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When the St. Louis Cardinals square off with the Boston Red Sox in the 2013 World Series, baseball fans will be treated to something they haven’t seen since 1999—a showdown between the teams with the best regular season records in each league.

When powerhouse squads like this collide, stars such as David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Carlos Beltran and Yadier Molina jump off the page, but it is often the unheralded names that decide the Fall Classic. Cardinals fans know this to be true thanks to the efforts of David Freese in 2011 and David Eckstein in 2006.

Look for these unheralded hitters to help determine who will be spraying champagne this year.

Matt Carpenter

In years past, Chris Carpenter was the Carpenter to watch from the St. Louis roster, but it will be Matt Carpenter impacting the 2013 World Series.

This year, Carpenter put up numbers that would make most second basemen this side of Robinson Cano jealous, and he made the all-star team along the way. He posted a .318 average to go along with a .873 OPS and actually led Cardinals position players in hits, on-base percentage and WAR.

As the leadoff hitter in a dangerous lineup that features the likes of Beltran, Molina and Matt Holliday, Carpenter will impact the series by continuing to get on base at such a high clip. Red Sox pitchers will be forced to deliver from the stretch and keep an eye on him on the base paths, which only increases the likelihood one of the Cardinals sluggers will see a mistake to crush.

With his NLDS struggles in the rear-view mirror, Carpenter looks poised to finally become a household name against Boston.

Xander Bogaerts

Everyone was ready to hop aboard the Xander Bogaerts hype-train early in the 2013 season, but he didn’t see much Major League action.

However, that didn’t stop the Red Sox third baseman from playing a critical role in games 5 and 6 of the ALCS. After stepping up in such pressure-packed moments, look for Boston to turn to Bogaerts instead of Will Middlebrooks for much of the series.

Bogaerts will find himself near or at the bottom of Boston’s lineup. National League pitchers are accustomed to getting a breather against their counterparts before the lineup turns over, so perhaps the Red Sox third baseman can exploit a mental edge in those situations.

Bogaerts will continue his recent upswing and prove why expectations were (and still are) so high for the youngster.

Allen Craig

One of the quirks of the World Series is that the National League team gets to insert a designated hitter as the visitors, and Allen Craig will likely be that man for the Cardinals.

It didn’t get better than Craig when it came to production with runners in scoring position during the 2013 season. He led the league with a .454 average in those critical situations, despite the fact he has missed time since early September with a foot injury.

The World Series often features nail-biting pitcher duels that come down to crucial hits in pressure-packed moments. Craig’s RISP numbers are a testament to his ability to come through when needed.

Furthermore, while the injury is a concern, he should be more fresh than most players in this series after the time off. If this series turns into a six or seven game grind, Craig will be ready to continue to deliver with runners on.

Shane Victorino

Shane Victorino may have sent Red Sox fans into bliss with his grand slam in Game 6 of the ALCS against the Tigers, but he struggled throughout the series.

Look for the talented outfielder to use the momentum from that slam as a springboard into the World Series. He struggled down the stretch of the year (partially due to a hamstring issue), but he has the talent necessary to shape the outcome of a critical game.

His grand slam garnered the headlines, but it is his defense that really helps Boston. If he doesn’t get a big hit in this series, he will at least help take away one for the Cardinals. With the top team from each league squaring off, a critical defensive error could swing the outlook of the entire series.

Boston knows Victorino likely won’t be the one to commit such a gaffe.

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The St. Louis Cardinals have lost four of Adam Wainwright’s last five starts with eight or more days of rest, which is important to consider when making your MLB picks Wednesday, as they take on the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Sports bettors will find that the Cardinals are plus-110 road underdogs in the pro baseball odds, with the betting total sitting at seven in the market.

Let’s take a closer look at Game 1 of the 2013 World Series from a betting perspective, while offering up a prediction along the way.

Gambling stats via SBR Forum

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I am a Philadelphia Phillies fan, so when the playoffs started, I decided that I would hope for either the Pittsburgh Pirates or the Tampa Bay Rays to come away with the championship. You can obviously tell how well that worked out, but the one kind of strange advantage that I have gained is some sense of objectivity regarding the World Series. I don’t really have a vested interest in either team.

