The St. Louis Cardinals offense under new manager Mike Matheny, and without the services of Albert Pujols for the first time in eleven seasons, is off to an absolutely torrid start and has led the charge to a 5-2 start to the season.
As the Cardinals prepare for the home opener on Friday at Busch Stadium against the Chicago Cubs, they can only hope that first baseman Lance Berkman gets healthy quickly so the offense can be at full strength and continue to roll. Berkman left Tuesday night's win in Cincinnati with a calf strain and was out of the lineup in Wednesday's 4-3 loss.
While the offense has been potent, the lineup looks a little bit different without the "Big Puma" in the middle of it. Matheny inserted utility infielder Matt Carpenter in Berkman's place at first base and hit Carpenter fourth in the lineup.
No offense to Matt Carpenter, but with Berkman gimpy, it makes Cardinals fans realize just how important Allen Craig is to this team.
Not many National League teams have the option of turning to a guy on the bench who hit .315 with eleven home runs and 40 RBI's in just 200 at bats in 2011. That is what Craig brings to the table and the Cardinals desperately could miss him if Berkman is out for an extended period of time.
The Cardinals offense has been very good on the young season, leading the entire league with 37 runs scored in seven games. The top of the Cardinals lineup can be terrifying for the opposing pitcher.
But with Berkman out of the lineup with the calf strain and Craig still on the road to recovery, the Cardinals lineup could become very suspect if another veteran were to go down to injury.
As the Cardinals prepare for the home opener on Friday at Busch Stadium against the Chicago Cubs, they can only hope that first baseman Lance Berkman gets healthy quickly so the offense can be at full strength and continue to roll. Berkman left Tuesday night's win in Cincinnati with a calf strain and was out of the lineup in Wednesday's 4-3 loss.
While the offense has been potent, the lineup looks a little bit different without the "Big Puma" in the middle of it. Matheny inserted utility infielder Matt Carpenter in Berkman's place at first base and hit Carpenter fourth in the lineup.
No offense to Matt Carpenter, but with Berkman gimpy, it makes Cardinals fans realize just how important Allen Craig is to this team.
Not many National League teams have the option of turning to a guy on the bench who hit .315 with eleven home runs and 40 RBI's in just 200 at bats in 2011. That is what Craig brings to the table and the Cardinals desperately could miss him if Berkman is out for an extended period of time.
The Cardinals offense has been very good on the young season, leading the entire league with 37 runs scored in seven games. The top of the Cardinals lineup can be terrifying for the opposing pitcher.
But with Berkman out of the lineup with the calf strain and Craig still on the road to recovery, the Cardinals lineup could become very suspect if another veteran were to go down to injury.
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