Why St. Louis Scares Me

1. The Other Prince
Which Prince would you rather face? Since the All-Star Break, Albert Pujols is hitting .342 with 9 HR, 24 RBI, and a 1.108 OPS.

2. Anthony Reyes' Cahones
He has a 3.00 ERA in his last 5 starts, after spending much of the season in the minor
leagues. Coincidently, he also has a 3.00 ERA in the postseason.

3. Adam Wainwright's Curveball
It's like a Cardinal trademark. It worked for Dave Veres. It worked for Darryl Kile. It worked for Matt Morris.

4. September Call-Ups
Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, Yadier Molina, and David Eckstein spend extended time on the D.L., but they all got healthy done the stretch and the Cardinals squeaked into the postseason three games over .500. Sound familiar.

5. Walt Jocketty on the Waiver Wire.
The trade deadline doesn't apply to him. Last year he picked up Preston Wilson in August. Wilson hit 8 HR in 33 games, as many as he had in his previous 100. In 2004 he plucked Larry Walker, who hit 11 HR in 44 AB and six more on the way to the World Series. It was Jeff Fassero in 2002. Etc. Etc.