Don't Blame Holliday For Early Exit

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  Matt Holliday's 9th inning error in game 2 of the NLDS will long be remembered for turning the series into a runaway Dodger sweep.  But to hold Holliday responsible would be a gross injustice to the Cardinal left fielder.  Holliday's error merely sped up the process.

  The real culprit for the sweep was the Redbird bats.  No one, no one, hit in the clutch.  The Cardinals went 4-for-30 with runners in scoring position in the 3 game series.  That's an anemic .133 batting average.  They left 28 on base.  That's never going to work.

  No single error, no pitcher giving up a run or two, even comes close to the Cards slumbering bats in this division series.  And you can point back to early September as the start of this downward slide.  After Albert Pujols hit a pair of home runs to complete a sweep of the Brewers in Milwaukee, the Cardinal offense went cold.  There's no reason why.  Nobody can explain it.  It's just baseball.  And now Cardinal Nation will just have to be an observer of post-season baseball, at least until next season.