St. Louis Cardinals: Five can't miss series' of 2016

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The St. Louis Cardinals have some intriguing match ups on the 2016 schedule. What follows is my list of must watch action for Cardinal fans this year.

Happy Opening Day Eve, St. Louis Cardinals fans!

I feel like my ten-year-old self on Christmas Eve, just riddled with excitement and anticipation. It was a long, cold winter…

But, Hallelujah, baseball is finally here!

When we wake up tomorrow, all will be right in the world as the Cardinals will kick off their 125th season of baseball in Pittsburgh against the Buccos.

Each of the past couple of seasons, I’ve had trouble envisioning the NL Central getting any tougher than it already is.

Each year, though, it’s done exactly that.

Are the Cardinals going to be able to fend off the Cubbies and the Buccos for a fourth consecutive year?

A lot of that is going to have to do with how the Redbirds fare in the match ups that I am listing in this piece.

Without further ado, let’s kick this thing off.

Baseball, Cardinal fans!

Baseball.

Next: 4 games with KC in late June

Nov 1, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer (35) celebrates with teammates after scoring a run against the New York Mets in the 9th inning in game five of the World Series at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /

June 27-30 vs. Kansas City Royals

Cardinals/KC mid-season match ups have pretty much always been competitive, and I think it’s safe to say that the intensity will be at an all-time high with the Royals coming off of their first World Series title in 30 years.

The Cards will make a pit stop in Kansas City at the tail end of a west coast road trip for two at Kauffman. The clubs will then bounce over to the east side of the state for the second two of the four game set.

The Cardinals are 46-31 against the Royals since the year 2000. The teams split a four game set a season ago.

I’m expecting the closest thing to an actual home field advantage for the Royals in Kansas City as they’ve had in quite some time, although there will certainly still be plenty of red at “the K.”

Bragging rights in the state of Missouri will be on the line in the late-July series, and the fact of the matter is that the Royals have the upper hand in that department after making back-to-back World Series appearances.

Look for the Birds to bring it for all four games and look for an ultra-competitive series. This “rivalry” is finally starting to heat up a bit after 30 years of stagnation.

Next: Heyward and Lackey return to St. Lou

Mar 29, 2016; Mesa, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward against the Oakland Athletics during a spring training game at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

April 18-20 vs. Chicago Cubs

Jason Heyward and John Lackey make their returns to St. Louis. How will they be received by the Busch Stadium crowd?

There’s a pretty good chance we see Lackey on the hill for one of those games. As much as I enjoyed (or at least tolerated) Lackey’s antics on the mound in a Cardinal uniform, I don’t think there will be the same level of affection watching him throw with that baby bear on his chest.

The mid-April series will also be the first time these two clubs see each other after the 2015 NLDS, and we all know how that went.

How this series plays out could really set the tone for the rest of the season in the NL Central.

Obviously the Pirates aren’t going anywhere either, but whoever grabs two or three wins in this series is going to start the year with big-time momentum.

The same could be said of the Cards/Pirates series that starts tomorrow, for sure.

Next: Quick two-game set with Houston in June

Oct 14, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Houston Astros third baseman Luis Valbuena (18) celebrates with teammates Carlos Gomez (30) and shortstop Carlos Correa (1) after hitting a two-run home run in the 2nd inning against the Kansas City Royals in game five of the ALDS at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports /

June 14-15 vs. Houston Astros

After spending plenty of time together in the old National League Central, the Cardinals and the Astros haven’t met in game action since 2013.

But, there have been plenty of off-the-field storylines between the two, for certain.

Will there be any lingering drama from the Chris Correa nonsense that spills onto the field? The Astros don’t seem to be carrying any animosity over the situation, and I know the Cardinals want to put it behind them.

With all of that duly noted, I guess I should mention that the Astros have a pretty darn good ball club this year, too.

They should have beat the Royals in the NLDS last year. Who knows what might have happened had they finished off that series in Houston.

They have the premier young talent in the game in Carlos Correa (relation to Chris??), and Jeff Luhnow has that club set up for long-term success.

I’m kind of glad they aren’t in the NL Central any more. Could you imagine our division with us, Chicago, Pittsburgh and the Astros?

Anyhow, the two clubs will meet for a quick two-gamer in mid-June at Busch. I’m sure the series will get its fair share of national attention, with the majority being focused on our former Scouting Director’s transgressions.

Should be fascinating stuff.

Next: First look at the retooled Diamondbacks

Dec 11, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; (From left) general manager Dave Stewart , team president Derrick Hall , managing general partner Ken Kendrick , Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke , manager Chip Hale , chief baseball officer Tony La Russa and senior vice president of baseball operations De Jon Watson pose for a group photo during a press conference at Chase Field . Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

April 25-28 @ Arizona Diamondbacks

We’ll get our first looked at the retooled Diamondbacks with a four game set down at Chase Field near the tail end of April.

There’s a good chance we see both Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller (certainly as least one of them) in that series.

More from St Louis Cardinals News

The Diamondbacks feel like they have a real shot in the NL West this year, and it isn’t without good reason.

They’ve always had a plus offensive unit. Led by one of the games premier talents in Paul Goldschmidt, the D-Backs won’t have any trouble scoring runs this year.

Obviously that pitching staff is much improved, and there is genuine excitement in Arizona for the first time in a while, thanks to the savvy offseason pick ups by Tony La Russa.

The early season four-game set should be a good barometer for where each of these teams stand in the National League in 2016.

I certainly wouldn’t be disappointed with a split, particularly if the Cards have to try and deal with Greinke and Miller in the series.

Next: Regular season wrap up with the Buccos at Busch

Oct 7, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen (left) fist bumps first base coach Nick Leyva (16) after McCutchen hit a single against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning in the National League Wild Card playoff baseball game at PNC Park. The Cubs won 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

September 30-October 2 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

If 2016 goes anything like the the past couple of seasons in the Central, I would bet that this three game set to close the regular season is going to have massive playoff implications.

I mean, the last three seasons, the Cardinals finished three, two and two games ahead of the Buccos in the final NL Central standings.

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Considering there is the potential for a three-game swing in the final weekend of the regular season, games 160-162 could be the difference in an NL Central title for these two clubs.

It is very conceivable that games in the first and last series of the season (as the Pirates and Cardinals face off in both) will be the determining factor in the division race.

Of course, our old hero David Freese is now playing in Pittsburgh. That adds to the intrigue of an already awesome NL Central match up.

Over the past three seasons, the Cardinals are 30-27 against the Buccos. The run differential in those 57 games has actually been +8 in favor of Pittsburgh.

I don’t expect anything different in 2016.

Next: Late roster changes mean uncertainty ahead of 2016

With the spotlight squarely on Busch Stadium in St. Louis in the season’s final weekend, the winner of that three-game set very well could be your NL Central Champion.

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St. Louis Cardinals: Five can’t miss series’ of 2016

The St. Louis Cardinals have some intriguing match ups on the 2016 schedule. What follows is my list of must watch action for Cardinal fans this year.

Schedule