The St. Louis Cardinals are currently 50-40 and in third place in the National League Central.

The Cardinals have been one of baseball’s biggest surprises, as no one predicted they would hang around and pose a threat in the division race.

St. Louis has gotten solid starting pitching despite the absence of ace Chris Carpenter. Carpenter is expected to join the team after the All-Star break, and if he can be his old self, it will be a huge boost for the Cardinals.

The team has also benefitted from breakout seasons from journeyman like Ryan Ludwick and Skip Schumaker, and they managed to get by while first baseman Albert Pujols was on the disabled list.