Cardinals-Padres: Arm Wrestle—Top NL Pitching Staffs to Face Off

The National League's lowest ERA ball clubs will go to battle Tuesday night in what could be an early-season playoff preview. 

Although there exists no rivalry between the NL Central Division-leading St. Louis Cardinals and the NL West Division-leading San Diego Padres, a duel between ace right-hander Adam Wainwright and veteran right-hander Jon Garland might yield ABC's Lost finale-like excitement.

OK, maybe it won't.  

But the three-game Cards-Padres series should at least ignite a few new talking points for Cardinal fans—namely, the Thursday game pitching situation.  

The Thursday starter slot would have gone to Brad Penny had he not strained his back last Friday. Penny hit a game-winning grand slam off former Cardinal Joel Pineiro, the man he virtually replaced in the rotation. The next inning, Penny left the game, too soon to pick up the pitching W.

Now, the Cardinals must cope without both Penny's arm and bat.

Kyle Lohse, another starting right-hander, will also need a surrogate for the Cardinals' Friday or Saturday game against rivals Chicago Cubs because of an arm injury. 

Thus, the Cardinals face insecurity in an area where they have been exceptionally dominant: the starting rotation. 

Some may consider this new challenge a blessing: Penny, despite having pitched seven quality starts, has a losing record (3-4). Lohse, a 9.2 million dollar man, is 1-4. 

So what will be the Cardinals' new attack plan? 

Will the starting rotation maintain its killer reputation in Wainwright and Cy Young Award winner Chris Carpenter, or will it suffer at the hands of potential newbies P.J. Walters and Adam Ottavino? 

Perhaps the driving force of the Cardinals will again be its much-loved but so far disappointing big bats in Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday.  

Or maybe the Cardinals will lean a bit more heavily on their bullpen, whose recent surge in Jason Motte and Ryan Franklin has taken some of the pressure off the starting rotation.

The coming road trip to PETCO Park and Wrigley Field will definitely provide Cardinal fans with some answers, but as is always true in the Major Leagues, nothing is certain this early in the season.