As a result, I have been able to weigh the relative merits of each of the teams involved, and I have come up with 10 reasons why I will be rooting for the St. Louis Cardinals as we come towards baseball’s ultimate stage.

Begin Slideshow

For the fourth time in the last decade, the St. Louis Cardinals are in the World Series. They don’t know whom they will play, but they have locked up a spot in the Fall Classic.

No matter whom they face, it will be a rematch of one of their recent World Series appearances. The Boston Red Sox swept the Cardinals back in 2004, and St. Louis beat the Detroit Tigers in 2006.

The Cardinals have a chance to keep the trophy in the National League yet again and also become the second NL team to win multiple championships this decade.

After beating the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games, the Cardinals are preparing for the biggest series of the season.

Here are the keys for the Cardinals to bring back the World Series trophy to St. Louis.

*All stats are courtesy of MLB.com.

Begin Slideshow

A series defined by great pitching met up Friday night in St. Louis for yet another duel—only half of the duel never showed.

The St. Louis Cardinals continued their ownership of one of the game’s greatest left-handed pitchers, Clayton Kershaw.

The Los Angeles Dodgers sent the right man to the mound—Hanley Ramirez fought through an extremely painful injury—but in the end this series belonged to the Cardinals.

Michael Wacha, NLCS MVP, threw seven stellar innings of two-hit shutout baseball—an overall microcosm of the series to date.

Friday’s win does assure that the Cardinals will face one of two very familiar fall classic opponents—the Boston Red Sox or Detroit Tigers.

While most fans remember the two series in 2004 and 2006, many don’t realize the Cardinals have faced each team in a World Series three times.

In 1934, the Cardinals’ Gashouse Gang defeated the Tigers in seven games. During that series, all four wins came behind the two Dean brothers—Dizzy and Daffy—who combined for 28 strikeouts and a 1.43 ERA.

In 1968, the Cardinals met the Tigers in the World Series again, but a win wasn’t in their future.

On the cusp of Bob Gibson’s 1.12 ERA season—a record that won’t easily be broken—the Tigers took down the Cardinals over seven games.

In 2006, the Cardinals returned the favor when they fully dominated the Tigers over five games for a swift 4-1 championship win.

The Cardinals’ history with the Red Sox is very similar. Once again, it is painted with some of the fondest moments in team history along with some of painful defeat.

In 1946, the two teams met in the World Series for the first time. The Cardinals won the series in seven games, but not before Enos Slaughter made his famous “Mad Dash” to score from first base.

Ted Williams wasn’t at his best that year due to injury, but in typical Williams fashion, he wasn’t making any excuses.

In 1967, the Cardinals and Red Sox met once again in the World Series. Bob Gibson did almost everything. He was responsible for three wins and even one home run.

Again the Cardinals won in seven games.

When they met for the most recent time in 2004, it was the Red Sox’s turn to make history. The Sox dominated the Cardinals in a four-game sweep and finally reversed the “Curse of the Bambino” by winning their first World Series since 1918.

So what does 2013 have in store? Is it the year of the rookie pitcher? Is it the year of the beard? Will Justin Verlander finally work his regular season magic in October?

HFour of the Cardinals’ 11 World Championships have come at the expense of these two teams.

While there’s no way to know what to expect, when these teams meet in October history tends to be made. Don’t look for this World Series to be any different.

All statistics courtesy Baseball Reference are current through Oct. 18, 2013.

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On Friday night, Michael Wacha became part of baseball history.

Starting Game 6 of the NLCS in St. Louis, the 22-year-old rookie shut out the Dodgers for the second time in the past week, allowing only two hits and a walk with five strikeouts over seven stellar innings.

More importantly, Wacha helped extend the Cardinals season once again, as they ultimately won the game 9-0 and punched a ticket to their third World Series in the last eight years.

Between both starts in the series, Wacha was 2-0 with 13 strikeouts in 13.2 scoreless innings. Needless to say, it didn’t come as a surprise when he was named as the NLCS MVP, becoming the second rookie pitcher in baseball history to win the award.   

Mature Beyond His Years

When talking about Wacha in his press conference following Game 2 of the NLCS, St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny couldn’t help but show excitement when discussing his performance this postseason. 

