CARDINALS 101

Despite many players having outstanding individual seasons thus far, with six making the All-Star roster, at the midway point of the 2012 baseball season the St. Louis Cardinals are treading water. At 46-40, the Cardinals are two and a half games behind the surprising Pittsburgh Pirates, and one and a half games behind the Cincinnati Reds. While they are not where they would like to be, manager Mike Matheny believes "Our best baseball is ahead of us."

Carlos Beltran has established himself as a legitimate MVP candidate. Beltran is leading the N.L. with 65 RBI to go along with 20 home runs and a .296 batting average. Albert who? Beltran had a strong showing in the Home Run Derby this past Monday, but fell short of claiming the title. Beltran is joined on the 2012 N.L. All Star team by fellow Cardinals: Yadier Molina, Lance Lynn, Rafael Furcal, Matt Holliday, and the 2011 World Series MVP, David Freese.

Freese, a first time All-Star, was the last player added to the N.L. roster via the MLB Fan Vote. Cardinals fans voices were heard loud in clear via Twitter with the heavily used tag of #FreesePlease. The St. Louis native had a mid-season slump but recovered nicely to have very respectable numbers. Freese is currently hitting .294 with 13 home runs and 51 RBI. 

The Cardinals open the second half of the season in a crucial three game series against the Reds. Adam Wainwright is on the mound looking to take the next step in his first season since his 2011 Tommy John surgery. The former All Star has struggled thus far with an ERA hovering around 4.50 and a record of seven wins and eight loses. If the Cardinals are going to make a run at their 12th World Series Championship in 2012, a resurgence from Wainwright is a great place to start

Tags: Baseball, Carlos Beltran, David Freese, Lance Lynn, Mike Matheny, MLB, Rafael Furcal, St. Louis, St. Louis Cardinals, Yadier Molina

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