Re: 2019 NL Central Champion- St.Louis Cardinals! Archived Message
Posted by Wally Bunker on October 3, 2019, 3:00 pm, in reply to "Re: 2019 NL Central Champion- St.Louis Cardinals!"
Health is a worry for Atlanta heading into this series. Most notably, star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. was shut down late in the regular season with a groin strain. He'll almost certainly be in the lineup, but it remains to seen how that injury will affect him at the plate, on the bases, and in the field. As well, star first baseman Freddie Freeman has been limited by bone spurs in his right elbow. Outfielder Ender Inciarte recently suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury, and he's been ruled out for the NLDS. The Braves' bench is also in a compromised state with injuries to Charlie Culberson (struck in face by pitch) and Johan Camargo (fractured shin). Neither is expected to play again this season. As for the Cardinals, their big question is Kolten Wong. The slick-fielding second baseman has been a plus on-base threat this season, but he's been sidelined with a grade 2 hamstring strain. His status for the NLDS, at this writing, is uncertain. That would be a blow to the Cardinals. While Edman is more than capable of filling in at the keystone, doing so presses Matt Carpenter into regular duty, and at this stage of his career he probably doesn't belong in the lineup against lefties. As noted above, the Cardinals may be facing a number of left-handers in this series. Acuna and Freeman are the Braves two best players. Freeman is as steady as they come and Acuna is a monster and just scratching the surface of what he will be. Wong is a nice piece, but hardly in the same league as these two players.
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