After spending much of the season looking up in the standings, the St. Louis Cardinals have clinched the National League Central thanks to a 4-1 loss by the Pittsburgh Pirates in Cincinnati.
Cardinals clinch NL Central with Pirates loss
The Cardinals hope to make a return trip the World Series after clinching the NL Central with a Pirates loss to Cincinnati.
Norm Hall
St. Louis will play the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS beginning Friday in Los Angeles.
This year’s run to the top of the division came after a stumbling start that saw the Cardinals struggle to build any momentum until the middle of June. Coupled with the Brewers’ first-half surge, they found themselves largely on the outside looking in. But St. Louis began to pick up steam as the league hurdled toward the All-Star break, reaching 10 games over .500 for the first time the weekend after the Midsummer Classic.
The Cardinals were, of course, nearly overtaken by both the Brewers and the eventual wild card-winning Pirates, but a stretch of nine wins in 10 games in late August/early September would position them to be in the lead for good. And, for all their hard work, they will have won the chance to challenge the Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw in the NLDS.
But, if there’s one team equipped to deal with LA’s massive payroll and dominant pitching staff, it may be the Cardinals with their seemingly neverending parade of quality starters and postseason heroics.
See More:
