Cards a lock in the playoffs?

[redsrbetter]

Would the real playoff contenders emerge already?

The trade deadline is 14 days away, and too many general managers still don't know whether they'll upgrade or downsize. Blame Bud Selig for pushing baseball toward a level playing field. Blame the Yankees for having an off year and allowing ordinary teams to think they have hope. Blame the Padres for not taking better control of a shabby division.

At the All-Star break, 22-of-30 teams were no worse than four games below .500, and three of the remaining eight teams belong to the National League West, where public concessions are rare because the Padres are such a fragile first-place team.

From June 1 until the break, the Padres went 15-22 -- and actually gained ground in the NL West. The Diamondbacks were 13-25 over the same stretch. The Dodgers and Giants were 14-23.

The wild card taints nearly every team's view of itself, misguided in many cases, and AL teams are equally to blame now that the Yankees are vulnerable, coming out of the break for the first time since 1996 without a hold on first place in the AL East.

Only the Cardinals and White Sox know how to distance themselves from the pack, leading the Central divisions by 11 1/2 and nine games, respectively, at the break. Since 1933, the year of the first All-Star Game, 26 teams owned at least a nine-game lead at the break, and only two blew it: the 1978 Red Sox and the 1993 Giants (as much as a team that wins 103 games can blow it).

Although one team wasted a six-game lead at the break just two years ago, the Cardinals and White Sox shouldn't worry about missing the playoffs in 2005. That team, after all, was the plunging-to-earth Royals, who led the White Sox by six and the Twins, the eventual division champs, by 7 1/2.

"I don't think it's possible," Brewers manager Ned Yost said of any team but the Cardinals claiming the NL Central. "They've got too many good players, and they're got too much depth. They're too good. Their coaching, their manager ... they've just got too many things going for them. I don't see it happening."

Twins pitcher Johan Santana said of the White Sox, "The way they've played, they've been unbelievable. No one can compare with them right now. But we're doing fine. It's just that they're the best team in baseball right now."

The Cardinals have a lineup fit for the AL, led by Albert Pujols (he might finally snag an MVP with Barry Bonds' absence), and their rotation alone has more wins (50, entering the weekend) than the entire staffs of 24 other clubs. Proving their dominance in the NL Central, they're 28-9 against division foes and are on pace for their second straight 100-win season.

The future is equally bright for the White Sox, who are gunning for their first pennant since the "Go-Go Sox" of 1959. They own the majors' best record after winning only 83 games last year, and they offer solid pitching (Jon Garland has 13 wins after opening the season as the No. 5 starter) and startling acquisitions (Dustin Hermanson has 22 saves in 23 chances, and A.J. Pierzynski is suddenly not a bad guy).

At least these teams know they'll be buyers leading to the trade deadline, if only to better prepare for the postseason.

Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty, who annually makes big-time acquisitions in July, wants another outfield bat and left-handed reliever (Billy Wagner would be perfect, but pricey). White Sox GM Kenny Williams is seeking depth in both the rotation and bullpen and remains interested in Jason Schmidt and A.J. Burnett.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...PGV7DPDST1.DTL

[aTrUeCUBsFaN]

The Cards definitely are a lock for the playoff. They are just way too powerful. It would be hard to see them collapse.

[redsrbetter]

Yep it is a guarantee without a doubt. I wonder who they are going to get during this trade deadline, they always get a great player to help them push. And they are in line for that again this year.

[Fishercat]

The Cards would need a 1978 Red Sox caliber collapse to fall. Their pitching is too good, their hitting is electric. To be frank, with a weak NL East/West and a middling central, if the Cardinals don't at least reach the WS, it's a disappointment.

[The Philly Fanatic]

This is their year I think. The number one pitching in baseball and a top 5 offense in runs (with the potential to hit for more.) They got some over-achievers in the pitching department but the chemisty seems to be working superbly and we all know LaRussa knows how to win. It doesnt matter if the Cubs can step it up, the Cardinals just won't fail to the degree required to slip from the top.

[Fishercat]

They essentially have two starters (A #1 and #2) that they didn't have last year when they made it to the WS. And they don't have Tony Womack and Mike Matheny sucking up outs in the lineup. On those days where Womack and Matheny played with So Taguchi, that was four free outs (them plus the pitcher) which helped the Sox in the WS a lot. Sure, Pujols got on a lot, but they had no issues with Rolen, Edmonds was an afterthought, then nothing.

[redsrbetter]

This team is just scary. i don't really know if anyone NL or AL could really compete with them in a division race. I would be surprised if they did not end the season with the best record in baseball.

[love_that_reefer]

The NL East is not weak but anyway. The Cards might be the best team in baseball. Great defense, offense and pitching. Hard to beat that.

[BaseballFanatic]

I project the Cardinals will end up 108 - 54. This team is the great they have dominant pitching, offence, and defence. This team will be the 2nd greatest team of all time. (The 2000 Mariners are the greatest). Thios team is a dynasty, but they can't reach thier full potential in the playoffs. They got lucky to make it to the World Series. They could win 3 straight World Sereis the way they are playing, but it just won't happen. The Cards will lock the Central just like the Braves did in the East.

[General]

If the Cards aren't a lock, I don't know who is.