2005 MLB Playoff's: Cardinals Have Many Aces Up Their Sleeve

by The DugOut | October 4, 2005 at 09:57 am

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In the aftermath of last October's World Series loss to the Boston Red Sox, the Cardinals' rapid response was to dedicate themselves to bolstering a starting rotation that unraveled through injuries and fatigue at the end of 2004.

A December trade for Mark Mulder, December shoulder surgery for Matt Morris, a winter of recovery for Chris Carpenter, a season of certainty for Jason Marquis and another summer of consistency for Jeff Suppan allowed the Cardinals to do nothing less than remake themselves. A team renowned for its powerful offense emerged as a five-armed monster that consumed innings and churned out quality starts.

"You can't even compare this starting rotation to last year," pitching coach Dave Duncan insists. "There's so much more depth this year."

The Cardinals open the first-round playoff series today against the San Diego Padres forced to shoehorn five starters into four - or even three - starting roles.

Suppan, a 16-game winner for the second consecutive season, and Marquis, whose 4.13 ERA is the rotation's highest while fitting below the league average (4.22), are guaranteed nothing other than consideration for long relief.