Following a disastrous week in which the Cardinals went 1-5 against divisional opponents, St. Louis will host the Nationals, whom they swept earlier this year.
Cardinals Begin Pivotal Week With Series Against Struggling Nationals originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The final week of the first half of the MLB season could prove to be a pivotal one for the St. Louis Cardinals. After getting swept by the Pirates and dropping two of three to the Cubs last week, St. Louis now sits 6.5 games out in the NL Central.
Not only can the Cardinals not afford to lose any more ground in the division, but they also need to return to their winning ways if they want to be buyers at the upcoming trade deadline. With a record of 48-43, the Cardinals trail the Giants by a game and a half for the final NL Wild Card spot.
Meanwhile, this past weekend was a very eventful one for the Washington Nationals. In addition to being swept at home by the Red Sox, the team announced on Sunday that they are parting ways with manager Dave Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo.
At 37-53, the Nationals currently own the second-worst record in the National League. The Cardinals swept the Nationals when the two teams met in early May.
Tuesday, July 8, 6:45 p.m. CT
How to watch/listen: FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, KMOX 1120 AM/104.1 FM
Probable starters:
Cardinals: Sonny Gray (8-3, 3.51 ERA)
Nationals: Jake Irvin (7-3, 4.71 ERA)
Wednesday, July 9, 6:45 p.m. CT
How to watch/listen: FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, KMOX 1120 AM/104.1 FM
Probable starters:
Cardinals: Andre Pallante (5-4, 4.10 ERA)
Nationals: MacKenzie Gore (3-8, 3.11 ERA)
Thursday, July 10, 6:45 p.m. CT
How to watch/listen: FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, KMOX 1120 AM/104.1 FM
Probable starters:
Cardinals: Miles Mikolas (4-6, 5.26 ERA)
Nationals: Michael Soroka (3-6, 5.40 ERA)
What to watch for:
1. Is Nolan Arenado healthy?
Arenado only played in two of the Cardinals' six games last week, and given the team's lackluster performance, he was clearly missed. The Cardinals' third baseman missed the end of the Pirates' series due to a bruised right index finger. He then was a late scratch on Saturday and did not play on Sunday because of a right shoulder impingement. The Cardinals are hopeful Arenado will be back on Tuesday.
2. Possible last chance for Miles Mikolas
The Cardinals are going to have important decisions to make in the coming weeks regarding both Miles Mikolas and Erick Fedde. Mikolas followed up an outing where he allowed six runs against Cleveland by surrendering eight runs to the Cubs on Friday, Meanwhile, Fedde has allowed 17 runs in his last 10 innings pitched. Another blowup start from Mikolas on Thursday could leave the Cardinals with no choice but to cut ties with him.
3. Three first-time All-Stars on display
On a more fun note, three players featured in this series were selected to their first-ever All-Star Game on Sunday. Outfielder James Wood and starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore will represent the Nationals, while second baseman Brendan Donovan will be the lone Cardinal in Atlanta next week. St. Louis got the best of Gore last time around, putting up four runs against him en route to a 6-1 win.
Related: Cardinals' No. 1 Prospect Receives Highly Anticipated Promotion
Related: Cardinals Announce Nolan Arenado News Before Cubs Game
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Baseball
