Overall, the Cardinals’ plus-25 Runs Saved rank third in the National League, behind Colorado (plus-27) and Atlanta (plus-27). They open a three-game series tonight against Pittsburgh, the team that led the division with a plus-68 Runs Saved overall last season. The Bucs are a plus-11 so far this season, and that is mainly because of the speed and ability in their outfield, led by plus-5 in left field.

In the past month, the Cardinals have seen improvement individually around the diamond as well. Baseball Info Solutions calculates Runs Saved for each individual field as well as their plus/minus score. Longtime readers of this blog will know that a plus/minus score on defense is about as close as we can get now to knowing how often a fielder makes a play he should and steals a hit with a play most fielders don’t. (Field F/x will only enhance our ability to measure defense.) The plus/minus is a tangible and far more reliable measure than errors or the junk-stat fielding percentage because it gives a plus for a play outside the prescribed zone and a minus for a Play Not Made within the prescribed zone.