How the hell are we still in first place right now? It isn’t because of the stellar at bats we’re getting from our lead-off man, nor is it the power of Scott Rolen. We are still in first place because our competition can’t capitalize on our horribleness. For instance, let’s take our only remaining serious competition, the Reds.
During our 8 game losing streak back in June, the Reds could only muster a 3-4 record. In our recent six game slide, the Reds are a mere 2-4. This means that the Reds only gained 5 games on us when they had potential to gain 14. Being realistic, had they played their typical baseball, they would’ve gone 8-5 or, more likely, 7-6, which would leave them a half game or a game and a half out.
For some reason, 3 1/2 games seems like a much more comfortable lead. However, maybe the Reds taking over the Central lead would be a little kick in the ass for this lifeless ballclub we refer to as the 2006 Cardinals. We’ve tried picking up too many players off the scrap heap, and even though we’re still in first place, it does seem like it is coming back to haunt us each time these players step on to the field. I don’t think a guy like an August acquisition of Shawn Green would help that much, and to be honest, I really feel like only one thing can give us a shot at participating in the 2006 fall classic:
Mark Mulder.
If Mulder comes back healthy with some life on his pitches, it will allow the Cardinals to bump Weaver (if they bump Reyes I’ll go bonkers) out of the rotation, thus giving us a legitimate chance to win day in and day out, and will give Weaver a chance to fix whatever the hell is wrong with him. We have only seen glimpses of Mark Mulder at his finest, and although it’s a long shot, if we could see him at his finest once again down the stretch, we might just be playing baseball deep in the month of October.
**EDIT** I guess Bryan Burwell agrees - one of the first times I’ve agreed with him on something Cardinals related in quite some time.
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