The Cardinals are 14-3 since August 9th. So...good job letting that one happen, Cubs and Brewers.
When it comes down to it, the Cardinals of recent years will be known as the feistiest in MLB history. The Cardinals have, in one way or another, been involved with the playoff conversation in every year of the 2010s. Either they were embroiled in the Wild Card race, leading the division and vying for/winning a World Series, or...their current incarnation, which is coming in about halfway through the year, getting hot as hell in August, and electrifying the conversation when their NL Central counterparts start to lose momentum.
First of all, thanks to the Cardinals, the Brewers are out of the playoff picture. No more division series highlights for Christian Yelich. Also, the bad-away-from-home Cubs have now slumped to second place, and are struggling to keep hold of the 2nd wild card spot, with the Phillies one game away from lapping them. The amount of chaos the Cardinals' sudden rise has caused in the rest of the NL is extreme...and generally normal for them.
I'm not gonna act like the Cardinals don't deserve the come-up. Everything's starting to click. Flaherty's pitching like an ace. Goldschmidt's bat is heating up. Marcell Ozuna's healthy and getting back to dominance. Carlos Martinez figured out how to close games. Dakota Hudson has 13 wins. So many bizarre, extravagant things have happened in order to turn this...admittedly simple team into a 1st place team and playoff contender.
I'm kinda hoping they spend all their batshit insane luck while we're here in August, because...as an avid critic of Cardinals teams...I'm really not looking forward to another perfectly alright one getting playoff wins.
Coming Tomorrow- I'm a hypocrite; a perennial wild-card contender that I love because they're not the Cardinals, and their powerful 1st baseman.
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