Well...somehow, the Cardinals did it. They climbed from fourth place, and embedded themselves into the Wild Card race, holding onto the 2nd WC spot for dear life. The only problem is...they're still in third place in the NL Central, their possible WC rivals are the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers...and they're the latter horse in a race that's not quite solid yet.
Here's the deal: the Los Angeles Dodgers are one game behind the Cards for the spot. The Dodgers have more momentum right now, and have won their last few. The Cards have lost their last two, even with some great work from Jack Flaherty heating up this stretch.
And the thing is...right now, the magic that brought the Cardinals to the forefront this month is beginning to wear off. Matt Adams hasn't been hitting in his return to St. Louis, recent rookies like Adolis Garcia and Carson Kelly have disappointed, and while people all still surging, there's this feeling that everything's been spread too thin. That there's an overabundance of talent, and that the Cardinals really don't know how to organize themselves so that talented players still aren't left out. It's a good problem to have, but it's a similar one to last season- there's so much interchangeability that it's hard to know when they've hit the correct combination. And when they have, someone gets injured, like Jedd Gyorko.
The Cardinals have less than three weeks left to prove they have what it takes to outdo the Dodgers, and eventually the Brewers and Cubs. But it will not be easy, even with the talent they've accumulated.
Coming Tomorrow- A loyal member of those unsinkable Astros.
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