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.

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

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

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

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.

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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

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.

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.