Pre-second guessing the Cards before the World Series

Why? Because I still don't trust Lance Lynn and because somebody in Cards' management is lying, it seems, about Shelby Miller and whether or not he's on an innings limit.

The innings limit? The Cards themselves discussed it this year, per Derrick Gould. at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which means, as manager Mike Matheny has shown, like Stephen Strasburg, there was apparently some sort of "shutdown" talk, even if the Cards, unlike the Nationals, didn't do this loudly and publicly. And, at 173.1, as of the end of the regular season, he was near that top edge of 180. He pitched one wasted mop-up inning in the NLDS and not at all in the NLCS. But now we have this.

The team is now claiming that Shelby Miller isn't under an innings limit, a claim that has to be seen as bogus.

Cardinals officials have said that Miller, 23, is not in danger of eclipsing any innings limit they placed on his young shoulder and that he is not injured.

Uhh, yeah. right.

Miller's being a good sport about it, but, underneath, I'm guessing he's puzzled as anybody.

Anyway, all we know for sure is that it's Adam Wainwright for Game 1, and, although nothing official has been announced yet, unless Matheny really wants second guessing, it's Michael Wacha for Game 2. After that, Joe Kelly as a possible for Game 3.

Assuming Miller is THAT gassed or the arm is that much of a worry, I'll go back to what I said: Even if you don't want to start Jake Westbrook in Game 4, and you insist on Lynn, then put Westbrook on the roster, not Miller, for long relief.

Don't, contra GM John Mozeliak, think of him as "insurance," especially since Mo was the one talking about an innings limit in the regular season.

Anyway, other than this ongoing frustration with Matheny (who is NOT in the same tactician class as John Farrell over in Boston), let's play some baseball.