Don't underestimate Cardinals

ST. LOUIS -- The success of Tony La Russa's Cardinals teams has typically been a result of a blend; talent and determination, notable ability and a relentless day-to-day approach.

This year, it seems that the determination and the relentless approach are taking a greater share of the load. These Cardinals are grinders, like the best of La Russa's teams.

Then again, if you underestimate the talent on the 2008 Cardinals, you make the mistake that nearly every preseason prognosticator in the known world made. This was the year in which this team was supposed to be no factor whatsoever in the National League Central. But 89 games into the season, they are merely 2 1/2 games out of first. And they have the NL's second-best record.

Outside the Cardinals' clubhouse, this success has surprised some people. The people who haven't been surprised are astonished instead. But you won't get La Russa to play along with the surprise angle.

"I hate the word 'surprise,' because that means that you underestimated what you've got," La Russa said on Saturday. "A lot of what we've done has been impressive. I think we've been an impressive club because of the players. They've competed at a high level and that's impressive. But we knew that we had better talent than the experts said, because how could the experts know? There was no track record."

The Cardinals have had some breakthrough seasons, from outfielder Ryan Ludwick, for instance. The starting pitching has been remarkably stong. Kyle Lohse has pitched like a regulation ace, going 10-2 with a 3.61 earned run average. Lohse worked seven innings against the Cubs on Saturday, giving up two runs, but not being involved in the decision.

In a way, the Cardinals are not only remarkable for what they have done, but what they have done without. Cy Young Award winner Chris Carpenter, rehabilitating from elbow surgery, has not appeared yet this season. His replacement at the top of the rotation, Adam Wainwright, has been on the disabled list for nearly one month. And the unthinkable occurred when Albert Pujols went out with a left calf injury. In all cases, the Cardinals have persevered.

There has been much accomplished here in the season's first half. The Cardinals have soared above the general expectations. They have been truly admirable. But again, you won't see any premature celebrations here. And that is part of the reason for the Cardinals' persistent success.

"We're too busy trying to do it right," La Russa said. "It won't be satisfying to have three good months and then stumble. I want to make sure we're concentrating on what we've got to do, not what we've done.

"That's why it's important not to talk about it, because you need to maintain it. And the way to maintain it is not to keep patting yourself on the back. Our team has had three good months. Now you have to have three more. The more [good] months you have, the more important it becomes to you, the more you want it. These are good guys and I don't want to see them disappointed. What you want doesn't mean a whole lot. It's whether you're good enough."

In the same way, if you project the eventual return of Carpenter and Wainwright, the Cardinals' situation could be even better. But La Russa can't afford to focus on that sort of thing, either.

"If you knew that we were getting those guys back, then you'd get excited about that help coming," the manager said. "But it's much more important to think about competing right now with what you've got. All of a sudden, if you wait for the help to come, then you lose an edge and you're losing games, and when they come back you're not in it. It's all about now."

On Saturday, "now" was the Cardinals creating another masterpiece of perseverance, rallying for three runs in the ninth to beat the Cubs, 5-4. A crowd of 46,865, the largest in the history of new Busch Stadium, witnessed a remarkable comeback -- La Russa called it "hellacious" -- against Kerry Wood, a closer who had been doing first-class work.

Ludwick had made a terrific throw from right to cut down Jim Edmonds at the plate, costing the Cubs a run in the eighth. Rick Ankiel delivered the walk-off, two-out, two-run single in the ninth. In between, La Russa made a winning managerial move. With two on and none out in the ninth, and St. Louis down, 4-2, Adam Kennedy was up. The sacrifice bunt might have been the conventional move, but La Russa decided to let Kennedy hit. The ensuing double past first base set up the rest of the inning and the victory.

"I thought about bunting, but I didn't think the bunt was the play, so I let him swing and it worked out," La Russa said. "It's one of those things. Strategy is a matter of opinion. I said: 'If he hits into a double play, I think the fans would have been very unhappy.' But they pay you to do what you think is right. That way all you have to do is live with yourself."

This victory was typical of the best aspects of this Cardinals team.

"We play hard," Ludwick said. "We're constantly fighting. We keep fighting, even when we're down. It's worked out well for us."

Saturday's happy ending aside, what adds to the difficulty level for the Cardinals is that the NL Central, generally put down as a group before the season, turns out to be the National League's toughest division. The Cubs have the league's best record. At the moment, the two leading candidates for the Wild Card berth would be the Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers.

In this company, the Cardinals can't afford to tread water. The only acceptable movement is forward. Fortunately, this manager and this operation have that concept firmly in hand.

"The truest thing that I can tell you is, if we don't improve from here to the end then we're not going to be able to keep winning," La Russa said. "That's our challenge right now, to improve -- everything, the whole game."

That is, as usual, the one approach that will work. The Cardinals have surprised everybody but themselves. Underestimating them, a mistake in the first place, is now officially a pointless undertaking.