Remember when Lance Lynn was subjected to trade rumors all July? Remember when the Cardinals were floundering to the fourth place in the National League Central? If you don't, that was just a refresher of how most fans were feeling. However, there's a new feeling for Redbird Nation as the team is just one game out of first place in the Central. That's right. The Cardinals are surging and are looking like a team that could jump ahead as soon as this week.
Cardinals clicking on all cylinders
The Cardinals are 7-3 in their last ten games, while the Chicago Cubs have lost three straight series.
The Cubs have lost two of three to the Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals, and San Francisco Giants. The Cubs also have lost Wilson Contreras for a month with a pulled hamstring, The Chicago Tribune noted. The team now has to face the Diamondbacks in Arizona, where the team is 37-19 in their home stadium. The Cardinals open up a three game series at home against the Atlanta Braves.
If the Rally Cat wasn't making the turnaround, Dexter Fowler is helping at least. The Cardinals best free agent acquisition this past offseason collected his 15th home run of the season, which happened to be a go ahead grand slam in an 8-6 win over the Kansas City Royals. It marked the second straight night that the Cardinals hit a grand slam as Yadier Molina hit one on Wednesday.
Upcoming schedule
The Cubs, Cardinals, Brewers, and Pirates are still battling in the division. The Brewers are two games back, while the Pirates are three games back. The next two weeks for the Cubs feature a three game series at Arizona, and then a seven game homestand with the Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays. Then, the Cubs go to Cincinnati to play three more.
The Cardinals will host the Braves, play a two game set at Boston, a four game set at Pittsburgh, and a three game set at home with the San Diego Padres.
The Brewers play three with the Reds, two at home with the Pirates, and then play three at Colorado and San Francisco. The Pirates play at Toronto, and at home versus the Dodgers besides their two series with the Brewers and Cardinals.
The schedule favors the Cubs after this weekend. The Cardinals could break even and be tied with the Cubs by Sunday. However, the Cubs play seven total games against the last place Reds in the next two weeks. The Brewers play six games against last place opponents in the Reds and Giants. The Cardinals and Pirates will have to decide their future. The Cardinals could easily lose to the Red Sox, while the series with Pittsburgh could go either way. It also hurts the Pirates case that they have to play the 81-win Dodgers eventually. The division has been a toss up, so why not keep it that way for a couple more weeks?
