ST. LOUIS (AP) – At the trade deadline in July, the Cardinals appeared to be in the market for starting pitching. Instead, St. Louis stood pat and trusted their young arms.  That trust paid off – in a trip to the World Series. Led by NLCS MVP Michael Wacha, the group of 20-somethings has formed a core of one of the best staffs in the major leagues.

Wacha outpitched Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw twice in the NLCS, including in a 9-0 win in Game 6 on Friday night. Ace Adam Wainwright says the kid has been so good he wouldn’t be surprised if Wacha was on the mound for Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday at the winner of the ALCS between Boston and Detroit.