From Baseball Tonight, which aired at 11:30pm (central) on August 14.
Robert Flores: "Will anyone catch the Cubs?"
Buster Olney: "The answer’s no. No one’s catching the Cubs. They’re running away and the Brewers will be the Wild Card."
Does anyone else feel like Olney just picked up a batting glove and slapped Cardinals Nation across the face?
Olney is one of the “experts” that picked the St. Louis Cardinals to finish second-to-last or just flat-out last. Well, he’s already got that wrong, as the Cardinals will probably finish third place in the Central Division, at the worse.
Olney, though, is giving the Cardinals no chance at making the postseason. Well, can the Cardinals prove him wrong yet again?
Ok, this article is not meant to bash another Cardinal hater that works for ESPN, though it seemed like a fun idea. This article is meant to be all about the next two weeks.
The Cardinals are at a crossroads right now. They have lost Chris Carpenter for a start, they have Adam Wainwright on the mend without knowing where he’ll end up (see my article on that debate), and Kyle Lohse (the de-facto ace in Wainwright and Carpenter’s absence) has been mediocre and played his way out of a long-term contract with the Cardinals.
- B/R Ticket Guide
Phew, good thing all of these problems can change over the next two weeks.
Starting on 8/15, the Cardinals will play 14 games over the next 18 days. There’s some good news and bad news on that front.
The good news is, the Cardinals play only one team with a better than .500 record.
The bad news, the Cardinals play the Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, and Houston Astros. Those are four Central Division teams that have given the Cardinals fits in their best years.
So while you could say the series against the Chicago Cubs was a make or break series, you can almost say that the next 18 days are more important.
In these 18 days, the Cubs will play nine straight games against the Reds, Pirates, and Washington Nationals; however, they will also play three games against the Florida Marlins and four games against the Philadelphia Phillies, two teams in hot pursuit of an Eastern Division title and a Wild Card berth.
The Brewers catch a break like the Cardinals. The Cubs will play 17 games in these 18 days, while the Brewers will play only 15. More importantly, the Brewers, like the Cubs, will have a weak schedule. They play at the Cardinals for two games and at Los Angeles for three. Other than that? Three games against the Astros and six, count them SIX, against the Pirates.
So while the Cardinals will have a tougher schedule, due in large part to facing Central Division foes that the Cardinals always have problems with, they will have four days off. The Cardinals and Brewers share three days off, so they can only gain ground on one day (outside of wins and losses on days where they both play).
The Cubs, though, are a much different story. The Cubs and Cardinals share one day off, so the Cardinals could potentially make up one and one-half games on the Cubs.
The Cardinals hold their 2008 postseason hopes in their own hands. What they do in the next two weeks will show if they’re October bound, or golf course bound.
So, to Buster Olney and all of the other naysayers out there, don’t write us off until the fat lady signs…or until we lay an egg.
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3 months ago
While I disagree that the Cardinals don't have a chance of making the postseason, I trust Buster Olney's words more than say a Steve Phillips.
It's not impossible for the Cardinals to come back from a nearly 8 game deficit in the division. Just take a look at what happened to the Mets last year. Anything can happen in baseball and I've heard from plenty of people that St. Louis is a dangerous team because even with their inconsistent play, you just can't pigeonhole them into a contender or pretender.
from 3 months ago
Steve Phillips spews crap. No wonder he was fired as a GM. He's an idiot.
And yeah, I agree with your last paragraph as well. Thanks again for the great comment Derek. Always a plessure to see you around my articles :-)
from 3 months ago
Sure thing Joel. It's always great to see people actively talking about the Redbirds. You certainly are one of those people and it's a pleasure for me to see that.
3 months ago
its seems like were are written off even when we were one of the best teams in 04 and 05
my opinion is they want milwaukee to win bec of their trades and players and cubs bec of a long drought (long enough to wear if anyone was alive when they last won they weren't old enough to remember)
were in a screwy situation in my opinion with wainwright, bec we have no time to make him a starter, but we now have a good (for now) closer, and a consistent setup man making him a 7th inning pitcher.
i just rather let him try as a starter and if we make playoffs he can make a difference
im interested to see how that plays out though
3 months ago
The Cardinals have an extremely small chance of making the playoffs. While La Russa has coaxed outstanding performances from his team, the talent gap is significant. Plus, the Brewers are better positioned to take the wild card. I just don't see it happening and neither does coolstandings (24.2% chance of making the playoffs).
Also, Buster Olney isn't anti-Cardinals. They simply aren't a great team this year and have performed above expectations thus far. Sometimes, you have to realize that this isn't your team's year. I've come to terms with the distinct possibility that the Yankees aren't going to be playing in October; it's time for Cardinals' fans to do the same.
from 3 months ago
Percentage chances of making the playoffs are jokes. Those percentages are based upon what computers think. Baseball is a game of ups and downs, and an entire team could go on an up for a month and run away with something after moving out of third. Don't ever write off anyone.
Same goes for the Yankees. I hate them with a passion (and the Red Sox, don't worry), but I never count out a team with ARod. I'll believe they're not in contention when they have been eliminated.
3 months ago
i dont write off the cardinals at all, they are a very good team and can always seem to surprise the league. With that said, comparing which team has the seemingly easiest schedule is not a good way to show a teams chances. If the only reason the cardinals make the playoffs is because of an easy schedule down the stretch, then i dont see why they deserve to be in the playoffs.
from 3 months ago
Easy? The Cardinals play 25 games in September. Nine of those are against the Pirates and Reds. That's 16 games against the Cubs, Diamondbacks and Marlins.
The Brewers get an easier schedule. They play 26 games in September. They play 13 against the Padres, Pirates, and Reds. The other 13 against the Cubs, Mets, and Phillies.
If the Cardinals win the Wild Card, it'll be because they deserved it, playing a tough September.
3 months ago
i just based what i said off of what you wrote in your article, you mentioned that the cubs would play teams like florida and the phillies while the cards would play the pirates and cincinatti.
Anyways wouldnt a team like the cardinals, who are behind in the standings, want to play teams like the brewers and cubs so they can gain ground quickly?
I just dont see a team that is struggling just to win the wild card spot in the national league faring too well in the playoffs, but hey much more surprising things have happened
from 3 months ago
I never said they had an easy schedule. I was pointing out we had a light schedule, facing teams that give us fits. The Cubs play a lot of games, more against contending teams. That's good, since they've had a light schedule here as of late.
Would it be easier to gain ground? Yes and no. Sure, if we'd win, we'd gain a game. If we lost, we'd lose a game. Since we play the Cubs 6 times in September and we have 2 games left with the Brewers, we'll go down that road. I'd rather have the Cubs and Brewers lose against other teams while we beat teams that aren't them. That could just be me, since we haven't been fairing well against the Brewers and Cubs.
3 months ago
if the cardinals would rather avoid teams like the brewers and the cubs, then who do you think should rightly win the division and wild card?
If the cardinals can play those series and win against those two teams, then they deserve to make the playoffs. If they cant beat them but still make the playoffs, chances are they will face them then anyways right?
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