“The way this kid has gone about it has been—it’s really hard to describe,” Matheny said, via MLB.com. “I don’t want to keep describing it, because I’d like to watch it happen a few more times.”

Though vague, Matheny’s explanation of what makes Wacha so impressive is spot-on: The kid has “it.”

“It,” of course, is unquantifiable. However, the word is typically used to describe a pitcher who exhibits outstanding poise and moxie on the mound. It describes a pitcher who goes out there and competes with a veteran-like confidence, thriving in the most pressure-filled situations. 

Believe it or not, the above description of “it” wasn’t derived from watching Wacha pitch this October—he just fits the mold perfectly.

Though he reached the major leagues for the first time in late May, Wacha didn’t join the Cardinals’ starting rotation until September. Pitching in the heat of a playoff race roughly one year after the Cardinals made him the No. 19 overall pick in the 2012 draft, the right-hander was 2-1 with a 1.72 ERA, .198 opponent batting average and 28/10 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 31.1 innings (five starts) over the final month of the season.

However, it wasn’t until his final regular-season start that Wacha captured the attention of a national audience. Taking the mound against the Washington Nationals on Sept. 24, Wacha came within one out of a no-hitter before allowing an infield single to Ryan Zimmerman. As a result of his late-season success, he was named to the Cardinals’ postseason starting rotation.

The brilliance Wacha showcased against the Nationals carried over into his start against the Pirates in Game 4 of the NLDS, with the Cardinals trailing 2-1 in the series and facing potential elimination. Suffice to say, Wacha stepped up in a big way, as he allowed one run on one hit and two walks with nine strikeouts over 7.1 impressive frames. He carried a no-hit bid into the eighth inning before surrendering a solo home run to Pedro Alvarez with one out.

In the wake of his domination of the Pirates in the most important game of his life, Matheny named Wacha as the Cardinals’ Game 2 starter for the NLCS, meaning he’d also start Game 6 should it be necessary.

While Wacha’s combination of electric pure stuff and advanced command certainly has played a part in his success during this postseason, it’s the “it” factor that has made him a star.

Prior to Wacha’s start in Game 4 of the NLDS, Matheny raved about his starter’s makeup to Joey Nowak of MLB.com:

As you spend a little bit of time around him, you can see that he’s mature beyond his years and beyond his experience. We put him to the test, pitching late in the season. Watching him take a no-hitter into the ninth inning and kind of watching how he’s handled every step along the way, we learned that early about him in Spring Training.

Matheny hasn’t been the only one in the Cardinals dugout to notice Wacha has something special about him. 

Veteran starter Chris Carpenter was quick to praise the youngster as well, via MLB.com‘s Adam McCalvy:

He has the ability to block everything out. You watch the excitement of what he’s doing, the poise. His talent is there, and you watch the mound presence during the game. He’s been fantastic.

And like the rest of us, Jake Westbrook has grown increasingly impressed with Wacha over the course of the season, via McCalvy:

Just with the spring he had and how he came in as a 21-year-old at the time and the poise he showed … as a 21-year-old going into a big league camp, you don’t know what to expect no matter how good your stuff is. You don’t know what you’re going to see. He stepped up and acted like he had been there for a while. That was impressive from the get-go.

Third-string catcher Rob Johnson was even more complimentary, via MLB.com‘s Steve Gilbert:

I’ve never experienced his temperament with his kind of stuff. The guy is amazing. He’s obviously very confident in his stuff, but his ability to stay focused and stay humble and continue to learn and process the stuff other guys are teaching him and then go out to the field and execute it, is quite amazing.

Next Up: World Series

Wacha’s maturity and polish were on full display in both starts against the Dodgers in the NLCS. However, while the video-game numbers highlight his overall excellence, they don’t completely convey what made him so successful in the series.

He did an outstanding job of preventing the Dodgers from putting together a productive, game-changing inning, as he retired the side in order eight times. Along those same lines, on the rare occasion in which Wacha did allow a Dodgers hitter to reach base, only one of them was able to reach third.

However, Wacha’s greatest accomplishment in the series was undoubtedly his utter domination of the Dodgers’ 3-4-5 hitters, a group that collectively failed to get a hit against him in 28 at-bats.

