For St. Louis Cardinals, Monday Was the Most Important Day of The Second Half

As Cardinals fans got the first opportunity to venture out after 7:05 PM last night, for the first time in 18 jam-packed, emotional days, the organization that has seen anything and everything for the last three weeks got to breathe.

As anyone who follows the National League knows, the Cardinals have been in the midst of everything from 14-inning games, to division sweeps, to bullpen implosions (not really anything unique there...).

Yesterday, the Cardinals, the only team left in baseball without an off day since the Midsummer Classic, finally got to take a breather. Because of that "breather", the team got its biggest help since Albert Pujols' deep fly in Queens 10 days ago.

So why was yesterday so important? There are two easy and obvious reasons.

Rest

This is the most obvious. This club looks as it did all through the first half, when it was really battling injuries, exhausted. There is a difference between exhausted and sloppy, which the Cardinals were not.

However, they just appeared to be a team running on fumes. It is tough to go out there and play everyday. The bullpen was pretty hard hit in terms of innings, and some of the regulars have played upwards of 14-15 games. A day off was extremely necessary for these guys' bodies and peace of mind.

Coming off the game on Sunday night against Philadelphia, this was a team yet again decimated by a bullpen. Yesterday was important for all of them to get their composure and prepare themselves for the Dodgers.

They needed to regroup, get their thoughts clear, and go out tonight with a somewhat fresh start.

Watching the Rest of the League

For a night they didn't play, last night was big for the Cardinals. It is a known fact in sports, that as much as one controls their own destiny in the win column, you really only go far through the help of other teams.

The Cubs sat through a perfect-storm of such, and got absolutely devastated by it. Then, the Astros got the win on top of it. The Astros are not exactly setting the world on fire, so a win for them is a huge win for the Cards in what will be a close race down the stretch.

So, the Cardinals move up half a game on the division leader.

The Brewers, probably in the story of the night, had a little Monday Night RAW going down in the dugout. Prince Fielder, angry at teammates not staying involved in the game, went at it and chaos, of course, ensued.

It's like deja vu all over again. At this point last season, the Brewers started the infighting and collapse.

Last night, I am sure every Cardinal, at some point, saw their rivals fighting with themselves. That is a team that is now lacking confidence, teamwork, and a positive attitude.

The Cardinals now are thinking, "Hey, our pitching might be a huge flaw, but at least we are a team." It's corny, but true.

The Brewers, as seen by many fans with their star in Prince Fielder, are about to start an even worse slide than the one they are on. They have begun to implode and will start falling out of the wild-card race, starting with their series with the Cubs last week.

Last night, through the team's ability to stay at home (or go out to somewhere besides a ballpark), the team got the respite that they so sorely needed.

They will come out tonight with a rejuvenated look and take the series from the Dodgers. Yesterday, not Sunday night, was the most important day the Cards have seen since the All-Star break.

Tonight is a new beginning and hopefully a new style of pitching (one without blown saves).

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