Game #29

PHILLIES 7, CARDINALS 2

The match up today had nothing going in favor if the Cardinals. Kyle Lohse vs the Phillies' dynamic offense was coupled with Roy Halladay vs the currently punchless Cardinals, and the result wasn't anything different than expected; an easy five run win by Philadelphia to seal the series win.

Do not have yourselves convinced that this means the Cardinals are in trouble in case they match up with the Phillies in the playoffs. For one thing, they're not going to play four straight games in Philadelphia. Secondly, we will not quite get the same pitching match-ups, especially anything like the one today. Lohse is not going to pair with Halladay, I can promise you that. Thirdly, it's the regular season. It's May. I never believed in "playoff previews." The Cardinals went 5-2 against the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, and we all know how the Division series against LA turned out.

This also shouldn't convince anyone of the ridiculous notion that the Cardinals "can't play against good teams." That's a bad way to look at a baseball team. If you're going to go with that mentality, save it for college football, where that logic actually applies. I stand by my belief that the Cardinals are arguably the best team in the National League (and, of course, the Phillies are the favorite), and this series did nothing to change that. Besides, it's not like the Phillies have been picture perfect so far. They've lost series to the Diamondbacks and Marlins, two teams who are probably not going to contend for the playoffs. Now, I prefer not to hold that against the Phillies because that is how baseball works. You won't always coast through the season. At least the Cardinals have taken care of the more lowly teams they have played so far. That's my point.

Speaking of lowly teams, the Cardinals get to play a handful of them for their next eleven games. This stretch starts with this weekend's series against the Pirates. Following that series, the Cardinals will play three-gamers against the Astros and then the Reds, and those will be followed by a two-gamer against the Nationals. Come out of this with a smashing record, and no one will complain.

Boxscore courtesy of mlb.com.