NL Central Zombies: St. Louis Cardinals?

In Hollywood, there have been endless zombie movies released.  In virtually every one, someone is left for dead—dirt is so graciously kicked on them—but they always find their way back to wreak havoc on the town.  After a three-game sweep of the Brewers in Milwaukee, the St. Louis Cardinals might fit that same description. 

Miller Park has been the stomping grounds for Fielder and Co. this season, but for this three-day stretch in August, the Cards have shaken the foundation a bit.  Granted, St. Louis is still 7.5 games back with 25 games remaining, but with another three-game series with the Brewers at Busch Stadium after the weekend, the Cards can actually make this a race. 

The key for LaRussa's squad is to keep momentum going.  His club hasn't had a winning streak of more than four games this season and it's tough to make up a lot of ground without ripping off a lengthy winning streak or two.  With four wins in a row going into tonight's game at home against the Reds, the Cards can break out of that rut and possibly go on a run that makes things interesting again for Cardinal Nation.

To accomplish this, St. Louis will most likely need to win two of three from Cincinnati and then sweep the Brewers again in the following series.  The pitching sets up well for the Cards in the Reds series with Carpenter, Garcia and Jackson taking the mound.  However, the Cards have had their difficulties with Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey who will start games one and two of the series, respectively. 

From there, it doesn't get much easier for the Cardinals in September with a home series against Atlanta and a road series with Philadelphia remaining on the schedule.  If St. Louis can keep the momentum through those games, they are rewarded with a final nine games against the Mets, Cubs and Astros.  Of course, St. Louis will need below-.500 baseball from Milwaukee to keep this from being a moot point.

St. Louis swept the Brewers with solid starting pitching, good defense, a steady bullpen and the awakening of their big bats.  If they can keep this formula going over the last four weeks of the season, we might have an exciting finish in the NL Central after all.