Recipe for Success in 2011

As the 2011 regular season approaches for the Cardinals, many fans including myself are excited for what is to come.  Knowing that Adam Wainwright is out for the season recovering from Tommy John surgery does make some less optimistic about the outcome of the season.  However, Wainwright out does not mean the Cardinals have to kiss their playoff hopes goodbye.  The offense this season should be a lot better for the Cardinals.  Rasmus is rapidly maturing as a hitter every year and I think this year will be his best so far.  David Freese is back and hopefully his pop is too.  His spring training numbers prove that he is ready to come back strong.  Lance Berkman and Ryan Theriot are great additions to our lineup.  Berkman will supply more pop, while Theriot will supply what the Cardinals have been lacking for a while: SPEED.  Put Theriot in the lead off spot and I do not think he will disappoint!

While Berkman and Theriot are great additions for the Cardinals, there is one man that MUST step up this year: Kyle Lohse.  Kyle Lohse signed a 4 year 41 million dollar contract with the Cardinals in 2008.  The year of his contract offering, Kyle went 15-6 with a 3.78 ERA.  For the past two seasons following his contract he is 10-18 with an ERA of 5.65.  The success of Lohse is absolutely crucial for the Cardinals success in 2011.  If the Cards can avoid injury and this man can step up and post up the numbers he did in 2008, I believe the Cardinals will run away with the division.  The offense is strong and I believe Lohse will fill the void the Cards need in the starting rotation.  While the Reds are coming off a hot season, I do not believe they will be as successful this year as they were in 2010.  I think the team to watch out for this year in our division will be the Milwaukee Brewers.  The Brewers have always had a decent offense but they were always lacking one thing, which was starting pitching.  The Brewers recently added Zach Greinke and Shaun Marcum to their starting rotation. They now have 4 solid starters: Gallardo, Greinke, Wolf, and Marcum.  A successful season for the Cardinals is possible and I’m looking forward to what is to come despite the loss of our ace.