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THE FIRST NINETEEN
A fast start is going to be crucial for success in 2020. Not only will it give the Cardinals more flexibility at the trade deadline, but the opponents on the early Cardinals schedule are not as strong as some of the later ones. Here’s what the beginning of the year has to offer:
HOME- six games vs Pittsburgh, two games vs Detroit, three games vs Cubs
AWAY- two games vs Minnesota, three games vs Milwaukee, two games vs Detroit
NEUTRAL SITE- one game vs White Sox
We don’t know how significant home-field advantage will be without fans, but anytime you have six games against the Pirates, it is a chance to capitalize. This is also the only time the Cardinals play against the very terrible Detroit Tigers, and the only home games the Cardinals have against the Chicago Cubs.
For a successful beginning to the year, I believe the Cardinals should aim to be 12-7. Four wins against Pittsburgh and three wins against Detroit can go along with a split with the Twins, a series win against the Cubs, and at least one road win in Milwaukee. I went ahead and gave the Cardinals the victory over the White Sox in Iowa as well– no real reason except that it would be pretty awesome.
I’ll summarize the season records against various teams at the end, but I don’t think this initial prediction is asking too much. Again, I can’t stress enough how important these first nineteen games will be. The contenders need to separate themselves early, and this schedule gives the Cardinals a great chance to start out hot.