St. Louis Cardinals' Playoff Hopes Enter Critical Stretch

Aug 8, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) reacts after hitting a solo home run against the Colorado Rockies during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

St. Louis Cardinals' Playoff Hopes Enter Critical Stretch

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Aug 13, 2026 7:00 PM ET

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Could the St. Louis Cardinals actually end up being a playoff team before the 2026 Major League Baseball regular season comes to an end?

Don't rule it out.

The Cardinals kicked off the second half of the season on a sour note, but things have started to turn around, despite the fact that Lars Nootbaar, Dustin May and JoJo Romero were all traded. The Cardinals just took two out of three games against the Philadelphia Phillies in what was arguably the most important series of the season so far for St. Louis, from a playoff perspective.

After the series win, the Cardinals are 2 1/2 games out of a National League Wild Card spot. If the season were to end today, the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks would nab the three Wild Card spots. The Phillies are tied for the No. 3 spot, but are on the outside looking in. The Miami Marlins are one game ahead of the Cardinals right now and are also on the outside looking in.

The Cardinals Have A Shot At The Playoffs

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Team Name	Wild Card Games Back
Chicago Cubs	+7.5
San Diego Padres	+1.0
Arizona Diamondbacks	—
Philadelphia Phillies	—
Miami Marlins	1.5
St. Louis Cardinals	2.5

The Cardinals are finally starting to look like the club that shined early on this season and outperformed the expectations that most people around baseball had for the franchise. The Cardinals have won seven of their 10 games and have now won three straight series as well.

Third consecutive series W pic.twitter.com/E8PMlq5C3N
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 12, 2026

The Cardinals have a much-needed day off on Thursday before kicking off a series on Friday that could go a long way in St. Louis trying to nab one of the Wild Card spots. The Cardinals will face off against the Cubs on the road for a three-game set at Wrigley Field. After the Cubs series, the Cardinals will face off against the Cincinnati Reds in a five-game series on the road as well before facing the Phillies in another three-game series.

These next 11 games are going to go a long way for St. Louis. If the Cardinals can stay hot, as they have been over their last 10 games, they will be just fine. Right now, the Cardinals are 2 1/2 games out of a playoff spot. Finally, St. Louis is starting to turn things around and it has two prospects in Triple-A who could make the club even better.

If the Cardinals promote Quinn Mathews and Joshua Báez over the next few weeks, they would fix the Cardinals' two biggest holes. Matthew Liberatore has struggled in the rotation and the Cardinals have a hole in the outfield with Nootbaar gone. If the Cardinals promote Mathews and Báez, that would give St. Louis an even better chance of making a run at a playoff spot, on paper at least.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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