Cardinals: Biggest X-Factors for Game 2 against the Phillies

After collapsing at the end of Game 1, the St. Louis Cardinals are on the brink of elimination and need big games from the following players.

It’s hard to come to grips with what happened in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies. But this is baseball. The game moves on, and you better be ready when the first pitch is thrown. The St. Louis Cardinals’ season is on the line.

In a season full of highs and lows, it would be as brutal of an ending as possible for St. Louis to see Game 1 slip through their fingers and be closed out in Game 2 in Busch Stadium. This club is better than that, has more fight than that, and there is plenty of reason to believe they have the mental toughness to overcome such a loss.

In order to win Game 2, various players will need to step up to the plate. There was a lot of bad luck dealt to the club in Game 1, so you have to believe the results will play better on Saturday. After watching Game 1, here are the biggest X-Factors for St. Louis in order to force Game 3 on Sunday.

Miles Mikolas

For the majority of the 2022 season, Miles Mikolas has been St. Louis’ best starter. It is only fitting that he would be called upon in the biggest game of their season.

After struggling a bit in August, Mikolas turned things around in his last 3 starts, allowing just 2 runs and 13 base runners in 15 innings of work. Two of these starts were 6 inning outings against the Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres, showing he has been a gamer down the stretch against contenders.

Jose Quintana was brilliant against Philadelphia on Friday, keeping their bats quiet as St. Louis continued to attack Zach Wheeler. The Cardinals are going to need a similar outing from Mikolas, as their offense looks to do damage against another one of the game’s best starters, Aaron Nola.

St. Louis already had to rely on Jordan Hicks, Giovanni Gallegos, Ryan Helsley, and Andre Pallante in Game 1. Hicks and Gallegos are likely available again in Game 2, but Helsley is surely out after experiencing numbness in his finger and throwing 33 pitches. Pallante only threw 22 pitches but his availability is maybe in question as well. Mikolas going deep into Game 2 is important for the later innings as well as a potential Game 3.

If St. Louis gets a bad start from Mikolas, it’s hard to imagine they’ll be suiting up for a Game 3 on Sunday.

Jack Flaherty

After spending most of 2022 on the injured list for St. Louis, Jack Flaherty may now be the club’s most important bullpen arm coming into Game 2 of the Wild Card Series.

After warming up in the bullpen in the top of the 9th while the club was beginning to melt down, manager Oli Marmol instead went to rookie Andre Pallante, and indicated post game that not bringing in Flaherty likely meant high leverage innings in Game 2.

With Gallegos being used for four outs in Game 1 and Helsley more than likely being unavailable for the rest of the series, Flaherty will be relied upon for big outs in crucial moment for the Cardinals.

Flaherty really showed signs of his old self over his last three appearances during the regular season. In 13 innings of work, the right-hander struck out 16 batters while allowing just 4 runs. This kink of swing and miss stuff is essential late in games, and could be the difference for St. Louis in holding a lead again.

Steven Matz and Zack Thompson

The Cardinals opted to carry four other lefties on their roster outside of Quintana, including Pack Naughton and Jordan Montgomery, the latter of which may start a potential Game 3. Steven Matz and Zack Thompson appear to be their lefty specialists for this series, and will likely be put in big spots during Game 2.

The two most dangerous Phillies hitters both bat from the left side – Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. Both have the ability to change the game with one swing of the bat in the late innings or when runners are on base. The Phillies decided to put their two best right handed hitters – Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto between them in Game 1, making matchups a difficult decision for Oli Marmol.

Both Matz and Thompson have been extremely impressive out of the bullpen for St. Louis. Matz since returning from the IL has thrown 5.1 innings out of the pen, allowing just 1 hit and 1 run. Thompson since the All-Star Break has a 1.23 ERA in 12 appearances. In a win or go home spot for St. Louis, the club will need their dominance to continue.

11 years ago, Albert Pujols was the superstar leader of the underdog Cardinals that found a way to knock out the heavily favorited Phillies in their last playoff appearance. In 2022, the Redbirds will need Pujols to continue his farewell tour resurgence to keep their season, and his career, alive for another day.

After struggling for most of the first half of 2022, Pujols turned back the clock one more time, slashing .323/.388/.715 with 18 HR and 48 RBI for St. Louis, being one of the main catalysts for winning the National League Central. Pujols has gone from a platoon option against left-handers to a core bat in their lineup once again, and they’ll need that magic from the slugger once again.

In that same article from Remis, he found that the Cardinals were 17-2 in games where Pujols homered, and 47-41 in games where the Hall of Famer played but did not hit a home run. That’s an 89% winnings percentage when Pujols homers, and just goes to show how vital he has become for St. Louis.

The 42-year old has feel for big moments like few others in baseball history have had. If there is anyone that can be turned to in a situation like this, it’s Albert Pujols. Let’s hope for a big blast from the legend in Game 2, and for his farewell tour to continue a bit longer.

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