Changing of the guard in the National League
While we’re on the subject of shifting tides, a look to the standings shows a relatively unfamiliar sight. Neither the Giants or St. Louis Cardinals are terribly close to playoff contention.
To say that the decade has been kind to these two teams would be an incredible understatement.
If 2017 is the end of the run for the Giants and Cardinals, what a run it was. pic.twitter.com/sHMJj5SPhT
— Sportsnaut (@Sportsnaut) June 29, 2017
But 2017 has been down for both teams. Some of this has to be attributed to surprising starts from teams like the Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks, as well as the continued strong play from NL stalwarts like the Nationals and Dodgers.
But these two teams have definitely slid hard in 2017.
San Francisco has been one of baseball’s worst teams. The Giants have never been above .500 during the season and haven’t even been at .500 since winning the second game of the year. It’s been a disastrous season for a team on a 100-loss pace.
St. Louis has been slightly better. The Cards haven’t been quite as down as the Giants and the general mediocrity of the National League Central is keeping them within shouting distance of the division lead. That may provide a few more reasons for optimism, but it’s hard to really see this team going on an extended run.
Even if we just assume that the Brewers are going to fold, does St. Louis really have what it takes to chase down Chicago? The Cubs have been completely stagnant for essentially the whole season and still sit atop the Cardinals in the standings. Chicago has the better roster. St. Louis has to be taking advantage of the Cubs’ slow start and getting at least a small lead over them. But that hasn’t happened.
The Giants and Cardinals dominated the senior circuit for the early portion of the decade. For five straight World Series, the National League was represented by one of these teams. But 2017 appears to be a sign that the 2010-2016 dominance doesn’t matter anymore.