St. Louis Cardinals Roundtable: We got this or are we doomed?

J.T. Buchheit

The sky is falling! The apocalypse is nigh! These are the sort of panics you’ll hear from St. Louis Cardinals fans who believe their team will miss the playoffs again.

It’s time to calm down, relax and have faith.

The Milwaukee Brewers are on the Cardinals’ tail. They’re 9-1 in their last 10 games and have a cakewalk of a schedule remaining. It might seem that the odds are stacked against the Cardinals despite their 1.5-game lead in the division.

But the Cardinals aren’t a team that goes quietly this year. The last series against the Cubs showed the magic this team can create, and I firmly believe the Cardinals can hold the lead over the Brewers. Even if the Cubs sweep the Cardinals in the next three games, the Brewers have to go 2-2 to tie and 3-1 to clinch the division if they win today.

But on the off chance that the Brewers clinch, I’m still not too worried. The Washington Nationals would be the Cardinals’ opponent in the Wild Card game, and if the Cardinals have any sense, Jack Flaherty will start that game. And we all know how dominant he’s been in the second half.

The Nationals would probably roll with Max Scherzer, their ace. But he hasn’t been too great lately, allowing four, one, three, five and four runs in his five September starts. And the Cardinals are usually much better against proven starters than against starters they haven’t seen before, so if Scherzer gets the nod, I’ll be confident in the Cardinals’ success.

Even though Kolten Wong is likely out for the rest of the season, his absence doesn’t mean death for the Cardinals. If the team makes the NLCS and Wong is ruled out of that series, then we might have a reason to worry a bit. But right now, the Cardinals are the team to beat, and as the Brewers scramble to claim the division, they’re the ones feeling the pressure.

We got this, folks. Enjoy the last few games, and remember to breathe.