ST. LOUIS • Even the staunchest believer in the power of the Cardinals didn’t see this coming.
To everyone who asked and to anyone who listened, manager Mike Matheny predicted throughout spring training that his lineup, this 2016 lineup, would hit for more power than its feckless predecessors.
“I had this crazy dream,” he said last week in Houston before breaking into a grin. “No. I just knew that there was more in the tank than what we were seeing. I knew the guys believed that, too. It really wasn’t that much of a stretch because of how many young players were on the cusp of just making a name for themselves in the big leagues.