NLCS Series Preview

The Nationals/Cardinals series at a glance.

10-run first innings aside, the Divisional round more or less played out exactly how I predicted it would for the Cardinals. It was a closely matched series, but the Cardinals found a way to pull it off in five games, meaning that they had to clinch in Atlanta. Fortunately, the field wasn't littered with trash this time around. It was a nice catharsis for a fan who had witnessed the horrorshow that was the 1996 NLCS, but few players on the current roster are even old enough to remember it.

St. Louis faces the Washington Nationals for the pennant. By virtue of being a division winner, the Cardinals actually gained the home field advantage over the Nationals even though Washington had a better regular season record. It sucks to be a Wild Card team. Although the Cardinals were markedly better at home versus on the road in 2019, they showed a better ability to win away from St. Louis down the stretch (e.g. the four game sweep at Wrigley) and against Atlanta in the playoffs.

Once again, rosters are not finalized at present, so this is all based on shared speculation.

2019 Season Series: Cardinals won 5-2
The Cardinals took 3 of 4 at Nationals Park (boring name, but huge points for no corporate naming rights) back in late April/early May, and also took 2 of 3 at Busch in a crucial mid-September clash. As usual, the season series results tend to be overemphasized this time of year, especially between teams that don't see each other as often as division rivals do. Managers have tendencies to make different decisions at this time of year, there are different players involved, and there's the whole "playoff pressure" factor. (I'm not just talking about Clayton Kershaw here.) We can probably put a little more weight on the more recent series, with both teams at the time fighting for a playoff spot. Of note, Dakota Hudson, Adam Wainwright and Patrick Corbin all had strong outings in the series while Max Scherzer was roughed up by the Cards.

Starting Pitching: Anibal Sanchez / Max Scherzer / Stephen Strasburg / Patrick Corbin vs. Miles Mikolas / Adam Wainwright / Jack Flaherty / Dakota Hudson
Sanchez will take the first turn for the Nationals in this series, and with the increased number of games you would expect to see Scherzer and Strasburg stick to regular starts instead of working out of the bullpen at times. As mentioned above, the Cardinals had recent success against the St. Louis native Scherzer, but historically this has not always been the case. Stasburg looked a bit fatigured in the finale vs. LA while Corbin allowed 7 ER in just 8 IP in 3 appearances in these playoffs. Something might be up with him. On the Cardinals side, the starters for the first two games (Mikolas, Wainwright) are set, with Waino trying to build on his successful last outing with another home start in game 2. Flaherty is the ace, but will be held back until game 3 due to his start on Wednesday. Dakota Hudson's defense crumbled around him in his first playoff start. His second will likely come on the road. ADVANTAGE: NATIONALS

Bullpen: Daniel Hudson vs. Carlos Martinez
Daniel Hudson took over the closer role late in the season and has pitched well, while Carlos Martinez did nearly all he could do to send the Cardinals home early this season with some rough work against Atlanta. The rest of the Nats pen features the closer-until-recently Sean Doolittle, the oldest active player in baseball (Fernando Rodney) and the shaky Hunter Strickland. St. Louis has better options than Martinez in John Brebbia, Tyler Webb, Giovanny Gallegos and occasionally Andrew Miller. Martinez is one of the longest tenured Cardinals not named Adam or Yadier, so perhaps manager Mike Shildt feels pressure not to make a change here. ADVANTAGE: PUSH

Catcher: Kurt Suzuki vs. Yadier Molina
There are long time veteran catchers on both sides. Suzuki was injured and left the field in the last game after being hit by a pitch on his wrist that also ricocheted off his helmet, so it's not a given that he starts the series in the lineup. Either way, Yan Gomes will do some catching as well. Molina has relegated his more than capable backup Matt Wieters to pinch-hit duty for the last month and a half. Both Nationals catchers are a bit more offensive minded than the defensive wizard Molina, though Yadi proved he could win with his bat in game 4 of the previous series. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

First Base: Ryan Zimmerman vs. Paul Goldschmidt
For the Nats, Howie Kendrick also logged some time at 1st, but there were questions about his defense. If Zimmerman hits, he stays in the lineup. It also happens to be Kendrick's bat that has kept him in the lineup no matter what position he's in, as proven by his series-winning grand slam against the Dodgers. On the Cardinals side, the only guy you're going to see at 1st is Paul Goldschmidt, whose bat seems to be heating up at the best time. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

Second Base: Howie Kendrick vs. Kolten Wong
Kendrick hit very well late in the season, as did Kolten Wong before his hamstring injury. Wong was able to start every game showing no ill effects of the injury, and his defense is miles above most at the position. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

Third Base: Anthony Rendon vs. Matt Carpenter
Rendon is having a mammoth offensive season, the best of his career so far and one worthy of MVP consideration. Carpenter was inserted back into the lineup to generate offense early on in the previous series, but his speed and defense are becoming a bit of a liability. He was hilariously removed for defensive purposes in the final game of the Divisional series before ever taking the field. We would see Edman back here if Bader is in the lineup for his glove. ADVANTAGE: NATIONALS

Shortstop: Trea Turner vs. Paul DeJong
Turner is one of the better base thieves in the league as well as one of the game's most well-rounded players. He has all of the tools as they say. DeJong is more of a power bat at this stage in his career than anything else, but his defense has improved. His pitch selection could use work. ADVANTAGE: NATIONALS

Right Field: Adam Eaton vs. Tommy Edman
To a somewhat lesser extent than Turner, Eaton is another Swiss Army knife of baseball. Edman moved to the outfield, somewhere he had never played professionally before this season, after Carpenter was slotted in at 3rd for his bat. So far, Edman has stood tall under the brightest lights of the season. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

Center Field: Michael Taylor vs. Dexter Fowler
Taylor was somewhat of a bit player for Washington this season and seems to be in the lineup for his glove more than anything else. If Victor Robles is healthy, this outfield improves substantially. Fowler manned center after the mid-series lineup change for the Cardinals, and he's solid there if not elite. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

Left Field: Juan Soto vs. Marcell Ozuna
Soto is one of the brightest young stars of the game, while Marcell Ozuna has caught fire at the right time, providing one of the scariest two-pronged attacks when he follows Paul Goldschmidt. ADVANTAGE: PUSH

Bench: Brian Dozier / Matt Adams / Yan Gomes / Victor Robles vs. Jose Martinez / Matt Wieters / Harrison Bader / Randy Arozarena
Whether it's due to matchups or injuries, the Nationals bench just seems very deep here. Actually, both teams should have plenty of capable hands on deck, although it remains to be seen if there will be roster changes for this round. The Nats may have the bigger bats, but the Cardinals have a couple of speed weapons they could deploy late in games. If Bader isn't starting his skills might be duplicated in Arozarena. ADVANTAGE: NATIONALS

Manager: Dave Martinez vs. Mike Shildt
Martinez was a journeyman player through much of the '80s and all of the '90s and tookover managing duties in 2018 with the Nationals after other coaching stints. He survived the Bryce Harper exodus and seems to have his club heading in the right direction. The not-former-player Shildt also seems to be heading in the same direction with his career, although questions about his bullpen usage will persist if this Carlos Martinez thing isn't straightened out once and for all. ADVANTAGE: PUSH

Prediction: CARDINALS IN 7

Game 1 is set for 7:00 PM CDT (local time) tomorrow on the Utz Network TBS. Go Cardinals!

Series Preview: NLDS (Cardinals vs. Braves)

The Cardinals/Braves series at a glance. 

