A couple of weeks ago, it appeared that when the St. Louis Cardinals visited Citizens Bank Park from May 31-June 2, the Philadelphia Phillies would get a look at some intriguing potential trade candidates. But now that the real thing is here, perhaps they should view the weekend set more as a possible playoff matchup.
Since bottoming out at 15-24 on May 12, the Cardinals have gone 12-3. They enter this weekend’s series against the Phillies at 27-27, five games back of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central, and only a half game behind the San Diego Padres for the final Wild Card spot in the senior circuit.
Granted, the Cardinals still have a -35 run differential, and if they come in and get swept by the Phillies this weekend, it will again leave you to wonder whether their window with this core has closed. But the Phillies are in their first real lull of the 2024 season, as they return home after a 2-4 roadtrip. If the Cardinals were to say, win two of three this weekend, it might be the spring board to them carrying this momentum from late May into a strong month of June that solidifies their status as a playoff contender.
The Phillies won two out of three games against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium in April, and got a glimpse at the insane defense that rookie shortstop Masyn Winn is playing for the team. But since then, some of the team’s veteran stars have heated up.
- Former NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt’s batting average is all the way up to .224, which might not sound like a lot, but is noteworthy when you consider it was at .199 on May 14. Goldschmidt also has three home runs in his last four games.
- Offseason signee Sonny Gray opened the year on the injured list with a right hamstring strain, actually making his Cardinals debut against the Phillies on April 9 when he pitched five shutout innings in a St. Louis win. Last year’s AL Cy Young runner-up is now 7-2 with a 2.60 ERA. He’ll face off with Ranger Suárez Saturday evening.
- For as much production as the Phillies have gotten from former Cardinal Edmundo Sosa in Trea Turner’s absence, the man who they traded for him in July of 2022 is making a pretty strong impact in St. Louis. Lefty reliever JoJo Romero has a 1.30 ERA in 26 games. He’s the set-up man for closer Ryan Helsley, who just a couple of weeks ago we pinpointed as a potential trade target for the Phillies.
- Lance Lynn, now is his second stint with the Redbirds, will pitch Sunday night against Taijuan Walker. While his 4.22 FIP suggests some regression might be coming, the 37-year-old righty has a 3.45 ERA across 57 1/3 innings for the Cards in 2024.
- Also back for a second go-round with the Cardinals is Matt Carpenter. He missed the first Phillies series with a right oblique strain, but the 38-year-old is now back, and homered for the first time this season in a win over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday.
The Cardinals are still waiting for future Hall of Famer Nolan Arenado to get going. The eight-time All-Star has just a .677 OPS this year. Perhaps even more noteworthy is that Arenado, a 10-time Gold Glove Award winner, has -6 defensive runs saved this season. Mind you, this is a player with 150 defensive runs saved in his career.
As the Cardinals come to Philadelphia this weekend, the jury is still out on whether they are a good team. But there are three Wild Card spots up for grabs in the National League, and someone is going to have to win them. Perhaps one of those teams will be the Cardinals, who don’t look like the pushovers they appeared to be just a few weeks ago.
Must-Read Phillies Content
- The Phillies will wear their City Connect uniforms in Friday’s series-opener against the Cardinals. Here’s a look at when the Phillies wear each of their five current uniforms.
- Speaking of uniforms, I ranked all 27 City Connect uniform concepts on Bleacher Report.
- Also on B/R, I gave one sentence to describe each MLB team in the month of May.
- Finally, enough attention probably hasn’t been given to just how good Cristopher Sánchez pitched in May.
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