On the same afternoon Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein stood in the visiting dugout and described the trade that added starter Cole Hamels as the proper piece for a pennant race, his Cardinals counterpart went blow-by-blow through bloody Friday, bullpen edition.
At that time, we were told this roster was talented enough to win, and that the promotion of interim manager Mike Shildt would be the breath of fresh air needed to ignite a stagnant team. And, you know, there are signs Shildt has significantly helped. Example: The team’s batting line has jumped from .245/.315/.399 under Matheny and the former hitting coaches to .