I'm dusting off an old feature not seen here since 2014 -- the old Playoff Preview. What follows is a completely unscientific look at what to expect for this series. I do pretty much zero Cardinals analysis here, so it's kind of a fun treat to act like I know what I'm talking about. I didn't do one of these posts the last time the Cardinals made the playoffs, and they were unceremoniously dumped by their rivals. That won't happen again with the Cards officially putting an end to the Joe Maddon era in Chicago.

St. Louis faces Atlanta for the first time since the "outfield fly rule" debacle that marred the 2012 NL Wild Card Game. I was hoping they were going to abolish the whole Wild Card Game concept altogether after that inauspicious start, but it lives on in 2019, much to my frustration.

Keep in mind that rosters are not finalized at present, so this is all based on shared speculation.

2019 Season Series: Braves won 4-2
The Cardinals picked up only one victory at home and one on the road against Atlanta. Both three-game series were played in May, however, where the Cardinals failed to resemble anything approaching a playoff team after a hot start. It's difficult to draw much of a conclusion from this small sample size, but I mention it because it's something broadcasters like to talk about.

Starting Pitching: Jack Flaherty / Miles Mikolas / Dakota Hudson / Adam Wainwright vs. Dallas Keuchel / Mike Foltynewicz / Mike Soroka / Max Fried
Flaherty and Soroka are the aces of their staffs, but it will be 2018 All-Star Mikolas facing the resurgent Foltynewicz for Game 1. Mikolas has been taken down a peg or two in his second season with the Cardinals, but has shown the ability to stay into games a bit deeper than his younger teammates. He gets the nod over rookie Hudson while Flaherty lays in waiting for Game 2 because he started this past Sunday. The crafty veteran Wainwright has fared much better at home than on the road and will probably be held back for Game 4. Hudson has put together a nice first season in the rotation, but it's Flaherty who will be getting a few Cy Young Award votes after being nearly untouchable in the second half. On the Atlanta side, Soroka has been one of the top rookies in the game this season, while Fried has a gaudy won-loss total (for whatever that's actually worth.) It's late signee Dallas Keuchel who gets the call in Game 1 for Atlanta, however. Having spent most of his career in the AL, the Cardinals are not super familiar with him which doesn't generally work out all that well. Meanwhile, it looks like Folty's inclusion has forced out Julio Teheran who may be left off the roster entirely. ADVANTAGE: PUSH

Bullpen: Carlos Martinez vs. Mark Melancon
I only list the closers here, but both teams are hardly defined by the guy that has most recently been designated the guy who gets the save opportunities. Martinez made two All-Star teams as a starting pitcher, but injuries and weird confidence issues found him in the bullpen for the entire 2019 season. When Martinez can get the ball over the plate, he's extremely tough... but there's always a hint of uncertainty with him. He eventually replaced Jordan Hicks, who succumbed to an injury that required Tommy John surgery. Melancon, a ghost of closers past, replaced Luke Jackson in the role late in the season and has been excellent. St. Louis is supplemented by Giovanny Gallegos, the secret steal in the Luke Voit trade, as well as the heavily bearded John Brebbia and lefties Tyler Webb and Andrew Miller. Miller is no longer the super multi-inning wonder that he was in the playoffs a few years ago (is that era already over?), but the Cardinals have been solid in the pen for the most part. In addition to Melancon and Jackson, Atlanta's pen also features former Tiger Shane Greene, not-the-Coldplay-guy Chris Martin, and former starter Sean Newcomb (possibly?) ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

Catcher: Yadier Molina vs. Brian McCann/Tyler Flowers
Molina lost a significant chunk of his season due to injury, but he's barely taken an inning off since his return to the active roster. He had a down year at the plate, but his contributions elsewhere are nearly immeasurable. Another longtime vet in McCann has split time evenly with Flowers this season. Both are more than adequate with the bat but don't quite work the pitching (and running) game like Yadi does. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

First Base: Paul Goldschmidt vs. Freddie Freeman
There's not much to discuss here. Both are preeminent stars of the game, with Freeman's side getting the edge here based on his superior season. ADVANTAGE: BRAVES

Second Base: Kolten Wong vs. Ozzie Albies
Wong has quietly become one of the best defensive second basemen in the game, if not one of the best all-around defensive players period. After a dreadful first half, he is among the batting leaders at all positions since the All-Star break. However, he will be seeing his first action in a couple of weeks due to a hamstring injury. Albies is one of the most talented Atlanta players, but has been overshadowed by fellow youngster Acuña. I'll grade this based on assumption of full health, same as Acuña (and Freeman for that matter) who is also overcoming a recent injury. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

Third Base: Tommy Edman vs. Josh Donaldson
Edman, who escaped top prospect status while steadily rising up the ranks, somehow led the entire Cardinals team in slugging percentage despite the presence of multiple former top 5 MVP vote getters. He's been considered the heart and soul of the team in their second half surge, and is a guy that broadcasters seem to love, for whatever that's worth. In many matchups, he'd get the nod, but Donaldson has seemingly returned to MVP form himself. ADVANTAGE: BRAVES

Shortstop: Paul DeJong vs. Dansby Swanson
DeJong just capped off his first 30 HR season, but has taken a step back as a contact hitter. He's continued to improve in the field, however, and the Wong-DeJong tandem was at the center of a worst-to-first team defensive improvement from 2018 to 2019. Swanson, another highly touted former prospect, is having his best season at the plate but fell off in the second half. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

Right Field: Dexter Fowler vs. Matt Joyce/Adam Duvall
That Fowler's rebound season only netted him a .749 OPS goes to show how truly far he fell last season. Since his August move to the top of the lineup, however, he's seemed vital to an offense for the first time since he was playing for the Cubs. His OBP was more than 100 points above his AVG, which is always a good thing. Atlanta rolls out some combination of Matt Joyce and Adam Duvall (and possibly others). Joyce gets on base a lot while Duvall hits hard, sometimes. ADVANTAGE: PUSH

Center Field: Harrison Bader vs. Ronald Acuña Jr.
Bader is one of the top defensive players in the league (see also: Wong) but is no match for the wrecking crew that is Acuña, already one of the best players in the game at 21. ADVANTAGE: BRAVES

Left Field: Marcell Ozuna vs. Nick Markakis
Ozuna was carrying the Cardinals offense until a midseason injury and has had difficulty finding a groove ever since returning to the lineup. No one has really solved the mystery of the suddenly suspiciously noodle armed Ozuna, a guy who had one of the best young arms in the game back in Miami. He still hits hard and when he manages to connect it can be downright scary. Markakis will always have 2018. There was no repeat All-Star berth this time around, but he was solid. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

Bench: Matt Carpenter / Jose Martinez / Matt Wieters / et al. vs. assorted Braves players
I didn't list out Atlanta players here because they have multiple timeshares, while the Cardinals lineup is a little more clear to me. Carpenter, a former All-Star who just last season was guzzling salsa and raking in the accolades, fell off a cliff this season after being in relative decline for some time. Some blame the shift, but age might be the biggest factor. Not everyone ages the same. Carpenter can still occasionally catch fire with the bat, and had some encouraging moments filling in at 3rd while Edman shifted to 2nd in Wong's absence. Martinez was given a surprising multi-year deal this past offseason but for the second straight season has played himself out of the regular lineup. He has terrific career numbers as a pinch-hitter but hasn't hit much of anything in 2019. Wieters was the first legitimate backup Yadier Molina has ever had and has himself hit some timely bombs. For Atlanta, with Austin Riley also apparently being left off the playoff roster and Ender Inciarte done for the season, it's not clear who else is actually taking up the roster spots. Will there be a Billy Hamilton appearance? Adeiny Hechavarria? Charlie Culberson? All decent enough, I suppose. ADVANTAGE: PUSH

Manager: Mike Shildt vs. Brian Snitker
Shildt took over midway through last season as an interim fix for the fired Mike Matheny and, after coming up just short in 2018, led the Cards to their first playoff appearance since 2015. Snitker is in his fourth season with Atlanta with his second straight division crown. Neither has a huge MLB managerial resume of yet, but Snitker has the edge in playoff experience. ADVANTAGE: BRAVES

Prediction: CARDINALS IN 5

Game 1 is set for 5:00 PM EDT (local time) tomorrow on TBS, which means I'll still be at work. Go Cardinals!

