The St. Louis Cardinals should still be viewed as serious contenders in the second half of the 2012 MLB season despite the loss of Chris Carpenter.
While the loss of any team’s co-ace starting pitcher is a huge blow, the Cardinals have already shown this year that they have what it takes to weather the storm.
In Carpenter’s absence, the team has put together an impressive first half.
With as many as seven key players on the disabled list at once, the Cardinals pushed through a tough May and a tougher early June to find themselves only 2.5 games out of first place and six games over .500 at the All-Star break.
Given the Cardinals’ tough schedule in June and the problems they faced, they could easily be much farther down in the standings.
Following are four reasons the Cardinals will still be legitimate contenders without Carpenter.