Playoff Talk : Cardinals vs Padres

[Iced Tea]

I know that everyone else in the playoff pool is thinking the St Louis Cardinals will easily win the series over the Padres but many of us just saw the Cardinals barely hold on to win game 1. If the Padres can show that offensive spark earlier in the game, it will be an exciting series with the Padres winning. :D

[Leafs_Fa_Life]

The key for the Cards will be pitching. Losing Al Reyes was a big blow, since he's been the team's best middle reliever all season. The starters also struggled down the stretch and will need to rebound strong. Offense is where St. Louis will win this series though. The Padres bats over a playoff series can't out slug the Cards. Also, Walker hasn't been too bad lately when he has played, so if I were LaRussa I'd consider putting him in the 2 spot and moving Edmonds to cleanup.

[J.R.]

The Cardinals looked good jumping out to their 8-0 lead, but it is the middle relief that continues to plague them.

The STL is going to have to consistantly get 7.1+ innings out of their starters if they expect to go deep into the playoffs. Fortunately for them they drew the mediocre Padres in round one and the red birds won't have trouble eliminating them in three or four games.