It's (NBA) Playoff Time!

Basketball's second season commences. It must be repack time. 

By the slimmest of margins, the Portland Trail Blazers snagged the 3rd seed in the Western Conference, their highest seed in 18 years. Their won-loss record was not stellar, but they captured a division title on the regular season's final day, falling just shy of 50 wins. There are a ton of "good, but not necessarily great" teams in the league this year, especially in the West, which begins to explain how a sub-50 win Blazers team finds themselves in a favorable playoff position this year. They will face the New Orleans Pelicans, in what I feel is a favorable matchup considering that DeMarcus Cousins is injured and unavailable.

To celebrate the start of the playoffs (P.S. I have tickets to tonight's Pelicans/Blazers Game 1), I picked up a $5 repack box from our downtown Target location. These always contain 25% less cards than their baseball counterparts, which makes me question whether basketball cards in general are worth more than baseball (doesn't seem possible.) Some other factors must be at play here. However, we see this totally legitimate basketball player on the side of the Jumbo Box and know that we can only move forward. It's time to look at some basketball cards before we return to your regularly scheduled programming.

This is an impressive dunk by Marcus Camby in the original style Toronto Raptors jersey. They seemed like the first team to become self-aware when it came to basketball jersey designs.

Fleer was apparently on life support when Upper Deck took over the (former) Fleer brands. They probably could have done something more exciting with this Hot Prospects set.

This Dale Davis Stadium Club card just screams "promo photo" instead of "real life action". I only scanned this because Davis looks super awkward here.

This Dwight Howard card from the current Panini Prizm set was showing on the front of the box, which helped me to decide to grab this and not some other thing. Howard's card is a silver Prizm version. He also plays for the Hornets after a stint with the Rockets.

When I was really young, I once saw Mark Eaton play in some sort of exhibition/charity game at a local community center and thought he was the largest person on the planet, like an actual medieval giant.

Old-school James Edwards doesn't look terrible impressed with the tiny human trying to guard him. I don't usually let Lakers infect this blog, but this photo was too good to pass up.

I feel like the basketball repacks are kind of a cheat, because they can tend to include some college cards, like this Duke guy here.

Here's another Duke... er, Dukes guy.

Former Stanford chump Adam Keefe looks terrified for some reason.

So does Kurt Thomas!

Just showing off the old Vancouver Grizzlies jersey here.

Hey, it's a basketball!

I really like these longer cards, but I feel like the six-pocket pages to store them in were quite a rarity back in the '90s when these sets were being cranked out.

Theo Ratliff looks extremely uncomfortable in a suit here. I looked to see if Upper Deck did this to him because he was recently traded or something, but... nope.

Here's an early, pre-Blazers J.R. Rider card. Is that Danny Ainge down there? Hi, Danny.

This was the card I was happiest to get the most out of this box, as Ridnour is someone I ostensibly collect, being an Oregon alum. This also looks like someone let a kid wear an adult sized uniform.

John Starks' star burned brightly for the Knicks, but his run there was fairly brief. He bounced around a bit after leaving New York.

NBA Legend, I guess, Tim Hardaway.

I want to remember players for what they did on the court, and Hardway certainly had his stellar moments there. It's just hard to totally forget what kind of person he was revealed to be later in life.

I sneaked in another Laker here, because I was a fan of Nick the Quick back in his college days (no idea why, it's pretty random) and this is a nice looking card. Well, aside from the squished Nick in the lower left corner.

This is just a reminder that the Topps Archives concept has been around for quite awhile. When they got an NBA license again in 1992, they put out an interesting little set of players on would-be designs from their lost years, based off the baseball sets. It's not exactly the most collectible set in terms of value, but it's fun.

Something About the Playoffs

The time is nigh.

The Cubs and Cardinals have faced each other more than two thousand times, but none of those times has been in the postseason. This is all about to change tomorrow. I thought about doing my usual preview that I've done the past few years for each playoff series. Those posts usually take me a couple hours to write, and I'm sure I could come up with some things to say. This year, for at least this series, I think I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the ride.

I looked back at some of my posts from 2011 when October rolled around, and that team baffled me almost as much as this year's team. It's hard to even know what to make of the 2015 Cardinals, to be perfectly honest. As it has come time for me to write something about the playoffs, I have decided to just post my reactions here rather than any previews or predictions.

It feels somewhat amazing that this team made the playoffs at all, and yet it became the first Cardinals team in 10 years to win 100 games. And guess what? Those 100-win teams of the mid-ought years came away with nothing but the ass end of a terrible Jimmy Fallon/Drew Barrymore movie. The recent championship teams were a bewildering bunch that squeaked into the playoffs and had surprises around every corner. This year's bunch, despite having the best record in baseball, is being counted out by most because of injuries and a general lack of impressive numbers at virtually every position.

Matt Carpenter hit more HRs this season than he had in his entire career, combined. Matt Carpenter almost hit more HRs than Matt Holliday, Matt Adams, and Jhonny Peralta combined. He led the team in longballs, but fell short of 30. No one else hit more than 17. No batter on this team with enough qualifying plate appearances hit better than .275. Carpenter led the team with just 84 RBI. The pitching was great for the first half of the season, but multiple starters dropped off sharply in the second half. Adam Wainwright logged just 28 innings, but he's going to try to make a go of it as a reliever.

I could keep going. It's just weird. It was a weird season. Hell, the Cubs are in the playoffs. That's weird enough.

Rooting for the (Previously) Unrootable

All eyes on you, Lackey.

I was pretty grumpy about the trade that brought John Lackey to the Cardinals as the non-waiver trade deadline approached. I was never a fan of the guy, and the trade sent away a popular cost-controlled young arm that had shown some promise in his time with the Cardinals. The Red Sox also received what's left of Allen Craig just to rub it in. And while I'm not going to argue that Joe Kelly could have or would have won a playoff game here in October, I know what I'm stuck with as I root for this team to battle their way through the playoffs.

While Lackey's results after joining the Cardinals were less than inspiring, the point has been made over and over again that St. Louis brought him over for his playoff voodoo. And yes, he has experience. And yes, he had a nice outing against the Dodgers and could well be one of the reasons I'm still watching National League baseball right now. At this time of year more than any, you just have to root for the uniform more than you root for the player. Lackey's the next man up tomorrow afternoon and I hope he leads the Cardinals to victory.

And it's not like John Lackey's kicked your puppy or anything, has he? I mean... look at that face. How could you hate that guy?

Series Preview: NLCS (Giants vs. Cardinals)

The Giants/Cardinals NLCS series at a glance.

The playoffs resume this weekend, with the Cardinals having beaten Clayton Kershaw twice en route to a 4 game Divisional Series win. I'm not surprised at the Cardinals continued success against Kershaw, as they have proven over the years that they have his number in a way that no other team generally manages to do. Had it been Zack Greinke who got two starts instead of this year's (inevitable) Cy Young Award winner (and possible MVP), it could have been a very different series. And now, it's the series almost no one wanted -- the winners of three of the last four World Series crowns, facing off in the NLCS. It's hard for me to get much of a read on this series as it is a matchup I certainly did not expect, but I'll break it down anyway.

