Cincinnati Reds Tickets

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Mlb Tickets - Nl Central Preview

After winning 91 games and taking down the NL Central in 2009, the St. Louis Cardinals once again are the clear favorite to win the division heading into 2010. As usual, the Chicago Cubs are expected to make some noise but will need comeback years from Carlos Zambrano and Alfonzo Soriano to have a chance while the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds have talented lineups but pitching issues that will likely keep them out of postseason contention. Bringing up the bottom of the division looks to be the Houston Astros and the Pittsburgh Pirates, two teams that don't seem to have the level of healthy talent to compete with some of the better teams in the division.

With arguably the best player in the game in Albert Pujols, the St. Louis Cardinals once again have a stacked lineup that is sure to give fits to NL pitchers all season long. In addition to Pujols, who won his third MVP award last season, the Cardinals will have slugger Matt Holiday for an entire season as well as other big bats like Ryan Ludwick to carry their lineup through the season.

But what separates the Cardinals from the rest of the division isn't the presence of Pujols in the lineup. The Cardinals boast perhaps the best one-two punch at the top of their rotation in Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. After a strong 2008 season, Wainwright broke out in 2009, going 19-8 with a 2.63 ERA, which was one of the best in the entire league. Carpenter also came back strong from injuries and returned to his previously dominating form. With a microscopic ERA of 2.24, Carpenter was one of the few pitchers to have a lower ERA than Wainwright and heads into the 2010 season with high hopes of another year of dominance. Additions like Brad Penny into their rotation also should help the Cardinals down the stretch and it seems likely that they will shoot more towards winning 100 games this season.

The Chicago Cubs, on the other hand, are looking to bounce back from a very disappointing 2009 season. After winning the division in 2008, the Cubs were a trendy pick to return to the postseason and maybe even the World Series in 2009, though they were hampered by injury and underperforming superstars. Derek Lee and ace Carlos Zambrano got off to slow starts last season and star outfielder Alfonzo Soriano was injured for a good chunk of the year. When Soriano was in the lineup, he still wasn't very effective and batted just .241 with 20 home runs and 55 RBIs in 117 games; with a salary of $17 million in 2009, Soriano's lack of production is a significant problem for the Cubs.

With Aramis Ramirez and a healthy Soriano, however, the Cubs still do have plenty of talent to make a push in 2010. If Zambrano can stay on track all season, the Cubs even have a very strong rotation, with Ted Lily and Ryan Dempster being nice options as well. A lot of things will have to go right for the Cubs to win the division in 2010, but they have the best chance outside of the Cardinals. With two heavily talented teams at the top of the division, however, <a href="http://www.stubhub.com/mlb-tickets/>MLB tickets</a>for the NL Central should continue to be hot commodities all season long.

The Milwaukee Brewers also have some talent in their lineup, though it doesn't seem that they have enough pitching to take down a division title. In Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun, they have the type of middle lineup that few teams in the league have, but they will need to pick up a big starting pitcher to have a chance. Likely opening day starter Yovani Gallardo is a potential up-and-coming stud but is unproven and won't be able to carry the Brewers by himself.

The Astros, Reds and Pirates make up what should be the bottom of the division. The Astros' best player, Lance Berkman, still is not healthy and ace Roy Oswalt comes off one of the worst seasons of his career. The Reds have some exciting players, including Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips, but lack the depth in their lineup and pitching to be a serious contender. And once again the Pirates appear to be in for a long season with one of the lowest payrolls in the entire league and no bona fide stars. As with the last few seasons, the Pirates will likely ship their most promising players before the trading deadline as they look to stockpile prospects.

Though the Cubs certainly have the deep pockets and talent to make a run, the Cardinals have the type of team stability and pitching to take them once again to the top of the division. The Brewers are also a young and exciting team to watch, however, and could push the Cubs and Cardinals down the stretch.

About the Author

This was written by David James and sponsored by <a href="http://www.stubhub.com/">StubHub</a>. StubHub.com sells <a href="http://www.stubhub.com/mlb-tickets/>MLB tickets</a>, as well as many other kinds of sports tickets, concert tickets, tickets to special events and theatrical performances.