Crafty Staff Heads Cardinals Success

No MLB team has played more consistent than the St. Louis Cardinals this decade. St. Louis has reached the NLCS four years in a row and have made two appearances in the World Series. Once again, the Cardinals have impressed fans around the world with their young, talented players. St. Louis has raced out to an MLB best, 67-38 record. They're tied for first with the Toronto Blue Jays in run differental (+110), and lead the Pittsburgh Pirates by 5.5 games. The Jays and Cardinals have both cruised past their opponents, but with opposite strategies. While Toronto uses it's high-powered offense to outlast teams, the Cardinals ace it out with their pitching staff. St. Louis not only owns the best ERA (2.67) by a whopping 0.49 runs, but also is tied for first in quality starts (70) and saves (42). The Cardinals bolster the number one starting rotation in baseball (2.83 ERA), as teams continue to be stymied by their curvy, sinking, and sliding tricks. Their young, crafty staff has the best starter combined record in baseball (48-25), and ranks top three in innings pitched (649.1), batting average allowed (.239), and OPS (.653). What's most impressive about St. Louis pitching achievements, is dealing at a high level without ace Adam Wainwright. Right-handers Carlos Martinez (11-4, 2.64 ERA), John Lackey (9-6, 2.78 ERA), Lance Lynn (8-6, 2.89 ERA), and Michael Wacha (12-4, 3.09 ERA) have been dominate in Wainwright' absence. Lefty Jamie Garcia (3-4, 1.98 ERA) has also pitched excellent since coming off the disabled list. Deep pitching staffs, like the Cardinals, allow organizations to be more flexible with their rotation plans. With an offense in the lower middle of the pack, St. Louis doesn't need to light up the scoreboard to win games because their pitching will get the job done. After about six innings usually, the Cards turn to their pen. Similar to the Royals, the Cardinals have a plethora amount of options in the bullpen. They have only one pitcher that exceeds a four ERA and four that exceed a three ERA. Mid-Relievers/Setup Men Kevin Siegrist, Carlos Villanueva, Jordan Walden, and Miguel Socolocovich freeze opposing batters with a good mix of great velocity and breaking balls. The pen gets even deeper with the recent additions of right-handers Steve Cishek and Jonathan Broxton. Both will play significant roles down the strech of the season. Then there's the dagger in hard-throwing closer Trevor Rosenthal. Rosenthal is tied for second in the MLB in saves (31) and has a mere 1.68 ERA. Furthermore, the Cardinals deep pitching staff will need to continue their dominating performance, if they want to finish the Road to the Show, on a high note.

Royals Add An Ace

Even though the Royals continue to pace the A.L. with a 62-42 record, there is still an area that needs to be polished. Kansas City has leaned on its batting and bullpen to defeat opponents. As a team, they currently rank tenth in runs scored (449), fourth in batting average (.269), and seventh in stolen bases (65). Their lights out bullpen ranks first in ERA (2.33) and holds opponents to the second lowest average (.211). Even the best teams have glaring weaknesses, and that weakness is starting pitching for the Royals. There starters have compiled a mediocure 4.36 ERA, which is twenty second in the majors. The Royals addressed this need by acquiring Cincinnati Reds starter Johnny Cueto. The Royals shipped minor leaguers Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb, and Cody Reed for Cueto. Despite being on a struggling Reds Team, Cueto has boasted a 7-6 record, a 2.62 ERA, has struck out 120 batters, and has held opponents to a stifling .196 batting average. Kansas City rotation has taken a huge setback from last season. Following the loss of right-hander James Shields, the Royals have failed to find consistency in their rotation. While Southpaw Jason Vargas is currently on the disable list, right handers Yorando Ventura (5-6, 4.98 ERA) and Jeremy Guthrie (7-7, 5.65 ERA) have failed to meet expectations at the mound. Both Guthrie and Ventura came into this month with a negative WAR (Wins Above Replacement). Cueto will bring consistency and fire-power to a vulnerable Royals rotation. Cueto will also be able to form a 1-2 punch with his former Cincinnati teammate, Edison Volquez (10-6, 3.20 ERA). The addition of Cueto gives the Royals extra juice for a potential playoff run.