The St. Louis Cardinals are 1 game behind the Atlanta Braves for the N.L. Wild Card with two games left. The Cardinals are going with Jake Westbrook (12-9, 4.48) and Chris Carpenter (10-9, 3.59) against Henry Sosa (3-5, 4.68) and Brett Myers (7-13, 4.31) in the last couple of games. The Cardinals have the edge in both pitching matchups but that didn’t matter last night as the Astros beat them. With that in mind, the Cardinals have to bring their A-game both tonight and tomorrow as the Astros want to be spoilers. The Phillies are going with Roy Oswalt (8-10, 3.86) and Joe Blanton (1-2, 5.03) against Derek Lowe (9-16, 4.92) and Tim Hudson (16-10, 3.23) in their two games. The Phillies have played hard all year long and I don’t look for them to take it easy on the Braves.

The Cardinals are tied for first place in the N.L. Central Division with a 49-43 record. They are only 1 game up on the Pirates in the division and they are 5 games behind the Braves for the N.L. Wild Card. The Cardinals are on the hunt for a starting pitcher and I think they have the ammo to get a deal or two done by the trade deadline in a couple of weeks. Here is a look at the players who made the biggest impact in the first half of the season for the Cardinals:

Team MVP: 35-year old switch-hitting Lance Berkman has handled RF o.k. so far this year and he has been the best hitter on the team. Berkman has played in 82 games for the Cardinals so far this year and he is 78 for 269 (.290 avg, 1.006 OPS) with 54 runs scored, 24 homers and 63 RBIs. Berkman is also showing a great eye at the plate as he has walked (53 times) more than he has whiffed (51) so far this year. I look for Berkman to have a big second half as long as he can stay healthy out in RF.

Biggest Surprise: 26-year old righty reliever Fernando Salas has really stepped up this season for the Cardinals. When Ryan Franklin struggled closing games, Salas stepped up and took over the role. Salas has pitched in 38 games (0 starts) for the Cardinals so far this year and he is 5-2 with 16 saves, a 2.25 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP. He only has given up 27 hits and walked 11 batters in his first 44 innings this year while whiffing 44 batters, showing just how nasty he can be.

Biggest Disappointment: 38-year old righty reliever Ryan Franklin just didn’t have it this year. He pitched in 21 games (0 starts) for the Cardinals this year and he was 1-4 with 1 save, a 8.46 ERA and a 1.84 WHIP. Franklin gave up 44 hits (9 of which were homers) in 27 2/3 innings for the Cardinals this year and that led to his release.

The St. Louis Cardinals started the year off 1-2 against the San Diego Padres as they were outscored 16-8. The Cardinals only hit a combined .243 hitter with a .611 OPS against the Padres. The Cardinals lost Matt Holliday after Opening Day to an emergency appendectomy and I think that casted a cloud over the Cardinals who are already without righty ace starting pitcher Adam Wainwright for the 2011 season due to Tommy John Surgery. The Cardinals need to forget about the injuries and focus on the task at hand starting this week.

The St. Louis Cardinals are 47-41 on the season which has them in 2nd place in the N.L. Central, 1 game behind the Reds. The Cardinals have had a few surprises and some disappointments in the first half of 2010 and here’s a closer look at them:

Pleasant Surprises: 23-year old rookie lefty starting pitcher Jaime Garcia has burst onto the scene this season for the Cardinals. He has started 17 games for the Cardinals this year and he is 8-4 with a 2.17 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. 28-year old righty reliever Jason Motte is trying to make up for 2009 this year. He has pitched in 38 games (0 starts) for the Cardinals this year and he is 3-2 with a 2.27 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. 26-year old Mitchell Boggs has really turned into a solid relief pitcher for the Cardinals in 2010. He has pitched in 35 games (0 starts) for the Cardinals this year and he is 1-2 with a 2.54 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. Rookie 25-year old lefty swinging outfielder Jon Jay has been outstanding this season for the Cardinals. He has played in 34 games for the Cardinals this year and he is 26 of 69 (.377 avg, .989 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 3 homers and 9 RBIs.

Disappointments: 28-year old shortstop Brendan Ryan was outstanding in 2009 but he has been pathetic in 2010. Ryan has played in 72 games this season for the Cardinals and he is 42 of 217 (.194 avg, .547 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 2 homers, 16 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. 32-year old starting pitcher Brad Penny has been banged up this season. He has started 9 games for the Cardinals this year and he is 3-4 with a 3.23 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. The only disappointment with Penny is his health. 31-year old Kyle Lohse is a different situation despite his injury. He has started 9 games for the Cardinals this season and he is 1-4 with a 5.89 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP.

The Cardinals are 8-4 on the season so far as they are in first place in the N.L. Central, 1 game ahead of the Pirates. The Cardinals have outscored opponents 55-38 this season as they are hitting the ball well and they are pitching well which is a good combo. The Cardinals take to the road this week with 3 games in Arizona followed by 3 games in San Francisco. Those are two pretty good teams who will give the Cardinals a good test this week.