5 things to know before the Cardinals’ opening day at Busch Stadium

Just some advice and insight from a recovering baseball addict.

I used to write a lot more every week, especially on baseball. The St. Louis Cardinals ruled my life, or at least 6-8 months of it. Their games, reactions, offseason moves, and the general balance of fan devotion to a wild idea of becoming a media member. In the end, it was fun riding that close to the flame.

I’m farther away now, appreciating the action and season without letting it tower over my life. After all, it’s their job to win games and not our own. With that in mind, here are five quick reminders before the first pitch this afternoon at opening day in downtown St. Louis. The start times for these things are so wacky, with their attention spans on people going to bed early or something. But that’s wasted breath.

Pardon my spelling and punctuation errors. They’re not the point, so keep reading.

5) A 3-4 road trip isn’t bad at all

The Dodgers and Padres gave the team an early push, and the Cards could have left Los Angeles with a split and swept San Diego if a couple things go their way. That’s baseball for you: the ball rolls funny for everyone.

But coming home with that record is an encouraging sign for a team with a true wildcard mentality. St. Louis could be good, bad or ugly. Let the games sort it out, and there’s some energy and somewhat restored starting pitching taking place here.

4) Start Winn and don’t make him bunt

I hate bunting. It’s charitable outs for the other team. Masyn Winn bunting, even to get the speedy Victor Scott II, is something that shouldn’t happen. Another thing that shouldn’t happen is Winn getting multiple rest days this early in season. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s only seven games into the year and he’s had two games off already.

That’s atrocious and signs of an inept manager who is in over his head. Play him and play him often. If he goes down, Brendan Crawford can sub in. But go down that road when the going gets tough, not before the breach is even close. He’s a young talent who needs at-bats.

3) Nolan Arenado is most likely hurt, but it’s not time to panic… yet

If not, how do you explain the lack of power and extra base hits from Arenado? Home runs stopped happening last August, and now he has a giant hole in his swing. The hole isn’t going anywhere. Soft contact and some singles aren’t enough for a guy making $35 million. That’s a large chunk for a guy who slugged .290 last September.

Is it a shoulder injury? Those zap power. Could it be something else? I hope he didn’t age five years over the offseason. It’s not just seven games; it’s the part of last season, the spring, and the start of this season. It’s becoming a red flag.

2) Victor irritation

The rookie is disturbing shit for other teams. They have to worry about him getting on base, which would result in a stolen base and advanced attention. He can make contact and turn groundouts into singles with ease. Keep in mind he jumped over AAA, like skipping the high school portion of team ascension. Other players have done it. Few are as exciting.

Scott II also provides great defense, and a bat that will take time. He’s not getting overmatched or missing fastballs; just a rookie traveling on harder terrain but giving the team a real injection of something new. A natural disturbance.

1) Embrace the Lynn renaissance

He’s back and better than last year. After his teammates allowed four home runs, he allowed zero against the Dodgers. It took the rain to stop him from going 5-6 innings. Thats for him to do this afternoon against Miami.

Lynn’s passion and emotion are as valuable as his multiple fastballs. He lets it fly on the mound, a battle cry that usually follows a strikeout or three. He’s a low cost, big upside asset who won’t tie the team down. If he can put together another solid start, let’s give him a break. There’s something left in an arm who can still miss bats.

Thats it. Go enjoy an unofficial yet cold St. Louis holiday. Sneak look at the game, hide from your boss a little, and enjoy a true treasure of an occasion. They can take the playoffs from us, but they can’t take away opening day in St. Louis.

The Cardinals are 3-4 and have some fight in them. I like that. You should too. It’s on them in the end.