Strauss: Can the Cardinals actually improve? - STLtoday.com
Is it possible a team averaging fewer than three home losses per month could actually improve. That same logic believes there is no way for the Cardinals to sustain Dead Ball Era pitching numbers, their knack for burgling close games and their oppressive run within a division that less than two weeks ago listed the National League’s best... Manager Mike Matheny wants his team to take the road less traveled. “Don’t let other people set your limits,” Matheny said before Tuesday’s series opener against the Chicago White Sox. Keep your head down and keep pushing. Matheny is bilingual, plays chess and is a man of letters, but he encourages his players to refrain from reading, at least about themselves. Comparisons to previous great Cardinals teams offer little value. Matheny doesn’t engage the “what if” game. The formula so far has engendered five winning streaks of at least five games and seven of at least four games against a lone three-game losing skid. Now the Cardinals are starting to warm offensively. Evidence exists to suggest the Cardinals’ recent breakout is illusory. Yes, entering Tuesday’s showdown against White Sox ace. Source: www.stltoday.com