2014 Season Series: Giants won 4-3
The Giants actually won 3 of 4 at Busch this year before the Cardinals salvaged a series win in San Francisco at the beginning of July. These two teams also met in the 2012 NLCS, with the Giants rebounding from a 3-1 series deficit to claim the series and, eventually, the World Series as well.

Starting Pitching: Madison Bumgarner / Jake Peavy / Tim Hudson / Ryan Vogelsong vs. Adam Wainwright / Lance Lynn / John Lackey / Shelby Miller
Not much is known yet about the order of the Giants starters beyond tomorrow night's opening game (Bumgarner vs. Wainwright), but it's likely that all four of these pitchers will get a start at some point.  Like Kershaw, Bumgarner has struggled against St. Louis quite a bit. Wainwright, the Cardinals' ace, may actually be the weak link in the bunch right now as he struggled mightily against the Dodgers and the health of his arm has been called into question. Wainwright aside, both team's starters have fared very well in the playoffs so far. ADVANTAGE: PUSH

Bullpen: Santiago Casilla vs. Trevor Rosenthal
Casilla took over the closer's role for a struggling Sergio Romo in the middle of the season, which is basically the opposite of what happened in 2012. Rosenthal has been walking on thin ice in steel toed boots all season as he's had virtually no outings that didn't involve baserunners, if not runs. The rest of the bullpen for each team has been fairly solid, but the Giants seemingly have no weak spots. Left handed relief has been somewhat of an adventure for St. Louis. If things get wild, the Giants have two serviceable longmen in Yusmeiro Petit (who pitched a good deal of their 18 inning win over the Nats) and Tim Lincecum. The Cardinals have Michael Wacha presumably in this role, though his health and status are a bit of a mystery. ADVANTAGE: GIANTS

Catcher: Buster Posey vs. Yadier Molina
Posey is the Giants' offensive linchpin, and he's at least serviceable behind the plate. Molina's offense has lagged a bit behind his usual output since he returned from a thumb injury that knocked out a significant portion of his season, but his defense and game management remain otherworldly. It's hard to quantify how much a bat helps a team versus defense, but if Yadi's bat is at peak form, there aren't any better catchers around. ADVANTAGE: PUSH

First Base: Brandon Belt vs. Matt Adams
Both of these players are powerful lefties whose careers still feel a bit underdeveloped. Both guys had dramatic home runs in the Divisional round that decided big games. With no lefty starters in either team's rotations, you can expect both players to see plenty of action. ADVANTAGE: PUSH

Second Base: Joe Panik vs. Kolten Wong
Panik took over at second base midway through the season and has hit for average but little power. After being benched in favorite of small sample size hero Pete Kozma for Game 1 against Kershaw, Wong came through with some timely hitting to solidify his role as a starter. The Cardinals rookie continues to pull the occasional boneheaded maneuver, recalling his infamous World Series mistake, but his strengths outweigh his blunders at this point. ADVANTAGE: PUSH

Third Base: Pablo Sandoval vs. Matt Carpenter
The Panda is one of the Giants top run producers, but he's performed at a pretty pedestrian level for several seasons in a row now and can no longer be considered one of the premier players in the league. Carpenter, despite an MVP-caliber season last year, is still being confused with former pitcher Chris Carpenter at this point. Nevertheless, the third baseman is on fire right now, hitting home runs in 3 consecutive games against the Dodgers. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

Shortstop: Brandon Crawford vs. Jhonny Peralta
Crawford is a defensive wizard (but not The Wizard, of course) who doesn't do a whole lot with his bat. He does have that grand slam that won the Wild Card going for him, however. Peralta was the Cardinals offensive rock this season, and he even acquitted himself nicely in the field by playing passable defense. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

Right Field: Hunter Pence vs. Randal Grichuk
Pence is simply one of the most awkward players in the history of the game, but he's accumulated a pretty solid resume in his eight seasons in MLB. Whatever path he takes to the ball, in the field or with the bat in hand, he continues to get positive results, even if they're not pretty to look at. Grichuk got the start in right field in every game in the playoffs so far, but with right handed starters all around, someone else could take a turn. The rookie has looked good in the field so far and homered off Kershaw in Game 1 of their NLDS series. ADVANTAGE: GIANTS

Center Field: Gregor Blanco vs. Jon Jay
Blanco is a speedy, rangy outfielder but is a serious downgrade at the plate from what Angel Pagan would provide were he healthy. Jay doesn't have much pop in his bat, but he hits for high average and is good for a timely run or two. His arm can be a bit lacking, but he covers center field as well as most. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

Left Field: Travis Ishikawa vs. Matt Holliday
Ishikawa is Plan C, with both Pagan and Michael Morse down. Morse may or may not be available in this series, but the expectation is that we'll see more of Ishikawa in left this series, which can't be a good thing when the guy can't hit his way out of a wet paper bag. Holliday is one of the strongest men in baseball, and his bat is cooking right now. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

Bench: Joaquin Arias vs. Daniel Descalso / Oscar Taveras / Peter Bourjos / A.J. Pierzynski
San Francisco's bench could be better represented by this image. If Morse is able to contribute, it helps the Giants greatly, as no one other than Arias had accumulated any meaningful at bats prior to these playoffs. Pierzynski was added to the playoff roster on the Cardinals side after sitting out the NLDS round. The Cards bench isn't really a strength, either, but the Giants situation makes them look otherworldly. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

Manager: Bruce Bochy vs. Mike Matheny
This one is fairly straight forward. Bochy has been at the helm of two World Series winners in just the last four years. Matheny took over the Cardinals in 2012 and led them to an NLCS loss to the Giants and a World Series loss to the Red Sox. Futher time will tell what Matheny's legacy will be. ADVANTAGE: GIANTS

Prediction: CARDINALS in 6



The Secret Weapon roughed up Atlee Hammaker back in Game 7 of the 1987 NLCS. Will we see another amazing series like this one?

Game 1 game time is 7:00 CDT Saturday night at Busch Stadium with national coverage on FOX. Go Cards!

Series Preview: NLDS (Cardinals vs. Dodgers)

The Cardinals/Dodgers series at a glance.

For the third time in six years, the Cardinals face the Dodgers in the playoffs, this time in the divisional round. Both St. Louis and Los Angeles won their respective divisions, leaving each side out of the foolishness that is the Wild Card Game. Last season, the two teams met in the NLCS with the Cardinals defeating the Dodgers in six games.

2014 Season Series: Dodgers won 4-3
The Cardinals dropped three games in LA, salvaging a lone win in a four game series. Back in St. Louis, the Cards took two of three from the boys in blue. The two series were played within a few weeks of each other. I don't think there's a lot to take away from these games aside from the fact that Clayton Kershaw was his dominant self and not the occasionally mortal pitcher that the Cardinals have seen over the years.

