I can sufficiently say that I am over the All-Star break. This time last year, I was still recovering from attending all of the All-Star game festivities, and was still reveling in the National League win. This year, no such luck, on either end. Tonight, I’m sitting here, my children are nestled quietly in their beds, my dogs are nestled quietly at my feet, and I want to watch the Cardinals play. Again, no such luck. Instead, I’m readying myself for the beginning of the second half of play when the Cardinals host the Padres (with Jason Marquis as their starter, mind you) by doing a little web searching to see where the Cardinals are sitting in the rankings compared to the rest of MLB. Let me share with you what I’ve found out.
Looking at batting averages, the Cardinals have 4 players that are within the top 40 in all of the Major Leagues, 3 of them are within the top 10. We have Yadi in second place overall with a .341 BA, just behind Miguel Cabrera at .365. I think just a few years ago, someone mentioned how Yadi was a defensive man only. That person(s) are now eating their words, and probably denying those words were ever spoken. In third is another Cardinal–Allen Craig at .333. Craig has been in the majors for a mere 4 seasons, and not only is 3rd in batting average at the break, but also was a first-time all-star. He continues to impress. In 8th place is Matt Carpenter, hitting .321. I guess hitting lead-off is agreeing with him. 23rd is Beltran, hitting .309. Beltran is the only player from the Cardinals’ line up who is within the top 40 players as far as homeruns, with 19 (he’s tied for 9th place). This is a good stat to know, since it goes to show that the boys aren’t just getting all their wins thanks to homeruns. I like it.
In the RBI category, there are 2 Cardinal players that are in the top 40. Allen Craig is tied for 4th with 74 RBIs, and Beltran sits at number 33 with 53 RBIs. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to go ahead and translate that to mean that everyone is getting involved in the RBI department. I like this one, too.
In pitching, There are 3 Cardinals’ starters who have places among the top 40 in wins. Wainwright tied for 2nd place sits at 12 wins, Lynn tied for 3rd place at 11 wins, and Shelby Miller tied for 5th place at 9 wins. Mujica is also sitting in the top 40 being tied for 4th place with 26 saves. Waino and Miller are also tops in the ERA category with Wainwright having a 2.45 ERA in 5th place, and Miller in 16th place with a 2.92 ERA.
Playoff standings continue to show the Cardinals at the top of the National League Central, with a 57-36 record and one game ahead of the Pirates (5 games in front of the Reds). The above-mentioned stats can support the on-going winning tradition that is known to all of us cheering in Cardinal-land.
Oh, and did I mention that Carpenter is moving up to Memphis as of Saturday?
Things are looking good for the Cardinals; keep it up for the second half!
Go Cards!
