Breaking down the Cardinals ahead of playoff time

Three meaningless games remain.

Mondays look like Adam Wainwright's last six starts: Rough, uninviting, and quite scary. 

It's the day everybody wants to skip, except for Monday itself. It drags, plods along, and generally makes one worry for the safety of anyone who comes into their face with unstable requests. As Sheriff Hopper proclaimed, the mornings are for coffee and contemplation. He could have said that for Mondays as well. 

For St. Louis, today and this week are consumed by the extended season of baseball and the upcoming arrival of hockey. 

When it comes to Wainwright, the Cardinals are in an uncomfortable, not untenable, situation heading into the playoffs. Their franchise favorite, vet, and renaissance-prone starting pitcher is throwing as well as a fifth starter looking to invest in real estate in the offseason. But he is a bulldog and the ultimate competitor, intangibles that heighten talent and can erase vulnerability. However, it's a matter of warm arm and general reliability in October, so heartfelt renderings like guts and gumption aren't enough.

 If Oliver Marmol starts Wainwright and he gets ripped out there against the Phillies, fans will unleash terror on him for the following 48 hours. If the Cards lose the series, it will louder. These are baseball fans we're talking about instead of civilized souls, so get ready for anarchy if it's even near the menu. 

Wainwright isn't even the fourth-best starter on this team right now, so his chances of starting in the inbound Wildcard Postseason series should be remote. But, when it comes to the Cards, you just never know. If Wainwright needs a prescription right now, it's most likely rest. 

Here's my three: Mikolas, Flaherty, Quintana.

Those are your three best pitching arms at the moment. Montgomery and Pallante are first long men up, and then the bullpen takes over. Mikolas has pitched too well not to get the first game, especially if it's at home. Flaherty is throwing sharper every start and has the biggest power arm in the group. Montgomery is a great option, but Quintana’s 2.11 ERA since joining the Cards is hard to deny. 

Let's talk about the NL Comeback Player of the Year real quick in Albert Pujols. He cranked #702 yesterday, polishing off a superb second half with a stamp of electricity at home. Along with his 23rd home run, Pujols knocked in two more with a double, his 14th of the year. Pair those two sexy stats with an .887 OPS, and it's been a very good year for the legendary machine. With three games left in Pittsburgh, the hunt for #5 to maybe reach #705 is on. 

Player to Watch in the Postseason: Brendan Donovan. The everyman utility player can play three positions well, gives the Cards something at the top of the order, and is the kind of guy who can be a nightmare for opposing managers. He takes an at-bat like a veteran, and is capable of spraying the ball all over. He also isn't hindered by RHP or LHP, which makes him a big threat. 

Player to worry about: Dylan Carlson, who is 9 for his last 40 at the plate. Tyler O'Neill is busy hurrying back from a pulled hamstring, and Alec Burleson hasn't gotten the at-bats to become a proven commodity just yet. Lars Nootbaar is 15-83 (.181) in his last 30 games, which doesn't spark confidence. The outfield was once a potent offensive threat, at least 2/3 of the way equipped. Now, I am not so sure. 

The Cardinals have survived offensively with Pujols, Paul Goldschmidt, and Nolan Arenado providing ample support with the bats in the past few months, so someone needs to step up in the outfield. 

Here's the cool thing to remember in the midst of stressful decisions that DON'T fall on our shoulders: St. Louis won the division. St. Louis is in a playoff series starting Friday. The series will take place at Busch Stadium, and there will be no weird or useless days off between games. Games one, two, and three are Friday, Saturday, Sunday. I LOVE THAT. The format wins this year. 

Don't mess around with open dates in October. If the players needed rest, they'd have gotten in the previous six months. It's time to run. Have a great week, hopefully better than Old Man Waino's September. 

One last thing: I don't think we've seen the last great moment in Waino's career. Nope. Big players rise to big occasions, and he is no different. Right now, though, the hard choice must be made to do what's best for the team. With an arsenal of starters, you can't waste time on nostalgia.