Starting Pitching: Adam Wainwright / Lance Lynn / John Lackey / Shelby Miller vs. Clayton Kershaw / Zack Greinke / TBD
Starting pitching has been key for both of these ballclubs. After suffering an early season injury in Japan, Kershaw has put together a historically great season. Wainwright, meanwhile, was in lockstep with Kershaw until he labored through a second half swoon that coincided with Yadier Molina's absence from the lineup due to injury. Wainwright rebounded to win all five of his starts in September and was a late scratch for a chance at six when the Reds eliminated the Pirates from division title hopes prior to what would have been his final regular season start. Lance Lynn has quiet put together the most consistently great season of his young career, while trade deadline acquisition John Lackey has struggled to find that consistency in a Cardinals uniform. Shelby Miller was put in a timeout corner for the playoffs last year, but after struggling with his control for much of this season he's been in a really nice groove of late. On the Dodgers side, Zack Geinke continues to be one of the best #2 starters in the game. LA is counting on the return of Hyun-Jin Ryu in time to take the mound in Game 3, while Dan Haren has been serviceable this season and could take one of the starts. Health (or lack thereof) could swing this in either direction, but for now it's too close to call. ADVANTAGE: PUSH

Bullpen: Trevor Rosenthal vs. Kenley Jansen
Jansen has continued to be one of the game's most reliable closers, though his numbers are off just a half a tick from where he was last season. There's not a lot to complain about there. Trevor Rosenthal was second in the league in saves (next to Craig Kimbrel) in his first year as full-time closer, but he invited baserunners in nearly every outing. Jansen is joined by J.P. Howell, Pedro Baez, Brandon League and Brian Wilson. Wilson and Howell have plenty of deep playoff experience and League is a former closer, while Baez is in his first season. For the Redbirds, first time All-Star Pat Neshek leads the best of the rest, along with Seth Maness and Carlos Martinez. The Cardinals will also carry two or three lefties, with Sam Freeman, Randy Choate and prospect Marco Gonzales in the mix. The St. Louis bullpen has been adventurous at times this year (never a good thing when you're talking about relief). ADVANTAGE: DODGERS

Catcher: Yadier Molina vs. A.J. Ellis
Yadi had a down year offensively, by his standards, mostly due to a significant thumb injury that he suffered during the second half of the season. On the other hand, Molina is perhaps the game's best signal caller and has one of the best arms, while A.J. Ellis has been one of the worst backstops in all aspects of the game. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

First Base: Matt Adams vs. Adrian Gonzalez
Gonzalez has been a mind-bogglingly consistent run producer and power source that can sometimes be taken for granted. Adams has light tower power and hit for a high average this year, but still hasn't shown much of an ability to hit lefties, He's no guarantee to start every game of this series because of this. Unfortunately for St. Louis, they traded away their other first base option in Allen Craig, who was having a punchless season of his own. ADVANTAGE: DODGERS

Second Base: Kolten Wong vs. Dee Gordon
Gordon finally established himself as a major leaguer this season as he took over as the full-time second baseman. His 64 steals led all of MLB. He doesn't even have warning track power and his OBP won't thrill anyone, but once he does get on he's an immediate threat. Wong possesses a ton of speed and talent, but it doesn't seem like he always knows what to do with it. He's shown flashes of every tool known in the game and his improvement as a major leaguer has been noteworthy, but he's not quite there yet. ADVANTAGE: PUSH

Third Base: Matt Carpenter vs. Juan Uribe
Carpenter hasn't quite replicated his record setting All-Star season of 2013, but he's adjusted to his return to the hot corner well enough. He continues to be a table setter if not the fastest guy around and had a career high 95 walks this season. Uribe put together his second consecutive solid season and presents himself a solid example of a third baseman. Neither of these guys quite fit the mold of what you would have expected a 3B to be even 5 or 10 years ago, but they're doing alright for themselves. ADVANTAGE: PUSH

Shortstop: Jhonny Peralta vs. Hanley Ramirez
At 32, Peralta put together a season that fell in line with his career numbers as a first time Cardinal. It just so happens that those numbers were some of the best the storied club has ever seen at its traditionally offensively-challenged position. Ramirez fell off significantly from his huge (though injury shortened) 2013 season, but he's still been productive. ADVANTAGE: PUSH

Right Field: Randal Grichuk / Oscar Taveras vs. Matt Kemp
The Allen Craig/Joe Kelly for John Lackey trade was, in part, supposed to free up an everyday spot in the lineup for uber-prospect Taveras to seize. This hasn't exactly happened. Fellow rookie Grichuk, acquired in the David Freese/Peter Bourjos deal, has had some success against lefties and will likely get starts against Kershaw and Ryu. Taveras has had to settle with making an impression unlike Yasiel Puig, who exploded on to the scene the moment he put on a Dodger uniform. Kemp is still not the All-World player he was in 2011, but he's returned to the level of a power bat that you want to be worried about. ADVANTAGE: DODGERS

Center Field: Jon Jay vs. Yasiel Puig
Puig didn't exactly build on his stellar rookie season, but he's remained an extremely deadly threat both in the field and at the plate. Jon Jay was replaced as starting center fielder and once again responded by hitting for a high average and playing well enough to keep himself in the lineup for the bulk of the season. His defense seemed to rebound to an acceptable level after struggling mightily in 2013. ADVANTAGE: DODGERS

Left Field: Matt Holliday vs. Carl Crawford
Heading into the All-Star Break, Holliday had 6 HRs on the season and an OPS of just .762. People were worried? Holliday finished at his usual 20 HR, 90 RBI, .800+ OPS level when all was said and done. His age dictates that he's in decline, but there was no scarier hitter in the Cardinals lineup heading down the stretch. Crawford managed a .300 average this season and stole more bases than he had since he left Tampa Bay, though his output was half of one of his average seasons with the Rays. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

Bench: Daniel Descalso / Peter Bourjos / Pete Kozma vs. Andre Ethier / Justin Turner / Scott Van Slyke
Ethier aside, the Dodgers bench has some serious firepower. The bearded Turner and Van Slyke the Younger have put up monstrous numbers in more than small sample sizes. Meanwhile, the Cardinals trot out the experienced but punchless Descalso and Kozma. Kozma was heroic in the 2012 playoffs but spent nearly the entire season in AAA. Bourjos could be in line to get a start and will be the first considered as a defensive replacement as he can run circles around the entire Cardinals outfield. St. Louis also has a backup catching decision to make, as they'll need to decide if they want to carry longtime backup Tony Cruz or Molina-stand-in A.J. Pierzynski. ADVANTAGE: DODGERS

Manager: Mike Matheny vs. Don Mattingly
Matheny has heaps of playoff experience for a guy in just his third year on the job, but his mismanagement of the bullpen this season and suspect late game decision making have left many scratching their heads. It's hard to argue with a first year NLCS appearance followed by a World Series appearance, however, but if he can't top it the scrutiny is going to increase. Mattingly nearly found himself out of a job last season but now finds himself in the playoffs for the second straight year. Though nearly anyone could look good with Kershaw, Greinke, a few bats and the Dodgers obscene payroll, Mattingly is starting to earn some respect.
ADVANTAGE: PUSH

Prediction: DODGERS IN 4



The Cardinals advanced to the World Series after dispatching with the Dodgers in last year's NLCS. Let's hope that the series ends with Yadi hugging someone.

Game 1 game time is 3:30 PDT at Dodger Stadium with national coverage on Fox Sports 1. Go Cards!

Series Preview: World Series

The Cardinals/Red Sox World Series at a glance.

Largely on the strength of a pitcher who was drafted less than a year and a half ago, the Cardinals advanced to the World Series to face the Boston Red Sox. Boston, whose turnaround from a disastrous Bobby Valentine-led 2012 season was rather remarkable, has the home field advantage in the series due to Bud Selig's rather idiotic treatment of the annual All-Star Game.

2013 Season Series: 0-0
Boston and St. Louis did not play each other this year and haven't met in the regular season since 2008. Their last meeting in the World Series was in 2004, which proved to be a house of horrors for a previously unstoppable Redbird machine. Only David Ortiz and Yadier Molina remain from the two teams' 2004 World Series rosters, and Molina was just the backup to current manager Mike Matheny at the time.

