St Louis Cardinals 2nd Half Predictions
Mar 25, 2014; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Lynn (31) delivers a pitch to Miami Marlins catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia (39) during a game at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
On Wednesday, we previewed the first half of the 2014 season and gave a prediction on the record heading into the All-Star break. Today, we will preview the 2nd half of the 2014 season.
Notable Opponents:
Once again, the St Louis Cardinals will play all of their NL Central rivals in the second half of the season. The Cardinals will play host to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first series after the All-Star break which will be a crucial series for the St Louis Cardinals as they try to once again find an edge to defeat the Dodgers to repeat as National League Champions.
Series to Watch:
Boston Red Sox at St. Louis Cardinals
All series against NL Central foes are crucial but with 18 games with each team, there is not much to focus on in one 3 or 4 game series. However, when the Boston Red Sox come to St. Louis, that series is going to be must see TV. The Boston Red Sox beat the St Louis Cardinals to win the 2013 World Series and for the most part, they dominated the series. Game 2 was the best game for the Cardinals in that World Series and without the obstruction, the Red Sox might have celebrated their World Series victory in St. Louis once again.
Now the Cardinals can’t win or lose the World Series on this series but they can get a gauge on how well their 2014 team matches up against the Red Sox. It will be a very important series for both teams.
2nd Half record prediction:
There will be only 65 games left after the All-Star break and the Cardinals will have to win 43 of those games (based off my 1st Half record prediction) to win 100 games. That is quite doable with a second half schedule that features 2013 bottom dwellers such as the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins. Certainly those teams can be much better than in 2013 but for argument sake, let’s just keep things static.
I do believe that the St Louis Cardinals will have the NL Central division clinched by mid-September and will play most of their prospects towards the end of the season so I believe they will come up short of that 100 win plateau.
2nd half record: 41-24
Overall Season record: 98-64. 1st in the NL Central.
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