After surrendering 18 hits in a lopsided 8-2 defeat last night to the San Francisco Giants, the St. Louis Cardinals playoff hopes are all but squandered.
The Cardinals now sit 6 1/2 games behind the San Diego Padres for the final National League Wild Card spot. To make matters even worse, there are three teams in between them and San Diego that will also be tough to pass. St. Louis is within a game of both the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks but sit 2 1/2 games behind San Francisco with two more games against the Giants this weekend.
St. Louis has a remaining strength of schedule at .550, the most difficult finishing schedule in all of baseball. In their final 20 games, they'll play only three against teams under .500, those three coming against Cincinnati, who are 70-71. Six of their final games will come against the major league-leading Milwaukee Brewers, and 12 of 20 come against current playoff teams.
With injuries to All-Star Brendan Donovan, former Platinum Glove winner Nolan Arenado and a suspension to slugging first baseman Willson Contreras, the Cardinals' playoff chances seem tremendously slim.
Andre Pallante and Sonny Gray will start the next two games for St. Louis, hoping to gain ground on San Francisco before traveling to Seattle to face the Mariners who are in the midst of a division race of their own.
If the Cardinals aren't able to put together wins in at least three of their next five, it'll only be a matter of time until they are officially eliminated from postseason contention.