After shutting down two of baseball’s better offenses in the first two rounds of the playoffs, Wacha will get the chance to add to his already impressive postseason résumé when he takes the mound in the World Series. Matheny has time to decide on a starting rotation, but it’s likely the rookie will be tabbed as the team’s Game 2 starter, therefore giving him a chance to start two games in the series.

And though the Cardinals’ World Series opponent is yet to be determined, whoever they wind up playing should once again be a non-issue with Wacha on the mound.

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We know the when and half of the who, but we don’t yet know the where.

The World Series begins on Wednesday, Oct. 23, and the St. Louis Cardinals have punched their ticket after a dominating 9-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series.

The American League representative, however, remains TBD, and as such, so does the site of Games 1 and 2 of the Fall Classic. With the Junior Circuit’s 3-0 blanking of the Senior back in July, the AL champ will get home field, but whether that will be in Boston or Detroit depends on how the rest of the weekend plays out.

The Red Sox are leading the Tigers three games to two heading into Saturday’s Game 6, and if necessary, a winner-take-all Game 7 will be Sunday. We’ll know soon enough which club gets to host the Cardinals, but in the meantime, here’s how the three teams stack up based on their lineups, rotations and bullpens, starting in each case with the club that’s already advanced.

Lineups

Catcher

Cardinals: Yadier Molina and Tony Cruz

Red Sox: Jarrod Saltalamacchia and David Ross

Tigers: Alex Avila and Brayan Pena

Boston has a very strong veteran duo, and Saltalamacchia has beat up right-handers this year (.294/.350/.523), which is the arm all Cardinals starters use to throw. Similarly, the lefty-hitting Avila, whose knee injury puts his status in question, can hold his own against righties (.767 OPS versus .455 against southpaws). Still, Molina is inarguably the best all-around backstop in the sport, so St. Louis has this one won, no matter who they play.

Rank: Cardinals, Red Sox, Tigers

First Base

Cardinals: Matt Adams

Red Sox: Mike Napoli

Tigers: Prince Fielder

Napoli, the lone right-handed hitter of this trio, gets the edge here because he’s been the hottest of the three in the postseason (.969 OPS) and is also the best defender. Fielder (.587 OPS) and Adams (.724) both have the potential to do major damage—they just haven’t. Especially Fielder, who sports a career average of .199 in the playoffs and hasn’t driven in a run since the ALCS…in 2012. Not so crazy to think Adams, a 25-year-old rookie, might be the better option in October.

Rank: Red Sox, Tigers, Cardinals

Second Base

Cardinals: Matt Carpenter

Red Sox: Dustin Pedroia

Tigers: Omar Infante

Despite strong seasons from each, none is playing particularly well at the moment, but ol’ reliable Pedroia’s all-around game—and postseason experience—gives him the top spot over Carpenter, the position’s breakout player of the year.

Rank: Red Sox, Cardinals, Tigers

Third Base

Cardinals: David Freese

Red Sox: Will Middlebrooks or Xander Bogaerts

Tigers: Miguel Cabrera

Cabrera has to be the choice here, even with all of the injury issues that are hampering him. Meanwhile, Freese, the Cardinals’ postseason hero from 2011, is hitting .189 and battling Middlebrooks (.174) for who can post a lower batting average this month, which is why Boston has turned to 21-year-old rookie Bogaerts, according to Joe McDonald of ESPN Boston.

Rank: Tigers, Cardinals, Red Sox

Shortstop

Cardinals: Pete Kozma

Red Sox: Stephen Drew

Tigers: Jose Iglesias or Jhonny Peralta

More ineptitude here, as all three primary shortstops are hitting .200 or below, with Kozma leading the way at 5-for-25, barely ahead of Iglesias at 4-for-22. Drew, though, has been particularly atrocious, with just three hits in 32 at-bats—and 10 strikeouts. Detroit wins out, mainly because Peralta’s production (11-for-30, 1 HR, 6 RBI) has to count somewhere.

