http://content.usatoday.com/communi...pennant-race-cardinals-braves-albert-pujols/1
Sep 22, 2011
First Pitch: As others choke, Cardinals force way into race
We interrupt our usual dose of pennant-race negativity to remind folks of the one team actually playing well in the glare of the spotlight: The St. Louis Cardinals.
We've spent most of September gawking at the likes of the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves -- two playoff shoo-ins whose stretch-drive collapses are like the five-car pile-up you can't help but stare at.
And we're certainly not averse to accentuating the negative around here -- be it the 10 most disappointing players this season, or a group of legendary pitchers who might have cheated in building their legacy.
But amid another epic Red Sox collapse, and a Braves team that has tightened up as the playoffs near, and a Rays team that can't walk through the door the Red Sox opened, let's not lose sight of what the Cardinals have done.
This afternoon, they can pull within one game of the Braves by finishing a sweep of the New York Mets. That would continue an improbable run that began Sept. 6, from which time the Cardinals:
Posted a 12-2 record.
Faced opponents with a current combined winning percentage of .588, and went 8-1 against three likely 90-win teams: the Brewers, Braves and Phillies.
Received the following production from a certain former three-time MVP: A .400 average, two homers, a .930 OPS. Yes, Albert Pujols could be making another MVP run. His overall OPS in September: 1.118.
Got wins from every member of its starting rotation.
Quietly broke in a new closer. Yes, Jason Motte is unofficially their ninth-inning guy now. Talk about trial by fire: Motte has racked up six saves in the Cards' hot streak, during which they've won four one-run games.
Motte nailed down a four-out save Wednesday night, when a David Freese three-run homer spurred a comeback win over the Mets. The Cardinals are playing like a desperate team -- but unlike the Red Sox and Braves, this is a positive.
"Losing is not an option," says Freese, "and we know that."
Says manager Tony La Russa: "Guys are having a lot of fun because we've played ourselves back into this. This isn't the first game we felt if we win good things happen. Guys are rising to the occasion."
As opposed to other playoff precincts, where teams are playing their way out of it.
See photos of: St. Louis Cardinals, Albert Pujols
Sep 22, 2011
First Pitch: As others choke, Cardinals force way into race
We interrupt our usual dose of pennant-race negativity to remind folks of the one team actually playing well in the glare of the spotlight: The St. Louis Cardinals.
We've spent most of September gawking at the likes of the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves -- two playoff shoo-ins whose stretch-drive collapses are like the five-car pile-up you can't help but stare at.
And we're certainly not averse to accentuating the negative around here -- be it the 10 most disappointing players this season, or a group of legendary pitchers who might have cheated in building their legacy.
But amid another epic Red Sox collapse, and a Braves team that has tightened up as the playoffs near, and a Rays team that can't walk through the door the Red Sox opened, let's not lose sight of what the Cardinals have done.
This afternoon, they can pull within one game of the Braves by finishing a sweep of the New York Mets. That would continue an improbable run that began Sept. 6, from which time the Cardinals:
Posted a 12-2 record.
Faced opponents with a current combined winning percentage of .588, and went 8-1 against three likely 90-win teams: the Brewers, Braves and Phillies.
Received the following production from a certain former three-time MVP: A .400 average, two homers, a .930 OPS. Yes, Albert Pujols could be making another MVP run. His overall OPS in September: 1.118.
Got wins from every member of its starting rotation.
Quietly broke in a new closer. Yes, Jason Motte is unofficially their ninth-inning guy now. Talk about trial by fire: Motte has racked up six saves in the Cards' hot streak, during which they've won four one-run games.
Motte nailed down a four-out save Wednesday night, when a David Freese three-run homer spurred a comeback win over the Mets. The Cardinals are playing like a desperate team -- but unlike the Red Sox and Braves, this is a positive.
"Losing is not an option," says Freese, "and we know that."
Says manager Tony La Russa: "Guys are having a lot of fun because we've played ourselves back into this. This isn't the first game we felt if we win good things happen. Guys are rising to the occasion."
As opposed to other playoff precincts, where teams are playing their way out of it.
See photos of: St. Louis Cardinals, Albert Pujols
