4 key series for the St. Louis Cardinals in June

The St. Louis Cardinals have had one of the toughest schedules up to this point in baseball. According to Baseball Reference, the Cardinals have had the 8th-toughest schedule with a total of 30 games played against teams better than .500. They are 13-17 in such games.

The month of May offered a bit of reprieve from the gauntlet that was April, but the Cardinals still faced many challenging foes in the season's second month. Rainouts gave the team some bonus days off, but a tough travel schedule (to Cincinnati for a day game after playing late on May 26th) challenged the players' mental and physical fortitude.

In the middle of the month, the Cardinals faced off against one of the best pitching staffs in baseball in the Boston Red Sox, one of the best teams in baseball in the Baltimore Orioles, and a division rival in the Chicago Cubs. The team went 7-1 in those 8 games. A rough start to the month against the Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, and Milwaukee Brewers was amended by the time the calendar flipped to June.

The month of June appears to be equally as daunting for the Cardinals. They have only 2 schedules off days, and one 10-game stretch followed later by a 9-game stretch. They'll play some weaker opponents like the Rockies, Pirates, and Marlins, but they'll also face off against two of the best teams in the National League in the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves.

These 4 series are key in the month of June for the St. Louis Cardinals.

San Francisco Giants June 20-23, home

The Giants are on a bit of a hot streak, as they are winners of 8 of their last 10 games. Currently, the Giants hold one of the three Wild Card spots that the Cardinals are fighting for. A sweep of this series will help set up the Cardinals for a playoff spot later in the year, especially with head-to-head matchups.

Another reason fans should tune into this series would be the first game of the series on June 20th. This game will be played at Rickwood Fields, the oldest professional baseball stadium in the United States, as a tribute to the Negro Leagues. The game will be aired on Fox.

The Cardinals and Giants were two of the best franchises during the 2010s, and they'll get the chance to duke it out in June for the first time this year.

Houston Astros June 3rd-5th, away

To most people's surprise, the Houston Astros were as bad as the Cardinals for the first quarter of the season. The Astros are 11-7 in their last 18 games, and they've clawed their way back up in the middling American League West to now be relevant once again.

For almost a decade, the Astros have been mentioned in the same breath as the best teams in baseball. They've made it to 7 straight American League Championship Series, and they've won 2 World Series during that span. The former division rivals have found plenty of success after their demolition and subsequent rebuild in the early 2010s.

The Cardinals and Astros don't face off nearly as often since the Astros moved out of the National League Central, so every time the two face off history abounds. All three games will be in Houston from June 3rd through June 5th. The three games come smack in the middle of a 10-game stretch without an off day. The Cardinals will return home after being on the road against the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, and now the Astros to face off against the Colorado Rockies.

Given the lighter series immediately after this one, the Cardinals will be able to field their best players and not worry about the next set of games as much.

Going into enemy territory against a team as potent as the Astros have been in recent years is daunting. Add on the fact that the Astros are one of the hottest teams in baseball in the last two weeks, and this series could go terribly. If the Cardinals were to win the series, it would send a message to the league.

Cincinnati Reds June 27th-30th, home

The Cardinals and Reds just finished a series that featured the Redbirds winning 2 out of the 3 games. Had the team not played 2 games within 16 hours and the Cardinals could have swept their division rivals on the road.

This series will take place at the end of the month in St. Louis. It comes at the back end of a 9-game home stretch that includes games against the San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves.

What makes this series so vital is the fact that the Cardinals can take a commanding season lead against the Reds. The Reds are a team that is on the decline due to a variety of injuries, so the Cardinals should take advantage of a weakened opponent. This series also comes at the end of another long stretch of games.

With the games being played in St. Louis, the Cardinals will have the benefit of their fans supporting them. Not every team's fate is settled by the end of June, but if the Cardinals blow it at the end of the month, John Mozeliak and Co. may have to evaluate how they can best be sellers at the deadline once again.

What may seem like a nonchalant series at the end of a long summer month against a weaker opponent could become a vital series that sets up the Cardinals for the remainder of the season. Win 3 out of 4 or sweep, and the Cardinals can look to make a big push. Lose the series, and July could become very tough to watch once again.