St. Louis Cardinals’ manager refuses to speculate about postseason planning – MLB News
St. Louis Cardinals' manager Mike Matheny said on Wednesday, September 26, that the club’s focus for now is securing an edge at this part of the season, refusing to speculate about the pitching rotations and roster decisions.
Mike Matheny’s assertion came at a time when the Cardinals are trying to solidify their lead over their rivals for the Wild Card spot. While there is a bright chance that the club may get into the postseason, Matheny’s focus remains the ongoing second half of the season.
Cardinals will be playing the last series of this regular season next week – facing the Cincinnati Reds. Each win, at this point in time, is important for the Cardinals, helping them pave the way for the postseason.
Thus, it is the particular focus that is playing a key role in the Cardinals’ run. Importantly, Mike Matheny has a slightly different approach when it comes to the comparison with former manager Tony La Russa.
"I know my predecessor talked a lot about the edge, having that edge, and not doing anything to compromise one that you might have," Matheny said, referring to Tony La Russa. "An edge we have right now is that we're playing well. To start getting our minds somewhere else besides what has been effective for us -- and what has been effective for us is bland and boring and no fun to write about -- but it works for us. And it works for me."
Wild Card assignment is indeed something that the Cardinals will handle carefully. The past season, it was through this that the Redbirds made their way into National League Division Series and subsequently made it to the World Series to beat the Texas Rangers.
Mike Matheny did acknowledge, however, that the club has done some preparation when it comes to the rotation order. Beyond that, he stated, would amount to going the opposite direction of where the club needs to go at this stage.
It will be interesting to see what results the current Cardinals approach will bear at a time when all eyes are on them.
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