Comparing the St. Louis Cardinals rotation to other NL playoff teams

The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to make a deep playoff run, and it will hinge upon how their rotation stacks against other NL playoff teams.

The St. Louis Cardinals have built up a big lead in the NL Central and now look like a legitimate contender to make the World Series.

One of the major flaws facing the Cardinals most of the season was their starting rotation. At one point, their rotation consisted of Adam Wainwright, Miles Mikolas, Andrew Pallante, and two spot starters. The rotation has come a long way with the acquisitions of Jordan Montgomery and Jose Quintana, as well as the return of Jack Flaherty.

When postseason baseball begins, pitching tends to determine who wins a series. As great as it is to have an elite offense, elite pitching has the power to hold any offense in check. The Cardinals can slug with any team in the league, but they will have to put up quality innings if they expect to go far.

If I had to guess, the Cardinals rotation will likely stack up like this: Adam Wainwright, Jordan Montgomery, Jack Flaherty, and Miles Mikolas.

Here is how the St. Louis Cardinals rotation stacks up against current National League contenders. I will compare their rotation to teams who are currently in the playoff picture (Dodgers, Mets, Braves, Padres, and Phillies). I’ll give the edge to one team or “push” if they are even.

Philadelphia Phillies

Zach Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Kyle Gibson, Noah Syndergaard

The Phillies have a great 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation with Zach Wheeler and Aaron Nola, but their rotation thins out quite a bit after those two.

Wheeler finished 2nd in the NL Cy Young voting in 2021 and has a 3.07 ERA with 148 SO this season. His ability to create swings and misses with his stuff is exactly what you are looking for out of your number one starter. Nola arguably can be even more dangerous when he’s on, sporting a 3.35 ERA with 200 SO this year. Wainwright and Montgomery can stack up against the pair, but they will be intense matchups to say the least.

Where the Cardinals really win out is in the matchups with Kyle Gibson and rumored deadline target Noah Syndergaard. Both players are having down years, with 4.48 and 4.63 ERAs respectively, and both likely will not go deep into starts either. Both Flaherty and Mikolas have the ability to put up ace like performances and go 6+ innings, giving St. Louis the clear edge against Philadelphia.

Verdict: St. Louis