What a difference a year makes.
The St. Louis Cardinals have started the 2012 season right where they left off in 2011. St. Louis has won seven of eight series in April. The only series loss thus far has been to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The two losses suffered at the hands of the lowly Teddy Bears were by one run each in the Cubs' final at-bat in both games.
This time last year, Cardinals fans such as myself were wondering when the offense was going to show up. I was also trying to figure out who was going to step up in the starting rotation in place of the injured Adam Wainwright.
Despite a new manager and lack of Albert Pujols, the Cardinals are turning heads. After four weeks in 2011, St. Louis was 12-10. The Cardinals were just a half-game up on the rest of the National League Central Division. This was after they started the year 6-7 without much offense. The pitching rotation was being held together by duct tape thanks to Kyle McClellan moving from a reliever to a starting role. Yet there was nothing remarkable about the team.
By the time mid-May rolled around, the Cardinals were 26-20, six games over .500. Yet they only had that half-game divisional lead.
A year later, it's a different story. St. Louis stormed out of the starting gate. The Cards have already soared to six games over .500 and have had a four-game lead in the Central. All St. Louis has to do for the next five months is keep winning and the playoffs are a sure bet.
St. Louis is in the top five in team batting average in Major League Baseball. The Cardinals are first in the National League in batting. St. Louis is also in the top five in runs and on-base percentage. St. Louis has gotten out to early leads and kept them.
Despite ace Wainwright starting 0-3, the pitching staff has been stellar. Only the Washington Nationals have a better staff ERA of 30 teams. St. Louis is an MLB-best 1.02 in walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP).
The Cardinals have three starters in the top six in ERA in the National League. Unlike last year when the offense didn't give the rotation much help, now starters get out to good leads and hold them.
It's just a month into the season. Yet I can't help wondering if the Cardinals are on their way to repeating. Fans will have a better gauge of what St. Louis is like after it plays the likes of the Nationals, Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers.
William Browning was born in St. Louis and is a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.
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