It took a while, but finally September gave the Cardinals the moment they had been waiting for, a clinching celebration as they punched their tickets into the postseason as NL Central champs. What happened between September 1 and September 26 to get to that point alternatively thrilled and concerned St. Louis fans as they try to forecast just what October might hold for this team.
The beginning of the month picked up where August left off, a torrid winning pace that seemed to add room to their divisional lead over Chicago on a daily basis. In fact, they went more than a month without losing ground in the Central, a new record. The Cardinals went 7-2 against Milwaukee (both home and away) and Pittsburgh in the first portion of the month. They put up runs, they won close games where the offense sputtered, they looked like a full and well-rounded team.
Things changed when they started running into better teams, however. A stretch against Atlanta, Florida and Chicago at home ...
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