Rank: Tigers, Cardinals, Red Sox

Outfield

Cardinals: Carlos Beltran, Matt Holliday, Jon Jay

Red Sox: Jacoby Ellsbury, Shane Victorino, Daniel Nava or Jonny Gomes

Tigers: Torii Hunter, Austin Jackson, Jhonny Peralta or Andy Dirks

This is a close call, because St. Louis has those two big-name big-hitting bats in Beltran—a postseason god—and Holliday, but all three (including Jay) struggle on defense. The Red Sox are being driven by Ellsbury’s on-base ability (.463 OBP), speed (Red Sox playoff record six steals) and D. The Tigers, on the other hand, lack star power but might have the best third outfielder (at least offensively) when Peralta plays left field.

Rank: Cardinals, Red Sox, Tigers

Designated Hitter

Cardinals: Allen Craig or Shane Robinson or Daniel Descalso

Red Sox: David Ortiz

Tigers: Victor Martinez

Ortiz and Martinez are closer than you’d think given how hot Martinez is and how much Ortiz is struggling of late. Yes, he hit that game-tying grand slam in Game 2, but he has only one other hit in the ALCS so far. The Cards are a distant third, unless a healthy enough Craig can make it back from a foot injury that’s kept him out since Sept. 4. Otherwise, they’ll be relying on bench bats that shouldn’t be starting a postseason game, let alone as many as four in the World Series. Remember: The AL’s home-field advantage puts St. Louis at a severe disadvantage here.

Rank: Red Sox, Tigers, Cardinals

Bench

Cardinals: Robinson, Descalso, Adron Chambers, Kolten Wong

Red Sox: Gomes, Nava, Bogaerts, Mike Carp, Quintin Berry

Tigers: Dirks, Don Kelly, Ramon Santiago, Hernan Perez

This one ain’t close, as Boston’s bench is superb, providing everything from offense to defense to speed. The Cards come up way short here again, especially if Craig can’t be at least a pinch-hitter.

Rank: Red Sox, Tigers, Cardinals

Rotations

Cardinals: Adam Wainwright (RHP), Michael Wacha (RHP), Lance Lynn (RHP), Joe Kelly (RHP)

Red Sox: Jon Lester (LHP), Clay Buchholz (RHP), John Lackey (RHP), Jake Peavy (RHP)

Tigers: Max Scherzer (RHP), Justin Verlander (RHP), Anibal Sanchez (RHP), Doug Fister (RHP)

Detroit’s quality and quantity is unmatched, so the Tigers are a notch above the Cardinals, whose top two have proved to be a dominating duo that the Red Sox just don’t quite have. The only edge Boston gets here? Lester is the lone lefty of all of the above, which might make things a bit more challenging for St. Louis’ same-sided bats like Adams, Carpenter and Jay.

Rank: Tigers, Cardinals, Red Sox

Bullpens

Cardinals: Trevor Rosenthal (RHP), Carlos Martinez (RHP), Kevin Siegrist (LHP), Randy Choate (LHP), John Axford (RHP), Edward Mujica (RHP), Seth Maness (RHP), Shelby Miller (RHP)

Red Sox: Koji Uehara (RHP), Junichi Tazawa (RHP), Craig Breslow (LHP), Brandon Workman (RHP), Felix Doubront (LHP), Franklin Morales (LHP), Ryan Dempster (RHP)

Tigers: Joaquin Benoit (RHP), Jose Veras (RHP), Drew Smyly (LHP), Al Alburquerque (RHP), Jose Alvarez (LHP), Phil Coke (LHP), Rick Porcello (RHP)

While Detroit’s relief corps has been exposed at times (lookin’ at you, Mr. Benoit), Boston’s bullpen has been a revelation this month—Uehara and Tazawa are the only two who have given up a run. Still, it’s hard to match what St. Louis brings to the table, as far as a deep ‘pen full of dynamic and specialist arms.

Rank: Cardinals, Red Sox, Tigers

Head-to-Head Breakdowns

Having run down all three teams, here’s a sneak-peek preview of how each matchup would shape up, depending on which American League squad joins the Cardinals in the World Series.

If the Red Sox advance…

The Cardinals would have the biggest advantages at catcher and in the rotation, while also holding slight edges at third base, outfield and in the bullpen. However, they would have to make up for shortcomings against Boston at designated hitter and on the bench.

