With just seven games remaining for them in the regular season, the St. Louis Cardinals (81-74) find themselves a half-game out of the National League Wild Card race. Had they won against the league-best Chicago Cubs (99-56) on Sunday evening, they would find themselves a half-game ahead of the San Francisco Giants (82-74) and just one game behind the New York Mets (83-73). With the Los Angeles Dodgers (90-66) and the Washington Nationals (91-64) having clinched their divisions along with the Cubs, the three-way race for the two Wild Card spots is the only story left for the National League before the post-season, barring a miraculous end-of-the-season run from the Miami Marlins (77-78) or Pittsburgh Pirates (77-78).
VIDEO: David Ross home run ESPN MLB Baseball: Cardinals at Cubs https://t.co/ZlYtu4ktJE pic.twitter.com/lnEnTKQago via @BleacherReport
— Christopher Airhart (@ChrisAirhart) September 26, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals
The finals seven games for the St. Louis Cardinals include four home games against the Cincinnati Reds (65-90) and three home games against the Pittsburgh Pirates (77-78). As noted by the Chicago Tribune, the Cards went just 1-for-3 in their series against the best team in the MLB. St. Louis hopes that the final two series of the season will work out better for them. Their series against the Reds begins on Monday, September 26. Jaime Garcia (10-12, 4.59 ERA) is scheduled to starts for the Cards, while Tim Adleman (2-4, 4.06 ERA) will begin on the mound for the Reds.
Let's pause for a moment and remember. #RIPJose
A photo posted by St. Louis Cardinals (@cardinals) on
Sep 25, 2016 at 5:08pm PDT
New York Mets
The New York Mets begin a three-game series in Miami on Monday against the Marlins, and after one day off for travel, finish their season on the road with a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies (70-86). The Mets just finished a four-game home series against the Phillies, winning three of the games, including a 17-0 massacre on Sunday. In New York’s opening game against the Marlins, Bartolo Colon (14-7, 3.12 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Mets, while the Marlins hadn’t announced their starter as of Sunday evening.
"Little roller up along first…" #ThankYouVin #Vin https://t.co/TbSQcFDUHp pic.twitter.com/L4aRlsgnJc
— New York Mets (@Mets) September 26, 2016
San Francisco Giants
After hosting three games in San Francisco against the Colorado Rockies (73-83), the Giants will close out the season by hosting three games against the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers. This comes after the Giants split a four-game series with the San Diego Padres (66-90) on the road. The series between the Giants and Rockies doesn’t begin until Tuesday, September 27. German Marquez (1-0, 3.48 ERA) is scheduled to start for Colorado, while Matt Moore (4-5, 4.96 ERA) is set to pitch for San Fran.
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The single-game National League Wild Card playoff is scheduled for Wednesday, October 5, and will air on ESPN. Since the Chicago Cubs have already secured the best record in the league, the winners of the Wild Card game will travel to Chicago to face the Cubs in the National League Division Series round of the MLB post-season. Given the records of their remaining opponents, the St. Louis Cardinals have the most favorable schedule of the three teams competing for the two spots.
If the St. Louis Cardinals fail to reach the MLB post-season, it will be the first time the franchise has missed the playoffs since 2010. While the New York Mets reached the World Series last year, it was the first time the Mets had seen post-season action in the MLB Playoffs since 2006. And even though the San Francisco Giants missed the playoffs last year, they have won the World Series title every other year three times since 2010. If that pattern continues, the Giants will take home the trophy once against in 2016.
[Featured Image by David Banks/Getty Images]
NL Wild Card Race: After Loss To Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals Trail New York Mets And San Francisco Giants is an article from: The Inquisitr News