5 reasons the St. Louis Cardinals will win the World Series

5 reasons the St. Louis Cardinals will win it all in 2015

Jul 5, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Thomas Pham (60) is congratulated by third base coach Jose Oquendo (11) after hitting his first major league home run against the San Diego Padres during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

2 of 6

Aug 11, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Carlos Martinez (18) celebrates with catcher Yadier Molina (4) after getting out of the eighth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Pirates 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

Their starting pitching rotation is elite

The St. Louis Cardinals’ starting pitchers have been nothing short of dominant this season.

Their earned run average is the best in baseball by far, and all five starters have posted sub-3.00 ERAs. With a 2.78 ERA the next closest team is the Oakland Athletics, who are averaging 0.37 more earned runs allowed.

The Cardinals’ total wins from starting pitchers is the best in the MLB as well, and they rank among the top-5 in batting average allowed and shutouts.

Even more impressive is the fact that they are doing all of this without the ace of their staff, Adam Wainwright, who is sidelined with a torn left achilles tendon.

Wainwright is holding out hope that he may be able to return by October. If so, it will be a boost for the best starting pitching rotation in baseball. If not, the Cardinals have proven that they will be just fine.

St. Louis may not have the star power in their rotation that the Dodgers enjoy with Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw, or the Washington Nationals do with Max Scherzer, but their incredible depth at starting pitcher makes them the most difficult team to beat in a playoff series.

Next: Bullpen dominance

Home/MLB