Cardinals odds, magic number to clinch postseason berth on September 7

What are the St. Louis Cardinals odds and magic number to clinch postseason berth on September 7? Here’s your answer.

Unless something goes completely and utterly wrong, the St. Louis Cardinals will clinch a postseason berth. And with an 8.5 game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central, it’s likely to come as division winners.

So what are the Cardinals’ odds heading into September 7? They have a 99.7 percent chance to make the playoffs, including a 98.5 percent chance to win the division, according to FanGraphs. Their odds to win the World Series are now 3.9 percent, which are the fifth highest in the National League.

That, to me, seems relatively low. I’d put the Cardinals as perhaps the third or fourth best team in the NL right now behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and Atlanta Braves, but I digress.

Meanwhile, their magic number to clinch a playoff berth is down to 20 games, and considering their meteoric rise — as well as the Brewers’ epic collapse — that could come sooner than later.

It’s a stunning reversal from where things stood before the trade deadline. The Brewers were in command of the division while St. Louis hung within three games. But after the Brewers traded Josh Hader in a shocking move, and the Cardinals went out and acquired Jordan Montgomery and Jose Quintana to round out the rotation, everything changed.

The Cardinals have since seen vintage performances from Albert Pujols. Jack Flaherty is back off the Injured List and showed promising signs in his first start against the Washington Nationals. The rest of the team looks more than capable of a deep postseason run and appears to have a legitimate shot at dethroning the Braves and Dodgers in the NL.

Time will tell, of course. But the Cardinals’ playoff odds and rapidly decreasing magic number would seem to indicate that the oddsmakers feel the same way.