1 -
That was my April fool. I don't think I could ever actually go into a season thinking the Cards wouldn't be winning the division. That would be pretty depressing. But in all honesty, they will have a good chance at the division if the whole team can play at the level they are expected to and if everyone can wear their insect repellent. 'But what's the repellent for?', you may ask. Why, it's so they can stay clear of being bitten by the injury bug, of course. C'mon now ... keep up with me.
But they do have a decent rotation, not the best, but decent. With Carpenter and Wainwright at the top, they have two All-Star caliber pitchers. To go along with those two, if Lohse and Wellemeyer can pitch as effectively as they did last year and if Pineiro can pitch the way he's been going this spring (3-0, 1.44 ERA, 20 K, 4 BB) the Cards rotation will be sitting pretty.
Offensively, they remain dangerous with Pujols, Ludwick, Ankiel, Duncan, and soon Glaus as well. If Khalil Greene can transfer his success this spring training onto the real games he will have been a steal for the Cards. So far this spring through 24 games, he is batting .418 and is leading the team in hits (28) and RBIs (17). Look out for the Cards to be a force in the central.
2 - Chicago Cubs
These jerks will finish in our dust. They do have a somewhat solid rotation 1-5 with Carlos Fatbrano, Rich Jerkden, Ryan Dumpster, Ted Uglly and Sean 'Loser' Marshall. There might have been some spelling errors, but I'm not sure; those all look right to me.
They will be a contender, but I don't see them finishing above the amazing Cardinals.
3 - Cincinnati Reds
The Reds will be better off without Dunn and Griffey as some of their young talent will finally have a chance to shine through, such as Jay Bruce. They too have a solid rotation: Harang, Arroyo, Cueto, Volquez and Owings. But this won't be their year, they are still a couple of years out from serious contention.
4 - Houston Astros
The Astros didn't do much to improve over the offseason, with the exception of Ivan "Not-So-Pudgy-Anymore-Cuz-I-Quit-Juicing" Rodriguez. Berkman and Oswalt will still be solid and they still have a great closer in Valverde, but other than those three, they don't have much hope at contending for the central division.
5 - Milwaukee Brewers
With C.C. gone and Sheets out, this years Brewers team will be pulling fans out their seats to pitch. Maybe if they have and open tryout, I will go. If you haven't heard, I used to be an amazing pitcher in little league. I never lost a game and my save percentage was 100%. Maybe the Brewers will call...
6 - Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh is Pittsburgh. What's the central division without the Pirates holding down 6th. Seems like they have been rebuilding for 10 years now...oh that's right, they have been. Well, this year will be another 'rebuilding year.'
That's all - Cards are leading Baltimore in the 6th inning 6-2. A couple of our power guys have gone deep: Duncan and...LaRue.
Go Cards.
Sheets is always out, and the Brewers always do just fine without him. And they only had Sabathia for a couple months.
ReplyDeleteI understand that they are used to working without Sheets and C.C. - but those two guys are what pushed them over the hump and into title contention.
ReplyDeletewithout those two, i just can't see them having a winning season
Didn't CC win like 11 or 12 in his couple of months? He was so good he was actually a Cy Young candidate. You can't tell me Braden Looper and Yo (whoever this is) can make that up, plus whatever Sheets gave you.
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