4 series the Cardinals wish they could do over in 2024

Kansas City Royals -- July 9th and July 10th

The I-70 series is always a fun one. Two teams who are in different leagues but in the same state are able to duke it out for supremacy of Missouri. In 135 matchups across multiple decades, the Cardinals have the upper hand with a 79-56 all-time record. The two split the series in 2023, but the Cardinals had won seven of the previous ten-season series. All signs were pointing to at least a series split for the Redbirds.

Downpours in St. Louis on Tuesday night postponed the first game to make for a double header on Wednesday. Andre Pallante, the team's newest fifth starter, went up against Alec Marsh of the Royals. The Cardinals were homer happy all game, as Nolan Arenado, Alec Burleson, and Paul Goldschmidt all went yard.

Pallante was strong through four innings, but he began to crumble in the fifth, allowing three runs to score. His night ended following a solo home run by Salvador Perez, and the Cardinals would go on to lose game one of the doubleheader 6-4. Game two was another offensive deluge; rookie Gordon Graceffo was called up to start the game against former Cardinal Michael Wacha.

In game two, the bullpen held serve, but Graceffo and Matthew Liberatore gave up six combined runs in just five innings. Meanwhile, the offense just wasn't able to cash in on 10 hits, one walk, and an error. This, too, felt like a series where the Cardinals should have won just one game. A series split against a team that was reeling at the time despite its strong starting pitching would have been helpful heading into the dog days of summer.