The St. Louis Cardinals are heading into the National League Championship Series once again after Adam Wainwright pitched a magnificent game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Game 5 of the NLDS and as they get set to play the LA Dodgers, the team may have Allen Craig back on the bench.
According to Hardball Talk from NBC Sports, the St. Louis Post Dispatch reported that Craig could be back with the team for the championship series after missing the NLDS with an injury to his foot. The team did not suffer without Craig, who hit .315 with 13 home runs and 97 RBIs, but heading into the championship series general manager John Mozeliak may want some more depth for Mike Matheny to use, meaning Craig could make it onto the roster.
The Cardinals already have a deep team, as evidenced by Adams' home run in Game 5, but heading into a tough series against the Dodgers means that the team likely will have to use every weapon it has and having Craig would be a plus. Craig has been recovering from his injury for a month and while the chances of him starting and playing a significant amount of time are slim, the Cardinals may just be happy with some spot pinch hitting when they need it, as they have a bench that doesn't have much power with names like Shane Robinson and Daniel Descalso.
When Craig went down with his injury he had been ranked in the top six in RBIs for the season and he had only played in 134 games and now he could be back at least for some of the championship series and then if the team makes the World Series, that would obviously be another decision that has to get made. Adams hit .284 and was solid with 17 homes runs and 51 RBIs and he has proven to be a reliable option, but the Cardinals wouldn't mind having both players ready for the next round. In the postseason he is already hitting .316 with a home run and that could be very valuable going forward if he can keep the power up.
Adam Wainwright went the distance for the Cardinals against the Pirates in Game 5 and now the team will have to prepare for Zack Greinke in Game 1 of the championship series, which will be in St. Louis since they have home field advantage in the National League. The Cardinals were one of the best offensive teams in baseball this past season and ranked third in the league in runs and fourth in batting average and they have a tough Dodgers lineup to face with players like Yasiel Puig, Adrian Gonzalez and Hanley Ramirez.
