Posted on August 3, 2010 at 12:14 PM
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Baseball Bloggers Alliance
The 2010 season was supposed to be an easy one for the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs were fading, the Brewers had no pitching, the Reds weren't ready, the Astros had gotten old, and the Pirates, well, they hadn't been good in about 20 years. With Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, Chris Carpenter, and Adam Wainright, the Cards would crank out 90 wins and take the NL Central easily.
Except those pesky Reds decided to emerge from years of mediocrity and make a race out of it. Brad Penny and Kyle Lohse, counted on to hold up the middle of the rotation, have been hurt most of the year. Jeff Suppan, picked up to fill in the gap, has been ineffective. Pujols has played at merely an All-Star level rather than an MVP level. Brendan Ryan's bat has been in a funk all year.
Through the adversity the Cardinals have hung tough. The stars have played well, Colby Rasmus has had a breakthrough year, the bullpen has been solid. And the Cards have made a gamble, trading power-hitting OF Ryan Ludwick to pick up starter Jake Westbrook. This trade will either make or break the St. Louis season.
Then there are those pesky Reds. With their no-star lineup but no real weak spots, and pitching that just keeps on coming, the Reds are the team that would not go away. The weaknesses the Reds have shown are injuries, as 3B Scott Rolen is known for increasing difficulty in staying healthy, and Joey Votto has come up hurt as well. The backup for both is Miguel Cairo, who has done well in limited action but would almost certainly collapse if needed for extended duty. Also, the Cincinnati offense has been leading the league in runs, but has looked vulnerable outside of their home bandbox.
So, who wins? Smart money is still on the Cardinals, the team with the experience and the stars. But those Reds, with young pitching growing on trees it seems, are likely to make this interesting. And if the Cardinals slump? It could be rookie pitchers like Mike Leake and Travis Wood pitching in the postseason.
I'm Shawn Weaver, blogging the Reds at the aptly-named Cincinnati Reds Blog. Check me out sometime at http://fanhuddle.com/cincinnatireds/
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