The St. Louis Cardinals have one of the toughest remaining schedules in Major League Baseball. The team is already in a skid, and a gauntlet of postseason-contending teams coming up makes their chances of making it to October look like a long shot.
Remaining Schedule Makes Cardinals Postseason Hopes Grim
One Of The Toughest Remaining Schedules
After the Cardinals finish up their series with the Cincinnati Reds, the team has seven straight series against teams with winning records. The team will face the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Milwaukee Brewers twice, the Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, and the Seattle Mariners in a 22-game stretch through September 8th.
The team’s remaining strength of schedule ranks it fifth toughest in baseball. Things get a little easier in the last three weeks of the season. The team will have series versus the Reds again, the Pittsburg Pirates, the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Colorado Rockies. However, they will still have to face the playoff-contending teams of the Cleveland Guardians and the San Francisco Giants in the final weeks. Their season ends on a six-game West Coast road trip against the Rockies and the Giants.
The Cardinals are 27-30 this season against teams above .500. They have enjoyed one of the easier schedules up until now, but have only parlayed that into a 60-61 record.
Cardinals In A Skid
The Cardinals fell below .500 for the first time since June 19 this week, when the Reds swept them in three games. Their run differential has fallen to -63, the third worst in the National League.
“You don’t want to get swept here in [Cincinatti]. I’ll tell you that,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said after Wednesday’s 9-2 loss. “But as far as giving in, that’s not an option.”
On July 8, the Cardinals were 48-42; the team has gone 12-18 since that point. The Cardinals are struggling against teams with losing records on that stretch. They have dropped series to the Pirates, Washington Nationals, Chicago Cubs, and Reds since the All-Star Break.
Path To The Postseason
According to FanGraphs, the Cardinals have a 5.5 percent chance of making the playoffs as of August 15. The team is four and a half games behind the Atlanta Braves for the final Wild Card spot. However, Marmol is insistent the team won’t give up.
“Some guys are on fumes and some guys are feeling okay about where they’re at,” Marmol said. “We’re going to continue to take our best shot. Nothing changes.”
For the Cardinals to stay in contention, they need to win the majority of their series in the next 22 games against winning teams. It’s a tall task for the team, which kicks off with a three-game set starting Friday against the NL’s best Dodgers.
They are closest to the Braves, with the third easiest strength of schedule remaining. Even if they win most of their remaining series, the Cardinals will need help with other teams picking up key losses. They have the toughest remaining schedule of any team within six games a Postseason spot.
If they can’t make up the distance, it will be the second straight year the Cardinals have missed the Postseason.
Main Photo Credits: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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