August 14, 2008
Conceding the Division
Cardinals Diaspora appears to be conceding the NL Central and NL Wild Card to the Cubs and the Brewers:
Let's talk turkey here: MLB's worst bullpen might be starting to shore up- but the damage has been done. If we had back 1/3 of the blown saves these dog meat arms gave up, the Cardinals would be neck and neck with the Cubs. But since they don't intend on giving any ground back; we're moving through August with the frustration of a team that will spend the off-season wondering 'what could have been'. Frankly, I hate it. If you're writing the script for 2008 you want the scrappy Cards to make it to the playoffs. Yet with 45 days remaining before playoff game 1 the NL Central big boys aren't leaving any room for error.
It's a scary thought that winning 3 out of 4 on the road from a divisional contender looses you ground.
Both the Brewers and Cubs went out and acquired top line talent for the stretch drive, and both pitched well yesterday. The Cardinals failed to counter those moves, and they're now seeing their playoffs hope fade away.
The division, sure. But the Cards are four behind Milwaukee for the wild card. That's a big edge with only a quarter of the season to go, but it's not hopeless. Milwaukee boasts a mighty +50 run diff, hardly better than the St. Louis' +38. There's just not a huge quality difference between the teams.
It's not time to toss in the towel. Milwaukee won't continue their current winning streak forever.