The 2025 season was supposed to be an afterthought for the St. Louis Cardinals. Longtime GM John Mozeliak announced well before the year that he had zero inclination to continue in his role after his contract expired at the end of 2025, a pretty clear indication that the franchise was hitting the reset button. Gone […]
The 2025 season was supposed to be an afterthought for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Longtime GM John Mozeliak announced well before the year that he had zero inclination to continue in his role after his contract expired at the end of 2025, a pretty clear indication that the franchise was hitting the reset button. Gone was potential Hall of Famer Paul Goldschmidt from the roster, while the club repeatedly tried to offload Nolan Arenado all winter, too.
The trade deadline saw them deal away established arm after established arm, with two-time All-Star Ryan Helsey, lefty Steven Matz, and setup man Phil Maton all dealt away.
Yet here we are, looking down at another late-August series between the Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds, and St. Louis is still right there.
How right there are they? Well, if St. Louis sweeps the Reds – who just got swept for the first time all season by the Los Angeles Dodgers – the Cardinals will leap the Reds in the standings.
That’s right – the rebuilding, sell-mode Cardinals are that close to pipping the we’re in the playoff chase! Reds.
The Reds will send Zack Littell to the mound on Friday evening in Great American Ball Park for the series opener, while lefty Andrew Abbott will pitch Saturday and Brady Singer on Sunday. Matthew Liberatore – a lefty – will haunt the Reds on Friday with a start for St. Louis (that will most likely feature Santiago Espinal a) in the lineup and b) playing a position he’s rarely, if ever, played before), while Michael McGreevy and Andre Pallante will toe the rubber for the subsequent games in the series for the Birds.
The Reds have certainly backed themselves into a corner here. The repeated thrashings by the Dodgers have left them 4 full games behind the New York Mets for the final National League Wild Card spot, as those losses coincided with the Mets sweeping the Philadelphia Phillies mid-week. The Mets are currently playing host to the Miami Marlins this weekend before they set off on a three-city, ten-game road trip that will also bring them to Cincinnati in what projects to be perhaps the most pivotal series in Nick Krall’s tenure atop the team’s front office.
(That is, of course, if the owner who employs him even gives enough of a damn to pay attention to it.)
First pitch in the Reds/Cards opener on Friday evening is slated for 6:40 PM ET. It sure would be nice to see GABP loaded to the gills with folks in the good kind of white/red uniforms.
Category: General Sports
