St. Louis Cardinals Win Streak Hits 16 Games

This past winter the St. Louis Cardinals fleeced the Colorado Rockies in a trade which originated because Nolan Arenado desired to be traded to a viable contender.

From a baseball standpoint…earlier in life I was a Pittsburgh Pirate fan because of my eternal love for Roberto Clemente. But when Oklahoma City became the Triple A affiliate of the LA Dodgers …my attention to baseball primarily became following the Dodgers because I watched some of their current stars at the AAA level in OKC over the years.

This past winter the Rockies granted Nolan his escape. The reaction in Denver was predictably brutal towards the Rockies organization. I was in Denver the week after the trade and the letters to the editor of the Denver paper were brutally tough on the Rockies’ GM… who was fired not long after.

The Rockies today stand thirteen games below the .500 mark and 30 games out of first place in the West Division in the National League. Keep in mind this is a Rockies franchise which tied the Dodgers for the division championship as recently as 2016.

With my son’s family in Denver it became natural I would become a Nolan Arenado fan. Like the young man in this video above I view Nolan as the best third baseman in the game with Anthony Rendon being just a rung behind.

My son Chris took me to the Rockies last regular season game in 2016 in Denver when Bryce Harper played his last game for the Washington Nationals. Colorado won that game 14-1 to tie the Dodgers for the division on that memorable fall day. Bryce Harper hit two towering gap doubles while Nolan hit two home runs over the left field wall. It’s one of my favorite baseball memories.

Nolan was traded to the Cardinals this past winter and the expectations became sky high as in World Series or bust.

In the first three fourths of this season in every aspect of the game—the Cardinals were not making the plays when they needed to be made. Their bullpen was expecially bad in multiple clutch situations to close out games. It was a team deal.

Just several weeks ago the Cardinals stood at 71-69 looking into the abyss of not making the playoffs. Of being the biggest underachiever in major league baseball this season.

I felt horrible for Nolan because in reality he’s such a humble team guy who wants to win. This was going to be his real introduction to those baseball fans who only watch post season games.

But lo and behold the Cardinals in a magical way got their act together. They are now winners of sixteen straight games with a record of 87-69 and clinchers of a wild card spot in the upcoming MLB playoffs. Their opponent if the season were over today would be the LA Dodgers. Go figure.

The sixteen game winning streak is one of the most memorable in modern baseball history because it’s taking place in September heading into October at the goal acheiving portion of the season. I have to go back and check, but I think it might be the fourth longest winning streak in modern baseball history.

The transformation in this season came when the stars started playing like stars and the role players started doing their jobs. Nolan, Goldschimdt, and O’Neill have all passed the thirty home run marker. Forty year-old Adam Wainwright has steadied the starting pitching rotation. Roles have been altered in the bullpen. It’s been a team thing with a next man up mentality.

From a baseball standpoint this almost has that Washington Nationals look back in 2017.

Dodgers vs. the Cardinals in the wild card. Who will I be rooting for? Nolan is my favorite player, the Dodgers are my favorite team.

At the end at crunch time…probably Nolan.

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