St. Louis Cardinals second-half primer

With the All-Star Break all said and done, the second half of the Major League Baseball season can officially begin.

The first half for the St. Louis Cardinals was rocky at times, but it ended up being better than most fans expected. This relatively strong first half has made things difficult for president of baseball operations, John Mozelia,k as he enters his final few months at the helm of the organization.

The Cardinals are also within spitting distance of a postseason berth. Buckle up for what could be a wild second half!

The St. Louis Cardinals have a difficult second half ahead of them.

Standings

The Cardinals currently occupy the third spot in the National League Central with a 51-46 record. They're 6.5 games behind the division-leading Chicago Cubs and 5.5 games behind the second-place Milwaukee Brewers. The Cincinnati Reds are just one game behind the Cardinals as things kick off in mid-July.

The Cardinals are also on the outside looking in regarding the National League Wild Card. The three Wild Card spots are currently held by the Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, and San Diego Padres. The San Francisco Giants are just a half game back of the Padres, and the Cardinals are 1.5 games behind San Diego for the final Wild Card spot.

Schedule

The Cardinals have the ninth-easiest strength of schedule remaining. Division rivals such as the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds have a much harder strength of schedule than the Cardinals, but the Cubs have the easiest schedule remaining when looking at their opponents' win-loss records.

Only the San Diego Padres have an easier schedule than the Cardinals among Wild Card contenders.

Important Series

St. Louis has 22 games remaining against divisional opponents: six against the Brewers, four against the Pittsburgh Pirates, six against the Reds, and six against the Cubs. Their final set of the year will come against the Cubs in Chicago from September 26th through September 28th.

Other key series in the second half include a trip to Los Angeles to face off against the mighty Dodgers from August 4th through the 6th. The New York Yankees also come to town from August 15th through the 17th. St. Louis will also face off against Wild Card contenders 10 times down the stretch, with seven games against the San Diego Padres and three games against the San Francisco Giants.

Important Dates

Major League Baseball's trade deadline is scheduled for July 31 at 6 P.M. ET. The Cardinals will certainly be major players in this year's trading spree, one way or another. If they can find ways to win games over the next two weeks, look for them to add complementary pieces to the roster. If they fall further out of playoff contention, several players could be moved.

If the Cardinals fall off, Ryan Helsley and Phil Maton are obvious trade candidates. Steven Matz, Erick Fedde, and even Nolan Arenado are options as well. Either way, expect spots to open up on the roster if the Cardinals don't stay in postseason contention before the end of the month.