Cardinals' Scorching Hot Stretch Could Change Expected Plans

There was a time in which it seemed like a guarantee that the St. Louis Cardinals were going to blow up the roster around the Major League Baseball trade deadline this summer.

You could've even looked at the standings last week and maybe made this claim, but that isn't the case any longer. St. Louis has won eight straight games after taking down the Washington Nationals on Sunday. The Cardinals lost their first game against the New York Mets on May 2nd and haven't lost since. The Cardinals took two games from the Mets and then followed that up with a three-game sweep against the Pittsburgh Pirates and three-game sweep over the Washington Nationals.

The Cardinals finally look like the team that many hoped they would be, but trade rumors and speculation have gotten in the way of the positive vibes. Now, that isn't as clear cut any longer. The Cardinals are 22-19 and are just one game behind the Chicago Cubs for the top spot in the National League Central. The Cardinals are obviously going to lose more games throughout the season, but they have done everything well throughout this steak.

The starting rotation is red-hot, the offense has continued to shine, and the bullpen is turning things around. The rotation and offense have been consistently solid to kick off the season. The bullpen has been rough, but things are changing. If the bullpen can continue this recent trend, there's no reason why the Cardinals can't maintain this winning way. Obviously not every game, but more wins than losses, for sure. Hopefully, some of the outlandish trade chatter can end for now.