Preview/Prediction

Opening day is approaching, and with all the question marks in the Cards’ lineup, there is one thing that seems to be for certain. It’s the starting rotation. For the first time in a long while, the birds have their designated rotation intact, and healthy.

The results so far this spring have most of Cardinal Nation excited about the first pitch on Monday April 6.

We are holding off on our backup catcher outlook to see if an official announcement is made.  So, as a result, today we are bringing you likely the last man to make the roster out of Spring, Joey Gathright.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have resigned Manny Ramirez and are looking to get to the next step and go to the World Series. Last year they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS. The Dodgers do have what it takes. They did lose Brad Penny to Boston but have Clayton Kershaw becoming a shining star.

The Dodgers need Jason Schmidt to be totally healthy as he will be a key in the Dodgers' playoff run. James Loney brings a 13 home run, 90 RBI season back with him, and Russell Martin had 13 homers and 63 RBIs in an All-Star season.

Keep an eye on: Clayton Kershaw, sp

The Arizona Diamondbacks fell short in making the playoffs last year with only 82 wins but with a low budget and aces like Brandon Webb and Dan Haren, the might be pretty competitive in the west. You can also look at rookie Max Scherzer who is coming up in the ranks.

The Diamondbacks signed Felipe Lopez to replace Orlando Hudson at second base and the Diamondbacks would love to have Mark Reynolds continue his power surge that he had last year except they do not want him to cool off. Chris Young and Stephen Drew also return looking for a playoff run.

The San Francisco Giants ended last year with a 72-90 record, a tiny improvement from 2007. This year they'll finish third in the West because the hitting will not be there this year. Edgar Renteria will be a bright spot along with Aaron Rowand and Fred Lewis. They will be expecting to call up catcher Buster Posey who was drafted last year along with Madison Bumgarner a left handed pitcher.

The San Diego Padres has a disappointing season last year only managing 63 wins last year after an 89 win year the season before. This year could be the year things start to change for San Diego and it starts with the pitching rotation.

Jake Peavy will lead the Padres on the staff that includes Chris Young (7-6, 3.96 ERA) and Korean Cha Seung Baek (6-9, 4.62 ERA). A couple of new comers Josh Greer and Wade LeBlanc. Young needs to stay healthy for this team to do well.

The National League's top team last year will comeback and do it again. The Cubs return with Alfonso Soriano, Derek Lee, and Geovany Soto in their lineup. Soto is the reigning NL Rookie of the Year and plans to stay on the same course. The second-year catcher hit 23 homers with 86 runs driven in. He batted .285 in 141 games.

The St. Louis Cardinals will most likely end up second to the hated Chicago Cubs again. The Cardinals do have the lineup and the talent, but overall, the Cubs are better.

Albert Pujols is poised for a big season and we all have to watch out for Todd Wellemeyer this year as he shocked us last year with a 13-9 record and a 3.71 ERA. Adam Wainwright will head the staff as he had an 11-3 season, though mostly injured in the season, he pitched in 20 games and if was healthy would've have St. Louis a playoff push.

The Cincinnati Reds will make the greatest improvement this year. I have a feeling they will finish above .500 after a 74-88 record last year. They will do so well that they will contend for the NL Central division crown and an NL Wildcard berth but will fall short in both.

Slim at pitching, the Milwaukee Brewers might slip to fourth this year pending on whether or not their hitting will pick it up. Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, J.J. Hardy, and company will the lead the offensive power house but the Brewers will be without Ben Sheets. They could not resign him nor could they get C.C. Sabathia back as he left to go east.

The Brewers will have to turn to new ace Yovanni Gallardo and rookie Manny Parra. With the loss of Eric Gagne, the Brewers will rely on Carlos Villanueva, who had one save last year, to fill in for the closer duty.