Cardinal Nation, the time has finally come for some good ol’ fashion September baseball. Personally, this is my favorite time of the season. The excitement and suspension grows week by week – especially with the Cardinals. This is the month where baseball divisions get very tight. The National League Central has always seemed to be a very competitive division. This year, it feels like the division has been twice as competitive and exciting. Nearly all season, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Cardinals have been butting heads, fighting for the first place spot in the NL Central…
As of tonight, the Cardinals are now tied for first place in the division. With the Brewers struggling on a five game losing streak, the Cardinals take advantage while playing the Chicago Cubs.
Things are starting to look more optimistic for the Cardinals as the postseason slowly approaches…
Ladies and gentlemen…Yadi is BACK!
Cardinals All-Star catcher Yadier Molina made his return to behind the plate. As great of a job Tony Cruz and A.J Pierzynski did, it is very relieving to see Yadi back. Yadi so far has had several hits, and has caught people stealing. Having Molina back will surely put a light at the end of the tunnel. Having his leadership officially back in action will help build our road to the playoffs.
Wacha is soon to return..
Cardinals young RHP Michael Wacha is recovering very smoothly and is ready to be back on the bump at Busch Stadium. According to sources, Wacha is to return as soon as Friday September 5th. Wacha felt very good throwing in AA Springfield. Wacha being on the mound will also be very comforting to the Cardinals’ organization. Wacha left us with a 2.79 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. Knowing how well he did in AA Springfield, he should surely carry his pitching abilities into the rest of the season.
Having Molina behind the plate and Wacha back onto the pitcher’s mound will have things looking up for this ball club.
Matt Holliday heating up
Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday has opened eyes of many fans, including mine. Holliday has had a very decent month of August. This month, Holliday has hit 5 out of the park. Also, he has 27 hits with a .257 average this month alone. Having his bat in the lineup will be very helpful if he stays consistent.
Things that should be taking place on the field..
– Lately, RHP Adam Wainwright has not been himself. As we know, all pitchers can have their slumps. Hopefully with Yadi being back behind the plate, he can return to his normal self. With Wacha also being back, the rotation will slowly get better.
– Offense will keep up and will be consistent, backing up our pitchers.
– As mentioned earlier, Wacha will hopefully carry through with his outstanding pitching.
– Matheny looking at things with more perspective. We cannot get far into the playoffs with constant poor decision-making. In my eyes, he’s been getting better.
– Rosenthal gets less walks (especially lead-off walks).
– Our overall bullpen keeps hits, runs, and walks down.
– Score early runs. We all know that having an early lead is beyond comfortable for our pitchers and offense. This will gain confidence for our pitchers and striking early is never a bad thing.
Maybe the Cardinals will make all of these things happen, maybe they won’t. In the long run, I’m starting to see a light. Hopefully, a lot more of Cardinal Nation is seeing that light too. It’s always a good thing to keep things in a good perspective. The Cardinals have always had a way with surprising us. I believe they’ll make it happen.
As of right now, the Cardinals have a Wild Card spot and are also tied for first place in the NL Central. Take a deep breath and look at the bright side, Cardinal Nation. September baseball is here. Enjoy it and thanks for reading.
Keep flying, Cardinal Nation.
Carly Schaber
Twitter: @Carly_Schaber
Photo credits: Fox Sports
