Can Michael Wacha finish off the Dodgers?

So far this postseason, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny has leaned heavily on his rookie starter, Michael Wacha, and Wacha has come through both times.

The first time was in the NLDS, when the Cardinals were facing elimination against the Pirates.  All Wacha proceeded to do was to throw 7.1 no-hit innings, before giving up a homer in the 8th in the Cardinals 2-1 win.

Then, in game two on the NLCS, Wacha had to square off against Dodgers ace and likely Cy Young winner, Clayton Kershaw.  Wacha was again up to the task and out-dueled the Dodgers' lefty in a 1-0 Cardinals win.

Tomorrow night in St. Louis, those two pitchers will square off again, as the Cardinals and Wacha look to clinch the NL pennant.

The pressure should not be as great on Wacha as it was in game 4 of the NLDS, as the Cards are up 3 games to 2 and have Adam Wainwright waiting in the wings should game 7 become necessary.

However, I'm sure the Cardinals (and all their fans) would prefer to wrap this up tomorrow night and save Wainwright for game one of the World Series.

It won't be an easy task, as its difficult enough to beat Kershaw, let alone beat him twice in one series.  Kershaw is 1-1 this postseason, with a miniscule 0.47 ERA.  However, he's also given up 3 unearned runs, including the deciding run in game 2 against the Cards.

For his part, Wacha has been just as impressive this postseason, going 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA.  Having now faced him once, the Dodgers will have a better idea of what to expect from the Cardinals' youngster.  That doesn't necessarily mean they'll be able to hit it.

In any case, tomorrow's game is shaping up to be another pitcher's duel, so break out the Rolaids.

Cardinals one game away from World Series

The Cardinals are one game away from heading to the World Series after last night's 4-2 triumph over the Dodgers.

However, the team needs to stay focused and continue to do what they're doing in order to succeed in their ultimate goal, lest we forget what happened last year.

As you recall, the Cardinals were in the same position last year, up 3-1 against the San Francisco Giants, before losing 3 straight against Barry Zito, Ryan Vogelsong and Matt Cain.

The good news is that, unlike last year, the Cardinals have home field advantage and will play games 6 and 7 at home, if necessary.  The bad news is that the threesome of Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu are more imposing than the Zito/Vogelson/Cain trio from last year.

My hope is that the Cardinals find a way to close out the NLCS today, as, given the Cards struggles against lefties this season, I do not feel comfortable having to win a game against either Kershaw or Ryu.

Cardinals pitchers flaunt their age

The Cardinals pitchers are showing their age and that's a good thing.  In the first two games of the NLCS, 7 of the 9 pitchers the Cards have used were 26 or under.  The list includes game one starter Joe Kelly (25), game two starter Michael Wacha (21), relievers Lance Lynn (26), Seth Maness (24), Kevin Siegrist (23), Carlos Martinez (21) and closer Trevor Rosenthal (23).

Combined, they have thrown 20.1 innings, allowing just 13 hits and 6 walks while striking out 22.  They have garnered 2 wins so far while posting an incredible 0.89 ERA. 

The only "veterans" of this group are Lynn and Kelly, while the other 5 are completing their rookie season.

Its amazing to think about what these pitchers have accomplished at such a young age.  In the NLDS, the Cardinals also used Shelby Miller (22), making 8 of their 12 pitchers 26 or under.  Those 8 pitchers combined to throw 25 innings, allowing 20 hits, 11 walks, 25 K's and a 3.96 ERA. 

Adam Wainwright is still the leader of this pitching staff, as his two wins in the NLDS attest, but the Cardinals certainly have a nice stable of young pitchers to build around for the future.

The Cardinals are going to have to make some difficult decisions this offseason as to who fits where in this pitching staff and who might be expendable to acquire upgrades elsewhere. 

But, for now, its just fun to watch these youngsters pitch and dream of how good they could be with a little more experience.

Did scouts miss the boat on the Cardinals' Michael Wacha?

After yet another stellar performance by Cardinals' rookie Michael Wacha, it got me to thinking that a lot of teams and scouts surely missed the boat on this guy.

Baseball America listed him as the 4th best college pitcher in the 2012 draft and the 11th best pitcher overall.

After he was selected 19th overall by the Cardinals in the 2012 draft, MLB TV's John Hart projected him as a "mid-rotation starter with an elite change". 

Then, despite a stellar minor league debut last year, in which he struck 40 batters in 21 innings, mostly in relief, scouts still weren't convinced.

In their preseason Cardinals Top 10 prospect list, Baseball America said of Wacha: "It’s easy to project him as a mid-rotation starter, and he could turn into something more if he finds a reliable breaking ball."

John Sickels of Minor League Ball in his scouting report stated that Wacha "projects as a number three starter, possibly more".  While most scouts loved he fastball and change, but showed little praise for his curve or slider, Sickels at least felt that that Wacha's breaking pitches were "better than advertised".

Then, after Wacha's impressive spring training in which he hurled 11.2 innings without allowing an earned run, CBS Sports' Danny Knobler relayed one scout's impression of Wacha.  According to that scout Wacha "might be a No. 2.  He's at least a 3."  He went on to say that Wacha's very good, but he's no Matt Harvey or Stephen Strasburg.

So, the consensus was that Wacha was a mid-rotation starter, perhaps as high as a number 2 starter, yet here he is pitching like an ace.  In his last 3 games, including 2 starts in the postseason, he has thrown 22.2 innings, giving up only 7 hits, 5 walks and 1 earned run while striking out 26.

Could all the scouts have been wrong or will the league eventually catch up with Wacha and his stuff?

I, for one, am on the Wacha bandwagon and I'm sure many scouts are starting to jump on board too.