Starting Pitching: Adam Wainwright / Michael Wacha / Joe Kelly / Lance Lynn vs. Jon Lester / John Lackey / Clay Buchholz / Jake Peavy
It's hard to recall a pitcher as young and suddenly successful under the brightest lights as Wacha is right now. In his final start of the season (and just 9th of his big league career), Wacha came within one out of a no-hitter. In his three playoff starts, he's allowed just one loud run (and 8 total hits) with an NLCS MVP trophy to show for his good work. Wainwright has been in ace form of late, while Kelly and Lynn have been a bit of a mixed bag. The Red Sox foursome are all quality starting pitchers and well-known commodities, but none can match the Cardinals ace or the recent work of the young rook. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

Bullpen: Trevor Rosenthal vs. Koji Uehara
Rosenthal can hit 100 on the gun and has impressed in his end of season role as the Cardinals closer, but 38 year old Uehara has literally been insane. Playoffs included, Uehara has struck out 114 batters while walking 9 and allowing 10 runs. Alongside Rosie in the Redbirds pen is Carlos Martinez, Seth Maness, Randy Choate and Kevin Siegrist, while Boston's pen includes Craig Breslow, Franklin Morales, Junichi Tazawa, Brandon Workman and (oddly enough) Ryan Dempster. The Cardinals have many situational relievers while the Red Sox are flush with spot starter types (and Dempster). ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

Catcher: Yadier Molina vs. Jarrod Saltalamacchia
Molina hasn't quite been the same player this year since a midseason injury, but his loads of playoff experience and success in big moments will serve him well here. Salty has one of the all-time great baseball last names, not to mention one of the longest ones, and he's thrived as Boston's first full-time catcher since Jason Varitek retired. No one can quite handle pitchers like Yadi as is evident by the results his young counterparts continue to achieve. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

First Base: Matt Adams vs. Mike Napoli
Adams is a bit of an all-or-nothing player at the plate, which can lead to some spectacular whiffs in key moments. The short porch at Fenway Park for the slugging lefty could prove to be very favorable to him, however. Adams may be replaced at first by Allen Craig by the time the series shifts to St. Louis, depending upon how much progress Craig can make. Napoli, a converted catcher, similarly runs hot and cold at the plate but has considerably more experience than Adams. ADVANTAGE: PUSH

Second Base: Matt Carpenter vs. Dustin Pedroia
Carpenter's bat finally started to show some life in the NLCS after an abysmal Divisional Series, and the league's leader in doubles, hits and runs will be depended upon heavily on the biggest stage. Pedroia led his league in those same categories in 2008 en route to an MVP award and has continued to be one of the better offensive second basemen around. ADVANTAGE: PUSH

Third Base: David Freese vs. Xander Bogaerts/Will Middlebrooks
Freese has rarely reminded anyone of 2011 this year and has been removed for defensive purposes in nearly ever game. There's still plenty of time for him to come up with something heroic, but it's possible that his rough injury history is really catching up to him even though he hasn't played a lot of big league games for his age. Bogaerts, the 21-year-old Aruban prospect, replaced Middlebrooks as the starter for the final two games of the ALCS. John Farrell will probably ride the hot hand. ADVANTAGE: PUSH

Shortstop: Pete Kozma vs. Stephen Drew
Kozma is generally a plus fielder and is the Cardinals best baserunner. Unfortunately, he brings his glove to the plate and tries to hit with it, or at least that's what it seems like. Stephen Drew likely won't ever live up to his early offensive promise, but he won't embarrass himself at the plate. ADVANTAGE: RED SOX

Right Field: Carlos Beltran vs. Shane Victorino
Beltran is one of the game's all-time best playoff performers, while The Flyin' Hawaiian brings loads of playoff experience to the table as well. Victorino has played in the postseason in every season of his career save his rookie year and last year, and his memorable grand slam helped propel the Red Sox into this final round. This one is close. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

Center Field: Jon Jay vs. Jacoby Ellsbury
Jay plays a solid center field and should get along just fine with Fenway Park's abbreviated dimensions. However, in what is quickly becoming the opposite of a small sample size, Jay has a .190/.259/.485 career playoff slash line, enough to frighten anyone at this spooky time of year. Ellsbury is the game's premiere base thief and can usually hold his own with the bat in his hands. ADVANTAGE: RED SOX

Left Field: Matt Holliday vs. Jonny Gomes
Holliday is the Cardinals rock solid #3 hitter and superstar. He faced the Red Sox in their last World Series appearance in 2007, when Boston prevailed over Holliday's Rockies. Gomes is heavily used against left-handed pitching, where he thrives. Given that the Cardinals have no lefty starters, Daniel Nava could figure into the equation quite a bit. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

Designated Hitter: Allen Craig vs. David Ortiz
Craig hasn't played a game since September 4th, but when he last played he was leading the league in RBI (97) and leading the galaxy in batting average with runners in scoring position. His power took a dip this season as it did pretty much across the board in the Cardinals clubhouse, but no one in the National League was more effective when it counted the most. It remains to be seen how effective he will be with all of the time off. Big Papi has quietly put together another stellar season at age 37, and his every at bat will be worth dropping whatever you're doing to tune in for. ADVANTAGE: RED SOX

Bench: Daniel Descalso / Shane Robinson / Tony Cruz / Kolten Wong vs. David Ross / Quintin Berry / Mike Carp / Daniel Nava
The Cardinals biggest playoff offensive contribution from the bench so far was a Shane Robinson home run that sort of squeaked over the wall in Game 3 of the NLCS. Carp is a slugger than doesn't get consistent playing time while Nava is essentially a regular without a regular position. Mike Napoli will also join this crowded bunch when David Ortiz plays first base in St. Louis. This is a stacked and scary Boston bench. ADVANTAGE: RED SOX

Manager: Mike Matheny vs. John Farrell
Matheny has built up a little bit of criticism along the way, but it's hard to argue with someone who has brought his team to the World Series in his second season as a professional manager after coming within one game of it in his first. Farrell is in his first playoff dance, but Boston must have liked something about him during his time in Toronto as they bizarrely included him somehow in a player trade between the two teams. Farrell has done a lot to soothe the nausea that Red Sox fans must still feel when Bobby Valentine's name is brought up, but it also helps a ton that many key players are healthy this year when they weren't last year. ADVANTAGE: PUSH

Prediction: CARDINALS in 7



Hey, as unlikely as it seems, it's happened before.

Game 1 game time is 7:00 CDT (8:00 EDT) at Fenway Park with national coverage on FOX. Go Cards!

Series Preview: NLCS

The Cardinals/Dodgers NLCS series at a glance.

Having survived a 5-game series with Pittsburgh where both teams won on the road, the Cardinals now face off against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a best-of-7. This will be the 8th NLCS appearance for St. Louis since the great Y2K scare. The last time these teams met was in the divisional round in 2009, where Matt Holliday dropped a key fly ball that some Cardinal fans never got over. It's hard to spot an underdog here, with a big payroll team playing the biggest payroll team (Dodgers) of all-time. The nation seems to be experiencing Cardinal fatigue, so despite their obvious economic advantage, Los Angeles should have a healthy edge in fan support (for whatever that's worth.)

2013 Season Series: Dodgers won 4-3
Los Angeles had the edge in the 7 game season series, due largely to winning 3 out of 4 at Busch in August. Back in May, with manager Don Mattingly tidying up his resume, the Cards took 2 out of 3 in Chavez Ravine in what seems like a lifetime ago. None of this likely means much of anything.

