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SUMMARY
No one said it would be easy, that’s for sure. But the Cardinals remain in the hunt for October baseball, and their schedule gives them a chance to make it there.
The end of July is important because of its impact on the trade deadline. August is crucial because the Cardinals will need to beat the bad teams to pad their record. And September is setting up to have a playoff atmosphere every single day.
To recap, here’s the remaining games for the St. Louis Cardinals (sorted by division standings):
Milwaukee Brewers: six home, seven road
Cincinnati Reds: six road
Chicago Cubs: four home, four road
Pittsburgh Pirates: three home, seven road
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San Francisco Giants: three home
Los Angeles Dodgers: four home
San Diego Padres: three home
New York Mets: three road
Atlanta Braves: three home
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Cleveland Indians: two road
Detroit Tigers: two home
Minnesota Twins: three home
Kansas City Royals: three home, three road
That’s 37 games against the NL Central and 35 against the rest of baseball. It’s 34 home games and 38 on the road. It’s 34 games against teams currently over .500, and 38 against teams that are not. And to get to that magic number of 90 wins, the Cardinals need to go 46-26. This is the road that the St. Louis Cardinals face in 2021. The all-star break is over– time to see what this team is really made of.
A strong start against the Giants this weekend might be the best thing you can ask for this team. Not only would it show President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak that he should pull the trigger on acquiring some outside talent, but it would give the Cardinals some important confidence as they begin this difficult journey.