“margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;”>
“font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px;”>As the Cardinals get closer to my opening day of June 14, you have to wonder how will they hold on as the injury bug has bitten again.
“margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;”>
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”> Without pitcher Adam Wainwright, Matt Holliday out for a week and second baseman Skip Schumaker on the disabled list, you have to wonder. Did I mention that the ace of the staff in Chris Carpenter has yet to gain a win? Or that the bullpen has seen its closer Ryan Franklin lose his job, as the ninth inning was not good to him? Let’s throw in for good measure that Albert Pujols has not gotten off to a Pujols-type of start, as he is batting less than .300 so far this season.
“margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;”>
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”> With all that said, the Redbirds found themselves in first place on the first day of May. Not bad for a team that struggled in the first week of the season, where near panic had taken hold in downtown St. Louis.
“margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;”>
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”> Before we start handing out gold stars, let’s look at a few things that could be ahead.
“margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;”>
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”> There is no question that this Cardinals edition can hit. They lead the majors in hitting as a team by a wide margin, as there have been few easy outs in the order, no matter who Tony La Russa puts in the lineup. The Cardinals also lead in runs scored so far, as the offense is all good.
“margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;”>
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”> Now for the hard part. The Cardinals defensively are a head scratcher. As a team they have committed the second most errors so far, and many of them have been game-changers. Giving teams an extra out a night could be hazardous to say the least; while the Cardinals continue to out-hit their opponents, it is not a habit they can continue if they expect to compete when the season really gets underway.
“margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;”>
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”> While they have dealt with injury before, the loss of third baseman David Freese is the most costly. Freese is a run producer. He has also been injury-prone, as he has suffered major injuries over the last three years.
“margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;”>
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”> The subs who were brought up from the minors and the ones who were signed in the off-season are now on the main stage. When a utility player becomes a regular, they can be exposed. It also creates a void when it comes to players who would be needed to come off the bench late in the game or spell regular starters from time to time. The Cardinals were going to be thin at depth anyway. Now that issue has come to light sooner than anyone had thought.
“margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;”>
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”> The other issue has been the bullpen. While closer Ryan Franklin has struggled early, the others in the pen have stepped up to prevent further damage. Only lack of experience is the drawback at this point.
“margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;”>
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”> So what do you do now?
“margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;”>
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”> Patience is the key here, as the Cardinals could ill afford to push the panic button. They cannot give away prospects this early in the game. That would be costly for the future; besides, they are not that deep from an organizational standpoint, as their best players are already here.
“margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;”>
“font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”> It will be about six weeks from now before we really know if we have a team. Did I mention the real opening day for the Cardinals is Flag Day? “font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;”>Â
