The STL Cardinals were swept in the NLCS with a mediocre rotation, but Madison Bumgarner could be the saving grace.
The STL Cardinals did not win one game after scoring ten runs in the first inning of their Game 5 win over the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS.
And part of that was because of the rotation.
Every pitcher struggled in the Championship Series, including their ace Jack Flaherty, who gave up four earned runs in just as many innings.
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But their Achilles heel could be solved with the addition of Madison Bumgarner.
Cardinals fans could say that he is old and he isn’t the same Madison Bumgarner that he was when he won three World Series rings with the San Francisco Giants but he can be.
You have to remember that before the Giants went on there winning streak, which was the worst thing that could’ve happened to them based on their circumstances, there were scouts from contenders like the Yankees and the Braves were scouting him because they were interested in acquiring him.
There have been multiple examples of older pitchers coming alive in the postseason, and one of them was a Cardinal.
Just this October, Adam Wainright was pitching like he was in his prime. Cardinals fans watched Anibal Sanchez (age 35) throw 7.2 no-hit innings to lead the Nats to a Game 1 win in the NLCS at Busch Stadium.
Bumgarner actually even pitched better this season than Waino.
His ERA was almost a point higher with a better WAR and proved he was more durable, as he threw over 30 more innings in the regular season.
Madison Bumgarner would fit in with the Cardinals because he has a lot of postseason experience and he isn’t just an old scrub anymore.
The STL Cardinals need to face the fact that they don’t have a World Series caliber rotation but Madison Bumgarner could be a big step forward.