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St. Louis Cardinals: Analyzing the second-half schedule
By Ben Remis
JULY: RIGHT INTO THE FIRE
Right out of the gate, a challenge awaits the Cardinals. The MLB-leading San Francisco Giants come to St. Louis for a three-game set. All-star starter Kevin Gausman, resurgent Anthony Desclafani, and long-time Cardinal nemesis Johnny Cueto will be on the mound for San Fran, too. If the Cardinals want to make a statement, they are going to be tested right away.
After the Giants, the Cubs come to town for a set of four games. Although trade rumors are swirling in the windy city, you can never take this rivalry lightly. Whether Craig Kimbrel, Kris Bryant, or any of the other Chicago superstars make the trip, doesn’t matter– you know every member of both rosters has this series circled as a turning point in the season.
The division battle continues when the Cards travel to Cincinnati for three games over the weekend. As the team directly ahead of the Cardinals in the standings, you cannot undersell these three games. The Cardinals are 4-6 against the Reds this season, and with only two more series against them this year, I think this set might be one of the most important ones of the entire season.
July finishes with interleague play against Cleveland and the Minnesota Twins. Really, the Cardinals need all the wins they can get, so if they can avoid Shane Bieber when they play Cleveland and beat up on the struggling Twins, they can finish the month real strong.
We’ll know right away if this Cardinal team is for real. With 14 challenging games this month, and the trade deadline fast approaching, July could make or break the Cardinals’ season.