The Redbirds couldn’t be facing a bigger challenge tonight when they take the field at Fenway Park in Boston to face the reigning World Series Champion Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox are without the services of David Ortiz, but J. D. Drew has filled the void in their three-hole to the point where production has dropped one iota. Kevin Youkilis, Manny Ramirez, and Coco Crisp are questionable for tonight’s game, but it might take the absence of all of them to start talking about how the playing field has leveled out.

As Redbirds fans well know, the injuries and therefore, the DL, have grown to the point where the St. Louis team is getting close to being called Memphis, or maybe even Springfield. Yet there’s still plenty of hope to compete with Boston, even after getting swept by the Royals at home. And a lot of that hope comes in the fact that while the Cards locker room has a revolving door (spin it one way and you get triple-A, spin it the other for double-A), there have been plenty of pleasant surprises in the form of minor league call-ups, including the rookies.

Not every replacement has been outstanding, or even totally ready to compete at the major league level, but it seems as if every player called up has contributed. Each have had some good outings, and a lot of them, in their major league debuts.

If the Red Sox have any difficulties against the Cardinals, it may be due to a lack of tendency charts and other needed scouting reports. That might be expected from an interleague competitor, but the Red Sox shouldn’t feel alone, because a lot of the National League probably feels the same way when it comes to the Redbirds. Forget the fact that manager Tony La Russa changes the lineup so much it would take a computer to figure out a combination he hasn’t used. The Red Sox will have to figure out how to play against players most of either league has ever seen.

And you have to keep in mind that even a lot of the Redbirds’ regulars have just taken on said role this season. For instance, Rick Ankiel, Ryan Ludwick, Skip Schumaker, or, in other words, the entire outfield, plus bench players. About the only thing any opposing knows for sure when it comes to these guys is that you aren’t taking any extra bases.

The minor league connection threads through the pitching as well, at first, the bullpen, and now it has infected (sometimes in a good way) the starting rotation. As stated, a lot of pleasant surprises, although Cardinal Nation might be less stressed if some of these well-liked players could get a little more experience in the minors before putting everyone on the edge of a cardiac event every time La Russa creates a novel lineup or heads for that mound with a look like the wheels are turning in overdrive.

But since the Cards’ roster listing is changing like the New York Stock Exchange scrolling board, maybe we should quit trying to figure it out and leave that gargantuan task to the Boston Red Sox. Let them have to deal with facing Memphis, Springfield, and St. Louis, all at the same time.