Cardinals proving Road Warriors

As the Redbirds prepare to begin another road series, this one their first trip to Wrigley Field in 2013, they bring with them a 2013 MLB best seven-game road winning streak. By virtue of a three-game sweep in the nation’s capital and four games worth in Milwaukee, the Cards head into Chicago with an opportunity to set themselves apart with the longest road winning streak in the league this season, a distinction currently shared with the Atlanta Braves.

While the Cards obviously hold the longest current streak, you’ll note that the Detroit Tigers are lurking right behind, albeit having taken four off of the Houston Astros.  Yes, albeit.  As in, hapless.  Not to be confused with J.A. Happ-less.

I digress.  The goods on 2013 road winning streaks from B-Ref:

Lest we be “ho-hummed” or non-plussed by this achievement, let’s look at it in a more historical context.

In the Cardinals’ history (nevermind how many total games Baseball Reference argues versus how many the team claims, especially since we can only use B-Ref’s data), the team has only recorded 38 such streaks or better since the beginning of the 1916 season.

A win tomorrow will put the 2013 Cardinals in some pretty rare company in franchise history. A sweep at the hands of the Little Bears will put this year’s club in “not in the last 43 years” territory. Fascinating yes, but also illustrative of how these things can be, well, streaky. *cue drumroll*

It is notable, for a club with documented issues early in this season (read: bullpen, some concern over streaky offense – although maybe streaky offense is the reason for the season?) to be so dominant against teams of talent, teams of note within the early “these teams are good!” race, to have the aforementioned success.  I mean, for crying out loud, Allen Craig JUST HIT HIS FIRST HOME RUN!

The Cards will likely require several more dingers from their clean-up hitter if they wish to equal the longest road winning streak since 1916 in MLB.  The Detroit Tigers did something silly between the 1983 and 1984 seasons.

Even the most recent double-digit road winning streak, by the Oakland A’s is but a twinkle in the eye of the current Cards streak. “Get to ten and we’ll talk,” kind of territory. Frankly, the Cards don’t have to get there to be successful. They’ve already succeeded in winning the seven they have in hand.

But it’s fun to dream on a twenty-one game road winning streak, right?

Writing about the Cardinals and other loosely associated topics since 2008, I've grown tired of the April run-out only to disappoint Cardinal fans everywhere by mid-May. I do not believe in surrendering free outs.

Nick

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