Cardinals Playoff Odds: What is St. Louis’ magic number?

The St. Louis Cardinals’ magic number is down to one.

The St. Louis Cardinals have won 16 consecutive games. Their win on Sunday against the Chicago Cubs trimmed their magic number to one game, bringing them within one victory of clinching the second National League wild card spot, making their historic — and unlikely — win streak that much more impressive.

They have swept four consecutive series, including two straight on the road, against the division rival Milwaukee Brewers and Cubs. They have won via the long ball. They have won on elite pitching. They have won on funky double plays. They have won in almost every imaginable way. It’s all happened in the weeks leading up to the bullpen, leaving many to wonder if the Cardinals’ Devil Magic is, in fact, a real thing as their World Series chances on WynnBET continue to climb.

Who am I to doubt it at this point? I mean, we are all watching the same baseball team. The Cardinals’ winning streak in September is the longest since the Cubs won 21 in a row in 1935, according to Zach Silver of MLB.com. They also became the second team in MLB history to win its last 11 or more road games, with the 1887 Philadelphia Quakers being the last team to accomplish that feat.

The Cardinals have a chance to clinch a playoff berth on Tuesday since they and the Philadelphia Phillies have an off day Monday. Their chance to punch their ticket to the wild-card game — a matchup that is increasingly likely to come against the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers — comes with a series against the Milwaukee Brewers, who clinched the National League Central on Sunday.

The Brewers, of course, are one of the best teams in the NL, but the Cardinals just swept them in four games in Milwaukee. They are getting contributions from not just Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt and Tyler O’Neill, but from Harrison Bader, Dylan Carlson and almost everyone else in the lineup. Manager Mike Shildt told Silver that, “That’s what good teams have,” Shildt said. “Good teams that have a deep roster of guys who can contribute.

He’s right. It may have taken a while for the Cardinals to maximize their depth and talent, but they have done so at the perfect time. It makes them a postseason nightmare and capable of beating anyone. Even Max Scherzer and the Dodgers.