The St. Louis Cardinals' map to playing October baseball

Don’t quit just yet! Those Cardiac Cards are back at it again, making things interesting. Just when you’re about to give up and call it a day, the Cardinals claw back into the thick of things. St. Louis might just have an outside shot to play October baseball. 

That’s thanks to the exuberant work of 2026 RBI leader (as of August 18) Alec Burleson, who’s single-handedly hit the Redbirds back into games, and also the emergence of the starting rotation. Led by none other than former reliever Kyle Leahy, who’s approaching a Cardinal record owned by Adam Wainwright, and followed by Bob Gibson. 

St. Louis definitely has a shot, but what would it take for them to push past regular-season ball and re-enter the tournament? 

1: Win now

Duh, right? If the Cardinals want anything to do with October baseball, they don’t have time to make sure their heads are on straight; it’s go time.

In particular, this current series against the Reds and the upcoming series against the Phillies are HUGE. 

The Reds have been one of baseball’s most disappointing and puzzling teams. If the Cardinals, who currently lead the series 2-1, can walk away with four wins out of five, they’ll be in a great spot. 

One of those wins will have to come against Cy Young candidate Chase Burns, with the Cardinals’ biggest question mark on the mound: Matthew Liberatore. 

If St. Louis can’t walk away with, at bare minimum, a series victory against the Reds, it'll take Hail Marys and prayers beyond reality to will them back into the postseason. 

Next up would be Philadelphia. 

As it stands, the Phils hold the second Wild Card spot in the National League, one game up on the San Diego Padres. 

The Cardinals (3 GB) will have a chance to directly dog on the competition. It’s not often you get those kinds of opportunities down the stretch, and it’ll be of the utmost importance that St. Louis takes advantage. 

Last time the two teams matched up, the Redbirds came away victorious, while snatching back-to-back wins against Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler. If they can manage another series victory, hope becomes less of a delicacy and more farm-to-table. 

It’s all right in front of the Redbirds to will themselves back into this thing, and it starts NOW. If they manage to take four against the scuffling Redlegs and win the series outright against the Phightins’, a small skid won’t be able to hinder their playoff hopes in later games. 

This isn’t just about a boost; it’s about padding. 

2: Promotions!

The St. Louis Cardinals have a luxury that not every team has: asset capital. 

What do I mean by this? Well, the Redbirds’ farm system runs as deep as anyone’s in baseball, and because of that, they simply have more ammunition to aid their roster. 

This is not an advocacy for an Angels-esque prospect dump onto the MLB roster, where development comes secondary to brand deals. No, no, no. It is, however, an acknowledgment of what the Cardinals have built during Chaim Bloom’s short tenure. 

In a recent episode of the Dealin’ The Cards podcast, Cardinals’ writer Joshua Jacobs pinpointed Cooper Hjerpe as a name he’d like to see in The Show–potentially as a reliever. 

Outside of Hjerpe, the Cardinals could ring the phones of Brycen Mautz or Quinn Mathews (again). 

On the position player side, they’ve got switch-hitting catcher Leo Bernal and outfielder Chase Davis ready to fire. 

If they fall short on innings or at-bats, it won’t be an issue; it’ll be an opportunity. 

That’s the bonus for the Birds. And if executed correctly, it could land them on a branch in October. 

Fans have already seen what the right injection of youth can lead to (Joshua Báez). And now that the Cardinals have already claimed rookie history, why not keep the fun times rolling? Báez was the beginning of this saga, not a one-off moment. 

3: Execution

As a team, the Cardinals rank 23rd in OPS with RISP. It’s a tale as old as time. 

Due to the Redbirds’ makeup and their knack for winning on the margins, missed opportunities are much more likely to snakebite their chances at success. 

If the Dodgers, or Yankees, or Red Sox leave runners on base, they always have the home run ball in their back pocket, or the pitching to hold their opponent in place until they eventually come through. 

The Cardinals staff has been solid, and home runs haven’t been alien, but they usually win close games, with lots of nail-biting moments. 

They steal outs, run the bases very well, and play pepper with the big part of the field. When these Cardinals are at their best, they’re the type of team legendary manager Whitey Herzog wouldn’t shy from his own. 

With that being said, execution is pivotal to the Cardinals' playoff pulse. 

The pitches lack strikeout stuff = They can’t afford the walks. 

Slug isn’t a strength = RISP becomes imperative 

Pitch-to-contact has been the strategy = defense, defense, DEFENSE 

The equation is fairly simple, and the Cardinals aren’t the only ones using it (See: the Cleveland Guardians). 

However, if you feel like your team is always hanging in the balance, it’s because they are. 

The Cardinals have been teetering between contender and pretender since day one of the season. And with every win they feel like the former–and every loss the latter. 

There may not be a more manic team in Major League Baseball, likely due to the Cardinals’ cumulative youth. 

But if these baby-faced Birds want to play playoff baseball, they’ll have to work ahead by winning now, use their call-ups wisely, and execute, execute, execute. 

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