St. Louis Cardinals: Examining Possible Postseason Scenarios

Coming into their final regular season series of 2016, the St. Louis Cardinals could take one of the most obscure paths to postseason in recent baseball history.

The St. Louis Cardinals received a favorable break yesterday when Yadier Molina recorded a walkoff hit on a play that could have been challenged for a ground-rule double, thus return the winning run to third base.

A moment that ultimately finds the Cardinals within one game of the second National League Wild Card spot and keeps the team’s mission for a sixth straight postseason birth alive.

With three home games left on schedule between the recently eliminated Pittsburgh Pirates, this series could be more of a challenge than the Cardinals expected. Carlos Martinez, who leads the team with a 5.5 WAR, is scheduled to pitch tonight, while frequent postseason participant Adam Wainwright will toe the rubber in what currently proves to be the regular season finale.

The series presents multiple challenges for the Cardinals. St. Louis has yet to choose a starting pitcher for tomorrow’s matchup between struggling probables Jaime Garcia, Michael Wacha and Luke Weaver.

The Cardinals have also lost seven of their last ten games against Pittsburgh at Busch Stadium dating back to 2015. Not to mention, the Pirates have outscored the Cardinals in three of their five head-to-head series this season.

On the other hand, the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants will have their work cut out to maintain their wild card spots over the Cardinals.

The Mets may be the safest bet for a spot given they have won five of their last seven games, albeit Noah Syndergaard and Bartolo Colon are the only two starting pitchers remaining from their 2016 opening day rotation. The Giants will face a taller task against the NL West division winning Los Angeles Dodgers, who have a chance to claim home field advantage in the NLDS against the Washington Nationals.

Regardless of these implications, the Cardinals will have to win at least win at least one more game than the Giants or two more than the Mets to extend their season beyond Sunday. As the competition remains close with each passing day, there are a few complex scenarios through which the Cardinals could make a sixth straight run at postseason.