As the Cardinals inch closer to another N.L. Central crown following Tuesday's night victory in Houston (magic number is 2), let’s take a closer look at the most unexpected developments of the 2009 season.


1) The acquisition of Matt Holliday. The numbers have been eye-popping (.358 average, 13 homers, 50 RBI, 1.057 OPS) and the Cards are 37-17 since the slugger came to town. Most importantly, the move energized the club and the fan base. Who would have believed that ownership would take the risk of bringing a high-priced, free-agent-to-be to the Lou? 

2) The trade for Mark DeRosa. Sure, his wrist injury has limited his production, but he has shown signs of power as evident by his 2-homer performance on Monday night in Houston. The trade was costly as Chris Perez and Jess Todd were shipped to Cleveland -- two of the organization’s prized pitching prospects -- but DeRosa could be a fixture at third base for the foreseeable future. The Cubs certainly miss him.


3) The emergence of Ryan Franklin. As Cardinal Nation froze to death at Busch Stadium on Opening Day, Jason Motte added to the fans’ misery when he blew his first save chance of the season. With the closer situation in peril, Franklin emerged as the team’s stopper, peeling off 35 of his first 37 save chances before his struggles this month. Hopefully his recent slide is just a blip on the radar or the Cards will be lucky to advance beyond the NLDS.


4) The trade of Christopher Edward Duncan. Things were just not working out for little Dunc’ and despite the objections of Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan, GM John Mozeliak stepped in and shipped Chris Duncan to Boston for Julio Lugo. I’m not a Duncan hater, but it was necessary to move him out of town. Even better, Lugo has been a pleasant surprise in St. Louis and he’s essentially a free player through 2010 as Boston is paying for his hefty contract. 


5) John Smoltz comes to town. Who would have thought that the future Hall of Famer would wear the birds on the bat? Smoltz has been surprisingly solid as a starter after his struggles in Boston earlier this season. Smoltz will play a major role this postseason as a starter or late-inning reliever. Who knows, he could be part of the rotation in 2010.


6) The return of Chris Carpenter. I wrote earlier this season that we couldn’t count on Carpenter after he went on the DL with another injury. I was wrong. The 2005 Cy Young award winner is certainly a finalist to win the award again this season. His return has given the Redbirds a major boost, headlining the National League’s best rotation. 


7) Brendan Ryan becomes a Gold Glove-caliber shortstop. Think about that for a moment. Many front office officials, teammates and the skipper probably wondered if the organization goofball would harness his evident athletic ability and become a consistent major leaguer. Well, the results have exceeded expectations. Ryan is certainly a Gold Glove candidate and he has developed into a decent hitter.

8) Skip Schumaker becomes a solid second baseman. He's hitting .306 despite the fact he's still learning a new position. The Schumaker-Ryan duo could be the middle infield for the foreseeable future. La Russa deserves credit for pushing for Schumaker over Adam Kennedy.


Stream of Consciousness
With apologies to Larry King, here are some random thoughts:

How many St. Louisians will be taking off work on Oct. 8 (and the 9th)? … I already miss the Seinfeld re-runs at 6:30 p.m. on Fox 2 ... Did you see Peyton Manning’s response to Suzy Kolber's question about Manning surpassing Johnny Unitas on the Colts’ all-time wins list following Monday night's win in Miami? Classy move by the 6-foot-5, 240-pound quarterback with a laser-rocket arm … Check out these funny sports blooper clips here, here and here … I enjoyed last week’s season debut of “The Office,” but the pilot of “Community” was pretty darn funny too … For the record, I hate fantasy baseball, but I’m loving fantasy football (both of my teams are 2-0) … Is it unrealistic to expect the Blues to win the Central division? ... I know Brad Lee and the gang at St. Louis Game Time are ready for hockey season ... I don’t know why, but I have a feeling that the Rams will knock off Green Bay on Sunday ... I'm probably a little late on this one, but I highly recommend Kings of Leon's "Only by the Night." ... Is anyone else sick of those Steak 'n Shake commercials? ... How good would Zach Grienke's statistics be if he pitched in the National League?


Thanks for reading.
 
Gabriel Kiley is a freelance sports writer based in St. Louis. Feel free to post your comments below or follow me on Twitter.