Can the St. Louis Cardinals go through to the NLCS?
Overcoming an 8.5 game deficit in the Wild Card standings for the second time in the history of the ballclub, the St. Louis Cardinals will be optimistic of replicating their feat of 1964.
47 years ago, the Cardinals went on to win the World Series and this time, their aspirations will be nothing less.
Atlanta Braves had led the Wild Card standings since mid-June but an awful performance in September saw them crash out of the season. Needing just one win in the season-ending three-game series against Philadelphia Phillies, the Braves were swept by the
National League stalwarts. Subsequently, the Phillies overthrew their most challenging competitor out of contention and made way for the Cardinals to qualify instead.
Cardinals finished their regular season campaign with an impressive 90-72 record and are now hopeful of replicating this form against a rather strong opposition in the NLDS. Cardinals’ previous post-season appearance was in 2009 and did not last long. They
lost to Los Angeles Angels in the Divisional Series but will want to move a step ahead this time.
Statistically speaking, the Cardinals have dominated the Phillies in the regular season, prevailing in six of the total nine games played. This will be enough motivation for the Cardinals to rate themselves as favourites for the NLDS, but with no home advantage,
things might get complicated for the Wild Card entrants.
Cardinals have a strong offence to tackle the most eminent rotation in the Majors. Albert Pujols, Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday together are competent enough to deal with likes of Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee. The batting trio has helped the
Cardinals to lead the list of runs scored by a team in the NL and a fraction of this brilliance in the Divisional Series might well see the Phillies crash out as early as the first round.
Pujols could not make an impressive start to the season due to injury concerns, but a revival of form and fitness in the second-half saw him improve his tally of home-runs to 37 and batting average to .299. He drove in 99 runs this season, articulating his
importance to the outfit. This is the first time in his 11 years at MLB that Pujols has finished with an average of less than .300, although the difference is not large.
Berkman, playing his first season for the Cardinals, smashed 31 home-runs at an average of .302 during 2011 and a similar performance will undoubtedly give the Redbirds an advantage in the NLDS. Allen Craig impressed in the last few series but has the ability
to perform against the best teams in the circuit.
Having lost their ace Adam Wainwright to Tommy John surgery, the Cardinals have found dependable endorsement from Kyle Lohse and Jaime Garcia. Lohse is expected to lead the rotation, given his form throughout the season and will be an equal match to the
strength of Philadelphia’s pitching.
Chris Carpenter resurged after failing to impress in the first half, going 6-2 after the All-Star break and showing commendable arm strength to pitch complete games.
Jason Motte has saved eight games from nine chances in September and will be heavily responsible for pitching scoreless innings at the depth.
The Cardinals will not be an easy opponent for the Phillies, but home advantage will favour the latter. However, after seeing the Phillies drop eight consecutive games, their advantage at home can be challenged by a quality opposition. The Cardinals have
a resolute record against the NL stalwarts, but experience of playing at this level more frequently favours the Phillies to go through to the NLCS.
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