May 24, 2005
Depth
The St. Louis Cardinals are 8-4 since Scott Rolen last played on May 10th, bring their record to 28-16. They are scoring more runs without their slugging third baseman, even through they're not hitting as well:
Cardinals 2005 | Through 5/10 | Since |
Runs per Game | 5.2 | 5.5 |
Batting Average | .270 | .261 |
On-Base Average | .342 | .325 |
Slugging Percentage | .449 | .399 |
I don't have situational hitting broken down by date, but I would guess that they're hitting better with men on base or men in scoring position since they've lost Rolen. That's the beauty of having so many great offensive players; one goes down and the team remains strong.
I would not expect this level of scoring to last with these averages. Runs created (newest formula in The Bill James Handbook 2005) predicts the Cardinals should have score 53 runs instead of 66 over this time period, or about a run per game less. It's an example of a good team getting the lucky breaks.