Rise and shine, St. Louis! After months of battling and a week of constantly checking the clock at work, your NL Central Champions are ready for October ball.
The NLDS kicks off Thursday afternoon in Atlanta, and the official 25-man roster for the big event is finally out.
Very few surprises, save for one bullpen switcheroo.
John Gant, holding an 11-1 record and 3.66 ERA, struggled through September, raising his earned run average nearly a full point. His workout on Wednesday seemed to indicate he was staying sharp with the intention of missing this round, and that proved prophetic, despite Mike Shildt's denials. Daniel Ponce de Leon's season numbers are roughly equivalent.
The offense is fairly static, and the emergence of Kolten Wong from injury and directly into the lineup should help St. Louis immediately. Also, not for nothing, but speedy outfielder Randy Arozarena is a personal favorite of mine, and it's exciting to see him get a chance to be an X-factor.
It all begins in just a few short hours! Can you feel the energy?