Eight words of about 2,500. That’s all I dedicated to the Cardinals at the end of my trading term and I didn’t even mention by name the two left-handed hand throwers they had acquired, Jon Lester and JA Happ. All I wrote was: “. . . even the cardinals (2 percent) stepped up their rotation ”: 2 percent referred to the team’s playoff odds on the deadline, July 30th.
He was not alone in dismissing the cardinals. The reaction from fans, the media and the industry to the additions of Lester and Happ ranged from indifference to mockery. The Cardinals at the time were 51-51, 9 1/2 games back in the Central National League, 7 1/2 back in the wildcard race. However, they determined that their solutions were Lester, 37, who had an ERA of 5.02 with the nationals and Happ, 38, who had an ERA of 6.77 with the twins. And just in case anyone forgot, his ace, Adam Wainwright, was about to turn 40.
“I knew there were some jokes about the age of our staff,” Happ said, but the jokes were just part of it. There was also real criticism. “She is OK. And I understood that, ”said Lester. “I knew it wouldn’t be a great year. Not many people change for someone who has five ERAs and says, “He’ll come help us.”
Lester has produced an ERA of 4.30 in eight starts, including a 1.90 in his last four. So has Happ, which has an ERA of 2.