The Cardinals' series loss to the Pirates felt like a reality check
07/26/2024 09:00 AM
Before everybody makes assumptions based on the title, I want to clarify something. No, I don't think the Cardinals are a bad team. They've much better baseball since May 12 and have found their way back into contention. That's all well and good, and I've been very impressed by the way they've handled adversity this year.
That being said, however, I do want to get to what I mean by "reality check." This series against the Pirates was very important for the Cardinals, as it was their second straight against a fellow playoff contender, and after winning the series with the Braves, St. Louis had a ton of momentum. But it all went down the drain yesterday when they dropped the series to Pittsburgh.
This was a chance for the Cardinals to separate themselves from the rest of the pack in the NL Wild Card race. It's important to note right now that the Mets, Diamondbacks, and Padres are all hot in addition to the Pirates. But instead of getting some separation, the Cardinals just fell flat, only scoring three runs in the series.
Keep in mind that the Cardinals have a tough schedule coming up. This weekend series against the Nationals should provide a bit of a break, as Washington is on a slide right now. But after that, they've got to deal with the Rangers, who are suddenly red-hot and right back in contention. Then in August, they face the Mets, Royals, Dodgers, Brewers, Twins, Padres, and Yankees and start September with another series against the Brewers and a matchup with the Mariners. This is just one series, but it certainly isn't a good sign that they lost it.
The Cardinals were bound for a little regression. That's just the way the baseball season works. It ebbs and flows. And I'm not saying the Cardinals are doomed by any means. But considering the schedule they have coming up, this was not encouraging, and it felt to me as though the Cardinals may just be one of those teams that beats up on bad teams while not being able to beat their fellow contenders.
Sure, they've beaten some good teams, but they haven't beaten them consistently, and that's what they're going to have to do in order to be a playoff team. I know I sound like a broken record, but I'm still hesitant to say the Cardinals are "back." Couple that with the fact that they probably won't go big at the deadline for what they really need and there's not a lot to get super fired up about. They're in contention because the National League is as bad as it's ever been.
Again, this is not a bad team, but they still aren't a World Series contender. They were linked to Nathan Eovaldi, but with Texas hot again, I don't see them trading him. And what evidence suggests that they're going to go big at the deadline?
If they want to beat the best teams, that's what they need to do. If they do that, then I'll be a little more excited. But the series loss in Pittsburgh kind of felt like the Cardinals coming back down to earth a little bit.
We'll see if they can pull it together against the Nationals, get what they need at the deadline, and stick it to their fellow contenders. But the task, while not impossible, will not be easy. For now, we should hope for the best at the deadline.
