With a win in last night’s series opener against the Pirates in Pittsburgh, the Cardinals got back to an even .500, at 56-56. With the division title out of reach, St. Louis’ best hope is to chase down the second NL Wild Card.
Even that however, is a long-shot. St. Louis entered August 6.5 games behind San Diego for that spot. But a sweep at the hands of the Braves and a recent uptick in performance by the Padres have caused that deficit to increase. The Cardinals now sit 8.5 behind the Padres for that spot, who may soon be getting Fernando Tatis Jr. back from a shoulder injury.
And it doesn’t help that it’s more than just the Padres ahead of them. The Reds are closest to the Padres for the final Wild Card spot, and they sit 4.5 back. The Braves and Mets stand in the way as well.
This isn’t the first time St. Louis has been seemingly well out of the playoff race. Just ten years ago, 2011, they sat 10.5 games behind Atlanta in the Wild Card race, only to make an improbable comeback, clinching their spot in the postseason on the final day, and riding that momentum to their 11th World Series championship. Simply put, it’s possible.
But a comeback like that doesn’t happen very often, and banking on it is a dangerous thing to do. Time is running out for these Cardinals. If they want to make it to the postseason for a third straight year, a lot of things need to go right, and they need help along the way. Here are a few things the Redbirds could do in the meantime to increase their chances of surviving the regular season.
Get Healthy
The Cardinals pitching staff has been upended by injuries. Miles Mikolas and Jack Flaherty went down, leaving Adam Wainwright to pick up the slack in the rotation. Kwang-Hyun Kim has also gone down for the third time this season, this time with elbow inflammation.
Fortunately, help is on the way. On Friday night in Kansas City, Flaherty will be activated from the IL and will make his first start since suffering an oblique injury in May. The team will also welcome back Mikolas in the next week or so. The return of two rotation cornerstones should help the Cardinals stay afloat and win some more games, as well as cover some much needed innings.
They’ve already gotten some help with the acquisition of J.A. Happ, who in his first two starts as a Cardinal, has allowed just three runs over 11 innings pitched. Even with Kim on the shelf, having Happ, Flaherty, and Mikolas should bolster their rotation.
Score More Runs
The Cards offense has been much better of late since Harrison Bader came off the IL. However, they still struggle to score on a consistent basis. They still rank near the bottom of the league in runs scored.
Scoring more runs and doing so consistently would certainly boost the team’s chances of getting hot and making a run. Paul Goldschmidt has had a solid second half thus far, as has Nolan Arenado. But to increase production, they need Tommy Edman, Yadier Molina, and Tyler O’Neill to hit like they did in the first half, as well as a little resurgence from shortstop Paul DeJong.
If every one of them gets hot and stays hot, St. Louis will be extremely tough to beat.
Catch Each Team One at a Time
The task at hand is a daunting one for St. Louis, given that there are five teams ahead of them in the Wild Card race. However, Rick Horton, one of the team’s former pitchers and current broadcasters offered a solution to make things easier during their weekend series against the Royals.
Catch each team one at a time.
It’s easier said than done, but despite being far back of San Diego, the Cards are tightly packed with the Reds, Braves and Mets, respectively.
They’re closest to the Mets, sitting just a half-game behind them. If the Cardinals can take advantage of a softer point in their schedule and if the Mets continue to slide, then they can catch and pass New York easily.
The same goes for the others. Cincinnati had gotten hot, but they’ve cooled off lately. St. Louis sit just four games behind them. With just over a month and a half left, things could change there as well.
The Cardinals certainly have their work cut out for them. It’s highly unlikely and it won’t be easy. But just a few things could help them turn their season around and make a last-ditch effort to reach the postseason.
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