Before we tell you why the St. Louis Cardinals will soon be World Series Champions, it is important to note that, not too long ago, they were considered a mediocre team. On Aug. 25, they were 67-63, sitting 10.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the Wild Card. Then, in an occurrence understandable only to the baseball gods, the St. Louis went 23-9 to finish the season, while Atlanta lost 20 of its last 30 games. Entering the final day of regular-season play, both teams had 89-72 records. You know how that ended.
On Sunday, the Cardinals punched their ticket to the World Series after beating the Milwaukee Brewers 12-6 in Game 6 of the NLCS. Now, they will face off against the Texas Rangers, with Game 1 set for tonight in St. Louis. Here's why the Redbirds will win it all.
1. They're red-hot
This season reminded us that the baseball campaign is really, really long, and what matters is who's hot in the end — something that the Braves and Red Sox learned the hard way. The Cards are scorching. Including the postseason, they've won 30 of their last 43 games.
To make the playoffs, they had to stay sharp until game 162. When the playoffs began, they had clearly hit their stride. The same cannot be said of the Phillies and Yankees, who clinched their respective divisions in mid-September before being upset in first-round playoff matchups against the Cardinals and Tigers, respectively. The Brewers clinched the NL Central on Sept. 23, the same day the Rangers won the AL West.
The Rangers have looked like the better team for most of the year, but the Cardinals are better now, and that's what counts.
2. Tony La Russa's bullpen
In their six-game NLCS victory over the Brewers, the Cards became just the second team in postseason history to win a best-of-seven series in which their relievers recorded more outs than their starting pitchers. The bullpen, like the entire team, saved its best for last.
On Sunday, manager Tony La Russa worked some magic, pulling starter Edwin Jackson after two innings and relying on the motley crew of Fernando Salas, Marc Rzepczynski, Octavio Dotel, Lance Lynn and Jason Motte to do the rest. They were up to the task, allowing just two runs in seven frames.
La Russa has used Salas, the Cards' closer for much of the year, in the third, fourth, sixth and eighth innings this postseason, and he has a 1.86 ERA. Dotel has earned two wins and a hold pitching in the fifth, sixth and seventh, while Motte has four saves and a flawless ERA in eight innings of October work.
3. Balance of power
The Cardinals' lineup is solid, one through eight. In the heart of the order, however, are the big guns: Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman, all of whom are having solid postseasons. Look further down the lineup, and Yadier Molina is giving pitchers problems — he hit .333 in the NLCS and has reached base in nine of 11 playoff contests.
There is also a balance between veteran leadership and young talent. Furcal, Molina, Pujols and Berkman have each played in over 40 playoff games, and know what it takes to win in October. They will help younger players like Jon Jay, Allen Craig and David Freese to stay calm under pressure, shouldering much of the burden and letting the youngsters focus on their jobs.
4. The savior is a Carpenter
For the first time this postseason, the Cardinals will send ace Chris Carpenter to the mound in a series opener. Carpenter threw a three-hit, complete-game shutout in the decisive Game 5 against the Phillies, and he tossed eight shutout frames in his lone World Series start in 2006. He's 7-2 lifetime in the playoffs with a 3.11 ERA, and St. Louis has won all three games he's started this postseason. If the World Series goes seven games, he will likely be out there for three of them.
Meanwhile, the Rangers will go with lefty C.J. Wilson in Game 1. Wilson is a lowly 1-4 with a 5.40 ERA in seven career postseason starts.
5. The Freese effect
No one saw this one coming. David Freese, the 28-year-old third baseman who had 10 homers and 55 RBI this season, has had a heroic October. In Game 4 of the NLDS, with the Cardinals facing elimination, he had a home run and four RBIs. In the NLCS, he went crazy, compiling 13 hits, three homers and nine RBIs to earn series MVP.
Worrying about Pujols, Holliday and Berkman is already enough to drive a pitcher insane. Throw in Freese — who didn't reach the majors until he was 26 and has never played more than 97 games in a regular season — and the Rangers' arms will be having nightmares.
Freese will likely hit in the six-hole, which adds depth to an already strong lineup and makes life harder for Texas manager Ron Washington. As Brewers skipper Ron Roenicke told reporters on Thursday: "I can't keep walking Albert [Pujols]. They have too good of hitters behind him."