The Cardinals probably get a slight overall edge in a head-to-head against the Red Sox, who have shown that elite pitching and power arms—St. Louis has both—can handle their top-notch offense. Craig’s availability would be an X-factor here, because it would help the Cards get a bit closer with the sticks, particularly considering the DH would come into play in Games 1 and 2 and, if necessary, 6 and 7.

If the Tigers advance…

St. Louis would have the upper hand at catcher, outfield and in the bullpen, while stacking up fairly well at second base, too. But the Cards would be lacking compared to Detroit at third base, designated hitter, on the bench and in the rotation.

This might be the more competitive of the two potential series, given that both teams can throw some of the best arms around on the mound. Again, Craig’s availability may wind up being a key to combating Detroit’s staff, whereas the injuries to Cabrera and Avila and postseason struggles of Fielder could make St. Louis the favorite.

It’s not really worth wondering whether the Cardinals would quote-unquote prefer to face the Red Sox or Tigers, because they’ll find out which opponent they’ll face soon enough.

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At the ripe old age of 22, Michael Wacha won the 2013 NLCS after the St. Louis Cardinals‘ 9-0 Game 6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, via MLB.

According to SportsCenter, he’s just the second rookie pitcher to earn the honor.

Wacha pitched seven innings on Friday night, giving up just two hits and one walk, while striking out five.

It was his second win of the series. In Game 2, he went 6.2 innings, again surrendering zero runs on five hits, with one walk and eight strikeouts, helping the Cards win, 1-0.

What’s even more impressive is the fact that he outperformed Clayton Kershaw, the likely NL Cy Young Award winner, in both starts. You could easily understand Wacha letting the pressure eat him alive. He’s pitching in a decisive playoff game for his team, against arguably the best pitcher in baseball.

Instead, Wacha thrived, and a hero is born.

Fans in St. Louis will be lucky to find these shirts when the Cardinals’ team store opens up tomorrow.

Wacha’s rise this season has been nothing short of meteoric.

A little over a year ago, he was just getting drafted in the first round. Coincidentally, the team that picked before the Cardinals at No. 19 was the Dodgers, via ESPN.com’s David Schoenfield.

Although he appeared in 15 games during the regular season, Wacha had made just nine starts coming into the postseason. St. Louis clearly had a lot of faith in the youngster, pitting him against Kershaw right off the bat in the series. Fortunately for them, Wacha was more than up to the task.

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The St. Louis Cardinals are an exemplary franchise, but are they on the verge of becoming a dynastic one?

The organization is among the best in baseball, if not all sports, when it comes to recent success, decision-making and player development. All of that has brought about 10 trips to the postseason—including a current spot in this year’s National League Championship Series—and two world championships since 2000.

The pair of titles came during an even more recent window, in 2006 and 2011, and with a chance at what would be a third in only eight seasons, an argument could be made that St. Louis is not only the best club in Major League Baseball but also a dynasty.

Of course, that brings up a key question: Just what is a dynasty?

That’s not necessarily the easiest query to answer. There is, on some level, an objective approach to defining a true dynasty in baseball. That would be a certain number of World Series wins over a specific period of time. Think something like: At least three titles over no more than five years. The actual numbers may vary depending on who’s doing the defining, but there should be some standard.

On another level, though, there’s also a subjective approach to dubbing a team a dynasty, right? This is not all that different from using the sniff test—that initial yes-or-no gut reaction—to determine whether a player is or isn’t a Hall of Famer.

So how does all of this apply to the St. Louis Cardinals exactly? Well, it’s a way to bring them into this dynasty discussion. And that’s what it is in this case—a discussion rather than a definitive yes-or-no answer.

Obviously, if we’re taking the above by-the-numbers approach, then the Cardinals aren’t a slam-dunk dynasty if they do go all the way this season. Three titles in an eight-year stretch is darn impressive, but it’s not three in five. Again, it doesn’t have to be specifically three-in-five (or any other ratio), but what St. Louis could reach to earn the “d-word” label.

The other thing about this 2013 club is that even though it hasn’t been that long since the first championship in 2006, this current version just feels different, doesn’t it? That’s where the gut test comes into play.

Among Cardinals who were on the 2006 team, only right-hander Adam Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina remain. (Yes, Chris Carpenter, the longtime ace, is still technically a part of the franchise, but he’s more of a figurehead than a participant at this stage due to injury.)

