I saw a journalist today entitling an article "Do the Cardinals want to win?" Immediately I was struck by how dumb a question this is. With few exceptions people with a enough drive and determination to go through what it takes to make the Major Leagues are never going to give up if have a chance to make it to the playoffs. Yes, there are some exceptions to this. Those guys that are so amazingly gifted that they never have to work and are handed everything on a silver platter. But generally, even guys that are selfish players generally want to win if put in a position to be in the playoffs. There are exceptions to the rule of course, but nary enough of them to merit asking the question if an entire team wants to win. The Cardinals problems are not because they don't want to win. They are an intense to with an intense manager, a lack of desire to win is just not the problem. However, there are a few things that ARE a problem.
First lets actually consider the issue of talent. Perhaps its best to look at this in a position by position break down.
Catcher
STL- Yadier Molina
CIN- Ryan Hannigan, Ramon Hernandez
WIN- CINCY
Yadier is unquestionably the best and toughest defensive catcher around. He can absolutely control the running game, but he is having a terrible year at the plate. Hannigan can also really throw, but this duo is also knocking the ball already quite successfully. If this was last year, Yadier wins this, but as much as I respect Yadier, he is just to banged up and tired to be much of a hitter.
First Base
Stl- Albert the Great
Cincy- Joey Votto
WIN- STL
Albert is going to win this, no matter who is going against him. But frankly, at this point your basically comparing the two best hitters in the National League, and it says a lot about Votto that this is a close match. You gotta be proud of yourself when your numbers are just as good as Alberts.
Second Base
Stl- Skippy Schumaker
Cincy- Brandon Phillips
WIN- CINCY
This isn't really even close. Brandon Phillips is clearly a better player than Skippy, even though he is a jerk, and bad in the clubhouse. Phillips is an excellent defender and has an .801 OPS compared to Skippy's .680 OPS and suspect D.
Shortstop
Stl- Brendan Ryan
Cincy- Orlando Cabrera
WIN-TIE
This one really is a toss up. Brendan Ryan is a terrible hitter right now, but Orlando Cabrera is really just a ton better. He is better, but he is still pretty bad overall. However, they are both good defensive shortstops, although I suspect Cabrera's resurgence in the numbers is somewhat due to Rolen being next to him. Even with that resurgence, Cabrera's UZR is an 8 and Ryan's is a 15. Ryan is truly an elite defensive shortstop, even though he is kind of annoying twit. His defensive value is enough that it makes it at least a tie.
Third Base
STL- Pedro Feliz, I guess.
Cincy- Scott Rolen
WIN- CINCY
Scott Rolen hands down. One of the greatest defensive third basemen of all time and he is having a good year with the stick as well, where as the Cardinals are so weak at third that they improved at the position by trading for the worst regular position player in the National League.
Rightfield
Stl- John Jay
Cincy-Jay Bruce
WIN-Cincy
Jay Bruce is not my kind of player, but he has big time power and a silly good arm. But honestly, if John Jay had more at bats, he would actually win this category. He just has a limited sample, and more than likely pitchers are going to figure him out a bit. However, he is a smart kid that is willing to adjust to what is needed in the game. Frankly, I like him better than Colby Rasmus.
Centerfielder
Stl- Colby Rasmus
Cincy- Drew Stubbs
WIN-STL
I don't really like either of these players. Both are high draft picks, both are incredibly questionable defensively in center field, a both are playing beneath what they were projected to. Both make lots of rookie mistakes and come up empty against good pitching more often than not. However, Colby Rasmus is having a better year than Stubbs, therefore he wins this category.
Leftfield
STL- Matt Holliday
Cincy-Johnny Gomes
WIN- STL
Gomes can absolutely crush a fastball as hard and as fast as anybody in baseball. Of course he doesn't do so well with breaking balls, so of course he doesn't get many of those fastballs to crush. Holliday is an all-star type hitter and he wins this category pretty handedly.
Starting Pitching
STL- Waino, Carp, Garcia, Westbrook, and Lohse.
Cincy-Arroyo, Harang, Leake, Cueto
WIN- STL
The Cardinals legitimately have one of the best starting staffs in baseball, top 4 at the very least. That’s even with throwing a bag of peanuts every fifth day. Cincy has some serviceable guys, but they just don’t have the same kind of shutdownness. Of course that doesn't matter if your offense doesn't score any runs.
Bullpen
Win-CINCY
The numbers show that the Cardinals bullpen is better than Cincy, but I am picking Cincy because their bullpen is pitching much better than the Cards RIGHT NOW. And at this stage of the season, in a close race numbers don't mean anything. Which team is getting the outs is what matter.
Total Score
Cincy-5
Stl- 4
That’s the bottom line folks. Cincy right now just has a few better supporting pieces to aid their mashers. When it comes to offense the Cardinals really only have Pujols and Holliday and some gritty guys that play the game right (mostly) but really don't have much in the way of good offensive production. Cincy trots out more guys that can make a difference in the game, and its showing in the Win-loss record.
Also, lets be honest about the Cardinals club house. They have some issues right now. Brendan Ryan is not meshing well with the team all the time, and this time of year is when his made for TV goofiness really begins to grate. Also, Colby Rasmus and his attitude also strains the situation, especially when his dad is involved. Its not that the Cardinals don't want to win, its just that they have a pretty damn good team to go up against.
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