Not Ready for Primetime - Cardinals vs Padres

The first National League series to get underway begins in Southern California on Tuesday as San Diego welcomes St. Louis, which withstood a late charge from the Houston Astros to win the Central Division. A quick look at this series...

St. Louis (83-78) vs. San Diego (88-74)
The Padres finished tied for 8th in wins during the 2nd half with 40, including a 19-9 mark since the beginning of September. The Cardinals, meanwhile, stumbled down the stretch to a 12-16 mark in September and October. The Padres' strength lies in their pitching. The team finished second in the majors in ERA for the season and pitched to a 2.85 ERA over the last month. Unlike the Twins & Athletics, the Padres pitching superiority is balanced between their rotation and bullpen, both of which finished in the top 3 in the league. At the plate, San Diego is not nearly as proficient. They ranked in the bottom third in batting average, runs and homeruns.

St. Louis' strength lies in their star players on both offense and defense. Albert Pujols is a candidate for NL MVP, ranking in the top 3 in each of the Triple Crown categories despite missing a stretch of 17 games in June with an oblique muscle injury. Pujols' importance to the Cardinals is clear when you consider the team ranked in the middle third of most major offensive categories. Just as important to the Cardinals' pitching staff, in the middle third of most major pitching categories, is reigning Cy Young Award winner Chris Carpenter. He ranks 2nd in the NL in ERA, 6th in strikeouts and is one off the pace in wins.

Prediction: The balance of the Padres' rotation, bullpen, and lineup overcomes the star power of the Cardinals. Padres in 5