To that point, while each of the past two World Series-winning Cardinals teams consisted of a collection of quality, All-Star-caliber players, at the heart of it all was Albert Pujols, an iconic superstar who was easily identifiable with St. Louis (until he left for Southern California, that is).

With Pujols no longer around, the aura around the Cardinals has changed. Some might argue it’s actually changed for the better—and they might be right—but regardless, it has changed. 

As much as this season’s success has been driven by veterans like Wainwright and Molina, as well as injured first baseman Allen Craig and outfielder Carlos Beltran (who came to town after the 2011 win, by the way), it’s really built on young breakout players like Matt Carpenter, Michael Wacha, Shelby Miller, Matt Adams and Trevor Rosenthal. None of those youngsters, it’s worth mentioning, have been a part of a World Series winner—or even a World Series—yet.

Change goes beyond just the roster, too. Gone are longtime manager Tony LaRussa and pitching coach Dave Duncan, replaced by Mike Matheny and Derek Lilliquist. Matheny was a part of the organization for the 2011 title, and Lilliquist was for both 2006 and 2011 but not in their current roles, meaning it still would be different this time around.

All of those changes, folks, are a pretty compelling argument against potentially dubbing St. Louis a dynasty this year. If you still find yourself believing the 2013 Cardinals would have to be considered as such, though, should they go on to win the title later this month, ask yourself this: Would the Boston Red Sox be a dynasty if they’re the last team standing in October?

Fact is, the Red Sox are a lot like the Cards: Both franchises have won two titles recently enough, and each has the opportunity to make it three inside of a decade. And yet, even David Ortiz would agree that the roster, regime, makeup and mentality of this year’s Red Sox are nothing at all like the 2004 iteration, those self-proclaimed “Idiots,” or even the 2007 champs, for that matter. (Well, except maybe for the beards.)

Perhaps, though, instead of asking the question posed in the title—would a World Series victory this year make the Cardinals a dynasty—we should be marveling at how seamlessly general manager John Mozeliak and his cohorts have handled this organization’s transition in the past few years. You know, all the changes, alterations and variations spelled out above.

After all, while a third title in eight years might not necessarily make the Cardinals a dynasty, the franchise is set up better than any other in the sport to take a shot at getting there in the future.

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David Freese left Game 3 of the NLCS between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers Monday with a sore right calf muscle. The loss of Freese left the Cardinals without one of their most prolific postseason bats at a time when their offense was at a historic low.

Freese left Game 3 after driving a base hit in the fifth inning and moving up to second on a single by rookie first baseman Matt Adams. Mike Matheny then made the decision to pull Freese from the game and utilize Daniel Descalso to pinch run and take over in the field. Steve Gilbert of MLB.com spoke with Freese after the game:

It was just during that AB, then I took off running and it was pretty tight. It just kind of tightened up on me, and obviously Mike felt it was necessary to take me out just in case we needed someone to score.

The severity of the injury was downplayed very early and Gilbert reported Freese was day-to-day with his injury. Gilbert continued to share the status of the Cardinals’ third baseman later in the same article:

“I think it’s just tight,” Freese said. “I don’t think I strained it too bad, but we’ll check it out tomorrow. I hope I can play tomorrow, but we’ll check it out.”

Said Matheny: “Right now, it’s day to day, and we expect him to be ready to go.”

Freese reported to the park for workouts Tuesday and Frank Cusumano, a reporter from St. Louis NBC affiliate KSDK, confirmed via Twitter that Freese felt ready to go.

The news is good for the Cardinals. Their offense has struggled early on in the series. Despite Freese‘s lack of production, backup Daniel Descalso offers very little help. Descalso is known more for his defensive ability and versatility than his presence at the plate. Alternatively, the Cardinals could turn to rookie Kolten Wong at second base and shift Matt Carpenter over the third base, his natural position. Once again, though, this offers little offensive relief, as Wong has failed to discover his stroke at the major league level.

Freese has offered many memorable October moments in his short career. His presence in the lineup gives the team a feeling of capturing another of those moments at any time.

The Cardinals are in need of one of those moments.

Follow me on Twitter to discuss all things MLB during the postseason.

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