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Miles: Can Cardinals quiet the doom-and-gloomers again?

Every year it's the same thing: pick against the St. Louis Cardinals at your own risk.

Beginning with the 2000 season, the Cardinals have won the National League Central eight times. They've made 11 postseason appearances and been in four World Series, winning two.

During the last 15 years, the Cardinals have endured exactly one losing season.

Although the Cubs seem to be everybody's flavor of 2015 - and there is a lot to like about what's going on with them - it's difficult for me to bet against the Cardinals one last time before the inevitable and irresistible North Side dynasty is born.

So with that, I see the NL Central shaping up like this for 2015:

St. Louis Cardinals:

The doom-and-gloomers are always there, either when the Cardinals lose a player such as Albert Pujols or when the team itself bemoans a lack of power hitters coming up through the farm system.

But they always find a way to get it done, don't they? They'll do it again this year.

The acquisition of Jason Heyward should give the Cards some needed pop in a lineup that includes Matt Holliday, Matt Carpenter, Yadier Molina and Jhonny Peralta.

Adam Wainwright looks to be rounding into form to start Opening Night against the Cubs on April 5 at Wrigley Field. The biggest battle in the final week of camp is whether Carlos Martinez will steal the final spot in the rotation.

On the ex-Cubs watch, right-hander Carlos Villanueva is trying to hook on as a nonroster invitee to spring training. If so, he'd go to the bullpen, which might be the only serious question mark about this team.

Pittsburgh Pirates:

The Pirates may have lost a few believers with the departure of catcher Russell Martin to Toronto via free agency.

It also hasn't helped that center fielder Andrew McCutchen has missed much of spring training with a mysterious "lower-body" injury.

Francisco Cervelli, a career backup catcher with the Yankees, will take over for Martin behind the plate. He'll have a good rotation to handle. Even though veteran Francisco Liriano will start Opening Day, Gerrit Cole appears to be the ace-in-waiting.

Former Cubs prospect Josh Harrison - traded in 2009 in a deal that brought John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny to the Cubs - is carving out a nice career for himself, and he looks to be the Pirates' leadoff hitter. Ex-White Sox pitcher Clayton Richard may force the Pirates to put him on the roster after an inspiring comeback from shoulder problems.

While the Pirates have enough to make a third consecutive playoff appearance, a lot has to break right for them.

Cubs:

Anthony Rizzo proclaimed the Cubs ready to win the NL Central, so we're done here, right?

Well, not quite.

The picture certainly is a brightening one for the Cubs in Year 4 of the Theo Epstein regime, and this season could bring the first winning record on the North Side since 2009.

There will be some continued growing pains along the way, and the NL Central is a tough division. The Cubs have gone 61-91, 66-96 and 73-89 in the first three years under Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer. Even with reinforcements such as Jon Lester, Miguel Montero, David Ross and Dexter Fowler, a 10-game improvement in wins would be going some for this team. And with two wild cards, it might be enough to allow them to squeak into the playoffs.

The biggest story this spring has been whether third-base prospect Kris Bryant will make the team out of spring training. Whether he's there on April 5 or later in the month, he should figure into the Rookie of the Year discussion.

Cubs fans seem to understand that it has been a process under Epstein. But with a young core that includes Rizzo, Starlin Castro, Jorge Soler, Javier Baez and Kyle Hendricks and more coming, such as Bryant, Addison Russell and Albert Almora, the process has become a lot more fun to watch.

Milwaukee Brewers:

These Brewers are an interesting franchise. As a small-market team, they haven't been afraid of going for it in recent years, trading prospects for the likes of CC Sabathia and Zack Greinke. And really, the loss of those prospects hasn't come back to haunt the Brewers in any big way.

Milwaukee led the NL Central for most of last season before collapsing down the stretch, when the offense took a leave of absence.

It should help that left fielder Ryan Braun is healthy after suffering from a painful thumb injury last season. This looks to be the final season for former Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez. The Brewers will need for him to stay healthy and to produce.

They'll also need another ex-Cub, Matt Garza, to come close to pitching 200 innings.

The Brewers picked up the option for 2016 on manager Ron Roenicke's contract. However, a slow start could be hazardous to Roenicke's long-term health as manager.

Cincinnati Reds:

Nobody seems to like the Reds anymore.

The starting rotation has serious question marks after the trades of Mat Latos and Alfredo Simon, and with Homer Bailey likely to open the regular season on the disabled list as he works his way back from and elbow injury.

Former pitching coach Bryan Price took over for the fired Dusty Baker last season and presided over a team that went 76-86 following a run of three postseason appearances in six years under Baker.

It didn't help that first baseman Joey Votto missed most of the season with leg problems and that Jay Bruce was slowed by a knee injury. The Reds need both to bounce back, as well as for second baseman Brandon Phillips to show he has something left.

Johnny Cueto heads the starting rotation, and he's as good an ace as there is. One nice ex-Cubs angle is that right-hander Jason Marquis looks to have made the rotation after coming to camp as a nonroster man. Marquis has made a comeback from Tommy John surgery.

As bad as it might look now, don't discount the Reds being a threat.

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