2008 Woodie Awards
The Cardinals cannot make the playoffs again ... Can they?
Erik Johnson
Issue date: 9/7/07 Section: Sports
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As I type this, the St. Louis Cardinals are exactly one game behind the Chicago Cubs for the National League Central division lead. They are also exactly one game over .500 for the year. Everybody knows the Cardinals slipped into the playoffs last year with a slightly above average record and went on to win the World Series. But can the Cardinals possibly slip into the playoffs with a pedestrian record for the second straight year?
On the surface, this year's Cardinals team shares many attributes with its counterpart from last year. However, when one looks deeper, this is a completely different team.
The most obvious difference between the 2006 Cardinals and the 2007 Cardinals is the lack of Chris Carpenter. Carpenter had a great 2006 season for St. Louis and was their unquestioned ace heading into the National League Divisional Series with the Padres. This year, he was hurt in his first start of the year, had Tommy John Surgery and will not be heard from again until 2008. Also on the 2006 pitching staff for the Cardinals were veterans Jeff Suppan and Jeff Weaver. Along with the veteran trio of Carpenter, Suppan and Weaver, rookie Anthony Reyes helped solidify the rotation that edged the Cardinals into the playoffs.
This year, the Cardinals staff is making the same push towards the playoffs, but their rotation is led by Adam Wainwright, Braden Looper and ... Kip Wells? Wainwright has been great lately, but there is no real depth behind him in the rotation. This is Looper's first year starting in the majors, and although he has done relatively well, his ERA still sits well over four. After Looper, the Cardinals have to turn to at least two of the following: Wells (he of 16 losses), Reyes (13 losses in 19 starts), Joel Pineiro (only has seven starts this year), Mike Maroth (earned-run average of over 11 with the Cardinals) and Mark Mulder (coming back from shoulder [labrum] surgery). Maybe Pineiro can be the 2007 version of Jeff Weaver and Mark Mulder or Kip Wells can fill in that fourth spot in the rotation to give St. Louis enough to get by the Brewers and Cubs, but I would not want to be relying on Pineiro, Wells or a pitcher just coming off of reconstructive shoulder surgery.
On the surface, this year's Cardinals team shares many attributes with its counterpart from last year. However, when one looks deeper, this is a completely different team.
The most obvious difference between the 2006 Cardinals and the 2007 Cardinals is the lack of Chris Carpenter. Carpenter had a great 2006 season for St. Louis and was their unquestioned ace heading into the National League Divisional Series with the Padres. This year, he was hurt in his first start of the year, had Tommy John Surgery and will not be heard from again until 2008. Also on the 2006 pitching staff for the Cardinals were veterans Jeff Suppan and Jeff Weaver. Along with the veteran trio of Carpenter, Suppan and Weaver, rookie Anthony Reyes helped solidify the rotation that edged the Cardinals into the playoffs.
This year, the Cardinals staff is making the same push towards the playoffs, but their rotation is led by Adam Wainwright, Braden Looper and ... Kip Wells? Wainwright has been great lately, but there is no real depth behind him in the rotation. This is Looper's first year starting in the majors, and although he has done relatively well, his ERA still sits well over four. After Looper, the Cardinals have to turn to at least two of the following: Wells (he of 16 losses), Reyes (13 losses in 19 starts), Joel Pineiro (only has seven starts this year), Mike Maroth (earned-run average of over 11 with the Cardinals) and Mark Mulder (coming back from shoulder [labrum] surgery). Maybe Pineiro can be the 2007 version of Jeff Weaver and Mark Mulder or Kip Wells can fill in that fourth spot in the rotation to give St. Louis enough to get by the Brewers and Cubs, but I would not want to be relying on Pineiro, Wells or a pitcher just coming off of reconstructive shoulder surgery.
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