left-handed specialist Miller is 4-0 with a 1.70 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 37 innings. Franklin has had a history of bowing out in the second half, but he has converted 11 straight saves and was a candidate for August Pitcher of the Month. Both relievers have been unbelievably lights out all year and deserved these extensions. Kudos to the Cardinal front office for getting these deals done so the team can focus on re-signing Holliday and DeRosa in the offseason.
5-0, 2.20, 37 K in six starts
Those are the stats for the August Pitcher of the Month, Chris Carpenter. Easily the steal of my fantasy baseball draft, where I took him in the second to last round, Carpenter has looked just as good if not better than his 2005 Cy Young campaign. He is 15-3 with a MLB-leading 2.28 ERA, and was sidelined for a month with an oblique strain. He’ll get Comeback Player of the Year for sure. Fellow ace Adam Wainwright, who leads the team in innings pitched and has compiled a decent stat line of 16-7, 2.47 ERA, and 164 punch-outs, gives Carpenter some friendly competition for the NL Cy Young award. I think it will ultimately go to my favorite pitcher Tim Lincecum, but boy is it tough to be a Cardinal fan right now.
19
That’s the magic number to clinch the division and a playoff spot, but I think it’s safe to say that with a 10.5 game lead on the Cubs and 13 on the Brewers, the Cardinals are guaranteed another division champions banner for the new Busch Stadium. St. Louis is 23 games above .500, Chicago is two, and everyone else is below the Mendoza line and discussing offseason changes. Of course, the Cardinals are still unable to get the love ESPN gives to the Dodgers and Phillies even though they’re playing much better baseball right now, but that’s just the way they like it. Just ask the 2006 team, which was baseball’s equivalent to the 2007 New York Giants playoff run. This team is focused, experienced, confident, and lapping the divisional competition. That’s a scary combination to face when October baseball comes knocking.
Gamel, ask them to consider a Lorenzo Cain, who is an outfielder but could provide just as much batting power as Gamel in another year. Bottom line, Toronto is asking for proven farm talent and lots of it. A combination of the above plus a current starter could be their asking price. Bruno obtaining a toddler in exchange for an iPod sums up how I feel about the situation. 
JM: I listen to 670 The Score a lot and Cub fan callers were starting to talk about DeRosa like he was Mike Ditka or something. That put the sour in my Sour Patch Kids and made the trade worth it for me. I wouldn’t mind either player, but Mark DeRosa wins for me because he can also play outfield and the Cardinals need as much protection for Albert Pujols they can get. Plus, St. Louis just committed the ultimate cardinal sin (pun fully intended) of Little League by trading coach’s son Chris Duncan to the Boston Red Sox for shortstop Julio Lugo, who will give the team more veteran depth in the infield. Now that’s the way Tony La Russa likes it.
JM: I would be worried, but Ryan Ludwick, Rick Ankiel, and Troy Glaus combined for 56 home runs before the 2008 All-Star Break. This year, all three combined for 20 dingers in the same time period; 31 if you include rookie Colby Rasmus. I think the Cardinals mashers are just playing catch-up for lost time, including DeRosa, who is starting to remember that he destroys the Central any chance he gets and just had his first multi-home run game as a Cardinal last night. The increased long balls from anyone but Pujols is a good sign for a club that struggled to find power throughout the first half of the season. It’s like the scene in The Matrix where Keanu finally figures out his powers and gives that little smirk before sending the agents running. The only difference is the Cardinals’ smirks are highlighted with lavishly beautiful moustaches.
that Braun has been hurt. Like “in pain for several months and not telling anyone” hurt. I don’t know if it’s his darn intercostal or what. It didn’t help he took a pitch to the thumb last week either. 
relationship (or trade market) gossip. Things will really begin to get interesting after the trading deadline, but until then I’ll be enjoying the Cardinals place at the top of the division because God knows it’ll get more cluttered than even the closest of Sausage Races, brought to you by Klements.
Is there even an argument to be made against Pujols as the baseball MVP of the Planet Earth? Pujols has a legitimate shot at the Triple Crown and is on pace to become the first player to post 60 home runs under the new MLB performance-enhancement drug testing policies. Most players and fans would be content with any player posting those numbers by the end of the year, and Pujols has been a model of consistency and leadership even without Miller Lite sponsored protection to lock in his carbonated swing for maximum power. As Pujols goes so do the Cardinals, regardless of who bats behind or in front of him.
Franklin has stabilized a bullpen that spent most of the 2008 season throwing batting practice and notched an impressive 31 blown saves on the year. If the bullpen had only took 19 craps, the Cardinals would’ve won the NL Central and easily ran away with the Wild Card. The numbers this year are much more promising. The St. Louis bullpen has recorded six “here we go again” groans and only one by Franklin, and is ranked fourth in the National League with a 3.64 ERA. The Cardinals finished last year 25th in save percentage, but are ranked third at this point in 2009. Franklin will undoubtedly falter a few more times in the second half, but he’s been a force so far and has St. Louis all but forgetting Jason Isringhausen’s sad tumble from stardom to obscurity.
Carpenter! Wainwright! Piniero! Lohse! Wellemeyer! By their moustaches combined, they are the Cardinals pitching staff!
What we have here is a failure to produce. Ankiel has as many home runs as Khalil Greene, and the third base combination of Joe Thurston, Greene, and Brian Barden have barely reached a quarter of Glaus’ 2008 midseason totals. Despite the influx of Yugos parked next to the Porsche in the Cardinals lineup, there have been encouraging signs of life lately. Center fielder Colby Rasmus is setting himself up for Rookie of the Year honors, and is getting dangerously comfortable batting in front of Pujols. Ludwick has returned to form and tallied a .305 batting average, 6 home runs, and 25 RBIs over the past month. Add in a healthy Mark DeRosa at third base, and St. Louis starts to look like the most complete team in the NL Central.
