They're Halfway There: St. Louis Cardinals Clinch 2009 NL Central, Playoffs Next

The St. Louis Cardinals were the first team to clinch their division this season, and they did it with some help from the bench.

Backup catcher Jason LaRue hit a solo-shot in the top of the eighth that put the Cardinals up 4-3. They would eventually win by a score of 6-3 over the Colorado Rockies.

LaRue entered the game as a defensive replacement for Yadier Molina, who took a foul ball off the knee.

Ryan Ludwick hit a pinch-hit, two run homer that gave the Cardinals some insurance runs in the top of the ninth, and Ryan Franklin secured the save.

Now that they have clinched a playoff spot and their sixth division title in the last decade, where do the Cardinals go from here?

The Cardinals will finish up the season with series against Milwaukee and Cincinnati, and then can expect to see the Dodgers or Wild Card winner in the NLDS.

Game One of the LDS will be started by Chris Carpenter, and you can expect Adam Wainwright to get the nod in Game Two.

The Cardinals could be set up to have a 2-0 lead before their opponents can blink. Their offense is powerful enough to fight with the likes of the Phillies and Yankees.

Of course, any team that makes the playoffs deserves caution. The Dodgers and Phillies have good left-handed pitching, something that St. Louis has really struggled against this year. The Cardinals have also had troubles against the Phillies' and Rockies' offenses.

I for one am looking forward to a great postseason. Let's hope the Cardinals can spark a big run!

*The Rockies loss allowed the Atlanta Braves to move within 2.5 games of the Wild Card lead.