Starting Pitching: Joe Kelly / Michael Wacha / Adam Wainwright / TBD vs. Zack Greinke / Clayton Kershaw / Hyun-Jin Ryu / Ricky Nolasco
Neither staff ace is available for Game 1, but the Dodgers have a worthy stand-in Greinke. Kelly is slated to start Game 1 for the Cards. Wacha has only allowed a single hit in each of his last two starts while Wainwright would have been a shoo-in for the NLDS MVP were such a thing to exist. The rest of the rotation seems pretty iffy, and Lance Lynn couldn't have inspired much confidence in his manager with his shaky outing last round. Kershaw has actually had his share of troubles, relatively speaking, against the Cardinals. Ryu and Nolasco are both pretty solid, though Nolasco has never pitched in the postseason before (all that time in Miami) and Ryu lasted just 3 innings in his start last round. This one is close. ADVANTAGE: DODGERS

Bullpen: Trevor Rosenthal vs. Kenley Jansen
Jansen has been automatic since taking over the closer role in 2012, though he has a relatively low number of saves for a winning team. The Dodgers offensive explosions have a tendency to take save opportunities off the table. Jansen is joined by Brian Wilson, who has only thrown 16 2/3 innings in the majors since returning from Tommy John surgery, plus Chris Withrow, J.P. Howell and Paco Rodriguez. Rosenthal is bolstered by Carlos Martinez, Seth Maness, Randy Choate and Kevin Siegrist. Martinez emerged as Mike Matheny's go-to 8th inning option in the divisional series, while the rest of the pen will be used as situational relievers depending on matchups and runners on base. Both teams are very solid here. ADVANTAGE: DODGERS

Catcher: Yadier Molina vs. A.J. Ellis
Ellis seems to be the Dodgers catcher by default. At 32, the organizational soldier is coming off only his second full season as a starter. Molina is one of the game's best and has loads of playoff experience. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

First Base: Matt Adams vs. Adrian Gonzalez
Since taking over for Allen Craig, Adams has been locked in and should be pitched around at all costs by anyone throwing right-handed. Gonzalez seems to be in decline, but he's every bit as dangerous as the relatively green Adams and still managed to plate 100 batters this season. ADVANTAGE: PUSH

Second Base: Matt Carpenter vs. Mark Ellis
Ellis is a competent second baseman, and not quite a black hole at the plate at a position where there are black holes in abundance. Carpenter had a fantastic season, but he went 1-for-19 in the NLDS. He did lead the team in most champagne-saturated hair. When right, he is one of the smartest and most patient hitters in the game. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

Third Base: David Freese vs. Juan Uribe
Both starting third basemen had Big Playoff Moments in the divsional round. Freese reminded everyone of 2011 with his game-changing blast in the deciding game versus Pittsburgh while Uribe bailed out short rest starter Kershaw in the Dodgers clinching win. Freese had a career worst season in 2013, but his success in the postseason can't be understated or overlooked. Pressed into more regular duty due to injuries, Uribe had his best season since 2010. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

Shortstop: Pete Kozma vs. Hanley Ramirez
Kozma seems to have wrested control of the starting shortstop position from Daniel Descalso, where he had much success in his limited 2012 run. Descalso has been relegated to late game defensive replacement duties at a position he rarely plays (3B), which frustrates me to no end. If Kozma finds the magic elven ghost wizard pixie dust (this is a real thing) again that he ingested late last summer, he might be almost as good as his opposite in Dodger blue. Ramirez had a career high in OPS in an injury-shortened season where he apparently rediscovered his All-Star form that he left in one of the empty seats in Miami. ADVANTAGE: DODGERS

Right Field: Carlos Beltran vs. Yasiel Puig
Puig drew national buzz for the scorching hot start to his career, and remains a powerful weapon at the plate and in the field. He went 8-for-18 in the NLDS series against the Braves. Beltran has some of the best playoff numbers of any active player in the game, though he probably couldn't beat Puig in a race from right field to the plate if he was spotted 7 seconds. This is a close one. ADVANTAGE: DODGERS

Center Field: Jon Jay vs. Skip Schumaker
Jay plays a passable outfield and gets on base enough to keep his job, but he was buried in the batting order for a reason. He's best fit to be a really solid 4th outfielder for someone, but the Cardinals have a lot of sluggers who can't play center field. Somebody has to. Schumaker may be the answer to a trivia question about this series someday, or worse, a punchline. The former Cardinal 4th outfielder was converted to a second baseman out of sheer desperation, but it wasn't a plan for the long haul. Schumaker is in this lineup now because of his connections to hitting coach Mark McGwire and because he kneecapped Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. He's got a pretty good arm. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

Left Field: Matt Holliday vs. Carl Crawford
Crawford's last All-Star year must seem like a century ago, but it was actually 2010. He endured a miserable stint in Boston and has been a bit of a forgotten man in the corner of the Dodgers outfield. Once the premiere base thief in the game, he's stolen just 39 bases since leaving Tampa Bay after that last All-Star hurrah. Holliday is the engine that keeps the Cardinals offense moving, though he sputters a bit in the field. ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

Bench: Allen Craig? vs. Andre Ethier?
Craig has a serious Lisfranc injury that seriously is going to keep him out of the playoffs, no matter how far the Cardinals can progress. That hasn't stopped speculation that the team might succumb to using him as a pinch hitter, though it seems doubtful at this point. It's more of an indictment of the Cardinals bench as it stands right now than it is an indication of what Craig might be able to offer. Most of the current bench options (Daniel Descalso, Kolten Wong, Adron Chambers, Shane Robinson, Tony Cruz) are automatic outs which might force Mike Matheny to get creative. Ethier has a much better chance of providing some punch off the bench, and he will be in the starting lineup the second someone explains to Don Mattingly that Schumaker is not the same guy as David Eckstein, the lucky charm he bought from some peddler than claimed to have a couple World Series rings under his belt. Los Angeles also has Michael Young and Andy Van Slyke's son, plus a pinch-running option in failed prospect Dee Gordon. ADVANTAGE: DODGERS

Manager: Mike Matheny vs. Don Mattingly
Matheny has been here before, leading the Cards to the NLCS before blowing it spectacularly against the Giants last season. Mattingly has been here before in that he was the manager of Dodgers a few days ago when they beat the Braves in his first playoff series. As a player, Matheny left the Cardinals for San Francisco a couple of years before they finally won their first title under Tony La Russa, while Mattingly retired the year before the Yankees won their first title since the '70s. Considering that Mattingly was nearly out of a job before the Dodgers pulled a 180 on their season... ADVANTAGE: CARDINALS

Prediction: CARDINALS in 7



There probably won't be a forfeited game in this series. Whatever happened to Craig Kilborn?

Game 1 game time is 7:00 CDT at Busch Stadium with national coverage on TBS. Go Cards!

Deja Vu

On to the NLCS!

Freese went deep in a pivotal game, much like the 2011 World Series.

Waino went the distance tonight, and got to make this face again, just like the 2006 World Series (and as pictured, Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS. Some version of this needs to be on a baseball card.)

Now the Cardinals face the Dodgers, just like 2009... oh, crap. Just like 1985, I mean.

Series Preview: NLDS

The Cardinals/Pirates NLDS series at a glance.

The Cardinals will begin their playoff run against the Pittsburgh Pirates tomorrow afternoon, and I thought I'd give it a proper preview. The Pirates come in as the Wild Card winner with the Cards taking the NL Central for the first time since 2009. This will be the first time that two teams in the same division have been allowed to face each other in a playoff series, which will probably take a little bit of the luster off of this matchup. Most casual fans are supporting the Pirates in their first playoff appearance since 1992, so the "underdog" cries will fall on deaf ears here.

2013 Season Series: Pirates won 10-9
While St. Louis was 6-3 at Busch this season against Pittsburgh, they were dominated at PNC Park this year (7-3), particularly in an ugly 5 game series where the Cardinals were barely able to scrape together a single win. I don't feel that season series results are always a great indicator of how the playoffs will play out, especially with shortened rotations and shorter leashes at play.

