Luckily, the Cards have pitching depth. If Big Mac stays healthy, the Cardinals could be better than last year. GM Walt Jocketty did nothing to correct the unbalanced nature of the lineup, which makes the Cardinals vulnerable to lefties. But this shouldn't be a big worry in the regular season because Central rivals Houston, Cincinnati, Milwaukee and the Cubs feature all right-handed rotations. Scott Elarton, Jose Lima, Wade Miller, Octavio Dotel and Kent Bottenfield.
Baseballs jump like energized atoms, that's for sure.
Enron's first season produced 242 homers. That total should come down this year. The Astros raised the outfield fence in the left-field corner and won't keep Lima in the rotation if he once again crumbles. Catcher Brad Ausmus is expected to help pitchers cope. Barring major casualties, they once again could challenge 91 victories, which was their average from 1996 through '99.