The flashy, high-profile moves of adding Matt Holliday and Mark DeRosa have been intoxicating thus far, and in turn produced the best record in Major League Baseball since Holliday’s addition, but the team was still lacking one final piece to create a World Championship puzzle. Another starting pitcher.


With Todd Wellemeyer and Kyle Lohse on the DL, the Cardinals desperately needed another arm in the rotation. Mitchell Boggs and Brad Thompson have been ineffective in spot starts, and even when Wellemeyer and Lohse were healthy, every time they toed the rubber felt like a guaranteed loss. Enter future Hall of Famer, John Smoltz.


Cardinal Nation had high hopes for Smoltz’s first start donning the Birds on the Bat, but no one expected the dominance he displayed on Sunday against the Padres. Not only did he exceed expectations, he gave fans, teammates and the Cardinal brass confidence beyond Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright and Joel Pineiro. Something no one else has been able to do this season.


Smoltz’s line on Sunday: 5 IP, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 H, 9 K


The man was flat out dominant. His nine strikeouts were a season high, and at one point he fanned seven consecutive batters… a feat he had never before reached in his career. His trademark splitter looked as sharp as ever and Smoltz had hitters off balance and unable to adjust to his arsenal of pitches. It was reminiscent of the Atlanta ace of old and Cardinal Nation was all smiles and warm bellies on August 23rd.


There was some concern with how the 42-year-old would perform with his new club, after a miserable showing in Boston earlier this season (2-5 with an 8.32 ERA) and him still trying to regain his form after offseason shoulder surgery. Smoltz had some things in his favor though that gave the organization reason to believe he would bounce back. He switched back to the National League (where he’s most comfortable), got out of the bruising AL East and was united with master of the makeover, pitching coach Dave Duncan.


Duncan already fixed a flaw in Smoltz’s mechanics – his heel was pulling off the rubber during his delivery– and realized that the veteran was tipping his pitches. With those two things remedied, Smoltz quickly transformed back into the effective pitcher that will someday be voted into Cooperstown. His delivery looked effortless and hitters looked lost. Things couldn’t have worked out better for the new and improved right-hander.


There is however another glaring factor to be addressed regarding the newest Cardinal acquisition. October. With the Cardinals looking postseason-bound for the first time since winning it all in 2006, it’s hard not to think about the possibility of Smoltz pitching in the playoffs. And harder still to ignore his success there. The Cards are now in possession of one of the best postseason pitchers in the history of the game. Not something the rest of the league should take lightly.


In October, Smoltz’s arm turns into a magic wand. The former Cy Young winner is 15-4 with a 2.65 ERA in his postseason career. He’s not the ace he once was with the Braves, but if he continues to pitch like he did on Sunday down the stretch the Cards may be forced to bump Kyle Lohse out of the postseason rotation. A playoff team typically only needs four starters due to an excess of off days, and Smoltz may just pitch himself into that fourth spot. There’s still a long way to go, but Sunday’s performance has Cardinal Nation buzzing and has left ownership with some tough choices in the next five weeks.


Not a bad problem to have.