Starting Pitching: Adam Wainwright / Lance Lynn / TBD vs. A.J. Burnett / TBD / Francisco Liriano
Starting pitching was a major asset for both teams this year, though both teams relieved heavily upon youngsters. Wainwright regained the perennial Cy Young Award candidate form he had before his Tommy John surgery while Francisco Liriano traveled back in time to 2006 to find the magic. Liriano started the Wild Card play-in game, so it will be up to Burnett, who has given the Cards fits, in Game 1. Neither team has announced much beyond Game 1, but it seems likely that Joe Kelly and Gerrit Cole will fill out the holes. The Cardinals will have rookies Shelby Miller and Michael Wacha (of recent near-no-hitter fame) available out of the bullpen to start the series while I'd expect to see Jeff Locke and possibly Charlie Morton at some point for Pittsburgh. Advantage: PUSH

Bullpen: Trevor Rosenthal vs. Jason Grilli
Rosenthal was installed as the closer in just the final week of the season, but he's been one of the most dominant pitchers out of the pen all season. His fastball is among the hardest thrown in the game. Grilli caught lightning in a bottle this year and gained his first All-Star selection in his age 36 season. Grilli had a late season injury that saw him temporarily secede duties to Mark Melancon, while Rosenthal ousted an ineffective Edward Mujica who was a first-time All-Star this season himself. Joining Rosie in the pen is Kevin Siegrist, the 41st Round draft pick with an 0.45 ERA, along with Seth Maness and lefty specialist Randy Choate. The Pirates pen includes Vin Mazzaro and Tony Watson. Few household names on either side, but both team's pens have been excellent for the most part this season. Advantage: PUSH

Catcher: Yadier Molina vs. Russell Martin
Martin is frequently cited as the heart and soul of this year's Pirates club, but recent late game dramatics aside, not much can be done to hide his .703 OPS. Molina is an MVP candidate who flirted with the NL batting crown race before injuries slowed him down a bit. He's the best defensive catcher in the game, has a stellar track record with the pitchers he works with and is a consistent run producer. I'm not sure about the hairdo, though. Advantage: CARDINALS

First Base: Matt Adams vs. Justin Morneau/Gaby Sanchez
Matt Adams took over regular 1B duties for run-producing factory Allen Craig and has been fantastic. He has a powerful, compact lefty swing that has sent some screaming baseballs into the seats. Morneau has struggled mightily since the Twins parted ways with him, driving in just 3 runs in 92 PA's with Pittsburgh. Sanchez is competent but doesn't have the hitting chops that you'd expect from a first baseman. Advantage: CARDINALS

Second Base: Matt Carpenter vs. Neil Walker
Matt Carpenter learned how to play second base this past offseason and turned his new opportunity to play every day into one of the greatest offensive seasons by a lefty Cardinal in recent memory. He broke Stan Musial's single season record for most doubles by a lefty, drove in a ton of runs from (mostly) the leadoff spot and didn't embarrass himself at the keystone. Neil Walker has nice pop for a second baseman and in most years would win this matchup handily. Advantage: CARDINALS

Third Base: David Freese vs. Pedro Alvarez
Freese chose a lousy time for his worst offensive season, his future now with the franchise very much in doubt after natural third baseman Matt Carpenter's breakout year. With Kolten Wong waiting in the wings, it'll be interesting to see what direction the team goes with next year. Freese, when right, has a lot of power to all fields, but glimpses of his 2012 self have been fleeting this year. Alvarez hits monster homeruns and strikes out a lot. He's dragged down by a low batting average and, consequently, a low OPB. Nevertheless, Alvarez is still the most dangerous hitter in the Pirates lineup as far as being able to turn the outcome of a game on a dime. Advantage: PIRATES

Shortstop: Pete Kozma/Daniel Descalso vs. Jordy Mercer/Clint Barmes
The Kozma/Descalso situation isn't so much a platoon as it is a coinflip to see who might suck less today. The SS spot in the Cardinals order has been a black hole this season with Kozma not able to live up to his late 2012 promise, as he regressed to numbers that were more consistent with his minor league career. Descalso has more experience points than Kozma, which just means he leveled up on slimes while eating Hot Pockets, and manager Mike Matheny seems to believe it's appropriate to put him at 3rd sometimes in late game situations. Barmes hasn't been a good hitter in 4 years, but Mercer has done some positive things with the bat. Both Pirates shortstops are right-handers, which means their usage will be even more difficult to exclaim. No one is winning awards here with their defensive skills, but Barmes and occasionally Kozma can handle themselves. Advantage: PIRATES

Right Field: Carlos Beltran vs. Marlon Byrd
Byrd has been the best of the Pirates late season acquisitions, putting together the best overall season of his career, much of it wasted in a Mets uniform. Beltran has quietly put together almost the exact same season offensively, but he's had better seasons and has a playoff track record that can't be overlooked. Advantage: CARDINALS

Center Field: Jon Jay vs. Andrew McCutchen
Jay is a singles hitter who has had a rough go of it this season with an increasingly empty .275 batting average. He's usually good for a light .300. He can be fun to watch in the field, but he doesn't have much of an arm. McCutchen is the Pirates star, and he's good-to-great in all aspects of the game. He may get MVP consideration even though his numbers are not eye-popping in the traditional categories. Advantage: PIRATES

Left Field: Matt Holliday vs. Starling Marte
Holliday had a rough first half of the season but has been studly in the second half, pulling his numbers up to not look too funny while sitting with the other seasons he's spent in St. Louis. He's a bit lumbering in the field, but he usually gets the job done, minus the style points. Marte stole 41 bases this season but also led the league in being caught (15 times). He has the strength to be a slugger, but only drove in 35 runs this year, only partly explained by his spot in the batting order. Like Alvarez, he's a fan of the big swing-and-a-miss. Advantage: CARDINALS

Manager: Mike Matheny vs. Clint Hurdle
One-time Cardinal Hurdle, a former "can't miss" prospect who was once on a Sports Illustrated cover, led the Colorado Rockies to the playoffs in 2007 after Matt Holliday was given credit for his phantom touch of home in a tiebreaker game with the Padres. His overall playoff record is 7-4, all of which occured in 2007. Matheny is the former Gold Glove catcher who last year became a manager for the first time. He went 7-6 if you count the play-in game.
Advantage: PUSH

Prediction: CARDINALS in 5



Here's a look at the Cardinals beating up on the Pirates earlier this season, now that I'm done trying to be unbiased.

Game 1 game time is 4:00 CDT at Busch Stadium with national coverage on TBS. Go Cards!

The Zombies Have Overtaken the Perimeter!

There is no escape! AHHHHH!

I can't believe this season. I can't believe this team.

Much respect goes out to the Rangers, who have a hell of a team. I swear that Nelson Cruz and Mike Napoli batted in every single inning of this series, somehow. At least, it seemed that way.

This championship will make the long offseason that much sweeter.

(Thanks to VEB for the picture.)

Tonight's Post Has Been Postponed By Rain

I guess it doesn't matter that it stayed fairly dry for quite awhile tonight in St. Louis or that, when it did rain, it resembled more of a drizzle than a full on flood.

Don't mind me - my irritation is only exacerbated by the fact that my internet was down for several hours tonight. I planned on posting this a full four hours ago.

And now there could be the temptation of bringing Chris Carpenter in to start Game 7 on three days rest, despite the fact that a starter on 3 days rest pretty much never works out. They've already tried it once. Don't get me wrong, though. Carp is basically my favorite active player in all of baseball and I would love to see some unprecedented heroics from him. I just think it's a terrible idea.

Let's just hope that there is a Game 7.